I loved it! I'm glad you included the totally wasted German Fallschirmjaeger, definitely one of the highlights of the battle. I also really liked the representation of the map and the troops involved, it was all very clear at a glance. It reminds me of Close Combat. One criticism though: At the beginning of the video you should put the operation into perspective. Why was Fort Eben Emael important to the Belgians? Why did the Germans need it destroyed? You make hints about crossing the Meuse further into the video, but I think that's something you should establish in the first 30 seconds. After all, Eben Emael wasn't just some fort, it was the linchpin of the Belgian defense, the most modern fort in the world at that time. The actions of a handful of glider troops ended Belgium's chance of survival. Watching this made me think I had missed a previous video building up to this. I think the inclusion of such information would make the whole battle much more poignant to the viewer.
You're right about the perspective thing, and I knew that before publishing. However, to rework it would have meant more delays as I'd have to animate another map and perhaps more action, or even redo the entire audio. This video was already into its 6 month of production, and since everyone was complaining about a lack of videos and I was getting a little impatient, I decided to leave it out. I also left out a historiography for similar reasons. I'm hopeful though that anyone coming across this will already know the significance of Fort Eben Emael... or read your comment and then understand how important it really was. And the fall of Fort Eben Emael and the attack into Belgium had a bigger impact than just Belgium's chance of survival. Here's the original conclusion to the video that I had to cut - "The fall of Fort Eben Emael caused panic in Belgium, as well as in France and Britain. Rumours spread of paratroopers falling from the skies dressed as nuns, dropping poisoned sweets for children, and generally caused confusion behind the lines. And whilst none of these rumours were true, what is certain is that the fall of Fort Eben Emael, the bridges nearby and the attack from the Sixth Army convinced the Allied high command that the main German offensive was coming from the Belgian front, just like in 1914. They also believed their countermeasure of sending their armies into Belgium was correct. In the end, they were wrong."
Now this is a perfect gift to your viewers for the New Year! And what excellent storytelling! :D This is definitely your best Battlestorm so far. You set the bar high with Market Garden and North Africa, and now you've surpassed yourself again. I can't wait to see what your next project is! :D
The question is, can I surpass myself again with the next one? I've already started and I can't believe I'm even attempting the battle I'm attempting. I'm not even sure it's humanly possible - but here goes!
I know you can. You are attempting something bigger, more detailed, and more complex than this neat battle. :) Fr example, your comments comparing German mission tactics to those of the Belgians were spot on. The Germans allowed their junior leaders a lot of leeway, and even established schools for NCOs, which made them highly adaptive, quick, and decisive tacticians. The Belgians, on the other hand, were more centralized, and slower to react, focusing on large-scale actions like coordinating artillery fire over small-unit tactics. I know you can pull it off.
that is due to the lession that the german took from world war 1. The whole idea of letting junior leaders a lot of leeway and more de-central ways of command what was gave the idea for the Stormtroopers and later blitzkrieg. But in some ways it goes even longer back into history. Carl von Clausewitz, whom was a Prussian officer during the Napoleonic wars, and later military theorist, stressed that on a battlefield you should create as much chaos as you can. This went against the doctrine that the english used for the most part of world one that was about creating control over the battlefield via central command.
Carl von Clausewitz was a student of Scharnhorst, who saw the need for this coming before Napoleon defeated Prussia at Jena in 1806. Scharnhorst established a military school in Berlin with several other like-minded officers, and they prepared a series of reforms for the Prussian Army. Several German officers in the late 19th century also looked to the American Civil War and the Russo-Japanese War for inspiration, and drew the same conclusions. Robert E. Lee and his commanders fought in a very similar manner to the German Army, and by the end of the war, both Union and Confederate generals allowed a lot of leeway to their subordinates, even down to company level. The Japanese also tried out both the French and German doctrines, and the German doctrine worked better for them.
Good video! I have been at Eben Emael. Wich is now a museum. Well preserved. Incredible defences, state of the art technology. Gas sealed double doors. And 900 men inside. However, what your video leaves a bit uncovered is this: The Jaeger were under orders to leave nothing of the , then novel, hollow charges. So one huge left over hollow charge was placed on a blast door, under a captured dome. Behind the door was, chlorine stockpile, for cleaning the toilets. The blast was huge. I Saw the blast doors and the seconden defence steel beams. Like a gigant pushed jelly doors. Impressive! The corridor over a hundred metres is still black, and the wiring still missing. The Belgians panicked, thinking that the Germans attacked with chlorine gas like WW1, and surrendered. What also did not help was that the officers only spoke French and the soldiers only Flemish.
Heh in fairness whether it's your own chlorine or theirs you damn well don't want the be in a confined space with the stuff it does not play nice in the event of finding Hydrogen, a huge problem considering it is one of only 2 elements that is an even stronger Oxidiser than Oxygen itself and will thus steal the stuff from Oxygen not great when you happen to be 70% Water. Only gas worse than Chlorine would arguably be Flourine but that stuff is so darn reactive that it is a complete SOB to handle or store could be stored in glass theoretically but that is not exactly rigged course it eats metal, eats pretty much anything carbon-based ie basically any polymer you can throw at it etc kinda running out of options there not hard to see why it's often easier to store it as a compound and manufacture the gas at the point of use when it's needed in industry etc.
I'm looking through your "back catalog" and cherry picking what I consider interesting. I've read a book covering the struggle for Fort Eben Emanuel, but your animated depiction makes the battle much more understandable. Thank you for your efforts.
Very good video, I wrote an presentation on Wenzel leadership a few years back. He never gets the credit he deserved because he was an NCO but without him the Fort would never have been taken.
I'm late to the party, but I gotta commend you on this incredible body of work. I really can imagine the hours you put into this project, so I have to say that it really shows. This is pure quality! BBC or a production company need to throw a fat budget & a studio at you! Haha, you could be the David Attenborough of WW2 documentaries!! Great stuff!
