This episode has been dedicated by TimeGhost Brigadier Member Hans Andersen to his wife's grandfather, Arthur J. Berk, a US Marine Corps Major. We are grateful to Hans for being such a committed member of the TimeGhost Army, and we are happy we could do this for him and his wife. If you'd like to dedicate a video to someone, you can do so by joining us over on Patreon at the Brigadier level for one year or by making a one-time contribution.
@@narayasuiryoku1397I work Saturdays as well, I’m in fact at work right now as of writing this comment. I usually wait for 2 new episodes to release of the regular series and watch them back to back
Thanks for the comment, really made my morning! Well your pre-work episodes shouldn't be going anywhere with our new upcoming series: www.youtube.com/@KoreanWarbyIndyNeidell Hope to see you there! - Jake
I find the image of a man trying to understand what had happened to him years before using an innocent game with his granddaughter to be absolutely haunting.
It's called traumatic play, and is one of the diagnostic symptoms of PTSD in children. Replaying a horrifying event for which there can be no good explanation, trying to understand it. May he rest in peace.
It's called (I think), being completely human after experiencing scenes and events that resemble what many would call "hell". Those men very much wanted/needed to talk about what they'd seen/lived and heard, but couldn't bring themselves to talk about it beyond their friends and buddies who were there - and ...knew. May God comfort and care for the souls of such brave and broken men.
A sidenote this week on March 25 1945 is that Winston Churchill, accompanied by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, will briefly cross the Rhine near Wesel in an Allied landing craft, symbolizing the crossing of the top British leader over the traditional frontier of Germany that no foreign army had crossed since the age of Napoleon. The excursion, which ventured as far as a bridge still under enemy fire, was actually quite dangerous and General Dwight Eisenhower would later note that if he had been there, he never would have allowed Churchill to cross the river at that time.
@@Raskolnikov70sources are unclear, though the Yanks did dump a bunch of British Tea in the Rhine in protest of a lack of coffee in the British mess tents
Eisenhower was right to be concerned, Churchill almost got killed by enemy artillery fire during that symbolic excursion. Losing both FDR and Churchill in a matter of weeks would have been disasters for the western allies.
@@Desert-Fatherit would have been tragic - but would the trajectory of the war have changed at all? The Russians would still be in Berlin in a matter of weeks. The Pacific War would have been unaffected. Churchill [at] Potsdam was ineffectual. We would have been deprived of so many of his latter accomplishments, and for that the world would be far worse for it. But the war’s conclusion was arguably more the work of systems than the leadership of great men.
The real impressive river crossing was the Irrawaddy by Bill Slim which covered some 2000 yards and with 5 enemy divisions all dug in on the others side. The Rhine was tiny compared to the Irrawaddy.
This week marks the end of my maternal grandfathers war - broken leg from being hit by a collapsing wall. This marked the end of a journey that started in the debacle of May / June 1940, the retreat from Belgium, evacuation from Dunkirk, the slog in the desert and landing in France on D + 7 till late March 1945.
"The remains of Wesel" is a good way to phrase it. The Allies completely bombed that city to dust. It was one of the most destroyed German cities, Wikipedia says 97% of it was destroyed. I recommend looking up photos of it: It looks like the surface of the moon or a western front battlefield of WWI.
@@insideoutsideupsidedown2218 Relatively speaking, Dresden wasn't hit that bad. Not even 75% of Dresden was destroyed. Of course, Dresden was a lot bigger than Wesel or Düren, the latter of which was 99% destroyed, so while there was probably more absolute destruction overall with more victims, Wesel and Düren were hit worse relative to their size.
I remember as a kid I asked my grandfather what *was* Iwo Jima, and even though he was a Vietnam veteran who served in the USAF, it tore him up to explain to me (then probably 9 or 10) that it was a place where thousands of fine young men were killed in brutal and miserable ways. The cost of Iwo Jima, even for those who never laid eyes on that island, is so horrific that I swear it pulls out the emotions of even the strongest people.
I do wish you had touched more on General Rose. One of the most notable personal details of his life is that he was Jewish, the child of a Rabbi. While he's buried under a cross in the Netherlands American Cemetery, its believed this was because he put his faith down as Protestant to avoid antisemitism in the officer corps as he climbed the ranks. He was also the highest ranking American killed by the enemy in the European theater of WW2.
A book called 'The Panzer Killers' details his command of 3rd Armored. Its a little narrative heavy compared to fact heavy for me, but its an interesting read. The man was aggressive to a fault, arguably more Patton like than the actual Patton was but with a more manageable ego. He is an enormous part of why 3rd Armored is the most storied American WW2 Tank Division. Although 3rd was mostly used as a sledgehammer, he was dogged in his pursuit the Germans, and caused enormous casualties by never letting them stabilize their position. He is also arguably somewhat indirectly responsible for the now much maligned book 'Death Traps'. Perhaps no other division attacked the Germans as doggedly as 3rd, and while they inflicted far more damage than they took, they also had the casualties to prove it.
I got to meet a very old marine vet of Iwo Jima. I tried to get him to talk about it but he said it was STILL too painful. This was around 2005, 60 years after the battle.
When I was in HS they had some WWII vets come talk to us about the war. One was happy to tell us about how he was able to make stills for coconut rum from scavenged parts.
Not surprising at all considering lot of the infantry companies were practically wiped out. Chuck Tatum, who portrayed in the Pacific TV miniseries and interviewed for it, had a great quote on that subject... "My company had 258 men when we went ashore. We left with 38. How many people see someone they know killed right in front of their eyes? And another one, and another one, and another one. I don't care who you are, it is going to affect your thinking." Major General Graves Erksine, who commanded the 3rd Marine Division on Iwo Jima, gave these remarks at the dedication for his division's cemetery on the island: "Victory was never in doubt. Its cost was. The enemy could have displaced every cubic inch of volcanic ash on this fortress with concrete pillboxes and blockhouses, which he nearly did, and still victory would not have been in doubt. What was in doubt, in all our minds, was whether there would be any of us left to dedicate our cemetery at the end, or whether the last Marine would die knocking out the last Japanese gun and gunner. Let the world count our crosses! Let them count them over and over. Then when they understand the significance of the fighting for Iwo Jima, let them wonder at how few there are. We understand and we wonder, who are separated from our dead by a few feet of earth, from death by inches and fractions of an inch."
@@ahorsewithnoname773 38 out of 258 damn those ratios' are awful, there was one division in France the 43rd Wessex division that started off with around 16,000 men, they lost over 7,000.
@@Bullet-Tooth-Tony- Saipan. Peleliu. Manila. Iwo Jima. Okinawa. How any of the Marines/Army soldiers came away from any of those battles at any "functional" level mentally is a testament to those men themselves. Some of the Marines went through two or even three of these battles. No idea how any man could do it.
I'm an asshole and I wouldn't try to get a vet to talk about their experiences. For reference, growing up I knew vets from WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam. (I'm Gen-X). If they want to talk about it, I'll listen, but I'm still not enough of a jerk to pull up trauma like that.
I had a Marine Master Gunnery Sgt. during the Battle for Hue in the Tet offensive. He had been a PFC on Iwo. He said that Hue was the worst fight he had been in since the Meat Grinder on Iwo Jima. The look on his face then, told me he wasn't lying.
General Rose is burried at the War cemetary in Margraten Netherlands. The highest ranking casualty in the cemetary. He even has a local school named after him
Excellent work Indy & team. The peas & carrots story in the dedication hit hard. My great uncle Reford served under Patton in Europe & he almost never talked about what he saw & did.
An interesting detail about Iwo Jima and Okinawa is that the commander in Okinawa received some elite army units that had spent the war in Manchuria and China. Instead of being an advantage, these troops were so determined to die bravely that they refused to follow their commanders plans for a slow and stubborn defense and launched costly banzai charges instead. The troops on Iwo Jima were less elite and better and simply following their orders. I do hope we get a bit more about the fighting on Luzon where, I believe, my dad's division is still in action. I admit that this will be a tricky story to tell as the fighting will continue without any major victories until the final Japanese surrender. The consequences of that stubborn resistance will probably be covered by the War Against Humanity.
