Kaiserschlacht - German Spring Offensive 1918 I THE GREAT WAR Week 191

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  • Опубликовано: 21 мар 2018
  • It was all or nothing for the German Army under General Erich Ludendorff now: They unleashed the biggest offensive of the entire war on the Western Front trying to split the British and French Armies, drive the British off the continent and capture Paris.
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    Gilbert, Martin. The First World War. A Complete History, Holt Paperbacks, 2004.
    Hart, Peter. The Great War. A Combat History of the First World War, Oxford University Press, 2013.
    Hart, Peter. The Great War. 1914-1918, Profile Books, 2013.
    Stone, Norman. World War One. A Short History, Penguin, 2008.
    Keegan, John. The First World War, Vintage, 2000.
    Hastings, Max. Catastrophe 1914. Europe Goes To War, Knopf, 2013.
    Hirschfeld, Gerhard. Enzyklopädie Erster Weltkrieg, Schöningh Paderborn, 2004
    Michalka, Wolfgang. Der Erste Weltkrieg. Wirkung, Wahrnehmung, Analyse, Seehamer Verlag GmbH, 2000
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Комментарии • 1 тыс.

  • @suddenlyminotaurs3469
    @suddenlyminotaurs3469 6 лет назад +754

    I remember reading a kinda moving story about the opening days of the Kaiserschlacht, from a British soldier caught in the middle of it all.
    A British machine gunner was firing at a group of German stormtroopers, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to find a German officer with a pistol, standing behind him, having obviously flanked around. Instead of killing him, the German said - not unkindly - "that's enough now, Tommy. The war is over for you." and took him prisoner. For a soldier caught in a static war of lines and artillery for years, to suddenly have the enemy appear behind you must've felt like the world had turned upside down.

    • @nicholasanonymous6796
      @nicholasanonymous6796 3 года назад +38

      Where did you read this story? Interesting

    • @shelbybrown8312
      @shelbybrown8312 3 года назад +106

      That's enough now Tommy the war is over for you...
      Damn

    • @acerld519
      @acerld519 3 года назад +65

      @@nicholasanonymous6796 I read exactly the same story in Martin Middlebrook's 'The Kaiser's Battle'. It's full of such anecdotes and documents the first couple of days of the Kaiserschlacht.

    • @francishuddy9462
      @francishuddy9462 3 года назад +51

      That was generous of the German soldier - in any war or battle, you would expect the machine-gunner to be summarily shot dead ... And that anecdote was probably from Middlebrook's "The Kaiser's Battle." I was just reading the book whilst having a nice hot bath 👍🇬🇧🇩🇪

    • @tylerschoen5643
      @tylerschoen5643 2 года назад +2

      @@francishuddy9462 thank for the next book on my list old chap. Winter means lots of reading for me

  • @namefinder
    @namefinder 6 лет назад +1099

    Only German storm troopers are so precise....

    • @panzerscoutsmemories1152
      @panzerscoutsmemories1152 5 лет назад +47

      namefinder But they don’t had the high ground

    • @mr.ramfan8100
      @mr.ramfan8100 5 лет назад +32

      Too bad for them that they can't win wars...

    • @dardo1201
      @dardo1201 5 лет назад +12

      Do they walk in a single trail though?

    • @onelead
      @onelead 4 года назад +3

      @Hugo Holesch A for Afford

    • @anantachonnambat6701
      @anantachonnambat6701 4 года назад +7

      @Nick G But then France and UK would fall to the syndicates and start a new Weltkrieg just for revenge.

  • @Chazwazzer-sk8sk
    @Chazwazzer-sk8sk 6 лет назад +1082

    Well that's it settled then. Germany wins

    • @truthseekerchannel3584
      @truthseekerchannel3584 6 лет назад +24

      Charles Waite If it would there would be no ww2

    • @darthhaze2
      @darthhaze2 6 лет назад +37

      Nah bro. Allies are going to pull through and win. In fact, I bet my entire life savings on a Allied victory.

    • @Iamlicc
      @Iamlicc 6 лет назад +9

      i'll call that bet

    • @johnnygreenface4195
      @johnnygreenface4195 6 лет назад +13

      Kiryan France gies commie for sure. Prob not fascist

    • @phinix250
      @phinix250 6 лет назад +9

      well, we will see about that. if Germany can take the train station at Amiens then the Allies logistics will be crippled. however if not then the allies can reinforce and the US can help drive them back. The Fate of the world hangs on Amiens.

  • @user-uh7cb3vy4v
    @user-uh7cb3vy4v 6 лет назад +719

    There isnt a more fitting name for a German Artillery Genius than Bruchmüller. Its as if he was destined to break the enemy lines of defense

    • @BonJoviworstbandever
      @BonJoviworstbandever 6 лет назад +125

      Durchbruchmüller

    • @andreascovano7742
      @andreascovano7742 6 лет назад +5

      what does it mean?

    • @Xfire209
      @Xfire209 6 лет назад +88

      Breakthroughmüller

    • @blankblank6545
      @blankblank6545 6 лет назад +55

      BonJoviworstbandever perhaps you already know this, but he was actually called that by his men.

