Well, we finally have an Allied offensive in the South Pacific islands. I'm sure we'll see the Japanese response soon enough. We'll have some special episodes about technology and tactics used in the region coming up, as well as some concerning the fighting in the Soviet Union. We've done a lot of specials, actually, about a variety of things, and to check them out here's the special episodes playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLsIk0qF0R1j6TfuWStd-aigrv6HQKk5Ty We've also had a series of gallery specials where we cover several figures of the war as part of a broader topic, to check those out click here: ruclips.net/p/PLsIk0qF0R1j5mC23fS7vJOlSK6MtnU7O2
I'm really glad you're devoting some special attention to the campaign in the Solomons. Though less well-defined, simple and iconic as the likes of Midway or the Bismarck chase, it is one of the most fascinating, visceral and brutal naval campaigns ever fought. A snapshot of the battles which take place here sounds like a child's imagination while playing with toy boats in the bath. A picture-postcard tropical South Pacific backdrop. Battles fought in the dead of night, no illumination save for tracer shells, flares and the glow of burning warships. In an age where naval combat had been pushed beyond the horizon, here are ships fighting viciously within pistol shot range, like the age of sail battles from a time long past. No contest between great, floating castles of steel was ever contested on a more vivid tableau
Eastory's maps would be more readable if he were to use the standard NATO symbols for various unit types. I've generally no idea if I'm looking at motorized, mechanized, armoured, cavalry, infantry, or airborne units even though I'm sure his orders of battle indicate all that since he has not merely parent units but also their component unites (e.g. armies and divisions, divisions and regiments/brigades). Still quite good, but could be even better.
Everywhere, the Axis is on its last lunge and the Allies will finally achieve permanent strategic initiative over the next 4 months. God be praised. The end of the beginning...
@@GaldirEonai I've learned that YT's algos don't like certain words, like the names of certain German leaders during the war or their political faction. They definitely don't like it if you post links to other sites. If you're using any names or terms that could ever be misinterpreted as "problematic" by the most judgemental Twitter activists or Tumblr bloggers, remove them or replace letters with symbols, or just rephrase what you're saying. It's stupid but it is what it is. Reminds me of net nanny software from the late 1990's that was so bad it would block discussions of health issues or recipes that contained the word "breast". There's a reason YT is dying and being replaced by alt-tech sites.....
Something to remember here is that a Soviet Army was broadly the same.in size as a German or Western allied Corps. Likewise with the Japanese. A front was frequently Similar in size to some Allied or German field armies.
Someone pointed out if the Germans had captured the oil fields in the caucuses, they would have found the well heads sabotaged and all the equipment destroyed. Even when they repaired them, the oil would have to be shipped westward to a refinery and the gasoline shipped East. More logistic problems.
@@657449 I mean, there's really nothing more conducive to scorched earth tactics than oil fields... literally. You set those things on fire and they just keep going. Refineries are hardly any better. It's difficult enough to keep those things from blowing up during peace time.
@@657449 Didn't this channel just do a special episode touching on this? Can't remember if it was last week or the one before, but look for it if you haven't seen it already. Indy said that the Germans had a plan for restoring production there but it was pretty unrealistic because of the issues you mentioned - having to replace everything + distances involved. At least it would have denied them to the Soviets if they did take Baku.
In 1942, Nikolai Baibakov led a team responsible for destroying oil wells and oil-processing installations in the Caucasian region. The mission was assigned personally by Joseph Stalin, who reportedly said: “Comrade Baibakov, Hitler is rushing to the Caucasus. He has announced that if he fails to capture Caucasian oil, he will lose this war. Do whatever you need to make sure no single drop of oil falls into German hands. Keep in mind that if you leave even one ton of oil to Germans, we will shoot you.” After a short pause, Stalin added: “If you destroy the oilfields, but Hitler fails to reach them and we are left without fuel, we will shoot you again.” “You leave me no choice, Comrade Stalin,” was the only thing that Baibakov could utter. “The choice is here,” Stalin muttered and tapped lightly on his head temple.
@@shaider1982 Whilst the main bridge was not taken, what's often forgot is the significant advances made. It should also be noted that the plan was always considered high risk, however some attempt was also deemed worth such risk.
@@scipioafricanus2212 Any British commander would have won the war in North Africa after the First Battle of El Alamein ended in a stalemate. He was just put into command at the right time to earn the victory lap. He didn't speed up the plans for an Allied offensive (this was his supposed job but he couldn't do it faster than Auchinleck had planned). And in Italy the Allies didn't achieve much either. They took land and both sides had to put soldiers there. Montgomery is vastly overrated among Allied commanders (As is Rommel among Axis commanders, btw. His logistics were beyond awful and that is what cost him any chance at success in NA which is why I'm pretty confident in making the statement in my first sentence).
I looked up Saburo Sakai. It's astonishing. The short version is that after his injury he flew 560 nautical miles back to his base with a severe head wound, blind in one eye and nearly blind in the other using volcano peaks as his guide. Upon returning to the airbase at Rabaul he made a full report to his commanding officer before collapsing. He was taken back to Japan where he underwent a lengthy surgery without anesthetic after which he still managed to return to continue fighting the war. Reading into his life he's a fascinating character and an incredible example of a flying ace.
I recommend reading Samurai, his autobiography as a fighter pilot during the war. It's a good read but there's a few errors placed there by the co-writer.
@@DanielD727 His injury at the battle was due to mistaking his US target, it was the first time the Japanese saw a TBF Avenger, which has a rear gunner, with a cannon in that position I believe! He flew many hours beyond the normal fuel time for a zero, so he was presumed dead... then landed at his Rabaul home base. A couple years later he was sent out on two suicide attacks, but found no targets so brought his plane back on both... weird right!?
@@TheGunderian not a cannon, but by comparison it might as well have been. Most single engine attack planes carry a single rifle-caliber machinegun to protect their rear. The Avenger uses a turret with a single M2 .50 caliber machinegun, so the increase in defensive firepower is noticeable.
@@Themaxwithnoname - Midway slowed but did not stop the Japanese advance. The Japanese lost no territory in that battle, only ships and airplanes (and precious aircrew). The Allies lacked the resources to capitalize immediately on their victory. That starts now, albeit slowly.
@@danielmocsny5066 some consider it the turning point of the Pacific Theater. Also, they never made it any more east. (An exception is the Aleutian Islands being the northern most geographic point. But honestly, it's such a side show & remote out there that we didn't bother to respond until like 1943 or so. It's like 'enjoy the world's worst flying weather, also, thanks for the Zero.')
@@danielmocsny5066 Don't overlook the reason the Japanese needed to take Midway. Their whole war plan was to rapidly expand into the Pacific and take a huge defensible area, then sue for peace treating their new empire as a fait accompli. They absolutely had to have Midway as an outpost on their perimeter in order to convince the Americans that trying to retake all that territory wouldn't be worth the cost. That was their thinking anyway, not saying that the Americans would have felt the same even if the Japanese had achieved all of their goals. IMO the Americans would have kept fighting no matter what.
@@danielmocsny5066 The aircrew lost in Midway was not as bad as people usually think; many pilots were transferred to escorting ships when the order to abandon ship was issued. The battle that grinded most elite Japanese pilots away was the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, which the Japanese not only lost more aircrew than they did in Battle of Midway, but many of them were also flight leaders and experienced pilots.
The clashing scale of things is striking--German armies covering tens of kilometers a day in southern Russia to little gain, while US marines struggle to cross an island just a kilometer wide
This is why wargames and computer games can only go so far in showing the true nature of the war - a battle of hundreds of kilometres in the Caucasus and a battle of yards in the Tractor Factory just north of it.
My dad was a citizen soldier, a schoolteacher drafted into the Army. He was stationed in New Guinea and was wounded for the second time at Guadalcanal. Not sure of the timeline. I'm trying to get his war records, but they were destroyed by a fire in the '70s. I understand an effort is being made to recreate them. I hope it's successful. RIP, Dad.
Big respect and RIP for your dad from Russia! I believe and hope, you will be able to restore these records. We must remember and honor the exploits of our fathers and grandfathers.
My grandfather was a fighter pilot on an aircraft carrier and spent time as a POW after being shot down, where he lost most of his hearing when the Japanese burnt out his eardrums with lit matches. To my knowledge he was shot down on or near New Guinea but he's long gone and we could never get more than fragmentary service records to learn more.
@@dataseeker7460 the thing is, my dad was a WW2 veteran- he saw lots of combat (North Atlantic) and he would have scoffed at anyone calling him or his shipmates heroes. A WW2 veteran could be a guy who kept the lights going in Dutch Harbor, tapping away at a typewriter in Washington DC or pulling guard duty on Iceland. Calling them all heroes is a bit of a stretch.