What made those IJA troops from Manchuria 'elite'? Lots of training and equipment and a fancy title, or actual real-world combat experience? It sounds like they didn't understand the war they were being thrown into.
@@Raskolnikov70 elite usually means well trained and much experienced. Those are also the basis on why some Soviet units are granted the elite title of "Guards" Elite usually does not always translate to good battlefield performance nor mentality homever For some context on why the Iwo Jima IJA men still does banzai charges. They dont understand the Americans are not Chinese soldiers that are usually underequipped and plagued with low morale also led by corrupt officers which result in them dispersing when a banzai charge is executed
@@3dcomrade That's why I'm wondering about their training and experience. I've known plenty of so-called elite units during my time in the US Army that completely folded the moment they were put into actual combat. The early incursions into Afghanistan in 2001 come to mind - a whole lot of green 'elite' units got their butts handed to them by goat farmers who had been fighting in that terrain since the 1970's. Real-world experience means more than anything, and I'm guessing those guys doing garrison duty in Manchuria and China weren't seeing a lot of intense combat.
@@Raskolnikov70 They were part of the younger army faction that started the war in China and that was assassinating people who didn't agree with their fanatical views. Like the people who would later attempt to stop the broadcast of the Emperor's surrender acceptance speech.
@@Raskolnikov70 From what I read the experienced soldiers of the Kwantung army who fought the Chinese in 1938-1939 were sent to the Pacific while Manchuria was then left with conscripts and replacements who the Soviets later swept aside.
This week on March 30th 1945, the following missions in the Call of Duty series will begin: *March 24 1945* Crossing the Rhine (Call of Duty 2) - As Sergeant Bill Taylor near Wallendar, Germany, you will start out in a boat and will have to get on the other side of the river first. You will then have to take out the enemy artillery guns as well as the enemy tanks. This is the last level in the entire Call of Duty 2 campaign. Rhine Crossing (Call of Duty: Roads to Victory) - As Private Brian Preston near Wesel, Germany, you are to move out with your tanks and clear the church. You will also have to supress the enemy flak crews and set charges in the German headquarters, before blowing it up with a plunger. *March 28 1945* The Rhine (Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts) - As Private Tom Sharpe near Wesel, Germany, you are to destroy the enemy artillery and hold out until reinforcements arrive.
Danzig has fallen. Germans are surrendering to the Allies in droves, and the Americans are overrunning Central Germany. It's even more over than it was last week... et cetera.
@@maciejniedzielski7496 Germany started batting practice in Spain in 1936. Hitler and Duce helping out their buddy Franco while simultaenously testing out the latest Nazi armaments. Sort of like Japan's 'false flag' excuses to 'open up a can' inside of China for territories they wanted going all the way back to 1931.
Really, the war has been "over", in that the outcome has been entirely determined, for like 2 years at this point. Ever since the German advance in Russia stalled out, it was only a question of when they'd lose the war, not if they'd lose it. The problem was always making the German leadership realise it.
My Dad was part of the invasion force on Okinawa. He was in the first battalion of the twenty ninth regiment of the sixth division of the USMC. They met some light resistance on the landing and took the airfields so quickly that a Japanese pilot landed his Zero and left the engine running. The 'aircrew' that came for the plane were US Marines, much to his surprise. The Marines turned northward and met some strong resistance but was able to secure the northern portion of the island. My Dad's unit proceeded down the west coast of the island and met stiff resistance. The Japanese were determined to fight to the last man. There were few Japanese prisoners. I must note here that the Okinawan people were not Japanese.
Back in the late 1990s while deployed to Okinawa in the Marines my unit went on a battlesite tour where the guide told a similar story about a Japanese pilot that didn't realize he was landing on a recently captured airfield. I wonder if it may have been the same incident. If it was, the unfortunate pilot was gunned down. The guide, who was retired military & a veteran (U.S. Army, Vietnam) quipped with a bit of gallows humor that, "There is always some poor bastard that doesn't get the word."
I have heard both sides so to speak on this. One side has stated, that if you are on an island of the Japanese archipelago, you are Japanese. Kinda like Taiwan. They are actually Chinese, but live on Taiwan. It is a renaming of sorts, but I understand both sides of this.
How can you note that Okinawans arent Japanese…? They ethnically are, culturally are and were very close and independent movements were never popular on Okinawa… Many of the troops defending Okinawa were from Okinawa anyhow. Only some Americans and far right wing Japanese say Okinawans arent Japanese…
8:04 I feel we're going to hear more about this Krebs fellow in the next few weeks. also a nice return of a portrait with a monacle, haven't seen one of those since El Alamein part 2
"When the last soldier to remember the horrors of the last great war dies , the next great war shall begin " , Arthur Toynbee . I think that what you small group of people are doing is phenomenal. What this world needs right now and has for the last 50 years or so is that every school student should have it mandatory to watch and understand what you people have presented In entirety , you show that just guns and soldiers are not a war . Its powers , countries , economies , beliefs, religions allegiances strategies ( good and bad ) . And above all deviance and despots . What we need and for us who see and understand we acknowledge the ignorance of those who need to see but and don't want to understand . Thank you .
Been watching since Dec. 2018. Been looking forward to EVERY Saturday since. Thank you Indy and team. We appreciate everything you guys do. Thank you for teaching me so much these years. Even from your WW1 channel I somehow watched in 9 months lol.
Operation Varsity also includes the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, dropped in with the British. Serving with the Canadians is medical orderly, corporal Frederick George Topham who on the 24th, while tending a wounded paratrooper hears the cries of another wounded man. He sees two orderlies attempt to reach the man, but both are killed in succession. Upon seeing this Topham rushes to replace them despite the heavy enemy fire. While tending to the wounded soldier Topham is himself shot the face. Regardless, he manages to carry the man back to safety. Although bleeding and in intense pain, Topham continues to bring in wounded for the next two hours. For these actions Topham will be awarded the Victoria Cross.
Looking forward: next week my great grandfather was killed by the nazis. He was shot in his doorway, with his son (my grandpa) and wife as witnesses. Just two weeks before the area (Groningen, in the Netherlands) was freed. It has never been cleared up exactly why, although most think that he was shot because of his involvement with the local resistance. Next week I'll be thinking about him again ❤
My grandfather was with the 82nd airborne. He earned a purple heart in the Battle of the bulge. It's so much fun looking at these maps for 82nd every week, like a father looking for his son's number on the field. I can only imagine what it was like for him being 19 years old going through this shit.
This week in French news. The 24th, The French Government announces the Creation of the French Union and the Indochinese Federation in order to reform the colonial system and to give more power to Indochinese protectorates. The exact new system is not given. The 28th, Devers gives the go for the French offensive of the 1st Army toward Karlsruhe, Pforzheim and Stuttgart. Creation of the 15th American Army to control Lorient and Saint-Nazaire pockets. The 29th, De Gaulle gives back their flag to the 131 French units and then calls De Lattre to make him cross the Rhine without delay in order to not let the British, the American and the Soviet make all the fight. The offensive begins the 31th.
ah, de Gaulle & his 'new France' trying to put cangues on Indochinese people when his country has not even been completely unchained from the Nazis yet. What a joke.
Interesting that a new army of Americans was built to do it - did they not trust French troops to keep the Germans penned in on what was after all French soil? SPOILER Later note - postwar, Patton will be put in command of it, essentially as a skeletal force in the occupation of Germany. It will be his last military command before his death.
Great vids. As a Canadian, the push to the Rhine is a significant moment in our history. Op Veritable had Canadian General Harry Crerar in command of approx 450,000 troops... unprecedented and not seen since. This included 9 divs of British soldiers. Also, when one discusses Op Varsity, one thinks of UK 6 AB Div and US 17 AB Div. We like to remind all that, serving in UK 6 AB Div, was the plucky First Canadian Para Bn whose CO was killed in the operation. 1 Can Para also jumped into Normandy with 6 UK AB Div with C Company being the first allied company on the ground in occupied France (approx 30 mins before Howard's gliders).
It sounded like Indy said the U.S. Tenth Army assembling for Okinawa included the Army XIV Corps. The XIV Corps was still in the Philippines and I'm pretty sure stayed there until the end of the war, it was the XXIV Corps that took part in Operation Iceberg. I love this series and hope this isn't taken as a complaint or criticism! Glad to be a supporter and I'm very much looking forward to the upcoming Korean War Week-by-Week series.
