Thanks to Dirk Burgdorf and his team of independent researchers at the National Archives in Washington! He can help individuals researching family histories, ans specializes in American and German military documents: naraexpert.com/
I hope you will have the moral courage to continue to use the proper Ukrainian spelling and not bend to those in the comments who would like Crimea to once again be in fascist hands.
A footnote this week on May 8 1944 is that United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) fighter ace Robert Johnson will score his 27th victory, allowing him to exceed the 26 victories achieved by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker during World War I. This would also make him the second-highest scoring American fighter pilot in Europe.
He (Johnson) wrote a memoir (co-written with Martin Caidin) titled “Thunderbolt!” Well worth reading. He got kills quicker and with fewer missions than American aces (Bong,McGuire, etc.) with more victories.
"Sir, Allied Bombers have decimated our synthetic oil plants!" "WHAT THAT?!" "They make the fluids that keep our engines lubricated, but that's not important right now."
It is interesting to learn what was going on in China and India, way more happening in former than I ever knew about. Its like the Japs are trying for as many victories as they can get while avoiding their fate they created for themselves with the USA.
Ferdinand Schörner nickname was "Bloody Ferdinand", given to him by his troops for his willingness to brutally punish his own soldiers. He was known to hang deserters. Just thought I'd add that because I love hearing "Smiling" Albert and "Vinegar" Joe. Would love to hear "Bloody" Ferdinand.
He is thought to have given out death sentences during his military time in WW2 of around 10.000 german soldiers To put it into perspective, a single german division had around 12.000 soldiers. He executed nearly a division worth of german soldiers....
In addition to all his other sins "Bloody Ferdinand" was also a towering hypocrite. At the very end of the war with Hitler dead and the Reich in shambles as the allies overran Germany, he abandoned his own command to try and save his own skin. In effect he was deserter, an offense for which he had ordered many of his troops shot.
It might be a little late now, but in the Burma campaign I keep hoping that you'll mention the contributions of glider pilot Jackie Coogan (known at the time as Betty Grable's former husband, also the child actor who played "the Kid" alongside Charlie Chaplain and later to become a household name as "Uncle Fester" from the Addams Family - you really could see where his appreciation for blowing up trains came from!). I stumbled across his service record a while back and was pretty amazed by some of the missions he was on with Lord Wingate and the Chindits that were often hundreds of miles behind Japanese lines. Turns out he was a pretty heroic guy who volunteered for some seriously dangerous duty.
My father was a glider pilot during the war and often mentioned how famous Jackie Coogan was among glider pilots. Coogan had taken part in a few almost suicidal missions in Burma.
@@michaelmoran3946 Similarly, my grandparents had a close friend who served on the Burma road who often spoke really highly of him as well. Full disclosure; I often found it a little weird to reconcile whenever I catch an episode of the Addams Family! He was a magnificent character actor later in his life.
I DID IT! I marathoned through The Great War, Between 2 Wars, and finally caught up on WW2 to this week! The amount of time Indi has done all of these projects over the last 9 years is incredible, so I must add my congratulations to him and this team to the madness that must be the research, editing, and writing.
Congratulations! 🥳 We’re happy you’re up to speed Our viewers and supporters, especially the TimeGhost Army, have made everything you see here possible!
Indian and Canadian troops have been training together for months, as a result the Canadian tanks work seamlessly together with Indian infantry. Tanks quickly neutralize machine nests, allowing infantry to advance, while infantry spot hidden anti-tank guns so they can be taken care of before they can threaten advancing tanks.
My uncles unit, the "Kings Own Calgary Regiment," trained a lot of Indian infantry in combined operations with tanks. He said they were highly motivated and felt they had something to prove.
@@davidcarr7436 because they did. Volunteering for the British military as an Indian colonial subject was not highly regarded by most of Indian society, especially if you weren’t fighting in the Raj itself. What eventually did become highly regarded was the tenacity and fervor of those Indian troops, which was seen as unbelievably admirable, especially for a group originating several continents away from where most of this conflict was taking place.
Hey guys, I´m beginning to think that the Central Powers, er, I mean, the Axis, might not be win the war. Anyone else a little bit concerned about those Allies about to land in Calais?
What a blow for the Germans. Especially considering how long it took them to capture Sevastopol in the first place. I have a feeling things are only gonna get worse for the Germans next month.
Hitler was a nut case on the heavy drugs didn't help. Another army, all it's equipment and experience lost by insane plan to never retreat. Impossible to win a war with that type of thinking.
Great episodes as usual. Would have appreciated knowing more about the bombing of the synthetic oil factories. Operation Tidal Wave was very important in the defeat of Germany.
I would not be surprised if it were John Maynard (by then, Baron) Keynes. Not only was he a brilliant economist, he also was a very savvy market investor. I see this as something he is likely to have conceived, although others might have been the inspiration for the action.
@@philipb2134 Keynes was a mixed bag. He was nearly wiped out during the 1920s when trading in currencies, pretty funny considering the Roaring Twenties growth. Once he switched to stocks he was succesful, though he seems to have bought safe shares with high paying dividens.
It took me a while to understand why a higher stock exchange should mean an incoming invasion. But I guess a higher stock exchange would indicate that people were anticipating that these companies would do a lot better in a eventual liberated Norway, right?
They were also smart to play to their strengths, instead of pulling a General Melchett and attack again at the same fortified place for the umpteenth time.
It's is really interesting to watch this play out week by week. You toss all of your knowledge of the past away. Put your self in the seat of someone just reading the papers. All your seeing is lines and arrows on a map. You get a real appreciation for people living through this on the home front and what they thought. Like I remember my grandma telling me she never thought that war would end. Makes more sense the fears of the west coast being invaded by Japan. I can see someone looking at a map of the eastern front in 43. Thinking to themselves. Well look at how far the Germans got in 42. They will just take all that men and material in 43 and take Moscow. Someone with no dirt and or intellectual knowledge about modern warfare. Logistics, production and the other billions of factors. You really get a appreciation for what it looked like to them. This war will never end!!
I like this series cause it gives a true blow by blow what happened. I'm sure some things can be missed. But this series gives a true realistic version of what went on.
I just discoverd youre amazing series and will have a great time watching every episode in the coming weeks. As 1945 and the end of the war isnt that far away, and if there isnt anyone else already, i would offer my help with the battle of berlin. I am currently in an apprenticeship as an archivist for the city of Berlin. The city archive has a great amount of interesting stuff, and theres some more archives. Also theres still plenty of signs of the war in the city. Theres a bridge where a support pillar still has a hole from a panzer ammunition. Theres many buildings with bullet holes, and some "ruins" that were kept as a reminder.
Thank you, Green Spirit. We are glad that you are enjoying our series. Is there any way that we can get in contact with you in the future? We appreciate your offer.
The french fighters this week are not all north africans natives in fact the mountain division is composed by 65% of morrocan natives and 35% of french while for the 112000 men that composed the French corps they are composed of 60% of north africans natives and 40% of french.
@@adjoftce6547 well metropolitan France is occupied so i figured people would already know that even if some were metropolitan french of course but few. Why the quotes? In France using them would mean that it’s questionable , but it’s maybe different in english.
@@adjoftce6547 1,851 soldiers of the French army died in Italy during Operation Diadem. Of those, 526 were born in Morocco, 572 in Algeria and 352 in France. Between 200 and 300 of those who died were French born in the colonies or in Algeria. Thus some 600 French soldiers were killed, which corresponds to the ratio of troops. So the "French ones" were probably not pieds noirs in majority at Monte Cassino.
I've been rewatching the Great War alongside this and I've just gotten to the episode that discusses the setup of the defenses at Doiran. What stood out to me was that General Vazov having his troops maintain farmland and help bring in crops to keep supplied. I don't think that would have been possible for the Chinese Nationalists at the scale of their armies, but perhaps even a token effort in that direction might have helped endear them to the locals.
The chinese Communists did this as a matter of policy. The kmt couldn't really have done it because of scale. China was a net food importer before the war. The Japanese blockade was meant to starve the Chinese army and government and it worked.
The Nationalist "army" was more like a bunch of individual armies under one umbrella, and nobody had the power to stop individual commanders or groups from pillaging the countryside. The Communists were a lot more disciplined and focused on public relations and had more support from the people as a result.
Fun fact. General Senger survived the war and actually kept active in military circles. He came into contact with a military historian who had fought in Italy for the British. Senger was said to offer the advice ' the next time you invade Italy, do not start from the bottom.'
