One group that gets overlooked by most historians is the Hitler Youth and the role they had in the last year of the war. From stories of my dad's friends from the Netherlands the Hitler Youth were crazy fearless in attacking Allied tanks. Especially tanks with open hatches they'd climb on and toss a grenade in the turret. They were FAR more effective than the Geezers & Fourteen Wehrmacht.
@@HistoryHustle I don't know either. Now I'm wondering if the Hitler Youth worn a specific insignia when they were in combat operations or if they were just blended into the SS or Wehrmacht as regular troops. I suspect the HY had more training and discipline than the 14 yr olds pressed into the Volkssturm, so they likely looked like regular troops.
History Hustle It’s a historic strategy game based off of WW2 and you can play as any nation it sos has a WW1 game mode and personally my favorite is the Kaiserschlight DLC and it’s an alternate reality where Germany and the Central powers win WW1. You could make the world Communist or Fascist or anything’s it’s super fun and Highly recommend it
Ötto Von Bismark actually, the WW1 or Great War and Kaiserreich are both mods made separately and are not part of the game itself. Kaiserreich is not a DLC, but is a user created mod, downloaded from the Steam workshop. And the Great War (WW1), is not a game mode, but is a mod entirely separated from the game. Also Communism and Fascism only exist in the vanilla base game, whereas Kaiserreich has way more political ideologies, like 20 of them, than vanilla, which only has 4. Because in the Kaiserreich timeline, Communism and Fascism don’t exist and are replaced by other ideologies, like Syndicalism and National Populism.
Some of the men had been men , who are not , felddiensttauglich' ( field service able) but only ,garnisonsdiensttauglich'( garrison service able), but some of this not realy fieldable men had been trained and experienced men.
If the US or really any of the allies got to Berlin before the Soviets they most likely would have surrendered. After what they did on the Eastern front they knew what surrendering to the Soviets would entail. Death, if lucky. Otherwise... so basically it was kill or be killed. There is a reason everyone (even the top Nazis) were rushing to go surrender to the Americans and British. Himmler, Herman Goering and Wherner Von Braun (Future head of NASA) ran west to surrender to the US soldiers. They even at one point tried to surrender under the condition the Soviets weren’t involved or else they wouldn’t at all. But it was refused. Unconditional, that was the deal.
@@marquisdelafayette1929 Nazie and Soviets where basicaly the two side of the same coin : the winner murder, rape and pillage is opponent The nazies had wins at the beginning of the war, but in the end, they were the losing side Well, at least the Soviets never planed to genocide germans, there was no soviet version of the Generalplan ost
axel leroy both sides did ... the other allies weren’t as bad but it was still a happening. Like with the American soldiers women would basically have sex for food and other necessities .. even if she became pregnant and he confirmed the child was his the command structure wouldn’t help them with any benefits or recognize them as a dependent even if they got married.
@@marquisdelafayette1929 I agree, all sides commited war crimes during the war, but the specificaly genocidal post war plans of nazie germany make them more terrible in my opinion : no more Poland, no more Slavs , whole cultures throw into the fire
axel leroy And I agree with you that the Nazis were worse. If they painted themselves as “saviors” and “liberators” at least pretending outwardly I don’t think Barbarossa would have gone as badly as it did. Most people didn’t like Stalin and were in severe fear of him so playing "liberator” would have worked better than just straight admitting you think they are subhuman and not people but “things” to rape and subjugate.
@@ntphong999 yeah,but at the start,they were poorly armed as fuck,but i admire the bravery of these lads for standing against what was a horrible ideology
They had the spears because Churchill went hyperbole and said that they should be armed with something and if not with rifles then at least with a pike. And dome commanders took that as an order so... Of course everyone who saw the pikes being handed simply wondered wtf is this, was the situation really that bad.
A movie titled "Die Brucke" was about a group of young men that were called up at the end of the war. They were required to protect a bridge in their town. At the end, most of these schoolboys were killed.
@@HistoryHustle Het is een Oost-Duitse produktie, anti-oorlogsfilm, een beetje langdradig naar huidige maatstaven maar dat helpt bij het character building. De film bevat een aantal verrassend heftige scenes en geeft de waanzin, zinloosheid en wreedheid van de oorlog goed weer. Zeker een aanrader !
I once read about another bridge whose fate remained unclear about the outcome of that bombing because the young man got tired of watching its daily bombing after two weeks, and I didn’t read the book to the end. The old stone bridge was apparently pointless target that the same pilot came in the mornings at 9 o'clock to bombing. Not just hit and the same thing happened again.
Well in the Paraguay war by the end of the conflict the paraguay army consisted of elders, woman and children using machetes and slingshots. But the brazilians still slaughter them if they surrender....
My father served in the US Army, 78th Division, in the Ruhr campaign. He told me of encountering a large number of Volksturm, old men and little boys as he called them. He was only 18 himself. According to him, they were surrendering as fast as they could, without getting shot in the back. He also spoke of seeing “countless “ unused “Panzerfaust One-shot-bazookas” in the road ditches, already discarded by the Volksturm before trying to surrender.
When the Finland/Soviet Winter War began in 1939, the device situation was similar to the volkssturm. Some of the fighting troops wear civilian clothes and use their own weapons from home.
It's teachers like you that can change people's lives. When I was in high school in Scotland I had a history teacher who like you was so passionate about history. Like you they brought history alive and all these years later I still love history thanks to them. I'm sure you will be having the same effect on people today.
My great grandfather was conscripted into the Volkssturm. He had fought on the eastern front during the first war, as a Sudeten German I'm not sure if it was in the German or Austro-Hungarian army. He even escaping from a Russian POW camp. My mother told me he was a very reserved man and very quiet. He had seen so much horror he never really spoke about it.
The part where you said "Imagine you were born in the late 19th century..." - that was really powerful. Giving this abstract topic a personal touch, allowing oneself to imagine this for oneself. Well done! :)
I had family on both sides of that war. Afterwards, the surviving cousins made a private peace between each other. I remember, as a young boy, hearing the unguarded comments between cousins asking “why did you fight so ferociously, after you knew the war was hopeless?” The answer, which at the time I thought was a German word I didn’t yet understand was simply: “Versailles”, and our families. These answers were never questioned further.
*Will these men have any chance of saving Nazi Germany?* Me: Looks around for giant red swastika banners draping off government buildings..... *Its just a hunch but I think they failed*
Bas Koning well its easy to make fun about that in todays times gut in the past the people knew what gonna happen to them especially in the East. Its understandable to secure your family Friends and Country
My grandfather (15 by that time) should have been drafted on Easter Monday, but he was lucky because the American troops arrived in his hometown on Easter Sunday. Others of his classmates had already been drafted. In his journal he explains how they would barricade the towns bridge and train in the Hitler youth for their “mission”. It’s interesting to read his despair when he realized they lost the war and he does not know what’s going to happen next. Also his comparisons of the well fed and equipped Americans compared to the last remaining German soldiers with “tanks” using fire wood to run the engine and being beat up from the war.