I loved the Lego style animations and the surreal scene @13:30 with the drunken German atop cupola #120 which reminded me of the drunken Preacher at Rorke's Drift. 😝 Also, the pinpoint accuracy of the German gliders landing is amazing and was only replicated 2 other times in WW2 that I know of, the British at Pegasus Bridge and the Germans again at Gran Sasso.
TIK, This is a masterful presentation of an operation that I am not familiar of. Loved the gliders and other animations. Got some chuckles here and there, especially the rum. I have personally met some American glider troops and these type are very courageous. Need to scope out your other presentation of the SAS in the desert too. Happy New Year!!!
Thank you Thomas! Grechza (the drunk guy) also got a "head injury" at some point late on or after the battle. Nobody can say who or what caused it, but legend has it Wenzel got a hold of him after the battle... Grechza was also the only member to receive a Iron Cross 2nd Class - everyone else got an Iron Cross 1st Class. The 3rd video for the LRDG I did also has characters and is more personal, like this video. But this is the first video I've done with 3D guys running around. I think it works well with the scale of the operation... might not work so well with the next one, but we'll see. Happy New Year to you too!
Thank you. I absolutely have to get the history right - or as right as possible given the resources etc. This was 7 months of hard work (I did have to learn the 3D software I used from scratch in order to do it) but was definitely worth it :)
The idea of taking Eben Emael by Glider attacking paratroopers is 1st class brilliant strategic thinking. The success of this spectacular amazing operation results in capture of a most powerful Fort. A crucial objective for German forces. On the few rest so much. Germany went on N eventually defeated France....
In fact, my entire theory of France 1940 is based on Belgiums prevarication, which prevented an easily defensible line from being established through the Ardennes and over to the bend in the Meuse at Namur and along the Meuse through Liege and accross to the Antwerp redoubt area. Had they simply cooperated, tens of millions of lives in WW2 would have been saved. Leopold and his shite military advisor are to blame.
Belgium was a guaranteed neutral. The existence of Belgium depended upon that neutrality. So military cooperation with any of the warmongering countries was a no go.
@@bv2623 There was unofficial cooperation and intelligence sharing - but it was both limited and secret as they did not want to give up neutrality and perhaps give the Germans a pretext.
In summation, the belgians completely get this whole battle wrong. They dont fire their AA guns at the gliders. They bottle every engagement. This fort was a gift to the german paras.
To be clear, when the Nazis invaded Poland in September 1939, Belgian government answered by telling they had nothing against Adolph Hitler, and that Belgium just decided to stay neutral in any conflict that might happen in Europe. A few month later, in May 1940, 86 German infantrymen were able to capture the best Belgian fort with a garrison of 1200 men. This garrison didn't use its artillery against those invaders, because gun crew's commander considered they needed formal agreements from their hierarchy to use them against German troops that were firing at them, and, of course, they didn't get those agreements. The whole story is now "sold" as a glorious military event showing Belgian reliability and determination against nazis during the war. Perhaps I missed something ?
As far as I know, it was also the first use of the shaped charge. They were so secret that during training the paratroopers used dummies of the same weight.
Very nice.. again amazed at the detail!! the bunker looks exactly as they are for real. ive actually sat on top where the drunk german was to. the fortress tho is surprisingly big on top its really huge. hard to visualize. very well done! as you also created the anti tank ditch. You could add.. that the fortress was ment to protect the crossings over the Maas and albert canals. And its fire could reach the appraoches to luik if iam correct. south of Maastricht.My hometown and it was about to get hit by 6th army.You didnt mention that another unit landed at Veldwezeld if iam right.or vroenhoven one of the villages that holds a bridge between belgium albert canal and maastricht? The german unit wasnt simply fallschirmjeager but more like a taskforce specially made special training for 6 months. more like special forces by that time.but indeed they were still fallschirmjeager. Youd be surprised to learn you can still enter the fortress on a tour. it has a museum inside it and i believe even one of the gliders. Also every now and then they reenact the battle on top. The frontwall is still covered with bulletholes and shrapnell. (hollow charge bombs) etc. utter secrecy was reqeusted and i believe 1 of the group was executed even for disgussing something. iam not sure. iam sure tho of the fact that the Germans came to the plan of attacking via gliders was that a German recon plane photographed belgian soldiers playing football on top. and realised there shouldnt be any mines. its pretty amazing to realize that a attacking force outnumbered 10 to 1. could succesfully engage dug in defender. one grandmother of mine heard the firing at the gliders as she lived in Maastricht. the machinegunburst anothers brother and friends drewthe attention of german guards by starting fights. and pulled out pow s for escape. they later formed a resistance group that smuggled jews hunted and downed pilots via the cavesystem on the same region.
I'm glad you like it! And I'm glad I wasn't too far off :D I've seen pictures online that made me think it was a museum now. I was tempted to visit when I was doing the research for this, but that idea never materialised. I didn't mention the other units landing and taking the nearby bridges simply because I wanted to concentrate on the fort itself, but I am aware that they took the bridges. I read that one of the German fallschirmjägers got into trouble for talking about the operation before it began. He was forgiven after its success. I'm not sure about them executing anyone. And I didn't know there was a cave system in Belgium?