    • @dariusniederer856
      @dariusniederer856 6 лет назад +17

      Andrei Skobtsov Bruch means Break and durch through so as the other dude said: Breakthroughmüller

  • @jrapcdaikari
    @jrapcdaikari 6 лет назад +404

    The Defeat of Russia in the East allowed Germany to concentrate its forces for one massive assault on the British Sectors. The initial hurricane bombardment was heard as far away as London. General Ludendorf then ordered his Stormtroopers to attack the enemy trench lines. - Battlefield 1
    "I saw him yesterday, that artillery officer they're calling 'Durchbruchmuller'. He is here to orchestrate a symphony of our 10,000 guns firing three million shells in just five hours. Over the enemy lines all we can see are rolling clouds of flame and ash. It is like the end of the world. I almost pity poor 'Tommy' in their trenches, trying to make sense of it all..." - A German Stromtrooper, March 1918

    • @jrapcdaikari
      @jrapcdaikari 6 лет назад +1

      jrapcdaikari.deviantart.com/art/Kaiserschlacht-100-Years-Ago-736423042

    • @augustopinochet2495
      @augustopinochet2495 6 лет назад +39

      I've often wondered, are the quotes used in the game from an actual source (e.g. a letter or diary or something of that nature) or were they written for the game?

    • @massaweed420
      @massaweed420 6 лет назад +4

      I was going to try and find this quote in German, like it is in BF1, but this will do well enough lol

    • @ahmadhadi177
      @ahmadhadi177 Год назад

      Paladin Colt That was because of The Brest- Litovsk Peace Treaty signed between the Germans and the Bolsheviks who overthrew the Tsar and the Russian Monarchy as a whole,right?As you mentioned,this allowed German troops from the Eastern Front to be reallocated to the Western Front.

    • @dingus6317
      @dingus6317 10 месяцев назад

      @@ahmadhadi177 Lenin was shipped by train from Germany to Russia

  • @TheIfifi
    @TheIfifi 6 лет назад +811

    General ludendorff!
    ...
    I've been expecting you.

  • @BigTuna69VCR
    @BigTuna69VCR 6 лет назад +1199

    Can't wait to see who wins the war! I've been avoiding spoilers this whole time.

    • @hebl47
      @hebl47 6 лет назад +236

      Come on, it's pretty obvious by now that the Germans have this in the bag!

    • @antonioaceves1080
      @antonioaceves1080 6 лет назад +95

      An massive offensive like this? The Germans have it in the bag I'm sure

    • @robertli3600
      @robertli3600 6 лет назад +4

      That's impossible lol if u took a history clas

    • @weldin
      @weldin 6 лет назад +33

      Russia comes back and wins.

    • @MakeMeThinkAgain
      @MakeMeThinkAgain 6 лет назад +22

      Wait for the dragons.

  • @Heat1261
    @Heat1261 6 лет назад +367

    On a serious note, this is the final climax of the war, from this point on the fate of the war will be decided, and history will be forever changed

    • @HaNNibal97smiTH
      @HaNNibal97smiTH 6 лет назад +19

      Also your fate will be decided

    • @KaiserWilhelm1888_II
      @KaiserWilhelm1888_II 6 лет назад +31

      The war will be over before christmas.

    • @TheIndignation
      @TheIndignation 6 лет назад +8

      You've got this in the bag Germany. It will indeed be over before Christmas.

    • @leonpaelinck
      @leonpaelinck 2 года назад

      The war was already decides after the failure of the schlieffen plan

    • @nottoday2345
      @nottoday2345 Год назад

      Little did yall know

  • @Dermotallic
    @Dermotallic 6 лет назад +45

    "Storm of Steel" is a WWI memoir written by a storm-troop leader named Ernst Junger. He wrote a whole chapter on the Spring Offensive (Kaiserschlacht) which he fought in. He describes the moment that the artillery barrage began as follows:
    "At once a hurricane broke loose. A curtain of flames was let down, followed by a sudden tumult such as was never heard, a raging thunder that swallowed up reports of even the heaviest guns … and made the earth tremble. This gigantic roar of annihilation from countless guns behind was so terrific that, compared with it, all preceding battles were child’s play. What we had dared hope came true. The enemy artillery was silenced, put out of action by one giant blow … We looked with wonder at the wall of fire towering over the English lines and the blood-red clouds that hung above it… In front stood a blind wall of smoke, dust and gas… The very laws of nature seemed to have lost their validity. The air shimmered as though on a day of summer heat … objects danced to and fro … One could scarcely hear the thousands of machine guns in our rear that swept the blue sky with swarm upon swam of lead."
    Later in the chapter: "The great moment had come. The fire lifted over the first trenches. We advanced. The turmoil of our feelings was called forth by rage, alcohol, and thirst for blood as we stepped out, heavily and yet irresistibly, for the enemy’s lines … I was far in front of the company … In my right hand I gripped my revolver, in my left a bamboo riding cane. I was boiling with a fury now utterly inconceivable to me. The overpowering desire to kill winged my feet. Rage squeezed bitter tears from my eyes."

  • @wizzzer1337
    @wizzzer1337 6 лет назад +75

    ""This infernal bombardment. The noise, the smoke. The most tremendous cannonade I've ever heard. It swept around us in a wide curve of red leaping flame, quite unending in either direction!"

    • @Echani3007
      @Echani3007 3 года назад +3

      I'm playing that rn lol, as Germans of course

    • @cesarst3720
      @cesarst3720 2 года назад +12

      “I saw him yesterday, that artillery officer they are calling Durchbruchmuller. He’s here to orchestrate the symphony of our 10,000 guns, firing three million shells in just five hours. Over the enemy lines all we can see are rolling clouds of flame and ash. *It’s like the end of the world*
      I almost pity the poor Tommy in their trenches, trying to make sense of it all”

  • @SuperLusername
    @SuperLusername 6 лет назад +181

    Man, those Germans though...
    Taking on 3 of the most powerful countries in the world (aside from Germany itself), knocking one of them out and giving the other 2 a run for their money.
    It seems as though the Royal Navy participated in WW1 much less than in WW2 but at the same time played a much more important role in WW1.