So, leaving behind your wife and two small children to die in a long lost and unjust war is your idea of courage? I beg to differ. „The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.“
In my country Greece we still have an active conscription, with technically every " able man" between 20 to 55 years old being in the army's reserves.. What isn't very known is that Greece also has a national guard consisted mostly by part-time soldiers basically volunteering civilians who continue to train as soldiers after the end of their military service and because one back up is never enough, there is also a" stay behind " network just in case things go south.. And yes there's also a backup for the backup of the backup It's called" panlaiki Amina " in loose translation" all people defence" In theory if things go really down to the shit drain, any surviving elements of the army, the national guard or the police( in Greece is part of the armed forces) should quite literally arm every civilian men and women, mostly with weapons, capture from police operators or peace keeping missions - like the ak 47 and various types of machine guns etc for a desperate final fight.. The reasoning behind this is that during operation Attila 1974, the opponent had massacred most men captured regardless if they were soldiers or civilians with the rest of the population being submitted to extreme violence.. So in theory arming the civilians would give the a better chance of survival So yap at least one spiritual grandchild of the volkssturm still exists Although professional soldiers hate it for obvious reasons with the main one be that rag dag group of armed people can't really make any difference if things go so bad and can also be used as an excuse for even more violence against civilians couht behind the enemy lines..
@@flyaway892 ναι ΠΑΣΟΚικη ιδέα όλος περίεργος 🤣 επίσης είναι μάλλον αμφιβόλο αν μπορεί να εφαρμοστεί στην πράξη αν και εθνοφυλακες χρησημοποιηθικαν κατά την διάρκεια της προσφυγικής κρίσης στον Έβρο μαζί με οπλισμένους πολίτες και επίσης κάτι ανάλογο έκαναν και οι Ουκρανοί όταν είδαν τα σκούρα
3:13, German Nazi is like, “Netherlands? Yep you got a good rifle”. I don’t condone Nazi behavior, yet you’re portrayal about people of the past, it’s very entertaining.
the last part hit me, my grandpa was 19 when ww1 broke out and vouluntered for the german army he survied the whole war only to be drafted in the last months of ww2 to die in the battle of Berlin
You have a really great way of presenting historical events unlike any historian ive ever seen. Really love the combination of visual info, quotes and story telling. It's a really well balanced and super interesting format. Thankyou!
My grandfather survived while being far into Soviet Union and got the iron cross. Still have it in its own small box. My father used to say that the things behind that cross would make hard strong men fall to the grund and just starting to cry. That was the truth of lost lifes in that war in a often horrible way. ( I got a question to the earlier deleted comment who i answere here.) My grandfather used to sit quiet for long times many years after the war while looking straight into the sky and then saying. The mistakes we once made will sadly repeat itself once more when the time is right. Thats sadly how this humanity work. Wait and you will se if you are one of the unlucky ones. I pray and hope not he used to say. Even today i gets the shiver by just hearing that story.
@@HistoryHustle No worry and thank you for your videos. My grandmother was the last years of his life refusing to talk about that war when my grandfather wanted to write a book about it all. But she refused to have anything to do with that pain anymore and he needed her help from her with that. Sometimes i gets confused when i also have started to grow old these days (nearly 60 but still around and building computers 😳) and have issues with what to think when it not far away from my home is a cemetery where two American bomber pilots is resting in todays Sweden under their own gravestone in form of a propeller from that plane. The confussion is that all these brave men and women all was making a war where they sometimes all lost while thinking they was doing the right thing. You have a nice day and take care. 👍
The fact that some ww1 veterans had to rejoin the army is kinda sad if you think about it, they luckily survived the first one with trauma and loss and there you go again
I knew one German who was a member of the Hitler Jugend. He along with three of his friends encountered dozens of Sherman tanks. They were greatly outgunned and were no match for them and so he and his three friends dropped their weapons and RAN away as fast as they could. They all survived the war living to an old age.
My Father aged 15, with his school, was given a Panzerfaust in Czechoslovakia and expected to fight the T34 tanks, but the Gauleiter said it was futile and they were allowed to escape.
Was referred this channel by my brother, and man am I ever thankful. Great presentation (you really give me an Indy Nidel presentation vibe and that’s awesome) and in-depth. I also liked your little cosplay at the start, you’re quite passionate about history! It’s depressing learning about this last ditch army that, on paper may have seemed like a formidable fighting source, but was in-practice only good at delaying the end of the war by a few months. At best you have WW1 veterans who can easily mold into quick training as any other infantryman, handicapped by sub-par equipment and a lack of standardized training, and at worst, a teenager who goes carpenters apprentice-turned home guard, armed with something that should be in a veteran’s attic. Looking forward to catching up on your videos and seeing what else is in store, great work my friend!
My comrades and I were on a former battlefield near the now Polish-German border. There a Volkssturm unit hold a hill for days because of their highground position. 3 guys left that hill alive after those days. They were the only guys that had grenades, they had a mass of weapons which haven't had ammunition. They were told to throw them away and pick another gun when they run out of ammo. It was crazy.
My Grandfather told me about running into some of these guys. He was in Patton's 3rd army. As the story I was told, most of the German Volkstrum members gave up without much of a fight
My grandfather could have been one of them even tho it's very unlikely. He was 16 and was drafted into the Volkssturm. They only built barricades and gave up their positions when the Americans arrived in the area. City was taken over without a single shoot being fired
@@HistoryHustle At the end, you wondered why the Volkssturm fascinates people. I think it's because the militia was the absolute last gasp of the Third Reich, and watching Hitlerjugend and gray-haired WWI vets trying to defend Berlin with cobblestone barricades and obsolete weapons shows that many Germans were willing to die to hold back the Allies for a few more moments.
@@HistoryHustle Yep they were first called LDV (Local Defence Volunteers) and the name was soon changed to Home Guard. In the beginning the LDV didn't have weapons either, they drilled with the occasional privately-owned shotgun and broomsticks, and they didn't have uniforms, just armbands, like the Volkssturm. They were established in a hurry in 1940 when the rapid success of Germany in Western Europe made it look like an invasion of Britain was inevitable, and in fact the Germans did plan this as everyone knows. There were also ''Auxiliary Units'', a kind of resistance network set up in secret to be active in an occupied Britain, if Germany had conquered Britain. Many were poachers and gamekeepers and suchlike, who would have carried out acts of sabotage and assassinations of collaborators. They had a very short life expectancy. Here is an excellent documentary cum ''what if'' dramatisation about the Auxiliary Units: ruclips.net/video/vKcCidhnOEQ/видео.html
Grandpa was already an old man when they called him up in Jugoslavia. A sign on the side of the train said "Wir alte Affen sind der Hitler seine Waffen".
An aspect I hadn't really considered among Volkssturm that were WW I veterans is that maybe it was a chance to deal with survivor's guilt. Many of their friends had fallen in the first war only for their country to be humiliated and disarmed by the victorious Allies, and I'm sure many dealt with a feeling of personal responsibility and failure in doing enough the first time around; that their resolve hadn't been strong enough. A sort of "This time we will do everything possible" mindset as seen in total war.
