As a shut-in, disabled vet I want to say how much I appreciate your excellent channel. I love studying history and it's channels like yours that help bring the classroom to my bedside. Thank you for sharing these thought-provoking programs!
Sorry to hear your if your disability circumstances , thank you for your service sir ! I’m glad you have places like RUclips to go & watch nearly infinite military documentaries . See u in Valhalla brother
I have so much respect for all the soldiers on both sides involved in this battle and the entire war, the bravery and sacrifice is absolutely remarkable. These people should be remembered and honored, regardless of what side they were on.
Well done .. The 48th panzer corps was a seriously understrength unit that had suffered from mice chewing on wires in tanks. It sounds like Hitler had lot of short circuits. The round trip to the Caucasus was no help.
This is a wonderful documentary. Great job, guys. You guys totally killed it, this reminds me of old history channel documentaries but with more in depth info. I loved those documentaries, and I love this one.
@Eugene Hill The German soldier was trained. Your average Russian was handed a rifle (or maybe a 2x4 and some rocks) and given some key words of advice, then sent on his way. The difference lay solely in training.
Love the real Situational Template-feel of the graphics. Very professional presentation. Brings back memories of the S-2/S-3 working together over the same maps.
@Eugene Hill what,how the hell you got that data?, stronger than western power combined, this must be a joke , some people actually still believe this bullshit, your literal source is based on propaganda ,the numerical superiority of the Red Army over the Wehrmacht occurs when we compare only the part that participated in the attack on the USSR and the entire Red Army as a whole. As of 22.06.41, there were 5.5 million people in the Red Army (including 0.5 million conscripts) against the Wehrmacht with a total strength of 7.23 million. That is without taking into account the armies of the satellite countries (ratio 10/13). Directly on the Soviet-German front, the Red Army numbered 2.74 million people, another 619 thousand were in reserve, whereas the number of Wehrmacht troops and their allies involved in the attack on the USSR, according to various sources, ranged from 3.8 to 4.9 million men. With the general superiority in tanks, 90% of the Soviet tanks armor varied from 6 to 22 mm, means, they could be knocked out by an anti-tank rifle from a distance of up to 1 km. The Wehrmacht had outnumbered the Red army with tanks and SPGs with anti-ballistic armor approximately by 2.5 times. According to 22.06.1941, the Red Army of that time significantly or entirely fall short compared to the Wehrmacht on such "technical" indicators as rocket artillery, armored personnel carriers, transport, motorcycles, and somehow on the quality of manpower - in the form of a difference in education (the Germans had a general secondary education since 1880 -ies). Some "historians" suggest that the Red Army lost the beginning of the war only because it allegedly did not want and could not fight, and that Stalin allegedly only destroyed the army, executed the military and fanatically believed to Hitler. In reality, the first defeats of the Red Army happened because of several serious reasons, which together led to a deep retreat in 1941: First, the Wehrmacht had the advantage of surprise. The Soviet command did not know the exact time of the strike until the last moment. As a result, the order to bring troops into combat readiness came only a few hours before the German offensive began. This led to organizational unavailability to reflect the most massive military intervention in world history. Second, the Wehrmacht had superior number of soldiers in the eastern direction (that is, the direction of the main strike): 190 German divisions versus 170 Soviet divisions. At the same time, the number of personnel in the divisions of the German army was 1.5 to 2 times higher than that of the Soviet, and a concentrated strike in several directions led to that the Germans enjoyed higher superiority in manpower and technology up from 3 to 5 times. Thirdly, despite the presence of a huge number of tanks and aircraft, the unprepared Red army was short of ammunition and fuel. This situation was observed during the Soviet armored counterattack in the Dubno-Lutsk-Rivne area, aimed to stop the advance of the Germans. With approximately equal strength in this battle, the Soviet forces were defeated and forced to retreat mainly because of lack of fuel and ammunition - the first major strike of the German artillery and aviation was aimed to the warehouses of POL (Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants) and weapons in the border areas, which eventually were destroyed in the first days of the war. it was nearly impossible to quickly organize an effective supply of ammunition and fuel for a huge frontier grouping of the Soviet army. Fourthly, neither the Red Army, nor any other army in the world at that time had the experience of successfully combating the German tactics of a massive offensive with the use of tank wedges and rapidly advancing far-reaching motorized groups, which was also supported by powerful and well-coordinated air support. In 1940 that offensive strategy and the superiority of German tanks allowed to implement a blitzkrieg in France, which was then conquered in some month. Go read some source ,so you not eaten by far left and far right propaganda, your comments is literally filled with propaganda with little evidence
It’s full of mis information..there was no such thing as “army group A or B”..the handbook he refers to wasn’t written until after the war..Germans didn’t have “cores”they had divisions and mechanised not “motorised” brigades..and the Germans attacked from north and south not what he said..
Thank you for weaving explanations current U.S. Army doctrine into the video. As a civilian viewer, the additional layers of explanation really help :)
This is going down as top 2 ever greatest Stalingrad documentaries. The other being the Battlefield series narrated by Tim Pigget Smith, whom does a much better job with pronunciation of German words & European names. Anyhow, this one is much more current & utilizes excellent new technology in animation. The maps, diagrams, models, etc were the most detailed I've seen of Stalingrad. The 3D display is almost as good as a satellite image. Thanks a ton for loading this ! 5/5 Stars.
If you dig this episode's coverage of the big picture, here's a brilliant operational-level documentary series on the campaign: ruclips.net/p/PLNSNgGzaledi9jQeOzCUtBP2pxYdCYiXX
Search on YT " Finding the Fallen of Stalingrad" current day metal detecters and battlefield archeologists are exhuming the dead from their situational war time graves and giving them proper graves & military honors. (The're finding tons of bones.)
Excellent work. So much detail crammed into a single hour. I will need to watch this a few more times to digest it all. Thank you so much for your diligent efforts. Looking forward to more of your superb videos.
@@ArmyUniversityPress if this is not too much to ask, please have frequently updated playlist. Your audiences may have different interests so wading through lots of podcasts to get to these might be a chore. Have playlists. And update them.
@@ahoffsette AE is hard to beat, and the co-ordination you did with the dialogue shows you mastered it. Would love to have had a crack at writing the music. Keep up the good work. You're a true artist. Juan.
I hope you continue to keep an in depth look in Stalingrad's battle like you did before.Just found you from Red October Factory video and i have to say that your animated maps and Graphics are exceptional.
Maybe a bit similar as the battle of the Grozny presidential palace, because if you looking for hell, i know hell was all around us. The fighting was unprecedented and very violent. Older people says it was Stalingrad'ish and Berlin'ish to see the blood red dome over the city as we fought on. Some crazy shooting at our IFV, (like thousands of marbles dropped on your storm panzer wagon (BMP 2) then its time to for us to sit off. Then the hell of all hell started. It's just crazy that i came home. It's not far from the story of Stalingrad. But in smaller dimension.
whoa... I am an old man recovering from crainoplasty (not an ied, meningioma actually)... TIK has gotten me addicted to Stalingrad docus (w/pain medication, utube is key)... this AUP stuff is superb! Thank you very, very much for posting it, though I am not so sure why I am obsessed with it. I am planning to get hold of a Mauser & a Mosin Nagent asap!!!! Or a sets (Corps) of Army men. Do they still make them? Really, really enjoyed this, I am very grateful.
Very professional presentation combining accurate historical data with cogent snapshots of both current U.S. Army doctrine and timeless precepts of the art of war. Thanks for posting these videos to the public.
This was maybe the most objective video regarding the battle of Stalingrad I have ever seen. Kept all mention of political ideology or morality out of what the video was attempting to accomplish. Well done Army.
Important lessons to learn: 1. You must always have a goal. Not just for the war as a whole, but also for each of your campaigns. 2. Your goals must be achievable. 3. When attacking the keys to success are to be bold, to gather strong forces, to be able to surprise your enemies, and to move with speed. Not all these keys are required, but you should aim to hold as many of them as possible. 4. No matter how good your military is there's always a limit to how far they can go. 5. A properly deployed counterattack can upset or even ruin the enemy's plans. 6. When faced with a risky situation you must weigh the options carefully. What do you dare to do? What can you come up with? What are the dangers? What don't you know? 7. If 2 armies are fighting each other then find out how many divisions they each have available. If 2 divisions are fighting each other then find out how many regiments they each have available. Always try to have at least a rough estimate of the number of troops available to both yourself and your enemy. 8. When on the offensive against a defending enemy you should ideally have a numerical advantage of at least 3 to 1. 9. Always be clear about what's your main effort, and what are you supporting efforts. 10. No matter how good your military is there's always a limit to long they can keep going. Every offensive, no matter how successful, eventually runs out of steam. 11. Strike where the enemy is weak. 12. A reserve of fresh troops is often useful. 13. The Hammer and Anvil has been used for millennia, and is still useful today. 14. When you surround an enemy, and they still resist you, crush them from all sides, in a similar fashion to crushing an egg by clenching your fist.