It's important to keep in mind that the combined US military forces, in the autumn of 1942, are not yet the overpowering juggernaut they will latterly become. Operation Watchtower really is a shoestring operation, and one with no experience to draw on. It's the first offensive, the first big strike back at the rising sun. The learning curve, as we shall see in the coming weeks, is dreadfully steep. And yet, perhaps this improvisational mien, more than any other, is where the Americans come into their own.
We'll also see that the learning curve gets a lot steeper when you add beliefs in one's racial superiority to the mix. Being unable to conceive of an enemy having advantages to one just because of who they are makes it very difficult to adapt to those advantages.
I’ve studied and watched and learned about all aspects of WW2 over the last 40 odd years and I’ve found you really don’t get much braver than the US marines in the Pacific were ( from UK )
What I’ve realized while watching this series and The Great War is how nothing in history was ever inevitable. When we learn history in school it seems to give the impression that events were set in stone and were always going to happen the way they did. Of course logically we know that isn’t the case but seeing events unfold week by week, you realize just how different everything could have played out. It really can boggle the mind in lots of ways when you look at history in such close detail, like we get with these videos.
It's like the difference between weather and climate. You can't predict the weather with accuracy more than a few days out. But you can be confident that winter will be colder on average than summer. Where I live there is usually no single day in January that is hotter than any single day in July. Weather gives you the noise (short term fluctuations), and climate gives you the signal (long term trends). In WWII, the noise was the ebb and flow of individual battles. The signal was that Hitler decided to declare war on three of the world's largest economies. He would have needed unbelievable luck to overcome his economic disadvantage in what was a war of industrial production. Hitler's only chance was to knock at least one of the UK or USSR out of the war before the USA's military production ramped up. By this time in 1942 it is probably too late. The USA is ramping up and Germany is no longer dominating the battlefield like it did in 1941. Rommel is already stopped in North Africa and losing the logistics race; Paulus is about to get stopped in Stalingrad. The German advances over the next few weeks are just empty calories at this point, a mirage to let Hitler pretend he's still in it. And if the Axis economic disadvantage wasn't enough, the USA will have the atomic bomb in three years. There's nothing the Axis can do to stop that, or even to become aware of it. If Hitler had been luckier on the battlefield, the best he might have done would have been to delay German defeat long enough to make Berlin the first atomic bomb target.
There are certainly some things that are inevitable. Like, the US and Japan were going to go to war pretty much no matter what, just from an ideological and resource perspective. And, in that war, it is guaranteed that the US will eventually win a war of attrition, and it's guaranteed that the US wouldn't just give up after being punched once, so the US will always beat Japan. What really is in the balance is who dies, how many die, and how long it takes. The end result of an allied victory is assured, even in 1942 because the Germans and the Japanese don't have the industrial might to win. But, considering how many people fought in the war, and how many people who survived went on to do important things or birth children who would do important things, and so on and so forth, there is a lot of potential points of flux that would make the modern-day look much different. So I sort of agree.
It would be super interesting to learn more on how the Soviets were able to organize, strip down, load and move all their industry in less than a week...right in front of the Gemans and with the Germans with full air superiority. Also, I have read some on the Brandenburgs (German Special Forces) sent ahead to seize critical factories and infrastructure ahead of the main German advances. Many times in small airborne operations.
According to Nofi and Dunnigan (Dirty Little Secrets of World War 2), the secret is that almost all the new industrial facilities were built in the east during the 30s. Factory evacuations were limited to a fairly small number of well-publicized evacuations that were heavily played up in Soviet propoganda.
@@kemarisite even then, I have been really curious about how you take apart a factory that. Is mounted on concrete, has fluids running underground, poisonous chemicals, etc. Maybe they were moving factories that made mechanical systems like tanks, trucks, etc.
@@rajeshkanungo6627 You don't move the building. You can make the building everywhere. What you evacuate are the MACHINES and personnel. Yes, they did not evacuate ALL the industry. They did evacuate a significant enough amount that it took time for them to be properly re-setup in the Urals. And they did it due to having pre war plans for that contingency. They have been working hard at setting up industry in Siberia since they thought that European parts of USSR might become vulnerable, but they also made plans what to do if key plants in the west also become threathened. And you move the men and materiel with trains. As long as trains are running you can do this, and since Luftwafe was never really been able to seriously crimp Soviet logistics (mostly beceause they focused on tactical support and USSR being LARGE (at this moment MAJOR Luftwafe Air Army assets were up north supporting the grindfest near Klatch.)) you can move a LOT by rail. Plus you have all the rolling stock that is bringing ammunition and would be going empty back to use.
the german air superiority wasn't full, it was local after poland and the initial border regions of the soviets were taken. The border regions were full of old biplanes (like the Chaika) and similarly outdated equipment. Once the real soviet airforce showed up, the Germans were no longer able to "just have air superiority" wherever they liked- they lost too many planes for that. Another reason the soviets were able to do this was transport- all those trains and planes that supplied the front also had to get back to where the supplies were. Instead of an empty return voyage they took on factory contents for a bit more fuel use. And thirdly, the soviets were very good at "Maskirovka" (a little masquerade), which in ww2 was mostly camouflage and deception. They were quite good at making it look like important things were not and useless things were important. Such as at Kursk, where most of the axis preliminary bombing struck only fake airfields at high losses and ~9/10ths of the line around kursk were abandoned by the soviets to reinforce Kursk without the germans noticing, due to heavy use of fake radio traffic and the remaining forces being really active to give the idea of a full division's presence. This meant that a large portion of the german attacks were against hardier targets or useless targets, and thus the advance was slower.
This week on August 6 1942, Detroit restaurant owner Max Stephan became the first American to be sentenced to execution for treason since the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 for aiding an escaped German prisoner of war, Luftwaffe pilot Hans Peter Krug. His setence is later commuted to life imprisonment.
He wouldn't be the only US citizen sentenced to death for helping POWs escape. Dale Maple, a serving soldier, was also sentenced to death but it was also commuted. It underlines Eddie Slovik's lack of luck in being sentenced to death and executed for desertion, as Stephan and Maple's offences were arguably worse.
@@rcgunner7086 15 tanks would literally be 3... "troops" for the US? I'll have to re-watch The Chieftain to get the right word. But, basically, no tank ever should be alone - the smallest organizational group was 5 tanks...
After about nine months of the Eastern Front, 15 was roughly the number of tanks Rommel's former Ghost Division had left - it had started Barbarossa with over 200.
Saburo Sakai was something of a special figure. Perhaps an idea to do a special on him! On a patrol with his Zero over Java, just after shooting down an enemy aircraft, Sakai encountered a civilian Dutch Douglas DC-3 flying at low altitude over dense jungle. Sakai initially assumed it was transporting important people and signaled to its pilot to follow him; the pilot did not obey. Sakai descended and approached the DC-3. He then saw a blonde woman and a young child through a window, along with other passengers. The woman reminded him of Mrs. Martin, an American who occasionally had taught him as a child in middle school and had been kind to him. He ignored his orders and flew ahead of the pilot, signaling him to go ahead. The pilot and passengers saluted him. Sakai did not mention the encounter in the aerial combat report. Years later children of that Blonde woman wanted to know who was the Japanese pilot that let them escape, it was because he never reported it that it took a while to discover that it was Saburo Sakai, a guy who also credited his kills to other pilots that died in action.
Drachinefel has an excellent series on the naval battles of Guadalcanal, there is also the mini series (HBO?) The Pacific about fighting on the island.
Also the book Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal by James D. Hornfischer. Indy could just read from the book for 50 episodes and that would be great.
Now would be a good time to watch the first half of the first episode of The Pacific, where they cover the landings of Robert Leckie and the 1st Marines on Guadalcanal on August 7 1942.
Haha yes. Also watch War and Remembrance which tells a human story of the entire war Plus there is the movie Sahara about the war in North Africa. Also the English Patient shows the retreat by British and allied forces from Rommel's offensive and then the fight from el Alamein
@@GoSlash27 Yeah they don't have radar but have you read the intelligence reports? They've got some very fine torpedoes. I just hope USN admirals have read those reports.
My late father (11-16-19 to 10-17-03) landed with the 1st Marine Division on 8/7/42. He left the island in early November suffering from dysentery, trench mouth, and malaria. I still have his uniform with the Guadalcanal (1st Marine Division) patch hanging in my den. Not a day goes by when I don't think of him...thanks Dad.
I know this is not related to the content of the video, but I became a patron a few days ago, and it feels so good to finally get early access to this channel's contents, and I just wanted to express my excitement.
I'm so happy I caught up in time to see Guadalcanal when it released! As a US Marine vet, I am incredibly humbled by the fortitude of the Marines in the Pacific campaign. I think I'll go watch the first episode of The Pacific later to put this all into perspective. Thank you to the entire crew who make these videos, and to all the patrons who give willingly for those of us who cant currently. Much love and respect. -Sean the Green
I’m a military historian and I want you guys to know these videos that you guys have been doing are fantastic. I have been so impressed with the amount of research and the quality of your videos. I have been telling everyone I know who would care to watch your channel. Thank you so much for making this series it’s really incredible.
