Kursk marked the end of German offensives in Russia. So arguing over who won is irrelevant-from Kursk on, the Germans would be in retreat.Had Germany surrendered, millions of lives would have been saved. that they fought on (knowing that they would lose) shows the inherent stupidity of Hitler.
I’m sorry but these memoirs, just like most German memoirs, are nothing but lies. He destroyed 3 or 4 (really, you don’t know how many tanks you knocked out) tanks that were about 30-40 yards away. Sure, and the Soviet tanks were just standing there and not shooting back and waiting to be knocked out one by one. Nonsense. I do believe he took part in the battle and perhaps even knocked out a couple of tanks but this particular story is total BS. And before you start telling me Germans destroyed 100 Soviet tanks for every one that they lost I assure you I’m familiar with the number of losses for each side. Funny how in every German memoir they are always the superior soldiers and yet the war ended with a Red Flag flying over Reichstag
Very true, and then there is no accurate way to tell who actually knocked out a tank in mass combat. People are mistaken and then there are people with overblown egos who claim all the glory. In one air battle over France, two Focke-Wulf Fw 190's dove through a B-17 formation, and one went away tailing smoke, over a dozen gunners claimed a 'kill'. Revisionist RUclips historians have rewritten history with 'fake news', there is so much bias half the channels are just a bad joke. I do think The AceDestroyer is one of the better channels, he did state this is based on a personal account so I'd take it with a grain of salt. What it does do is give an eye-witness account of the Russian tank charge, which a number of morons don't even believe happened. In one of the bravest engagements in history, the 5th Guards Tank Army charge the II SS-Panzer Corps and fought it to a standstill, defeating the SS with their new 'wonder weapons' the Tigers and Panthers. SS-Obersturmführer Rudolf von Ribbentrop bragged about his Army's superiority yet as you state pyatig, the Germans got their arse's kicked.
@@RemoveChink yes in some cases, depends on personality, and in SS-Obersturmführer Rudolf von Ribbentrop case it would definitely be a racist overblown ego doing the talking.
Outstanding work. Would definitely like to see more. If I may suggest a bit more and longer map segments to show the events on the ground as they develop.
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
Why are all the soldiers so cleanly shaven? Steady hands in the morning before battle. Never a razor cut. This seems standard to all war footage, whichever front is shown. On D-day it would appear that the Germany army jumped up and shaved. In North Africa the waterless and hirsute Italians surrendered on mass but shaven. Would they rather shave than drink the water? Forbid the thought that all WW11 footage is fake.
There is a museum in Prokhorovka, really good museum with a lot of stuff from that battle. You can play around with deactivated FG42, PPSH-41, Kar. 98, MG-42 and other stuff... and you can play World Of Tanks there for as long as you want, there is a whole section with a bunch of computers with WOT installed :D poor country kids play there cuz they got no computer
When in the area again, take a drive down to Kharkov, Ukraine and visit their relatively new (remodeled and re-opened in 2013) Historical Museum which is an incredible collection of WW2 history.
But it highlights just how massive a battle area it was...and over days. Soviets under the Marshal dug hundreds of miles in ditches ....and mines set up in any spot the Soviets military could predict Germans may utilize.
@@derritter4970 Only the uninformed ..World History is not a required class in High School and most Colleges in America, and what they do get on the fighting on the Eastern Front is that the Nazis were turned back at Moscow and Crushed at Stalingrad....very little details on the rest.
@@amirtavakoli2715 interesting how his Vaterland turned out to be located within the golden ring of Russia; guess he must've been a Russian spy and one of the sources for the numerous leaks of planned military ops.
Awe man that would have been so amazing as a kid. Can you imagine playing war with your friends, re-enacting old battles with real tanks and planes littered all around you....
Thank you AceDestroyer. What is going to be phenomenal for future generations is to see a battle of tanks in action as it happened in real time. We can only read about ancient battles, but in a thousand years, people will be able to see this videocast and have a much more authentic look at what war in the 20th century had become and to perhaps understand why 50 million people or more lost their lives in WWII. My father was a WWII veteran and he always said there will be a WWIII. What we all hope is that he is wrong, wrong, wrong.
It would be much better to not have any war happen on earth again. There is tanks clashing in real time in my country now (Ukraine), and it is not fun to watch. War is a crime. It is chaos, and it must be destroyed, for life is order and death is chaos. We must unite to fight the real enemy - chaos, and not each other!
Von Ribbentrop was a truly brave man. If I'm not mistaken he got injured several times (7?) and continued the fight. And he was so young at Kursk, just 22. A truly brave man indeed.
Yes, many Nazis survived to gray hair. After the destruction of 17 million Soviet civilians, they calmly lived in America. America loves the Nazis very much, and saved many from the retaliation of the Soviet people. We know that very well.
Either the Soviet tank crews were the most incompetent ever, and/or their gunners were incapable of accurate fire, and/or the Russian tank cannons weren't capable of penetrating the not-so-thick, not-at-all sloped armor of the Panzer IV. OR......... The German tank commander and/or the Reich's propaganda ministry people were feeding the public a 'fishing story' that was significantly exaggerated!
@@patrickmcleod111 Remember Dunkirk, if USA had landed 1940 in France, they wouldn't have a Chance to hold the lines against Wehrmacht. But russians hold the lines in fiesest and toughest battles of Worldwar 2 and pushed back (russians had heavy losses of Material & men but they had never ending supply and will). Germany had lost the war in Russia because of Winter, confused Oberbefehlshaber Hitler and russian bravery. And very soon Yankees will get their ass kicked if they not stop their endless destabilization policy in East-Europe and elsewhere. 2019 is 1912. New rising powers Russia and China.
@@peterhoevermann6673 What destabilization policy are we responsible for in eastern Europe? If you are talking about the populist backlash against the mass migration and open borders policies of the globalistic neo-liberals and the cultural Marxists of the radical left, that's not our fault! The eastern European people are wising up, and realizing that they don't support the subversive & authoritarian ideology of the EU. Like us, they don't want their borders overrun by additional millions of poor, uneducated & unskilled workers, who will take jobs and lower wages, and upset the cultural and political landscape of their countries. I can promise you one thing. Neither the Russian OR Chinese govts will open their borders to masses of poor, uneducated young males, let them become dependent on taxpayer funded entitlements, and take jobs and reduce salaries of their own people! The Chinese and Russian leaders care enough about the sovereignty of their own countries to do that! But the Marxists and globalist neo-liberals DO want to put an end to sovereignty in America and Europe.... They want a giant socialist super-state. SCREW THAT!!
@@patrickmcleod111 Only one example, so called Euro-Maidan Coup in Ukraine by CIA and "Fuck EU" Nuland, and in Georgia by arming and advising terrorists, google Shirshani and other United States supported islamic terrorists. But the list is much longer.
@@henkgerritsen1444 - yes I would say it to his face 10 times you coward - German soldiers deserve prison time not respect - slimeball would be you Nazi lover
*Prokhorovka.* Only the first syllable is stressed. prOkhorovka. 'Kh' is pronounced like 'h' in 'hunter'. *prOhorovka.* Also, 'v' in -vka is pronounced like 'f'. Therefore, its pronunciation goes as follows : Próhorofka.
The problem is that for English Speakers such as myself of the American Dialect is that we tend to murder the pronunciation of Russian Words. As a child, there was a lot bigger Polish Russian and Ukrainian presence in the town I live in, some 55 years ago when I was a kid. Plenty of German and Yiddish too. Now it's pretty much Spanish. For some Kursk is a painful reminder of some very very hard times. It one of those places I would like to go and see and walk around some. Come to think about it the last Russian speaker I had contact with was in a Dentist Office in Anchorage, Alaska almost 20 years ago.
My wife was born and raised in Kharkov, Ukraine. Just south of Belgorad and Prokhorovka, Russia. Her city was liberated as a result of the battle of Kursk in August, 1943. The day, August 23, is celebrated every year to this day as the "Day of the City". More than 275,000 residents of Kharkov died in the war, more than ALL Americans killed in the European theater. I think every American should visit the former Soviet Union to understand what CAN happen, what DID happen. The scale of it is beyond comprehension. It is not for the weak of heart to visit Babi Yar Ravine in Kiev and walk on what is the grave of more than 150,000 people, or to visit St. Petersburg (Leningrad) which endured an inhuman siege killing more than a million people. I had the great opportunity to live and work in the former Soviet Union (where I met my wife). I worked in Odessa, among other places, Kiev, Kharkov, Donetsk. In Odessa, where 50,000+ people were massacred in just a few weeks in 1941-42. You walk in a nice park and see a plaque. A marker like we often see in the USA...some historical event, you know, "Abe Lincoln was here"...that kind of thing. But this sign says that at this place in 1941 there was a bomb crater and the SS "conducted" 400 children to this place and SHOT THEM, pushed them in the hole and buried them. There are few heroes left from that time now. When I worked there, there were many more. They wear their medals pinned to their civilian clothes.They were, and are, revered by the people, even the young people today. They were, and are, greeted and offered seats on public transportation and told to go ahead of people in lines. The people always say "Thank you, Grandfather, for my freedom" Or "Thank you for my happiness". Young couples getting married, go to the city's "Memorial of Glory" in their wedding clothes and thank the 275,000 people buried there for their future, for the opportunity to meet their spouse. The Air Force Academy in the city does their daily running through the Memorial of Glory. They have not forgotten. Anyone who thinks they have, I invite you to attend one of many celebrations on May 9...Victory Day.
We would like to thank you for the invitation to the day of victory, but we are not interested. Your text is still the same bolshevik rhetoric, odious stalinist propaganda. So many of your leaders have lied to you, and you still believe it all, shame
... and those noble, kind, heroic Sovier soldiers raped hundred of thousands if not millions of German, Hungarian, Polish, Czech etc. women for what there is no mercy. Russians took no prisoners, they were killing anyone aside the road or in their houses, no matrer soldier or civilian. They were beast. And were stealing everything. Famous slogan was : 'davay casi' or give me Your watch. Uncivilized and unorganized analphabets invaded Europe and only violance accompanied them. They were invading other countries, no liberating. From whom Soviets would liberate Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland etc who were allies of Germans and were heavily anti- bolshevist ?
@@garyK.45ACP attack and war was a done deal. question was who will be the first. England was shocked after Germans and Soviets made the Molotov- Ribbentrop treaty in Brest about not attacking each other (and sharing Poland). everything else is a theory, but for sure only U.S. had benefit from ww2. All others have bleeded out.
Cool video! Never really looked at the Kursk battle from German side of things. The Battle of Kursk was the first time my grandfather saw combat on an SU-85, and his first injury. The way he tells it - they went straight from unloading from a train and right into battle.
believe it or not, we would probably be behind of our current technological development, the most rapid advancement usually happens during wartime, especially ww1 and ww2. But it came at the cost of millions of lives and misery for many millions who were affected.
I read about von Ribbentrop in Panzer Aces by Franz Kurowski. Excellent book. The stories are written with so much detail, it's easy to imagine the action. Also in the book are - Franz Bake, Herman Bix, Hans Bolter, Michael Wittman, and Albert Ernst. I highly recommend reading this book.
Very interesting to hear about the German side of Prokhorovka, especially from the eyes of a tank commander. Gives me a much greater respect for the men on both sides who perished that day. It's a shame stuff like this is not heard of very often in the US history books.
Glorifying Nazi and Imperial Japan war aggression on the world would be to promote it. It’s more sad that you think it’s sad that the history books don’t record their bravery as horrific consequences such as killing Jews and attacking Pearl Harbor.
Georg Murlowski (age 20, from Hindenburg) was my mothers baby brother was killed in this battle, his body and that of his brothers Max and August were never found and remain missing in action. They were 3 of 5 brothers that my mom lost during WW2. I pray for them and the 50-80 million souls that lost their lives, caused by a fanatic, megalomaniac murderer who had an illusion that continues to plague our world today
@@Yora21 , Not so different than the actions of the IDF in the last few decades i think, or the American forces in Vietnam or their mercenaries in central America for 30 years or the French, Belgian and Portuguese in Africa for more than a century. Maybe you should read a book before you spout the standard media monotone story.