If you've not already, I recommend you look at the channel called "TIK" where you will find truly superbly researched and detailed videos. His latest series is on Stalingrad. To give an idea of the depth that goes into them, his 9th episode ended with the "massive bombardment" of the city by the Luftwaffe. In other words, 9 full videos detailing what had occurred up to that point. You won't find anything else that comes close IMO (which to be clear is not saying this video wasn't good, it gave a very good picture of events in general).
Struggle within the city from November 1942 to February 1943, might have deserved mentioning too. Other than that, GREAT video folks. Liked and subscribed.
This excellent video brings back the 1970's when I played board games produced by Avalon Hill and Strategy & Tactics They covered everything from full campaigns and battles to house to house combat. The combat unit counters were the same as this video. I also read Bantam War books as a companion to employ tactical moves in these games. Keep up the great work. I'm subscribed.
This content is excellent and is honestly some of the best I have seen anywhere. It obviously draws heavily on the work of Glantz but the introduction of modern tactical and doctrinal concepts really makes this something more than just history, it is history with a purpose. One question I have is would it be possible to put some citations in the video or with a pinned comment? Please keep up this style of work it is truly incredible. I would love to see another episode focusing on the mobile defense and "backhand blow" re Kharkov.
Interesting how principals & tactics of war change, yet remain the same. I've heard Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign is still taught at West Point and Sandhurst. Audacity, risk, surprise, operational reach, tempo, etc.
Paulus, when serving on the staff in Berlin, was one of the key architects of planning Operation Barbarossa. It was essentially his plan. He war gamed his own plan and found each time that Germany lost. Never an experienced field commander at any level, he was an obedient servant, a military intellectual, who obeyed orders, but he was also, quietly, reluctant about the entire business of invading Russia. Irony abounds with the story of Paulus.
Paulus was a patsy; set up to fail. The hidden hand pushed him into an unwinnable war. It was the first domino in the eventual destruction of the German nation and the birth pangs of the Globalist era.
I just want to comment to let u know that I love documentaries like these. I even open and reload a few of your videos to watch some ads to support you but i noticed none came up.
@@damianmcdonagh7908 Good man Mr McDonagh! I read everything about Stalingrad. My hairdresser is from Volgograd. My beautiful young wife is from Moscow and I am fascinated about the battle. Greetings from a Mayo man (not missing Mayo). I hope to visit there asap however my academic historian wife (who studied WW2 prisoners using the archives in Moscow) says we should hire a private tour guide - that is why I was interested in your experience.
@@citizenworld8094 If you wish to hire a private guide then by all means do. I found it better to visit the various sites over the days we were there. Do not miss the Von Paulus museum It's in the exact same site as his former headquarters in the GUM department store. The Grain Elevator is there as is the Flour Mill and Pavlov's House. Mamaev Kurgan is stunning at night under the spotlight and the main museum in Volgograd is fascinating. What part of County Mayo are you from?
28:52 Some of Minina, the El'shanka ravine, and the railroads are shown in the film segment beginning at 35:57. The M-shape (35:59+) of the ravine can be seen at Google Maps (N 48.682711°, E 44.467565°).
And the Tractor Factory, Pavlov's House and Grain Elevator are still apparent on Google Earth. The Tractor Factory is just a huge lot full of ruins yet today. In fact, if you follow the western shore of the Volga thru Volgagrad, you will find lots of large flattened areas full of ruins.
Have you guys this same "campaign" video about Berlin? This is the BEST thing I've found so far and would live to watch one on Berlin. Thanks keep up the great work!
@Generic Talk Bagration makes both look like a child's tea party. Army Group Centre, the most powerful force on the Eastern Front, was utterly destroyed. It was the beginning of the end for the Germans.
@Generic Talk 30,000 tanks? You might want to check that number. The best sources I can find state the Germans had 2500 tanks and assault guns, the Red Army 7300. At Kursk, only about 100 German AFV were lost and casualties were approximately 100,000. During Bagration, an entire army ceased to exist. The Germans lost at least 500,000 men, one third of their strength on the eastern front. Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan M. (2004) [1999]. The Battle of Kursk. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-070061335-9.
@Generic Talk the Germans never had that many units at one time in the entire war. Their entire AFV production, including half-tracks, assualt guns and sp guns was less than 50,000. Perhaps you need to check your scources. The entire German army on the Eastern Front in 1942 was 3.6m troops. Stalingrad's losses were about 200,000 but the best troops were all flown out. I don't think the Wehrmacht lost 70% of its strenght at Stalingrad.
What remains for memories is the astonishing Gerhardt mill factory building 31:10 which stand proud speaking on heroic resistance in be half of Stalingrad to date
Excellent videos about battle for Stalingad. Thank you for your work and sharing. Very good analysis and parts from US army FM were very interesting too. I am from Russia and watching your videos i thought if your officers study modern warfare on such a level it would be hard for any opponent to conduct a battle against them. Knowledge is power after all. Hope that soldiers and officers of RAF and US Army never have to fight each other. With respect and thanks for videos!
I am glad that i finally found a documentary about the battle of Stalingrad where they don't claim that the city was attacked just because off it's name.
When Germany lost Stalingrad, they lost their ability to hold the Caucasus oil fields. Once the Caucasus oil fields were lost, the war was lost. Germany did not have enough oil to simply maintain the economies of themselves, their allies, and conquered countries. The the additional oil needed to for the military. Germany was under a sea blockade so could get oil from Romania. Once they took France, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, they needed even more oil to keep those countries running economically. With no fuel they couldn't use tractors to grow food, or use trucks to deliver the food and other goods. None of them had their own oil so had Germany had to provide them with fuel. At one point the Germans were considering turning a mechanized division into an walking infantry division to save fuel. If Germany had held the oil fields they could have made more infantry divisions, and made more Luftwaffe divisions. They used steam powered tanks to train tank crews. They used gliders to train pilots. They could no longer conduct tank maneuvers. No more flanking maneuvers with tanks. No more encirclement with tanks. Only straight ahead or straight back. Crews abandoned tanks a lot due to lack of fuel. The Luftwaffe had thousands of planes, hundreds of Me-262s, all sitting on the ground, hidden under trees, unable to fly because they had no pilots and no fuel. They watched bombers fly overhead unable to shoot them down because of lack of fuel. The Tigers and King Tigers would have wrecked havoc in the west if they had had air cover. They could have sank many of the transport ships at Normandy if their planes had fuel.
Bretton Ferguson Yes it seems it wasn’t a good thing when the Russian winter slowed the German advance. The Russian counterattack after the Germans failed to take Stalingrad was huge and brutal. And the failure to take the oil fields meant certain defeat.
@@blackdragon7803 I don't understand how he thought he could fight on both fronts (east and west). Some documentaries assert that he was suspicious that Stalin will attack him while others state the opposite. I don't know which is true but him attacking the Soviets contributed to his demise. Paulus of the 6th army should have retreated when it seemed bleek.
All what-ifs. Germany lost the war before it even started. They didn't have the logistics to fight a war far from their borders for one. Big difference between driving on improved surfaces to fight your neighbors, and invading the soviet union and the long supply routes they would have to traverse. They were already having issues with supply in 41' when they were "winning" in the east, due to the sheer distance they were stretched. And two, they didn't have an offensive airforce capable of striking the industrial heartland of either the soviet union or the united states once they entered the war. Those two factors alone made winning the war an impossibility, no matter how much oil they had. No long range logistics and no long range offensive airpower made the war futile from the get go.
@@trashpanda314 you are dead wrong about that. The germans pulled off logistic miracles in the east. Sure the luftwaffe was limited in range but that wouldnt matter if the ground army had the oil to penetrate deeper into Russia and thus securing strategic airfields along the way.