During the LuoYang section of this episode, there's a brief mention of Rana Mitter. I can thoroughly recommend him as an author for anyone interested in the story of China in the early 20th century, particularly (but not only) the war years.
Absolutely fascinating coverage of the events in Burma and India. I feel that those are fronts from WWII that never got the appreciation that they deserved. I mean, I wasn't even aware there was fighting in India during the war although it would make sense that the Japanese would try to put pressure on that part of the British Empire after already conquering a good amount of Southeast Asia. Some of the descriptions of the jungle warfare in this theatre from the sources cited in the videos bear a hauntingly striking resemblance to what would await American forces in Vietnam a few decades later. Phenomenal work, everyone!
There is a modern geographer named Peter Zeihen, has this map on the fertile areas of Russia, the boundary areas that aren't fertile but are flat and wide open, and the rim countries Russia feels it needs to control to protect itself. He has done a series of videos, for my money the talk he gave to the Shreveport, Louisiana businesspeople was the most focused, but an hour long. Thanks, take care.
OKW’s intelligence branch were way way off not foreseeing Operation Bragation’s very existence, weren’t they? We are going to have to wait till June 22 to find out, won’t we?
If you want a more detailed discussion of German expectations as to where the Soviets would launch their attacks read Robert Citino The Wehrmacht's Last Stand.
@@901Sherman the Russian word for it is Maskirovka tactics and it became a central part of their combat strategy en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_military_deception
oh the summer is coming and first gusts of a whirlwind that Germany sowed for years are starting show between D-Day and the big Soviet summer push there will be hell of action to cover for our intrepid WW2 guys...
On the ´we have ways of making you talk’ podcast they have two episodes about a Polish general who receives a VC in WW2. For more Polish joy it is an excellent World War Two podcasts.
This week in French news. The 7th, Pétain is transferred by the Germans to Voisins, in the Yvelines, south of Paris, to “protect him”. Germans fear that in Voisins, he escapes, or worse, that he is captured by the FFI. Pétain accepts this as he as no choice but diplomats protest. In this place, he will meet a lot of people, Henriot, Abetz and Brinon, Charles Platon and others. For the first time, Pétain accepts to see Marcel Déat a fanatically pro-Nazi. Pétain still refuses him to replace Laval and hates him as a plannist “socialist”. Déat thinks that he will finally get rid of Laval but he is wrong. The 9th, French emissions on the BBC are placed under a condominium. This is to simplify orders to be given toward French Resistance. Directives from the CFLN (French government) and the British government will be joint. One weekly reunion with French and British military men and political and two observers, one Canadian and the other American, will stage the radio strategy. The first one shows already the divergence with the order of total insurrection forbidden by the British. Between the 15 and the 25 of May, the modus vivendi will be that this order is dissociate from D-Day and will take multiple forms. This is finally backup by the BCRA (French intelligence) because the Maquis are not armed enough and would be crushed by the Germans. On the airwaves, the BBC gives instruction to people who are not into the Resistance and invites French to leave the cities to evade bombardments. The 13th, the BCRA in Algiers, gives the final plans of operation for the Resistance with 4 subplans : green (trains sabotage), blue (electrical and hydroelectrical power plant), violet (sabotage of the communication of the Germans) and Bibendum (paralyze the road network). The Germans intensified the dismantling of the Resistance, they manage to destroy the military direction of the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans in the South and arrest preemptively personalities without any direct link to the Resistance like prefects, general and high officers.
Another awesome volume of the BEST coverage of WW II day-by-day out there.... great job, everybody! Am I the only History Geek that keeps track of these videos on Google Earth and move my markers along with the maps Indy is showing us? Yes, I have no life, but this is very educational!
Konteradmiral Otto Schulz, Commandant of the Sea-Fortifications of the Crimea (01 April 1943-12 May 1944), received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 17 May 1944 for the evacuation of the 17th Army from the Crimean peninsula.
My favorite part about this series is realizing how one-sided it was at the end. We are 51 weeks from a German surrender, and that seems completely astounding from the reports we have at the moment. The Jerry's are back-pedaling for sure, but they still seem like a Central European castle. The Japanese . . . well, they are their own thing . . .
If you want a detailed operational discussion of the fighting in Crimea and the problems with the German naval evacuation read Prit Buttar The Reckoning. If you want more information on the German thinking about where will the Soviets attack, Kovel or some other location read Robert Citino The Whermacht's Last Stand.
Thing is, 99% of the time those generals were right. It takes incredible skill and effort to move an army across impassible terrain, and often at great cost to the attacker, in attrition to enemy fire and the terrain, but also at the cost of having to leave behind essential things, like supplies, logistics in general and usually heavy equipment. Making the attacker extremely vulnerable in case the enemy does not fold but stands its ground. As happened with the Japanese at Imphal and Kohima.
To be fair, WW1 had many instances of Armies trying to pass impassable terrain and failing, like the Turks in the Caucasus and the Austrians in the Carpathians.
Another great episode. Also I must say, I’m absolutely digging the shirt indy is wearing. The lot works so well. (I normally listen to these as a podcast while I drive so I rarely see Indy or others.)
I do hope that towards the end of the year and at the start of the next the British Pacific Fleet gets some love. It may have paled into insignificance to the mighty US 3rd and 5th Fleet, to which it became a part as a taskforce, but it was the biggest expeditionary fleet the UK has ever assembled, and it did so on the other side of the world with a ravaged economy, manpower shortage and having to build its support infrastructure in theater from scratch. No mean feat.
And just five days later, native Crimean Tatars were forcibly removed to Central Asia by Stalin's orders. Tens of thousands would die en route, an event recognized today in Ukraine as the Crimean Tatar Genocide.
Great series. Look forward to it every week. Small remark: I may be wrong but I don't think that's how you pronounce Alphonse Juin. 😊 Not really important for my enjoyment though.
Coordination was a problem. I have seen a photo of Polish General Anders discussing the movement of his troops into a section of the line, relieving the troops who were there. He is talking with the officer commanding them, I don't recall whether they were British, Canadians or even New Zealand. There is a captain with "Poland" on his shoulder flash standing over them and apparently interpreting (I don't think Anders spoke English well in 1944).
Does the time-ghost team have any plans for after the war? I can think of a more modern conflict that could use coverage like this. Indy already has the pronunciations for most of the towns involved down pat.
I'd love to see them do the Korean War, maybe not week-by-week since there probably isn't enough material for it, but a limited-run series giving it the Time Ghost treatment would be nice.
On the night of May 11 1944, operation Diadem begins. In the afternoon, General Juin broadcasted his order of the day: "French combatants of the Army of Italy, a great battle, the fate of which may hasten the definitive victory and the liberation of our Fatherland, begins today. The fight will be total, implacable, and pursued with the utmost energy. Called to the honor of bearing our colors there, you will conquer, as you have already conquered, thinking of the martyred France which awaits and watches you." On May 11 at 11 pm, in a pitch black night, fire broke out from the Cassino region to the sea. More than 2,000 guns of all calibers fired at an accelerated rate. On the front of the CEF the first waves of soldiers have already emerged. They begun to climb the mountain illuminated by the lights but come up against strong oppositions and fall under violent fire. (PS: given the length of the text, each action of the CEF, from May 11 to 13, will be detailed below in several comments)
THE NIGHT OF MAY 11 TO 12: In the center, on the Faito: the attack of the 8th RTM. The 8th RTM is arranged in successive battalions which will overtake each other on the following objectives: - Mount Faito: objective of the I/8th (Jannot battalion); 86 - Mont Feuci: III/8th objective (Labadee battalion); - Mont Majo: objective of the II/8th (Delort battalion). It is therefore the Jannot battalion which will open the way by seizing hill 759, a sort of rocky bridge 800 meters long and 400 meters wide which connects the Ornito to the Faito. At 10:20 pm, the battalion reached its starting point, 150 meters from the German lines. At 11 pm, under the iron curtain which falls in front of them, the companies set off: 1st to the left, 2nd to the centre, 3rd to the right. The 1st company arrives to a series of solidly held blockhouses. Immediately all enemy defenses come into play: grenades, barbed wire, mines, mortars, flares. Brutal combats ensue, blockhouse by blockhouse, methodically, under the flashes of the artillery and only with grenades and submachine guns. No prisoners. After half an hour, the German company defending hill 759 was destroyed. The cavalry squadron leader de Foucaucourt, commanding the 1st company, was wounded and half of his company was out of action, but all the still valid wounded continued the fight. Now they have to push on the Faito. A counter-attack begins on their right flank, but the Faito must be taken at all costs. Commander de Foucaucourt moved with the rear sections to meet the counterattack, leaving the leading sections to continue on the Faito. At 0:30 am the resistances of the summit are liquidated. The 2nd Company, in the center, suffered heavy casualties in a minefield. As for the 3rd company, on the right, it reached hill 803 at midnight, after having lost about fifty men. Morale is excellent. Officers and soldiers are galvanized, but the units are very reduced. The Labadie battalion (III/8th) was to overtake the I/8th on the Faito, but it was spent, company by company, to reinforce the Jannot battalion, to clear the conquered summit and ward off counter-attacks. The battalion commander only has the 9th company available. They cannot therefore, for the moment, push on the Feuci.