Most vets with this mentality were already in the Nazi party, with many joining the SS units. Most of the interwar German nationalist movements were full of WWI veterans who were still fighting the war, Hitler himself being the most famous. Another ood example would be Emile Maurice, a Jewish friend of Hitler and commander of his first bodyguard unit who fought both in WWI as an NCO and WWII as an officer in the Wehrmacht (despite being an SS member, he couldn't join the Waffen-SS because of his Jewish anchestry) .
My grandfather (15 by that time) should have been drafted on Easter Monday, but he was lucky because the American troops arrived in his hometown on Easter Sunday. Others of his classmates had already been drafted. In his journal he explains how they would barricade the towns bridge and train in the Hitler youth for their “mission”. It’s interesting to read his despair when he realized they lost the war and he does not know what’s going to happen next. Also his comparisons of the well fed and equipped Americans compared to the last remaining German soldiers with “tanks” using fire wood to run the engine and being beat up from the war.
Men over 50 & boys under 18 were also used to formed bare bones VOLKSGRENADIER infantry divisions in 1944 & 1945. Navy & Air Force personnel were also used to form such divisions.
0:44 I’m impressed that someone from the Netherlands can speak English so well. I would never have guessed he wasn’t British or American. I wish I could speak a second language that well.
Some thing never change, Jefferson Davis did the same thing to his people at the end of the civil war he knew it was the end but still put old people and very young children into battle!
I have heard it said that at the end of World War II MacArthur or one of the other General wanted to start fighting back the Soviets and drive them back but everybody was too tired of the war I wanted to quit is this true ?
That was a wonderful and informative video. Thank you. My local library’s digital library had a copy of Ian Kershaw’s book and I am looking forward to reading it. Thanks.
Dude your enthusiasm for history is amazing! The sheer output of new videos is downright impressive! I hope you gather an even greater following and keep them coming. Also you seem to have a big collection of war relics.
My great grandfather was a heer officer in ww2. He was badly injuried in October 1944 for the 7th time. Due to his wounds, he was home recovering from his wounds in May 1945. He knew people who were in the volkssturm that were never seen again.
Good video. At any rate I always find it surprising that people are so shocked by throwing inexperienced boys and elderly at the enemy when Britain was prepared to do pretty much the same since they formed something similar (Home Guard) when they still feared invasion (granted, Home Guard was as far as I know made from volunteers, but otherwise it's pretty much the same).
Thanks Frank and yes, Britain had the Home Guard. Difference is that these were never used that much, however the Volkssturm had facing harsh frontline combat.
@@HistoryHustle Which is just a difference of circumstance, not approach (which many people consider bad since ''it's just sacrificing people for continuing the fight'').
The home guard was voluntary in the sense that it's members were unpaid, but I think that all adult male civilians were obliged to perform some sort of voluntary duty, if not home guard, then air raid precaution, fire watching, special constabulary etc.
Very good presentation. My Dad was with Patton when they linked up with the Russians Right before They went after Berlin. You're from Holland Huh? Cool ! Great Job!
@@HistoryHustle ..Boy Lot's of stuff. He saw 2 Russian soldiers (Drunk) Jump on one of those German BMW Motorcycles with a Side car And they lost control of it and Ran it into a Bridge Support Killing Both of them. Dad was in the Artillery.. and one day after they had seen dead germans who had been shooting at out paratroopers near St. Mare Eglis'?? I think? . it mad them pretty mad about it... a German plane was flying over and 'Ack-Ack' Guns started Shooting at it--it was Hit and the pilot was getting out of his cockpit to jump.. Dad saw him and Jumped up on top of their truck where a 'Browning' machine gun was and started Blazing away at the pilot. An officer saw him and said: "Soldier WE Don't do that"... And Stopped him from shooting at the German pilot... And ALSO 'Busted' my Dad back to Private,LOL! He had been a Corporal. Wish I could find the Picture Dad had of him and some German prisoners captured at 'the Bulge'. The 3 Germans have on U.S greatcoats and jeep caps. and are ALL Grinning... Dad is Grinning and has a 'Ball Pein' Hammer raised over Their Heads as if he is going to Hit them! It is Priceless... Sadly it is in our old Home somewhere and I can't find it. Dad probly Stuck it in some Book or 'Spot in the House.
Some civilians are so happy to help the State and Dear Leader engaging in mass murder and tyranny. It could happen anywhere - the United States included.
Well, they never liked Jews (and had no freaking reason not to hate them), and preferred the tyranny of a "Socialist Workers' Party" to tyranny of wealthy elites masquerading as democracy. Nazi regime was not a product of some government conspiracy, but a natural result of evolution of German society towards revanchism and totalitarianism. I mean, that's the whole point of being totalitarian as opposed to authoritarian: authoritarian governments impose their rule bu force or apathy of citizens, but totalitarianism is about the public being united by a common goal and actively encouraging the government politics.
Bedankt. WOII heeft een grote focus, maar ook WO1 komt aan bod, alsmede de Koude Oorlog. Er zijn ook video's over het ontstaan van de Nederlandse Republiek en de 80-jarige oorlog.
2:22 Oh good, I thought this history teacher from the Netherlands was actually a Nazi because during his educational video about a German WWII unit he wore a uniformed overcoat. The fact you need to put disclaimers shows how far people will reach, and that's pretty sad to me. That aside I actually learned quiet a bit from this, definitely subbing if most of your videos are like this.
@@HistoryHustle have you ever done any videos on the medical side of WW1 or WW2 (eg- medics, hospitals, aid stations etc)? As a nurse , I’m always intrigued on the medical side of war…
The immediate problem was to find uniforms and equipment for Volkssturm members. In the Rhineland, 15-year-old Hugo Stehkämper and his comrades were given pre-war black SS uniforms, brown Organisation Todt coats, blue Air Force Auxiliary caps and French steel helmets. Across the country, the stores of the Wehrmacht, police, railways, border guards, postal service, storm troopers, National Socialist truck drivers, the Reich Labour Service, the SS, the Hitler Youth and the German Labour Front were all turned over to provide uniforms.
Some information on the British version of the volkssturm - Britain establish the LDV (local defence volunteers) on May 14th 1940, Secretary of State for War Anthony Eden made a broadcast calling for men between the ages of 17 and 65 to enrol in a new force. By July, nearly 1.5 million men had enrolled and the name of this people's army was changed to the more inspiring Home Guard. The Home Guard was at first a rag-tag militia, with scarce and often make-do uniforms and weaponry. Yet it evolved into a well-equipped and well-trained army of 1.7 million men. Men of the Home Guard were not only readied for invasion, but also performed other roles including bomb disposal and manning anti-aircraft and coastal artillery. Over the course of the war 1,206 men of the Home Guard were killed on duty or died of wounds. With the Allied armies advancing towards Germany and the threat of invasion or raids over, the Home Guard was stood down on 3 December 1944. (source IMW) Another interesting aspect of Britains war effort was the Auxiliary units. The Auxiliary Units or GHQ Auxiliary Units were specially-trained, highly-secret units created by the British government during the Second World War with the aim of using irregular warfare to help combat any invasion of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany, The Auxiliary Units would fight as uniformed guerrillas during the military campaign. In the event of an invasion, all Auxiliary Units would disappear into their operational bases (During World War II, the British Army built more than 600 of these underground bunkers, possibly upwards of 1,000, to serve as bases) and would not maintain contact with local Home Guard commanders, who should indeed be wholly unaware of their existence. Although the Auxiliaries were Home Guard volunteers and wore Home Guard uniforms, they would not participate in the conventional phase of their town's defence but would be activated once the local Home Guard defence had been ended to inflict maximum mayhem and disruption over a further brief but violent period. They were not envisaged as a continuing resistance force against long-term occupation.