My grandfather served as a marine on Iwo Jima. He left the war busted all the way back down to Private First Class for stealing bread from the officers’ mess. God bless you, Outlaw!
I don’t remember exactly when it happened but when kamikazes would go after British carriers they would sometimes come in at to low of an angle causing them to to bounce or slide of the armored flightdeck.
I pass by Camp Pendleton and (John) Basilone Road now and again! A few years ago I met an Iwo Jima vet! I thanked him for his service (even in old age his grip was strong and he stood straight) He said "I waded ashore but was wounded and carried off" he continued "Son I was one of the lucky ones" he said! I never forget that!
As a note, on 27th March 1945, Burma National Army, led by commander in chief General Aung San, launched a nationwide uprising against the Japanese. Although Burma gained `independence ́ from the Japanese on 1st August 1943, many of the military and civil leaders eventually knew that it was in name only. BNA was formed, trained and supervised by the Japanese, but it was mostly used in rear areas for security operation, partly because of distrust of the Japanese commanders and partly because it was under supplied. An alliance called `Anti Fascist Organization´ containing Communist Party of Burma, Burmese National Army and other elements was formed in August 1944 and made contact with the British through Brigade 136. On late March 1945, the BNA paraded in Rangoon. Aung San appeared in Burmese uniforms in stead of Japanese ones, and made a speech indicating to, `find and destroy the nearest army´. Later, the army marched to their respective regions (Burma was divided into ten regions), and on 27th March of 1945, Aung San made an open statement, declaring war against the Japanese Empire and elements of BNA and CPB began guerrilla operations and taking controls of civil administrations in villages and towns. They mostly clashed with the retrating Japanese through Pegu. Over 1000 such clashes were recorded with about 20000 Japanese casualties. This day was later recognized as `Armed Force Day´ after Burmese Independence from the British.
My grandfather was part of the Army Engineers who would land in Okinawa. Some of those engineers that were lost on Iwo Jima were his friends. He was a peaceful man and never liked the idea of using a gun. As he worked on some of the airfields he would never carry his rifle or weapon with him because he never wished to use it. After the events on Iwo Jima he actually carried his rifle though said he never loaded it. I remember my mother telling me after the war he was a prison guard in New Mexico and he once more would never take a weapon out when he had to hunt down escaped prisoners. He later because a machine shop teacher for prisons where he taught prisoners a trade. He always joked to my mother that he traded a rifle for constructive tools. He served his country in both WW2 and Korea and only picked up a rifle that one time when he landed in Okinawa. Later he would help dismantle Alcatraz. He actually had a Japanese rifle which he traded for a work horse for a farm he had bought hoping to raise his children on.
10:41 A small correction for Indy on the pronounciation of Hubei: the second syllable is pronounced like "bay" in English, it's the same character as in Beijing.
Exactly the comment I would have made if only you weren't quicker. Let's say apart from this one case, Indy deals with the pronunciation of Chinese names very well.
@@tomasdvorak7307 Yeah, I've seen other channels, even reputable ones, butcher Chinese names to the point of not even pronouncing Beijing right. There are people who insist on pronouncing "Beizhing" for some reason, which is all the more annoying when they say Nanjing correctly--it's the same syllable, why should it be pronounced differently?
@@shatterquartz Or you can have the "Beizhing" - "Nanking" combo, and that's by far not the worse there is, don't even let me started. That's why I'd say Indy's pretty good. Yes, a linguist would find lot more than his "Hubai", without even looking at the tones, but rarely something Indy says hurts my ears.
Paderborn, Brillon, familiar names, I was stationed in Buren as a conscript of the Dutch 435th IBC. Wewelsburg is between Buren and Paderborn, close the airport where made my parachute jumps. This was in 1987
I'm a little curious about this phrase 'off the march' at 10:08. I tried looking it up when Indy said it a few weeks ago but couldn't find anyone else using it with this meaning. Is it a recognised military term or what?
They may have meant “on the march” referring to an objective accomplished while underway to the destination, like stopping for fast food while filling up at the gas station.
This week on march 25 William Rupertus commander of the 1st marine division during the battle of pelieu died of a heart attack at the age of 55. After the battle he became commandant of the marine corps schools at Quantico, Virginia,his tenure was 4 months when he died. He was the author of the Rifleman's Creed (you will here this when you go through basic training at marine boot camp).
Those who haven't been to Marine Corps' basic training may be familiar with the Rifleman's Creed from the film Full Metal Jacket, where Gunnery Sgt. Hartmann has his recruit platoon say the "prayer" before bed in one of the film's scenes.
7:31 wait, even though the photo here is shown, i don't know where the said fortress is located. is it the barracks, some fortified blocks, or is it a big building next to that bridge?
Hey guys love your stuff. I was watching Spartacus' show on the bombing of Germany. Some totally wrong person was shown as Gen. Hap Arnold. Who could it be? Well, watching Indy's weekly report, this guy is a Gen. William Arnold who landed near Cebu City in the Philippines. A lot of data I know. You do great work.
40 years ago a WWII vet told me about his squad getting trapped in a champagne factory for three days. He said there was no water and that they had to shave with champagne. Good Luck, Rick
You know the allies are pretty close to Duesseldorf. I'm sure Col. Hogan and his men will be very happy to soon be liberated. But what if Col. Klink and Sgt. Schultz? 🤔
I would love to see a video about how soviet high command has evolved over time. How they choose their commanders, why they move their fronts around like they do, and what machinations were always going on. It seems so direct and factual in these episodes and maybe that's due to a lack of information more than a lack of time.
I lived on Okinawa, dad was in military, and it was one of the reasons I got into studying WW2; read "With The Old Breed." and "Operation Typhoon: The Battle Of Okinawa.".....interesting island and history.
I have to ask based on the recognition you've made in the beginning...becoming a tier patron is the only way to get recognition? If I am dedicated fan of the channel doesnt works?
My Great X3 grandfather's hometown of Darmstadt was taken this week. Can't help but think of how he felt as a man in his late 50's, having immigrated to the United States, sitting at his kitchen table and hearing that, knowing that he had Nephews serving in the Wehrmacht. Whole slew of mixed emotions.
there's a naming mistake for the map.. in 2:22 the allied already liberated Frankfurt, but in 7:14 there's Frankfurt again in the eastern front.. thanks
interesting that at about 18:05, my subwoofers are playing some deep concussive booms that also have some TR- sneaky and part of why the "team" and the series rocksso f'n hard.
Thank you to everyone at the TimeGhost team for all your hard work. I've noticed the videos becoming increasing long and complex. My guess is the Germans will hold out for at least another six months-I hope you guys can too!
I was going to say that one of those shots as a background to the bit about the kamikazes was a British "pom-pom". But I didn't realise that the British Pacific fleet was at Okinawa. Which means my father was there, which I also never knew, because he didn't talk about his experiences very much. Thanks.
15:44 This is a partial error. General Ushijima technically had >100,000 men under his command on Okinawa, but in reality, only had about 70,000 actual soldiers. The rest were hastily raised Okinawan conscripts that were of extremely poor quality militarily, and would do little to influence the outcome of the battle.
Many of his troops were sailors, hastily issued small arms. Given that Army-Navy relations were not great in WW2 Japan, I wonder if this caused problems.
The Boetai militia werent even meant for frontline fighting but as support troops and really that hastily recruited. When the fighting got desperate many were forced to fight in the frontline either by the Japanese forces or simply by Americans over running the frontlines into the rear.
Many of the veterans did not speak of their service. I lost a great uncle on Iwo Jima when his flamethrower was hit. My own grandfather was a raider on Guadalcanal. But in terms of details my family is sadly bereft of them.
the FINAL attack on Iwo was more horrific via the fact many soldiers had already turned in ammunition (as the island was pretty much considered secure). History or Military channel does an episode regarding this attack.....must have been a nightmare to live through..... read somewhere that after the war, a couple of Iwo Japanese prisoners were being returned to Japan and asked to be allowed a final view of the island form up high on Suribachi....when taken up there, they waited until they were not being monitored and rather than return in disgrace, jumped off the nearest cliff face...the final victims of the battle....