On the left: the attack of the 4th DMM. At the 6th RTM, right regiment of the 4th DMM, the Berteil battalion (I/6th) attacked, tightly united with the Jannot battalion of the 8th RTM, and captured hill 736, on the southern edge of Faito , covering the 8th RTM facing southwest. At 3:30 am, a German flank counter-attack, directed against the Faito, came up against the I/6th, reaching the battalion commander's small command group, which had to defend itself with grenades. The counterattack is repelled. On May 12 at dawn, Faito was firmly held by three battalions: two from the 2nd DIM (I and III/8th) and one from the 4th DMM (I/6th). The II/6th (Tarragon battalion) was to follow the I/6th behind and to the left. Around 1 am, it reached hill 715. Commander Tarragon, who was leading the way as usual, was wounded by shrapnel in the face. Briefly bandaged, he continues to lead his soldiers although he is bleeding profusely and has difficulty speaking. Thus they reached hill 702 but, on emerging into the reverse slope, they came across a line of German resistance established behind a low wall and flanked by heavy machine guns installed on hill 611. Commander Tarragon decides to move his men back a little, to the rocks of the ridge. As soon as they arrives, he leave alone, towards the location he has just left, to get a better view of the terrain. He falls, hit by a bullet in the head. Commander Le Gouvello then took command of the II/6th and bring it, around noon, to the "Monkeys Rock", on the southern flank of Faito. As for the left regiment, the 2nd RTM, it had to cross the ravine of Colle-Marina to reach the Ceschito. Launched before the planned action on the Feuci - Ceschito axis had been able to threaten the defenders of the ravine, and caught under flank fire, it was quickly blocked. But if the division is in difficulty on its left, it has, by its right (I/6th), gained a foothold on the Faito, which will give it fruitful possibilities of maneuver by falling back towards the south.
On the right, on the Cerasola: the attack of the 4th RTM. The 4th RTM, acting on the Cerasola - Agrifoglio axis, must cover the attack on the Majo to the north, taking hill 739 and Girofano, then hill 685-692. It will then push towards Vallemajo and Colle Valogna. It will be supported by the I and III/63rd RAA. They must first overcome the resistance of Cerasola, crowned with a double line of staggered blockhouses and low walls with numerous machine guns, continuous networks of barbed wire, minefields and flamethrowers. However these powerful organizations are so close to the French lines, sometimes barely 50 meters away, that it is impossible to have them dealt with by artillery. At “H” hour, it will only open fire on the area behind the first German lines. It is therefore the 4th RTM alone which will have to assault these resistances and reduce them by force. At "H" hour, the two companies of the 1st echelon of the 2nd battalion (5th company, captain Petit, and 6th company, lieutenant Bovet) jumped on the enemy barbed-wire network, 50 meters away, and cross it on stretchers. But the German lookouts gave the alert and quickly fell back on the blockhouses from where violent fire was opened on the attackers. At the same time a barrage of mortars fell on the first French line, pinning down the elements of the 2nd echelon. The sections that have crossed the wires still launch an assault on the blockhouses, falling under the grenades of the defenders. Most section leaders are shot. Some groups can break through the first line of blockhouses, but amid the racket of battle, with no link to the rear and no reinforcements, the attack scatters and loses its direction. In the 5th company, Captain Petit arrived almost alone on the objective and, wounded in the face, had to fall back with a handful of men. The elements of the 6th company which were able to push up to hill 633 fell on flamethrowers which raised their barrage of fire in the night, then were counter-attacked with grenades and had to withdraw to their starting base. On the right, in the battalion of Rocca Serra, the 3rd company, in the lead, gained at full speed, by the northern slopes of Cerasola, a small ravine to the south-west of hill 633, despite the losses suffered crossing the minefield. But, counter-attacked, taken under violent fire of mortar and machine-guns, the company cannot move from it. Its captain, Captain Raynaud de Prignv, was seriously wounded, as was Second Lieutenant Martel, and at 4 am, on the formal order of their captain, the survivors returned to their lines. In the wake of the 3rd company, the 1st company lost contact with it and, illuminated by the enemy rockets which followed it, taken from the flank by the Cerasola's machine guns, was soon blocked in a critical situation. At the end of the night, it receives the order to fall back on the starting base. At this time, all the committed units of the 4th RTM, very thinned out, therefore joined the French lines back. The attack on the Cerasola failed. Such is the nocturnal assault of the 2nd DIM. "For the fighters of the 2nd DIM, the night of May 11 1944 will remain one of the most moving memories of their lives. By the terrain that the men had to face, by the power of the enemy defences, by the stubbornness shown by the adversary from one end of the night to the other, the battle of May 11 deserves to enter the history of the French infantry. » This failure on the Cerasola will entail serious consequences for the action of the right division, the 1st DMI, which was to attack on the eastern slopes of the Cerasola and the Girofano.
The attack of the 1st DMI. In the first part of the night, the battalions of the 4th brigade (BIMP on the left, BM 24 on the right, BM 21 in reserve) will take their place on the starting base, not without losses. At 0:30 am, the time at which it is expected that the 4th RTM of the 2nd DIM will have captured the Girofano, the BIMP (Magny battalion) crosses the starting base. It was immediately taken under heavy mortar fire. In a few minutes, the left company lost all its officers, including its company commander, Captain de Laborde, who was mortally wounded. The battalion nevertheless managed to capture Hill 291 and then, at 2:15 am, the fortification on Hill 541, at the cost of heavy losses. But, the Girofano was not taken by the 2nd DIM and, dominated, taken from the flank by precise fire from machine guns and mortars, the BIMP must, at 4:15 am, fall back to hill 433, its starting base. In these four hours of combat it lost 41 killed, including 3 officers, and 84 wounded, including 6 officers. To the right of the BIMP, the 24th BM reached its first objectives, occupying the Fontanelle ridge at 5 am, but, exposed by the withdrawal of the BIMP and counter-attacked, it had to fall back in turn, losing 60 killed or wounded, including 3 officers. Around 8 am, the starting base itself was threatened by German infiltrations coming down from the Girofano. So they had to get on the defensive. On the right, in the Garigliano depression, the mixed group, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Dickey of the 757th US Battalion which included a battalion of Sherman tanks, the 1st RFM, the 8th RCA and the 22nd BNA, was able to cross the anti-tank ditch around 5 am and infiltrate between the San Appolinare road and the river. South of parallel 05 (between Girofano and Garigliano), the first wave encountered strong resistance from the 44th Aufklärungsabteilung (mortars, automatic weapons and anti-tank weapons). The companies of the 22nd BNA (battalion chief Lequesne) then lead a hard infantry fight, supported by tanks and TDs. The battalion has serious losses, including 3 officers killed. In the morning, the first wave manages to reach parallel 06, occupying facing north and northwest, the wooded heights of the Conventi where about fifty prisoners are captured. The coverage of the CEF is thus ensured in the north, but this action could not be decisive. The 1st DMI will not be able to do anything until the 2nd DIM has captured the Cerasola and the Girofano.