Important details are missing about the Operation Little Saturn, which resulted in Army Group A withdrawal from Caucasus, to avoid even larger encirclement. For the same reason, to protect Army Group A withdrawal, Hitler insisted that 6th Army remain in Stalingrad to bind up as many Soviet forces as possible
Not true. There were many mistakes made that changed the outcome plus lend lease plus America entering the war all not being decided by June 1941. Most of all, Stalin would have attacked sooner or later. Communist Societ union had a habit of attacking and invading since 1920 (Poland), they attacked Finland 1939, annexed Baltic states 1940, annexed Bessarabia....they would have attacked sooner or later. Look at China and Tinet, North Korea attacking South Korea, North Vietnam.... etc etc etc. That war was inevitable and attacking first was necessary
So while Paulus actually was inexperienced during this campaign. He really did show his prowess as a general, during the initial offensive and especially at the Kalach Pocket? He performed exceptionally well and showed his skill even more so when the Battle of Stalingrad actually started. Shame for Paulus, this would be his first and last campaign. Had his 6th army be allowed to escape as he requested and recommended numerous times? Then he absolutely would have been considered one of the best German generals of the war. Right up there with Model, Manstein, and Rommel for their tactical and strategic skill.
All fair enough. Not discussed is that the troops of BOTH sides were literally starving to death on insufficient daily calories. This cascaded into disease and freezing to death for the germans. Those boots on the ground were not qualitatively supported by enough calories to a. Fight or B. Deal with energy expenditures of severe cold weather ops. That factored in heavily to both sides, but ultimately exponentially degraded german troop capabilities. Is this mentioned in these sanitized observations?
Amen to that brother! I was Arctic Infantry,anti-tank Gunner. It took three days to get a hole dug,if you didn't run into a boulder. Then it's -50° . We used to get the LRRP's . 5000calories each. Gotta have melted water,to rehydrate. Hooo Raaaahh!!!so much more
It is implied though. In these videos it seems that the Germans should be able to launch just one more attack to overwhelm the remaining low numbers of soviet troops, but they seem to pull back and not attack again, and it's not explained why.
Someday God will remove the harvests of all nations. Seven of the current eight billion humans will then die of from 1) conquest, 2) famine, 3)pestilence, and 4) war, on a planet completely deslate (Isaiah 24:1-3 + Mich 7:13-16*). Jesus said to watch and nor be deceived (Mt. 24:49-51). Take care!
because of the soviets removing the "corps" level of command in 1941, insane command-juggling occured, an example being the 62nd army, an "adhoc" army. it was said that not having this corps level caused chuikov's hands to constantly be blisteringly red from extreme stress, which was caused by the insane levels of micro he had to do 24/7, juggling at least 15 formations at once.
@7:02 So according to this video's numbers, the Germans were going on the attack with a 1.00:1.40 ratio in troops, a 1.00:1.88 ratio on tanks, and congratulations, they get a 2.00:1.00 ratio in aircraft. Just these numbers alone-I mean-I have always read that a minimum of a 2.00:1.00 ratio in the attacking Personnel versus the defending personnel was a minimum requirement. In fact, in an urban environment such as a Stalingrad, a 3.00:1.00 in the attacking personnel is the minimum requirement. Are the extra 800 aircraft enough of a combat multiplier to help out the heavily out-ratioed troops and tanks?
The Soviet numbers are not what they seemed, because their troops lacked meaningful training, many were conscripted with a few months of basic trainings before being deployed, were under equipped and most of their regimental/divisional commanders weren’t capable or at least experienced. so it was normal that their combat effectiveness wasn’t as high as a foe they outnumbered, especially one that was experienced and well coordinated. Their air force was so inept that for the most of the campaign, it was nonexistent. The soviet ground forces, especially army and front commanders complained bitterly that they had no air support while the German dive bombers came and go as they wished. And their tank numbers, while were higher, was used incorrectly and poorly coordinated, such as attacking with only tanks and no motorized infantry support. Many of the Soviet tank units were easily dismantled by deploying anti tank battalions attached within the division. It was quite funny to think that, as inept as the Russians were, they still won at the end. Well it was for the better anyway.
Actually it has been argued (by TIK, for example) that the panic among Soviet troops in Stalingrad on 14 Sept might have been caused by Chuikov‘s decision to evacuate most of his remaining Artillery across the Volga. This move made perfect sense tactically, since the artillery across the river could still hit anywhere in Stalingrad while also being safe from counterattacks. Unfortunately this move may have looked as if the city was being evacuated, leading to mass, uncoordinated retreats. in this reading, the retreats would have led to the loss of Mamayev Kurgan, instead of resulting from it.
Fascinating video and much appreciate the upload. Liked and subscribed! My family has fought for the Wehrmacht during WW2. My Grandfather was in the 6th army 44th infantry division and saw action in Poland, France and Kharkov. He was later captured along with thousands of men at Stalingrad. Ultimately he lost 80 pounds of body weight moving around different Russian labour camps post war before finally returning home to Germany in the 1950 and lived a long peaceful life. His younger brother started off the war in the East as part of the 439th Regiment of the 134th Division and was at the battle of Moscow then later he was one of 9 survivors out of 1,000 men in his regiment to die in the battle of Kursk where he was injured and furloughed as a result. He survived heavy allied bombing and returned to active combat in the end as part of the 512th heavy tank destroyer battalion as a loader for the Jagdtiger when he surrendered to the Americans in May 1945. The eldest brother out of the 3 served in the German navy as an officer. He was on submarine U-107 which sank British ship Colonial off Guinea, French West Africa; the entire crew of 100 survived and rescued by HMS Centurion.
BTW! Important observation for those not familiar. Except for the wide, slow moving rivers this area for thousand of mile is Absolutely flat, aka The Great Plains (the Russian Steppe.
Excellent, it's only when it's illustrated to scale that one can understand this campaign in which case I wonder about the German's broad front house by house strategy. Seems to me that the main concentration should have been initially directed at preventing supplies getting across the Volga, both by interdiction and crucially by controlling the landing areas.
A well done video which uses Army doctrine to highlife what was happening. To me this also illustrates a maxim that was taught me in my 30 years in the army. An operation that starts poorly will end badly. This goes to the teaching point of maintenance of the objective. The German army was really given one objective seizing the oil fields. Stalingrad was the supporting attack not the main objective. The Germans had forces to achieve one but not both. My other point is why attack an urban complex directly? It appears to me that no course of action was considered in crossing the volga on both sides of the city and allowing it to fall as ripened fruit. Going directly into the city plays to strength of the defense who just has to wear you out to win. The teaching point not accounted for is that a politician directed this offensive. It was not done for military necessity.
I would recommend TIK's brilliant Battlestorm Stalingrad series based on Glantz's books. If you want a condensed version check this out- ruclips.net/video/rK0SuYi4Hho/видео.html
Outstanding presentations. I was one putting to he blame on Paulus for not immediately for not immediately attempting a breakout. This was not a platoon, or even a company surrounded: it was a whole fricken ARMY! However, I read a website that has me guving Paulus a bit of an alibi. Remember, the Germans used draft horse to move various freight around. One such freight are the Army's "heavy weapons". Said weapons which then fell into the hands of the Soviets after the collapse of 6th Army. The website stated that the draft horses were 20 miles Southwest of Stalingrad "convolecing". Therefore, any breakout would be without motors bigger than 50mm, no anti-tank guns above 37mm, obsolete as this; no anti-aircraft bigger than 22mm, much explosives, kitchens, repair shops, field hospitals, the wounded: kinda like the British Expeditionary force being stripped at Dunkirk. So I am not sure if any success if a breakout unless air power and significant aromor formations were to assist the breakout. I now mostly blame the German high command and mostly give Paulus an more alibi. The commenters in here saying that the Germans were not as brilliant in Strategic planning as they were in tactical execution. I'm going to beg to differ with one tactic not performed well of the Germans on the Eastern Front: Reconnecence. How can an Army, being stalemated for almost a month, not perform a strategic reconnecence of the relevant River Don area? How can no discovery be made of the build-up of the massive forces across the river? Or how about self scouting it's own formations where Divisions, Brigades, Battalions, and Companies were "in name only" and whose teeth are lessen to essetially to two eschelons below its naming. ========================== I also take issue with the "all they needed was more fuel" crowd. I take the Opinion if David Glanz who has studied the East Front. He does mention fuel as one of the two biggest problems for Germany. However, the other biggest problem was one the Allies also had as the war dragged on:. Shortage of Infantry. On its face, it is clear at Stalingrad, were the Germans abandoned it's flanks to "minor allies" i.e. much inferior troops in fighting morale and firepower, in order to serve said troops into the fire. I also have read that after 1942, the Germans could no longer hold a continuous line of defense, even an "economy of force" becsuse there were not enough ground pounders to stand post. Which goes back to the mistake to take a major city. Stalingrad was Moscow-South, yet the Germans did not seem to grasp the situation as they did driving towards Moscow; or certainly did not respect the enormous task of taking a major city. ============== My questions is: Could 6th Army better defended the River Don Area by simply surrounding Stalingrad? Meaning: would the tens of thousands of troops in the area be better on the defense, and presumably still alive to fight when operation Uranus hit? Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and I am not sure half of Army Group South could defend against six Soviet Armies. BOTTOM LINE:. Goggle Maps has Baku, Azerbaijan, as some 1,200 miles from Volograd/(Stalingrad). Much of German Infrantry still had to walk, i.e. were not afforded motorized, much less mechanized, modes of transport. The thought that a soldier is going to face a 1,200 mile jaunt, longer than the distance of Chicago, Illinois to Orlando, Florida, up 1500 meter mountains no less, which further adds distance and cerysinynefoirt to gain a hirizontal move foreward, even without the prospect of facing enemy resistance is a folly. West Virginia would have one of the biggest land masses in the USA if the mountains were to be flattened out. The thought of not only getting to Baku, but the also getting the oil back to Germany is hogwash if you already do not have equipment to give your grunts a ride.