K98 Zook. Since when were the Germans true warriors? They were only brave when they confronted unarmed women and children and when the Soviet Forces overran their defences they ran to surrender to British and American forces.
@Somarik Green How about Yezhov, Yagoda and Stalin. Tens and tens of millions. Furthermore why was the Emperor of Japan absolved? Or the systematic slaughter of Indigenous Aborigines in Australia, North America etc... This repeats itself throughout the course of history. Dont comment unless you know your stuff inside out.
Really? Why do you say that? If anything, most accounts about Kursk (especially the engagement at Prokorova) have been filled with exaggerated numbers of tanks & exaggerated accounts of the ferocity of the clash at Prokorovka (e.g. there isn't much evidence to support the suggestion that tanks were ramming each other all the time). It turns out that many of the exaggerations about Prokorovka that were have believed were made by a Soviet commander, who was trying to defend himself when he was strongly admonished by Stalin for losing so many tanks! Yes, the battle at Kursk was a large & violent struggle which wasted men & equipment that the Germans could not replace easily. The Soviet losses were considerable, but they had no problem replacing their losses. Finally, despite what some old books & documentaries claimed, the truth is that Operation Citadel was already doomed before the battle at Prokorovka began. If you want the most up-to-date & reliable research about Operation Citadel, the Soviet defenses, the many engagements that made up each day of the battle, plus the clash at Prokorovka, I would strongly encourage you to read David M. Glantz's book. Both Glantz & another researcher, Robert Citino, are the world's leading experts on the Eastern Front. Citino's book, "The Death of the Wehrmact" is an excellent overview, and all of Glantz's books are fantastic (although the maps are too small, and many of his books perhaps may be a bit too dry & detailed for some readers.) What makes Glantz's research so important is that he speaks fluent German, Russian, and other languages, so he has been able to look at original documents in the Kremlin (something very few historians have been allowed to do). Both Citino & Glantz have also had access to original documents kept by the Germans during WWII. Both the Germans & Soviets were obsessive about keeping detailed records, so Citino & Glantz have uncovered a lot of important info, and they have dispelled a lot of myths & incorrect assumptions about the Axis-Soviet war that have persisted for 60 or more years.
Lolwut?? It's one of the most consistently researched, analysed and documented conflicts of WW2, and certainly one the most showcased events of the Russo-German war. Stop talking nonsense.
@@derekbaker3279 Dr. Louis A. Dimarco Excellent historian and tank expert. Dr. Louis A. Dimarco retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army in 2005 after more than 24 years of active service. Dr. Dimarco is the author or co-author of several Army doctrinal manuals, and of numerous scholarly articles. His most recent published work is “The Mechanized Cavalry’s Critical Contribution to Victory in Europe, 1944-45,” in the Global War Studies Journal, 2013. He is also the author of two books: War Horse: A history of the Military Horse and Rider (Westholme, 2008) and Concrete Hell: Modern Urban Operations from Stalingrad to Iraq (Osprey, 2012). Antony Beevor This first CCA of the 2017-2018 academic year will explore that revolution’s leaders, its animating ideology, and the 70-year history of the tyrannical regime to which it gave birth. The Soviet Role in World War II - Antony Beevor ruclips.net/video/AZErCVlIDJg/видео.html Victor Davis Hanson: World War Two-Then and Now Victor Davis Hanson: World War Two-Then and Now World War II was the most lethal conflict in human history. Never before had a war been fought on so many diverse landscapes and in so many different ways, from rocket attacks in London to jungle fighting in Burma to armor strikes in Libya. Drawing on 3,000 years of military history, Victor Davis Hanson argues that despite its novel industrial barbarity, neither the war's origins nor its geography were unusual. Nor was its ultimate outcome surprising. The Axis powers were well prepared to win limited border conflicts, but once they blundered into global war, they had no hope of victory. ruclips.net/video/OC94iAUXVPQ/видео.html Jarrett Stepman: Jarrett Stepman stopped by The Daily Caller to talk with Derek about his new book, "The War on History." ruclips.net/video/fNeAsIdVNsA/видео.html Both Citino & Glantz have spent too much time in the Soviet Union and are fooled by false information that the Soviets have rewritten in the past 50 or so years to cover their disgraceful losses in WW2
At 22 years old Von Ribbentrop was a very young but already experienced tank Commander . When I see some of the 22 year olds today I wonder how many could fill his shoes hack then ? In this age of techno subjugation I doubt many could.
@@V.D.22 He came from as life of privilege. His father was German Ambassador to London ( His 1934 Mercedes has been in the workshop where I worked on it ) .He is quoted as saying their superior Education was a factor in his success on that day.. But in those days people really were educated ,not just indoctrinated .
True, his pronunciation is really good. He also did a great job pronouncing the Russian place name "Prochorowka". I especially like the way he pronounces the "v" in "von". It's pronounced like an "f". There are German words where the "v" is pronounced like an "f" and words where the "v" is pronounced exactly like an English "v". This is due to a regional sound shift that took place in the Middle Ages. Since it was only regional and never adjusted in an orthography reform, you now have this confusing disparity in spelling and pronunciation.
I was thinking the same thing. Your English is impeccable and hearing the German names, titles and units being pronounced as they should be is also educational.
Amazing how the Soviets absorbed so many losses early in the war and still overwhelmed the Germans. Hitler should have never started the war against this giant.
Yes but Russia never would have survived without huge U.S. aid from fuel ,trucks, food, artillery,ammo , planes, you name it, they were very poor in organization and wasted so much material.
@@bethjohnson8353 Yes, but US never would have survived without help of Russia in destroying Hitler. So Russians payed back Leasing by life of own people. US opened second front only after obvious success of Stalin. Finally, Russia joined US in destring Japan - Manjury Army.
Just imagine if the Germans hadn’t had to send so many men and so much material to aid the Italians in Africa. Instead, they could have started the invasion of Russia weeks earlier and with one of their most brilliant generals. The “desert fox” May have had a very different outcome.
@@patrickkelly8095 As if the Soviets hadn’t already took a severe beating in the early months of Barbarossa, just imagine what damage Rommel would’ve done to the Red Army.
Such a limited resources? You must be kidding. Germany drew resources from all over the Europe, including Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Italy. What school did you go to?
@@juliusleonov If you had half the knowledge you think you have you'ld know that as early as '43 the Germans were very low on everything. Keep your context clear before posting. Even at the height of their expansion Germany had difficulty with resources due to poor infrastructure, Ultra and strategic bombing. The Ploesti oil fields were never enough to keep them in full fuel supply at any time of the war. I don't think any of the German high command in the OKW would agree with your implication that they were well supplied, although I'm sure Hitler and Goebbels would have agreed even in March of '45. Btw, the school I went to also taught me correct punctuation, how to use quotation marks and correctly quote someone. What school did you NOT go to?
Panzer Aces by Franz Kurowski is a fantastic book. A series of accounts of German panzer commanders that were decorated for their actions. Based on after action reports, citations and where possible interviews of survivors. Some very harrowing reading.
Good lord! What an amazing and heroic story! Now, 'AceDestroyer', you can see by the story you have told in this video that my uncle, 'Tiny', (who I commented about earlier today) was indeed correct in his compliments of the German soldier. No wonder he admired them so very much!
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
It Could add to the visual Maps if there was a Distance Marker/Key , showing meters or miles/Kilometers if need be , to better understand the battlefields size
I agree... more on Kursk and Prokhorovka please. Maybe an idea: put in the Soviet perspective too. We tend to forget that although the Soviets were numerically stronger, they suffered huge amounts of casualties and still went on forward. Maybe out of fear for the political officers or out of bravery, I don't know. But war is never a one sided affair. To take on the might of the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS must have been pretty daunting for these men too.
the Russians have no other place to live, except Russia. that's the point of russian victory. respect for all of soldiers that fought that battle and the war( russians and germans). really brave
@@MartinDRand no, stalin was about to attack, they knew they would have been outnumbered and would not withstand the soviets having just way more material and men, so they decided to attack, planning to take moscow before the full soviet war machine would have been ready.
My grandpa was partizan officer by the end of ww2 in Yugoslavia. He told me that Germans were afraid of Russians so much so they would loose their composure, while they didn't have almost any respect towards partizans. And I can tell you that those people were courageous and good, experinced fighters (partizans). After several years of war, you are either good or you are no more. Maybe because we were much smaller fighting force... Also Russians had disposition to get carried away in battle sometimes, while western soldiers are not prone to loose calculability (if they are good, that is)...
And those tank drivers who got so mad they rammed their tanks directly to german tanks distroying both themselves and the enemy, good example of above said.
@@MartinDRand How much "Lebensraum" did Germany really need? How could people live freely in conquered territory without massive military protection from a conquered populace that exceeded them in fighting power 2:1, and who had help from America? Maybe Adolf just wanted to sacrifice Germany to save the world from communism, or to show who was boss after Versailles. The Reich was supposed to last 1,000 years. With hindsight it all looks mad. As Dylan sang "don't follow leaders, watch the parking meters".
Excelente video, great narration, amazing images. Better than almost every WW2 movie o documentary. There is no "good or bad" side on war, just sides fighting for what they believe in. It amazes me the determination of the soviet troops: sending tank after tank after tank despite suffering huge loses.
@@margaretschaff9174 Well, of course, that's why Hitler occupied: Czechoslovakia, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and also tried to save England and America from Bolsheviks. And to save Europe from Bolsheviks, he killed millions of Jews and Russian prisoners of war in concentration camps.
@@margaretschaff9174 stalin didn't invade my country... your fuck psychopathic ss animals did..and burn and kill every citizen in my home town... so fuck yourself somewhere else
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
@@ЮрийЗавалов-и2о Yep i know.. .. Making that remark you should also have pointed out that it is soviet In english, not sovjet like i wrote, but it's kinda clear that you're not the sharpest.. 😄
Rudolph recently passed away and this is a fitting video that honours a brave soldier (no matter on what side and the total waste of war). Much more appropriate than that disrespectful obit in Telegraph. Thank you for producing it.
@Joseph Stalin Dear Josef. Have a good look at your own murderous record of your own people, no less. Rudy was no murderer. An honourable soldier, conscripted by his country just as anyone conscripted to any service in any nation.
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
I've spoken to several Kursk vets, and they tell of waves of T-34's coming over rises like "waves of Beetles". The LAH Division history chronicles how Soviet tanks panicked at times, and piled into the tank ditch ravine, and drove on top of each other up to 3 layers deep.
I read the story of 2 Tiger tanks who defended a whole 5 km front line at Kursk against a hundred of T-34s rushing to them frontaly : Tiger Tank earned the FEAR it created inside Allied tanks crews.
Happy Rudi or Kunibert or von Ribbentrop or Pancer Ace - I ask me what was so wrong with Prokhorovka? A town with 10000 people - women and children. They lived in peace there and without tanks, they had no chance to survive Kunibert - the ace! But what a tragedy the great ace has already accepted that he was to die on 12 th of July 1943. Is he a hero after he has knocked out only 3 T34? Poor Kunibert - the panzer ace was isolated and even encircled but we wonder: the Germans were friendly Germans? How on earth could there be friendly Germans? And then Kunibert feared the risk being killed by a friendly shell. NO war! Make peace!✌✌✌✌
Wait a minute. The Soviets won the Battle of Kursk by drawing the Germans into a previously built stronghold in the plains East of Kursk and Prokhorovka. I think von Ribbentrop forgot to mention that. The Soviets fought bravely and overcame the German tanks by sheer numbers. They were even ramming!
Soviet army lacked ballistic of their armoured guns at the time. Air was balanced, so german army was not pinned down as it was later. It was miracle win actually, considering necesserity of close combat for tanks and the plain battlefield. PS And last one point known not wery wide. German plan was to encirle Soviet forces prepared for massive attack. Yet Soviet army abbadoned attack plan and turned back to defence quite in time not becase of luck. It was huge intelligence victory in the first place! It could be catastrophe like Stalingrad otherwise.
