How Oil Became Germany’s Biggest Downfall | World War II
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- Опубликовано: 5 май 2024
- Embark on a journey through the annals of history with our latest video, as we unravel the intricate web of events that defined World War II. In this captivating exploration, we peel back the layers to reveal the harrowing tale of Germany's relentless pursuit of a precious resource: oil.
Join us as we navigate the tumultuous landscape of war-torn Europe, where every drop of oil became a symbol of power, survival, and ultimately, defeat. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, we shine a light on the untold sacrifices made by both soldiers and civilians alike in the pursuit of this liquid gold.
From the strategic battles of the desert sands to the clandestine operations of espionage, we uncover the high-stakes gambles and desperate measures taken by Germany to secure its lifeline amidst a sea of adversaries.
But as the flames of war engulfed the continent, Germany's fatal Achilles' heel emerged: a chronic shortage of manpower to extract and defend its precious oil reserves. In this gripping narrative, we dissect the fatal flaw that ultimately spelt doom for the Axis powers.
Prepare to be immersed in a riveting saga of triumph and tragedy, as we shed light on a lesser-known aspect of World War II that forever altered the course of history. Don't miss out on this compelling journey into the heart of one of humanity's greatest conflicts. #worldwar2 #battles #combat #war #education
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So many tanks were being ditched all over the fronts in 1945 generally because fuel was so low
Thank you for uploading this excellent vlog about Germany's struggle for oil during the second World war.
Make another vlog about how Japan 🗾 able to fought entire second World war inspite of having no oil resources of its own and no nearby oil reserves as well , atleast Germany got Romania and Hungary as fuel ⛽ station but after the invasion of Manchuria by Japan 🗾 in 1937, USA banned all the oil shipments and export of oil to japan , inspite of this oil embargo how Japan 🗾 able to fought second World war for so long ?
Dutch east-indies...rich in fuel
*Clicks for a WW2 video, but I get a science lesson instead, haha thanks man
The science of war
They definitely put up one hell of a fight.
Meanwhile Libya had all the oil they could ever need. It was almost discovered in 1930 ...
Had they found it prior to the war or prior to invading the Soviets it would have changed the supply drastically.
Germany was capable of sealing off the Mediterranean from the British if this was its #1 priority - early Malta, drive down on the Western Coast make Cape Verde a big sub and air base, coerce Spain and Portugal, make the Azores a big sub and air base, take Gibraltar, make Crete a big naval and air base and ensure that oil gets into Germany via the Adriatic.
With the oil resolved there is no fear of Soviet bases close to the Romanian oil fields and in 1940 November the Molotov-Ribbentrop plan is extended and enhanced.
With the Soviets becoming more cordial they can replace the US as Japan's oil supplier so Japan does not strike at Pearl Harbor ... the US stays out for a few more years at least.
Britain would have been choked to death by the submarines from Azores and Cape Verde and with a sealed Mediterranean and Rommel reaching the Suez.
An interest idea, but it falls apart over Pearl Harbor. The Soviet Union lacked the bulk transport to supply Japan's oil needs and besides Japan wanted more from the conquest of SE Asia than just oil.
And as one Germany military historian told me, once the U.S. enters the war there in no scenario by which Germany or Japan wins.
@@Inkling777 Japan wanted to avoid the century of humiliation imposed by the West on China. That is why they fought and that is why they could never accept a deliberately humiliating ultimatum from the US on withdrawing from China (even as they realized that they are not able to conquer all China). The US was supplying oil to Japan and an embargo meant starvation and humiliation for Japan and a subjugation to the US. Had the Soviets supplied them with oil (yes they had the infrastructure it is the Transsiberian railway, and once oil starts to move along it the Japanese can also build it up to widen it and the branch through Manchuria can also be built up.
In addition Japan could have found the oil in the Sakhalin.
There is a scenario in which the US and Britain does not win that is when the Soviets enter the Axis in 1940 November. Germany has no Eastern Front, only the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Wall, the Battle of the Atlantic and the air war has their full focus and they have a Soviet-German invasion of the Middle East and its oil from Iran. In addition Japan is now supplied from the Soviets there is no need to attack the US and it can keep building up its naval and air force while the US is still neutral for at least a few more years.
Another scenario is Germany developing the atomic bomb ahead of the Americans.