Who thinks paulus was not up to the job, with the 6th army, it would have been better if he broke out, to save the 100,000. Solders, and take it on the chin from Hitler!! Plus all the equipment lost a hell of a lot.
Second question after video's conclusion: the hundred miles around Stalingrad is essentially steppe, correct? I mean there's not much vegetation too obscure major formations and their movement, no? I know hindsight is 20/20 but for the Germans not they have some sort of aerial reconnaissance of the makeup of troops on the east side of the Don and the Eastside of the Volga seems to be a major blunder in carrying out a command let alone a strategic operation.
The German intelligence gathering units did find out and was aware of the Soviet buildup in the Romanian sector of the front, there were written reports, the Romanian general saw them and knew of the attack, in fact, they even warned Army group B that an attack was likely imminent - 2 days before its launch. But the German high command, (Hitler, OKW, OKH) was in too much of a “wishful thinking” mode to listen or even consider that the soviets still had the strength of launch yet another massive offensive; given that they already launched a disastrously costly one earlier in the central sector around rhevz, with casualties in the millions, and another smaller one on Leningrad. The terrible bleeding of manpower from those attacks, compounding with the losses sustained last year, and the near-collapse (retreats and routings) of the red army displayed in the early part of the operation, convinced Hitler, the high command and the army group command that there was no way the soviets still had the strength to threaten them. In fact, the original case blue plan did not plan for the army group split/Caucasus drive until after Stalingrad and astrakhan was taken and secured. but seeing how the soviet infantrymen were fleeing faster than their tanks could follow after the 2nd battle of Kharkov, it really gave them the impression that the red army Was already beaten, waiting to be mopped up. Hence they threw all caution into the wind and you could see why army group A was given such a small force yet absurd objectives of having to advance south literally a thousand kilometers to take Baku AND secure the Caucasus mountains. Most of The top dogs of the German army was not operating based on reality, but an urgency to “get the Soviet thing over with.”
I thought Stalingrad wasn't a main objective but covering the Volga and Don Rivers were as to cover the Army Group (A)? Also, Pavlov's house is highly debatable. That being said, this is quite possibly one of the best Stalingrad battle visualizations ever created! TIK History is creating one that is going to be hours long and he should see this for some inspiration!
The Army produces very good material. Business like, succinct but complete and very well organized. A quality product. 🙌 BTW, the link they offer contains printer material too. Books, bibliographies, etc.
Nicely done video, although Uranus operation incorrectly assessed as an isolated effort. There was quite a number of smaller offensive operations near Moscow, Mars most notably, locking AGs Center and North and denying AG South it’s much needed (and planned) reinforcements.
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As a shut-in, disabled vet I want to say how much
I appreciate your excellent channel.
I love studying history and it's channels like yours
that help bring the classroom to my bedside.
Thank you for sharing these thought-provoking programs!
Sorry to hear your if your disability circumstances , thank you for your service sir ! I’m glad you have places like RUclips to go & watch nearly infinite military documentaries . See u in Valhalla brother
USSR S WAS FAR WEAKER ... THIS IS JR HIGH
I have so much respect for all the soldiers on both sides involved in this battle and the entire war, the bravery and sacrifice is absolutely remarkable. These people should be remembered and honored, regardless of what side they were on.
These videos about the battle of stalingrad are pure gold.
Agree, brilliant analysis
Well done .. The 48th panzer corps was a seriously understrength unit that had suffered from mice chewing on wires in tanks. It sounds like Hitler had lot of short circuits. The round trip to the Caucasus was no help.
All the mispronunciations are killing me.
it must have been such a wild time... Can`t imagine how a modern siege would be.
I'm a simple man. I see ''Stalingrad'', I press Like!
This is the absolute best documentary on Stalingrad I've ever seen. These videos are glorious.!!!
This is a wonderful documentary. Great job, guys. You guys totally killed it, this reminds me of old history channel documentaries but with more in depth info. I loved those documentaries, and I love this one.
Your comment is very encouraging for a film-maker! Thank you!
@Eugene Hill The German soldier was trained. Your average Russian was handed a rifle (or maybe a 2x4 and some rocks) and given some key words of advice, then sent on his way. The difference lay solely in training.
Love the real Situational Template-feel of the graphics. Very professional presentation. Brings back memories of the S-2/S-3 working together over the same maps.
@Eugene Hill what,how the hell you got that data?, stronger than western power combined, this must be a joke , some people actually still believe this bullshit, your literal source is based on propaganda ,the numerical superiority of the Red Army over the Wehrmacht occurs when we compare only the part that participated in the attack on the USSR and the entire Red Army as a whole. As of 22.06.41, there were 5.5 million people in the Red Army (including 0.5 million conscripts) against the Wehrmacht with a total strength of 7.23 million. That is without taking into account the armies of the satellite countries (ratio 10/13).
Directly on the Soviet-German front, the Red Army numbered 2.74 million people, another 619 thousand were in reserve, whereas the number of Wehrmacht troops and their allies involved in the attack on the USSR, according to various sources, ranged from 3.8 to 4.9 million men.
With the general superiority in tanks, 90% of the Soviet tanks armor varied from 6 to 22 mm, means, they could be knocked out by an anti-tank rifle from a distance of up to 1 km. The Wehrmacht had outnumbered the Red army with tanks and SPGs with anti-ballistic armor approximately by 2.5 times.
According to 22.06.1941, the Red Army of that time significantly or entirely fall short compared to the Wehrmacht on such "technical" indicators as rocket artillery, armored personnel carriers, transport, motorcycles, and somehow on the quality of manpower - in the form of a difference in education (the Germans had a general secondary education since 1880 -ies).
Some "historians" suggest that the Red Army lost the beginning of the war only because it allegedly did not want and could not fight, and that Stalin allegedly only destroyed the army, executed the military and fanatically believed to Hitler. In reality, the first defeats of the Red Army happened because of several serious reasons, which together led to a deep retreat in 1941:
First, the Wehrmacht had the advantage of surprise. The Soviet command did not know the exact time of the strike until the last moment. As a result, the order to bring troops into combat readiness came only a few hours before the German offensive began. This led to organizational unavailability to reflect the most massive military intervention in world history.
Second, the Wehrmacht had superior number of soldiers in the eastern direction (that is, the direction of the main strike): 190 German divisions versus 170 Soviet divisions. At the same time, the number of personnel in the divisions of the German army was 1.5 to 2 times higher than that of the Soviet, and a concentrated strike in several directions led to that the Germans enjoyed higher superiority in manpower and technology up from 3 to 5 times.