@@heyhoe168 I Wonder that if the Northern Pincher had did as well as the Southern one that they would have tried to complete the encirclement even with the heavy losses
When did the Soviet push towards Berlin get started in earnest. Right here. The Russians pushed all the way into Germany after this battle and right up to Hitler's bunker. So, I feel the Russians won this engagement, even though they might have lost more tanks, they had more to lose. Stalin didn't care about losses.
@F. Friedrich Kling Yes, I agree - this myth than Soviets won is not supported by the latest research into the Battle of Kursk - at Prokhorovka the Russian tank losses were crippling to say the least - can you imagine going into a confrontation like Prokhorovka without radios and other necessary equipment - close quarters - well, the Russians did and the German tank Commanders knew exactly which Commander tank to take out - which they did - and then the Russians had to use hand signals to communicate - I mean, talk about a disadvantage on the battle field - thats why 200 odd German armoured vehicles could annihilate more than 600 Soviet armoured vehicles over 36 hours - then the Allies landed at Anzio in Italy and Hitler pulls all three elite SS Panzer Divisions from the Kursk salient AND thats why the Soviets won - Von Manstein was speechless with rage over that decision and the Germans immediately went over to defensive mode - had Von Manstein been given free reign to exploit Soviet confusion around Prokhorovka they would have broken through decisively and routed what was left of the Soviet layered defenses and reached the town of Kursk about a day later - this would have lead to the encirclement of ALL Soviet forces in the Kursk salient including the Northern sector - this is without considering Air Superiority - which the Germans had - Soviet aircraft losses were crippling and after Prokhorovka the Luftwaffe could have cherry picked targets for ensuring breaches and breakthroughs - it would have been classic Blitskrieg operations and the Soviets had no counter to that - even technical Historians like Glanz concedes that Soviet armour was badly mauled at Prokhorovka which the experiences of a young Tank commander like Von Ribbentrop seems to support!!
The beauty of the heroes telling their own tales. It seems that according to Rudolf von Ribbentrop their firing accuracy rate was 100% in the heat of the battle and more importantly every shot was destroying an enemy tank. Considering that each tank had 30-80 rounds of ammunition they should have won a battle of Russia there and then.
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
@@ЮрийЗавалов-и2о True, Nazi Germany was on the offensive here and was stopped. Fortunately. Otherwise we would all have spoken German today. Not forgetting our party card in our left wallet. The Wehrmacht was and is a topic of massive interest, however, it fought for very evil ideas. Please never forget.
@@BenKlassen1 You shouldn't hate parts of your family because they don't meet your immediate expectations. Have you ever read people like Yasunari Kawabata or Kenzaburo Oe? They're not white, yet their sensibilities are the same as ours. How can you not call someone who experiences life that way a brother? 😌
@@bezahltersystemtroll5055 Because they are historic, political, racial, and biological enemies and rivals. Tens and hundreds of thousands of years of this being the case can't be wrong because people recently have argued otherwise. My instincts tell me the same and they are not wrong.
@@BenKlassen1 So you haven't read them. "Because they are historic, political, racial, and biological enemies and rivals" -Thats just not true, because the people those two authors belong to has never rivalled european people before the year ~ 1850. If you don't have the time to read their books, watch films like "The human condition", and then tell me again those men don't feel the same as us. " My instincts tell me the same and they are not wrong" - thats an absurd thing to say in the year 2021. My instincts tell me that the place I live on doesn't move around the sun, that my memory doesn't decieve me, that we aren't made up of ~10% viral genome - yet we are. Please don't let the hate inside you define you - we are all loved by our creator 😌 Additionally, I'd like to bring up an author like Franz Kafka, whom I'll assume you won't count as white because he is semitic. His novels perfectly capture the alienated feelings of modern life - showing that non-white people feel the same way as us - again I'd highly recommend you read a novel of his, say "America" 😌
Nice report... anyway the young Ribbentropp had nicknames because his father was the signature man of the non-aggression treaty signed with Molotov in 1939... imagine what the young Ribbentropp would have undergone in case of capture or kill... considering that Hitler's Germany broke the agreement...
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
German blitzkrieg through Russia ended with losing the battle for Moscow. The course of the war changed after Germany lost the battle for Stalingrad. Kursk was the last attempt to regain advantage and Germany lost this battle as well. From that point the war was lost even if the allies didn't open the second front. GO RUSSIA.
Germany never had the chance to muster everything against the Russians. They had almost occupied the whole of Europe from 1940 to 44, imagine if they could use all the men defending France, holland, Belgium, norway, Yugoslavia, poland, greece, Denmark, and most of all the third of the USSR. . The Russians had everything at their disposal, the germans did not. The soviets only followed a retreating German supply line that had been stretched then because of allied bombing campaigns.
Most of Europe fought on the Nazi side as allies, volunteers or collaborators. Russia was practically all alone in the European theater until D-day, which came when the outcome of the war was already decided on the Russian front.
@@froimkatz8214 yes, but did all of europe help? Fortunately for the soviets and allies the germans weren't able to gather millions of men in mere months like those aganist them. By Sicily and normandy of course the german-soviet war was lost, the soviets had millions of men, tens of thousands of planes and tanks and hundreds of thousands of trucks. allied equipment from the lend lease gives the soviets an even bigger advantage. The allies gave the soviets like 650,000 trucks, a few thousand tanks and a few thousand planes. Millions of tons of food for their starving soldiers and already starving population. SPAM is said to have won the war, i think zukov or stalin had said this along with many others. Stalin sure was glad he had given hitler millions of men because he knew that the germans couldn't keep feeding them and would result in leaving them to starve.
@@froimkatz8214 yes, i know, they obviously were nowhere near enough though.. They needed millions of more men,that is to just compete with soviet numerical superiority let alone the allies too.
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
The son of von Ribentrop tells a story like German tanks were much more successful against T 34s, but the final numbers speak otherwise: Germans lost 350 tanks at Prohorovka, while 5th Guard Tank Army lost 400. However, 200 of these 400 T34s were repaired in a couple of days. The end result is German tank corps were expelled from the center of the Kursk bulge, and the counter offensive of soviets was launched.
Is it just me? Or do you just sound that sarcastic narrating the whole video. I know that wasn't intentional lol, but I can't help picturing you rolling your eyes up while you discuss about the battle as if you're judging at the incompetence of the battle.
The battle of Kursk the battle of Kursk made us burn made us learn a great lesson in time Battle of Kursk battle of Kursk mother of my bottomless grief my pain my hearts tearless suffer How can we ever forget the battle of Kursk their faces their aces the tankers races the burning the noise the sweat And even if you forget the battle of Kursk our blood will whisper your bones will whistle and the haze will float above the fields of Kursk
Ace, please make more videos, I'm litterally addicted to them! •Love the map of the battle •Love your accent and pronunciation •love the stories you choose PLEASE DO MORE!
VERY interesting. More on Prokhorovka please. And you'll be getting a lot of interest from the IL2 Tank Crew game coming soon, first in the series based on the fighting at Prokhorovka.
Germany LOST alot of tanks, men and equipment at kursk that could have been used to defend the german homeland. of course no one was thinking about that at that time.
It was an absolutely useless offensive, even Hitler admitted it made him nervous. The crazy thing was they actually gained the upper hand at Kursk at the end. Manstein wanted to continue the offensive as the Soviet tank losses were colossal. Hitler refuses since the US just landed in Italy. The Germans lost a ton of tanks as well, but not as many as the Soviets. Thing was they couldn't replace the losses as quickly as the Soviets. I have always wondered what would have happened if Manstein would have convinced Hitler to continue.
I appreciate this is meant to be the story "through the eyes of Panzer Ace Rudolf von Ribbentrop" but it still should be historically accurate: 1)The Russians did not have 'tremendous, numerical advantage. The Russians deployed 600 T-34s (not all saw action) . There were no KVs. The Germans deployed 300 tanks including 15 Tigers which were pretty much invincible from T-34 fire. 2) The Russians DID have a plan and they saw it fulfilled . Their plan was to stop the German advance. The video omits the important fact that it was the Russian side which was on the defensive. Russian armor at Prokhorovka was actually hastily pulled reserves. They lacked the cohesion and momentum the Germans had. Yet the German advance was stopped. 3) The Germans were helped a lot by their close air support. Maybe Rudolf forgot to check on the sky :-) 4) the video provides details about Russian losses but nothing about German losses. The Germans lost 80 tanks (though the did not write them off).
documents.tips/documents/kursk-kosave-ii.html In general, you need to know the difference between the German and Soviet accounting losses. German tanks were considered lost if were completely destroyed or got to the enemy. Short-term repair or long-term repair with shipment to Germany for repair was not considered a loss. So General Heinrici, claims that despite the slight discrepancies, the 4th TA of Gotha lost up to 60% of tanks and assault guns during Operation Citadel, of which 15-20% could not be restored. This will amount to 629 armored vehicles, of which 20% (126) are subject to write-off. AG "Kempf" lost 336 armored units, of which 67 (20%) irrevocably, and the 9th Army Model 647 and 130, respectively. It turns out the total loss of GA "South" amounted to 193 units of armored vehicles permanently. In total, according to Heinrici, German forces lost 1,612 tanks and assault guns during Operation Citadel, 323 of which were destroyed. Taking into account the fact that the real loss was much higher, not 193, but 290 units - the loss of both army groups will be about 420 armored units.
The German army was outnumbered at least 3 to 1 and as high as 7 to 1 in men and armaments and yet their superior training and skill still gave the communists a severe beating. May their families in 🇩🇪 know and be proud of their courage and duty to Germany.
Peter Lindop you're so right, but I'm afraid that today's germans have became some brainwashed left sissys, transgender, selfshamed soyboys. I hope they wake up and honour the brave spirit of the last generation!
Nice video from the viewpoint of company commander. Turning point of the war. The losses of soviet tanks were great, tactically. But strategically, no. USSR ramped up production up to 2000 T34 per month (not talking of other soviet types of tanks, just T34). So even with all those soviet tanks destroyed, it meant, the Germans started to loose badly. It was theirs last greater attack. I have utmost respect for all soldiers. But one thing must be clear - i am glad Germans lost in the end. They paid dearly for their oppression and rightfully so.
The Soviet tanks were just another form of cannon fodder. They were necessary but they were not the decisive element in German defeat. Without lend lease the Soviet attrition strategy would have failed.
So you are glad that the Soviets who killed around 40 million of their own people and oppressed half of europe for the next 60 years won? is that correct? Remember, they invaded Poland also.
@@2ndavenuesw481 I certainly agree, that 'lend and lease' helped - mainly in the beginning of 1941/42 before the 'new' Soviet production kicked in (all the moved factories behind Urals and to Siberia). But as time progressed, it was significantly less impacting the war at East front. If you say that 'Soviet tanks were cannon fodder' then if have to disagree. They had T34 medium tanks already in 1941. Far superior tank at the time to anything Nazis had. Because of T-34 Germans were forced to come up with Tiger and Panther tanks. But as i said in my original post, even though Tiger was superior 1-1 to T-34, Germans built only 1500 of them throughout the war. Whereas Russians built this number of T-34 MONTHLY.
Another excellent video. Where did you get the information on Von Ribbentrop from? Looking online I can only find the book that he wrote about his father about 12/13 years ago. As ever keep up the great work!
@@TheAceDestroyer Michiel, thanks for the quick response. I've been watching your videos for some time now and it never occurred to me to check out the resources in the description section! I don't read French, so the book by Werner Kindler looks like a possible future purchase. Cheers!
@@TheAceDestroyer Have you read any books by the German author, Paul Carell? He wrote four on the Eastern front, one on the North African campaign and one on Normandy. They were written in the 60s and early 70s, without the knowledge of Ultra. They are written from the German perspective in an engaging reportage style.
A more general video would be good, please. This is because, this authentic account is so detailed and close-up, being one man's personal experiences, that it misses the big picture, which to me would be far more interesting.
You're right, I just wanted to to bring a battle from a different perspective. We're always used to seeing the view from the general's chair, but I'm happy to see that a lot of people would like to see more about this battle.