@@HistoryHustle Very little. It's my understanding he was part of the Polish occupation army at first and ended the war as a guard in a POW camp. After the surrender he was a POW in the American sector.
![COLOMBIA vs. CHILE [4-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 10](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TDjN4W3yy1k/mqdefault.jpg)
Check out the WW2 playlist:
ruclips.net/video/pniiST3gZbQ/видео.html
One group that gets overlooked by most historians is the Hitler Youth and the role they had in the last year of the war. From stories of my dad's friends from the Netherlands the Hitler Youth were crazy fearless in attacking Allied tanks. Especially tanks with open hatches they'd climb on and toss a grenade in the turret. They were FAR more effective than the Geezers & Fourteen Wehrmacht.
@@williamfluit6198 Yes indeed. I'm not sure if these boys fought in seperate formations or became part of the Volkssturm. I believe the former.
@@HistoryHustle I don't know either. Now I'm wondering if the Hitler Youth worn a specific insignia when they were in combat operations or if they were just blended into the SS or Wehrmacht as regular troops. I suspect the HY had more training and discipline than the 14 yr olds pressed into the Volkssturm, so they likely looked like regular troops.
@History Hustle I am Dutch to 😅
A memper of those units had the rights of the P.O.W???
When you hit "scraping the barrel" in HOI4
I'm not aware with hoi4, but scraping the barrel it sure was...
History Hustle It’s a historic strategy game based off of WW2 and you can play as any nation it sos has a WW1 game mode and personally my favorite is the Kaiserschlight DLC and it’s an alternate reality where Germany and the Central powers win WW1. You could make the world Communist or Fascist or anything’s it’s super fun and Highly recommend it
Ötto Von Bismark actually, the WW1 or Great War and Kaiserreich are both mods made separately and are not part of the game itself. Kaiserreich is not a DLC, but is a user created mod, downloaded from the Steam workshop. And the Great War (WW1), is not a game mode, but is a mod entirely separated from the game. Also Communism and Fascism only exist in the vanilla base game, whereas Kaiserreich has way more political ideologies, like 20 of them, than vanilla, which only has 4. Because in the Kaiserreich timeline, Communism and Fascism don’t exist and are replaced by other ideologies, like Syndicalism and National Populism.
@@HistoryHustle It's a bit sad you're educated on these topics, but are not aware of HOI4.
@@ottovonbismark5083 HOI3 with Black Ice mod is better.HOI4 is pure fantasy and extremely "dumbed down"
Some of the middle aged / elderly Volkssturm members actually had military backgrounds and even ample front and combart experience from WW1.
True, thanks for adding.
I’d imagine it may of helped keep a few young ones alive.
*3.00% non-core manpower*
Some of the men had been men , who are not , felddiensttauglich' ( field service able) but only ,garnisonsdiensttauglich'( garrison service able), but some of this not realy fieldable men had been trained and experienced men.
Ja
The Battle of Berlin was a teachable case example of a true "Lose - Lose Big" scenario.
If the US or really any of the allies got to Berlin before the Soviets they most likely would have surrendered. After what they did on the Eastern front they knew what surrendering to the Soviets would entail. Death, if lucky. Otherwise... so basically it was kill or be killed.
There is a reason everyone (even the top Nazis) were rushing to go surrender to the Americans and British. Himmler, Herman Goering and Wherner Von Braun (Future head of NASA) ran west to surrender to the US soldiers. They even at one point tried to surrender under the condition the Soviets weren’t involved or else they wouldn’t at all. But it was refused. Unconditional, that was the deal.
@@marquisdelafayette1929 Nazie and Soviets where basicaly the two side of the same coin : the winner murder, rape and pillage is opponent
The nazies had wins at the beginning of the war, but in the end, they were the losing side
Well, at least the Soviets never planed to genocide germans, there was no soviet version of the Generalplan ost
axel leroy both sides did ... the other allies weren’t as bad but it was still a happening. Like with the American soldiers women would basically have sex for food and other necessities .. even if she became pregnant and he confirmed the child was his the command structure wouldn’t help them with any benefits or recognize them as a dependent even if they got married.
@@marquisdelafayette1929 I agree, all sides commited war crimes during the war, but the specificaly genocidal post war plans of nazie germany make them more terrible in my opinion : no more Poland, no more Slavs , whole cultures throw into the fire
axel leroy And I agree with you that the Nazis were worse. If they painted themselves as “saviors” and “liberators” at least pretending outwardly I don’t think Barbarossa would have gone as badly as it did. Most people didn’t like Stalin and were in severe fear of him so playing "liberator” would have worked better than just straight admitting you think they are subhuman and not people but “things” to rape and subjugate.
The British had a "home guard" that fully expected to be utilized. At first they had metal spears.They were all volunteers/ unpaid.
they had later P14 rifles
@@ntphong999 yeah,but at the start,they were poorly armed as fuck,but i admire the bravery of these lads for standing against what was a horrible ideology
They had the spears because Churchill went hyperbole and said that they should be armed with something and if not with rifles then at least with a pike. And dome commanders took that as an order so...
Of course everyone who saw the pikes being handed simply wondered wtf is this, was the situation really that bad.
They were placed close to beaches to be used as cannon fodder in case of invasion. Volkssturm was used as last resort. Makes you think...
They did ask he US to supply them with guns.
A movie titled "Die Brucke" was about a group of young men that were called up at the end of the war. They were required to protect a bridge in their town. At the end, most of these schoolboys were killed.
Yes, I've heard of that movie. Gotta check it out.
@@HistoryHustle Het is een Oost-Duitse produktie, anti-oorlogsfilm, een beetje langdradig naar huidige maatstaven maar dat helpt bij het character building. De film bevat een aantal verrassend heftige scenes en geeft de waanzin, zinloosheid en wreedheid van de oorlog goed weer. Zeker een aanrader !
Yeah the survivor realized it was all for nothing since the bridge was considered unimportant and the war was lost.
I once read about another bridge whose fate remained unclear about the outcome of that bombing because the young man got tired of watching its daily bombing after two weeks, and I didn’t read the book to the end. The old stone bridge was apparently pointless target that the same pilot came in the mornings at 9 o'clock to bombing. Not just hit and the same thing happened again.
@@HistoryHustle if you watch it, watch the original not the remake. The original is far better. Very sad movie.
No one should look down on this, Britain actually did the same in 1940 when preparing for a German invasion, so yeah.
True, they did.
Well in the Paraguay war by the end of the conflict the paraguay army consisted of elders, woman and children using machetes and slingshots. But the brazilians still slaughter them if they surrender....
And the fact the Britain initially gave them spears is even more embarrassing
The Japanese did the same
@@timpeters2 The Volunteer Fighting Corps...