Indeed the party on bridge wasnt assault on fortress itself.I just wanted to let you know in case you missed it ;) but that makes me a fool lol. I think you are correct and its me mistaken about the paratrooper. I remember there was 1 in trouble indeed. I do like to offer you the chance to visit here. And visit the best of western fronts. its all within 2.5 hours range with eben emeal the closest..10 minutes...i do not have bedspace but plenty hotels motels here and the town is famous for em.But i doubt you could find a better guide if i say so myself.Ive bin used to show around tourists and do it gladly for free if i can help your channal.I speak dutch english a bit German and know all battlefronts and visited all your video sites.unfortunatly my friends are more busy with going out then history buffing. so i like to see someone with the same passion about that stuff. yes there are many tunnels and cave systems here.. Zonneberg. St pietersberg. The casemates etc. mainly defences build to defend against invaders. The south is actually much more hilly rough terrain. Theres even a place my favorite lunchplace in a forrest near a former labor site were also tunnels inside where they wanted to construct V2 missile site. There is dockings leading into the rock etc. come watch for yourself. Might be the perfect moment for you to do your research. and iam glad to help to keep the legends alive. Ever bin to ardennes. arnhem? hurtgenforrest? The town has its own airport to. ill drive you around mate.(maastricht/aachen)
Awesome! was always interested to know the details on this raid. Had to laugh at the Belgian counter attack ... "explosion! get back in the fort!" caus i mean explosions are quite rare in battles of course hahah btw, how did witzig get his glider back into the air?
bob jenkins I once saw a documentary I now can't find, where he explained it. I don't remember the details, I just remember that he for some reason forced someone (I think it was a police-officer) to drive him somewhere (either to next police-station, from where he called the Luftwaffe airfield, from where the Ju 52 in question operated; or he made him drive to the airfield in question...most likely it was the former). I can't link it to you as I don't find it anymore. In any case Wikipedia (English and German) says that his glider landed in Germany because the rope broke.
Near Verviers is another, smaller fort - Tancremont. I hiked out there to take a look. It is closed at the moment but it opens for tours on some Sundays in the summer. This also has cupolas, visible from the road. Tancremont did not surrender until after the official surrender of Belgium - the Germans simply went around it.
Battle storm has come a very very long way. This looks straight out of early 2000's Call of Duty: Big Red One remade in a claymation version of Minecraft.
Oh don't worry, it's still there on that list of mine and I will do it at some point soon :) this time though, I'm going to try my hand at a BIG battle as I've been promising people I would for quite a while
Ok, the Lego men were a bit corny, like this was made for kids to watch. But the documentation was very good. I got a good feel of the action. The Belgians seemed to be absolutely clueless. Better at destroying their fort than defending it! One thing missing that I find curious: I didnt see a map scale. Just how big is the fort? How far apart are these guns? Love your channel. One of the best. Thankyou for this doc.
Considering this took 5 months to create (yep), it may be a long time before I attempt something like this again. I will be doing more of the other types of Battlestorm videos - the ones like Battleaxe and Bruneval. In fact, I'm working on Operation Crusader right now, and have been working for over a year on Stalingrad. However, when they're done they won't be like this particular video.
Its all good, you're making a great series. I remember arguing in a year 9 paper that I thought it was the Lusitanias captains fault for the sinking due to doing little to nothing in anti sub manoeuvres. Also for carrying war supplies on a passenger liner into the war zone. Critical thinking is so important because history is written by the victors on to many occasions. Thanks for the response, really looking forward to seeing your views on Stalingrad.
Some Belgian soldier fought with great courage against the Germans in 1940, and later against the Soviets while in the Waffen SS, both the Flemish Brigade and The Walloonians. I think it's the "Fort" mentality, which made these troops lose incentive. Cushy assignment and all that.
Bruno, pretty well the same story for the rest of Western Europe, some stout resistance but basically unprofessional and cowardly. Has anything changed?
@@FairladyS130 British troops put up stout resistance to Waffen-SS at Wormhoudt and Le Paradis in northern France. In both locations dozens of them were killed after capture.
@@jduff59 Chris McNab's account of Eben Emael maintains that serving in Eben Emael was seen by Belgians as almost a punishment assignment. Soldiers in it often spent 170 hours or more underground without coming to the surface and morale was poor. In the Maginot line, French troops who spent long periods underground were given sunlamp treatment but Belgians in Eben Emael may not have had even that aid to morale.
Hi TIK, I really loved this Video, I was wondering whether you could do something similar (probably shorter) for the freeing of Mussolini by Otto Skorzeny? I can provide a German book on the history of Skorzeny if needed. I would also like to offer my help in understanding German sources (for the Stalingrad series, for instance) or free German lessons. Please DM me if interested.
How about covering the battle of Milne bay. Not a well known engagement but was a significant battle of the Pacific war and the first time the Japanese were defeating on land.
Good video! I wouldn't usually condone the use of the POWs as human Shields, however, I would say that it was necessary as there was only 75 Fallschirmjager and over 1,000 Belgians or they would have had more casualties.
In the film 'Brest Fortress', advancing Germans attempt to use POWs and civilians as shields but the Soviet defenders open fire anyway. I don't know if this is based on actual historical occurrence though it seems likely.
A war crime. The Germans also used the tactic during the invasion of the Netherlands, herding Dutch POWs in front of their advancing troops. An indication of their ruthless approach to war.
Sergeant Wenzel was the unsung leader of Granite and never got the recognition because he was an NCO. Wenzel received the Iron Cross while Witzig received the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross despite the fact he was barely there.
I don't get it. The German attack was perfect, but this fort doesn't seem to have been barely defended. Why weren't there mutiple exits for the troops underground? Why didn't the Belgians counter attack? Why did the commander need instruction to counter a very obvious and all out attack. Did these troops had no training at all? What kind of volunteers refuse to/can refuse to fight- a well defended position?
One could say that Fort Eben Emael was like a giant tank operating without infantry support. Had the Belgians prepared infantry fighting positions on the 'roof', with as a little as a company in residence as a reaction force, they may have been able to exact appreciable casualties on the assault force.
The Belgian said "Mon Dieu!" Which means "My God!" in French. Your pronounciation threw me off so I just thought I'd clarify here. Source: I'm bilingual and from Quebec.
The fort was overrated as a defense, as its firepower was no more than that of an artillery battalion at the most. And they had several of these in the area already which were also ineffective. Had they held the fort in operating condition, it was so poorly defended that the first infantry battallion to show up would have easily taken it anyway.