I would say, Anthony Lawrance's book was better. That being said books like Demolishing the Myth by Valeriĭ Nikolaevich Zamulin were terrible, as most Russian accounts of that action are. Most were pre-written before the 70's so the German information was not even de-classified yet so nothing could be verified. That being said the Russians still have closed books on the subject. Why, because basically 2 Soviet Tank Armies were wiped off the map. The Germans actually sustained minimal losses considering and the only reason why they stopped the attack was the Allied invasion of Sicily.
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
I personally would like to see an in-depth video of the lesser covered northern face of the bulge, lead by Models Ninth army. The massive counter encirclement over both German pincers after the battle of Kursk had been called off was rather clever, and nullifies any postulation that a successful meeting of the German pincers at Kursk would have resulted in a tactical, strategic, operational and political victory desperately needed by Hitler to reassure his nervous Axis allies. However, if Manstein's advice had been heeded when the German's were stabilising the front in what became known as Manstein's backhanded slap or the third battle of Kharkiv, then a quick encirclement of the bulge may have netted the Germans vast quantities of men and materiel, as it was reported that around 25-30% of Red army strength was concentrated around Kursk. After April though, it was probably too late, and the best course of action would have been for the Germans too build up as many armoured reserves as they could, and use the new tactical elastic defense which emphasised giving ground, then wheeling around to sever the armoured spearheads - a tactic that wasn't exactly new. It had been used time and again in the vicinity of AGN and AGC when facing the many Soviet offensives during 1942 - especially the Soviet effort to push aside the thin strip of land keeping the Soviets from direct land contact with Leningrad-the Volkhov front. Vlasov's 2nd shock army suffered a similar fate when it attacked and was easily absorbed then its armoured vanguard sliced off.
By 1943 the Soviets were getting a bunch of Lend-Lease trucks from the USA. This made them more mobile than the Germans. The elastic defense wouldn't have been as effective as it was in 1942.
Math doesn’t work...Seems to me that each German tank commander per his own “heroic” account destroyed dozens of Russians T-34s without sustaining any significant damages; however, was unable to take Prokhorovka; basically, didn’t accomplish objectives for July 12 and didn’t break through into any new open ground before developments elsewhere forced the termination of Operation Citadel. “Fish Story Dudes”
It's the true, see the numbers: a-) Operation Citadel (casualties and losses): 54,182 german soldiers X 177,847 soviet soldiers. 252 to 323 german tanks and assault guns X 1,614 to 1,956 soviet tanks and assaults guns. 159 german aircrafts X 459 to 1,000 soviet aircrafts. b-) Kusk Battle (casualties and losses): 111,132 geman soldiers X 254,470 soviet soldiers (KIA and MIA) more 608,833 soviet soldiers wounded ( it means 710, 000 soviet casualties in the battle, removing the sick soviet soldiers from the total). 760 to 1600 german tanks and assault guns X 6,064 soviet tanks and assault guns 681 german aircrafts X 1,626 to 1,961 soviet aircrafts. 500 geman guns X 5,244 soviet guns So, Kursk was a massacre. Mainstein was close to the victrory but allied forces arrived in Sicily (July, 9th 1943) and Hitler decided to save troops to defend Italy, stopping the Kursk Battle.
Peter Parker as I stated math does not work, even per the above cited data... from a tactical perspective kill ratio of 1:5/6...definitely, not 1:10/12. Any war is a battle of economies...USSR possessed more strategic reserves and were able to replenish lost cheaper hardware. “Quantity is a quality all its own.” Regardless, russian language Wikipedia has different data relative to available assets and causalities than English language Wikipedia...my position is the exact numbers are somewhere in between two versions...still math doesn’t work!
@@vitaliorekhov7001 , what about reading some modern historian instead of Stalin´s propaganda? To the facts: source: Frieser and Wheatly (2019): Losses Wehrmacht tanks at Prochokowka: 5 in words five, losses Red Army tanks: 235. So the kill ratio was not 5 or 6 to 1 but 1 to 50! The massacre was caused by ignorant soviet Generals, who were stopped by their own tank obstacles.
Frank Uhl Finally, labels are out! Evidently, a British historian, Ben Wheatley (isn’t Churchill’s propagandist), analysed German Luftwaffe aerial PHOTOS and came to some “more reliable conclusions” then “Stalin’s propaganda” on Soviet controlled grounds...by looking exclusively at Germans photos; get real! Luftwaffe lost air superiority by the time this battle took place; sounds to me like Dick Cheney and Tony Blair could and should have used this dude’s expertise locating Iraq’s WMD. And probably have. Regardless, you are missing my point, both sides over/understated casualties...the true is somewhere in between two sides’ sources. Math doesn’t work...
Man that was beautifully told my friend. In the US we always get nonsense Hollywood style movies and information. This sounded way more terrifying and “real”, then any movie. You can almost feel the panic and terror as you describe him first seeing the wave after wave approaching. I dislike the Nazi regime, but man do I admire the technology and German fighting spirit. Just awe inspiring
😂 yea, and the NAZIs would neeeeveerrr put out propaganda? Like 75% of all movies btwn 1933-1939 were german propaganda. In fact, research "America first" 1935. Many whites throughout U.S. we're in love with hitler, nazi party & hating those of Jewish decent.
Hello The AceDestroyer. It would be nice to see more videos on Colonel Joachim Peiper and his battle group's war in the Eastern Front. Almost all of Peiper's videos has been deleted in RUclips.
I'm currently working on a battle of Narva video series, so the Peiper video won't be for any time soon. I do need new ideas for after the Narva series and Peiper on the Eastern front is a good one.
The murderous invaders can rot in hll. They were the treacherous scum that caused unthinkable suffering to people of the Soviet Union. Especially, the brainwashed lunatics of SS Waffen and any other SS units.
Kursk marked the end of German offensives in Russia. So arguing over who won is irrelevant-from Kursk on, the Germans would be in retreat.Had Germany surrendered, millions of lives would have been saved. that they fought on (knowing that they would lose) shows the inherent stupidity of Hitler.
No doubt about it, Rudolf von Ribbentrop had an amazing combat record.
I’m sorry but these memoirs, just like most German memoirs, are nothing but lies. He destroyed 3 or 4 (really, you don’t know how many tanks you knocked out) tanks that were about 30-40 yards away. Sure, and the Soviet tanks were just standing there and not shooting back and waiting to be knocked out one by one. Nonsense. I do believe he took part in the battle and perhaps even knocked out a couple of tanks but this particular story is total BS. And before you start telling me Germans destroyed 100 Soviet tanks for every one that they lost I assure you I’m familiar with the number of losses for each side. Funny how in every German memoir they are always the superior soldiers and yet the war ended with a Red Flag flying over Reichstag
Very true, and then there is no accurate way to tell who actually knocked out a tank in mass combat. People are mistaken and then there are people with overblown egos who claim all the glory. In one air battle over France, two Focke-Wulf Fw 190's dove through a B-17 formation, and one went away tailing smoke, over a dozen gunners claimed a 'kill'. Revisionist RUclips historians have rewritten history with 'fake news', there is so much bias half the channels are just a bad joke. I do think The AceDestroyer is one of the better channels, he did state this is based on a personal account so I'd take it with a grain of salt. What it does do is give an eye-witness account of the Russian tank charge, which a number of morons don't even believe happened. In one of the bravest engagements in history, the 5th Guards Tank Army charge the II SS-Panzer Corps and fought it to a standstill, defeating the SS with their new 'wonder weapons' the Tigers and Panthers. SS-Obersturmführer Rudolf von Ribbentrop bragged about his Army's superiority yet as you state pyatig, the Germans got their arse's kicked.
The memoirs are written by those who survive, survivorship bias?
@@RemoveChink yes in some cases, depends on personality, and in SS-Obersturmführer Rudolf von Ribbentrop case it would definitely be a racist overblown ego doing the talking.
Outstanding work. Would definitely like to see more. If I may suggest a bit more and longer map segments to show the events on the ground as they develop.
Fancy seeing you here HistoryMarche love your videos on Hannibal Barca Btw :)
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
Why are all the soldiers so cleanly shaven? Steady hands in the morning before battle. Never a razor cut. This seems standard to all war footage, whichever front is shown. On D-day it would appear that the Germany army jumped up and shaved. In North Africa the waterless and hirsute Italians surrendered on mass but shaven. Would they rather shave than drink the water? Forbid the thought that all WW11 footage is fake.
With the “liebstandarte ss “ was obersturmbannfuhrer” Bruno gushe” Bruno was Adolf hitler personal bodyguard
There is a museum in Prokhorovka, really good museum with a lot of stuff from that battle. You can play around with deactivated FG42, PPSH-41, Kar. 98, MG-42 and other stuff... and you can play World Of Tanks there for as long as you want, there is a whole section with a bunch of computers with WOT installed :D poor country kids play there cuz they got no computer
When in the area again, take a drive down to Kharkov, Ukraine and visit their relatively new (remodeled and re-opened in 2013) Historical Museum which is an incredible collection of WW2 history.
@@garyK.45ACP cool! I didn't know there was a museum like that there, but I'd check it out if I ever go there again
That's cool
Yes but no history tours go there! I've checked.
In poor countries they get enlisted and drive old soviet tanks.
This is a good example that the ''Battle of Kursk'' was actually collection of battles.
But it highlights just how massive a battle area it was...and over days. Soviets under the Marshal dug hundreds of miles in ditches
....and mines set up in any spot the Soviets military could predict Germans may utilize.
Of course it was, it lasted for a couple days with two different pincer moves
finally smart comments from smart people. campaign yup
And still western people claim D-day was turning tide of the war...
@@derritter4970 Only the uninformed ..World History is not a required class in High School and most Colleges in America, and what they do get on the fighting on the Eastern Front is that the Nazis were turned back at Moscow and Crushed at Stalingrad....very little details on the rest.
I checked Rudolf von Ribbentrop wikipedia he died in may 2019
@Jack Wehrung no such thing as Valhalla lol
Rest in peace Rudolf von Ribbentrop! He fought for his Vaterland! I wish Germany and all Germans peace and prosperity!
@@amirtavakoli2715 ROFL
@@amirtavakoli2715 interesting how his Vaterland turned out to be located within the golden ring of Russia; guess he must've been a Russian spy and one of the sources for the numerous leaks of planned military ops.
Prokhorovka.... that's where my grandpa from! He told me destroyed airplanes and tanks were all over the area when he was growing up.
Whatever. Prove your identity first.
@@okapmeinkap7311 u=nugget head
@@okapmeinkap7311 lol why should I have to do that, I don't care if you believe me or not
Awe man that would have been so amazing as a kid. Can you imagine playing war with your friends, re-enacting old battles with real tanks and planes littered all around you....
@@mjvjohnson While starving thanks to communism...
Thank you AceDestroyer. What is going to be phenomenal for future generations is to see a battle of tanks in action as it happened in real time. We can only read about ancient battles, but in a thousand years, people will be able to see this videocast and have a much more authentic look at what war in the 20th century had become and to perhaps understand why 50 million people or more lost their lives in WWII. My father was a WWII veteran and he always said there will be a WWIII. What we all hope is that he is wrong, wrong, wrong.
It would be much better to not have any war happen on earth again. There is tanks clashing in real time in my country now (Ukraine), and it is not fun to watch. War is a crime. It is chaos, and it must be destroyed, for life is order and death is chaos. We must unite to fight the real enemy - chaos, and not each other!
Von Ribbentrop was a truly brave man. If I'm not mistaken he got injured several times (7?) and continued the fight. And he was so young at Kursk, just 22. A truly brave man indeed.
More "braves" like him and we would be speaking German now.
@@teekey1754 yeah, sure...
As was Joachim Peiper, also mentioned, who came to a brave and lonely death many years after the war.
German is such a beautiful language... ;)
@@clivemilburn8449 The last soldier of the LSSAH to die in battle. RIP
I wanted more information bout Rudolf von Ribbentrop after watching this and found out he just died earlier this month at 98.