My father served in the US Army, 78th Division, in the Ruhr campaign. He told me of encountering a large number of Volksturm, old men and little boys as he called them. He was only 18 himself. According to him, they were surrendering as fast as they could, without getting shot in the back. He also spoke of seeing “countless “ unused “Panzerfaust One-shot-bazookas” in the road ditches, already discarded by the Volksturm before trying to surrender.
Very interesting to read. Many thanks for sharing.
When the Finland/Soviet Winter War began in 1939, the device situation was similar to the volkssturm. Some of the fighting troops wear civilian clothes and use their own weapons from home.
I've heard of that. Thank you for sharing.
Civilian pioneers and hunters make the best soldiers - look at the Finns! The Boers! ;)
It's teachers like you that can change people's lives. When I was in high school in Scotland I had a history teacher who like you was so passionate about history. Like you they brought history alive and all these years later I still love history thanks to them. I'm sure you will be having the same effect on people today.
Great to read! Much appreciated 👍
My great grandfather was conscripted into the Volkssturm. He had fought on the eastern front during the first war, as a Sudeten German I'm not sure if it was in the German or Austro-Hungarian army. He even escaping from a Russian POW camp. My mother told me he was a very reserved man and very quiet. He had seen so much horror he never really spoke about it.
I can imagine he has seen a lot. Thanks for sharing.
How did he fare after WW2? German soldiers who survived both wars are so intriguing, I always wonder how they did it
No way to spend your Golden Years hugging a Panzerfaust waiting for a T34.
@@SeamHead33 would you rather live under fascism?
@Name Profile pic checks out. Cheers lad, it is men of action that keep the folk safe from the international threat.
@@thecreepnextdoor7560 Yes
@@thecreepnextdoor7560 yes
(my German ancestors who lived under fascism and communism would also answer yes to that, were they still alive.)
@@thecreepnextdoor7560 yes
My grandgrandfather was fighting in WW1, than at the end of WW2 he got drafted and after war being captured at a sowjiet gulak for 5 years.
königinnenhunter gosh fighting 1 war is bad but 2!
@Straight White Male Dein Name macht das alles noch schlimmer.
dont believe it xd
@@bawicz0 imagine using xd that shit was 2014
@@flyingsac pewdiepie said it to bring it back
my grandfathers father was part of the volkssturm and he surrendered to american forces but sadly died of a heart attack
Sad to hear. Thanks for sharing.
The part where you said "Imagine you were born in the late 19th century..." - that was really powerful. Giving this abstract topic a personal touch, allowing oneself to imagine this for oneself. Well done! :)
Thank you very much :)
I had family on both sides of that war. Afterwards, the surviving cousins made a private peace between each other. I remember, as a young boy, hearing the unguarded comments between cousins asking “why did you fight so ferociously, after you knew the war was hopeless?” The answer, which at the time I thought was a German word I didn’t yet understand was simply: “Versailles”, and our families. These answers were never questioned further.
*Will these men have any chance of saving Nazi Germany?* Me: Looks around for giant red swastika banners draping off government buildings..... *Its just a hunch but I think they failed*
Not quite sure yet, though
*what year is it?*
@@bawicz0 let's ask
OVER THERE! DO YOU NEED TO WEAR A MASK TO PROTECT FROM COVID-19?
ARE YOU STUPID! I AM NOT WEARING A MASK
Still 2020
Hitler's idea of a "Master Race:, all expendables!
As that Russian general said to his men: I am bored, shoot something!"
It was no success indeed, expect for prolonging the war. I don't consider that a success.
Volkssturm: or the 'oh shit we've lost haven't we' group of old folks and children
That's where it came down to.
Bas Koning well its easy to make fun about that in todays times gut in the past the people knew what gonna happen to them especially in the East. Its understandable to secure your family Friends and Country
The Volkssturm. A photo I've always remembered is of a very old and bewildered man with a panzerfaust in his hands.
Yes, very iconic indeed.
My grandfather deserted from the Volkssturm on the first night. Best military decision in the family’s history.
Agree.
My grandfather (15 by that time) should have been drafted on Easter Monday, but he was lucky because the American troops arrived in his hometown on Easter Sunday. Others of his classmates had already been drafted. In his journal he explains how they would barricade the towns bridge and train in the Hitler youth for their “mission”. It’s interesting to read his despair when he realized they lost the war and he does not know what’s going to happen next. Also his comparisons of the well fed and equipped Americans compared to the last remaining German soldiers with “tanks” using fire wood to run the engine and being beat up from the war.
Why do you take such pride in your grandfather's cowardice?
So, leaving behind your wife and two small children to die in a long lost and unjust war is your idea of courage? I beg to differ. „The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.“
@@damienbruno7767 May seem like it yes, but either one of us would have deserted.
In my country Greece we still have an active conscription, with technically every " able man" between 20 to 55 years old being in the army's reserves..
What isn't very known is that Greece also has a national guard consisted mostly by part-time soldiers basically volunteering civilians who continue to train as soldiers after the end of their military service and because one back up is never enough, there is also a" stay behind " network just in case things go south..
And yes there's also a backup for the backup of the backup
It's called" panlaiki Amina " in loose translation" all people defence"
In theory if things go really down to the shit drain, any surviving elements of the army, the national guard or the police( in Greece is part of the armed forces) should quite literally arm every civilian men and women, mostly with weapons, capture from police operators or peace keeping missions - like the ak 47 and various types of machine guns etc for a desperate final fight..
The reasoning behind this is that during operation Attila 1974, the opponent had massacred most men captured regardless if they were soldiers or civilians with the rest of the population being submitted to extreme violence.. So in theory arming the civilians would give the a better chance of survival
So yap at least one spiritual grandchild of the volkssturm still exists
Although professional soldiers hate it for obvious reasons with the main one be that rag dag group of armed people can't really make any difference if things go so bad and can also be used as an excuse for even more violence against civilians couht behind the enemy lines..
Interesting, thanks for sharing.
Εχουμε εμεις τετοιο πραγμα; Κοιτα να δεις τι μαθαινεις.
@@flyaway892 ναι ΠΑΣΟΚικη ιδέα όλος περίεργος 🤣 επίσης είναι μάλλον αμφιβόλο αν μπορεί να εφαρμοστεί στην πράξη
αν και εθνοφυλακες χρησημοποιηθικαν κατά την διάρκεια της προσφυγικής κρίσης στον Έβρο μαζί με οπλισμένους πολίτες και επίσης κάτι ανάλογο έκαναν και οι Ουκρανοί όταν είδαν τα σκούρα
3:13, German Nazi is like, “Netherlands? Yep you got a good rifle”. I don’t condone Nazi behavior, yet you’re portrayal about people of the past, it’s very entertaining.
I was kinda doubting to portray it but did so. But I would never reenact hardcore nazis acting as such.
the last part hit me, my grandpa was 19 when ww1 broke out and vouluntered for the german army he survied the whole war only to be drafted in the last months of ww2 to die in the battle of Berlin
Sorry to hear that. Thanks for sharing.
You have a really great way of presenting historical events unlike any historian ive ever seen. Really love the combination of visual info, quotes and story telling. It's a really well balanced and super interesting format. Thankyou!