Dear Vera, it seems a lifetime since we met outside Saint Mary's. This great undertaking for God and country has landed us in a tropical paradise, somewhere in what Jack London refers to as "those terrible Solomons." It is a garden of Eden. The jungle holds both beauty and terror in its depths, most terrible of which is man. We have met the enemy and have learned nothing more about him. I have, however, learned some things about myself. There are things men can do to one another that are sobering to the soul. It is one thing to reconcile these things with God, but another to square it with yourself. -Robert Leckie Helmet for My Pillow is a phenomenal memoir
Fun fact: American actor Don Adams, best know for playing Maxwell Smart in the comedy "Get Smart", served in the U.S Marines and saw action on Guadalcanal. His time in combat was short-lived as he contracted blackwater fever and was evacuated to New Zealand where he spent more than a year in hospital as blackwater fever has a 90% fatality rate. After he recovered he returned to the U.S as a drill instructor for the rest of the war.
I really appreciate the accurate subtitles. Not sure you've always had those. But they are appreciated. I had no idea there were crocodiles on Guadalcanal.
Did the Japanese bring a few babies over as pets and flush them down the toilet once they didn't want them anymore? Sounds like the plot of a horror movie.
Good to see that the Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo is covered in detail here. Next, a certain Savo Island awaits… And oh, with Monty finally in charge of the British Eighth Army, might this be the change needed for the British to start to turn the tide in North Africa?
@@GaldirEonai To be clear Savo Island is Australias fault. How you ask? Well their lack of presence. Normally not being there would make it not your fault. If you weren't in charge of the fleet when it got attacked and failed to name a FUCKING SECOND IN COMMAND. Its hard to win a night fight when you have no commanders. Also despite Japans night training and super torps they lost most night engagements due to better US tech and luck.
Also this week on August 3 1942, the British launch Operation Pedestal, an operation to send supplies to Malta. Among the naval convoy is the American oiler SS Ohio. Only time will tell if all of the convoy will make it safely to Malta, fingers crossed…
Arguably the Royal Navy and the Fleet Air Arm’s finest hour in the war. While the Malta story exists, there should definitely be a film about this particular convoy.
While the Ohio was American built, it was 100% British owned and crewed. The Brits bought it off the Yanks with plans to put it on Malta convoys because it was the sturdiest and fastest oiler they could find.
12:30 Indy, I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but when you are discussing the invasion of Tulagi, a graphic for the Marine's advance towards the airfield on Guadalcanal is being shown.
Nah,I'm pretty sure it's just a hit and run raid. The Americans couldn't possibly be on a genuine offensive this soon,they don't even have enough tankers to support their battleships,which have been the basis of their pacific strategy for the entire duration of said strategy.
When the Marines landed on Guadalcanal they were equipped the 1903 bolt-action rifle. The top Marine general in Washington had a one-shot-one kill philosophy. So, he had the Marines using the more accurate 1903 rifle rather than the semi-auto Garand. But, in the Guadalcanal jungle you can't see more than a few feet, so the slightly better accuracy of the 1903 meant nothing. When the Army came in a few weeks later, the Marines went on a theft rampage of the Army's Garand rifles.
Who was the top marine general? Not sure I believe this story to be honest with you. Sounds like another one of those rumors of military legend that just circulates for no good reason
@@chriscarlone527 I never heard it either; I think it was just that they made do with what they had and the Marines were trained to be fantastic riflemen: _all_ of them, even, for example, the cooks.
I think a lot of this had to do with the fact that there just weren't enough Garands to go around. A lot of guys, even in the Army, would go into the field with just M1917 Enfields because there just weren't enough rifles to go around. It will be almost another year before production caught up with troop training. And yeah, the Garand showed what it could do to the Japanese in the Philippines. The soldiers there with them made quite a impression on the Japanese.
4:44 I seriously doubt the details on this map. According to pretty much all major historians on this battle, the Kalach pocket was on the left side of the Don. By this point (7th of August) the 6th army still has NOT crossed the Don. In fact, Paulus won't start his offensive across the Don until much later on the 21st. It goes to show how much of a rough ride the 6th army had had just to reach the city, let alone even start the fight inside.
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History has such an amazing, in-depth explanation of the attack on Tulagi. Truly horrific. God rest the souls of every man who was wasted in this war
My great grandfather received his first of two wounds in the war at Guadalcanal after having survived Pearl Harbor. Looking forward to the upcoming months.
Yikes, was his nickname in his unit 'Lucky' by chance? In any case I doubt the guys who had to fight there were looking forward to it as much as we are.
Your relation of the facts is more riveting than documentaries that present full videos of the conflicts they're portraying. Something about explaining the proper context really pulls me in.
August 7, 1942 - US Marines land on Guadalcanal. August 7, 1997 - A little boy is born. That’s me. Happy Guadalcanal Anniversary from a Birthday boy! Go Marines!
My great grandfather James Zybura (1924-2008) was a member of the Yakima National Guard unit in Washington State from I believe early 1941 to the end of the war. To my knowledge and research his unit merged into the 25th inf div. and fought at Guadalcanal and in the Philippine Campaign. Thank you guys for this.
I love that "I knew all along about Guadalcanal" defense. Isn't knowing and not doing anything about it almost worse than not knowing and getting caught off guard? Sure, it makes you look smarter, but it also makes you look like you have no balls or initiative.
Thank you for such an entertaining and informative series. I only found your channel a few months ago through a friend, and have been catching up from the beginning of the war. Best of luck to you in all your endeavours.
If you’d like to see more if Indy, he also since completed a real time coverage of the entire World War I. He was working with a different set of people on that one (different company, etc.).
I just read about Sakai's flight and honestly what a battle. I have to say that Sakai was a badass. Please everyone read it too as I don't think I can do justice to it by explaining it here in the comments.
Gotts death is a real what if moment. His plane from near Alamein to cairo was intercepted by half a squadron. Likely some prior knowledge. Monty got his chance but he was a bit weird although most successful generals seem to share that trait.
As morbid as it is Gott being shot down was excellent for the allied war effort. He wasn't a great Corp commander to start with let alone an army commander. But Montys here to sort the 8th army out
@@BleedingUranium It is an accident only if you remove multiple ME 109's. The German Pilots on returning got congratulated by there Commander, you have killed the Head of the Eight Army. The Italians had broken the US code and could read Major Fellers assigned military attaché to the US embassy in Egypt, reports.
@@BleedingUranium Agree, its even worse than shot down, they then deliberately staffed the aircraft after it crash landed killing Gott. It was an assassination not a shoot down.
As an American, the USN is going to become OFFENSIVEly stupid too... though it turns out MacAurther has some role to play in those boondogles too (because of course if stupid is going to happen Dougie MacA is going to get a piece of it.)
But with no experience yet so things will go bad before they get good for the Allies in the Pacific. Japan has been fighting for many years the US has not so they have to learn really quickly over the next few months.
@Bobb Grimley It's a bit off in the future, but in the 1950's the saying "No more Task Force Smiths" was popular amongst American war planners. The US completely demobilized after WWII, then had to hurredly slap together a force to defend Korea that got its butt handed to it. They finally realized that modern war couldn't be fought by conscripted armies and for better or worse they needed a large professional standing army.
RE: Saburo Sakai. We hear a lot about German aces and American aces but of few Japanese and Russian aces. No doubt due to the casualty rates. That he survived the war and wrote a book, dying at a ripe old age, reminds us that there were many individuals that were fighting from the first day until the last. Saburo Sakai fighting on both bookend days.
Saburo Sakai definitely needs his own video. Even as American, I recognize he was a very noble foe worthy of great respect for what he accomplished. He almost single handled changed the course of history when fired at the plane Lydon B Johnson was in. He could have prevented the Vietnam War.
ironically, camels originated in the Americas, in South America if my memory serves me, and migrated east across the land bridges that developed across the Bering Straight at various points. Now they are all over Asia and North Africa.
Actually a camel from Soviet Camel corps, "Kuznechik", became famous by following Red Army from Stalingrad to Berlin. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuznechik_(camel)
Great Stug life photo. Depicting the short barrel version and the upgunned model. This series is always a welcome sight in my feed. It really drives home how desperate and in the balance things were at the time.
I've read a couple war biographies concerning the pacific theatre so it's interesting to see what those authors were apart of outside there personal stories, in a "Helmet for My Pillow" I remember one account of the troops finding a stash of Japanese beer and because of the light resistance spent a good time on the beach getting drunk (not that marines need an excuse)
Given your mention of Saburo Sakai, who was injured when encountering the new "Thach Weave" tactic employed by the Americans, maybe a nice idea for a WW2 special would be to discuss the varying combat flight and dogfight tactics employed by each air force and how these evolved throughout the war?