Yes, many Nazis survived to gray hair. After the destruction of 17 million Soviet civilians, they calmly lived in America. America loves the Nazis very much, and saved many from the retaliation of the Soviet people. We know that very well.
@@Кипящийразум Von Braun was 100% Nazi, but in the USA he become an hero !!!
What a shame !!!
@@Кипящийразум bullshit
@@Кипящийразум Too bad they didn't kill more commie scum!
Rudy not only survived the war, but lived to the ripe old age of 98, dying less than two months ago on May 20, 2019.
Amazing.
Rip
@Joseph Stalin go to hell commie shit
@Pantelis Tzimas Why did you feel the need to mention only the eastern front? And only the Germans?
@@littlejimmy8744 he didn't believe in hell...
Amazing video! Yes more on Kursk please!
Very great report of a fiese battle.
Either the Soviet tank crews were the most incompetent ever, and/or their gunners were incapable of accurate fire, and/or the Russian tank cannons weren't capable of penetrating the not-so-thick, not-at-all sloped armor of the Panzer IV.
OR......... The German tank commander and/or the Reich's propaganda ministry people were feeding the public a 'fishing story' that was significantly exaggerated!
@@patrickmcleod111 Remember Dunkirk, if USA had landed 1940 in France, they wouldn't have a Chance to hold the lines against Wehrmacht. But russians hold the lines in fiesest and toughest battles of Worldwar 2 and pushed back (russians had heavy losses of Material & men but they had never ending supply and will). Germany had lost the war in Russia because of Winter, confused Oberbefehlshaber Hitler and russian bravery. And very soon Yankees will get their ass kicked if they not stop their endless destabilization policy in East-Europe and elsewhere. 2019 is 1912. New rising powers Russia and China.
@@peterhoevermann6673
What destabilization policy are we responsible for in eastern Europe? If you are talking about the populist backlash against the mass migration and open borders policies of the globalistic neo-liberals and the cultural Marxists of the radical left, that's not our fault! The eastern European people are wising up, and realizing that they don't support the subversive & authoritarian ideology of the EU. Like us, they don't want their borders overrun by additional millions of poor, uneducated & unskilled workers, who will take jobs and lower wages, and upset the cultural and political landscape of their countries.
I can promise you one thing. Neither the Russian OR Chinese govts will open their borders to masses of poor, uneducated young males, let them become dependent on taxpayer funded entitlements, and take jobs and reduce salaries of their own people! The Chinese and Russian leaders care enough about the sovereignty of their own countries to do that! But the Marxists and globalist neo-liberals DO want to put an end to sovereignty in America and Europe.... They want a giant socialist super-state. SCREW THAT!!
@@patrickmcleod111 Only one example, so called Euro-Maidan Coup in Ukraine by CIA and "Fuck EU" Nuland, and in Georgia by arming and advising terrorists, google Shirshani and other United States supported islamic terrorists. But the list is much longer.
Amazing that Rudolf was still alive when you made this video, he only passed away just this May. May he rest in peace
Regrettably he didn't do more interviews like Rochus Misch did . . .
Rochus Misch - RIP
SoloTravelBlog - may the Nazi swine rest in Hell
@@majorrgeek I bet you wouldnt say that in his face you coward. I have way more respect for german soldiers, nazi or not, then slimeballs like you.
majorgeeek : he was fighting the Russian communists... just like we Americans were a few months after WW2 up to the end of the cold war...
@@henkgerritsen1444 - yes I would say it to his face 10 times you coward - German soldiers deserve prison time not respect - slimeball would be you Nazi lover
*Prokhorovka.*
Only the first syllable is stressed. prOkhorovka.
'Kh' is pronounced like 'h' in 'hunter'.
*prOhorovka.*
Also, 'v' in -vka is pronounced like 'f'.
Therefore, its pronunciation goes as follows :
Próhorofka.
Ah superb! Thank you for helping me out on this! I appreciate it!
The problem is that for English Speakers such as myself of the American Dialect is that we tend to murder the pronunciation of Russian Words. As a child, there was a lot bigger Polish Russian and Ukrainian presence in the town I live in, some 55 years ago when I was a kid. Plenty of German and Yiddish too. Now it's pretty much Spanish. For some Kursk is a painful reminder of some very very hard times. It one of those places I would like to go and see and walk around some. Come to think about it the last Russian speaker I had contact with was in a Dentist Office in Anchorage, Alaska almost 20 years ago.
I'm glad the only murdering is that of eachothers language pronunciation.
Hi Sophia. Your reply exhibited grace and understanding. 👍🏻
@Kekistan Shitlord
You can't be a russaboo if you're already ethnically Russian.
My wife was born and raised in Kharkov, Ukraine. Just south of Belgorad and Prokhorovka, Russia. Her city was liberated as a result of the battle of Kursk in August, 1943. The day, August 23, is celebrated every year to this day as the "Day of the City". More than 275,000 residents of Kharkov died in the war, more than ALL Americans killed in the European theater. I think every American should visit the former Soviet Union to understand what CAN happen, what DID happen. The scale of it is beyond comprehension. It is not for the weak of heart to visit Babi Yar Ravine in Kiev and walk on what is the grave of more than 150,000 people, or to visit St. Petersburg (Leningrad) which endured an inhuman siege killing more than a million people. I had the great opportunity to live and work in the former Soviet Union (where I met my wife).
I worked in Odessa, among other places, Kiev, Kharkov, Donetsk. In Odessa, where 50,000+ people were massacred in just a few weeks in 1941-42. You walk in a nice park and see a plaque. A marker like we often see in the USA...some historical event, you know, "Abe Lincoln was here"...that kind of thing. But this sign says that at this place in 1941 there was a bomb crater and the SS "conducted" 400 children to this place and SHOT THEM, pushed them in the hole and buried them.
There are few heroes left from that time now. When I worked there, there were many more. They wear their medals pinned to their civilian clothes.They were, and are, revered by the people, even the young people today. They were, and are, greeted and offered seats on public transportation and told to go ahead of people in lines. The people always say "Thank you, Grandfather, for my freedom" Or "Thank you for my happiness". Young couples getting married, go to the city's "Memorial of Glory" in their wedding clothes and thank the 275,000 people buried there for their future, for the opportunity to meet their spouse. The Air Force Academy in the city does their daily running through the Memorial of Glory. They have not forgotten. Anyone who thinks they have, I invite you to attend one of many celebrations on May 9...Victory Day.
We would like to thank you for the invitation to the day of victory, but we are not interested. Your text is still the same bolshevik rhetoric, odious stalinist propaganda. So many of your leaders have lied to you, and you still believe it all, shame
... and those noble, kind, heroic Sovier soldiers raped hundred of thousands if not millions of German, Hungarian, Polish, Czech etc. women for what there is no mercy.
Russians took no prisoners, they were killing anyone aside the road or in their houses, no matrer soldier or civilian. They were beast. And were stealing everything. Famous slogan was : 'davay casi' or give me Your watch. Uncivilized and unorganized analphabets invaded Europe and only violance accompanied them. They were invading other countries, no liberating. From whom Soviets would liberate Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland etc who were allies of Germans and were heavily anti- bolshevist ?
@@objectiveopinion1566 Probably would have been best if Germany had not invaded the USSR. Or anyone else for that matter. D'ya think?
@@garyK.45ACP attack and war was a done deal. question was who will be the first. England was shocked after Germans and Soviets made the Molotov- Ribbentrop treaty in Brest about not attacking each other (and sharing Poland). everything else is a theory, but for sure only U.S. had benefit from ww2. All others have bleeded out.
@@objectiveopinion1566 America FIRST!
What a waste of precious lives from both fronts😭 anyways nice video and love from Egypt ❤️
never forget who started the war
Toader Spanache UK and France started the war
That is war 😕
Cool video! Never really looked at the Kursk battle from German side of things. The Battle of Kursk was the first time my grandfather saw combat on an SU-85, and his first injury. The way he tells it - they went straight from unloading from a train and right into battle.
That SU-85 was brand new as it joined the counter offensive in August.
Just wanted to say that he fought on an SPG - I might be mistaken and it was an SU-76. You are right about the timeline.
Many thanks and much respect to your grandfather from the USA.
Greetings Vladimir. Good we will never fire on each other. Peace and health to you and your family.
@@kurtcarlson4521 Brand new coffin on tracks with a cannon
So much waste of good men. What would the world be like if all that talent and resources were put to better use making the world a better place.....
POLITICIANS care about power not a better world
Hey stupid many SS men were drafted from the Navy when they ran out of ships. Get your head out of your ass before condemning good men.
So TRUE
believe it or not, we would probably be behind of our current technological development, the most rapid advancement usually happens during wartime, especially ww1 and ww2. But it came at the cost of millions of lives and misery for many millions who were affected.
@@chairpersonofthecharlotteh5646 No nuclear weapons? Interesting debate there.
I read about von Ribbentrop in Panzer Aces by Franz Kurowski. Excellent book. The stories are written with so much detail, it's easy to imagine the action. Also in the book are - Franz Bake, Herman Bix, Hans Bolter, Michael Wittman, and Albert Ernst. I highly recommend reading this book.
How is the book called?
Panzer Aces. Franz Kurowski is the author.
In that "great" book,every german tank destroyed so many russian tanks that eventually accumulated about half a million,isn't it?😂😂😂😂😂
forstevo I've also read that book it is really good I felt like I was there
@@nothprokernov7028 you are an impressionable boy
Very interesting to hear about the German side of Prokhorovka, especially from the eyes of a tank commander. Gives me a much greater respect for the men on both sides who perished that day. It's a shame stuff like this is not heard of very often in the US history books.
Glorifying Nazi and Imperial Japan war aggression on the world would be to promote it. It’s more sad that you think it’s sad that the history books don’t record their bravery as horrific consequences such as killing Jews and attacking Pearl Harbor.
Georg Murlowski (age 20, from Hindenburg) was my mothers baby brother was killed in this battle, his body and that of his brothers Max and August were never found and remain missing in action. They were 3 of 5 brothers that my mom lost during WW2. I pray for them and the 50-80 million souls that lost their lives, caused by a fanatic, megalomaniac murderer who had an illusion that continues to plague our world today
A true german warrior, one of the many.
I also salut to the soviet soldier too, the common thing they shared back than: the hell
Agreed. Courage should not be judged by the uniform a soldier wears, only by the actions they preform.
@@Yora21 , Not so different than the actions of the IDF in the last few decades i think, or the American forces in Vietnam or their mercenaries in central America for 30 years or the French, Belgian and Portuguese in Africa for more than a century. Maybe you should read a book before you spout the standard media monotone story.
K98 Zook. Since when were the Germans true warriors? They were only brave when they confronted unarmed women and children and when the Soviet Forces overran their defences they ran to surrender to British and American forces.
@@aesop8694 Lol. where did you get that information because it sounds like it came straight from your ass
@Somarik Green How about Yezhov, Yagoda and Stalin. Tens and tens of millions. Furthermore why was the Emperor of Japan absolved? Or the systematic slaughter of Indigenous Aborigines in Australia, North America etc... This repeats itself throughout the course of history. Dont comment unless you know your stuff inside out.
Kursk doesnt get the respect it deserves. Great video.
Really? Why do you say that? If anything, most accounts about Kursk (especially the engagement at Prokorova) have been filled with exaggerated numbers of tanks & exaggerated accounts of the ferocity of the clash at Prokorovka (e.g. there isn't much evidence to support the suggestion that tanks were ramming each other all the time). It turns out that many of the exaggerations about Prokorovka that were have believed were made by a Soviet commander, who was trying to defend himself when he was strongly admonished by Stalin for losing so many tanks!
Yes, the battle at Kursk was a large & violent struggle which wasted men & equipment that the Germans could not replace easily. The Soviet losses were considerable, but they had no problem replacing their losses. Finally, despite what some old books & documentaries claimed, the truth is that Operation Citadel was already doomed before the battle at Prokorovka began.