    • @petrameyer1121
      @petrameyer1121 6 лет назад +11

      *cough* Jutland *cough*
      Pretty sure that is still the biggest seabattle of the Royal Navy in both wars.

    • @SuperLusername
      @SuperLusername 6 лет назад +6

      Petra Meyer I know but for some reason I have a feeling that besides Jutland there wasnt much else. While in ww2 there were enty of well known engagements between Royal Navy and Kriegsmarine as well as Regia Marina and IJN.

    • @ralphraffles1394
      @ralphraffles1394 6 лет назад +18

      Evilsamar German Navy never again left port or challenged the Royal Navy after Jutland. German Navy mutinied rather than face the Royal Navy in Battle again.

    • @SuperLusername
      @SuperLusername 6 лет назад +18

      Ralph Raffles Thats what Im saying. Royal Navy in WW1 seems to have played a larger role than in WW2. Even though it was less active. Thats my opinion at least

    • @TheSoleGOAT
      @TheSoleGOAT 5 лет назад +6

      @@ralphraffles1394 But the British casualties were higher

  • @steven_003
    @steven_003 6 лет назад +1234

    I can't belive we are so close to the end. :(

    • @agentk1073
      @agentk1073 6 лет назад +83

      Steven003 we are now approaching the climax of the war, and it’s taken 3 and a half years to get there

    • @matiasmakinen5028
      @matiasmakinen5028 6 лет назад +11

      Still more than half a year

    • @jeroldproductions6367
      @jeroldproductions6367 6 лет назад +58

      Steven003 Can't wait to see how it ends.

    • @steven_003
      @steven_003 6 лет назад +2

      +Matias Mäkinen Compared to the last years not too long.

    • @steven_003
      @steven_003 6 лет назад +3

      +Agent K Yeah, now it's gonna get interesting.

  • @richpiana7011
    @richpiana7011 6 лет назад +958

    With this offensive, Germany will surely win!

    • @LickPersianPussy
      @LickPersianPussy 6 лет назад +41

      I am rooting for the germans! go huns!

    • @SteveMHN
      @SteveMHN 6 лет назад +9

      All sides had been saying that since the start of the war.

    • @Nutellafuerst
      @Nutellafuerst 6 лет назад +5

      kinda funny to think about how the 20th might have played out if they had. there might have never been a cold war.

    • @dariusniederer856
      @dariusniederer856 6 лет назад +19

      I had doubts before but after this video I am 💯% Sure they'll win

    • @shirleymental4189
      @shirleymental4189 6 лет назад +5

      Moritz Rill Cold war? maybe not even a second world war.

  • @merdiolu
    @merdiolu 6 лет назад +596

    It is really weird that Germans made such eleborate preperations , planning and developed advanced tactics for breakthrough but did not create any system to exploit the breakthrough once it occured like setting up a proper supply logistics system to keep the momentum of advance going or setting up final objectives to conclude offensive as a success strategically like railroad and motor road arteries , major cities etc. They were making up as went along.

    • @11Kralle
      @11Kralle 6 лет назад +106

      A "Proper supply logistics system" needs proper supplies in the first place. Ludendorff counted on a certain type of victory and got a different type of success.
      Spoiler: the troops stumbled upon allied depots and got aware of the fact, that their (semi-talented) opponents could revert to an overly abundant stock of supplies, both in quality and quantity.

    • @Raptor747
      @Raptor747 6 лет назад +120

      To be fair, the technology to really logistically support massive, rapid breakthroughs through terrain like the Western Front didn't really exist in WW1. It worked in 1914 because there were no trenches, no dug in artillery batteries, no barbed wire, no thoroughly broken and muddy terrain, no harassing aircraft, etc..
      Logistically supporting massive, rapid offensives is a lot harder than most people realize. It really says something that, in 1941, the German army's thrust towards Moscow ultimately failed because it outran its own logistical capabilities, despite having virtually nothing in the way of enemy obstacles for said logistics to overcome.

    • @MajorCoolD
      @MajorCoolD 6 лет назад +67

      You shouldnt forget: Building railway lines and and motor roads takes time... as we got to know the Germans advanced in some places more than 7 kilometeres, which is a breeze for a person to walk over unbroken terrain and easy with modern vehicles, but keep in mind the Germans had a MUCH smaller motor pool than the Entante forces and there was litterally tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of soldiers that needed to be supplied, guns and cannons aswell and all of that... it's quite a challenge.
      Also the more the troopers actually carry with them, the more encoumbered they are, so there's numerous things to keep in mind.

    • @kaljulien
      @kaljulien 6 лет назад +37

      Great comment! In fact, the idea of "decisive battle" was the center of the German military thinking. Few considerations were made to global strategy, the strategy only goal was to find the place where the best tactical success can be achieved. Indy show a great example by pointing the fact than Luddendorf already changed his plans on day 2.
      So, after breaking through but achieved nothing strategically important, Germany have already lost.
      The exact same thing will doom Germany on WW2.

    • @hemmingwayfan
      @hemmingwayfan 6 лет назад +20

      In their defense the Western Front had been mostly static since the end of the Race to the Sea. Not only that but the Germans had primarily been on the defensive for all this time. Plus you've got hundreds of thousands of soldiers newly arrived from the Eastern Front in a relatively short period of time, potentially overwhelming the existing supply lines with their demands.

  • @seancondon5686
    @seancondon5686 6 лет назад +393

    *Sees The Great War Has Posted A Video*
    Me: Yesss
    *Sees the date*
    Me: Yesssssssss
    *Sees that the Kaiserschlacht has begun*
    Me: YESSSSSSS

    • @seancondon5686
      @seancondon5686 6 лет назад +12

      TheSatanicTicTac Oh.