Thirdly, despite the presence of a huge number of tanks and aircraft, the unprepared Red army was short of ammunition and fuel. This situation was observed during the Soviet armored counterattack in the Dubno-Lutsk-Rivne area, aimed to stop the advance of the Germans. With approximately equal strength in this battle, the Soviet forces were defeated and forced to retreat mainly because of lack of fuel and ammunition - the first major strike of the German artillery and aviation was aimed to the warehouses of POL (Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants) and weapons in the border areas, which eventually were destroyed in the first days of the war. it was nearly impossible to quickly organize an effective supply of ammunition and fuel for a huge frontier grouping of the Soviet army.
Fourthly, neither the Red Army, nor any other army in the world at that time had the experience of successfully combating the German tactics of a massive offensive with the use of tank wedges and rapidly advancing far-reaching motorized groups, which was also supported by powerful and well-coordinated air support. In 1940 that offensive strategy and the superiority of German tanks allowed to implement a blitzkrieg in France, which was then conquered in some month.
Go read some source ,so you not eaten by far left and far right propaganda, your comments is literally filled with propaganda with little evidence
@Eugene Hill 3 million Kulak you kidding me? you doubled the dead number
Holy mother of God! Your channel is pure gold. And you will never run out of stuff to cover. I am looking forward to it!
Another fake profile saying how this channel is "pure gold" bullshit.
@@petert9110 As I read the comments, I'm inclined to agree; very few seem to be about the subjects at hand - all full of hyperbole.
NEVER have I seen such well presented information on the Stalingrad battle.
This gives me a completely new understanding.
Kudos.
It’s full of mis information..there was no such thing as “army group A or B”..the handbook he refers to wasn’t written until after the war..Germans didn’t have “cores”they had divisions and mechanised not “motorised” brigades..and the Germans attacked from north and south not what he said..
дебилы вы, войну на диване еще рассуждаете... Видать урок не усвоили.
Thank you for weaving explanations current U.S. Army doctrine into the video. As a civilian viewer, the additional layers of explanation really help :)
This is going down as top 2 ever greatest Stalingrad documentaries. The other being the Battlefield series narrated by Tim Pigget Smith, whom does a much better job with pronunciation of German words & European names. Anyhow, this one is much more current & utilizes excellent new technology in animation. The maps, diagrams, models, etc were the most detailed I've seen of Stalingrad. The 3D display is almost as good as a satellite image. Thanks a ton for loading this ! 5/5 Stars.
obergruppenfuhrer Sang-Froid I totally agree on Tim piggot Smith being the best WW2 narrator-..
But havnt seen this doc yet...
Looks good though :-D
If you dig this episode's coverage of the big picture, here's a brilliant operational-level documentary series on the campaign: ruclips.net/p/PLNSNgGzaledi9jQeOzCUtBP2pxYdCYiXX
Nope. I'm putting this with the worst of Stalingrad documentaries. Very boring.. I made it 20 minutes in before being sick of brain drifting off.
@@w.t.fpipedreamwithhopefull5538 Yep, that's Staff College material for ya. Rezpekt for trying.
obergruppenfuhrer Sang-Froid ☆whom?☆
Outstanding. Have been studying Stalingrad for a few years now and your expose' here is excellent. Informative detail.
Search on YT " Finding the Fallen of Stalingrad" current day metal detecters and battlefield archeologists are exhuming the dead from their situational war time graves and giving them proper graves & military honors.
(The're finding tons of bones.)
Excellent work. So much detail crammed into a single hour. I will need to watch this a few more times to digest it all. Thank you so much for your diligent efforts. Looking forward to more of your superb videos.
Our team made this film with a lot of love! Thank you for the kind words!
@@ArmyUniversityPress if this is not too much to ask, please have frequently updated playlist. Your audiences may have different interests so wading through lots of podcasts to get to these might be a chore. Have playlists. And update them.
@@JuanCartee We used purchased music from a couple of different sources. Also yes, animated in After Effects!
@@ahoffsette AE is hard to beat, and the co-ordination you did with the dialogue shows you mastered it. Would love to have had a crack at writing the music. Keep up the good work. You're a true artist. Juan.
@@JuanCartee Thank you! That's very kind of you. Can I check out your music online?
I hope you continue to keep an in depth look in Stalingrad's battle like you did before.Just found you from Red October Factory video and i have to say that your animated maps and Graphics are exceptional.
As an animator who worked on the aforementioned aspects of this film... Thank you. Those words mean a lot!
Maybe a bit similar as the battle of the Grozny presidential palace, because if you looking for hell, i know hell was all around us. The fighting was unprecedented and very violent. Older people says it was Stalingrad'ish and Berlin'ish to see the blood red dome over the city as we fought on. Some crazy shooting at our IFV, (like thousands of marbles dropped on your storm panzer wagon (BMP 2) then its time to for us to sit off. Then the hell of all hell started. It's just crazy that i came home. It's not far from the story of Stalingrad. But in smaller dimension.
??@@GeirAndreTonning ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Indeed yes and the details of the Barricade factory and environs, are endlessly fascinating. Thanks 🙏
whoa... I am an old man recovering from crainoplasty (not an ied, meningioma actually)... TIK has gotten me addicted to Stalingrad docus (w/pain medication, utube is key)... this AUP stuff is superb! Thank you very, very much for posting it, though I am not so sure why I am obsessed with it. I am planning to get hold of a Mauser & a Mosin Nagent asap!!!! Or a sets (Corps) of Army men. Do they still make them? Really, really enjoyed this, I am very grateful.
Hope you are well sir.
Same here wish you well love from uk
thanks man, am well, and have lived well, we all must go i guess.
@@markdavies5066 thanks man, appreciate it.
Howdy
Stalingrad battle documentaries are fascinating. Thank you.
Very professional presentation combining accurate historical data with cogent snapshots of both current U.S. Army doctrine and timeless precepts of the art of war. Thanks for posting these videos to the public.
This was maybe the most objective video regarding the battle of Stalingrad I have ever seen. Kept all mention of political ideology or morality out of what the video was attempting to accomplish. Well done Army.
Agreed.
Important lessons to learn:
1. You must always have a goal. Not just for the war as a whole, but also for each of your campaigns.
2. Your goals must be achievable.
3. When attacking the keys to success are to be bold, to gather strong forces, to be able to surprise your enemies, and to move with speed. Not all these keys are required, but you should aim to hold as many of them as possible.
4. No matter how good your military is there's always a limit to how far they can go.
5. A properly deployed counterattack can upset or even ruin the enemy's plans.
6. When faced with a risky situation you must weigh the options carefully. What do you dare to do? What can you come up with? What are the dangers? What don't you know?
7. If 2 armies are fighting each other then find out how many divisions they each have available. If 2 divisions are fighting each other then find out how many regiments they each have available. Always try to have at least a rough estimate of the number of troops available to both yourself and your enemy.
8. When on the offensive against a defending enemy you should ideally have a numerical advantage of at least 3 to 1.
9. Always be clear about what's your main effort, and what are you supporting efforts.
10. No matter how good your military is there's always a limit to long they can keep going. Every offensive, no matter how successful, eventually runs out of steam.
11. Strike where the enemy is weak.
12. A reserve of fresh troops is often useful.
13. The Hammer and Anvil has been used for millennia, and is still useful today.
14. When you surround an enemy, and they still resist you, crush them from all sides, in a similar fashion to crushing an egg by clenching your fist.
сказочник
1. Don't fuck with Russia!
The end.
There is really just one lesson, but an extremely important one!! And that is DO NOT FUCK WITH RUSSIA, especially on their own territory 😏
Unfortunately a lowly corporal did not get that memo
@@RustedCroakerRussia has been defeated before, WW1 by Germany and by the Japanese in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War.
Please keep this or similar videos up. These have been amazing
The best documentary on Stalingrad that I have ever seen. Keep up the good work
If you've not already, I recommend you look at the channel called "TIK" where you will find truly superbly researched and detailed videos. His latest series is on Stalingrad. To give an idea of the depth that goes into them, his 9th episode ended with the "massive bombardment" of the city by the Luftwaffe. In other words, 9 full videos detailing what had occurred up to that point. You won't find anything else that comes close IMO (which to be clear is not saying this video wasn't good, it gave a very good picture of events in general).
This series was expertly done. Love the use of computer imagery to give you a feel for what the ground looked like!
Pavlov's house - what an epic mission in Call of Duty! This was a great video, nice job.
Which call of duty? World war 2?
Pavlov's House was most likely pure Soviet propaganda.