If you want the most up-to-date & reliable research about Operation Citadel, the Soviet defenses, the many engagements that made up each day of the battle, plus the clash at Prokorovka, I would strongly encourage you to read David M. Glantz's book. Both Glantz & another researcher, Robert Citino, are the world's leading experts on the Eastern Front. Citino's book, "The Death of the Wehrmact" is an excellent overview, and all of Glantz's books are fantastic (although the maps are too small, and many of his books perhaps may be a bit too dry & detailed for some readers.) What makes Glantz's research so important is that he speaks fluent German, Russian, and other languages, so he has been able to look at original documents in the Kremlin (something very few historians have been allowed to do). Both Citino & Glantz have also had access to original documents kept by the Germans during WWII. Both the Germans & Soviets were obsessive about keeping detailed records, so Citino & Glantz have uncovered a lot of important info, and they have dispelled a lot of myths & incorrect assumptions about the Axis-Soviet war that have persisted for 60 or more years.
Lolwut?? It's one of the most consistently researched, analysed and documented conflicts of WW2, and certainly one the most showcased events of the Russo-German war. Stop talking nonsense.
@@derekbaker3279 Dr. Louis A. Dimarco Excellent historian and tank expert.
Dr. Louis A. Dimarco retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army in 2005 after more than 24 years of active service. Dr. Dimarco is the author or co-author of several Army doctrinal manuals, and of numerous scholarly articles. His most recent published work is “The Mechanized Cavalry’s Critical Contribution to Victory in Europe, 1944-45,” in the Global War Studies Journal, 2013. He is also the author of two books: War Horse: A history of the Military Horse and Rider (Westholme, 2008) and Concrete Hell: Modern Urban Operations from Stalingrad to Iraq (Osprey, 2012).
Antony Beevor This first CCA of the 2017-2018 academic year will explore that revolution’s leaders, its animating ideology, and the 70-year history of the tyrannical regime to which it gave birth.
The Soviet Role in World War II - Antony Beevor
ruclips.net/video/AZErCVlIDJg/видео.html
Victor Davis Hanson: World War Two-Then and Now
Victor Davis Hanson: World War Two-Then and Now
World War II was the most lethal conflict in human history. Never before had a war been fought on so many diverse landscapes and in so many different ways, from rocket attacks in London to jungle fighting in Burma to armor strikes in Libya.
Drawing on 3,000 years of military history, Victor Davis Hanson argues that despite its novel industrial barbarity, neither the war's origins nor its geography were unusual. Nor was its ultimate outcome surprising. The Axis powers were well prepared to win limited border conflicts, but once they blundered into global war, they had no hope of victory.
ruclips.net/video/OC94iAUXVPQ/видео.html
Jarrett Stepman: Jarrett Stepman stopped by The Daily Caller to talk with Derek about his new book, "The War on History."
ruclips.net/video/fNeAsIdVNsA/видео.html
Both Citino & Glantz have spent too much time in the Soviet Union and are fooled by false information that the Soviets have rewritten in the past 50 or so years to cover their disgraceful losses in WW2
@@JackKrei What shameful losses are we talking about?
Dubno Brody?
That was really well done. Thank you! Would be happy to watch more. That is a map on World of Tanks. Happens to be my favorite lol!
At 22 years old Von Ribbentrop was a very young but already experienced tank Commander . When I see some of the 22 year olds today I wonder how many could fill his shoes hack then ? In this age of techno subjugation I doubt many could.
Todays 22 can only breed....
50% would be incapacitated with PTSD on day 1.
hard times make hard men. If today's 22 years old would live in hard times like von Ribentrop, most would behave with the same bravery.
@@V.D.22 He came from as life of privilege. His father was German Ambassador to London ( His 1934 Mercedes has been in the workshop where I worked on it ) .He is quoted as saying their superior Education was a factor in his success on that day.. But in those days people really were educated ,not just indoctrinated .
Mercmad it is odd to say an SS officer was not indoctrinated.
I complement you, sir, on your command, accent and pronounsiation of English.
True, his pronunciation is really good. He also did a great job pronouncing the Russian place name "Prochorowka". I especially like the way he pronounces the "v" in "von". It's pronounced like an "f". There are German words where the "v" is pronounced like an "f" and words where the "v" is pronounced exactly like an English "v". This is due to a regional sound shift that took place in the Middle Ages. Since it was only regional and never adjusted in an orthography reform, you now have this confusing disparity in spelling and pronunciation.
I was thinking the same thing. Your English is impeccable and hearing the German names, titles and units being pronounced as they should be is also educational.
Amazing how the Soviets absorbed so many losses early in the war and still overwhelmed the Germans. Hitler should have never started the war against this giant.
Yes but Russia never would have survived without huge U.S. aid from fuel ,trucks, food, artillery,ammo , planes, you name it, they were very poor in organization and wasted so much material.
@@bethjohnson8353
Yes, but US never would have survived without help of Russia in destroying Hitler. So Russians payed back Leasing by life of own people. US opened second front only after obvious success of Stalin.
Finally, Russia joined US in destring Japan - Manjury Army.
Just imagine if the Germans hadn’t had to send so many men and so much material to aid the Italians in Africa. Instead, they could have started the invasion of Russia weeks earlier and with one of their most brilliant generals. The “desert fox”
May have had a very different outcome.
@@patrickkelly8095 As if the Soviets hadn’t already took a severe beating in the early months of Barbarossa, just imagine what damage Rommel would’ve done to the Red Army.
@@kjragg1099 it could have been the difference the Germans needed.
Nice vid, well narrated and yes , I would like to see more.
There is nothing more honourable from being courageous in battle..my respects
Victory or Valhalla!
Great story! It's amazing what the Germans were able to do with such limited resources through superior training and tactics.
Such a limited resources? You must be kidding. Germany drew resources from all over the Europe, including Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Italy. What school did you go to?
@@juliusleonov If you had half the knowledge you think you have you'ld know that as early as '43 the Germans were very low on everything. Keep your context clear before posting. Even at the height of their expansion Germany had difficulty with resources due to poor infrastructure, Ultra and strategic bombing. The Ploesti oil fields were never enough to keep them in full fuel supply at any time of the war. I don't think any of the German high command in the OKW would agree with your implication that they were well supplied, although I'm sure Hitler and Goebbels would have agreed even in March of '45. Btw, the school I went to also taught me correct punctuation, how to use quotation marks and correctly quote someone. What school did you NOT go to?
@@juliusleonov You know just shit read some real books about it and not commie Propaganda stuff
So amazing that they accomplished nothing at Kursk?
nagantm441 so let’s say if you fought 10 people at once and it came out a draw you’d say you accomplished nothing?
You just don’t get it.
Panzer Aces by Franz Kurowski is a fantastic book. A series of accounts of German panzer commanders that were decorated for their actions. Based on after action reports, citations and where possible interviews of survivors. Some very harrowing reading.
Cool video thanks 😁👍👍👍
No worries! Super happy to hear you enjoyed watching it!
@@TheAceDestroyer more more pls...
Great vid, would love to see more on the battle!
Good lord! What an amazing and heroic story! Now, 'AceDestroyer', you can see by the story you have told in this video that my uncle, 'Tiny', (who I commented about earlier today) was indeed correct in his compliments of the German soldier. No wonder he admired them so very much!
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
Rudolf von Ribbentrop was much loved and admired by his men and kept in touch with his comrades for many years.
It Could add to the visual Maps if there was a Distance Marker/Key , showing meters or miles/Kilometers if need be , to better understand the battlefields size
Oh yeah good note actually! Thanks! I'll make sure to keep that into account for next time.
Thank you for uploading - as always very good material.
What? Idiot. Do more reading
@@radical7663 wtf du you want now? what's YOURS fucking problem?
I agree... more on Kursk and Prokhorovka please. Maybe an idea: put in the Soviet perspective too. We tend to forget that although the Soviets were numerically stronger, they suffered huge amounts of casualties and still went on forward. Maybe out of fear for the political officers or out of bravery, I don't know. But war is never a one sided affair. To take on the might of the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS must have been pretty daunting for these men too.
the Russians have no other place to live, except Russia. that's the point of russian victory. respect for all of soldiers that fought that battle and the war( russians and germans). really brave
@@MartinDRand no, stalin was about to attack, they knew they would have been outnumbered and would not withstand the soviets having just way more material and men, so they decided to attack, planning to take moscow before the full soviet war machine would have been ready.
My grandpa was partizan officer by the end of ww2 in Yugoslavia. He told me that Germans were afraid of Russians so much so they would loose their composure, while they didn't have almost any respect towards partizans. And I can tell you that those people were courageous and good, experinced fighters (partizans). After several years of war, you are either good or you are no more. Maybe because we were much smaller fighting force... Also Russians had disposition to get carried away in battle sometimes, while western soldiers are not prone to loose calculability (if they are good, that is)...
And those tank drivers who got so mad they rammed their tanks directly to german tanks distroying both themselves and the enemy, good example of above said.
@@MartinDRand How much "Lebensraum" did Germany really need? How could people live freely in conquered territory without massive military protection from a conquered populace that exceeded them in fighting power 2:1, and who had help from America? Maybe Adolf just wanted to sacrifice Germany to save the world from communism, or to show who was boss after Versailles. The Reich was supposed to last 1,000 years. With hindsight it all looks mad. As Dylan sang "don't follow leaders, watch the parking meters".
Excelente video, great narration, amazing images. Better than almost every WW2 movie o documentary. There is no "good or bad" side on war, just sides fighting for what they believe in.
It amazes me the determination of the soviet troops: sending tank after tank after tank despite suffering huge loses.
Great video, would love to see more on this subject. Thanks.👍👍
Iternal memory to Soviet solders killed defending our land.
George, my friend ! god bless you and your people forever!
@@juliusleonov get stuffed
Stalin and the rest of those murdering bastards. Germany saved Europe from being overrun by the Bolshevicks.
@@margaretschaff9174 Well, of course, that's why Hitler occupied: Czechoslovakia, Poland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and also tried to save England and America from Bolsheviks. And to save Europe from Bolsheviks, he killed millions of Jews and Russian prisoners of war in concentration camps.
@@margaretschaff9174 stalin didn't invade my country... your fuck psychopathic ss animals did..and burn and kill every citizen in my home town... so fuck yourself somewhere else
Best breakdown of this battle. What a warrior.
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
@@ЮрийЗавалов-и2о Keep dreaming sovjet boi. So much bullsh*t In that i don't even know where to begin..
@@petel7418 that is you boy not boi, barbar
@@ЮрийЗавалов-и2о Yep i know..
.. Making that remark you should also have pointed out that it is soviet In english, not sovjet like i wrote, but it's kinda clear that you're not the sharpest.. 😄
@@petel7418 so you're already making explonation. They are accepted, you don't have to justify yourself
Another great video. More always welcome.
Rudolph recently passed away and this is a fitting video that honours a brave soldier (no matter on what side and the total waste of war). Much more appropriate than that disrespectful obit in Telegraph. Thank you for producing it.
@Joseph Stalin Dear Josef. Have a good look at your own murderous record of your own people, no less. Rudy was no murderer. An honourable soldier, conscripted by his country just as anyone conscripted to any service in any nation.
Joseph Stalin Much like many a Russian in Gulags under Stalin. Again, no evidence exists to suggest Rudy was a murderer. He was a brave tanker.
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
I've spoken to several Kursk vets, and they tell of waves of T-34's coming over rises like "waves of Beetles". The LAH Division history chronicles how Soviet tanks panicked at times, and piled into the tank ditch ravine, and drove on top of each other up to 3 layers deep.
Is there anyway you can make a video about the Battle of the Bulge and specifically Piper's unit
RUclips has a pretty wide selection on just about any subject you can think of.
The obstacles facing the Germans were formidable; layers of defences stretching back for miles! Hell on earth for the soldiers on both sides.
I read the story of 2 Tiger tanks who defended a whole 5 km front line at Kursk against a hundred of T-34s rushing to them frontaly : Tiger Tank earned the FEAR it created inside Allied tanks crews.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
hundred?
@@Mishkafofer at least 😂😂😂😂
@galileo77 no wonder.now the population of the world is rapidly grows stupid.it benefits global corporations.