At the end of the day on May 12, the gains on the entire front of the CEF were therefore limited to the successful conquest of Faito and to the assured one of Castelforte (the door to the mountain and the door to the valley). But no breakthrough yet. At the beginning of the afternoon, General Juin took his jeep and went on the frontline. He passes to the HQ of General Dody, commanding the 2nd DIM, and to that of General Sevez, commanding the 4th DMM. He sees these two leaders, firm and confident. Then, on foot, he goes to visit the fighters on the Faito. There, at the command post of Colonel Molle, commanding the 8th RTM, amid the bursting of shells, the general commanding the CEF made his decision. The attack will not stop, this French attack which must open the door to the Allied victory in Italy. They have to "do it again" tomorrow morning "and at full speed," said the general, and he quickly descended to give his orders. The maximum power will be applied to the attack of the Feuci - Majo - Agrifoglio - Girofano group, which is indeed the keystone of the entire enemy defensive system. It will be supported by all possible artillery: 44 batteries of 105mm and 28 batteries of 155mm. To obtain a more massive effect, this powerful "hammer" will be applied first to the Cerasola - Girofano, then on the main ridges. Two successive operations are therefore mounted: one on the Cerasola - Girofano, the other on the Feuci - Majo. With regard to the Cerasola, it appears necessary to associate the two arms more intimately: infantry and artillery, and to relieve the 4th RTM, quite “shocked” by the terrible combat of the night. It is therefore decided that the case will be entrusted to the Rognon battalion of the 5th RTM placed at the disposal of Colonel Bridot and that the French first line will be evacuated by the battalion of the 4th RTM which occupies it in order to allow the 155mm to prepare the attack on enemy blockhouses. The Rognon battalion (III/5th), reinforced by the 11th company of the 4th RTM, a fresh unit, will be responsible for the capture of the Cerasola and the Girofano. The Bachelot battalion (II/4th) will have to recover and hold the first line. The Rognon detachment, following in its footsteps, will attack. The "H" hour of this first operation is fixed at 4 am, after a preparation of artillery of 45 minutes. On the Feuci - Majo the attack will be carried out by a battalion of the 5th RTM (II/5th, commander Pons) which will overtake the Labadie battalion (III/8th) on the Faito. The Pons battalion will attack jointly with the III/6th RTM, which will overtake the Berteil battalion (I/6th) on the southern edge of the Faito and seize the Crisano pass (south of the Feuci). This 2nd attack will only be triggered at 8 am, so as to balance the maximum of artillery fire from one operation on the other. Meanwhile to the south, the left wing of the 4th DMM will extend the breakthrough on the Ceschito, ready to exploit on Ausonia and the Fammera and, on the far left of the CEF, the 3rd DIA will complete the clearing of Castelforte to be able to break through its axis of exploitation. At the end of the day, to the left of the CEF, the US 2nd army corps captured the Salvatito, the Ceracoli and the Cianelli. On the right, the British managed to carry 8 battalions west of the Gari-Rapido.
Quick question, SPOILER ALERT after the war in Europe officially ends with VE Day, will you still cover events happening in Europe or only focus on the Pacific Theatre?
Interesting question, since Europe transitions to a post war state while the war carries on unabated on the other side of the globe. I would suspect the channel will still cover political events in Europe since they are inextricably linked to the still ongoing Second World War, and the channel does give equal coverage to the political or human rights aspects of the conflict, but it would be cool to hear what the crew is planning for that.
It will probably move over to Pacific coverage mostly, although maybe with focus on the last of the German hold out garrisons. Some in the Dutch northern isles held out until june. And probably on the Potsdam conference, the many POW's being held, the streams of refugees across Europe and of course the US and UK shifting their forces from Europe to the Pacific.
@@ivanvoronov3871 You know, that sounds like something that at least Spartacus should cover. If only because he has to make videos on all the horrible horrible war crimes that happened. Indy gets all the flashy stuff, while Spartacus gets all the depressive stuff. Reporting on some justice being done will be good for him.
Thanks to Dirk Burgdorf and his team of independent researchers at the National Archives in Washington! He can help individuals researching family histories, ans specializes in American and German military documents: naraexpert.com/
I hope you will have the moral courage to continue to use the proper Ukrainian spelling and not bend to those in the comments who would like Crimea to once again be in fascist hands.
On a side note, tomorrow is Mother's Day in the USA. You have today to finish shopping.
Good ol' Big Dickdorf and his massive, veiny archives.
It's pronounced "rà·pi·do"
20:49 Big shoutout to your tits. Sorry, typo. Big shoutout to your tats.Tats.
The French breaking through German defenses where they had been left thinner due to assumptions about the difficulty of the terrain... poetic.
Bah, the Allies would never make such a pedestrian mistake..... would they?
Ironic...
**In Palpatine's voice** Ironic...
It sure is poetic indeed.
i was about to comment something along those lines. Incredible how the tables have turned
4:22 Two divisions and a bear. Don't forget the bear. He was instumental in winning the battle.
Never forget the bear! The only one to have 2 statues honoring him. One in the UK, one in Poland.
Cheers! 🍻🍺 I like smoking 🚬 💣💥 🚿 🐻🐾🐾 💯✨ ╭(♡･ㅂ･)و/🇵🇱
Yes Pedro, Wojtek the great Polish soldier.
A footnote this week on May 8 1944 is that United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) fighter ace Robert Johnson will score his 27th victory, allowing him to exceed the 26 victories achieved by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker during World War I. This would also make him the second-highest scoring American fighter pilot in Europe.
If it’s true that’s cool, if it’s not that’s cruel
A good pilot and an excellent guitar maker.
And of course he is of Swedish descent. 👊
@@frenzalrhomb6919 Swedes are the finest warriors. Proven again and again.
He (Johnson) wrote a memoir (co-written with Martin Caidin) titled “Thunderbolt!” Well worth reading.
He got kills quicker and with fewer missions than American aces (Bong,McGuire, etc.) with more victories.
Also I love how Indy never forget to including Smiling in Kesselring's name :)
He won't be smiling much longer.
I guess he stopped smiling
@@WalterReimer true
He never stops smiling
@@DanielGaviriaAcosta Hard to stop when you never started!
Every time Indy says "This is World War Two!" The voice in my head says "In Color!" Police Squad was a great show.
It truly was.
This is world War 2...with special guest star lorrene Greene 😂
"Sir, Allied Bombers have decimated our synthetic oil plants!" "WHAT THAT?!" "They make the fluids that keep our engines lubricated, but that's not important right now."
Ah, someone else with taste. Hehehe...
I’m glad I’m not the only one 😂
I'm annoyed that I knew so little about the campaigns in China and India. I appreciate this channel.
All the more time to learn!
It is interesting to learn what was going on in China and India, way more happening in former than I ever knew about. Its like the Japs are trying for as many victories as they can get while avoiding their fate they created for themselves with the USA.
Agree as an American we don't really discuss it.
This is why this series is so useful. You get a sense of time scale. I didn't know that the Allies would be stuck at Monte Cassino for so long.
Ferdinand Schörner nickname was "Bloody Ferdinand", given to him by his troops for his willingness to brutally punish his own soldiers. He was known to hang deserters. Just thought I'd add that because I love hearing "Smiling" Albert and "Vinegar" Joe. Would love to hear "Bloody" Ferdinand.
I believe his own side also called him "The Beast in Uniform".
Should have chanted it to "Cowarsly Bloody Ferdinand"
He is thought to have given out death sentences during his military time in WW2 of around 10.000 german soldiers
To put it into perspective, a single german division had around 12.000 soldiers.
He executed nearly a division worth of german soldiers....
In addition to all his other sins "Bloody Ferdinand" was also a towering hypocrite. At the very end of the war with Hitler dead and the Reich in shambles as the allies overran Germany, he abandoned his own command to try and save his own skin. In effect he was deserter, an offense for which he had ordered many of his troops shot.
And he ended up deserting himself
It might be a little late now, but in the Burma campaign I keep hoping that you'll mention the contributions of glider pilot Jackie Coogan (known at the time as Betty Grable's former husband, also the child actor who played "the Kid" alongside Charlie Chaplain and later to become a household name as "Uncle Fester" from the Addams Family - you really could see where his appreciation for blowing up trains came from!). I stumbled across his service record a while back and was pretty amazed by some of the missions he was on with Lord Wingate and the Chindits that were often hundreds of miles behind Japanese lines. Turns out he was a pretty heroic guy who volunteered for some seriously dangerous duty.
My father was a glider pilot during the war and often mentioned how famous Jackie Coogan was among glider pilots. Coogan had taken part in a few almost suicidal missions in Burma.
@@michaelmoran3946 Similarly, my grandparents had a close friend who served on the Burma road who often spoke really highly of him as well.
Full disclosure; I often found it a little weird to reconcile whenever I catch an episode of the Addams Family! He was a magnificent character actor later in his life.
Gomez was the one who blew up trains...
@@tomservo56954 Not in real life though!