    • @ralphraffles1394
      @ralphraffles1394 6 лет назад +2

      TheSatanicTicTac it might be worth putting some money on that hunch.

    • @seancondon5686
      @seancondon5686 6 лет назад +2

      Paul Alexander Thanks man. Means a lot. I've been going through a lot lately. I've been looking for a job, fighting with my girlfriend, and just trying to figure out how I got to this point in my life. It takes effort to write now. It just used to be so easy. But now...anyway, it means a lot. Thanks for the support. Blessings. Who knows, I might write more soon! *Shrugs weakly*

    • @seancondon5686
      @seancondon5686 6 лет назад +1

      Paul Alexander *Begins losing faith in humanity yet again*
      (The trick is to put *s on either side of your message.)

    • @evelyngravatt3198
      @evelyngravatt3198 6 лет назад +4

      *WILL YOU NUMBSKULLS QUIT IT AND GET BACK TO THE TRENCHES?*

  • @vasilzahariev5741
    @vasilzahariev5741 6 лет назад +42

    That's my favourite Operation in Battlefield 1.

    • @fristnamelastname5549
      @fristnamelastname5549 6 лет назад

      Vasil Zahariev I agree! I also like the Verdun, the American one, and the 2 Russian Ops.

  • @SpacemanXC
    @SpacemanXC 6 лет назад +158

    "Clear the enemies from the sector."
    _pew pew pew_
    "Sector secure. Advance to the next sector."

    • @terryl7855
      @terryl7855 6 лет назад +7

      SpaceManDawn AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

    • @SpacemanXC
      @SpacemanXC 6 лет назад +7

      GO GO GO

    • @darthmerlinigaming
      @darthmerlinigaming 6 лет назад +19

      We have been reinforced by an airship

    • @johnyoung4441
      @johnyoung4441 6 лет назад +17

      "This infernal bombardment. The noise, the smoke..."

    • @VoltSh0ck
      @VoltSh0ck 6 лет назад +6

      *Blows Whistle*

  • @thomassugg3422
    @thomassugg3422 6 лет назад +267

    My Paternal Great Great Grandfather was involved in the Kaiserschlacht offensive but on the British side he was injured during a german attack he was on the Western front from 4th October 1914 to the 28th of June 1918.

    • @GravesRWFiA
      @GravesRWFiA 6 лет назад +8

      My great grandfather was there too, his cavalry regiment was recalled form Palestine where they had been allenby's headquarters troops and rushed to the front where mounted troops were , or will, play a role fighting the german's

    • @saint_matthias
      @saint_matthias 6 лет назад

      Why 28th of June not 11th of November

    • @thomassugg3422
      @thomassugg3422 6 лет назад +1

      Mr. Unopposed he was shot in the face whilst defending against a German attack.

    • @saint_matthias
      @saint_matthias 6 лет назад

      Thomas Sugg how do you know the detail

    • @thomassugg3422
      @thomassugg3422 6 лет назад

      Mr. Unopposed we have information from his military records

  • @fatalexception1269
    @fatalexception1269 2 года назад +18

    It is worth mentioning that this battle saw the first introduction into combat of the sub-machinegun. The German Stormtroopers carried the MP18's into battle, with great success.

  • @LearnedSophistry
    @LearnedSophistry 6 лет назад +292

    This is it boys. The final push towards Paris! This should be quick and easy. Our new tank is far more powerful that theirs, plus with our secret new trench sweeper provided by Bergmann, they have no chance at stopping us! Onwards!

    • @phinix250
      @phinix250 6 лет назад

      you have cleared a trench but what about a city?

    • @suspicioususer
      @suspicioususer 6 лет назад +22

      Surely the war will be over by Christmas this time

    • @Oh-uk5ee
      @Oh-uk5ee 6 лет назад

      What quotes are these from lol

    • @ArcturusOTE
      @ArcturusOTE 6 лет назад +2

      Don't forget ze Bergmann und Parabellum machine guns, M1917 carbines, ze belt fed SMGs ze Austro Hungarians sent to us, and a variety of other exotic weapons because why not? They will never expect the -Spanish Inquisition- German offense

    • @plumbherhub1664
      @plumbherhub1664 6 лет назад

      Got mit unce

  • @jimbodeathgrip
    @jimbodeathgrip 6 лет назад +246

    The beginning of the end...

    • @NormanMStewart
      @NormanMStewart 6 лет назад

      Brotha, please, wait till August....

    • @jimbodeathgrip
      @jimbodeathgrip 6 лет назад +4

      The start of the offensive that could've but didn't is the beginning of the end. They never recover.

    • @NormanMStewart
      @NormanMStewart 6 лет назад +14

      And their bitterness about it lasted nearly 3 decades...

    • @wierdalien1
      @wierdalien1 6 лет назад +3

      Jimbo Deathgrip id argue this is the end of middle

    • @johnnygreenface4195
      @johnnygreenface4195 6 лет назад +1

      Germany's got this in the basket

  • @johnyoung4441
    @johnyoung4441 6 лет назад +65

    -- This infernal bombardment... The noise, the smoke!
    -- The most tremendous cannonade I ever heard! Swept round us in a wide curving leap of flame quite unending in either direction.
    -- C'mon boys... Concentrate on your bayonet... Imagine it piercing the hearts of the hun. *Every last one of 'em...*

    • @enissamiri7989
      @enissamiri7989 6 лет назад +5

      Last Strike Mapping st quentin scar...

    • @batozorange
      @batozorange 4 года назад +1

      You missed like 2 lines.