Churchill sure does travel a lot during the war, I always wonder how do they make sure he makes it since whole lot of other officers get famously shot down or die in a plane accidents and the seas aren't exactly safe either.
Some of the stories about how these leaders died or avoided death are unbelievable. Read the saga of the USN destroyer William D. Porter that almost killed FDR. An excerpt from the Task & Purpose article: "On Nov. 14th, 1943, the four ships were east of Bermuda when the president wanted to test the defenses of the Iowa in the event that they came under an air attack. The crew of the Iowa launched weather balloons to simulate anti-aircraft targets, and fired over 100 guns. In command of the William D. Porter, Walter, wanting to join in on the fun and redeem himself for the Willie Dee’s earlier episodes, sent his men to their battle stations. Willie Dee’s crew started shooting at the Iowa’s missed balloons that had drifted toward their ship. Down below on the torpedo mounts, the crew was preparing to take practice shots at the Iowa - which was 6,000 yards away. During live torpedo drills, primers, or small explosive charges, are removed for practice, but one of the torpedomen forgot to remove the primer from one of the torpedo tubes. Just as the torpedo officer ordered the fake firing command, a successfully armed and launched torpedo whizzed across the sea, straight toward the Iowa - endangering some of the world’s most influential figures, including Roosevelt..... The William D. Porter finally decided that it was necessary to break the mandatory silence, and notified the Iowa in the nick of time. When Roosevelt heard that a torpedo was zooming toward him, he asked to be moved with his wheelchair over to the railing so that he could see it. Fearing an assassination plot, the Iowa turned its guns toward the William D. Porter - however, the crisis ended when the torpedo finally detonated as it struck heavy waves created by the Iowa’s increased speed. Walter reportedly answered with a meek “We did it” when pressed. The entire crew was placed under arrest and sent to Bermuda to face trial - the first instance in U.S. Naval history that the entire crew of a ship had been arrested." This actually happened. In the real world. taskandpurposeDOTcom/history/wwii-naval-ship-unlucky-almost-killed-fdr/
I think the imperial general staff have read the WWI records of Major Churchill and Major Attlee. So they have no real worries about Major Churchill travelling as much as he wants to.
I do hope we will hear a little about the New Zealand Airforce on Guadal Canal. I think it was part of the lend lease arrangement. Quite a small contingent and my father was in the first group of NZers sent to Henderson Field. I think he spent about nine months there but was eventually sent home with malaria. I remember him getting recurring bouts of it when I was a child. Compared to the USAF, the RNZAF was quite unsophisticated, still with a lot of aircraft with wooden frames and linen covering. My father said the Americans never repaired anything, just replaced it, leaving their junk heaps as a goldmine of spare parts for the New Zealanders.
Like the RAAF and RCAF, the RNZAF had been at war since 1939. On the outbreak of war in Sept 1939 they had 30 new Wellington bombers and their crews working up in the UK. Ready to come back to NZ. These aircraft with their crews and support personnel were immediately made available to the British Government. And became no 75 RNZAF bomber Squadron within the RAF. Other Australian Canadian and New Zealand fighter, fighter bomber and bomber squadrons also served within the RAF structure throughout the war. In the Battle of Britain for instance. While obviously, by far the largest numbers of fighter pilots were British. The 2nd largest contingent were Polish. And NZrs were the 3rd. The RAAF was very active in the Pacific and Asian theatres of war. And 16 RNZAF, fighter, fighter bomber, torpedo, dive bomber and bomber squadrons also served in the South West Pacific campaigns. Along with PBY Catalinas and Dakota (DC3s in civil parlance) transports. And other units served in Asia. A small Airforce by comparison to larger Allies - of course. But overall not quite as unsophisticated as you might think. And in regard to 'wooden and fabric' aircraft. Many Airforces still had them on strength at the beginning of WW 2. Including the USAAF and Navy. Mostly in training, support and 2nd tier reseve roles. While they were modernising. Nevertheless, one of the most famous and effective fighter bombers of WW2 was the 'wooden' Mosquito. As to lend lease, that applied both ways. It was a mutual support and supply agreement between the Allies for the duration of the war. Cheers.
Here, it is shown as the 6th army's encirclement of soviet forces on the Don in early august happened with panzer spearheads of the 16th and 24th panzers crossing the Don, and meeting east of Kalach. This however is inaccurate, since that encirclement, the Soviet disaster at the Don, happened in the Great Don Bend, on the other side of the river. The 6th army first crossed the Don on august 21st.
Great hint on Sakai. Amazing that he saw the millennium out and sadly passed at the age of 84 - and further that he became a buddhist and sent his daughter to the US to learn English and democracy. Smart guy. [Gotta lurv Wikipedia]
An interesting WW2 movie to watch around this week is "Guadalcanal/Leckie" (2010), the first episode of the miniseries The Pacific. The first episode of this miniseries depicts the first weeks of the Guadalcanal campaign, from the initial landings to the Battle of the Tenaru. Period covered: August 1942 Historical accuracy: 5/5 IMDB grade: 8.0/10 (8.5/10) Other: Winner of the Outstanding Miniseries Emmy Award
Each episode is a damning record of mans inhumanity to man. 17 minutes that encapsulates the lifetime of hurt and loss inflicted on the survivors and so much beauty that will never be.
I've been around for a while and something never quite clicked the way it did when I watched this video. I've studied a fair bit of history but something I've always struggled with was building a mental picture of the time difference between Date A and Date B. So-and-So is at a meeting and says "we won't be ready until September." and unless I put the book down or pause the video, double check the date of that meeting and do the math, that span of time has always been elusive for me. If the So-and-So says, "we won't be ready for 7 weeks," that registers. But when Indy said, "won't be ready until September," I saw the power of this format. That was a really neat Aha! moment for me. Thanks!
Its weird to think that in a few weeks on September 1st, that its only half way through the war. And that the much deadlier half of the war is still to come... (At least if you consider WW2 starting in 1939, and not 1937 when Japan invaded China)
Marshal Budyonny had by far the best Moustache of the Second World War. From a Russian Documentary on the Marshal, his brother immigrated to the United States. That documentary didn't go any further with that little tidbit of information. It would be interesting to find out what happened to him.
This is the real reason the USSR won. They remembered what weaponized facial hair was capable of during the Great War. History might have been different if Eberhard von Mackensen (yes, the son of THAT guy) had grown a few whiskers for this fight.
I'll be very interested in how the upcoming naval battles will be covered in this series. The Guadalcanal campaign was perhaps the only allied campaign in WW2 where the number of sailors killed outnumbered soldiers. The naval battles of the Solomon's Campaign were brutal affairs where the allies frequently performed poorly due to factors including failures of command/leadership, failures of tactics (including failure to understand what the Japanese did well), and failures to take advantage of radar technology due to lack of understanding and training. In spite of all the mistakes, the allies won the campaign but that victory came at a serious cost. It was, on a number of occasions, a near run thing.
Really loving the coverage lately but I just hope we get a mention about the Soviet Offensive against Rzhev. Its often not talked about but is one of the bloodiest and important battles of the Eastern Front that can draw comparisons to the battles on the Western Front of WW1. It is really interesting to read about the contrast of the open steppe and eventually urban combat in the south compared to the trench warfare and battle of attrition in Rzhev. This is also where Zhukov is during the summer.
Thought they'd mentioned the salient a few times this year in passing. But yeah, when you look at the casualty figures from AG Center it's kind of a head-scratcher because nobody's moving yet they're still having to pump replacements into that area. The Wehrmacht was insane for not giving up on Moscow at this point.
Zhukhov's 2nd summer offensive against Model's 9th Army started on August 1st, by the Kalinin (29th & 30th Armies)and Western (20th & 31st Armies) Fronts. Zhukov then commited 6th & 8th Tank Corps and 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps to the breakthrough. In heavy fighting the Germans were pushed back to the Vazuza river, but the offensive ran out of steam around 23rd August. Model told Kluge on 16th August that 9th Army was about finished. (Glanz)
What's ironic about Gott's death was that he initially survived the plane crash, but he went back into the wreckage to rescue other men trapped inside. While inside, the whole heap exploded, killing him and many others.
12:28 When he is talking about Tulagi they show the 1st and 3rd on Guadalcanal...just pointing that out. Or did he mean to say the raiders came in at 8 am at Guadalcanal?
The year of 1942. Where Allied and Axis soldiers deal with the elements. The heat of Russia, the sands of El Alamein, and the tropical humidity of Guadalcanal. These battles are the turning points of the war. Only one will win.