A tank on the tennis court would have a hell of a fast serve but I'm pretty sure it'd be against the rules
but think of the backhand on one of those things.😁
@@korbell1089 wont need it.
Every shot will be an Ace.
Ballistic English
The hard part would be to keep the shells, I mean balls, from going out of bounds.
There’s no rule saying a dog can’t play basketball and there’s no rule saying a tank can’t play tennis
I DID IT!
I marathoned through The Great War, Between 2 Wars, and finally caught up on WW2 to this week!
The amount of time Indi has done all of these projects over the last 9 years is incredible, so I must add my congratulations to him and this team to the madness that must be the research, editing, and writing.
Congratulations! 🥳
We’re happy you’re up to speed
Our viewers and supporters, especially the TimeGhost Army, have made everything you see here possible!
I started back in 2019. Binged through TGW, and can't get enough of this.
I hope, Indie and Time Ghost get to work on many other projects as well.
@Tera SC2
So happy to hear!
We’ve got plans but we’re putting all of our focus into WW2 for now!
I was at Cassino and Point 593 this week, visited the Polish cemetery and descended down Cavendish road.
An amazing place.
With the allied Invasion coming ever closer, I really hope that you guys make a special episode about the atlantic wall.
SSSSH!!!!! LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS!!!!!!!
Almost exactly one year ago on May 14, I discovered this series. I have not stopped watching it since. Great work World War Two team!
Thank you, Jakob. We are glad you enjoy it.
Indian and Canadian troops have been training together for months, as a result the Canadian tanks work seamlessly together with Indian infantry. Tanks quickly neutralize machine nests, allowing infantry to advance, while infantry spot hidden anti-tank guns so they can be taken care of before they can threaten advancing tanks.
Maybe that's why there are so many Indians living in Canada now, lol
My uncles unit, the "Kings Own Calgary Regiment," trained a lot of Indian infantry in combined operations with tanks. He said they were highly motivated and felt they had something to prove.
@@davidcarr7436 because they did. Volunteering for the British military as an Indian colonial subject was not highly regarded by most of Indian society, especially if you weren’t fighting in the Raj itself. What eventually did become highly regarded was the tenacity and fervor of those Indian troops, which was seen as unbelievably admirable, especially for a group originating several continents away from where most of this conflict was taking place.
Hey guys, I´m beginning to think that the Central Powers, er, I mean, the Axis, might not be win the war. Anyone else a little bit concerned about those Allies about to land in Calais?
I know, right? And I'm starting to get this idea that this "Hitler" fellow might not be the best person in the world
Nah. They will win for sure. There is no way the Allies will overcome the atlantic wall.
Don't worry Calais is already covered,we will humiliate them like we did in the Dieppe Raid.
Wow, vague comments about not knowing who will win, even though we all already do!
Very clever and original!!
Nonesense, German engineering is the best in the world!
What a blow for the Germans. Especially considering how long it took them to capture Sevastopol in the first place. I have a feeling things are only gonna get worse for the Germans next month.
Hitler was a nut case on the heavy drugs didn't help. Another army, all it's equipment and experience lost by insane plan to never retreat. Impossible to win a war with that type of thinking.
Na Steiner is on the way. But indeed another irreversible defeat
The Germans spent over 8 months besieging Sevastopol!
@@andrewwyatt8445 and they had to use the Gustav gun
Something tells me they might wanna keep an eye on what's going on in front of Army Group Centre....just a hunch..
15:07 Rana Mitter is indeed an excellent source on the Second Sino-Japanese War. His books make for very informative reading.
Great episodes as usual.
Would have appreciated knowing more about the bombing of the synthetic oil factories. Operation Tidal Wave was very important in the defeat of Germany.
The bombing campaigns are covered in way more depth on War Against Humanity. I just touch on them here.
Was not expecting the British to use the stock exchange as a way to bluff where they were going to attack. I wonder who thought of doing that.
I would not be surprised if it were John Maynard (by then, Baron) Keynes. Not only was he a brilliant economist, he also was a very savvy market investor. I see this as something he is likely to have conceived, although others might have been the inspiration for the action.
@@philipb2134 Keynes was a mixed bag. He was nearly wiped out during the 1920s when trading in currencies, pretty funny considering the Roaring Twenties growth. Once he switched to stocks he was succesful, though he seems to have bought safe shares with high paying dividens.
Perfidious Albion :-).
@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 Vitreous China. 😂
It took me a while to understand why a higher stock exchange should mean an incoming invasion. But I guess a higher stock exchange would indicate that people were anticipating that these companies would do a lot better in a eventual liberated Norway, right?
I have to give points to the Free French in Italy this week. It was a sorry campaign so any success shines all the brighter
They were also smart to play to their strengths, instead of pulling a General Melchett and attack again at the same fortified place for the umpteenth time.
Thanks!
I just want to say, that your pronunciation of "Władysław Anders" was exceptionally good.
Thank you, Garlfield.
Indeed!
It's is really interesting to watch this play out week by week. You toss all of your knowledge of the past away. Put your self in the seat of someone just reading the papers. All your seeing is lines and arrows on a map. You get a real appreciation for people living through this on the home front and what they thought. Like I remember my grandma telling me she never thought that war would end. Makes more sense the fears of the west coast being invaded by Japan. I can see someone looking at a map of the eastern front in 43. Thinking to themselves. Well look at how far the Germans got in 42. They will just take all that men and material in 43 and take Moscow. Someone with no dirt and or intellectual knowledge about modern warfare. Logistics, production and the other billions of factors. You really get a appreciation for what it looked like to them. This war will never end!!
Talking heads, all of us here are grateful that you enjoy our content. Thank you for watching.
I like this series cause it gives a true blow by blow what happened. I'm sure some things can be missed. But this series gives a true realistic version of what went on.
I just discoverd youre amazing series and will have a great time watching every episode in the coming weeks.
As 1945 and the end of the war isnt that far away, and if there isnt anyone else already, i would offer my help with the battle of berlin. I am currently in an apprenticeship as an archivist for the city of Berlin. The city archive has a great amount of interesting stuff, and theres some more archives. Also theres still plenty of signs of the war in the city. Theres a bridge where a support pillar still has a hole from a panzer ammunition. Theres many buildings with bullet holes, and some "ruins" that were kept as a reminder.
Thank you, Green Spirit. We are glad that you are enjoying our series. Is there any way that we can get in contact with you in the future? We appreciate your offer.
The french fighters this week are not all north africans natives in fact the mountain division is composed by 65% of morrocan natives and 35% of french while for the 112000 men that composed the French corps they are composed of 60% of north africans natives and 40% of french.
Should be noted that the french ones were in majority pieds-noirs and not metropolitans french
@@adjoftce6547 well metropolitan France is occupied so i figured people would already know that even if some were metropolitan french of course but few. Why the quotes? In France using them would mean that it’s questionable , but it’s maybe different in english.
@@adjoftce6547 1,851 soldiers of the French army died in Italy during Operation Diadem. Of those, 526 were born in Morocco, 572 in Algeria and 352 in France. Between 200 and 300 of those who died were French born in the colonies or in Algeria. Thus some 600 French soldiers were killed, which corresponds to the ratio of troops.
So the "French ones" were probably not pieds noirs in majority at Monte Cassino.
Until independence Algeria was de jure part of metropolitan France and had been since 1848.
The team at this channel along with Paul at WW2TV are my favourite WW2 channels 😃👍
Nige H, thank you for your support.
“Miss Pavlichenko” - A lioness with a scope
🎶 fell by your gun, oh fell by your gun 🎶
"Lady Death‼" (✿>▽
"That was the week that was" was a US TV comedy show 60 years ago. You might want to use that line. Good Luck, Rick
Thank you, Richard.
I've been rewatching the Great War alongside this and I've just gotten to the episode that discusses the setup of the defenses at Doiran. What stood out to me was that General Vazov having his troops maintain farmland and help bring in crops to keep supplied. I don't think that would have been possible for the Chinese Nationalists at the scale of their armies, but perhaps even a token effort in that direction might have helped endear them to the locals.
The chinese Communists did this as a matter of policy.
The kmt couldn't really have done it because of scale. China was a net food importer before the war. The Japanese blockade was meant to starve the Chinese army and government and it worked.
The Nationalist "army" was more like a bunch of individual armies under one umbrella, and nobody had the power to stop individual commanders or groups from pillaging the countryside. The Communists were a lot more disciplined and focused on public relations and had more support from the people as a result.