This is a fantastic video. One of the best I've seen on this campaign, and I have seen a lot of them.
Struggle within the city from November 1942 to February 1943, might have deserved mentioning too.
Other than that, GREAT video folks. Liked and subscribed.
@ 15:04 you can see a german Soldier with a captured SVT-40 with a SCOPE!! wow what an amazing clip
The battle of Stallingrad was hell on earth for both German and Soviet soldiers. Great documentary. Extremely informative
This excellent video brings back the 1970's when I played board games produced by Avalon Hill and Strategy & Tactics They covered everything from full campaigns and battles to house to house combat. The combat unit counters were the same as this video. I also read Bantam War books as a companion to employ tactical moves in these games. Keep up the great work. I'm subscribed.
If you have a computer a lot of those gameress are online now. I play war in the east all the time.
These are the best Stalingrad documentaries. Great job!
I like your focus on the strategic and grand tactical elements of the campaign. Very useful for wargaming!
Very useful for Trump! lol
This content is excellent and is honestly some of the best I have seen anywhere. It obviously draws heavily on the work of Glantz but the introduction of modern tactical and doctrinal concepts really makes this something more than just history, it is history with a purpose. One question I have is would it be possible to put some citations in the video or with a pinned comment? Please keep up this style of work it is truly incredible.
I would love to see another episode focusing on the mobile defense and "backhand blow" re Kharkov.
It's not too scholarly but it's most accessible for all of us yes. 🇺🇸🤔📺✔️
Interesting how principals & tactics of war change, yet remain the same.
I've heard Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign is still taught at West Point and Sandhurst.
Audacity, risk, surprise, operational reach, tempo, etc.
I've watched this multiple times. Well done
Just plain outstanding. The best. A BIG Thank You.
Great comments from so many military minds and leaders. I feel so much safer now knowing you all are lurking there in the glow of a computer monitor.
Paulus, when serving on the staff in Berlin, was one of the key architects of planning Operation Barbarossa. It was essentially his plan. He war gamed his own plan and found each time that Germany lost. Never an experienced field commander at any level, he was an obedient servant, a military intellectual, who obeyed orders, but he was also, quietly, reluctant about the entire business of invading Russia. Irony abounds with the story of Paulus.
We know that no plan survives contact with the enemy and no German plan after 1940 survived contact with Hitler.
He's one of the most fascinating players in the war - and, with the glaze of time, I guess, I find him largely sympathetic, albeit not without flaws.
He was a very interesting individual, to say the least
Paulus was a patsy; set up to fail. The hidden hand pushed him into an unwinnable war. It was the first domino in the eventual destruction of the German nation and the birth pangs of the Globalist era.
My grandfather - defender of Stalingrad and participant of operation ' Uranus '. He was liberating Kalach.
Great extensive documentary, describing the Epic Battle of Stalingrad so well. Thanks !!!
I just want to comment to let u know that I love documentaries like these. I even open and reload a few of your videos to watch some ads to support you but i noticed none came up.
I was there in September 2014. Utterly fascinating.
Fly from Ireland?
Did you hire a tour guide? I am thinking of going next year
@@citizenworld8094 Absolutely no need, I can point you to all the major sites. Everything is accessible via public transport.
@@damianmcdonagh7908 Good man Mr McDonagh! I read everything about Stalingrad. My hairdresser is from Volgograd. My beautiful young wife is from Moscow and I am fascinated about the battle. Greetings from a Mayo man (not missing Mayo). I hope to visit there asap however my academic historian wife (who studied WW2 prisoners using the archives in Moscow) says we should hire a private tour guide - that is why I was interested in your experience.
@@citizenworld8094 If you wish to hire a private guide then by all means do. I found it better to visit the various sites over the days we were there. Do not miss the Von Paulus museum It's in the exact same site as his former headquarters in the GUM department store. The Grain Elevator is there as is the Flour Mill and Pavlov's House. Mamaev Kurgan is stunning at night under the spotlight and the main museum in Volgograd is fascinating. What part of County Mayo are you from?
28:52 Some of Minina, the El'shanka ravine, and the railroads are shown in the film segment beginning at 35:57.
The M-shape (35:59+) of the ravine can be seen at Google Maps (N 48.682711°, E 44.467565°).
And the Tractor Factory, Pavlov's House and Grain Elevator are still apparent on Google Earth. The Tractor Factory is just a huge lot full of ruins yet today. In fact, if you follow the western shore of the Volga thru Volgagrad, you will find lots of large flattened areas full of ruins.
Have you guys this same "campaign" video about Berlin? This is the BEST thing I've found so far and would live to watch one on Berlin. Thanks keep up the great work!
WHAT LOAD OF BS STATS
Great point at the begining about Stalingrad being helpful in planning future tactics...
Verygood breakdown on this campaign. Keep up the great work here!
I salute you for this superior gift of historical knowledge.
Very well done. Great explanation. Great graphics.
Great one, always good to watch something of my interest and learn something as well.
Impressive research, the only so detailed fact's I normally only find in militarily history books. Thank you very much!
First time seeing any vids from this channel and they are exceptional. Great job and plus 1 sub from me
Stalingrad..the most epic battle in the history of the world!
You are right,and I am pretty sure it was the living hell for anybody involved.
@Generic Talk Bagration makes both look like a child's tea party. Army Group Centre, the most powerful force on the Eastern Front, was utterly destroyed. It was the beginning of the end for the Germans.
If we believe in geopolitics, the Soviet army can be considered a continental army.The other armies either insular or subcontinental ones.
@Generic Talk 30,000 tanks? You might want to check that number. The best sources I can find state the Germans had 2500 tanks and assault guns, the Red Army 7300.
At Kursk, only about 100 German AFV were lost and casualties were approximately 100,000. During Bagration, an entire army ceased to exist. The Germans lost at least 500,000 men, one third of their strength on the eastern front.
Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan M. (2004) [1999]. The Battle of Kursk. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-070061335-9.
@Generic Talk the Germans never had that many units at one time in the entire war. Their entire AFV production, including half-tracks, assualt guns and sp guns was less than 50,000. Perhaps you need to check your scources. The entire German army on the Eastern Front in 1942 was 3.6m troops. Stalingrad's losses were about 200,000 but the best troops were all flown out. I don't think the Wehrmacht lost 70% of its strenght at Stalingrad.
The whole operation started over 100s of miles and went down to fighting for rooms in buildings
That's Russia for you...……..........….
I can't imagine fighting house to house. Just the pure terror of taking back a block only to have it overrun again hours later.
Fantastic photos and video of the actual combat
man this video is way better than any of those so called "experts " and academics books and videos
Actually, fighting in Stalingrad did not end in 2nd february 1943, because around 11 000 germans carried on fighting, some surviving as far as march.
These r the best told shown ww2 history lessons I have ever seen. Bravo!
What remains for memories is the astonishing Gerhardt mill factory building 31:10 which stand proud speaking on heroic resistance in be half of Stalingrad to date
Excellent videos about battle for Stalingad. Thank you for your work and sharing. Very good analysis and parts from US army FM were very interesting too.
I am from Russia and watching your videos i thought if your officers study modern warfare on such a level it would be hard for any opponent to conduct a battle against them. Knowledge is power after all. Hope that soldiers and officers of RAF and US Army never have to fight each other.
With respect and thanks for videos!
I LOVE THIS CHANNEL SO MUCH
I NEED MORE LIKE IT
I am glad that i finally found a documentary about the battle of Stalingrad where they don't claim that the city was attacked just because off it's name.
This was really really good and well made video. Thank you.
When Germany lost Stalingrad, they lost their ability to hold the Caucasus oil fields. Once the Caucasus oil fields were lost, the war was lost. Germany did not have enough oil to simply maintain the economies of themselves, their allies, and conquered countries. The the additional oil needed to for the military. Germany was under a sea blockade so could get oil from Romania. Once they took France, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, they needed even more oil to keep those countries running economically. With no fuel they couldn't use tractors to grow food, or use trucks to deliver the food and other goods. None of them had their own oil so had Germany had to provide them with fuel.