Finally, after years of following your 2 channels, I caught up today, having to refresh the playlist page to get this new release. Once again, you guys don't disappoint! Or do you? 3 times before, I've commented on various videos, requesting an episode or just a paragraph dedicated to the famine that killed 2 million Vietnamese people, caused by both the French and Japanese. Your replies, if there was 1, were noncommittal, to put it lightly. Aren't 2 million souls not worth even a footnote? This number is a dozen times that in Manila, and many tens of time that in Iwo Jima, which you have spent so much time on. It's almost on the same order of magnitude as the Holocaust. If this is not modern-time information bubble / echo chamber, I don't know what else is. Please follow your own philosophy of "unbiased coverage for educational purpose". I regret to say that while this surely is an eye-opening ride, and I appreciate the journey a lot, I have to stop my contribution and TimeGhost participation. Your script seems to extend to only where the bulk of the money comes from.
This does sound fascinating. I believe that they had asked that if people had suggestions to put these requests on their website, as they do not get to all of the comments on you tube. Have you tried that? I know I read every comment as so many people have such great information. I, for one, would be eager to hear more whether it’s from the video or from someone like yourself who has a lot to share. Good luck, be well.
In February, the remains of the French army in Vietnam, which has been working with the Japanese, switch sides and start fighting towards China. Planes from SEAC are sent to help.
@extrahistory8956 they better do it. the famine will end more or less in late May. but right now (in 1945) is the peak of weekly death count, because people have been starving since November last year, and the late, weak cold fronts from Siberia, which normally are just an adornment to the celebration of spring, are brutal enough to take their last bit of strength/bodily warmth. @@jeanineking7311 yeah thanks, i did share my exp of seeing the graves in another video. my Dad once or twice, during our meals, pointed to the bowl of soup he was drinking off, and said that if people in 1945 had got this, they'd have survived for *a week*.
Well, I don’t even cover the Holocaust in depth in the regular weekly episodes. Any and all Crimes against humanity are covered in the war against humanity series. As they have been for the past few years. You should address your comments over there and see what Spartacus says about such coverage. I don’t know his plans, but commenting here won’t change anything- I didn’t cover the Iranian or Bengali famines here either. That’s for that series, not this one.
Probably because it no longer mattered that much and was, like Kurland, now a defacto German open air POW camp. Once you got them cut off and they can't do anything any more is it worth the lives to still take the place?
@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 The Hel peninsula was at the time German-speaking, while the mainland area nearby consisted of Kashubian speakers, their language, certainly Slavic, often considered a Polish dialect. The area was part of the Polish Corridor after WW1, annexed to Germany during WW2 and returned to Poland after the war.
Guess we'll soon see how the British carriers can fare against kamikazes. Designed with areas like the Home Islands and Mediterranean in mind, where the threat of land-based attackers was ever present, carriers such as the Illustrious-class and then Implacable-class didn't focus purely on having large air groups as a means of defense. They weren't designed to carry as many planes as possible with a large permanent deck park so couldn't manage as much of a combat air patrol, but did have a reasonable amount of anti-aircraft guns and an armored flight deck. It also meant they didn't need to just focus on carrying as much aviation fuel as possible, so the fuel was stored in tanks surrounded by seawater. They even purged all the fuel lines with carbon dioxide when not in use, which the US ended up adopting as well after the start of the war.
Slight note - I think you confused the mugshot of either Hap Arnold or William Arnold, in today's episode and the WAH episode on the Air War earlier this week. Unless they were identical twins?
Forgive me. I'm not sure if it was meant to be reported as or if brevity accidentally made it seem to be, but the U.S.S. Franklin wasn't hit by a Kamikaze. A single Japanese Bomber came in and planted two bombs in the middle of her deck as she was preparing to launch a sortie. I knew a gentleman who was aboard her during that incident. He gave a lecture to a modeling group I was a part of about it.
I was wondering what happened to the US 4th Infantry Division this week. In the last weekly episode (March 23, 1945), the 4th ID was plotted to the west of the US 87th Infantry Division as part either 12th or 8th Corps in the US Third Army on the Western Front. However this week, the 4th ID was not plotted on the map at all.Were they pulled off the line, put in reserve, repositioned to another theater, or just left off by mistake?
The 4th Infantry Division was briefly pulled off the line for rest this week but will appear again in the next episode as it breaks out across the Rhine. Thanks for the question! -Sietse (map research)
This episode has been dedicated by TimeGhost Brigadier Member Hans Andersen to his wife's grandfather, Arthur J. Berk, a US Marine Corps Major. We are grateful to Hans for being such a committed member of the TimeGhost Army, and we are happy we could do this for him and his wife.
If you'd like to dedicate a video to someone, you can do so by joining us over on Patreon at the Brigadier level for one year or by making a one-time contribution.
The time I quoted Winston Churchill when u got covid is still the most likes iv ever got on a comment
Semper Fidelis
could you make a special on Romani Holocaust (porajmos) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_Holocaust
Burke or Berk?
@@andreleclerc7231 Berk
We all know what we want after the WWII series come to end:
The 100 years war - week by week!
In all seriousness, time ghost has confirmed their next project will be korean war.
LOL
The Roman-Persian Wars - Week by Week
No, The Great War of 2077, minuteman by minuteman
That really would be the project of a lifetime....
I realized the Date of the episode and realized how far along we are, how great this series has been. I watch it every Saturday before work.
You work on Saturdays?
@@narayasuiryoku1397 most Saturdays
@@stevestoll3124 Same here, actually off today and I see Wind advisory on the toolbar, typical.
@@narayasuiryoku1397I work Saturdays as well, I’m in fact at work right now as of writing this comment. I usually wait for 2 new episodes to release of the regular series and watch them back to back
Thanks for the comment, really made my morning!
Well your pre-work episodes shouldn't be going anywhere with our new upcoming series: www.youtube.com/@KoreanWarbyIndyNeidell
Hope to see you there!
- Jake
I find the image of a man trying to understand what had happened to him years before using an innocent game with his granddaughter to be absolutely haunting.
It's called traumatic play, and is one of the diagnostic symptoms of PTSD in children. Replaying a horrifying event for which there can be no good explanation, trying to understand it. May he rest in peace.
@@thomasknobbe4472 Trying without success to square the circle of his life. RIP indeed.
It's called (I think), being completely human after experiencing scenes and events that resemble what many would call "hell". Those men very much wanted/needed to talk about what they'd seen/lived and heard, but couldn't bring themselves to talk about it beyond their friends and buddies who were there - and ...knew. May God comfort and care for the souls of such brave and broken men.
Give peas a chance?
@@BrightonandHoveActuallyOh you are going to burn the gravy with that comment! 😅
A sidenote this week on March 25 1945 is that Winston Churchill, accompanied by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, will briefly cross the Rhine near Wesel in an Allied landing craft, symbolizing the crossing of the top British leader over the traditional frontier of Germany that no foreign army had crossed since the age of Napoleon. The excursion, which ventured as far as a bridge still under enemy fire, was actually quite dangerous and General Dwight Eisenhower would later note that if he had been there, he never would have allowed Churchill to cross the river at that time.
But more importantly, did they pee in it?
@@Raskolnikov70sources are unclear, though the Yanks did dump a bunch of British Tea in the Rhine in protest of a lack of coffee in the British mess tents
Eisenhower was right to be concerned, Churchill almost got killed by enemy artillery fire during that symbolic excursion. Losing both FDR and Churchill in a matter of weeks would have been disasters for the western allies.
@@Desert-Fatherit would have been tragic - but would the trajectory of the war have changed at all? The Russians would still be in Berlin in a matter of weeks. The Pacific War would have been unaffected. Churchill [at] Potsdam was ineffectual.
We would have been deprived of so many of his latter accomplishments, and for that the world would be far worse for it. But the war’s conclusion was arguably more the work of systems than the leadership of great men.
The real impressive river crossing was the Irrawaddy by Bill Slim which covered some 2000 yards and with 5 enemy divisions all dug in on the others side. The Rhine was tiny compared to the Irrawaddy.
This week marks the end of my maternal grandfathers war - broken leg from being hit by a collapsing wall. This marked the end of a journey that started in the debacle of May / June 1940, the retreat from Belgium, evacuation from Dunkirk, the slog in the desert and landing in France on D + 7 till late March 1945.