Many thanks for your message!
My grandfather survived while being far into Soviet Union and got the iron cross. Still have it in its own small box. My father used to say that the things behind that cross would make hard strong men fall to the grund and just starting to cry. That was the truth of lost lifes in that war in a often horrible way.
( I got a question to the earlier deleted comment who i answere here.) My grandfather used to sit quiet for long times many years after the war while looking straight into the sky and then saying. The mistakes we once made will sadly repeat itself once more when the time is right. Thats sadly how this humanity work. Wait and you will se if you are one of the unlucky ones. I pray and hope not he used to say. Even today i gets the shiver by just hearing that story.
Thanks for your reply. Just wanted to let you know it wasn't me who deleted it. Guess this platform has a will of its own...
@@HistoryHustle No worry and thank you for your videos. My grandmother was the last years of his life refusing to talk about that war when my grandfather wanted to write a book about it all. But she refused to have anything to do with that pain anymore and he needed her help from her with that. Sometimes i gets confused when i also have started to grow old these days (nearly 60 but still around and building computers 😳) and have issues with what to think when it not far away from my home is a cemetery where two American bomber pilots is resting in todays Sweden under their own gravestone in form of a propeller from that plane. The confussion is that all these brave men and women all was making a war where they sometimes all lost while thinking they was doing the right thing. You have a nice day and take care. 👍
Thanks for taking the time to write this down 👍
*Volksstrum applied*
.
WW1 veterans : ah shit, here we go again..
Grandpa went to war, father went to war, grandson went to war...
Whole generations were lost in that hell.
To be fair, a lot of Nazi officials were also WWI vets, as were many SS commanders.
Sad truth.
The fact that some ww1 veterans had to rejoin the army is kinda sad if you think about it, they luckily survived the first one with trauma and loss and there you go again
Indeed.
Some other weapons issued to the Volkssturm:
- Einstossflammenwerfer.
- Volkspistole
- HIW VSK carbine(most common to my knowledge).
- MP 3008
Yes, I actually talk about that in this video:
ruclips.net/video/HIT13rNzHNo/видео.html
I knew one German who was a member of the Hitler Jugend.
He along with three of his friends encountered dozens of Sherman tanks.
They were greatly outgunned and were no match for them and so he and his three friends dropped their weapons and RAN away as fast as they could.
They all survived the war living to an old age.
Interesting to read, thank you for sharing this.
Hello I'm an American I'm a huge history fan thank you for the well made educational videos
Many thanks, Michael for your support!
When despair kicks in, the reason goes off the window
Fair point.
My Father aged 15, with his school, was given a Panzerfaust in Czechoslovakia and expected to fight the T34 tanks, but the Gauleiter said it was futile and they were allowed to escape.
Thanks for sharing this.
Was referred this channel by my brother, and man am I ever thankful. Great presentation (you really give me an Indy Nidel presentation vibe and that’s awesome) and in-depth. I also liked your little cosplay at the start, you’re quite passionate about history! It’s depressing learning about this last ditch army that, on paper may have seemed like a formidable fighting source, but was in-practice only good at delaying the end of the war by a few months. At best you have WW1 veterans who can easily mold into quick training as any other infantryman, handicapped by sub-par equipment and a lack of standardized training, and at worst, a teenager who goes carpenters apprentice-turned home guard, armed with something that should be in a veteran’s attic.
Looking forward to catching up on your videos and seeing what else is in store, great work my friend!
Very nice to read. Thanks. Welcome to the channel!
Magnificent technology if you can fire a bazooka with one hand. (Shown at 5:10)
Yeah, I'm actually surprised by this daring show-off.
It's not a "bazooka" it's a panzerfaust.
@@lolguy2793 well the bazooka was inspired by this so the comparation is calle I think
you can do this with all recoilless rifles
@@JunguianPhantom it's still not a bazooka....
My comrades and I were on a former battlefield near the now Polish-German border. There a Volkssturm unit hold a hill for days because of their highground position. 3 guys left that hill alive after those days. They were the only guys that had grenades, they had a mass of weapons which haven't had ammunition. They were told to throw them away and pick another gun when they run out of ammo. It was crazy.
I can understand.
My Grandfather told me about running into some of these guys. He was in Patton's 3rd army. As the story I was told, most of the German Volkstrum members gave up without much of a fight
Understandable. On the Eastern Front it was a different story...
@@HistoryHustle yeah. When I was in college studying history I read some really scary stories about the Soviet treatment of people in the east
Wasn't the best to put it mildly.
My grandfather could have been one of them even tho it's very unlikely. He was 16 and was drafted into the Volkssturm. They only built barricades and gave up their positions when the Americans arrived in the area. City was taken over without a single shoot being fired
George orwell was a home guard solder in Britain, this gave Britain 2,500.000 experience solders waiting for the germans
Didn't know that. Interesting.
One history teacher to another, you have a sub my friend!
Cheers! Welcome to the channel. Where do you teach?
@@HistoryHustle danke! And I teach in the Bronx, NY!
Fascinating and informative presentation.
👍👍
@@HistoryHustle At the end, you wondered why the Volkssturm fascinates people. I think it's because the militia was the absolute last gasp of the Third Reich, and watching Hitlerjugend and gray-haired WWI vets trying to defend Berlin with cobblestone barricades and obsolete weapons shows that many Germans were willing to die to hold back the Allies for a few more moments.
You deserve a lot more views & subscribers than what you have man, keep up the quality work
Thank you, feel free to share of course to make that happen! :)
Nice video Stephan. The UK had a kind of Volksstrum aswell in the early days of the war, but unlike their german counterparts they never saw action.
Thanks, and yes, some kind of home guard I believe.
@@HistoryHustle Yep they were first called LDV (Local Defence Volunteers) and the name was soon changed to Home Guard. In the beginning the LDV didn't have weapons either, they drilled with the occasional privately-owned shotgun and broomsticks, and they didn't have uniforms, just armbands, like the Volkssturm. They were established in a hurry in 1940 when the rapid success of Germany in Western Europe made it look like an invasion of Britain was inevitable, and in fact the Germans did plan this as everyone knows.
There were also ''Auxiliary Units'', a kind of resistance network set up in secret to be active in an occupied Britain, if Germany had conquered Britain. Many were poachers and gamekeepers and suchlike, who would have carried out acts of sabotage and assassinations of collaborators. They had a very short life expectancy. Here is an excellent documentary cum ''what if'' dramatisation about the Auxiliary Units: ruclips.net/video/vKcCidhnOEQ/видео.html
Really interesting subject, thank you for making this!
You're welcome. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
If Im a 62 year old Volkssturm, yeah, Im running when those cannon start firing too.
Ok.
Grandpa was already an old man when they called him up in Jugoslavia. A sign on the side of the train said "Wir alte Affen sind der Hitler seine Waffen".
Interesting, thanks for sharing. So he lived in Yugoslavia?