Ha ha funny bedtime story🤣🤣
Happy Rudi or Kunibert or von Ribbentrop or Pancer Ace - I ask me what was so wrong with Prokhorovka? A town with 10000 people - women and children. They lived in peace there and without tanks, they had no chance to survive Kunibert - the ace! But what a tragedy the great ace has already accepted that he was to die on 12 th of July 1943. Is he a hero after he has knocked out only 3 T34? Poor Kunibert - the panzer ace was isolated and even encircled but we wonder: the Germans were friendly Germans? How on earth could there be friendly Germans? And then Kunibert feared the risk being killed by a friendly shell. NO war! Make peace!✌✌✌✌
Wait a minute. The Soviets won the Battle of Kursk by drawing the Germans into a previously built stronghold in the plains East of Kursk and Prokhorovka. I think von Ribbentrop forgot to mention that. The Soviets fought bravely and overcame the German tanks by sheer numbers. They were even ramming!
Soviet army lacked ballistic of their armoured guns at the time. Air was balanced, so german army was not pinned down as it was later. It was miracle win actually, considering necesserity of close combat for tanks and the plain battlefield.
PS And last one point known not wery wide. German plan was to encirle Soviet forces prepared for massive attack. Yet Soviet army abbadoned attack plan and turned back to defence quite in time not becase of luck. It was huge intelligence victory in the first place! It could be catastrophe like Stalingrad otherwise.
@@heyhoe168 I Wonder that if the Northern Pincher had did as well as the Southern one that they would have tried to complete the encirclement even with the heavy losses
When did the Soviet push towards Berlin get started in earnest. Right here. The Russians pushed all the way into Germany after this battle and right up to Hitler's bunker. So, I feel the Russians won this engagement, even though they might have lost more tanks, they had more to lose. Stalin didn't care about losses.
@F. Friedrich Kling You still lost. That's the important thing.
@F. Friedrich Kling Yes, I agree - this myth than Soviets won is not supported by the latest research into the Battle of Kursk - at Prokhorovka the Russian tank losses were crippling to say the least - can you imagine going into a confrontation like Prokhorovka without radios and other necessary equipment - close quarters - well, the Russians did and the German tank Commanders knew exactly which Commander tank to take out - which they did - and then the Russians had to use hand signals to communicate - I mean, talk about a disadvantage on the battle field - thats why 200 odd German armoured vehicles could annihilate more than 600 Soviet armoured vehicles over 36 hours - then the Allies landed at Anzio in Italy and Hitler pulls all three elite SS Panzer Divisions from the Kursk salient AND thats why the Soviets won - Von Manstein was speechless with rage over that decision and the Germans immediately went over to defensive mode - had Von Manstein been given free reign to exploit Soviet confusion around Prokhorovka they would have broken through decisively and routed what was left of the Soviet layered defenses and reached the town of Kursk about a day later - this would have lead to the encirclement of ALL Soviet forces in the Kursk salient including the Northern sector - this is without considering Air Superiority - which the Germans had - Soviet aircraft losses were crippling and after Prokhorovka the Luftwaffe could have cherry picked targets for ensuring breaches and breakthroughs - it would have been classic Blitskrieg operations and the Soviets had no counter to that - even technical Historians like Glanz concedes that Soviet armour was badly mauled at Prokhorovka which the experiences of a young Tank commander like Von Ribbentrop seems to support!!
This appeared in my feed, and Rudolf von Ribbentrop just a few days ago (20 May 2019). We'll miss that great generation.
Hero's one and all. !!
The beauty of the heroes telling their own tales.
It seems that according to Rudolf von Ribbentrop their firing accuracy rate was 100% in the heat of the battle and more importantly every shot was destroying an enemy tank.
Considering that each tank had 30-80 rounds of ammunition they should have won a battle of Russia there and then.
Amazing, those Panzer crew were truly skilled.
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
Yet, many of those experimented crew died and were replaced by inexpérimented crew. So the battle of Kursk had no point to exist.
@@ЮрийЗавалов-и2о True, Nazi Germany was on the offensive here and was stopped. Fortunately. Otherwise we would all have spoken German today. Not forgetting our party card in our left wallet. The Wehrmacht was and is a topic of massive interest, however, it fought for very evil ideas. Please never forget.
@Shervin Tajik да вы все бестолковый, недостойные подвига своих дедов
No more brothers' wars.
Since we're all brothers, that means no more wars at all. Awesome 😌
@@bezahltersystemtroll5055 Nope. Only White are brothers.
@@BenKlassen1 You shouldn't hate parts of your family because they don't meet your immediate expectations. Have you ever read people like Yasunari Kawabata or Kenzaburo Oe? They're not white, yet their sensibilities are the same as ours. How can you not call someone who experiences life that way a brother? 😌
@@bezahltersystemtroll5055 Because they are historic, political, racial, and biological enemies and rivals. Tens and hundreds of thousands of years of this being the case can't be wrong because people recently have argued otherwise. My instincts tell me the same and they are not wrong.
@@BenKlassen1 So you haven't read them. "Because they are historic, political, racial, and biological enemies and rivals" -Thats just not true, because the people those two authors belong to has never rivalled european people before the year ~ 1850. If you don't have the time to read their books, watch films like "The human condition", and then tell me again those men don't feel the same as us. " My instincts tell me the same and they are not wrong" - thats an absurd thing to say in the year 2021. My instincts tell me that the place I live on doesn't move around the sun, that my memory doesn't decieve me, that we aren't made up of ~10% viral genome - yet we are. Please don't let the hate inside you define you - we are all loved by our creator 😌 Additionally, I'd like to bring up an author like Franz Kafka, whom I'll assume you won't count as white because he is semitic. His novels perfectly capture the alienated feelings of modern life - showing that non-white people feel the same way as us - again I'd highly recommend you read a novel of his, say "America" 😌
Nice report... anyway the young Ribbentropp had nicknames because his father was the signature man of the non-aggression treaty signed with Molotov in 1939... imagine what the young Ribbentropp would have undergone in case of capture or kill... considering that Hitler's Germany broke the agreement...
Strange I’m just reading his autobiography. For all his faults he was a brave man .
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
German blitzkrieg through Russia ended with losing the battle for Moscow. The course of the war changed after Germany lost the battle for Stalingrad. Kursk was the last attempt to regain advantage and Germany lost this battle as well. From that point the war was lost even if the allies didn't open the second front. GO RUSSIA.
Germany never had the chance to muster everything against the Russians.
They had almost occupied the whole of Europe from 1940 to 44, imagine if they could use all the men defending France, holland, Belgium, norway, Yugoslavia, poland, greece, Denmark, and most of all the third of the USSR.
.
The Russians had everything at their disposal, the germans did not.
The soviets only followed a retreating German supply line that had been stretched then because of allied bombing campaigns.
Most of Europe fought on the Nazi side as allies, volunteers or collaborators. Russia was practically all alone in the European theater until D-day, which came when the outcome of the war was already decided on the Russian front.
@@froimkatz8214 yes, but did all of europe help?
Fortunately for the soviets and allies the germans weren't able to gather millions of men in mere months like those aganist them.
By Sicily and normandy of course the german-soviet war was lost, the soviets had millions of men, tens of thousands of planes and tanks and hundreds of thousands of trucks.
allied equipment from the lend lease gives the soviets an even bigger advantage.
The allies gave the soviets like 650,000 trucks, a few thousand tanks and a few thousand planes.
Millions of tons of food for their starving soldiers and already starving population.
SPAM is said to have won the war, i think zukov or stalin had said this along with many others.
Stalin sure was glad he had given hitler millions of men because he knew that the germans couldn't keep feeding them and would result in leaving them to starve.
@@froimkatz8214 yes, i know, they obviously were nowhere near enough though..
They needed millions of more men,that is to just compete with soviet numerical superiority let alone the allies too.
A brave man worthy of the prestigious knight's cross !
Outstanding video of the account of the battle Prokhorovka, which I've enjoyed watching very much. Keep up the good work,
Thank you so much! It truly means a lot!
You're welcome. Your work deserve to be acknowledged. I thank you for sharing it.
4:25 Control shoot into body of german soldier was made till filming (dust blows and body shakes)
You also pronounced „Sturmbannführer Martin Gross“ as well as people in Hannover would do... 😉
Maybe a Video about the Falaise -Argentan Breakout
your work is a treasure of rel history,of course we all want to see more
The 5 Guard's Tank Army lost a lot more than 200 tanks; according to their commander it was over 500...
Rotmistrov himself says over 500 tanks...
Wait, so your argument is now that Rotmistrov INCREASED his losses in order to justify the magnitude of his defeat? No.
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
The son of von Ribentrop tells a story like German tanks were much more successful against T 34s, but the final numbers speak otherwise: Germans lost 350 tanks at Prohorovka, while 5th Guard Tank Army lost 400. However, 200 of these 400 T34s were repaired in a couple of days. The end result is German tank corps were expelled from the center of the Kursk bulge, and the counter offensive of soviets was launched.
II SS Panzer corps lost less than 40 tanks at Kursk
Very well done Sir!
I would like to see more of this battle.
Thanking you in advance.
Gary in Alaska
Great video about a very important event in WWII eastern front. I look forward anxiously for an additional video on Prokhorovka!
Very, very interesting 1st person account.
Excellent thanks.
Is it just me? Or do you just sound that sarcastic narrating the whole video. I know that wasn't intentional lol, but I can't help picturing you rolling your eyes up while you discuss about the battle as if you're judging at the incompetence of the battle.
A video on the battle of Prokhorovka would be greatly appreciated. I found this particular video very informative and well produced. Thank you!
We need a real movie about the battle. A historical movie. Not Fury style.
This gave me goosebumps. Very good
The battle of Kursk
the battle of Kursk
made us burn
made us learn
a great lesson in time
Battle of Kursk
battle of Kursk
mother of my
bottomless grief
my pain
my hearts tearless suffer
How can we ever forget
the battle of Kursk
their faces
their aces
the tankers races
the burning
the noise
the sweat
And even if you forget
the battle of Kursk
our blood will whisper
your bones will whistle
and the haze will float above the
fields of Kursk
Von Ribbentroff a fine son of his father, courageous and valiant beyond measure.
Ace, please make more videos, I'm litterally addicted to them!
•Love the map of the battle
•Love your accent and pronunciation
•love the stories you choose
PLEASE DO MORE!
To be fair.. how he pronounces Soviets is a bit bent and annoying for me. Its "Sov-yets" not "Sue-vi-yets",
Yes I would very much like to see the Battle!
VERY interesting. More on Prokhorovka please. And you'll be getting a lot of interest from the IL2 Tank Crew game coming soon, first in the series based on the fighting at Prokhorovka.
Rudolf von Ribbentrop actually died only very recently, a few months after this video was uploaded: May 20th, 2019. He was 98 years old.
Indeed, I also saw it a few weeks ago.
Germany LOST alot of tanks, men and equipment at kursk that could have been used to defend the german homeland. of course no one was thinking about that at that time.
It was an absolutely useless offensive, even Hitler admitted it made him nervous. The crazy thing was they actually gained the upper hand at Kursk at the end. Manstein wanted to continue the offensive as the Soviet tank losses were colossal. Hitler refuses since the US just landed in Italy. The Germans lost a ton of tanks as well, but not as many as the Soviets. Thing was they couldn't replace the losses as quickly as the Soviets. I have always wondered what would have happened if Manstein would have convinced Hitler to continue.
@@robertbruce7772 They would lose again a week later.
I appreciate this is meant to be the story "through the eyes of Panzer Ace Rudolf von Ribbentrop" but it still should be historically accurate:
1)The Russians did not have 'tremendous, numerical advantage. The Russians deployed 600 T-34s (not all saw action) . There were no KVs. The Germans deployed 300 tanks including 15 Tigers which were pretty much invincible from T-34 fire.