Luxembourg, Week 152: Local man finally realizes that his country is occupied when he drives in to town to buy his morning coffee and has to wait for a German supply column to pass. Liechtenstein, Week 152: Heinrich's cow got into his neighbour's field and ate half his clover
Hundreds of Luxembourgers joined the French Resistance during WW2 and many were killed. It underlined the fact that Resistance activity was difficult in Luxembourg itself.
Well, we finally have an Allied offensive in the South Pacific islands. I'm sure we'll see the Japanese response soon enough. We'll have some special episodes about technology and tactics used in the region coming up, as well as some concerning the fighting in the Soviet Union.
We've done a lot of specials, actually, about a variety of things, and to check them out here's the special episodes playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLsIk0qF0R1j6TfuWStd-aigrv6HQKk5Ty
We've also had a series of gallery specials where we cover several figures of the war as part of a broader topic, to check those out click here: ruclips.net/p/PLsIk0qF0R1j5mC23fS7vJOlSK6MtnU7O2
I'm really glad you're devoting some special attention to the campaign in the Solomons. Though less well-defined, simple and iconic as the likes of Midway or the Bismarck chase, it is one of the most fascinating, visceral and brutal naval campaigns ever fought.
A snapshot of the battles which take place here sounds like a child's imagination while playing with toy boats in the bath. A picture-postcard tropical South Pacific backdrop. Battles fought in the dead of night, no illumination save for tracer shells, flares and the glow of burning warships. In an age where naval combat had been pushed beyond the horizon, here are ships fighting viciously within pistol shot range, like the age of sail battles from a time long past. No contest between great, floating castles of steel was ever contested on a more vivid tableau
Eastory's maps would be more readable if he were to use the standard NATO symbols for various unit types. I've generally no idea if I'm looking at motorized, mechanized, armoured, cavalry, infantry, or airborne units even though I'm sure his orders of battle indicate all that since he has not merely parent units but also their component unites (e.g. armies and divisions, divisions and regiments/brigades).
Still quite good, but could be even better.
Everywhere, the Axis is on its last lunge and the Allies will finally achieve permanent strategic initiative over the next 4 months. God be praised. The end of the beginning...
Wrong map at 12:31 -- :41. It show the beachhead on Guadalcanal again, instead of Tulagi.
@@GaldirEonai I've learned that YT's algos don't like certain words, like the names of certain German leaders during the war or their political faction. They definitely don't like it if you post links to other sites. If you're using any names or terms that could ever be misinterpreted as "problematic" by the most judgemental Twitter activists or Tumblr bloggers, remove them or replace letters with symbols, or just rephrase what you're saying.
It's stupid but it is what it is. Reminds me of net nanny software from the late 1990's that was so bad it would block discussions of health issues or recipes that contained the word "breast". There's a reason YT is dying and being replaced by alt-tech sites.....
It's the scale of battle on the Eastern front that boggles the mind. Armies and corps are talked about like they're battalions and divisons.
One battle - Kursk, in '43 - was bigger than most wars in human history in terms of participants.
@@Raskolnikov70 And one could say that the clash of Barbarossa is the biggest single military campaign ever in terms of forces involved^^
Something to remember here is that a Soviet Army was broadly the same.in size as a German or Western allied Corps. Likewise with the Japanese. A front was frequently Similar in size to some Allied or German field armies.
Also the scale of the theatre is immense. The Don bend itself is a massive area of land.
@@darthcalanil5333 not one 'could say', it objectively was by a large stretch
‘This wins them a small refinery... though it’s on fire.’
That pretty much sums up the German effort on the Eastern Front
Ouch! Burn! (literally)
Someone pointed out if the Germans had captured the oil fields in the caucuses, they would have found the well heads sabotaged and all the equipment destroyed. Even when they repaired them, the oil would have to be shipped westward to a refinery and the gasoline shipped East. More logistic problems.
@@657449 I mean, there's really nothing more conducive to scorched earth tactics than oil fields... literally. You set those things on fire and they just keep going. Refineries are hardly any better. It's difficult enough to keep those things from blowing up during peace time.
@@657449 Didn't this channel just do a special episode touching on this? Can't remember if it was last week or the one before, but look for it if you haven't seen it already. Indy said that the Germans had a plan for restoring production there but it was pretty unrealistic because of the issues you mentioned - having to replace everything + distances involved. At least it would have denied them to the Soviets if they did take Baku.
In 1942, Nikolai Baibakov led a team responsible for destroying oil wells and oil-processing installations in the Caucasian region. The mission was assigned personally by Joseph Stalin, who reportedly said: “Comrade Baibakov, Hitler is rushing to the Caucasus. He has announced that if he fails to capture Caucasian oil, he will lose this war. Do whatever you need to make sure no single drop of oil falls into German hands. Keep in mind that if you leave even one ton of oil to Germans, we will shoot you.” After a short pause, Stalin added: “If you destroy the oilfields, but Hitler fails to reach them and we are left without fuel, we will shoot you again.” “You leave me no choice, Comrade Stalin,” was the only thing that Baibakov could utter. “The choice is here,” Stalin muttered and tapped lightly on his head temple.
Can we just take a moment to admire the mustache of Semyon Budyonny? That thing is glorious.
Is it more glorious than Stalin's mustache?
We deserve a “best facial hair of WW2” special episode
Plot twist; He bought it in a novelty shop. 😁
How could you not surrender to a moustache like that?
@@nozecone Indeed. It terrifies me. 😉
_"In defeat, unbeatable. In victory, unbearable."_
Churchill on Montgomery.
Spoiler: highlighted in a certain operation which came up short of a bridge
@@shaider1982 "One bridge too far" haha
@@shaider1982 Whilst the main bridge was not taken, what's often forgot is the significant advances made.
It should also be noted that the plan was always considered high risk, however some attempt was also deemed worth such risk.
Poles still remember how he treated Sosabowski (him and Browning) after Market Garden
@@scipioafricanus2212 Any British commander would have won the war in North Africa after the First Battle of El Alamein ended in a stalemate. He was just put into command at the right time to earn the victory lap. He didn't speed up the plans for an Allied offensive (this was his supposed job but he couldn't do it faster than Auchinleck had planned). And in Italy the Allies didn't achieve much either. They took land and both sides had to put soldiers there. Montgomery is vastly overrated among Allied commanders (As is Rommel among Axis commanders, btw. His logistics were beyond awful and that is what cost him any chance at success in NA which is why I'm pretty confident in making the statement in my first sentence).
I looked up Saburo Sakai. It's astonishing. The short version is that after his injury he flew 560 nautical miles back to his base with a severe head wound, blind in one eye and nearly blind in the other using volcano peaks as his guide. Upon returning to the airbase at Rabaul he made a full report to his commanding officer before collapsing. He was taken back to Japan where he underwent a lengthy surgery without anesthetic after which he still managed to return to continue fighting the war.
Reading into his life he's a fascinating character and an incredible example of a flying ace.
There was a will to live in that story that's truly astonishing. A lesser man would've just flown to the sea.
I recommend reading Samurai, his autobiography as a fighter pilot during the war. It's a good read but there's a few errors placed there by the co-writer.
@@DanielD727 His injury at the battle was due to mistaking his US target, it was the first time the Japanese saw a TBF Avenger, which has a rear gunner, with a cannon in that position I believe! He flew many hours beyond the normal fuel time for a zero, so he was presumed dead... then landed at his Rabaul home base. A couple years later he was sent out on two suicide attacks, but found no targets so brought his plane back on both... weird right!?
@@TheGunderian not a cannon, but by comparison it might as well have been. Most single engine attack planes carry a single rifle-caliber machinegun to protect their rear. The Avenger uses a turret with a single M2 .50 caliber machinegun, so the increase in defensive firepower is noticeable.
Definitely my kinda guy, wish i could've shared a bottle of Sake with him. or 2. or 10...
Stalingrad, El Alamein, Guadalcanal, we have reached the geographic high tide of the war.
Also Midway two months ago.
@@Themaxwithnoname - Midway slowed but did not stop the Japanese advance. The Japanese lost no territory in that battle, only ships and airplanes (and precious aircrew). The Allies lacked the resources to capitalize immediately on their victory. That starts now, albeit slowly.
@@danielmocsny5066 some consider it the turning point of the Pacific Theater. Also, they never made it any more east.
(An exception is the Aleutian Islands being the northern most geographic point. But honestly, it's such a side show & remote out there that we didn't bother to respond until like 1943 or so. It's like 'enjoy the world's worst flying weather, also, thanks for the Zero.')
@@danielmocsny5066 Don't overlook the reason the Japanese needed to take Midway. Their whole war plan was to rapidly expand into the Pacific and take a huge defensible area, then sue for peace treating their new empire as a fait accompli. They absolutely had to have Midway as an outpost on their perimeter in order to convince the Americans that trying to retake all that territory wouldn't be worth the cost.
That was their thinking anyway, not saying that the Americans would have felt the same even if the Japanese had achieved all of their goals. IMO the Americans would have kept fighting no matter what.