An aspect I hadn't really considered among Volkssturm that were WW I veterans is that maybe it was a chance to deal with survivor's guilt. Many of their friends had fallen in the first war only for their country to be humiliated and disarmed by the victorious Allies, and I'm sure many dealt with a feeling of personal responsibility and failure in doing enough the first time around; that their resolve hadn't been strong enough. A sort of "This time we will do everything possible" mindset as seen in total war.
Most vets with this mentality were already in the Nazi party, with many joining the SS units. Most of the interwar German nationalist movements were full of WWI veterans who were still fighting the war, Hitler himself being the most famous. Another ood example would be Emile Maurice, a Jewish friend of Hitler and commander of his first bodyguard unit who fought both in WWI as an NCO and WWII as an officer in the Wehrmacht (despite being an SS member, he couldn't join the Waffen-SS because of his Jewish anchestry) .
Thanks for sharing. Interesting points.
My grandfather (15 by that time) should have been drafted on Easter Monday, but he was lucky because the American troops arrived in his hometown on Easter Sunday. Others of his classmates had already been drafted. In his journal he explains how they would barricade the towns bridge and train in the Hitler youth for their “mission”. It’s interesting to read his despair when he realized they lost the war and he does not know what’s going to happen next. Also his comparisons of the well fed and equipped Americans compared to the last remaining German soldiers with “tanks” using fire wood to run the engine and being beat up from the war.
Very interesting to read. Thanks for sharing!
Men over 50 & boys under 18 were also used to formed bare bones VOLKSGRENADIER infantry divisions in 1944 & 1945. Navy & Air Force personnel were also used to form such divisions.
I know this Division. In the Netherlands there are men who reenact this formation.
12k subs keep it up with the Quality vids 👍🏻and it will be 100k soon 😉
Thanks! Haha, share and make it happen :)
Have done and will continue to share 👍🏻
Thanks again, brilliant delivery and covered a topic that I had not really read or knew much about, cheers
Thanks for watching! :)
noticed what I believe to be a small typo at 4:44. its actually the "Free" city of Danzig, not "Fee" city.
I agree.
Check!
0:44 I’m impressed that someone from the Netherlands can speak English so well. I would never have guessed he wasn’t British or American.
I wish I could speak a second language that well.
Thanks for your reply.
Thanks that was great, I think the British had the same thing in mind.
Thanks and yes, the British established some kind of home guard during the Battle of Britain.
I love your content Steffan, keep up the good work!
Thank you for watching!
My great grandpa fought in Volkssturm
Thanks for sharing. What were his experiences?
I hope he had a bloated feeling.
Wow
Loved your closing statement.
👍
Some thing never change, Jefferson Davis did the same thing to his people at the end of the civil war he knew it was the end but still put old people and very young children into battle!
It's what I call total war.
Nice vid bro
Thanks, glad you liked it!
I have heard it said that at the end of World War II MacArthur or one of the other General wanted to start fighting back the Soviets and drive them back but everybody was too tired of the war I wanted to quit is this true ?
I talk about that in this video:
ruclips.net/video/A3RyJvYMYCk/видео.html
Patton bitterly hated the Russians and was very close to wanting to provoke a war with them when I read his book.
That was a wonderful and informative video. Thank you. My local library’s digital library had a copy of Ian Kershaw’s book and I am looking forward to reading it. Thanks.
Nice to read. Thanks for the reply, Richard!
Dude your enthusiasm for history is amazing! The sheer output of new videos is downright impressive! I hope you gather an even greater following and keep them coming. Also you seem to have a big collection of war relics.
Thanks. Although I do not consider myself as a collector I do have to (reproduced) props to make the shot look interesting.
My great grandfather was a heer officer in ww2. He was badly injuried in October 1944 for the 7th time. Due to his wounds, he was home recovering from his wounds in May 1945. He knew people who were in the volkssturm that were never seen again.
Wounded for the 7th time... Lucky he survived! Thanks for sharing, Cassandra.
Good video. At any rate I always find it surprising that people are so shocked by throwing inexperienced boys and elderly at the enemy when Britain was prepared to do pretty much the same since they formed something similar (Home Guard) when they still feared invasion (granted, Home Guard was as far as I know made from volunteers, but otherwise it's pretty much the same).
Thanks Frank and yes, Britain had the Home Guard. Difference is that these were never used that much, however the Volkssturm had facing harsh frontline combat.
@@HistoryHustle Which is just a difference of circumstance, not approach (which many people consider bad since ''it's just sacrificing people for continuing the fight'').
The home guard was voluntary in the sense that it's members were unpaid, but I think that all adult male civilians were obliged to perform some sort of voluntary duty, if not home guard, then air raid precaution, fire watching, special constabulary etc.
Very good job. Kershaw is an excellent source. Interesting video.
Thanks once again for watching and commenting!
They wanted total war, they got total war. But their Panzerfaust was a powerful weapon
Correct.
They? I think that term is to broad. You don't had much chance once the Nazis where in power.
rudiger891 Britain wanted another war
@@schemsch_1692 Britain asked for it
@ ever heard of Lebensraum? these people wanted war to get more land lol
Your channel is criminally underrated
Thanks, feel free to share :)
Very good presentation. My Dad was with Patton when they linked up with the Russians Right before They went after Berlin. You're from Holland Huh? Cool ! Great Job!
Thanks and yes, I am Dutch. What did your father tell you about his experiences during World War II?
@@HistoryHustle ..Boy Lot's of stuff. He saw 2 Russian soldiers (Drunk) Jump on one of those German BMW Motorcycles with a Side car And they lost control of it and Ran it into a Bridge Support Killing Both of them. Dad was in the Artillery.. and one day after they had seen dead germans who had been shooting at out paratroopers near St. Mare Eglis'?? I think? . it mad them pretty mad about it... a German plane was flying over and 'Ack-Ack' Guns started Shooting at it--it was Hit and the pilot was getting out of his cockpit to jump.. Dad saw him and Jumped up on top of their truck where a 'Browning' machine gun was and started Blazing away at the pilot. An officer saw him and said: "Soldier WE Don't do that"... And Stopped him from shooting at the German pilot... And ALSO 'Busted' my Dad back to Private,LOL! He had been a Corporal. Wish I could find the Picture Dad had of him and some German prisoners captured at 'the Bulge'. The 3 Germans have on U.S greatcoats and jeep caps. and are ALL Grinning... Dad is Grinning and has a 'Ball Pein' Hammer raised over Their Heads as if he is going to Hit them! It is Priceless... Sadly it is in our old Home somewhere and I can't find it. Dad probly Stuck it in some Book or 'Spot in the House.
Many thanks for sharing. Really interesting to read.
Good video man! Very interesting
Thanks, Josh!
I would like to see a early ww2 Soviet Union vs a late ww2 Germany army xD
It's so funny how the tech and style changed opposite
Uniforms and equipment changed a lot indeed.
New to the channel but it's really good. I like the way you present the facts / story
Many thanks. Welcome to the channel!