Glider warfare seems to be a german speciality Gran sasso especially One british officer did suggest a glider assault on arnhem bridge in sept1944 but was overruled by higher authorities so the eight mile away plan was implemented!
wasnt the line that they german got to eben emael and took it before the belgiums even got there? i swear thats what it says in the world at war BBC documentary series. that being said the more i watch your videos i cvome to agree with the way you see the war. and you bring up a point of view that never would have accures to me nearly every video. i dont kow if you have done one the batle of france 1940 but this is my fav battle of the war if not of all time. also have you compared the battle plan from france 1940 to operation dessert storm?
Quitte good film, additions, gliders came in from Westside, or the belgian side,... Belgium was not at war at that moment. The war declaration came later that day. And the bombs used the Hollowpoint was a almost new type a type. Belgium build the fort withthe previous war in mind, a daring attack succeeded.
Yes, I will cover it at some point, as well as Epsom. Whether they'll be seperate videos or part of one big "D-Day" video, I'm not sure at the moment. However my plan right now is to cover the WDC and the Middle East before progressing into Tunisia, Italy and then eventually Western Europe. All this while simultaneously covering battles on the Eastern Front (Stalingrad is the one I'm focusing on right now). This will hopefully give me a good grasp of the units (e.g. Eigth Army) and commanders (e.g. Montgomery, Patton etc) before I tackle the big battle (D-Day).
The Krauts used them to great effect through the war. Perhaps their most shining achievement was taking over the airport in Crete, enabling Germany to occupy the entire island.
The success of this operation fueled commando and paratroop formations in many countries. Just as Crete caused the US to decide to build a massive airborne force.
Wow, this entertaining animation shows just how good those German troops were. When the raid's commander was knocked out of action in the opening moments, the second in command transitioned smoothly into the role of overall commander. In squads they took down many supposedly impregnable rooftop gun turrets and, by owning the outside, took charge of the overall fortress. Animation proves a brilliant tool for explaining the complex chain of events. Unfortunately, the English voice narrator is not a pro and lets his voice trail off in the second half of sentences, and so English viewers lose much of the story. But still worth watching.
Well, in a way a supposedly impregnable defense system does replace courage. It transforms the defenders into passive actors, instructed to retreat further into the structure rather than actively defend their precious outward-facing pillboxes. This is a recipe for disaster, all the more because their defensive mentality was taken advantage of by the German attackers as soon as they became aware of it. In other sectors of the Blitzkrieg the Belgians fought with bravery. But the passive mindset required to man this supposedly impregnable fortress had the effect of removing a sense of responsibility that could have resulted in a far different outcome.
hey TIK since you do a good deal of documentary on history i wanted to recommend that you for inspration take a look at THFE Productions youtube channel. He does history documentary with animations too. He is currently looking to do partnerships with other youtubers :-)
I loved it! I'm glad you included the totally wasted German Fallschirmjaeger, definitely one of the highlights of the battle. I also really liked the representation of the map and the troops involved, it was all very clear at a glance. It reminds me of Close Combat.
One criticism though: At the beginning of the video you should put the operation into perspective. Why was Fort Eben Emael important to the Belgians? Why did the Germans need it destroyed? You make hints about crossing the Meuse further into the video, but I think that's something you should establish in the first 30 seconds. After all, Eben Emael wasn't just some fort, it was the linchpin of the Belgian defense, the most modern fort in the world at that time. The actions of a handful of glider troops ended Belgium's chance of survival. Watching this made me think I had missed a previous video building up to this.
I think the inclusion of such information would make the whole battle much more poignant to the viewer.
You're right about the perspective thing, and I knew that before publishing. However, to rework it would have meant more delays as I'd have to animate another map and perhaps more action, or even redo the entire audio. This video was already into its 6 month of production, and since everyone was complaining about a lack of videos and I was getting a little impatient, I decided to leave it out. I also left out a historiography for similar reasons. I'm hopeful though that anyone coming across this will already know the significance of Fort Eben Emael... or read your comment and then understand how important it really was.
And the fall of Fort Eben Emael and the attack into Belgium had a bigger impact than just Belgium's chance of survival. Here's the original conclusion to the video that I had to cut -
"The fall of Fort Eben Emael caused panic in Belgium, as well as in France and Britain. Rumours spread of paratroopers falling from the skies dressed as nuns, dropping poisoned sweets for children, and generally caused confusion behind the lines. And whilst none of these rumours were true, what is certain is that the fall of Fort Eben Emael, the bridges nearby and the attack from the Sixth Army convinced the Allied high command that the main German offensive was coming from the Belgian front, just like in 1914. They also believed their countermeasure of sending their armies into Belgium was correct. In the end, they were wrong."
Cool. I'm looking forward to your next video in the series. Which theater are you going for next?
The big one ;)
To this day, still one of the most elegant and impressive assaults on a strong enemy position!
Sure, hiding behind prisoners to progress really is elegant.
@@Kiev-in-3-days Well it proved effective so...
@@pascal171 So? That makes it elegant and impressive?
@@Kiev-in-3-days No, but it doesn't need to be elegant...
@@Kiev-in-3-days And yes apart from this incident I would call the capture of a heavely armed fort impressive!
Now this is a perfect gift to your viewers for the New Year! And what excellent storytelling! :D
This is definitely your best Battlestorm so far. You set the bar high with Market Garden and North Africa, and now you've surpassed yourself again. I can't wait to see what your next project is! :D
The question is, can I surpass myself again with the next one? I've already started and I can't believe I'm even attempting the battle I'm attempting. I'm not even sure it's humanly possible - but here goes!
I know you can. You are attempting something bigger, more detailed, and more complex than this neat battle. :)
Fr example, your comments comparing German mission tactics to those of the Belgians were spot on. The Germans allowed their junior leaders a lot of leeway, and even established schools for NCOs, which made them highly adaptive, quick, and decisive tacticians. The Belgians, on the other hand, were more centralized, and slower to react, focusing on large-scale actions like coordinating artillery fire over small-unit tactics.
I know you can pull it off.
that is due to the lession that the german took from world war 1. The whole idea of letting junior leaders a lot of leeway and more de-central ways of command what was gave the idea for the Stormtroopers and later blitzkrieg.