  • @iupetre
    @iupetre 6 лет назад +94

    Ah! The beginning of the much anticipated climax! It's hard to believe it's gone by so fast. I've been a subscriber since Spring of 2015. Such a great show and series.

    • @fristnamelastname5549
      @fristnamelastname5549 6 лет назад +1

      iupetre I bet the next war will end in a... flash
      I will show my self out.

  • @LordVader1094
    @LordVader1094 6 лет назад +58

    I love that thumbnail image more than words can describe.
    Also, just popping in on this episode to say I'll finally be fully caught up with the series, just in time for the end!

  • @97CoolDragon
    @97CoolDragon 6 лет назад +16

    "They say this will be the war to end all wars, but it shall not be the war to end us. STAND. FAST!"

  • @lebendigesgespenst7669
    @lebendigesgespenst7669 3 года назад +18

    Imagine having been in a meat grinder stalemate for years. You’ve learned the rules written in blood and experience:
    This trench is your side, you keep your head down, keep your gas mask handy, stay alert and you should be relatively safe. That trench over there is the enemy side, don’t look over there unless you’re a sniper ready to pickoff some curios greens, otherwise it’s pretty much the same situation for them. In between it all is no man’s land. It’s a field of death under truly no side’s control. Any person that goes out there will likely never make it to the other side and if they do then only the most brutal of combat of men giving their all to survive is all that awaits them. If they somehow survive to take the trench it won’t matter for too long.
    Then, out of the blue on a day almost like any other you experience the culmination of the German’s entire war effort in a sort of proto version of the blitzkrieg that would shake Europe a generation later. All the old rules are out of the window, everything you know is wrong, and while you were taking aim to fend off your trench you quickly find the Germans are already behind you

    • @ibrahimtuna375
      @ibrahimtuna375 Год назад +1

      Kaiserschlacht or German stormtrooper infiltration tactics in general completely changed the aspect of the war.
      It was completely new like tanks.
      While tanks brought a armoured warfare to war, infiltration tactics changed the infantry so much that a very big part of basic infantry training today includes it.

  • @sirvolkerstein
    @sirvolkerstein 6 лет назад +98

    ITS FINALLY HAPPENING!!! THIS WILL WIN THE WAR FOR GERMANY!!!

    • @ChevyChase301
      @ChevyChase301 6 лет назад +2

      SirVolkerStein oh say can you seeeee

    • @sleong
      @sleong 6 лет назад +1

      go GERMANY!!!

  • @KUDO1973
    @KUDO1973 6 лет назад +104

    Great work, Indy and Team! As usual, I should add. THANKS!

  • @jaeckex6214
    @jaeckex6214 6 лет назад +56

    Now, THIS is modern war. Guys, we arrived at the beginning of modern warfare tactics.

    • @colinkelly5420
      @colinkelly5420 6 лет назад +9

      Not quite. The German lack tanks, which is an essential ingredient in modern warfare. Its really the Allies in a few months that birth modern combined arms tactics with concentrated tank attacks as well as innovative infantry and artillery tactics, plus the first real heavy use of Close Air Support.

    • @zaxxxppe
      @zaxxxppe 6 лет назад +1

      that is lack of supplies, Collin Kelly. We are talking about tactics which really are the basis of the modern warfare.

    • @felafnirelek8987
      @felafnirelek8987 6 лет назад

      In just a few short years, these tactics would begin to be refined in the russian civil war and the polish soviet war. Just twenty-one years after this, these twctics would be perfected. Germans rush across the border into Poland, and their tactics would esnure a fascist victory in spain.

    • @colinkelly5420
      @colinkelly5420 6 лет назад

      You need tanks for combined arms tactics, which is what modern warfare is. The Germans had Infantry, Artillery and air power (to an extent) down, but was missing the metal fist.
      If you mean infantry tactics, the French were actually ahead of the Germans. The German infantry platoon in 1918 still had specialized squads (1 squad of riflemen, 1 squad of rifle grenadiers, 1 squad of grenadiers (hand grenades), and 1 squad to support the 1x MG08/15). The French would by November 1918 have codified their platoon on the universal squad concept (3-4 squads per platoon, each with a LMG (Chauchat), riflemen, grenadiers and rifle grenades). The British would end the war with a hybrid, 4 squads per platoon with 2 squads as LMGs (Lewis guns) and 2 squads as rifles/genadiers/rifle grenades.

  • @stephanmoore9234
    @stephanmoore9234 6 лет назад +32

    Man! 3 million men that's as many as on the eastern front during operation Barbarossa in ww2!

    • @vasil21
      @vasil21 6 лет назад +5

      Exact number for the Germans on the Western Front on 21 March 1918 was 192 divisions +3 brigades for a total of 3,574,906 men. Yet this number was probably only about half of total Quadruple Alliance forces. Still it shows how massive this war was.

    • @sleong
      @sleong 6 лет назад +5

      this offensive was truly epic in scope.

  • @sushimuncher282
    @sushimuncher282 6 лет назад +7

    "These infernal bombardments... the noise, the smoke. The most tremendous cannonade I've ever heard."

  • @smudgyace
    @smudgyace 6 лет назад +38

    Shout out to everyone (Like myself) who've been impatiently waiting for this video to be posted.

    • @petersullivan4301
      @petersullivan4301 6 лет назад

      Marcus Hines been waiting for a long time for this week!

    • @HaNNibal97smiTH
      @HaNNibal97smiTH 6 лет назад

      Same here, I think 1918 will surprise me in many ways

  • @DaGamesPlaya
    @DaGamesPlaya 6 лет назад +3

    There's something unique about the Spring Offensive, this weird atmosphere, of hell and armageddon. The last push, the final moment of "glory", it's Do or Die. I believe there isn't a more fitting name than Kaiserschlacht, especially for the sheer scale of the operation.
    Stormtrooper tactics on a scale unseen before, moving, moving, and not stopping, the same for the Entente, fighting to the last man...both sides fighting to the bitter end. It truly was the Rage of Men.