@@danielmocsny5066 The aircrew lost in Midway was not as bad as people usually think; many pilots were transferred to escorting ships when the order to abandon ship was issued.
The battle that grinded most elite Japanese pilots away was the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, which the Japanese not only lost more aircrew than they did in Battle of Midway, but many of them were also flight leaders and experienced pilots.
The clashing scale of things is striking--German armies covering tens of kilometers a day in southern Russia to little gain, while US marines struggle to cross an island just a kilometer wide
The difference that the vegetation can make.
This is why wargames and computer games can only go so far in showing the true nature of the war - a battle of hundreds of kilometres in the Caucasus and a battle of yards in the Tractor Factory just north of it.
Crazy to think about
And the strategic significance of those few yards and one incomplete airfield is HUGE to world events.
hope this isn't a dis on the Marines. The ignorance of the nature of war is apparent
My dad was a citizen soldier, a schoolteacher drafted into the Army. He was stationed in New Guinea and was wounded for the second time at Guadalcanal. Not sure of the timeline. I'm trying to get his war records, but they were destroyed by a fire in the '70s. I understand an effort is being made to recreate them. I hope it's successful. RIP, Dad.
Yes unfortunately a lot of our dads and other relatives military records were destroyed by fire in St. Louis in the early 1970's.
Big respect and RIP for your dad from Russia! I believe and hope, you will be able to restore these records. We must remember and honor the exploits of our fathers and grandfathers.
My grandfather was a fighter pilot on an aircraft carrier and spent time as a POW after being shot down, where he lost most of his hearing when the Japanese burnt out his eardrums with lit matches.
To my knowledge he was shot down on or near New Guinea but he's long gone and we could never get more than fragmentary service records to learn more.
Men like your dad are the true heroes of any war. They answer the call and they serve without hesitation. That's what makes the difference.
@@dataseeker7460 the thing is, my dad was a WW2 veteran- he saw lots of combat (North Atlantic) and he would have scoffed at anyone calling him or his shipmates heroes. A WW2 veteran could be a guy who kept the lights going in Dutch Harbor, tapping away at a typewriter in Washington DC or pulling guard duty on Iceland. Calling them all heroes is a bit of a stretch.
It's important to keep in mind that the combined US military forces, in the autumn of 1942, are not yet the overpowering juggernaut they will latterly become. Operation Watchtower really is a shoestring operation, and one with no experience to draw on. It's the first offensive, the first big strike back at the rising sun. The learning curve, as we shall see in the coming weeks, is dreadfully steep. And yet, perhaps this improvisational mien, more than any other, is where the Americans come into their own.
We'll also see that the learning curve gets a lot steeper when you add beliefs in one's racial superiority to the mix. Being unable to conceive of an enemy having advantages to one just because of who they are makes it very difficult to adapt to those advantages.
@@j.f.fisher5318 very true, also for the Germans
Well said.
@@j.f.fisher5318 The Japanese Empire had much more racial hatred than the USA.
I’ve studied and watched and learned about all aspects of WW2 over the last 40 odd years and I’ve found you really don’t get much braver than the US marines in the Pacific were ( from UK )
What I’ve realized while watching this series and The Great War is how nothing in history was ever inevitable. When we learn history in school it seems to give the impression that events were set in stone and were always going to happen the way they did. Of course logically we know that isn’t the case but seeing events unfold week by week, you realize just how different everything could have played out. It really can boggle the mind in lots of ways when you look at history in such close detail, like we get with these videos.
It's waht I like about the week by week format instead of the looking back in hindsight format
One thing is inevitable on the eastern front. Winter is coming.
It's like the difference between weather and climate. You can't predict the weather with accuracy more than a few days out. But you can be confident that winter will be colder on average than summer. Where I live there is usually no single day in January that is hotter than any single day in July. Weather gives you the noise (short term fluctuations), and climate gives you the signal (long term trends).
In WWII, the noise was the ebb and flow of individual battles. The signal was that Hitler decided to declare war on three of the world's largest economies. He would have needed unbelievable luck to overcome his economic disadvantage in what was a war of industrial production. Hitler's only chance was to knock at least one of the UK or USSR out of the war before the USA's military production ramped up. By this time in 1942 it is probably too late. The USA is ramping up and Germany is no longer dominating the battlefield like it did in 1941. Rommel is already stopped in North Africa and losing the logistics race; Paulus is about to get stopped in Stalingrad. The German advances over the next few weeks are just empty calories at this point, a mirage to let Hitler pretend he's still in it.
And if the Axis economic disadvantage wasn't enough, the USA will have the atomic bomb in three years. There's nothing the Axis can do to stop that, or even to become aware of it. If Hitler had been luckier on the battlefield, the best he might have done would have been to delay German defeat long enough to make Berlin the first atomic bomb target.
There are certainly some things that are inevitable. Like, the US and Japan were going to go to war pretty much no matter what, just from an ideological and resource perspective. And, in that war, it is guaranteed that the US will eventually win a war of attrition, and it's guaranteed that the US wouldn't just give up after being punched once, so the US will always beat Japan.
What really is in the balance is who dies, how many die, and how long it takes. The end result of an allied victory is assured, even in 1942 because the Germans and the Japanese don't have the industrial might to win.
But, considering how many people fought in the war, and how many people who survived went on to do important things or birth children who would do important things, and so on and so forth, there is a lot of potential points of flux that would make the modern-day look much different. So I sort of agree.
@@Isometrix116 Unless the faction that favored war with the Soviet Union would have won in Japan
It would be super interesting to learn more on how the Soviets were able to organize, strip down, load and move all their industry in less than a week...right in front of the Gemans and with the Germans with full air superiority.
Also, I have read some on the Brandenburgs (German Special Forces) sent ahead to seize critical factories and infrastructure ahead of the main German advances. Many times in small airborne operations.
According to Nofi and Dunnigan (Dirty Little Secrets of World War 2), the secret is that almost all the new industrial facilities were built in the east during the 30s. Factory evacuations were limited to a fairly small number of well-publicized evacuations that were heavily played up in Soviet propoganda.
@@kemarisite even then, I have been really curious about how you take apart a factory that. Is mounted on concrete, has fluids running underground, poisonous chemicals, etc.
Maybe they were moving factories that made mechanical systems like tanks, trucks, etc.
@@rajeshkanungo6627 You don't move the building. You can make the building everywhere. What you evacuate are the MACHINES and personnel. Yes, they did not evacuate ALL the industry. They did evacuate a significant enough amount that it took time for them to be properly re-setup in the Urals.
And they did it due to having pre war plans for that contingency. They have been working hard at setting up industry in Siberia since they thought that European parts of USSR might become vulnerable, but they also made plans what to do if key plants in the west also become threathened.
And you move the men and materiel with trains. As long as trains are running you can do this, and since Luftwafe was never really been able to seriously crimp Soviet logistics (mostly beceause they focused on tactical support and USSR being LARGE (at this moment MAJOR Luftwafe Air Army assets were up north supporting the grindfest near Klatch.)) you can move a LOT by rail. Plus you have all the rolling stock that is bringing ammunition and would be going empty back to use.
I think Indy made a special episode about it
the german air superiority wasn't full, it was local after poland and the initial border regions of the soviets were taken. The border regions were full of old biplanes (like the Chaika) and similarly outdated equipment. Once the real soviet airforce showed up, the Germans were no longer able to "just have air superiority" wherever they liked- they lost too many planes for that.
Another reason the soviets were able to do this was transport- all those trains and planes that supplied the front also had to get back to where the supplies were. Instead of an empty return voyage they took on factory contents for a bit more fuel use.
And thirdly, the soviets were very good at "Maskirovka" (a little masquerade), which in ww2 was mostly camouflage and deception. They were quite good at making it look like important things were not and useless things were important. Such as at Kursk, where most of the axis preliminary bombing struck only fake airfields at high losses and ~9/10ths of the line around kursk were abandoned by the soviets to reinforce Kursk without the germans noticing, due to heavy use of fake radio traffic and the remaining forces being really active to give the idea of a full division's presence. This meant that a large portion of the german attacks were against hardier targets or useless targets, and thus the advance was slower.
This week on August 6 1942, Detroit restaurant owner Max Stephan became the first American to be sentenced to execution for treason since the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 for aiding an escaped German prisoner of war, Luftwaffe pilot Hans Peter Krug. His setence is later commuted to life imprisonment.
He wouldn't be the only US citizen sentenced to death for helping POWs escape. Dale Maple, a serving soldier, was also sentenced to death but it was also commuted. It underlines Eddie Slovik's lack of luck in being sentenced to death and executed for desertion, as Stephan and Maple's offences were arguably worse.
Two Tank Armies fielding only fifteen tanks apiece is a bit of a optimistic designation at best.
More like two tank companies.