But in some ways it goes even longer back into history. Carl von Clausewitz, whom was a Prussian officer during the Napoleonic wars, and later military theorist, stressed that on a battlefield you should create as much chaos as you can. This went against the doctrine that the english used for the most part of world one that was about creating control over the battlefield via central command.
Carl von Clausewitz was a student of Scharnhorst, who saw the need for this coming before Napoleon defeated Prussia at Jena in 1806. Scharnhorst established a military school in Berlin with several other like-minded officers, and they prepared a series of reforms for the Prussian Army.
Several German officers in the late 19th century also looked to the American Civil War and the Russo-Japanese War for inspiration, and drew the same conclusions. Robert E. Lee and his commanders fought in a very similar manner to the German Army, and by the end of the war, both Union and Confederate generals allowed a lot of leeway to their subordinates, even down to company level. The Japanese also tried out both the French and German doctrines, and the German doctrine worked better for them.
Good video! I have been at Eben Emael. Wich is now a museum. Well preserved. Incredible defences, state of the art technology. Gas sealed double doors. And 900 men inside. However, what your video leaves a bit uncovered is this:
The Jaeger were under orders to leave nothing of the , then novel, hollow charges. So one huge left over hollow charge was placed on a blast door, under a captured dome. Behind the door was, chlorine stockpile, for cleaning the toilets. The blast was huge. I Saw the blast doors and the seconden defence steel beams. Like a gigant pushed jelly doors. Impressive! The corridor over a hundred metres is still black, and the wiring still missing. The Belgians panicked, thinking that the Germans attacked with chlorine gas like WW1, and surrendered.
What also did not help was that the officers only spoke French and the soldiers only Flemish.
Heh in fairness whether it's your own chlorine or theirs you damn well don't want the be in a confined space with the stuff it does not play nice in the event of finding Hydrogen, a huge problem considering it is one of only 2 elements that is an even stronger Oxidiser than Oxygen itself and will thus steal the stuff from Oxygen not great when you happen to be 70% Water. Only gas worse than Chlorine would arguably be Flourine but that stuff is so darn reactive that it is a complete SOB to handle or store could be stored in glass theoretically but that is not exactly rigged course it eats metal, eats pretty much anything carbon-based ie basically any polymer you can throw at it etc kinda running out of options there not hard to see why it's often easier to store it as a compound and manufacture the gas at the point of use when it's needed in industry etc.
I'm looking through your "back catalog" and cherry picking what I consider interesting. I've read a book covering the struggle for Fort Eben Emanuel, but your animated depiction makes the battle much more understandable. Thank you for your efforts.
Very good video, I wrote an presentation on Wenzel leadership a few years back. He never gets the credit he deserved because he was an NCO but without him the Fort would never have been taken.
I'm late to the party, but I gotta commend you on this incredible body of work. I really can imagine the hours you put into this project, so I have to say that it really shows. This is pure quality!
BBC or a production company need to throw a fat budget & a studio at you!
Haha, you could be the David Attenborough of WW2 documentaries!!
Great stuff!
well said
U even got the fake cupola, having visited the fort can say this animation is very accurate, kudos.
I was tempted to take a trip to the fort as I was making this video, however I never did. I will go one day. But glad you thought this was accurate :)
I really enjoyed this. I ve read accounts but your graphics made it so much easier to understand.
Your videos have really improved over the years
10 out of 10 TIK, superb. Your presentation style and attention to detail is excellent even without the great graphics
I loved the Lego style animations and the surreal scene @13:30 with the drunken German atop cupola #120 which reminded me of the drunken Preacher at Rorke's Drift. 😝 Also, the pinpoint accuracy of the German gliders landing is amazing and was only replicated 2 other times in WW2 that I know of, the British at Pegasus Bridge and the Germans again at Gran Sasso.
TIK, This is a masterful presentation of an operation that I am not familiar of. Loved the gliders and other animations. Got some chuckles here and there, especially the rum. I have personally met some American glider troops and these type are very courageous. Need to scope out your other presentation of the SAS in the desert too. Happy New Year!!!
Thank you Thomas! Grechza (the drunk guy) also got a "head injury" at some point late on or after the battle. Nobody can say who or what caused it, but legend has it Wenzel got a hold of him after the battle... Grechza was also the only member to receive a Iron Cross 2nd Class - everyone else got an Iron Cross 1st Class.
The 3rd video for the LRDG I did also has characters and is more personal, like this video. But this is the first video I've done with 3D guys running around. I think it works well with the scale of the operation... might not work so well with the next one, but we'll see. Happy New Year to you too!
Good job TIK! I've been watching all your documentaries and I really liked this - an old one I know - one. Nice work!
Awesome :D Loved the animation and the history class. Awesome work. Happy New Year Lewis ;)
Happy New Year to you too Rikki :) I'm glad you liked it - the next one will be better. Promise!
Thank you :) Can't wait to see it.
Much admiration and respect for making the video and taking the time to get the History right
Thank you. I absolutely have to get the history right - or as right as possible given the resources etc. This was 7 months of hard work (I did have to learn the 3D software I used from scratch in order to do it) but was definitely worth it :)
Wow! Amazing you put so much work into this!
7 months worth of effort to be exact :)
Such a Shame this got only around 50k views. You deserve much more.
Great story! I always enjoy your stories and graphics of little known incidents during the Second World War. Thanks for sharing with us.
Hello! It's me again... You're amazing mate! Love what you've done with the animations!! Keep it up!
Nowadays Eben Emael is a well preserved museum. Worth a visit!
Even though the style is quite different from your latter Battlestorm videos, I quite liked the more personal narration.
These animations are amazing! I wish you could always do them
great video I like the animation gives your video its own unique feel.
I may be wrong but I haven't seen another history video quite like it
I haven't either your video is the first. keep up the good work the animation gives its sense unique to the TIK channel.
yeah it was a nice video, reminded me of final fantasy VII :)
The idea of taking Eben Emael by Glider attacking paratroopers is 1st class brilliant strategic thinking. The success of this spectacular amazing operation results in capture of a most powerful Fort. A crucial objective for German forces. On the few rest so much. Germany went on N eventually defeated France....