  • @davidhinde3229
    @davidhinde3229 3 года назад +12

    “The regiments fought literally to the last man”… makes me proud to be British that does 🇬🇧 🇬🇧🇬🇧

    • @smal750
      @smal750 10 месяцев назад +1

      still had to get saved by the french tho

  • @82dorrin
    @82dorrin 6 лет назад +177

    Looks like Germany has this in the bag!

    • @myalaskalife5837
      @myalaskalife5837 6 лет назад

      Onyx1916 you keep telling yourself that spoiler alert America wins

    • @HerrMatom
      @HerrMatom 6 лет назад

      ...

  • @tjkapan3915
    @tjkapan3915 6 лет назад +6

    BF1 & TGW brought WW1 back to life! A chapter in history our generation needs to give more recognition to.

  • @personpeoplehime
    @personpeoplehime 6 лет назад +35

    This video makes me want Germany to succeed

  • @Haydutin
    @Haydutin 6 лет назад +10

    It's heartbreaking that the absolute genius of the Germans didn't pay off. They were so close though, fighting against such odds, the entire world at war with them and their 3 other allies.

    • @gwanlee
      @gwanlee 10 месяцев назад

      What a better world it would have turned out to have been had the Germans won ww1...

    • @TheYeti308
      @TheYeti308 9 месяцев назад

      I like the 3 other allies part , smh .

  • @felafnirelek8987
    @felafnirelek8987 6 лет назад +6

    And this my freind, is the beginning of the Blitzkreig tactic. No movement without fire, and no Fire without moving.

  • @ciandoyle1620
    @ciandoyle1620 4 года назад +6

    I always come back to this episode every few months or so and every time in astounded by the shear determination and grit that Germany showed during this offensive

  • @andreimorar5249
    @andreimorar5249 6 лет назад +52

    A wonderful Great War video just on my birthday. Best present!

  • @LJMpictures
    @LJMpictures 6 лет назад +8

    I love Indies enthusiasm, he is a FANTASTIC presenter backed by an awesome team! love it, been watching since i found it as the prelude to war on reddit. Never missed an episode! xoxo

    • @TheGreatWar
      @TheGreatWar  6 лет назад +1

      Great to hear you are on board for that long.

  • @Ellanvannin03
    @Ellanvannin03 6 лет назад +5

    I saw him yesterday, that Artillery Officer they are calling Durchbruchmüller. He's here to orchestrate the symphony of our 10,000 guns, firing three million shells in just five hours. Over the enemy lines all we can see are rolling clouds of flame and ash. It is like the end of the world. I almost pity poor Tommy in their trenches, trying to make sense of it all.

  • @Mr.Isquierdo
    @Mr.Isquierdo 6 лет назад +11

    It took me three months to get to week by week. I feel like the United States scrambling to get with the times, but I got here before them :).
    Love the work, dedication, and education indy

  • @FinDan07
    @FinDan07 6 лет назад +69

    It took almost 2 years, but I’ve finally caught up, just in time for Kaiserschlacht! No more reading months old comments! Can’t wait to see Germany win the war before christmas.

    • @TheGreatWar
      @TheGreatWar  6 лет назад +19

      good timing

    • @adamzak3569
      @adamzak3569 6 лет назад +3

      FinDan I am at the same situation as you :D this one is my first episode I am watching on time :) I really love this channel :) Big love guys from Slovakia

    • @Jeidjeneudejendu
      @Jeidjeneudejendu 5 лет назад +2

      @@adamzak3569 I'm forever gonna have to read months old comments 😔

  • @sirhumphreyappleby8399
    @sirhumphreyappleby8399 6 лет назад +3

    Ernst Junger describes this as “the great battle” in storm of steel - it’s a great book and one by a German soldiers, great read to an one willing to get inside the mind of an actual soldiers - not a commander - I don’t think they compare

  • @unicat2190
    @unicat2190 6 лет назад +1

    I've literaly been refreshng the age for the last 20 minutes, Im so excited for this episode.

  • @foxph0rus
    @foxph0rus 6 лет назад

    This is the episode I’ve been waiting for for over a year.~ So glad I can truly learn about this offensive.

  • @Brolaub
    @Brolaub 6 лет назад +4

    You guys are the only channel where I wouldnt mind if you stretched out the video to make it 10 seconds longer. Stay awesome!

  • @WolfStrife
    @WolfStrife 6 лет назад +5

    I've been waiting for this episode for three years!

  • @timmytwojohntwo9869
    @timmytwojohntwo9869 6 лет назад +1

    I love this RUclips channel. You guys give so much detail and information in so little time and have such an organized schedule. Great job!

  • @wulfheort8021
    @wulfheort8021 Год назад +1

    Being on the offensive side and causing about 200k more casualties on the enemy than they do on you is very impressive for WW1.

  • @felafnirelek8987
    @felafnirelek8987 6 лет назад +8

    This will break the Entente, and secure Ludendorf as one of the greatest strategists of the war, I'm sure of it

  • @jameshill2168
    @jameshill2168 6 лет назад +30

    Shout out to BF1 for teaching me some of this

    • @tjkapan3915
      @tjkapan3915 6 лет назад +16

      James Hill Indy and the Great War team helped produce the game and did all the codex entries. BF1 & TGW brought WW1 back to life

  • @suxcawks
    @suxcawks 6 лет назад

    I've been waiting for the Spring Offensive since I found this channel. Thanks, Indy. Can't wait for the Second Marne.