At one point the Germans were considering turning a mechanized division into an walking infantry division to save fuel. If Germany had held the oil fields they could have made more infantry divisions, and made more Luftwaffe divisions. They used steam powered tanks to train tank crews. They used gliders to train pilots. They could no longer conduct tank maneuvers. No more flanking maneuvers with tanks. No more encirclement with tanks. Only straight ahead or straight back. Crews abandoned tanks a lot due to lack of fuel. The Luftwaffe had thousands of planes, hundreds of Me-262s, all sitting on the ground, hidden under trees, unable to fly because they had no pilots and no fuel. They watched bombers fly overhead unable to shoot them down because of lack of fuel. The Tigers and King Tigers would have wrecked havoc in the west if they had had air cover. They could have sank many of the transport ships at Normandy if their planes had fuel.
Bretton Ferguson Yes it seems it wasn’t a good thing when the Russian winter slowed the German advance. The Russian counterattack after the Germans failed to take Stalingrad was huge and brutal. And the failure to take the oil fields meant certain defeat.
@@blackdragon7803 I don't understand how he thought he could fight on both fronts (east and west). Some documentaries assert that he was suspicious that Stalin will attack him while others state the opposite. I don't know which is true but him attacking the Soviets contributed to his demise. Paulus of the 6th army should have retreated when it seemed bleek.
All what-ifs. Germany lost the war before it even started. They didn't have the logistics to fight a war far from their borders for one. Big difference between driving on improved surfaces to fight your neighbors, and invading the soviet union and the long supply routes they would have to traverse. They were already having issues with supply in 41' when they were "winning" in the east, due to the sheer distance they were stretched. And two, they didn't have an offensive airforce capable of striking the industrial heartland of either the soviet union or the united states once they entered the war. Those two factors alone made winning the war an impossibility, no matter how much oil they had. No long range logistics and no long range offensive airpower made the war futile from the get go.
never heard about synthetic fuel?
@@trashpanda314 you are dead wrong about that. The germans pulled off logistic miracles in the east. Sure the luftwaffe was limited in range but that wouldnt matter if the ground army had the oil to penetrate deeper into Russia and thus securing strategic airfields along the way.
Great job guys. Hope to see more of your stuff soon.
Important details are missing about the Operation Little Saturn, which resulted in Army Group A withdrawal from Caucasus, to avoid even larger encirclement. For the same reason, to protect Army Group A withdrawal, Hitler insisted that 6th Army remain in Stalingrad to bind up as many Soviet forces as possible
Were Marshall Paulus and his troops sacrified by the Fürher?
Excellent video! Keep making them and post them.
Although you would think that a lot of this would be common sense.....this video is very enlightening.
15:02 Is anyone able to ID the rifle the soldier in the midground is being handed?
The moment Hitler's armies stepped foot into Soviet territory the clock began ticking down on his reign.
The moment anyone does that, they’re doomed.
Agreed!
Not true. There were many mistakes made that changed the outcome plus lend lease plus America entering the war all not being decided by June 1941. Most of all, Stalin would have attacked sooner or later. Communist Societ union had a habit of attacking and invading since 1920 (Poland), they attacked Finland 1939, annexed Baltic states 1940, annexed Bessarabia....they would have attacked sooner or later. Look at China and Tinet, North Korea attacking South Korea, North Vietnam.... etc etc etc. That war was inevitable and attacking first was necessary
His reign turned to impassible snow
America entering the war made no difference in the outcome at Stalingrad , it was decided long before our first boot touched European soil .
So while Paulus actually was inexperienced during this campaign. He really did show his prowess as a general, during the initial offensive and especially at the Kalach Pocket? He performed exceptionally well and showed his skill even more so when the Battle of Stalingrad actually started. Shame for Paulus, this would be his first and last campaign. Had his 6th army be allowed to escape as he requested and recommended numerous times? Then he absolutely would have been considered one of the best German generals of the war. Right up there with Model, Manstein, and Rommel for their tactical and strategic skill.
Your work on this series is brilliant!
All fair enough. Not discussed is that the troops of BOTH sides were literally starving to death on insufficient daily calories. This cascaded into disease and freezing to death for the germans. Those boots on the ground were not qualitatively supported by enough calories to a. Fight or B. Deal with energy expenditures of severe cold weather ops. That factored in heavily to both sides, but ultimately exponentially degraded german troop capabilities. Is this mentioned in these sanitized observations?
Amen to that brother! I was Arctic Infantry,anti-tank Gunner. It took three days to get a hole dug,if you didn't run into a boulder. Then it's -50° . We used to get the LRRP's . 5000calories each. Gotta have melted water,to rehydrate. Hooo Raaaahh!!!so much more
It is implied though. In these videos it seems that the Germans should be able to launch just one more attack to overwhelm the remaining low numbers of soviet troops, but they seem to pull back and not attack again, and it's not explained why.
SuperNevile they took enormous casualties thats why
Remote Viewer 1 this not a logistics lesson. It’s a tactics lesson. How much time on your hands do u have?
Someday God will remove the harvests of all nations. Seven of the current eight billion humans will then die of from 1) conquest, 2) famine, 3)pestilence, and 4) war, on a planet completely deslate (Isaiah 24:1-3 + Mich 7:13-16*). Jesus said to watch and nor be deceived (Mt. 24:49-51). Take care!
because of the soviets removing the "corps" level of command in 1941, insane command-juggling occured, an example being the 62nd army, an "adhoc" army. it was said that not having this corps level caused chuikov's hands to constantly be blisteringly red from extreme stress, which was caused by the insane levels of micro he had to do 24/7, juggling at least 15 formations at once.
@7:02
So according to this video's numbers, the Germans were going on the attack with a 1.00:1.40 ratio in troops, a 1.00:1.88 ratio on tanks, and congratulations, they get a 2.00:1.00 ratio in aircraft.
Just these numbers alone-I mean-I have always read that a minimum of a 2.00:1.00 ratio in the attacking Personnel versus the defending personnel was a minimum requirement. In fact, in an urban environment such as a Stalingrad, a 3.00:1.00 in the attacking personnel is the minimum requirement.
Are the extra 800 aircraft enough of a combat multiplier to help out the heavily out-ratioed troops and tanks?
The Soviet numbers are not what they seemed, because their troops lacked meaningful training, many were conscripted with a few months of basic trainings before being deployed, were under equipped and most of their regimental/divisional commanders weren’t capable or at least experienced. so it was normal that their combat effectiveness wasn’t as high as a foe they outnumbered, especially one that was experienced and well coordinated.
Their air force was so inept that for the most of the campaign, it was nonexistent. The soviet ground forces, especially army and front commanders complained bitterly that they had no air support while the German dive bombers came and go as they wished.
And their tank numbers, while were higher, was used incorrectly and poorly coordinated, such as attacking with only tanks and no motorized infantry support. Many of the Soviet tank units were easily dismantled by deploying anti tank battalions attached within the division.
It was quite funny to think that, as inept as the Russians were, they still won at the end. Well it was for the better anyway.
Best one I ever watched so far.
'Increasing lines of communication' (1:02) is not a bad thing, whereas lengthening lines of communication is definitely a bad thing.
Very interesting documentry! And I like Tempo of you delevery it! The intensity was there throughout the whole video. Well done
Actually it has been argued (by TIK, for example) that the panic among Soviet troops in Stalingrad on 14 Sept might have been caused by Chuikov‘s decision to evacuate most of his remaining Artillery across the Volga. This move made perfect sense tactically, since the artillery across the river could still hit anywhere in Stalingrad while also being safe from counterattacks.
Unfortunately this move may have looked as if the city was being evacuated, leading to mass, uncoordinated retreats. in this reading, the retreats would have led to the loss of Mamayev Kurgan, instead of resulting from it.
Fascinating video and much appreciate the upload. Liked and subscribed!
My family has fought for the Wehrmacht during WW2.
My Grandfather was in the 6th army 44th infantry division and saw action in Poland, France and Kharkov. He was later captured along with thousands of men at Stalingrad. Ultimately he lost 80 pounds of body weight moving around different Russian labour camps post war before finally returning home to Germany in the 1950 and lived a long peaceful life.
His younger brother started off the war in the East as part of the 439th Regiment of the 134th Division and was at the battle of Moscow then later he was one of 9 survivors out of 1,000 men in his regiment to die in the battle of Kursk where he was injured and furloughed as a result.
He survived heavy allied bombing and returned to active combat in the end as part of the 512th heavy tank destroyer battalion as a loader for the Jagdtiger when he surrendered to the Americans in May 1945.