Fine work, i'm glad you recommended this to me!
Very very great video
You need a lot of time to make a great video like this. Thanks
It took about 5 months (in spare time) from doing the research, learning the software, and creating it
Wow! I really liked this. I am going to be looking for more of your entertaining stuff. Thanks.
In fact, my entire theory of France 1940 is based on Belgiums prevarication, which prevented an easily defensible line from being established through the Ardennes and over to the bend in the Meuse at Namur and along the Meuse through Liege and accross to the Antwerp redoubt area. Had they simply cooperated, tens of millions of lives in WW2 would have been saved. Leopold and his shite military advisor are to blame.
It was crazy for the Belgians not to join the allies after they captured the German war plans. They knew the Germans would invade them.
Belgium was a guaranteed neutral. The existence of Belgium depended upon that neutrality. So military cooperation with any of the warmongering countries was a no go.
@@bv2623 There was unofficial cooperation and intelligence sharing - but it was both limited and secret as they did not want to give up neutrality and perhaps give the Germans a pretext.
This was truly excellent.
This was so awesome! Great job!
Thanks Matt, glad to hear you liked it :)
really good video. Do we actually know that Wenzel answered the phone - it seems almost too cinematic to be real.
Glad you liked it! According to the sources I used (listed in description) he did answer the phone
In summation, the belgians completely get this whole battle wrong. They dont fire their AA guns at the gliders. They bottle every engagement. This fort was a gift to the german paras.
To be clear, when the Nazis invaded Poland in September 1939, Belgian government answered by telling they had nothing against Adolph Hitler, and that Belgium just decided to stay neutral in any conflict that might happen in Europe. A few month later, in May 1940, 86 German infantrymen were able to capture the best Belgian fort with a garrison of 1200 men. This garrison didn't use its artillery against those invaders, because gun crew's commander considered they needed formal agreements from their hierarchy to use them against German troops that were firing at them, and, of course, they didn't get those agreements. The whole story is now "sold" as a glorious military event showing Belgian reliability and determination against nazis during the war. Perhaps I missed something ?
This is a very will done and informative animation! I would be very interested in a video on Fort Driant.
Thanks! Not heard of Fort Driant before. Will add it to my ever growing to-do list though :)
As far as I know, it was also the first use of the shaped charge. They were so secret that during training the paratroopers used dummies of the same weight.
I loved the animated battle. Really cool.
Excellent work TiK (as always). How did you do the animation?
Love the animation. ^^ A lot of work behind this.
Good to hear! Trust me, this was months of work... Probably too much for such a short video. But I learnt many lessons, which is the main thing
Very nice.. again amazed at the detail!! the bunker looks exactly as they are for real.
ive actually sat on top where the drunk german was to.
the fortress tho is surprisingly big on top its really huge. hard to visualize.
very well done! as you also created the anti tank ditch.
You could add.. that the fortress was ment to protect the crossings over the Maas and albert canals. And its fire could reach the appraoches to luik if iam correct. south of Maastricht.My hometown and it was about to get hit by 6th army.You didnt mention that another unit landed at Veldwezeld if iam right.or vroenhoven one of the villages that holds a bridge between belgium albert canal and maastricht?
The german unit wasnt simply fallschirmjeager but more like a taskforce specially made special training for 6 months. more like special forces by that time.but indeed they were still fallschirmjeager.
Youd be surprised to learn you can still enter the fortress on a tour. it has a museum inside it and i believe even one of the gliders. Also every now and then they reenact the battle on top.
The frontwall is still covered with bulletholes and shrapnell.
(hollow charge bombs) etc. utter secrecy was reqeusted and i believe 1 of the group was executed even for disgussing something. iam not sure.
iam sure tho of the fact that the Germans came to the plan of attacking via gliders was that a German recon plane photographed belgian soldiers playing football on top. and realised there shouldnt be any mines.
its pretty amazing to realize that a attacking force outnumbered 10 to 1.
could succesfully engage dug in defender.
one grandmother of mine heard the firing at the gliders as she lived in Maastricht.
the machinegunburst
anothers brother and friends drewthe attention of german guards by starting fights. and pulled out pow s for escape. they later formed a resistance group that smuggled jews hunted and downed pilots via the cavesystem on the same region.
I'm glad you like it! And I'm glad I wasn't too far off :D
I've seen pictures online that made me think it was a museum now. I was tempted to visit when I was doing the research for this, but that idea never materialised. I didn't mention the other units landing and taking the nearby bridges simply because I wanted to concentrate on the fort itself, but I am aware that they took the bridges.
I read that one of the German fallschirmjägers got into trouble for talking about the operation before it began. He was forgiven after its success. I'm not sure about them executing anyone.
And I didn't know there was a cave system in Belgium?
Indeed the party on bridge wasnt assault on fortress itself.I just wanted to let you know in case you missed it ;) but that makes me a fool lol.
I think you are correct and its me mistaken about the paratrooper. I remember there was 1 in trouble indeed.
I do like to offer you the chance to visit here. And visit the best of western fronts.
its all within 2.5 hours range with eben emeal the closest..10 minutes...i do not have bedspace but plenty hotels motels here and the town is famous for em.But i doubt you could find a better guide if i say so myself.Ive bin used to show around tourists and do it gladly for free if i can help your channal.I speak dutch english a bit German and know all battlefronts and visited all your video sites.unfortunatly my friends are more busy with going out then history buffing. so i like to see someone with the same passion about that stuff. yes there are many tunnels and cave systems here.. Zonneberg. St pietersberg. The casemates etc. mainly defences build to defend against invaders.
The south is actually much more hilly rough terrain.
Theres even a place my favorite lunchplace in a forrest near a former labor site were also tunnels inside where they wanted to construct V2 missile site.