2) The Russians DID have a plan and they saw it fulfilled . Their plan was to stop the German advance. The video omits the important fact that it was the Russian side which was on the defensive. Russian armor at Prokhorovka was actually hastily pulled reserves. They lacked the cohesion and momentum the Germans had. Yet the German advance was stopped.
3) The Germans were helped a lot by their close air support. Maybe Rudolf forgot to check on the sky :-)
4) the video provides details about Russian losses but nothing about German losses. The Germans lost 80 tanks (though the did not write them off).
documents.tips/documents/kursk-kosave-ii.html
In general, you need to know the difference between the German and Soviet accounting losses. German tanks were considered lost if were completely destroyed or got to the enemy. Short-term repair or long-term repair with shipment to Germany for repair was not considered a loss.
So General Heinrici, claims that despite the slight discrepancies, the 4th TA of Gotha lost up to 60% of tanks and assault guns during Operation Citadel, of which 15-20% could not be restored. This will amount to 629 armored vehicles, of which 20% (126) are subject to write-off. AG "Kempf" lost 336 armored units, of which 67 (20%) irrevocably, and the 9th Army Model 647 and 130, respectively. It turns out the total loss of GA "South" amounted to 193 units of armored vehicles permanently. In total, according to Heinrici, German forces lost 1,612 tanks and assault guns during Operation Citadel, 323 of which were destroyed. Taking into account the fact that the real loss was much higher, not 193, but 290 units - the loss of both army groups will be about 420 armored units.
The German army was outnumbered at least 3 to 1 and as high as 7 to 1 in men and armaments and yet their superior training and skill still gave the communists a severe beating. May their families in 🇩🇪 know and be proud of their courage and duty to Germany.
Peter Lindop you're so right, but I'm afraid that today's germans have became some brainwashed left sissys, transgender, selfshamed soyboys. I hope they wake up and honour the brave spirit of the last generation!
No, they were not outnumbered 3 to 1. Let alone 7 to 1.
Nice video from the viewpoint of company commander. Turning point of the war. The losses of soviet tanks were great, tactically. But strategically, no. USSR ramped up production up to 2000 T34 per month (not talking of other soviet types of tanks, just T34). So even with all those soviet tanks destroyed, it meant, the Germans started to loose badly. It was theirs last greater attack.
I have utmost respect for all soldiers. But one thing must be clear - i am glad Germans lost in the end. They paid dearly for their oppression and rightfully so.
The Soviet tanks were just another form of cannon fodder. They were necessary but they were not the decisive element in German defeat. Without lend lease the Soviet attrition strategy would have failed.
Why? Because you say so?
So you are glad that the Soviets who killed around 40 million of their own people and oppressed half of europe for the next 60 years won? is that correct? Remember, they invaded Poland also.
@@2ndavenuesw481 I certainly agree, that 'lend and lease' helped - mainly in the beginning of 1941/42 before the 'new' Soviet production kicked in (all the moved factories behind Urals and to Siberia). But as time progressed, it was significantly less impacting the war at East front.
If you say that 'Soviet tanks were cannon fodder' then if have to disagree. They had T34 medium tanks already in 1941. Far superior tank at the time to anything Nazis had. Because of T-34 Germans were forced to come up with Tiger and Panther tanks. But as i said in my original post, even though Tiger was superior 1-1 to T-34, Germans built only 1500 of them throughout the war. Whereas Russians built this number of T-34 MONTHLY.
GERMAN oppression SOVIET oppression BRITISH oppression USA oppression
Another excellent video. Where did you get the information on Von Ribbentrop from? Looking online I can only find the book that he wrote about his father about 12/13 years ago. As ever keep up the great work!
I found most of it in a French Magazine I'm subscribed to, called 'Ligne de Front'. You can find all the sources in the video description.
@@TheAceDestroyer Michiel, thanks for the quick response. I've been watching your videos for some time now and it never occurred to me to check out the resources in the description section! I don't read French, so the book by Werner Kindler looks like a possible future purchase. Cheers!
@@stephenhunt2806 My pleasure! Always happy to help! I think the French magazine got their inspiration from Ribbentrop's book though.
@@TheAceDestroyer Have you read any books by the German author, Paul Carell? He wrote four on the Eastern front, one on the North African campaign and one on Normandy. They were written in the 60s and early 70s, without the knowledge of Ultra. They are written from the German perspective in an engaging reportage style.
@@stephenhunt2806 No I haven't, but they certainly sound interesting!
Outstanding video
Thanks! It means a lot!
@@TheAceDestroyer it is really a great video! The details are amazing!
A more general video would be good, please. This is because, this authentic account is so detailed and close-up, being one man's personal experiences, that it misses the big picture, which to me would be far more interesting.
You're right, I just wanted to to bring a battle from a different perspective. We're always used to seeing the view from the general's chair, but I'm happy to see that a lot of people would like to see more about this battle.
That was Excellent! Yes, please do the whole battle.
Have you read 'Blood, Steel and Myth' ? It's currently the Authoritative account, imho.
I would say, Anthony Lawrance's book was better. That being said books like Demolishing the Myth by Valeriĭ Nikolaevich Zamulin were terrible, as most Russian accounts of that action are. Most were pre-written before the 70's so the German information was not even de-classified yet so nothing could be verified. That being said the Russians still have closed books on the subject. Why, because basically 2 Soviet Tank Armies were wiped off the map. The Germans actually sustained minimal losses considering and the only reason why they stopped the attack was the Allied invasion of Sicily.
This battle was a draw, not a German victory.
2:29 “If the demand is there.”
Well it’s right here, I’d love to see a video on it.
How did he get his balls through the tank hatch?
a soldier's story of a great battle
it's just that you're all cowards here. And you don't understand the meaning of what happened. In the Battle of Kursk, a couple of thousand miles from Germany, it was not the Russians who were advancing, but the Germans. In Prokhorovka, after a week of fighting, they finally reached the operational space. This happened after the Germans had overcome three lines of strategic defense of the Russians at the cost of huge sacrifices. It would seem that everything is a victory, but. Prokhorovka is a battlefield where the railway embankment is on the left and the swampy river banks are on the right. neither to the left nor to the right to the tank to maneuver. And the narrow path over the bridge, and the moat hinders. Von Ribbentrop's Tanko had gone over the bridge, and that was impossible. a hundred tanks piled on it, of which, to the shame of the German tigers, half were not tanks but T-70 tankettes. Light as 10 tons when the tiger is 55 tons. And these tanks were killed, but dozens of tankettes of 10 tons each became a barricade, so Germany lost its only remaining chance of victory at that time.
I personally would like to see an in-depth video of the lesser covered northern face of the bulge, lead by Models Ninth army. The massive counter encirclement over both German pincers after the battle of Kursk had been called off was rather clever, and nullifies any postulation that a successful meeting of the German pincers at Kursk would have resulted in a tactical, strategic, operational and political victory desperately needed by Hitler to reassure his nervous Axis allies.
However, if Manstein's advice had been heeded when the German's were stabilising the front in what became known as Manstein's backhanded slap or the third battle of Kharkiv, then a quick encirclement of the bulge may have netted the Germans vast quantities of men and materiel, as it was reported that around 25-30% of Red army strength was concentrated around Kursk.
After April though, it was probably too late, and the best course of action would have been for the Germans too build up as many armoured reserves as they could, and use the new tactical elastic defense which emphasised giving ground, then wheeling around to sever the armoured spearheads - a tactic that wasn't exactly new.
It had been used time and again in the vicinity of AGN and AGC when facing the many Soviet offensives during 1942 - especially the Soviet effort to push aside the thin strip of land keeping the Soviets from direct land contact with Leningrad-the Volkhov front. Vlasov's 2nd shock army suffered a similar fate when it attacked and was easily absorbed then its armoured vanguard sliced off.
By 1943 the Soviets were getting a bunch of Lend-Lease trucks from the USA. This made them more mobile than the Germans. The elastic defense wouldn't have been as effective as it was in 1942.
Math doesn’t work...Seems to me that each German tank commander per his own “heroic” account destroyed dozens of Russians T-34s without sustaining any significant damages; however, was unable to take Prokhorovka; basically, didn’t accomplish objectives for July 12 and didn’t break through into any new open ground before developments elsewhere forced the termination of Operation Citadel. “Fish Story Dudes”
It's the true, see the numbers:
a-) Operation Citadel (casualties and losses):
54,182 german soldiers X 177,847 soviet soldiers.
252 to 323 german tanks and assault guns X 1,614 to 1,956 soviet tanks and assaults guns.
159 german aircrafts X 459 to 1,000 soviet aircrafts.
b-) Kusk Battle (casualties and losses):
111,132 geman soldiers X 254,470 soviet soldiers (KIA and MIA) more 608,833 soviet soldiers wounded ( it means 710, 000 soviet casualties in the battle, removing the sick soviet soldiers from the total).
760 to 1600 german tanks and assault guns X 6,064 soviet tanks and assault guns
681 german aircrafts X 1,626 to 1,961 soviet aircrafts.
500 geman guns X 5,244 soviet guns
So, Kursk was a massacre. Mainstein was close to the victrory but allied forces arrived in Sicily (July, 9th 1943) and Hitler decided to save troops to defend Italy, stopping the Kursk Battle.
Peter Parker as I stated math does not work, even per the above cited data... from a tactical perspective kill ratio of 1:5/6...definitely, not 1:10/12. Any war is a battle of economies...USSR possessed more strategic reserves and were able to replenish lost cheaper hardware. “Quantity is a quality all its own.” Regardless, russian language Wikipedia has different data relative to available assets and causalities than English language Wikipedia...my position is the exact numbers are somewhere in between two versions...still math doesn’t work!
@@vitaliorekhov7001 , what about reading some modern historian instead of Stalin´s propaganda?
To the facts: source: Frieser and Wheatly (2019): Losses Wehrmacht tanks at Prochokowka: 5 in words five, losses Red Army tanks: 235. So the kill ratio was not 5 or 6 to 1 but 1 to 50! The massacre was caused by ignorant soviet Generals, who were stopped by their own tank obstacles.
Frank Uhl Finally, labels are out! Evidently, a British historian, Ben Wheatley (isn’t Churchill’s propagandist), analysed German Luftwaffe aerial PHOTOS and came to some “more reliable conclusions” then “Stalin’s propaganda” on Soviet controlled grounds...by looking exclusively at Germans photos; get real! Luftwaffe lost air superiority by the time this battle took place; sounds to me like Dick Cheney and Tony Blair could and should have used this dude’s expertise locating Iraq’s WMD. And probably have. Regardless, you are missing my point, both sides over/understated casualties...the true is somewhere in between two sides’ sources. Math doesn’t work...
Man that was beautifully told my friend. In the US we always get nonsense Hollywood style movies and information. This sounded way more terrifying and “real”, then any movie. You can almost feel the panic and terror as you describe him first seeing the wave after wave approaching. I dislike the Nazi regime, but man do I admire the technology and German fighting spirit. Just awe inspiring
😂 yea, and the NAZIs would neeeeveerrr put out propaganda? Like 75% of all movies btwn 1933-1939 were german propaganda. In fact, research "America first" 1935. Many whites throughout U.S. we're in love with hitler, nazi party & hating those of Jewish decent.
Great. Yes pls more oft this.
Hello The AceDestroyer. It would be nice to see more videos on Colonel Joachim Peiper and his battle group's war in the Eastern Front. Almost all of Peiper's videos has been deleted in RUclips.
I'm currently working on a battle of Narva video series, so the Peiper video won't be for any time soon. I do need new ideas for after the Narva series and Peiper on the Eastern front is a good one.
Tank crew have great courage.. rest in peace for every warrior, amen.
The murderous invaders can rot in hll. They were the treacherous scum that caused unthinkable suffering to people of the Soviet Union. Especially, the brainwashed lunatics of SS Waffen and any other SS units.
HANS GET THE FLAMETHROWER
What an incredible story of this German officer! what was his rank at the moment of this battle?
Greetings to Germany from Mexico.
The narrator makes this sound like a story for children
that's because it is
poor German Nazis in the middle of Russia SS where the nicest of them and this brutal Russians didn't enjoy it! WHY? (sarcasm)