That is a piece of information that is often overlooked about General Vazov. Thanks for watching, Sorrel.
Fun fact. General Senger survived the war and actually kept active in military circles. He came into contact with a military historian who had fought in Italy for the British. Senger was said to offer the advice ' the next time you invade Italy, do not start from the bottom.'
I assume Indy is wearing green/black because the Eurovision song contest is today and he is a fan of Finland's representative, Käärijä.
Ευχαριστούμε!
"They finally get a tank on the tennis court." is such a weird sentence when taken out of context.
Can't wait to see how this is going to turn out for the Germans.
I think they will prevail thos is just a small setback
@@stephencarroll9935 *Cough* Operation Bagration *Cough*
Sincerely,
A time traveler
@@JohnJohn-pe5kr what do you know about bagration ? Another Soviet trick ? 😂
June can’t come soon enough!
Me either! Hope they can get those numbers as high as possible, before the end!
Cool tie.(particularly, the knot)
During the LuoYang section of this episode, there's a brief mention of Rana Mitter. I can thoroughly recommend him as an author for anyone interested in the story of China in the early 20th century, particularly (but not only) the war years.
Absolutely fascinating coverage of the events in Burma and India. I feel that those are fronts from WWII that never got the appreciation that they deserved. I mean, I wasn't even aware there was fighting in India during the war although it would make sense that the Japanese would try to put pressure on that part of the British Empire after already conquering a good amount of Southeast Asia. Some of the descriptions of the jungle warfare in this theatre from the sources cited in the videos bear a hauntingly striking resemblance to what would await American forces in Vietnam a few decades later. Phenomenal work, everyone!
Thank you for your support, John Bava III. We are all glad that you enjoy our content.
Can't wait to see this title on the news in the future
21:51 that moment when you realize that these episodes are filmed in front of a live audience
shout-out to Dirk and crew
Lovin this, from Auckland, New Zealand. Any other fellow Kiwi's watching this?
Thank you for your support and contribution, Will.
Yep. Finally up to date here in chch
I love these week by week reviews
Thanks for watching!
20:51 Dirk Burgdorf! Wooo!
It would be tragic if the first part of "AAA RESEARCH LLC" was not pronounced "A A A" as Indy did it but "AAAAAAAAAA".
Three cheers for Dirk Burgdorf! Dirk is a stud! What a great name, too! "Burgdorf. Dirk Burgdorf." Total double-oh-seven!
‘The names Burgdorf… Dirk Burgdorf…’ Que music….
There is a modern geographer named Peter Zeihen, has this map on the fertile areas of Russia, the boundary areas that aren't fertile but are flat and wide open, and the rim countries Russia feels it needs to control to protect itself.
He has done a series of videos, for my money the talk he gave to the Shreveport, Louisiana businesspeople was the most focused, but an hour long.
Thanks, take care.
I love his videos. He is so adept at economic and demographic analysis.
Thank you, Ed.
Love your work. Love to all from Thailand.
love Indy's ties lol
OKW’s intelligence branch were way way off not foreseeing Operation Bragation’s very existence, weren’t they? We are going to have to wait till June 22 to find out, won’t we?
If you want a more detailed discussion of German expectations as to where the Soviets would launch their attacks read Robert Citino The Wehrmacht's Last Stand.
Thank you for the recommendation, Cary.
In all fairness, the Soviets basically pulled a Fortitude on them
@@901Sherman the Russian word for it is Maskirovka tactics and it became a central part of their combat strategy en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_military_deception
oh the summer is coming and first gusts of a whirlwind that Germany sowed for years are starting show
between D-Day and the big Soviet summer push there will be hell of action to cover for our intrepid WW2 guys...
17:12 Rare film footage of the mid production and little known Left Handed Grant tank.
2 Polish Divisions. I am average Polish. Listening 🎧 to episode immediately!
On the ´we have ways of making you talk’ podcast they have two episodes about a Polish general who receives a VC in WW2. For more Polish joy it is an excellent World War Two podcasts.
Never realized how much the colonies and commonwealth nations contributed to the war effort, before following this series.
Great job!!!
"North of the prypiat marshes, things will stay quiet "
In my head: Oh boy.
Another great episode.
Thank you! You’re great!
Great video! Indi, that tie though....!
Thank you!
This series is so amazing, the production value makes this feel like a television series
Thankyou Indy and Team
Thank you, Daniel.
This week in French news.
The 7th, Pétain is transferred by the Germans to Voisins, in the Yvelines, south of Paris, to “protect him”. Germans fear that in Voisins, he escapes, or worse, that he is captured by the FFI. Pétain accepts this as he as no choice but diplomats protest. In this place, he will meet a lot of people, Henriot, Abetz and Brinon, Charles Platon and others. For the first time, Pétain accepts to see Marcel Déat a fanatically pro-Nazi. Pétain still refuses him to replace Laval and hates him as a plannist “socialist”. Déat thinks that he will finally get rid of Laval but he is wrong.
The 9th, French emissions on the BBC are placed under a condominium. This is to simplify orders to be given toward French Resistance. Directives from the CFLN (French government) and the British government will be joint. One weekly reunion with French and British military men and political and two observers, one Canadian and the other American, will stage the radio strategy. The first one shows already the divergence with the order of total insurrection forbidden by the British. Between the 15 and the 25 of May, the modus vivendi will be that this order is dissociate from D-Day and will take multiple forms. This is finally backup by the BCRA (French intelligence) because the Maquis are not armed enough and would be crushed by the Germans.
On the airwaves, the BBC gives instruction to people who are not into the Resistance and invites French to leave the cities to evade bombardments.
The 13th, the BCRA in Algiers, gives the final plans of operation for the Resistance with 4 subplans : green (trains sabotage), blue (electrical and hydroelectrical power plant), violet (sabotage of the communication of the Germans) and Bibendum (paralyze the road network).
The Germans intensified the dismantling of the Resistance, they manage to destroy the military direction of the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans in the South and arrest preemptively personalities without any direct link to the Resistance like prefects, general and high officers.
"Placed under a condominium"? What do you mean by that?
@@reginabillotti It means that its controle by both the british and the french (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condominium_(international_law))
That was a nice shout out to that guy
Another awesome volume of the BEST coverage of WW II day-by-day out there.... great job, everybody!
Am I the only History Geek that keeps track of these videos on Google Earth and move my markers along with the maps Indy is showing us? Yes, I have no life, but this is very educational!
Another excellent Episode. Thx
Thank you! You’re excellent!
16:28 British ground reality at Kohima
Wow!?!!
THE FRENCH BROKE THROUGH
I like the zoomup on captain Sobel
20:30 The sound effects! 😂
Thanks again I enjoying rolling my 💨to these.
I just a Citino book and finally knot Shattered Sword
I guess this is where it really picks up momentum, Crimea now, D-Day next month, and a year later the Allies are in Berlin.
Konteradmiral Otto Schulz, Commandant of the Sea-Fortifications of the Crimea (01 April 1943-12 May 1944), received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 17 May 1944 for the evacuation of the 17th Army from the Crimean peninsula.
My favorite part about this series is realizing how one-sided it was at the end. We are 51 weeks from a German surrender, and that seems completely astounding from the reports we have at the moment. The Jerry's are back-pedaling for sure, but they still seem like a Central European castle.
The Japanese . . . well, they are their own thing . . .
By now, both sides are about matched in strength, meaning that every meter gained causes a ton of death
You really need to make clear which front you are talking about.
Luigi Cadorna smiles upon the Allies in Monte Casino
Always a good presentation!
If you want a detailed operational discussion of the fighting in Crimea and the problems with the German naval evacuation read Prit Buttar The Reckoning. If you want more information on the German thinking about where will the Soviets attack, Kovel or some other location read Robert Citino The Whermacht's Last Stand.
Thanks for all your effort
The TimeGhost Army makes it all possible!
8:44 you would think by now Generals would have learned their lessons regarding impassable terrain
Right? How many times have we heard that?
Thing is, 99% of the time those generals were right. It takes incredible skill and effort to move an army across impassible terrain, and often at great cost to the attacker, in attrition to enemy fire and the terrain, but also at the cost of having to leave behind essential things, like supplies, logistics in general and usually heavy equipment. Making the attacker extremely vulnerable in case the enemy does not fold but stands its ground. As happened with the Japanese at Imphal and Kohima.