@@rcgunner7086
15 tanks would literally be 3... "troops" for the US?
I'll have to re-watch The Chieftain to get the right word.
But, basically, no tank ever should be alone - the smallest organizational group was 5 tanks...
After about nine months of the Eastern Front, 15 was roughly the number of tanks Rommel's former Ghost Division had left - it had started Barbarossa with over 200.
In a war of attrition you have to keep feeding new tanks into the meat grinder, or in this case the metal grinder.
The Soviets had infantry divisions with less than 600 men
Saburo Sakai was something of a special figure. Perhaps an idea to do a special on him!
On a patrol with his Zero over Java, just after shooting down an enemy aircraft, Sakai encountered a civilian Dutch Douglas DC-3 flying at low altitude over dense jungle. Sakai initially assumed it was transporting important people and signaled to its pilot to follow him; the pilot did not obey. Sakai descended and approached the DC-3. He then saw a blonde woman and a young child through a window, along with other passengers. The woman reminded him of Mrs. Martin, an American who occasionally had taught him as a child in middle school and had been kind to him. He ignored his orders and flew ahead of the pilot, signaling him to go ahead. The pilot and passengers saluted him. Sakai did not mention the encounter in the aerial combat report.
Years later children of that Blonde woman wanted to know who was the Japanese pilot that let them escape, it was because he never reported it that it took a while to discover that it was Saburo Sakai, a guy who also credited his kills to other pilots that died in action.
Wow.
Indie should make a special on him it would be very interesting to know his full story
I read Samurai, but don't remember that part
A man of honour.
What a legend.
The Guadalcanal map has such an old school feel to it.
Thanks, :) I had to make it from scratch, there weren't any hi res maps with Gavutu + Tanambogo detailed like that.
@@danielweiss7396 I hope the look stays for more of the Pacific campaign. It's cool!
I have to agree as well, nice job on the maps well done.
@@danielweiss7396 Does Eastory still help you guys out with the maps for the eastern front?
Drachinefel has an excellent series on the naval battles of Guadalcanal, there is also the mini series (HBO?) The Pacific about fighting on the island.
Also the book Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal by James D. Hornfischer. Indy could just read from the book for 50 episodes and that would be great.
Now would be a good time to watch the first half of the first episode of The Pacific, where they cover the landings of Robert Leckie and the 1st Marines on Guadalcanal on August 7 1942.
mr phua, already 4 comments? ^^
@@Kay2kGer Yeah, there are a lot of events going on this week and likely this will be the trend for this month as well moving forward… 😇
Yes Peaches
"...how f**ked are you?, how f**ked are you? You're truly f**ked now."
Haha yes.
Also watch War and Remembrance which tells a human story of the entire war
Plus there is the movie Sahara about the war in North Africa. Also the English Patient shows the retreat by British and allied forces from Rommel's offensive and then the fight from el Alamein
US fleet at Guadalcanal: "Nice to see our invasions off to a good start"
Admiral Mikawa: *Bravo six going dark*
Yeah, this won't end well. Where is Arleigh Burke when you need him?
Savo Island must've been something insane to witness.
@@GoSlash27 Yeah they don't have radar but have you read the intelligence reports? They've got some very fine torpedoes. I just hope USN admirals have read those reports.
@@Perkelenaattori And equally important, many, many years of practice at perfecting night time torpedo attacks without using radar.
My late father (11-16-19 to 10-17-03) landed with the 1st Marine Division on 8/7/42. He left the island in early November suffering from dysentery, trench mouth, and malaria. I still have his uniform with the Guadalcanal (1st Marine Division) patch hanging in my den. Not a day goes by when I don't think of him...thanks Dad.
Same with my father. 1st Ampib Tractor 1st Marines 1940-1945. He was sent home after Cape Gloucester due his second brother’s death.
My grandma Sallye Hilton turned seven this week, on August 6th. She died on July 28, 2021. I miss her.
Condolences for your loss.
We'll remember her together!
Thank you Sallye Hilton for all you've done and given this often-harsh world, including Joshua :)
🙏🏻
I know this is not related to the content of the video, but I became a patron a few days ago, and it feels so good to finally get early access to this channel's contents, and I just wanted to express my excitement.
welcome to the army :)
@@Kay2kGer Thanks!
Welcome aboard.! Now grab an oar and let's go raiding!
Welcome to the TimeGhost Army!
@Piarpeggio Welcome to the army! Glad to have you with us!!
I'm so happy I caught up in time to see Guadalcanal when it released! As a US Marine vet, I am incredibly humbled by the fortitude of the Marines in the Pacific campaign. I think I'll go watch the first episode of The Pacific later to put this all into perspective.
Thank you to the entire crew who make these videos, and to all the patrons who give willingly for those of us who cant currently. Much love and respect.
-Sean the Green
I’m a military historian and I want you guys to know these videos that you guys have been doing are fantastic. I have been so impressed with the amount of research and the quality of your videos. I have been telling everyone I know who would care to watch your channel. Thank you so much for making this series it’s really incredible.
Thank you very much for your support!!
Dear Vera, it seems a lifetime since we met outside Saint Mary's. This great undertaking for God and country has landed us in a tropical paradise, somewhere in what Jack London refers to as "those terrible Solomons." It is a garden of Eden. The jungle holds both beauty and terror in its depths, most terrible of which is man. We have met the enemy and have learned nothing more about him. I have, however, learned some things about myself. There are things men can do to one another that are sobering to the soul. It is one thing to reconcile these things with God, but another to square it with yourself.
-Robert Leckie
Helmet for My Pillow is a phenomenal memoir
Thanks for that, Peaches.
Fun fact: American actor Don Adams, best know for playing Maxwell Smart in the comedy "Get Smart", served in the U.S Marines and saw action on Guadalcanal. His time in combat was short-lived as he contracted blackwater fever and was evacuated to New Zealand where he spent more than a year in hospital as blackwater fever has a 90% fatality rate. After he recovered he returned to the U.S as a drill instructor for the rest of the war.
Blackwater fever even caused some fatalities among US troops in the Vietnam War, despite medical improvements.
90% fatality rate? Missed by that much.
@@maddyg3208 Makes Covid sound like a nothing burger.
"Welcome to Guadalcanal." Ladies and Gentlemen fasten your seatbelts.
They are well on since Barbarossa and Fall Blau.
@@jebatevrana can't wait for the Battle of Manila.
I always find myself counting down the days and hours until each new episode. Keep up the great work.
I really appreciate the accurate subtitles. Not sure you've always had those. But they are appreciated. I had no idea there were crocodiles on Guadalcanal.
Stay tuned for the battle of "Alligator Creek".
Did the Japanese bring a few babies over as pets and flush them down the toilet once they didn't want them anymore? Sounds like the plot of a horror movie.
Good to see that the Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo is covered in detail here. Next, a certain Savo Island awaits…
And oh, with Monty finally in charge of the British Eighth Army, might this be the change needed for the British to start to turn the tide in North Africa?
I heard he likes market gardens
Nah. Im sure he’ll screw up like the previous commanders and Rommel will be celebrating christmas in Cairo this year.
He will fail and get the art of paratrooper dead
@@GaldirEonai banzai
@@GaldirEonai To be clear Savo Island is Australias fault. How you ask? Well their lack of presence. Normally not being there would make it not your fault. If you weren't in charge of the fleet when it got attacked and failed to name a FUCKING SECOND IN COMMAND. Its hard to win a night fight when you have no commanders. Also despite Japans night training and super torps they lost most night engagements due to better US tech and luck.
Also this week on August 3 1942, the British launch Operation Pedestal, an operation to send supplies to Malta. Among the naval convoy is the American oiler SS Ohio. Only time will tell if all of the convoy will make it safely to Malta, fingers crossed…
Arguably the Royal Navy and the Fleet Air Arm’s finest hour in the war. While the Malta story exists, there should definitely be a film about this particular convoy.
While the Ohio was American built, it was 100% British owned and crewed. The Brits bought it off the Yanks with plans to put it on Malta convoys because it was the sturdiest and fastest oiler they could find.
12:30 Indy, I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but when you are discussing the invasion of Tulagi, a graphic for the Marine's advance towards the airfield on Guadalcanal is being shown.
I have a feeling we will be revisiting Guadalcanal many times over the next few months.
maybe we should have a sunken warship counter.
Years...
Nah,I'm pretty sure it's just a hit and run raid. The Americans couldn't possibly be on a genuine offensive this soon,they don't even have enough tankers to support their battleships,which have been the basis of their pacific strategy for the entire duration of said strategy.
When the Marines landed on Guadalcanal they were equipped the 1903 bolt-action rifle. The top Marine general in Washington had a one-shot-one kill philosophy. So, he had the Marines using the more accurate 1903 rifle rather than the semi-auto Garand.