There is dockings leading into the rock etc.
come watch for yourself.
Might be the perfect moment for you to do your research. and iam glad to help to keep the legends alive. Ever bin to ardennes. arnhem? hurtgenforrest?
The town has its own airport to. ill drive you around mate.(maastricht/aachen)
Enjoyed this keep it up .. Love watching your close combat videos i'm a big fan myself!
Glad you enjoyed it! I need to get back into making gaming videos, I've been a bit slack recently
Nice animations! The moustache was powerful. Few men are worthy of a moustache of that caliber.
Awesome! was always interested to know the details on this raid. Had to laugh at the Belgian counter attack ... "explosion! get back in the fort!" caus i mean explosions are quite rare in battles of course hahah
btw, how did witzig get his glider back into the air?
bob jenkins
I once saw a documentary I now can't find, where he explained it. I don't remember the details, I just remember that he for some reason forced someone (I think it was a police-officer) to drive him somewhere (either to next police-station, from where he called the Luftwaffe airfield, from where the Ju 52 in question operated; or he made him drive to the airfield in question...most likely it was the former).
I can't link it to you as I don't find it anymore. In any case Wikipedia (English and German) says that his glider landed in Germany because the rope broke.
Well narrated and animated!
Near Verviers is another, smaller fort - Tancremont. I hiked out there to take a look. It is closed at the moment but it opens for tours on some Sundays in the summer. This also has cupolas, visible from the road. Tancremont did not surrender until after the official surrender of Belgium - the Germans simply went around it.
Battle storm has come a very very long way. This looks straight out of early 2000's Call of Duty: Big Red One remade in a claymation version of Minecraft.
What happened to the drunk para? Did he get in trouble?
He didn't receive the Iron Cross like all the other Paratroopers did.
He died one year later on Crete.
Briilliant! i really enjoy these, especially special operations like this one. What about st nazaire? :P
Oh don't worry, it's still there on that list of mine and I will do it at some point soon :) this time though, I'm going to try my hand at a BIG battle as I've been promising people I would for quite a while
Brilliant video
This is so amazing I'm loving it more by the moment
If there hadn't been any casualties, it could have been a bizarre comedy.
Amazing job
Well it's not my fault that you upload in 2 weeks lol. Do some Pacific battles like the Battle of Tarawa or the Doolittle raid. Is that lego?
It's similar to lego, but I was going for a papercraft style
TIK no that's definitely lego lol
Ok, the Lego men were a bit corny, like this was made for kids to watch. But the documentation was very good. I got a good feel of the action. The Belgians seemed to be absolutely clueless. Better at destroying their fort than defending it!
One thing missing that I find curious: I didnt see a map scale. Just how big is the fort? How far apart are these guns? Love your channel. One of the best. Thankyou for this doc.
I know this is an older video, but when are we gonna see more like this, simple but informative animations. Cheers TIK.
Considering this took 5 months to create (yep), it may be a long time before I attempt something like this again. I will be doing more of the other types of Battlestorm videos - the ones like Battleaxe and Bruneval. In fact, I'm working on Operation Crusader right now, and have been working for over a year on Stalingrad. However, when they're done they won't be like this particular video.
Its all good, you're making a great series. I remember arguing in a year 9 paper that I thought it was the Lusitanias captains fault for the sinking due to doing little to nothing in anti sub manoeuvres. Also for carrying war supplies on a passenger liner into the war zone. Critical thinking is so important because history is written by the victors on to many occasions. Thanks for the response, really looking forward to seeing your views on Stalingrad.
this animation is godly
Thanks for covering this, but the Belgians were incompetent , unmotivated, and borderline cowardly here.
Some Belgian soldier fought with great courage against the Germans in 1940, and later against the Soviets while in the Waffen SS, both the Flemish Brigade and The Walloonians. I think it's the "Fort" mentality, which made these troops lose incentive. Cushy assignment and all that.
Bruno, pretty well the same story for the rest of Western Europe, some stout resistance but basically unprofessional and cowardly. Has anything changed?
@@FairladyS130 British troops put up stout resistance to Waffen-SS at Wormhoudt and Le Paradis in northern France. In both locations dozens of them were killed after capture.
@@jduff59 Chris McNab's account of Eben Emael maintains that serving in Eben Emael was seen by Belgians as almost a punishment assignment. Soldiers in it often spent 170 hours or more underground without coming to the surface and morale was poor. In the Maginot line, French troops who spent long periods underground were given sunlamp treatment but Belgians in Eben Emael may not have had even that aid to morale.
Hi TIK, I really loved this Video, I was wondering whether you could do something similar (probably shorter) for the freeing of Mussolini by Otto Skorzeny? I can provide a German book on the history of Skorzeny if needed. I would also like to offer my help in understanding German sources (for the Stalingrad series, for instance) or free German lessons. Please DM me if interested.
With actual video footage of the battle throughout! 😁
How about covering the battle of Milne bay. Not a well known engagement but was a significant battle of the Pacific war and the first time the Japanese were defeating on land.
great video
I have been in fort eben emael its gigantic
Really well done
I'm glad you like it :)
why is Eben Emael blurred out on google earth ?
Good video!
I wouldn't usually condone the use of the POWs as human Shields, however, I would say that it was necessary as there was only 75 Fallschirmjager and over 1,000 Belgians or they would have had more casualties.
In the film 'Brest Fortress', advancing Germans attempt to use POWs and civilians as shields but the Soviet defenders open fire anyway. I don't know if this is based on actual historical occurrence though it seems likely.
A war crime. The Germans also used the tactic during the invasion of the Netherlands, herding Dutch POWs in front of their advancing troops. An indication of their ruthless approach to war.
16:50 I think you made a mistake, should be 11 May 1940 not 1941.
Yes! That's an obvious one, but I made a few other mistakes too. Let's see if anyone can spot them :)
***** Was it the names? Doing my own research I couldn't come across a Wenzler.
@@kurf4122 No, his name was Helmut Wenzel.