  • @janwacawik7432
    @janwacawik7432 6 лет назад

    In some miraculous way, Indy and the rest of the crew make those fascinating historical events even more fascinating and interesting. I've always been a huge history buff and I greatly appreciate your effort to teach more people about those monumental events in our world's history. I can only hope that this channel attracts much more viewers and fuels such a hunger for knowledge in them as it does in me. Love you all, Gentlemen. Indy, now you may give the rest of the team a raise (Aside of Flo, he's had more coal than the others. Please forgive me, herr Wittig.)

  • @indianajones4321
    @indianajones4321 6 лет назад +31

    Germany had such high hopes...

  • @SNOUPS4
    @SNOUPS4 6 лет назад +6

    6:46 looks like the british guy in the back is still alive...

  • @britishtyler8240
    @britishtyler8240 6 лет назад

    I love history and mostly The Great War so thanks for making these vids! This way people can learn and have fun by just watching your channel! :D

  • @user-xf4gw1yv6g
    @user-xf4gw1yv6g 3 года назад

    Brilliant description thank you

  • @sergeantpanther678
    @sergeantpanther678 6 лет назад +35

    Just to dwell on the name ‘Bruchmüller’ again, keep in mind the second part: Müller, literally ‘Miller’.
    And what happens in a mill? That is right! Grinding.
    And for every round a millstone makes, another batch of corn is crushed beneath the heavy stone coming down on them, and what is the First World War but an endless grind of millions upon millions of young wheat corns beneath the work of the millers of the time.
    Thank you.
    *Bows in front of Audience*

    • @MrHockeycrack
      @MrHockeycrack 6 лет назад

      Sarge, u put it quite lyrically. U know, btw, that Bruch means broadly break.

    • @sergeantpanther678
      @sergeantpanther678 6 лет назад

      Danke, Schlaukopf :D

  • @marcvsivnivsbrvtvs
    @marcvsivnivsbrvtvs 6 лет назад +3

    Today is my 30th birthday. Thank you TGW!

  • @micklats5584
    @micklats5584 6 лет назад

    I've been waiting for this episode since I've discovered this page and learnt about the events in 1918. I live in Australia, so I'm very excited!!!

  • @tiggergolah
    @tiggergolah 6 лет назад

    The suspense is building. What happens next? Great job Indy and crew. Your maps, photos, and film footage have only improved. You've managed what most history documentaries fail to do -- communicate some of the stress, the devouring uncertainty, that marked everyone's lives touched by the Great War. Helping us break through our own wall of arrogant and complacent hindsight, is no mean feat. You help us share a sense of the unpredictable monster this war was, and massive changes rolling towards us like an avalanche in the snowy mountains, until it dominates our present.

  • @30CZEchpoint
    @30CZEchpoint 6 лет назад +12

    Yesterday I saw the officer they call Durchbruchmüller, he is here to orchestrate 6000 guns.

  • @SovietDoge
    @SovietDoge 6 лет назад +25

    Germany got this one in the pocket guys. I figure they'll be marching through paris next month. GG

    • @phinix250
      @phinix250 6 лет назад

      They will have to take Amiens first.

    • @SovietDoge
      @SovietDoge 6 лет назад +1

      the British will defend it tooth and nail for sure, but germany can't possibly mess this up.

    • @ChevyChase301
      @ChevyChase301 6 лет назад

      Soviet Doge oh say can you see by the dawns early light

    • @jonwebb6644
      @jonwebb6644 4 года назад

      Try 1940

    • @Paint_Eater
      @Paint_Eater 3 года назад

      @@ChevyChase301 what so proudly we hail’d at the twilights last gleaming.

  • @Boric78
    @Boric78 6 лет назад

    This is a triumph. Best one yet - some serious drama and excellently presented (as always) , but it sets up some real tension. Looking forward to next week.

  • @timmytwojohntwo9869
    @timmytwojohntwo9869 6 лет назад

    I never thought I would watch an educational channel like this for fun, but you guys just make it so entertaining.

  • @Strykke
    @Strykke 6 лет назад +6

    Indy, i never wrote a word even doe i watch your Great War series since begining because i was excited by ww1 long ago. I tought i know a lot about the war ( but after i saw some episodes i realized that i didnt knew sh÷÷ ), but last year was allways quite forgoten i tought, everyone just said that german tried some offensive then they failed and happy end, war ended. Then i heard stories about the people mood , which gathered near border towns etc. when the war was eneded. The people were confused and upset about German soldiers passing by coming in great numbers to their "defeated country" . I red about some browls between soldiers and citizens for their cowardnes, like they were sure of their victory. After this episode i am so curiouse what the hack stopped great german army in defeating allied uncopmetent generality.
    Thank for making this great project GREAT INDY COMPANY

  • @maxanderson8872
    @maxanderson8872 6 лет назад +18

    Sun Tzu would've hated Douglas Haig. Even if you can blame his failures on spotty intelligence, that level of naive overconfidence in the face of a powerful foe is the sort of thing that loses wars

    • @wierdalien1
      @wierdalien1 6 лет назад

      Max Anderson at the same time Sun Tzu was absolutely pro generals absolute power and pro confidence from them.

  • @Petrus1904
    @Petrus1904 6 лет назад

    The long awaited episode finally is here. waited for this moment since the summer

  • @kstreet7438
    @kstreet7438 6 лет назад +2

    Been waiting for this one.

  • @James--Parker
    @James--Parker 6 лет назад +7

    I can feel it! This offensive is going to be the big breakthrough to be exploited by cavalry we keep hearing about :D

  • @Palinghufter
    @Palinghufter 6 лет назад +18

    Since the release of Battlefield 1 I have been waiting for this.