Amazing, what regiment was he in?
@@belbrighton6479 He was in REME, there's quite a few stories from various parts of his service.
"The remains of Wesel" is a good way to phrase it. The Allies completely bombed that city to dust. It was one of the most destroyed German cities, Wikipedia says 97% of it was destroyed. I recommend looking up photos of it: It looks like the surface of the moon or a western front battlefield of WWI.
Dresden has entered the chat:
As was Düren in 1944
@@insideoutsideupsidedown2218 Relatively speaking, Dresden wasn't hit that bad. Not even 75% of Dresden was destroyed. Of course, Dresden was a lot bigger than Wesel or Düren, the latter of which was 99% destroyed, so while there was probably more absolute destruction overall with more victims, Wesel and Düren were hit worse relative to their size.
Wow you were not kidding. It literally looks like the surface of the moon.
@@insideoutsideupsidedown2218 *Laughs in Coventry*
I started watching this during the covid outbreak, March 2020, and 4 years every week, still watching
Same!!
@@AF-tv6uf Me too from the beginning 😍👍😎
Same thing happened to me...
Same here
Love to hear that!
I remember as a kid I asked my grandfather what *was* Iwo Jima, and even though he was a Vietnam veteran who served in the USAF, it tore him up to explain to me (then probably 9 or 10) that it was a place where thousands of fine young men were killed in brutal and miserable ways. The cost of Iwo Jima, even for those who never laid eyes on that island, is so horrific that I swear it pulls out the emotions of even the strongest people.
I do wish you had touched more on General Rose.
One of the most notable personal details of his life is that he was Jewish, the child of a Rabbi. While he's buried under a cross in the Netherlands American Cemetery, its believed this was because he put his faith down as Protestant to avoid antisemitism in the officer corps as he climbed the ranks.
He was also the highest ranking American killed by the enemy in the European theater of WW2.
A biography special would have done him justice. But TimeGhost hasn't done that type of videos since the beginning of the series
@@TrickiVicBB71 A big missed opportunity, tbh. Been saying this for YEARS now.
Such an underrated General of the War
There is a memorial to him on the grounds of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.
A book called 'The Panzer Killers' details his command of 3rd Armored. Its a little narrative heavy compared to fact heavy for me, but its an interesting read.
The man was aggressive to a fault, arguably more Patton like than the actual Patton was but with a more manageable ego. He is an enormous part of why 3rd Armored is the most storied American WW2 Tank Division. Although 3rd was mostly used as a sledgehammer, he was dogged in his pursuit the Germans, and caused enormous casualties by never letting them stabilize their position.
He is also arguably somewhat indirectly responsible for the now much maligned book 'Death Traps'. Perhaps no other division attacked the Germans as doggedly as 3rd, and while they inflicted far more damage than they took, they also had the casualties to prove it.
I got to meet a very old marine vet of Iwo Jima. I tried to get him to talk about it but he said it was STILL too painful. This was around 2005, 60 years after the battle.
When I was in HS they had some WWII vets come talk to us about the war. One was happy to tell us about how he was able to make stills for coconut rum from scavenged parts.
Not surprising at all considering lot of the infantry companies were practically wiped out. Chuck Tatum, who portrayed in the Pacific TV miniseries and interviewed for it, had a great quote on that subject...
"My company had 258 men when we went ashore. We left with 38. How many people see someone they know killed right in front of their eyes? And another one, and another one, and another one. I don't care who you are, it is going to affect your thinking."
Major General Graves Erksine, who commanded the 3rd Marine Division on Iwo Jima, gave these remarks at the dedication for his division's cemetery on the island:
"Victory was never in doubt. Its cost was. The enemy could have displaced every cubic inch of volcanic ash on this fortress with concrete pillboxes and blockhouses, which he nearly did, and still victory would not have been in doubt. What was in doubt, in all our minds, was whether there would be any of us left to dedicate our cemetery at the end, or whether the last Marine would die knocking out the last Japanese gun and gunner.
Let the world count our crosses! Let them count them over and over. Then when they understand the significance of the fighting for Iwo Jima, let them wonder at how few there are. We understand and we wonder, who are separated from our dead by a few feet of earth, from death by inches and fractions of an inch."
@@ahorsewithnoname773 38 out of 258 damn those ratios' are awful, there was one division in France the 43rd Wessex division that started off with around 16,000 men, they lost over 7,000.
@@Bullet-Tooth-Tony- Saipan. Peleliu. Manila. Iwo Jima. Okinawa. How any of the Marines/Army soldiers came away from any of those battles at any "functional" level mentally is a testament to those men themselves. Some of the Marines went through two or even three of these battles. No idea how any man could do it.
I'm an asshole and I wouldn't try to get a vet to talk about their experiences.
For reference, growing up I knew vets from WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam. (I'm Gen-X).
If they want to talk about it, I'll listen, but I'm still not enough of a jerk to pull up trauma like that.
I had a Marine Master Gunnery Sgt. during the Battle for Hue in the Tet offensive. He had been a PFC on Iwo. He said that Hue was the worst fight he had been in since the Meat Grinder on Iwo Jima. The look on his face then, told me he wasn't lying.
General Rose is burried at the War cemetary in Margraten Netherlands. The highest ranking casualty in the cemetary. He even has a local school named after him
That dedication was very moving. Thank you for all of the work you do.
We were so close to having Frankfurt fall twice, during the same week, at two different places
If I had a nickel...
@@orktv4673 It’s not a lot…
Excellent work Indy & team.
The peas & carrots story in the dedication hit hard. My great uncle Reford served under Patton in Europe & he almost never talked about what he saw & did.
17:16 - How many rockets do you need?
US Navy - Yes
Over 300 Suicide Boats were found on Kerama Retto. Only a few got underway and caused minimal damage to US ships.
An interesting detail about Iwo Jima and Okinawa is that the commander in Okinawa received some elite army units that had spent the war in Manchuria and China. Instead of being an advantage, these troops were so determined to die bravely that they refused to follow their commanders plans for a slow and stubborn defense and launched costly banzai charges instead. The troops on Iwo Jima were less elite and better and simply following their orders.
I do hope we get a bit more about the fighting on Luzon where, I believe, my dad's division is still in action. I admit that this will be a tricky story to tell as the fighting will continue without any major victories until the final Japanese surrender. The consequences of that stubborn resistance will probably be covered by the War Against Humanity.
What made those IJA troops from Manchuria 'elite'? Lots of training and equipment and a fancy title, or actual real-world combat experience? It sounds like they didn't understand the war they were being thrown into.
@@Raskolnikov70 elite usually means well trained and much experienced. Those are also the basis on why some Soviet units are granted the elite title of "Guards"
Elite usually does not always translate to good battlefield performance nor mentality homever
For some context on why the Iwo Jima IJA men still does banzai charges. They dont understand the Americans are not Chinese soldiers that are usually underequipped and plagued with low morale also led by corrupt officers which result in them dispersing when a banzai charge is executed
@@3dcomrade That's why I'm wondering about their training and experience. I've known plenty of so-called elite units during my time in the US Army that completely folded the moment they were put into actual combat. The early incursions into Afghanistan in 2001 come to mind - a whole lot of green 'elite' units got their butts handed to them by goat farmers who had been fighting in that terrain since the 1970's.
Real-world experience means more than anything, and I'm guessing those guys doing garrison duty in Manchuria and China weren't seeing a lot of intense combat.
@@Raskolnikov70 They were part of the younger army faction that started the war in China and that was assassinating people who didn't agree with their fanatical views. Like the people who would later attempt to stop the broadcast of the Emperor's surrender acceptance speech.
@@Raskolnikov70 From what I read the experienced soldiers of the Kwantung army who fought the Chinese in 1938-1939 were sent to the Pacific while Manchuria was then left with conscripts and replacements who the Soviets later swept aside.
I clicked in this episode 25 minutes after it's premire and it is still going.
Just reminded me how long the current episodes are.
Crazy considering how late in the war it is...
Nearly hitting 30 minutes on quite a few recent ones, still plenty to cover! Thanks for watching.