To be fair, WW1 had many instances of Armies trying to pass impassable terrain and failing, like the Turks in the Caucasus and the Austrians in the Carpathians.
Another great episode. Also I must say, I’m absolutely digging the shirt indy is wearing. The lot works so well. (I normally listen to these as a podcast while I drive so I rarely see Indy or others.)
Thank you, Troy
I do hope that towards the end of the year and at the start of the next the British Pacific Fleet gets some love. It may have paled into insignificance to the mighty US 3rd and 5th Fleet, to which it became a part as a taskforce, but it was the biggest expeditionary fleet the UK has ever assembled, and it did so on the other side of the world with a ravaged economy, manpower shortage and having to build its support infrastructure in theater from scratch. No mean feat.
And just five days later, native Crimean Tatars were forcibly removed to Central Asia by Stalin's orders. Tens of thousands would die en route, an event recognized today in Ukraine as the Crimean Tatar Genocide.
Thanks for wearing Käärijä colours for today's episode.
Great series. Look forward to it every week. Small remark: I may be wrong but I don't think that's how you pronounce Alphonse Juin. 😊 Not really important for my enjoyment though.
Jian Dingwen
I have no idea, I don’t even know what he dinged much less when
My favorite line was, "Sucks for him." Gotta love a British cutdown.
Oh boi an episode on my birthday Great gift 🎉
Happy birthday, Connor.
@@WorldWarTwo Thank you so much
🥳🥳🥳
It's amazing how multinational the allied troops there were. Americans, Canadians, Britts, Poles, French, Nepalese gurkhas, Moroccans, Algerians.
New Zealanders!! Indians!
Coordination was a problem. I have seen a photo of Polish General Anders discussing the movement of his troops into a section of the line, relieving the troops who were there. He is talking with the officer commanding them, I don't recall whether they were British, Canadians or even New Zealand. There is a captain with "Poland" on his shoulder flash standing over them and apparently interpreting (I don't think Anders spoke English well in 1944).
Indy has nice Käärijä-sleeves in his shirt today. We'll see if that also was a hint of the coming events a couple of hours in advance 😁
commander and leader trading cards in the style of how they look in the videos would be cool to have
Not a regular viewer at all... but I had to subscribe for June..
Thank you LD-LD for your subscription. Stay tuned.
Solid content
Thank you!
The North Africans were treated dismally by the French after the war. The English title of the movie is Days of Glory
Oh man, Operation Bagration is going to be a hoot.
Does the time-ghost team have any plans for after the war? I can think of a more modern conflict that could use coverage like this. Indy already has the pronunciations for most of the towns involved down pat.
I'd love to see them do the Korean War, maybe not week-by-week since there probably isn't enough material for it, but a limited-run series giving it the Time Ghost treatment would be nice.
On the night of May 11 1944, operation Diadem begins.
In the afternoon, General Juin broadcasted his order of the day: "French combatants of the Army of Italy, a great battle, the fate of which may hasten the definitive victory and the liberation of our Fatherland, begins today. The fight will be total, implacable, and pursued with the utmost energy. Called to the honor of bearing our colors there, you will conquer, as you have already conquered, thinking of the martyred France which awaits and watches you."
On May 11 at 11 pm, in a pitch black night, fire broke out from the Cassino region to the sea. More than 2,000 guns of all calibers fired at an accelerated rate. On the front of the CEF the first waves of soldiers have already emerged. They begun to climb the mountain illuminated by the lights but come up against strong oppositions and fall under violent fire.
(PS: given the length of the text, each action of the CEF, from May 11 to 13, will be detailed below in several comments)
THE NIGHT OF MAY 11 TO 12:
In the center, on the Faito: the attack of the 8th RTM.
The 8th RTM is arranged in successive battalions which will overtake each other on the following objectives: - Mount Faito: objective of the I/8th (Jannot battalion); 86 - Mont Feuci: III/8th objective (Labadee battalion); - Mont Majo: objective of the II/8th (Delort battalion). It is therefore the Jannot battalion which will open the way by seizing hill 759, a sort of rocky bridge 800 meters long and 400 meters wide which connects the Ornito to the Faito. At 10:20 pm, the battalion reached its starting point, 150 meters from the German lines. At 11 pm, under the iron curtain which falls in front of them, the companies set off: 1st to the left, 2nd to the centre, 3rd to the right. The 1st company arrives to a series of solidly held blockhouses. Immediately all enemy defenses come into play: grenades, barbed wire, mines, mortars, flares. Brutal combats ensue, blockhouse by blockhouse, methodically, under the flashes of the artillery and only with grenades and submachine guns. No prisoners. After half an hour, the German company defending hill 759 was destroyed. The cavalry squadron leader de Foucaucourt, commanding the 1st company, was wounded and half of his company was out of action, but all the still valid wounded continued the fight. Now they have to push on the Faito.
A counter-attack begins on their right flank, but the Faito must be taken at all costs. Commander de Foucaucourt moved with the rear sections to meet the counterattack, leaving the leading sections to continue on the Faito. At 0:30 am the resistances of the summit are liquidated. The 2nd Company, in the center, suffered heavy casualties in a minefield. As for the 3rd company, on the right, it reached hill 803 at midnight, after having lost about fifty men. Morale is excellent. Officers and soldiers are galvanized, but the units are very reduced. The Labadie battalion (III/8th) was to overtake the I/8th on the Faito, but it was spent, company by company, to reinforce the Jannot battalion, to clear the conquered summit and ward off counter-attacks. The battalion commander only has the 9th company available. They cannot therefore, for the moment, push on the Feuci.
On the left: the attack of the 4th DMM.
At the 6th RTM, right regiment of the 4th DMM, the Berteil battalion (I/6th) attacked, tightly united with the Jannot battalion of the 8th RTM, and captured hill 736, on the southern edge of Faito , covering the 8th RTM facing southwest. At 3:30 am, a German flank counter-attack, directed against the Faito, came up against the I/6th, reaching the battalion commander's small command group, which had to defend itself with grenades. The counterattack is repelled.
On May 12 at dawn, Faito was firmly held by three battalions: two from the 2nd DIM (I and III/8th) and one from the 4th DMM (I/6th). The II/6th (Tarragon battalion) was to follow the I/6th behind and to the left. Around 1 am, it reached hill 715. Commander Tarragon, who was leading the way as usual, was wounded by shrapnel in the face. Briefly bandaged, he continues to lead his soldiers although he is bleeding profusely and has difficulty speaking. Thus they reached hill 702 but, on emerging into the reverse slope, they came across a line of German resistance established behind a low wall and flanked by heavy machine guns installed on hill 611. Commander Tarragon decides to move his men back a little, to the rocks of the ridge. As soon as they arrives, he leave alone, towards the location he has just left, to get a better view of the terrain. He falls, hit by a bullet in the head. Commander Le Gouvello then took command of the II/6th and bring it, around noon, to the "Monkeys Rock", on the southern flank of Faito. As for the left regiment, the 2nd RTM, it had to cross the ravine of Colle-Marina to reach the Ceschito. Launched before the planned action on the Feuci - Ceschito axis had been able to threaten the defenders of the ravine, and caught under flank fire, it was quickly blocked. But if the division is in difficulty on its left, it has, by its right (I/6th), gained a foothold on the Faito, which will give it fruitful possibilities of maneuver by falling back towards the south.
On the right, on the Cerasola: the attack of the 4th RTM.
The 4th RTM, acting on the Cerasola - Agrifoglio axis, must cover the attack on the Majo to the north, taking hill 739 and Girofano, then hill 685-692. It will then push towards Vallemajo and Colle Valogna. It will be supported by the I and III/63rd RAA. They must first overcome the resistance of Cerasola, crowned with a double line of staggered blockhouses and low walls with numerous machine guns, continuous networks of barbed wire, minefields and flamethrowers.
However these powerful organizations are so close to the French lines, sometimes barely 50 meters away, that it is impossible to have them dealt with by artillery. At “H” hour, it will only open fire on the area behind the first German lines. It is therefore the 4th RTM alone which will have to assault these resistances and reduce them by force.