Some civilians are so happy to help the State and Dear Leader engaging in mass murder and tyranny. It could happen anywhere - the United States included.
it didnt work quite like that, the other option would be death penalty for desertion as mentioned
Well, they never liked Jews (and had no freaking reason not to hate them), and preferred the tyranny of a "Socialist Workers' Party" to tyranny of wealthy elites masquerading as democracy. Nazi regime was not a product of some government conspiracy, but a natural result of evolution of German society towards revanchism and totalitarianism. I mean, that's the whole point of being totalitarian as opposed to authoritarian: authoritarian governments impose their rule bu force or apathy of citizens, but totalitarianism is about the public being united by a common goal and actively encouraging the government politics.
A little exaggerated I think.
Maak je ook andere video's naast video's over de tweede wereldoorlog? Je video's zijn geweldig informatief
Bedankt. WOII heeft een grote focus, maar ook WO1 komt aan bod, alsmede de Koude Oorlog. Er zijn ook video's over het ontstaan van de Nederlandse Republiek en de 80-jarige oorlog.
It doesn't matter how old a Mauser is they were WELL built in the old days, and as long as they take regular cartridges they operate much the same...
The G98 was a fairly good rifle. Its predecessor - the G88 - wasn't, altough the 88 wasn't from Mauser.
I have seen Volksturm weapon videos of instruction on the G71/84 Mauser also ,they used a lot ,also Lewis ww1 mgs i saw on a film .
Glad to see another WW2 history channel emerge.
Thanks! The channel exists from 2015 but is getting lots of views since last weeks. It is amazing!
The soviets were willing to make their last stand on their homeland. A few years later, so were the Germans... Talk about karma
Yes, indeed.
Russia way to big
Subscribed! Great video
Welcome to the channel!
2:22 Oh good, I thought this history teacher from the Netherlands was actually a Nazi because during his educational video about a German WWII unit he wore a uniformed overcoat. The fact you need to put disclaimers shows how far people will reach, and that's pretty sad to me. That aside I actually learned quiet a bit from this, definitely subbing if most of your videos are like this.
Thanks and yes, perhaps this disclaimer was a little too much. Better safe then sorry, no?
@@HistoryHustle Absolutely agree, especially when your giving out such good information.
Love some of your helmets. I have quite a few helmets uniforms and daggers myself.
Cool!
@@HistoryHustle are you a part of any of the Facebook militarua groups?
U heeft ook overal de juiste kleren voor :)
Gelukkig niet overal, maar met een aantal dingen kom je wel een eindje ja.
Thank you for your video, I always learn something new. Never lose you passion for history and your willingness to share it.👍
Hello Andy thanks for sharing 👍
@@HistoryHustle have you ever done any videos on the medical side of WW1 or WW2 (eg- medics, hospitals, aid stations etc)? As a nurse , I’m always intrigued on the medical side of war…
The German Volk should be pronounced like folk (your pronunciation sounds like Wolk)
Nein wer muschen das lebensgeschetz einfach qrueeren
The girls I have sexulized are all in there 20s and 30s
Autch, Dutch southern accents kicked in...
@morton christie "cloud" would be "Wolke" (and clouds would be Wolken)
@morton christie it is in Dutch
The immediate problem was to find uniforms and equipment for Volkssturm members. In the Rhineland, 15-year-old Hugo Stehkämper and his comrades were given pre-war black SS uniforms, brown Organisation Todt coats, blue Air Force Auxiliary caps and French steel helmets. Across the country, the stores of the Wehrmacht, police, railways, border guards, postal service, storm troopers, National Socialist truck drivers, the Reich Labour Service, the SS, the Hitler Youth and the German Labour Front were all turned over to provide uniforms.
Thanks for sharing this additional information.
great topic, thank you
Thanks!
Just discovered your channel the other day. Very well done. Great, informative content dude!
Thanks and welcome to the channel, Eric!
@@HistoryHustle Welcome. And thank you!
Nicely done sir!!
👍 thank you
Great channel History Hustle, Great presentation Great content 👍 Spot on
Thanks Terry, welcome to the channel.
Nice content man . Hope your channel blows up.
Thanks, hope so also!
Excellent Episode Indeed Most Enjoyable and Informative.
Thanks!
Would have loved you as my history teacher. Well done
Many thanks, Chris.
Interesting well made video. Good channel. Subscribed. Thanks!
Thank you and welcome to the channel.
Many of the older man had World War 1 experience but things had changed in 20 years
They indeed had.
Erg goed dit, Stephan.
Bedankt!
great video
Thanks!
The map behind you is interesting. Can you please discuss it at somepoint? Thanks.
Will do!
Well it's fake, there was no such thing as Yugoslavia for a start in 1944.
I would like a hole movie about old men called to fight in the last year of the war to fight in the Volksstrum that would be cool
Would be interesting. In Der Untergang (Downfall) you see Volkssturm men.
I really enjoy your videos 👍🏻
Many thanks!
Hey Stefan, leuke filmpjes. Vriendelijke groeten Vince.
Bedankt, Vince!
Some information on the British version of the volkssturm -
Britain establish the LDV (local defence volunteers) on May 14th 1940, Secretary of State for War Anthony Eden made a broadcast calling for men between the ages of 17 and 65 to enrol in a new force. By July, nearly 1.5 million men had enrolled and the name of this people's army was changed to the more inspiring Home Guard.
The Home Guard was at first a rag-tag militia, with scarce and often make-do uniforms and weaponry. Yet it evolved into a well-equipped and well-trained army of 1.7 million men. Men of the Home Guard were not only readied for invasion, but also performed other roles including bomb disposal and manning anti-aircraft and coastal artillery. Over the course of the war 1,206 men of the Home Guard were killed on duty or died of wounds.
With the Allied armies advancing towards Germany and the threat of invasion or raids over, the Home Guard was stood down on 3 December 1944. (source IMW)
Another interesting aspect of Britains war effort was the Auxiliary units. The Auxiliary Units or GHQ Auxiliary Units were specially-trained, highly-secret units created by the British government during the Second World War with the aim of using irregular warfare to help combat any invasion of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany,
The Auxiliary Units would fight as uniformed guerrillas during the military campaign. In the event of an invasion, all Auxiliary Units would disappear into their operational bases (During World War II, the British Army built more than 600 of these underground bunkers, possibly upwards of 1,000, to serve as bases) and would not maintain contact with local Home Guard commanders, who should indeed be wholly unaware of their existence.
Although the Auxiliaries were Home Guard volunteers and wore Home Guard uniforms, they would not participate in the conventional phase of their town's defence but would be activated once the local Home Guard defence had been ended to inflict maximum mayhem and disruption over a further brief but violent period. They were not envisaged as a continuing resistance force against long-term occupation.
Thanks for sharing.
My grandfather was born in the 19th century, fought in WWI and was still drafted into the Wehrmacht at the beginning of WWII.
Thanks for sharing. What do you know about his experiences?
@@HistoryHustle Very little. It's my understanding he was part of the Polish occupation army at first and ended the war as a guard in a POW camp. After the surrender he was a POW in the American sector.
@@AlaskaErik That last part may have kept him from telling more....
Thanks for sharing.
The german accent makes the channel much better
I am Dutch though.
@@HistoryHustle i am very sorry that is a humble mistake
Ver intresting video! Especially because the topic isnt that mutch known!
Thanks, glad you liked it.
5:02 at least they were given the Lewis Gun, a fine WW1 LMG.
True, sharply noticed.