This week on March 30th 1945, the following missions in the Call of Duty series will begin:
*March 24 1945*
Crossing the Rhine (Call of Duty 2) - As Sergeant Bill Taylor near Wallendar, Germany, you will start out in a boat and will have to get on the other side of the river first. You will then have to take out the enemy artillery guns as well as the enemy tanks. This is the last level in the entire Call of Duty 2 campaign.
Rhine Crossing (Call of Duty: Roads to Victory) - As Private Brian Preston near Wesel, Germany, you are to move out with your tanks and clear the church. You will also have to supress the enemy flak crews and set charges in the German headquarters, before blowing it up with a plunger.
*March 28 1945*
The Rhine (Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts) - As Private Tom Sharpe near Wesel, Germany, you are to destroy the enemy artillery and hold out until reinforcements arrive.
you forgot to mention that taylor gets a battlefield commission at the end of cod2 and finishes the war as a lieutenant
Also, Operation Varsity was one of the missions in Medal Of Honor: Airborne
My grand uncle a SGT in the 4th Marine Division was killed on Iwo on March 14, 1945.
Fantastic story about the potatoes and the peas. Humanized, empathic, really brilliantly done.
The dedication was very moving. Great episode, though it's strange that it's a "shorter" episode with fewer things taking place.
You it's so over in Europe when the Pacific and China-Burma fronts are getting more screentime that both European fronts combined
Danzig has fallen. Germans are surrendering to the Allies in droves, and the Americans are overrunning Central Germany. It's even more over than it was last week... et cetera.
All started for Germans 1939 and finished in Danzig 1945 Indeed
And yet the deadliest days of the war are still not done yet.
@@maciejniedzielski7496 Germany started batting practice in Spain in 1936. Hitler and Duce helping out their buddy Franco while simultaenously testing out the latest Nazi armaments. Sort of like Japan's 'false flag' excuses to 'open up a can' inside of China for territories they wanted going all the way back to 1931.
Really, the war has been "over", in that the outcome has been entirely determined, for like 2 years at this point. Ever since the German advance in Russia stalled out, it was only a question of when they'd lose the war, not if they'd lose it.
The problem was always making the German leadership realise it.
Glad to hear from Chuikov again
My Dad was part of the invasion force on Okinawa. He was in the first battalion of the twenty ninth regiment of the sixth division of the USMC. They met some light resistance on the landing and took the airfields so quickly that a Japanese pilot landed his Zero and left the engine running. The 'aircrew' that came for the plane were US Marines, much to his surprise. The Marines turned northward and met some strong resistance but was able to secure the northern portion of the island. My Dad's unit proceeded down the west coast of the island and met stiff resistance. The Japanese were determined to fight to the last man. There were few Japanese prisoners. I must note here that the Okinawan people were not Japanese.
Back in the late 1990s while deployed to Okinawa in the Marines my unit went on a battlesite tour where the guide told a similar story about a Japanese pilot that didn't realize he was landing on a recently captured airfield. I wonder if it may have been the same incident. If it was, the unfortunate pilot was gunned down. The guide, who was retired military & a veteran (U.S. Army, Vietnam) quipped with a bit of gallows humor that, "There is always some poor bastard that doesn't get the word."
I have heard both sides so to speak on this. One side has stated, that if you are on an island of the Japanese archipelago, you are Japanese. Kinda like Taiwan. They are actually Chinese, but live on Taiwan. It is a renaming of sorts, but I understand both sides of this.
How can you note that Okinawans arent Japanese…?
They ethnically are, culturally are and were very close and independent movements were never popular on Okinawa…
Many of the troops defending Okinawa were from Okinawa anyhow.
Only some Americans and far right wing Japanese say Okinawans arent Japanese…
Steiner, start warming up...
8:04 I feel we're going to hear more about this Krebs fellow in the next few weeks.
also a nice return of a portrait with a monacle, haven't seen one of those since El Alamein part 2
"When the last soldier to remember the horrors of the last great war dies , the next great war shall begin " , Arthur Toynbee . I think that what you small group of people are doing is phenomenal. What this world needs right now and has for the last 50 years or so is that every school student should have it mandatory to watch and understand what you people have presented In entirety , you show that just guns and soldiers are not a war . Its powers , countries , economies , beliefs, religions allegiances strategies ( good and bad ) . And above all deviance and despots .
What we need and for us who see and understand we acknowledge the ignorance of those who need to see but and don't want to understand . Thank you .
Knowing the horrors of WW1 didnt stop Hitler though
Been watching since Dec. 2018. Been looking forward to EVERY Saturday since. Thank you Indy and team. We appreciate everything you guys do. Thank you for teaching me so much these years. Even from your WW1 channel I somehow watched in 9 months lol.
See you next Saturday! Thanks for the comment 😃
Operation Varsity also includes the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, dropped in with the British. Serving with the Canadians is medical orderly, corporal Frederick George Topham who on the 24th, while tending a wounded paratrooper hears the cries of another wounded man. He sees two orderlies attempt to reach the man, but both are killed in succession. Upon seeing this Topham rushes to replace them despite the heavy enemy fire. While tending to the wounded soldier Topham is himself shot the face. Regardless, he manages to carry the man back to safety. Although bleeding and in intense pain, Topham continues to bring in wounded for the next two hours. For these actions Topham will be awarded the Victoria Cross.
Looking forward: next week my great grandfather was killed by the nazis. He was shot in his doorway, with his son (my grandpa) and wife as witnesses. Just two weeks before the area (Groningen, in the Netherlands) was freed.
It has never been cleared up exactly why, although most think that he was shot because of his involvement with the local resistance. Next week I'll be thinking about him again ❤
My favorite dedication yet
Here before this legendary series ends!
I'm so glad I caught up with this series before the battle of Berlin.
My grandfather was with the 82nd airborne. He earned a purple heart in the Battle of the bulge. It's so much fun looking at these maps for 82nd every week, like a father looking for his son's number on the field. I can only imagine what it was like for him being 19 years old going through this shit.
This week in French news.
The 24th, The French Government announces the Creation of the French Union and the Indochinese Federation in order to reform the colonial system and to give more power to Indochinese protectorates. The exact new system is not given.
The 28th, Devers gives the go for the French offensive of the 1st Army toward Karlsruhe, Pforzheim and Stuttgart.
Creation of the 15th American Army to control Lorient and Saint-Nazaire pockets.
The 29th, De Gaulle gives back their flag to the 131 French units and then calls De Lattre to make him cross the Rhine without delay in order to not let the British, the American and the Soviet make all the fight. The offensive begins the 31th.
ah, de Gaulle & his 'new France' trying to put cangues on Indochinese people when his country has not even been completely unchained from the Nazis yet. What a joke.
Interesting that a new army of Americans was built to do it - did they not trust French troops to keep the Germans penned in on what was after all French soil?
SPOILER
Later note - postwar, Patton will be put in command of it, essentially as a skeletal force in the occupation of Germany. It will be his last military command before his death.
Great vids. As a Canadian, the push to the Rhine is a significant moment in our history. Op Veritable had Canadian General Harry Crerar in command of approx 450,000 troops... unprecedented and not seen since. This included 9 divs of British soldiers. Also, when one discusses Op Varsity, one thinks of UK 6 AB Div and US 17 AB Div. We like to remind all that, serving in UK 6 AB Div, was the plucky First Canadian Para Bn whose CO was killed in the operation. 1 Can Para also jumped into Normandy with 6 UK AB Div with C Company being the first allied company on the ground in occupied France (approx 30 mins before Howard's gliders).
It sounded like Indy said the U.S. Tenth Army assembling for Okinawa included the Army XIV Corps. The XIV Corps was still in the Philippines and I'm pretty sure stayed there until the end of the war, it was the XXIV Corps that took part in Operation Iceberg.
I love this series and hope this isn't taken as a complaint or criticism! Glad to be a supporter and I'm very much looking forward to the upcoming Korean War Week-by-Week series.
Any accurate correction is not a criticism.
That effect at 7:17 was really impressive. It made the picture feel alive and dynamic. Almost like footage.
Thanks to the editor for this one Simon James!
The allied forces had some Eurobeat songs playing the way they are drifting around the German positions.