At "H" hour, the two companies of the 1st echelon of the 2nd battalion (5th company, captain Petit, and 6th company, lieutenant Bovet) jumped on the enemy barbed-wire network, 50 meters away, and cross it on stretchers. But the German lookouts gave the alert and quickly fell back on the blockhouses from where violent fire was opened on the attackers. At the same time a barrage of mortars fell on the first French line, pinning down the elements of the 2nd echelon. The sections that have crossed the wires still launch an assault on the blockhouses, falling under the grenades of the defenders. Most section leaders are shot. Some groups can break through the first line of blockhouses, but amid the racket of battle, with no link to the rear and no reinforcements, the attack scatters and loses its direction. In the 5th company, Captain Petit arrived almost alone on the objective and, wounded in the face, had to fall back with a handful of men. The elements of the 6th company which were able to push up to hill 633 fell on flamethrowers which raised their barrage of fire in the night, then were counter-attacked with grenades and had to withdraw to their starting base. On the right, in the battalion of Rocca Serra, the 3rd company, in the lead, gained at full speed, by the northern slopes of Cerasola, a small ravine to the south-west of hill 633, despite the losses suffered crossing the minefield. But, counter-attacked, taken under violent fire of mortar and machine-guns, the company cannot move from it. Its captain, Captain Raynaud de Prignv, was seriously wounded, as was Second Lieutenant Martel, and at 4 am, on the formal order of their captain, the survivors returned to their lines. In the wake of the 3rd company, the 1st company lost contact with it and, illuminated by the enemy rockets which followed it, taken from the flank by the Cerasola's machine guns, was soon blocked in a critical situation. At the end of the night, it receives the order to fall back on the starting base. At this time, all the committed units of the 4th RTM, very thinned out, therefore joined the French lines back. The attack on the Cerasola failed.
Such is the nocturnal assault of the 2nd DIM. "For the fighters of the 2nd DIM, the night of May 11 1944 will remain one of the most moving memories of their lives. By the terrain that the men had to face, by the power of the enemy defences, by the stubbornness shown by the adversary from one end of the night to the other, the battle of May 11 deserves to enter the history of the French infantry. »
This failure on the Cerasola will entail serious consequences for the action of the right division, the 1st DMI, which was to attack on the eastern slopes of the Cerasola and the Girofano.
The attack of the 1st DMI.
In the first part of the night, the battalions of the 4th brigade (BIMP on the left, BM 24 on the right, BM 21 in reserve) will take their place on the starting base, not without losses.
At 0:30 am, the time at which it is expected that the 4th RTM of the 2nd DIM will have captured the Girofano, the BIMP (Magny battalion) crosses the starting base. It was immediately taken under heavy mortar fire. In a few minutes, the left company lost all its officers, including its company commander, Captain de Laborde, who was mortally wounded. The battalion nevertheless managed to capture Hill 291 and then, at 2:15 am, the fortification on Hill 541, at the cost of heavy losses.
But, the Girofano was not taken by the 2nd DIM and, dominated, taken from the flank by precise fire from machine guns and mortars, the BIMP must, at 4:15 am, fall back to hill 433, its starting base. In these four hours of combat it lost 41 killed, including 3 officers, and 84 wounded, including 6 officers. To the right of the BIMP, the 24th BM reached its first objectives, occupying the Fontanelle ridge at 5 am, but, exposed by the withdrawal of the BIMP and counter-attacked, it had to fall back in turn, losing 60 killed or wounded, including 3 officers. Around 8 am, the starting base itself was threatened by German infiltrations coming down from the Girofano. So they had to get on the defensive. On the right, in the Garigliano depression, the mixed group, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Dickey of the 757th US Battalion which included a battalion of Sherman tanks, the 1st RFM, the 8th RCA and the 22nd BNA, was able to cross the anti-tank ditch around 5 am and infiltrate between the San Appolinare road and the river. South of parallel 05 (between Girofano and Garigliano), the first wave encountered strong resistance from the 44th Aufklärungsabteilung (mortars, automatic weapons and anti-tank weapons).
The companies of the 22nd BNA (battalion chief Lequesne) then lead a hard infantry fight, supported by tanks and TDs. The battalion has serious losses, including 3 officers killed. In the morning, the first wave manages to reach parallel 06, occupying facing north and northwest, the wooded heights of the Conventi where about fifty prisoners are captured. The coverage of the CEF is thus ensured in the north, but this action could not be decisive. The 1st DMI will not be able to do anything until the 2nd DIM has captured the Cerasola and the Girofano.
At the end of the day on May 12, the gains on the entire front of the CEF were therefore limited to the successful conquest of Faito and to the assured one of Castelforte (the door to the mountain and the door to the valley). But no breakthrough yet.
At the beginning of the afternoon, General Juin took his jeep and went on the frontline. He passes to the HQ of General Dody, commanding the 2nd DIM, and to that of General Sevez, commanding the 4th DMM. He sees these two leaders, firm and confident. Then, on foot, he goes to visit the fighters on the Faito. There, at the command post of Colonel Molle, commanding the 8th RTM, amid the bursting of shells, the general commanding the CEF made his decision. The attack will not stop, this French attack which must open the door to the Allied victory in Italy. They have to "do it again" tomorrow morning "and at full speed," said the general, and he quickly descended to give his orders. The maximum power will be applied to the attack of the Feuci - Majo - Agrifoglio - Girofano group, which is indeed the keystone of the entire enemy defensive system. It will be supported by all possible artillery: 44 batteries of 105mm and 28 batteries of 155mm. To obtain a more massive effect, this powerful "hammer" will be applied first to the Cerasola - Girofano, then on the main ridges. Two successive operations are therefore mounted: one on the Cerasola - Girofano, the other on the Feuci - Majo. With regard to the Cerasola, it appears necessary to associate the two arms more intimately: infantry and artillery, and to relieve the 4th RTM, quite “shocked” by the terrible combat of the night. It is therefore decided that the case will be entrusted to the Rognon battalion of the 5th RTM placed at the disposal of Colonel Bridot and that the French first line will be evacuated by the battalion of the 4th RTM which occupies it in order to allow the 155mm to prepare the attack on enemy blockhouses.
The Rognon battalion (III/5th), reinforced by the 11th company of the 4th RTM, a fresh unit, will be responsible for the capture of the Cerasola and the Girofano. The Bachelot battalion (II/4th) will have to recover and hold the first line. The Rognon detachment, following in its footsteps, will attack. The "H" hour of this first operation is fixed at 4 am, after a preparation of artillery of 45 minutes.
On the Feuci - Majo the attack will be carried out by a battalion of the 5th RTM (II/5th, commander Pons) which will overtake the Labadie battalion (III/8th) on the Faito. The Pons battalion will attack jointly with the III/6th RTM, which will overtake the Berteil battalion (I/6th) on the southern edge of the Faito and seize the Crisano pass (south of the Feuci).
This 2nd attack will only be triggered at 8 am, so as to balance the maximum of artillery fire from one operation on the other.
Meanwhile to the south, the left wing of the 4th DMM will extend the breakthrough on the Ceschito, ready to exploit on Ausonia and the Fammera and, on the far left of the CEF, the 3rd DIA will complete the clearing of Castelforte to be able to break through its axis of exploitation.
At the end of the day, to the left of the CEF, the US 2nd army corps captured the Salvatito, the Ceracoli and the Cianelli. On the right, the British managed to carry 8 battalions west of the Gari-Rapido.
Hooray for Dirk and his team.
Ah, desert warfare... It's been more than a year since it ended.
Quick question, SPOILER ALERT after the war in Europe officially ends with VE Day, will you still cover events happening in Europe or only focus on the Pacific Theatre?
Interesting question, since Europe transitions to a post war state while the war carries on unabated on the other side of the globe. I would suspect the channel will still cover political events in Europe since they are inextricably linked to the still ongoing Second World War, and the channel does give equal coverage to the political or human rights aspects of the conflict, but it would be cool to hear what the crew is planning for that.
(more spoilers) you just reminded me indy will have been covering world wars for 10 years by the time this ends
It will probably move over to Pacific coverage mostly, although maybe with focus on the last of the German hold out garrisons. Some in the Dutch northern isles held out until june. And probably on the Potsdam conference, the many POW's being held, the streams of refugees across Europe and of course the US and UK shifting their forces from Europe to the Pacific.
Thats a really good question. Will they go to the nuremburg trials?
@@ivanvoronov3871 You know, that sounds like something that at least Spartacus should cover. If only because he has to make videos on all the horrible horrible war crimes that happened. Indy gets all the flashy stuff, while Spartacus gets all the depressive stuff. Reporting on some justice being done will be good for him.
Hitler + fortress towns, name a more iconic duo
Luigi Cardona and the Isonzo.
Hitler and a bullet.
That lighting makes you look like a timeghost!