Thank you for the great work and upload! :)
Nice thank you really enjoying the videos here
I absolutely love your content! Keep it coming, thanks.
Thanks mate 💙
Monday treat thanks!
Nice! Thanks for the videos
Well documented video. Many factors known but neatly put together.
Subscribed! Nice Job 👍
Thank u for your hard work appreciate you
excellent video. well done!
Love the channel, thanks for all you do
Keep it up mate, my favourite ww2 channel
Excellent work. 👍🏻
thanks for another interesting videos
TRUE BLACK GOLD
Oil was a major downfall for them, look at Stalingrad for example to capture the oil fields it was a total mess
Definitely
Nazi Germany was NEVER really a world power - cause had no natural resources like US and Russia. That's why if England and France had stopped Hitler in 1936-37 the war may have been prevented. They let Hitler get so damn powerful it took a world coalition to stop him.
Excellent
Two major contributions to Germany's oil situation were possible. The first was an earlier discovery of the large Matzen oil field in Austria which was only discovered in 1949. The second was Estonian shale oil. After the war Estonian shale oil grew to huge proportions. Germany could have exploited Estonian oil shale from the fall of 1941. Instead it only did so in early 1943 after the failed Case Blue.
Both of the major adversaries of the United States had shortages of fuel. Both Germany and Japan did not have the ability to supply their own fuel needs with internal production like the US did. So the handwriting was on the wall. Unless they were able to gain fuel resources by conquering other countries, they would both lose their wars against the US. Thank God for the natural resources he gave to our country.
Japan almost lost their entire merchant fleet. Nothing could get through, they had to get metal from the bomb craters to give to the factories. The fuel oil for the ships was so bad that by '44, the ships speeds were severely reduced and you could see the smoke for miles. The biggest ships and the fastest planes are useless if they sit in one place.
Brilliant thanks
Your dedication and engaging delivery of ww2 docs is amazing. You deserve so much more attention than what you currently have. I believe you can be the next dr.felton if you keep this up.
Your content is really good keep it up
This is a bit ironic as germany did in fact have two large undiscovered oil fields right on its doorstep Matzen in Austria and Schoonebeek in the Netherlands - together these fields held over 1.5 Billion barrels of oil + Hungary too had a fair bit of oil as yet undiscovered Algyő (84 million tonnes) and Nagylengyel (45 million tonnes). In my opinion this is the ultimate what if, and really the only way germany could have won or at least got some kind of negotiated peace. I should also add that this more or less solves germany's rubber crisis (yes rubber too was in great demand and after oil the second most sought after resource) - giant resources needed for synthetic oil would be freed up and used for the production of synthetic rubber, thus solving that problem as well.
Fascinating
The battle of the bulge certainly would have turned out differently, had the Germans actually had fuel to reach the objective. Yes, oil and gas ARE important!
I suspect the Battle of the Bulge would have turned out worse for the Germans had they more fuel. They would have advanced further and lost more troops as they proved unable to withdraw. The "bulge" was the problem. It left the German advance at risk due to attacks from the north and south. It is the same reason Eisenhower chose to advance into Germany on a broad front.
@@Inkling777 well, the farthest advanced German unit, fought till they they ran out of fuel and tank ammunition, and walked back to their own lines. An opportunity lost, due to poor planning, and lack of resources.
I appreciate the editorial that comes with the film, but is it living space that they were after as has been said in other films or oil? Germany could have done market trading for the oil instead of bloodshed and war??
Hitler wanted both land and oil. But he was also a risk taker. Unable to force the Brits out of the war, he turned East in an effort to get both, advancing on three fronts to do that. One or maybe two fronts would have given him a greater chance of success.
Wooo new HAW video
I believe the title of the thumbnail "Oil is blood" is influenced by a video from Waracademy thumbnail "Gasoline is blood" . Thanks you for providing such an interesting video.
I believe that Hitler's Chief Logistician told him that shortages would arise in three months following the invasion of the Soviet Union. Herr Schnickelgruber was only too willing to gamble with the lives of his soldiers. In 1941, he stopped the Panzers at Smolensk for ten days I believe. This was likely due to a shortage of fuel.
One of many reasons why they lost.