My grandfather served as a marine on Iwo Jima. He left the war busted all the way back down to Private First Class for stealing bread from the officers’ mess. God bless you, Outlaw!
Love all your content Time Ghost team. You are all heroes in your own way. Thank you so much.
Thank you!
Thanks Indy. Neither my father (who served in the Pacific) or my father in law (who served in Europe) talked about many of their war experiences.
I don’t remember exactly when it happened but when kamikazes would go after British carriers they would sometimes come in at to low of an angle causing them to to bounce or slide of the armored flightdeck.
I pass by Camp Pendleton and (John) Basilone Road now and again! A few years ago I met an Iwo Jima vet! I thanked him for his service (even in old age his grip was strong and he stood straight) He said "I waded ashore but was wounded and carried off" he continued "Son I was one of the lucky ones" he said! I never forget that!
As a note, on 27th March 1945, Burma National Army, led by commander in chief General Aung San, launched a nationwide uprising against the Japanese. Although Burma gained `independence ́ from the Japanese on 1st August 1943, many of the military and civil leaders eventually knew that it was in name only. BNA was formed, trained and supervised by the Japanese, but it was mostly used in rear areas for security operation, partly because of distrust of the Japanese commanders and partly because it was under supplied.
An alliance called `Anti Fascist Organization´ containing Communist Party of Burma, Burmese National Army and other elements was formed in August 1944 and made contact with the British through Brigade 136.
On late March 1945, the BNA paraded in Rangoon. Aung San appeared in Burmese uniforms in stead of Japanese ones, and made a speech indicating to, `find and destroy the nearest army´. Later, the army marched to their respective regions (Burma was divided into ten regions), and on 27th March of 1945, Aung San made an open statement, declaring war against the Japanese Empire and elements of BNA and CPB began guerrilla operations and taking controls of civil administrations in villages and towns. They mostly clashed with the retrating Japanese through Pegu. Over 1000 such clashes were recorded with about 20000 Japanese casualties. This day was later recognized as `Armed Force Day´ after Burmese Independence from the British.
My grandfather was part of the Army Engineers who would land in Okinawa. Some of those engineers that were lost on Iwo Jima were his friends. He was a peaceful man and never liked the idea of using a gun. As he worked on some of the airfields he would never carry his rifle or weapon with him because he never wished to use it. After the events on Iwo Jima he actually carried his rifle though said he never loaded it. I remember my mother telling me after the war he was a prison guard in New Mexico and he once more would never take a weapon out when he had to hunt down escaped prisoners. He later because a machine shop teacher for prisons where he taught prisoners a trade. He always joked to my mother that he traded a rifle for constructive tools. He served his country in both WW2 and Korea and only picked up a rifle that one time when he landed in Okinawa. Later he would help dismantle Alcatraz. He actually had a Japanese rifle which he traded for a work horse for a farm he had bought hoping to raise his children on.
Thank you for your service Colonel Berk 🫡 🙏
10:41 A small correction for Indy on the pronounciation of Hubei: the second syllable is pronounced like "bay" in English, it's the same character as in Beijing.
Exactly the comment I would have made if only you weren't quicker. Let's say apart from this one case, Indy deals with the pronunciation of Chinese names very well.
@@tomasdvorak7307 Yeah, I've seen other channels, even reputable ones, butcher Chinese names to the point of not even pronouncing Beijing right. There are people who insist on pronouncing "Beizhing" for some reason, which is all the more annoying when they say Nanjing correctly--it's the same syllable, why should it be pronounced differently?
@@shatterquartz Or you can have the "Beizhing" - "Nanking" combo, and that's by far not the worse there is, don't even let me started. That's why I'd say Indy's pretty good. Yes, a linguist would find lot more than his "Hubai", without even looking at the tones, but rarely something Indy says hurts my ears.
Brilliant narration as always. Still the quickest twenty plus minutes in my day👍
Thanks for watching.
Paderborn, Brillon, familiar names, I was stationed in Buren as a conscript of the Dutch 435th IBC. Wewelsburg is between Buren and Paderborn, close the airport where made my parachute jumps. This was in 1987
Guderian put on 6 weeks of sick leave? Well no problem. There will be plenty for him to do for the war by then, right? Right?
He managed to surrender to the Americans and avoid war crime prosecution, and was released in 1948. So it turned out ok for him.
@@pauldietz1325 It was supposed to be a joke about the war ending in 6 weeks. Spoiler.
@@creatoruser736 I know. :)
Thank you for all you do I love and look forward to each and every episode.
I'm a little curious about this phrase 'off the march' at 10:08. I tried looking it up when Indy said it a few weeks ago but couldn't find anyone else using it with this meaning. Is it a recognised military term or what?
They may have meant “on the march” referring to an objective accomplished while underway to the destination, like stopping for fast food while filling up at the gas station.
Hopefully FDR's health improves soon.
This week on march 25 William Rupertus commander of the 1st marine division during the battle of pelieu died of a heart attack at the age of 55. After the battle he became commandant of the marine corps schools at Quantico, Virginia,his tenure was 4 months when he died. He was the author of the Rifleman's Creed (you will here this when you go through basic training at marine boot camp).
This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine...
@@oldesertguy9616 my rifle is my best friend it is my life.
Those who haven't been to Marine Corps' basic training may be familiar with the Rifleman's Creed from the film Full Metal Jacket, where Gunnery Sgt. Hartmann has his recruit platoon say the "prayer" before bed in one of the film's scenes.
@@ahorsewithnoname773 And when private pyle snaps
7:31 wait, even though the photo here is shown, i don't know where the said fortress is located. is it the barracks, some fortified blocks, or is it a big building next to that bridge?
We were just at the beaches of Normandy, now we're here.
Feels like Germany ain't coming back from this...
Your pronunciation of Slovak names has improved since the days of the great war. Even back in the day it wasn't half bad.
Joyeuses Pâques à tous !
Hey guys love your stuff. I was watching Spartacus' show on the bombing of Germany. Some totally wrong person was shown as Gen. Hap Arnold. Who could it be? Well, watching Indy's weekly report, this guy is a Gen. William Arnold who landed near Cebu City in the Philippines.
A lot of data I know. You do great work.
A mistake on our part there, we will be fixing it soon. Thank you!
Thank you for you good work presenting things so clearly
Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!
40 years ago a WWII vet told me about his squad getting trapped in a champagne factory for three days. He said there was no water and that they had to shave with champagne. Good Luck, Rick
War is hell...
Hi Indy
Another interesting week.
War is going to finish.
But still more blood shed.
Awaiting more history content.
Thanks for the video.
You know the allies are pretty close to Duesseldorf.
I'm sure Col. Hogan and his men will be very happy to soon be liberated. But what if Col. Klink and Sgt. Schultz? 🤔
They could join Col. Hogan and have a career in the porn industry.
It's a darn shame that they didn't get to film a "liberation" episode as a series finale, but that was not what TV networks did at the time.
Been watching since day 1. Wow have we come a long way
That was eyewatering story at the end
Good Job on this whole series
I would love to see a video about how soviet high command has evolved over time. How they choose their commanders, why they move their fronts around like they do, and what machinations were always going on. It seems so direct and factual in these episodes and maybe that's due to a lack of information more than a lack of time.
I lived on Okinawa, dad was in military, and it was one of the reasons I got into studying WW2; read "With The Old Breed." and "Operation Typhoon: The Battle Of Okinawa.".....interesting island and history.
8:26 what does vaunted means?
Highly praised
Thanks indy and crew
Thanks for watching!
Wow. What a great story at the end.
Thay thumbnail looks like it is straight out of Scooby-doo and I love it.
Looks like an interwar newsreel/recruiting film still photo or poster.
I have to ask based on the recognition you've made in the beginning...becoming a tier patron is the only way to get recognition? If I am dedicated fan of the channel doesnt works?
Right now there are 879,000 minimum dedicated fans of the channel. How would they recognize them individually?
@@caryblack5985 oh I remember you weve talked before
Yes OK was just asking
@@caryblack5985 879.000 fans and his our first ambassador in world War 2? Lol 😆 🤣 😂 😹 just paraphrasing a well known film if you get me
My Great X3 grandfather's hometown of Darmstadt was taken this week. Can't help but think of how he felt as a man in his late 50's, having immigrated to the United States, sitting at his kitchen table and hearing that, knowing that he had Nephews serving in the Wehrmacht. Whole slew of mixed emotions.