    • @sleong
      @sleong 6 лет назад +3

      me too. This offensive was EPIC

  • @mtrask3970
    @mtrask3970 6 лет назад

    Sorry its coming to an end for you long time subs. I just discovered this channel about an hour ago, and I get to binge watch it from the beginning!

  • @hbabambroadz1536
    @hbabambroadz1536 6 лет назад +1

    Best part of coming home from school each Thursday is knowing that I get a much better history class

  • @thewildcolonialboy8034
    @thewildcolonialboy8034 5 лет назад +7

    The Germans came up with the best names for things.

  • @scott228
    @scott228 6 лет назад +5

    Hi love the chanel

  • @11bravo1789
    @11bravo1789 6 лет назад +1

    Man. Been a fan for 3 plus years.

  • @nealcleaver9530
    @nealcleaver9530 6 лет назад

    I have been waiting so long for this moment.

  • @alterkamerad5833
    @alterkamerad5833 6 лет назад +5

    We Germans are the Best!😌😏

  • @alismedia
    @alismedia 2 года назад +4

    Who is here because of battlefield 1

  • @nilsalmquist9424
    @nilsalmquist9424 3 года назад +2

    What a brilliant channel this is.

  • @timmy1991991
    @timmy1991991 6 лет назад

    Weird how excited I am for something of which I already know the ending. Great stuff Indy and crew!

  • @turmunhkganba1705
    @turmunhkganba1705 6 лет назад +9

    It will be over by Christmas

  • @ivangushkov3651
    @ivangushkov3651 6 лет назад +7

    100 years ago the fate of the world hung in the balance. Scary isn't it?

    • @sleong
      @sleong 6 лет назад +1

      it truly did.

  • @sleong
    @sleong 6 лет назад +2

    this 1918 spring offensive was truly mind-boggling

  • @rianquinn7833
    @rianquinn7833 6 лет назад +2

    My great Grandfather, a Captain in the royal Dublin fusiliers, was wounded by shellfire while retreating over open ground outside San Quentin, following the German's initial bombardment of the British front lines on the first day of this offensive. My dad said that my grandfather would talk about his complete disbelief that so many shells could be fired so quickly, and my grandfather had gone over the the top at the Somme, that tells you just what sort of shellfire the German's managed to muster that day.

  • @MerlijnDingemanse
    @MerlijnDingemanse 6 лет назад +4

    After three years, the war will finally be over by christmas

  • @jacobstewart3428
    @jacobstewart3428 6 лет назад +3

    Don't worry guys. The Marines are on their way.

  • @PedroG78
    @PedroG78 6 лет назад

    What an episode. Thanks Indy and TGW team

  • @IMfromNYCity
    @IMfromNYCity 6 лет назад

    My most anticipated episode!

  • @ISawABear
    @ISawABear 6 лет назад +126

    Fur den Kaisar und de Vaderland!
    -a sturmtruppen probably.

    • @SkulduggeryGaunt
      @SkulduggeryGaunt 6 лет назад +70

      *Für den Kaiser und das Vaterland!
      - vermutlich ein Sturmtruppler

    • @Ragazar
      @Ragazar 6 лет назад +26

      I Saw A Bear Worst attempt at German ever.

    • @Masada1911
      @Masada1911 6 лет назад +13

      Johan Sjöö Ferm well he tried at least :->

    • @ISawABear
      @ISawABear 6 лет назад +8

      you know honestly im not going to pretend i know. i was actually lead to believe that was the proper way to write it, but i speak french and English, you can probably guess which side of the war my ancestors fought on from that.

    • @blankblank6545
      @blankblank6545 6 лет назад +7

      I Saw A Bear well, my guess is that they fought for Bulgaria if that is the case!

  • @ekmalsukarno2302
    @ekmalsukarno2302 6 лет назад +204

    A video on French colonial African soldiers, please. Your fans and subscribers will definitely be interested in this topic.

    • @charlietudju8238
      @charlietudju8238 6 лет назад +20

      I second this. The zouaves and the tirailleurs are amongst the most interesting (and decorated) units of the war !

    • @clementyang5260
      @clementyang5260 6 лет назад

      same

    • @RTSGAMER81
      @RTSGAMER81 6 лет назад +14

      Nah Its a European war, fought by Europeans. It should be about Europeans.

    • @timothyo718
      @timothyo718 6 лет назад +23

      Ekmal Sukarno
      Not the alt-right Eurocentric clowns.

    • @books-qz7wo
      @books-qz7wo 6 лет назад +2

      You already posted about this. Remember Indy: "With the schedule of our channel, patience is a virtue."

  • @HBTNFTB666
    @HBTNFTB666 6 лет назад

    I've looked forward to this episode, the one the Kaiserschlacht will begin. You delivered, you f*cking delivered! I got chills afterwards!

  • @Biker_Gremling
    @Biker_Gremling 6 лет назад

    I've been eagerly waiting for this episode

  • @maede3ta34
    @maede3ta34 6 лет назад +4

    The britsh offensive was described Amman-ously.

  • @der_baerlauch
    @der_baerlauch 6 лет назад +6

    We need Bruchsocks to be 1918!

  • @chrisbullock3504
    @chrisbullock3504 6 лет назад

    Been a subscriber since winter 2014-15 and i cant believe this war is almost over... i mean when i started watching i was a sophomore in high school, now im a freshman in college... its hard ti imagine a war of this scale going on for all these years...
    Great video as always guys.

  • @KalamityStorm
    @KalamityStorm 6 лет назад

    Thank you for this video