The conditions on the Eastern Front were horrendous.Even a modern fully mechanised army would struggle.So taking into account the vast distances and terrain fuel must of not gone unnoticed by the German war machine.I think they just hoping for a quick victory.
Moscow in 6 months!. Lol.
W@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg Well DC, London and the Western Exiled governments had already given up on Moscow, after the initial German successes. The Russians were smart to trade territory for time. Kind of like they do now with equal success.
@@NorthbyWest like now?...... sanctions are finally having effect, the next 6 months will be informative
@@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg The last 12 months were informative already.
@@NorthbyWest Sure. If you are in Russia you don't need me to tell you how everything is beginning to crack.
They such a superior beyond limit
"The German army is a machine, and machines can be broken!"
Konstantin Rokossovsky Marshal Of The Soviet Union.
I wonder how it would have worked had Hitler aimed at least 2 of his 3 armies at the south and the Caucasus first, to secure the oil fields before winter 1941. This would have blocked the USSR from their primary oil supply and supply route up the Volga. They could have then moved slowly North to capture the territory towards Moscow and Leningrad without overextending their ground troops. Also, if they had started building large bombers like the Allies had, then they could have bombed the cities and factories without committing large scale ground troops way beyond their supply lines. Also, had they not learned the lessons of Napoleon's catastrophically disastrous invasion? Clearly not!
history will remember your work, i don't love the AI voices but this channel is needed.
Absolutely on the oil/fuel
I think if they had taken the oil fields at the Caucuses things would have been different
I wonder why Germany didn’t attack from Romania? It seems like a strategy that may have worked if they had foregone Moscow for the oil fields. At least getting there would’ve allowed the Germans to destroy if not take the fields giving them options that they otherwise didn’t have. And a singular thrust to Moscow instead of attacking north. IDK.
It's because Hitler delayed the invasion by a month to bail out Italy's disasterous invasion of Greece. When he came back, he rushed
🎉🎉
Same with Japan. When Australia captured Borneo that was the last of Japan’s oil and what they had been able to make synthetically was destroyed by the American Air Force.
Interesting viewpoint. Germany when it embarked on Barbarosa started off with many deficiencies. Their intelligence was wrong and they had a belief that if they were to kick in the door the whole rotten edifice would collapse. This proved to be untrue. At the moment that Barbarossa started Germany was deficient in transport, in manpopower, in manufacturing both weapons and ammunition. They had a small army (relative to the allies) and had to win quickly.The initial success of maneuver warfare lead the Germans into the error of thinking this was a strategy that would always succeed. But the Russians despite horrific initial loses were able to change their strategy from a thin eggshell type defence that blitzkrieg could crack to defence in great depth the Genmay tactics failed against. Couple this to the Russian moving all of their manufacturing out of range of the Germans and the deficiencies that Germany started Barbarossa with were gradually compounded as the war moved from a quick victory to attritional warfare. Fuel definitely played a part, But so did all of the deficiencies that the Germans had from Barbarossa inception onwards. Even if Germany had completely solved the fuel problem they would have still lost.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Really enjoyed your video I do believe that the lack of oil had a great effect on the German army although Blitzkrieg was effective at the beginning of the war you also have to understand that they were fighting against inferior armies it was an only a matter of time before American might would defeat the Nazis
tiks channel taught me this,.
Black gold like blood 🙄🥺🥹😳 oh mine oh my Germany 🇩🇪
👍🌹🌹👍
An impossible position for the Axis and Hitler mania.
If Germany had its own de facto infinite oil reserves within its borders, there's a very high chance everyone in Europe would be speaking German today. Instead of trying to get to the Baku oil fields via Stalingrad, they'd have concentrated forces like the 6th army on capturing Moscow. Stalin would've been captured, as he vowed to stay in Moscow, and that would've been a wrap. That's not even to mention they would've had masses of jet fighters running laps around the propeller-driven fighters of the allies. Somewhere in the universe, on a planet just like ours, Germany had that oil, and they won the war.
britain had jet fighters too.
unless germany creates the atom bomb (which wasn't possible) it would have still lost.
Imagine if SS divisions raced for for Baku?
Note: no SS divisions were at stalingrad
Germany's fate was sealed on June 22 1941...
Yes, that was only two days earlier than Napoleon's attack on Russia on June 24, 1812. Like Napoleon, Hitler was done in by the cruel Russian winter. Napoleon at least got to Moscow. Hitler's army only got to a distant suburb.