Former 4th Tank Battalion guy here Indy, thanks for the mention.
Thanks for sharing and thanks for watching.
there's a naming mistake for the map.. in 2:22 the allied already liberated Frankfurt, but in 7:14 there's Frankfurt again in the eastern front.. thanks
There are two Frankfurts one in the west and one in the east.
Those are Frankfurt-am-Mainz and Frankfurt-am-Oder, two different cities.
Because that is Frankfurt on the Oder. There two Frankfurts in German believe it or not
@@caryblack5985 what? there are 2 Frankfurts in Germany? I didn't know that.. 😅 thanks for the info.. I thought it was an editing mistake
@@robert-janthuis9927 I didn't know there are 2 Frankfuts in Germany.. thanks.. 😁
interesting that at about 18:05, my subwoofers are playing some deep concussive booms that also have some TR- sneaky and part of why the "team" and the series rocksso f'n hard.
FYI, the last war against humanity (130) video uses the wrong picture of Henry 'hap' Arnold and instead uses the picture of William arnold (18:51)
Hey, thanks for pointing that out! We are working on a fix and it should be updated soon.
Thank you to everyone at the TimeGhost team for all your hard work. I've noticed the videos becoming increasing long and complex. My guess is the Germans will hold out for at least another six months-I hope you guys can too!
Thanks for watching!
I was going to say that one of those shots as a background to the bit about the kamikazes was a British "pom-pom". But I didn't realise that the British Pacific fleet was at Okinawa. Which means my father was there, which I also never knew, because he didn't talk about his experiences very much. Thanks.
15:44 This is a partial error. General Ushijima technically had >100,000 men under his command on Okinawa, but in reality, only had about 70,000 actual soldiers. The rest were hastily raised Okinawan conscripts that were of extremely poor quality militarily, and would do little to influence the outcome of the battle.
Many of his troops were sailors, hastily issued small arms. Given that Army-Navy relations were not great in WW2 Japan, I wonder if this caused problems.
The Boetai militia werent even meant for frontline fighting but as support troops and really that hastily recruited.
When the fighting got desperate many were forced to fight in the frontline either by the Japanese forces or simply by Americans over running the frontlines into the rear.
Many of the veterans did not speak of their service. I lost a great uncle on Iwo Jima when his flamethrower was hit. My own grandfather was a raider on Guadalcanal. But in terms of details my family is sadly bereft of them.
the FINAL attack on Iwo was more horrific via the fact many soldiers had already turned in ammunition (as the island was pretty much considered secure). History or Military channel does an episode regarding this attack.....must have been a nightmare to live through..... read somewhere that after the war, a couple of Iwo Japanese prisoners were being returned to Japan and asked to be allowed a final view of the island form up high on Suribachi....when taken up there, they waited until they were not being monitored and rather than return in disgrace, jumped off the nearest cliff face...the final victims of the battle....
Finally, after years of following your 2 channels, I caught up today, having to refresh the playlist page to get this new release. Once again, you guys don't disappoint! Or do you? 3 times before, I've commented on various videos, requesting an episode or just a paragraph dedicated to the famine that killed 2 million Vietnamese people, caused by both the French and Japanese. Your replies, if there was 1, were noncommittal, to put it lightly. Aren't 2 million souls not worth even a footnote? This number is a dozen times that in Manila, and many tens of time that in Iwo Jima, which you have spent so much time on. It's almost on the same order of magnitude as the Holocaust. If this is not modern-time information bubble / echo chamber, I don't know what else is. Please follow your own philosophy of "unbiased coverage for educational purpose". I regret to say that while this surely is an eye-opening ride, and I appreciate the journey a lot, I have to stop my contribution and TimeGhost participation. Your script seems to extend to only where the bulk of the money comes from.
I like to think they will cover it alongside the Dutch famine sometime later this year
This does sound fascinating. I believe that they had asked that if people had suggestions to put these requests on their website, as they do not get to all of the comments on you tube. Have you tried that? I know I read every comment as so many people have such great information. I, for one, would be eager to hear more whether it’s from the video or from someone like yourself who has a lot to share. Good luck, be well.
In February, the remains of the French army in Vietnam, which has been working with the Japanese, switch sides and start fighting towards China. Planes from SEAC are sent to help.
@extrahistory8956 they better do it. the famine will end more or less in late May. but right now (in 1945) is the peak of weekly death count, because people have been starving since November last year, and the late, weak cold fronts from Siberia, which normally are just an adornment to the celebration of spring, are brutal enough to take their last bit of strength/bodily warmth.
@@jeanineking7311 yeah thanks, i did share my exp of seeing the graves in another video. my Dad once or twice, during our meals, pointed to the bowl of soup he was drinking off, and said that if people in 1945 had got this, they'd have survived for *a week*.
Well, I don’t even cover the Holocaust in depth in the regular weekly episodes. Any and all Crimes against humanity are covered in the war against humanity series. As they have been for the past few years. You should address your comments over there and see what Spartacus says about such coverage. I don’t know his plans, but commenting here won’t change anything- I didn’t cover the Iranian or Bengali famines here either. That’s for that series, not this one.
Hey, just a small thing to point out, hel peninsula at 6:32 was not liberated until the end of the war
Probably because it no longer mattered that much and was, like Kurland, now a defacto German open air POW camp. Once you got them cut off and they can't do anything any more is it worth the lives to still take the place?
@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 The Hel peninsula was at the time German-speaking, while the mainland area nearby consisted of Kashubian speakers, their language, certainly Slavic, often considered a Polish dialect. The area was part of the Polish Corridor after WW1, annexed to Germany during WW2 and returned to Poland after the war.
Guess we'll soon see how the British carriers can fare against kamikazes. Designed with areas like the Home Islands and Mediterranean in mind, where the threat of land-based attackers was ever present, carriers such as the Illustrious-class and then Implacable-class didn't focus purely on having large air groups as a means of defense. They weren't designed to carry as many planes as possible with a large permanent deck park so couldn't manage as much of a combat air patrol, but did have a reasonable amount of anti-aircraft guns and an armored flight deck. It also meant they didn't need to just focus on carrying as much aviation fuel as possible, so the fuel was stored in tanks surrounded by seawater. They even purged all the fuel lines with carbon dioxide when not in use, which the US ended up adopting as well after the start of the war.
Slight note - I think you confused the mugshot of either Hap Arnold or William Arnold, in today's episode and the WAH episode on the Air War earlier this week. Unless they were identical twins?
Well, this is coming to the end, great episode, lest see this last month of the germans and how it evolves
Well, stay tuned, for the war in Asia is far from over and Korea Week-by-Week is up next too
The bass in the explosions at 17:18 actually made me think someone was pounding on my front door o.O
Meanwhile, the Romanian 1st and 4th armies are fighting in Czechoslovakia, in the area of the Great Fatra mountain and the Morava river.
great story of that Marine at the end!
I'm starting to hear ever more names from the infamous Downfall speech. Wonder how that will end up...
Time will tell. Thank you for watching.
@@WorldWarTwo Keep up the amazing work TG!
Forgive me. I'm not sure if it was meant to be reported as or if brevity accidentally made it seem to be, but the U.S.S. Franklin wasn't hit by a Kamikaze. A single Japanese Bomber came in and planted two bombs in the middle of her deck as she was preparing to launch a sortie. I knew a gentleman who was aboard her during that incident. He gave a lecture to a modeling group I was a part of about it.
7:14 TIL there's two Frankfurts in Germany got pretty confused due tot 2:21
I was wondering what happened to the US 4th Infantry Division this week. In the last weekly episode (March 23, 1945), the 4th ID was plotted to the west of the US 87th Infantry Division as part either 12th or 8th Corps in the US Third Army on the Western Front. However this week, the 4th ID was not plotted on the map at all.Were they pulled off the line, put in reserve, repositioned to another theater, or just left off by mistake?
The 4th Infantry Division was briefly pulled off the line for rest this week but will appear again in the next episode as it breaks out across the Rhine.
Thanks for the question!
-Sietse (map research)
As always, a wonderful presentation
Thank you for watching!