Sergeant Wenzel was the unsung leader of Granite and never got the recognition because he was an NCO. Wenzel received the Iron Cross while Witzig received the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross despite the fact he was barely there.
The Knight's Cross was disproportionately given to officers.
Could you, if possible, play any of the Panzer Campaign games by John Tiller Software?
I don't get it. The German attack was perfect, but this fort doesn't seem to have been barely defended. Why weren't there mutiple exits for the troops underground? Why didn't the Belgians counter attack? Why did the commander need instruction to counter a very obvious and all out attack. Did these troops had no training at all? What kind of volunteers refuse to/can refuse to fight- a well defended position?
One could say that Fort Eben Emael was like a giant tank operating without infantry support. Had the Belgians prepared infantry fighting positions on the 'roof', with as a little as a company in residence as a reaction force, they may have been able to exact appreciable casualties on the assault force.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you too!
The Belgian said "Mon Dieu!" Which means "My God!" in French.
Your pronounciation threw me off so I just thought I'd clarify here.
Source: I'm bilingual and from Quebec.
The fort was overrated as a defense, as its firepower was no more than that of an artillery battalion at the most. And they had several of these in the area already which were also ineffective. Had they held the fort in operating condition, it was so poorly defended that the first infantry battallion to show up would have easily taken it anyway.
Glider warfare seems to be a german speciality
Gran sasso especially
One british officer did suggest a glider assault on arnhem bridge in sept1944 but was overruled by higher authorities so the eight mile away plan was implemented!
wasnt the line that they german got to eben emael and took it before the belgiums even got there? i swear thats what it says in the world at war BBC documentary series. that being said the more i watch your videos i cvome to agree with the way you see the war. and you bring up a point of view that never would have accures to me nearly every video. i dont kow if you have done one the batle of france 1940 but this is my fav battle of the war if not of all time. also have you compared the battle plan from france 1940 to operation dessert storm?
Quitte good film, additions, gliders came in from Westside, or the belgian side,... Belgium was not at war at that moment. The war declaration came later that day. And the bombs used the Hollowpoint was a almost new type a type.
Belgium build the fort withthe previous war in mind, a daring attack succeeded.
All you have to do is kick the door in, and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down.
This was Hitler's rationale for Operation Barbarossa, but it turned out to be a far more apt description of Germany's neighbor to the west, Belguim.
Excellent
Hope you do more of these after Stalingrad is done
"it's almost impossible odds" ... "and loving it !"
How about Operation Goodwood?
Yes, I will cover it at some point, as well as Epsom. Whether they'll be seperate videos or part of one big "D-Day" video, I'm not sure at the moment. However my plan right now is to cover the WDC and the Middle East before progressing into Tunisia, Italy and then eventually Western Europe. All this while simultaneously covering battles on the Eastern Front (Stalingrad is the one I'm focusing on right now). This will hopefully give me a good grasp of the units (e.g. Eigth Army) and commanders (e.g. Montgomery, Patton etc) before I tackle the big battle (D-Day).
Your work is outstanding, very much appreciated and enjoyed
That was pretty fucking ninja
Glad you liked it! Took me months to make so it's nice to hear when people are impressed by it :)
Glider forces had such a short lived history.
The Krauts used them to great effect through the war. Perhaps their most shining achievement was taking over the airport in Crete, enabling Germany to occupy the entire island.
It's ridiculous how easily the most advanced dfensive system in the world was conquered. It's hard to comprehend.
The success of this operation fueled commando and paratroop formations in many countries. Just as Crete caused the US to decide to build a massive airborne force.
Wow, this entertaining animation shows just how good those German troops were. When the raid's commander was knocked out of action in the opening moments, the second in command transitioned smoothly into the role of overall commander. In squads they took down many supposedly impregnable rooftop gun turrets and, by owning the outside, took charge of the overall fortress. Animation proves a brilliant tool for explaining the complex chain of events. Unfortunately, the English voice narrator is not a pro and lets his voice trail off in the second half of sentences, and so English viewers lose much of the story. But still worth watching.
I thought that the Belgians used the Adrian helmet.
I thought the same. I am pretty shure you are wright.
@@PolCornelis They did. They wore khaki and looked much like French troops.
fortifications can't replace courage
Well, in a way a supposedly impregnable defense system does replace courage. It transforms the defenders into passive actors, instructed to retreat further into the structure rather than actively defend their precious outward-facing pillboxes. This is a recipe for disaster, all the more because their defensive mentality was taken advantage of by the German attackers as soon as they became aware of it. In other sectors of the Blitzkrieg the Belgians fought with bravery. But the passive mindset required to man this supposedly impregnable fortress had the effect of removing a sense of responsibility that could have resulted in a far different outcome.
At 16.50. I think you meant to say 1940, not 1941.
*Calls his video The Real Fort Eben Emael*
*Uses cartoons to depict the battle.*
Good video either way
not a word about the assault groups who fought to secure the bridges leading to the fort?
16:53 May 11, 1941??? I though it was 1940. That really needs to be corrected.
This is the 1 episode of South Park that i must have mussed over the years...and not only Kenny got killed in it 😄
i was expecting for it to look like the crusader documentary.
still better than brevity though
why dont 1000 man garison come out to the roof ?
hey TIK since you do a good deal of documentary on history i wanted to recommend that you for inspration take a look at THFE Productions youtube channel. He does history documentary with animations too. He is currently looking to do partnerships with other youtubers :-)
He seems to be focusing on ancient battles?
***** mostly yes - he also cooperate with CA and total war in terms of covering the history of rome, sparta, athen etc :-)
Was this video sponsored by Megablox or what?
I wish! I needed simple figures and was inspired by images of papercraft figures like this goo.gl/images/qZULC9
Why hasn’t Hollywood made a film about this?
Because the Germans won. Western media only make films that make Germany look bad.
Courage is not the thing you associate the Belgians with, do you? I mean, as long they are not in Congo.
Live close there
One of the greatest and most impressive German victories…