Thats what we know today, back then most of them knew after the DDAY that they can’t win the war, even after the defeat of stalingrad there was only hope for the allies but not proof to win the war
Once Adolph declared war on the United States of America 🇺🇸 his country's fate was sealed to the max.
well, the germans didn't have enough strategic choices for their fuel supply... they could have not made the bismark and tirpitz in order to build those synthetic plants but that would have killed any idea of invading norway or even supporting norway against an allied occupation - risking the strategically important swedish iron ore supply lines - giving the germans another strategic troublesome issue to deal with that would also have crippled the germans - so that leaves only some alt history libyan oil finds or germany delaying the czech issues for at least another year... which in turn would cause more issues due to the allied and soviet buildup of military forces... so much of which could have been the german downfall...
That’s something the Germans didn’t acknowledge, they didn’t think about how the war would effect oil import
An oil field too far
Ultimately it wouldn’t have mattered if Germany had a reliable fuel source throughout the war and no shortages. They were outnumbered. No one could have fought the US, Britain and the USSR simultaneously and won. Germany might have prolonged the war however if they weren’t hobbled by lack of fuel, perhaps it would have gone into 1946. Really their only way of winning the war would have been developing the atomic bomb first. Germany was doomed to lose from the get go.
iiih serem
great channel but I gotta ask,is the narrator AI or not? What do you guys think? Not that it really matters, just curious
Human ?
@@user-nv4wu7hc3f idk,I think its a human one minute and AI the next,if its AI then its not that bad actually
“ *Brent, Stalingrad?* “
easy with the adjectives ffs .. too much man
They new this was a problem from the get go.
Read "The Prize"
Putting aside the reasons that that Nazis went to war, staying with the Nazi capabilities and obstacles, it is probably correct that the lack of oil was the biggest obstacle. A very close second was the alliance with Italy. Italy was pushed out of Ethiopia in May of 1941, already going backwards before Pearl Harbor. Mussolini's attack on Greece was a complete and an important failure. My favorite is that Italy never took Malta. Churchill did not need a Trojan Horse, he had Malta.
So Germany lost the war due to fuel issues not conventional oil issues? It appears Germany and the U.S. were developing synthetic oils at the same time. But the USA had the resources to develop more with better quality gas at 100 octane vs 87. So bottom line is you better have plenty of backup if you intend on going war.
Germany was doomed from the first day of the War in Europe. Oil was just part of it. They spent too much of their meager transport transporting human beings they didn't like. The whole war was a cover for the systematic murder of people, which would not fit in with the Reich's plans. The Soviets colluded with the Reich and then switched sides. Well, they were a difficult allied power, to say the least, just as criminal as the Reich. Declaring war on the US was a stupid move more so than going into Russia. The War came down to oil and industrial production. Without the oil and the high-quality refined fuel, there is not much you can do about it. The US didn't have fuel issues, industrial issues, or the most important one of all, Food issues. The allies were lucky that the US could, without much issue, make up for their shortfalls. None of it matters a wit if you can't eat.
Oil is the blood of the world.
I just wonder why they did not build a tanker fleet to gather arab oil. Expanding from isolation is a weird idea, the result of self related overthinking.
russian oil fields = already existing land & air forces vs red army + soviet airforce
arab oil fields = not yet built fleet vs british empire army + airforce + navy
One other issue sometimes discussed - rail cars. If I remember correctly, trains and rail cars moving “Jews and other low life” had priority over troop trains, equipment trains etc.
Easy answer- no. There I saved you from watching this lol.
To answer the question, could Germany have mitigated its oil/fuel shortage handicap enough to have won the war? I think yes, if the right strategic decisions to invade England had been made in 1940. A crucial operational mistake, largely made by Hitler was to stop the panzer divisions for faulty reasons and not take into captivity the cream of the British army in Belgium, and then not go into Britian right away in the late summer/fall of 1940. I believe had Germany deprived Britian of this 340,000 men, and invaded soon after, Britian would not have been able to stop an invasion. Had Germany occupied England, removed Churchill, installed a nationalist leader, and removed the international banking hold on Britian, the war in the west would have been over. If Britian was then an allied nation, Germany might have then had access to oil in Libya, provided by Italy, and also been able to use the Suez Canal for importing oil from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran. With Britian out of the war, and more oil sources available, and invasion of the USSR would have had a greater chance of overall success.