The eldest brother out of the 3 served in the German navy as an officer. He was on submarine U-107 which sank British ship Colonial off Guinea, French West Africa; the entire crew of 100 survived and rescued by HMS Centurion.
Serious Documentation
So much information. This is awesome.
BTW! Important observation for those not familiar. Except for the wide, slow moving rivers this area for thousand of mile is Absolutely flat, aka The Great Plains (the Russian Steppe.
Stalingrad: where the Germans came with tanks, and trucks. Then left with horses, and barefooted.
I’m confused. Do you see any Americans fighting in Stalingrad? Please explain
Well not even horses they ended up having to eat most of the horses when supplies dwindled to nothing.
No horses at the end. They ate them all.
seeker they didn’t “left “, at least for Paulus’s 6th Army. They ended up as pow.
They ate horses.
Excellent, it's only when it's illustrated to scale that one can understand this campaign in which case I wonder about the German's broad front house by house strategy. Seems to me that the main concentration should have been initially directed at preventing supplies getting across the Volga, both by interdiction and crucially by controlling the landing areas.
R Greenup: There were many landing piers in Stalingrad North, Center, and South.
Nice, watched with my whole family
What a masterpiece of historical art!
A well done video which uses Army doctrine to highlife what was happening.
To me this also illustrates a maxim that was taught me in my 30 years in the army. An operation that starts poorly will end badly. This goes to the teaching point of maintenance of the objective. The German army was really given one objective seizing the oil fields. Stalingrad was the supporting attack not the main objective. The Germans had forces to achieve one but not both.
My other point is why attack an urban complex directly? It appears to me that no course of action was considered in crossing the volga on both sides of the city and allowing it to fall as ripened fruit. Going directly into the city plays to strength of the defense who just has to wear you out to win.
The teaching point not accounted for is that a politician directed this offensive. It was not done for military necessity.
I would recommend TIK's brilliant Battlestorm Stalingrad series based on Glantz's books. If you want a condensed version check this out- ruclips.net/video/rK0SuYi4Hho/видео.html
Outstanding!
Excellent video!
ADP 3-90 In the GO game it's said to never attack the weak spots because they will be reinforced...
Outstanding presentations.
I was one putting to he blame on Paulus for not immediately for not immediately attempting a breakout. This was not a platoon, or even a company surrounded: it was a whole fricken ARMY!
However, I read a website that has me guving Paulus a bit of an alibi. Remember, the Germans used draft horse to move various freight around. One such freight are the Army's "heavy weapons". Said weapons which then fell into the hands of the Soviets after the collapse of 6th Army.
The website stated that the draft horses were 20 miles Southwest of Stalingrad "convolecing". Therefore, any breakout would be without motors bigger than 50mm, no anti-tank guns above 37mm, obsolete as this; no anti-aircraft bigger than 22mm, much explosives, kitchens, repair shops, field hospitals, the wounded: kinda like the British Expeditionary force being stripped at Dunkirk. So I am not sure if any success if a breakout unless air power and significant aromor formations were to assist the breakout.
I now mostly blame the German high command and mostly give Paulus an more alibi. The commenters in here saying that the Germans were not as brilliant in Strategic planning as they were in tactical execution. I'm going to beg to differ with one tactic not performed well of the Germans on the Eastern Front: Reconnecence.
How can an Army, being stalemated for almost a month, not perform a strategic reconnecence of the relevant River Don area? How can no discovery be made of the build-up of the massive forces across the river? Or how about self scouting it's own formations where Divisions, Brigades, Battalions, and Companies were "in name only" and whose teeth are lessen to essetially to two eschelons below its naming.
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I also take issue with the "all they needed was more fuel" crowd. I take the Opinion if David Glanz who has studied the East Front. He does mention fuel as one of the two biggest problems for Germany.
However, the other biggest problem was one the Allies also had as the war dragged on:. Shortage of Infantry. On its face, it is clear at Stalingrad, were the Germans abandoned it's flanks to "minor allies" i.e. much inferior troops in fighting morale and firepower, in order to serve said troops into the fire. I also have read that after 1942, the Germans could no longer hold a continuous line of defense, even an "economy of force" becsuse there were not enough ground pounders to stand post.
Which goes back to the mistake to take a major city. Stalingrad was Moscow-South, yet the Germans did not seem to grasp the situation as they did driving towards Moscow; or certainly did not respect the enormous task of taking a major city.
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My questions is:
Could 6th Army better defended the River Don Area by simply surrounding Stalingrad? Meaning: would the tens of thousands of troops in the area be better on the defense, and presumably still alive to fight when operation Uranus hit?
Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and I am not sure half of Army Group South could defend against six Soviet Armies.
BOTTOM LINE:. Goggle Maps has Baku, Azerbaijan, as some 1,200 miles from Volograd/(Stalingrad). Much of German Infrantry still had to walk, i.e. were not afforded motorized, much less mechanized, modes of transport.
The thought that a soldier is going to face a 1,200 mile jaunt, longer than the distance of Chicago, Illinois to Orlando, Florida, up 1500 meter mountains no less, which further adds distance and cerysinynefoirt to gain a hirizontal move foreward, even without the prospect of facing enemy resistance is a folly.
West Virginia would have one of the biggest land masses in the USA if the mountains were to be flattened out. The thought of not only getting to Baku, but the also getting the oil back to Germany is hogwash if you already do not have equipment to give your grunts a ride.
Teacher: What is the largest city, Hans?
Hans: It is Stalingrad as my grandfather too 200 days to walk the same street but never reached the end.
The video reminds of an old board game I played to death: Battle for Stalingrad.
This is such an amazing video
The Professional tone of the narrator makes this Top Shelf RUclips 😎👍😎
Good job! We want more!
Who thinks paulus was not up to the job, with the 6th army, it would have been better if he broke out, to save the 100,000. Solders, and take it on the chin from Hitler!! Plus all the equipment lost a hell of a lot.
Second question after video's conclusion: the hundred miles around Stalingrad is essentially steppe, correct? I mean there's not much vegetation too obscure major formations and their movement, no?
I know hindsight is 20/20 but for the Germans not they have some sort of aerial reconnaissance of the makeup of troops on the east side of the Don and the Eastside of the Volga seems to be a major blunder in carrying out a command let alone a strategic operation.
The German intelligence gathering units did find out and was aware of the Soviet buildup in the Romanian sector of the front, there were written reports, the Romanian general saw them and knew of the attack, in fact, they even warned Army group B that an attack was likely imminent - 2 days before its launch. But the German high command, (Hitler, OKW, OKH) was in too much of a “wishful thinking” mode to listen or even consider that the soviets still had the strength of launch yet another massive offensive; given that they already launched a disastrously costly one earlier in the central sector around rhevz, with casualties in the millions, and another smaller one on Leningrad.
The terrible bleeding of manpower from those attacks, compounding with the losses sustained last year, and the near-collapse (retreats and routings) of the red army displayed in the early part of the operation, convinced Hitler, the high command and the army group command that there was no way the soviets still had the strength to threaten them. In fact, the original case blue plan did not plan for the army group split/Caucasus drive until after Stalingrad and astrakhan was taken and secured. but seeing how the soviet infantrymen were fleeing faster than their tanks could follow after the 2nd battle of Kharkov, it really gave them the impression that the red army Was already beaten, waiting to be mopped up. Hence they threw all caution into the wind and you could see why army group A was given such a small force yet absurd objectives of having to advance south literally a thousand kilometers to take Baku AND secure the Caucasus mountains.
Most of The top dogs of the German army was not operating based on reality, but an urgency to “get the Soviet thing over with.”
I thought Stalingrad wasn't a main objective but covering the Volga and Don Rivers were as to cover the Army Group (A)? Also, Pavlov's house is highly debatable. That being said, this is quite possibly one of the best Stalingrad battle visualizations ever created! TIK History is creating one that is going to be hours long and he should see this for some inspiration!
The Army produces very good material. Business like, succinct but complete and very well organized. A quality product. 🙌
BTW, the link they offer contains printer material too. Books, bibliographies, etc.
Can anyone name/identify the music that starts at 38:00 Please?
More of these videos please?
excellent and well organized content. great for instruction.
Nicely done video, although Uranus operation incorrectly assessed as an isolated effort. There was quite a number of smaller offensive operations near Moscow, Mars most notably, locking AGs Center and North and denying AG South it’s much needed (and planned) reinforcements.
Operation Mars was of similar size to Operation Uranus.