1 problem with your logic., the army wasn't the reason germany couldn't invade britain.
@@bigenglishmonkey Not allowing the troops in Belgium to escape would have deprived Britain of most of their professional army, which would have been decisive when the German Army landed. While Hitler never made the decision to invade when he should have, there is no proof of another reason the Germans could not invade in 1940. They had an airborne division and other units that would have been dropped in Southeast England quickly, who were more than a match for the Home Guard. They had plenty of U-Boats, dive bombers, and medium bombers that could have inflicted huge losses on the Royal Navy, plus heavy artillery units that could cover the Channel between Dover and Calais. The thousands of Rhine barges and other craft would have been impossible to stop in numbers enough to prevent a large enough invasion force to build up and break into the interior of the country. Some claim the Royal Navy would have made it impossible for a crossing. The German Air Force and U-boats would have made it costly for them to try.
@@haroldk3913
1. those conditions lasted a little after dunkirk until 1943 and germany never took the chance, so theres enough proof already.
2. 102 ships were in pearl harbour when japan attacked, only 2 were destroyed forever.
why? because until 1943 with radar, only 22% of bombs from planes landed within 15 miles of a stationary target.
3. u-boats weren't that successful, hence why they focused on ships transporting supplies.
4. only around 220,000 british troops were in france and dunkirk, britain had 800,000 at the start of the war and only 50,000 were stationed outside of britain.
by june of 1940 when france fell the british army had increased to 1,650,000 men, meaning even with the loss at dunkirk and 50k elswhere, around 1,380,000 trained men were in britain, then theres the 340,000 exiled troops from other countries who arrived within 9 days after dunkirk.
meaning there would be potentially 1,720,000 trained troops waiting for germany, and even if you think they wouldnt matter the home guard at that point numbered 1,300,000.
if germany couldn't do it without the 1,720,000 troops stationed in britain, then they wouldn't even make it off the beaches in your scenario.
@@haroldk3913 if they made it to the beaches at all that is.
also, you do realise the longest artillery in WW2 could reach was around 20 miles right?
exactly 1 mile short of the shortest gap between britain and europe, the longest being 150 miles.
hence why germany couldnt fire into britain until they had rockets, near the end of the war.
@@bigenglishmonkey Yes, I know the artillery in France cannot reach over, but that is not what I said. It could reach into the Channel and hit the Royal Navy that came into range to try and attack the German Navy and transports. Artillery would come later, once enough infantry were over. Just like at D-Day. The Allies did not offload artillery until the infantry had moved far enough inland.
If Hitler would have been able to take Russis out of the war in 1941 maybe but then again declaring war on the United States Dec 11 th 1941 wasnt the wisest move either after that what did he exspect to happen ? A war of attrition that Germany never could hope to win
You intentionally blew it in the first line, as BOTH RUSSIA and Germany invaded Poland. Both were Socialist entities.
They sure did, this video isn’t about the Soviet Union, everyone knows the Soviet Invaded as well.
Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939. The Soviet Union delayed its attack until September 17.
Basically, when the werhmacht had fuel it was unstoppable, stopping this war machine's supply of fuel is the main reason they lost the war.
They jumped Germany till they finally got to Berlin no surprise
Poorly researched. Westprussia belonged to the German Empire and not Poland. Do better!
We didn’t mention West Prussia in terms of not belonging to the Germans? We mentioned the German invasion, if it belonged to the Germans or not isn’t apart of this video.
Another reason Germany lost the war was in inefficient way Hitler made every German tie their shoes...in little Nazis 😂❤😂
Military Operations undertake such Strategic National Missions, such as Airfield Seizures, the taking of GOPLATs ( ⛽ and 🛢️ Platforms) , and , other Infrastructure, are essentially intrinsic for the Victory ,or sadly, Defeat of Military, Naval, Amphibious, Aerospace, Littoral and Special Operations Forces , in Action and Active Combat Operations Downrange.🇺🇲🇺🇸🦅🌎⚓🪖💣💥🔥🛡️🗡️⚔️🏅🎖️🇺🇲🇺🇸