But, in the Guadalcanal jungle you can't see more than a few feet, so the slightly better accuracy of the 1903 meant nothing.
When the Army came in a few weeks later, the Marines went on a theft rampage of the Army's Garand rifles.
Theft? It's called tactical acquisition!
@@MajesticOak all the same though.
Who was the top marine general? Not sure I believe this story to be honest with you. Sounds like another one of those rumors of military legend that just circulates for no good reason
@@chriscarlone527 I never heard it either; I think it was just that they made do with what they had and the Marines were trained to be fantastic riflemen: _all_ of them, even, for example, the cooks.
I think a lot of this had to do with the fact that there just weren't enough Garands to go around. A lot of guys, even in the Army, would go into the field with just M1917 Enfields because there just weren't enough rifles to go around. It will be almost another year before production caught up with troop training.
And yeah, the Garand showed what it could do to the Japanese in the Philippines. The soldiers there with them made quite a impression on the Japanese.
4:44 I seriously doubt the details on this map. According to pretty much all major historians on this battle, the Kalach pocket was on the left side of the Don. By this point (7th of August) the 6th army still has NOT crossed the Don. In fact, Paulus won't start his offensive across the Don until much later on the 21st. It goes to show how much of a rough ride the 6th army had had just to reach the city, let alone even start the fight inside.
12:34 the grafic shows Guadalcanal, not Tulagi as mentioned in the speak
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History has such an amazing, in-depth explanation of the attack on Tulagi. Truly horrific. God rest the souls of every man who was wasted in this war
Thank you WWII veteran for your service, sacrifice, and maintaining our freedom
Budyonny’s mustache is just wonderful.
A Soviet general described Budyenny "A man with big mustache but small brain"
@@merdiolu What a fool. Everyone remembers the power of weaponized facial hair from the Great War.
after 12:25 you speak about the landing on Tulagi or Guadalcanal? It shows the map of the later, but sounds like the former.
My great grandfather received his first of two wounds in the war at Guadalcanal after having survived Pearl Harbor. Looking forward to the upcoming months.
Yikes, was his nickname in his unit 'Lucky' by chance? In any case I doubt the guys who had to fight there were looking forward to it as much as we are.
@@Raskolnikov70 of course, for us its looking forward to it from an educational standpoint
Your relation of the facts is more riveting than documentaries that present full videos of the conflicts they're portraying. Something about explaining the proper context really pulls me in.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video
August 7, 1942 - US Marines land on Guadalcanal.
August 7, 1997 - A little boy is born. That’s me.
Happy Guadalcanal Anniversary from a Birthday boy! Go Marines!
My great grandfather James Zybura (1924-2008) was a member of the Yakima National Guard unit in Washington State from I believe early 1941 to the end of the war. To my knowledge and research his unit merged into the 25th inf div. and fought at Guadalcanal and in the Philippine Campaign. Thank you guys for this.
man that thumbnail just looks amazing. Props to whoever designed it.
I love that "I knew all along about Guadalcanal" defense. Isn't knowing and not doing anything about it almost worse than not knowing and getting caught off guard? Sure, it makes you look smarter, but it also makes you look like you have no balls or initiative.
Thank you for such an entertaining and informative series. I only found your channel a few months ago through a friend, and have been catching up from the beginning of the war. Best of luck to you in all your endeavours.
If you’d like to see more if Indy, he also since completed a real time coverage of the entire World War I. He was working with a different set of people on that one (different company, etc.).
Welcome!
Saburo Sakai pulled off maybe the greatest feat of flying in the history of combat aircraft. His book is a must read.
I just read about Sakai's flight and honestly what a battle. I have to say that Sakai was a badass. Please everyone read it too as I don't think I can do justice to it by explaining it here in the comments.
Glad to see Sakai mentioned. I read his biography as a kid, and his war experienced were very fascinating to learn about.
Gotts death is a real what if moment. His plane from near Alamein to cairo was intercepted by half a squadron. Likely some prior knowledge. Monty got his chance but he was a bit weird although most successful generals seem to share that trait.
As morbid as it is Gott being shot down was excellent for the allied war effort. He wasn't a great Corp commander to start with let alone an army commander. But Montys here to sort the 8th army out
@@BleedingUranium It is an accident only if you remove multiple ME 109's. The German Pilots on returning got congratulated by there Commander, you have killed the Head of the Eight Army. The Italians had broken the US code and could read Major Fellers assigned military attaché to the US embassy in Egypt, reports.
@@BleedingUranium Agree, its even worse than shot down, they then deliberately staffed the aircraft after it crash landed killing Gott. It was an assassination not a shoot down.
@@benwilson6145 Perhaps commonplace behaviour on other fronts but ruthless by North Africa standards.
Monty has joined the game.
Alright the Allies are finally on the offensive in the Pacific!
As an American, the USN is going to become OFFENSIVEly stupid too... though it turns out MacAurther has some role to play in those boondogles too (because of course if stupid is going to happen Dougie MacA is going to get a piece of it.)
But with no experience yet so things will go bad before they get good for the Allies in the Pacific. Japan has been fighting for many years the US has not so they have to learn really quickly over the next few months.
And Monty has arrived to finally sort the 8th army out in north Africa
@Bobb Grimley It's a bit off in the future, but in the 1950's the saying "No more Task Force Smiths" was popular amongst American war planners. The US completely demobilized after WWII, then had to hurredly slap together a force to defend Korea that got its butt handed to it. They finally realized that modern war couldn't be fought by conscripted armies and for better or worse they needed a large professional standing army.
@Bobb Grimley that does not minimize their fighting skill or bravery as we will see in the next few week
One of the most pivotal weeks of the war…
RE: Saburo Sakai. We hear a lot about German aces and American aces but of few Japanese and Russian aces. No doubt due to the casualty rates. That he survived the war and wrote a book, dying at a ripe old age, reminds us that there were many individuals that were fighting from the first day until the last. Saburo Sakai fighting on both bookend days.
@Mark Hodge: Other than losing an eye and seeing his country burned to the ground in a lost war, Sakai was very fortunate.
Saburo Sakai definitely needs his own video. Even as American, I recognize he was a very noble foe worthy of great respect for what he accomplished. He almost single handled changed the course of history when fired at the plane Lydon B Johnson was in. He could have prevented the Vietnam War.
Time for the famous War Camels of WW2 to make a name for themselves.
ironically, camels originated in the Americas, in South America if my memory serves me, and migrated east across the land bridges that developed across the Bering Straight at various points. Now they are all over Asia and North Africa.
Actually a camel from Soviet Camel corps, "Kuznechik", became famous by following Red Army from Stalingrad to Berlin.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuznechik_(camel)
Clyde from Ahab The Arab fame- Ray Stevens
Omg, i've been listening to Hardcore history : supernova in the east the last few weeks and all those islands names you mention ! Amazing.
Guadalcanel: Let's get this party started! Note: By "party" I mean six months of unrelenting hell for both sides.
I'll bring the dip.
@@Raskolnikov70 hell yeah brother
Great Stug life photo. Depicting the short barrel version and the upgunned model. This series is always a welcome sight in my feed. It really drives home how desperate and in the balance things were at the time.
Young private on seeing a camel:"What the hell is that?"
Veteran sergeant:"Don't know what anyone else calls it but I am calling it dinner!"
I would love an hour long special on Guadalcanal. Fascinating.
I've read a couple war biographies concerning the pacific theatre so it's interesting to see what those authors were apart of outside there personal stories, in a "Helmet for My Pillow" I remember one account of the troops finding a stash of Japanese beer and because of the light resistance spent a good time on the beach getting drunk (not that marines need an excuse)
Given your mention of Saburo Sakai, who was injured when encountering the new "Thach Weave" tactic employed by the Americans, maybe a nice idea for a WW2 special would be to discuss the varying combat flight and dogfight tactics employed by each air force and how these evolved throughout the war?
Churchill sure does travel a lot during the war, I always wonder how do they make sure he makes it since whole lot of other officers get famously shot down or die in a plane accidents and the seas aren't exactly safe either.
Some of the stories about how these leaders died or avoided death are unbelievable. Read the saga of the USN destroyer William D. Porter that almost killed FDR. An excerpt from the Task & Purpose article:
"On Nov. 14th, 1943, the four ships were east of Bermuda when the president wanted to test the defenses of the Iowa in the event that they came under an air attack. The crew of the Iowa launched weather balloons to simulate anti-aircraft targets, and fired over 100 guns. In command of the William D. Porter, Walter, wanting to join in on the fun and redeem himself for the Willie Dee’s earlier episodes, sent his men to their battle stations.
Willie Dee’s crew started shooting at the Iowa’s missed balloons that had drifted toward their ship. Down below on the torpedo mounts, the crew was preparing to take practice shots at the Iowa - which was 6,000 yards away. During live torpedo drills, primers, or small explosive charges, are removed for practice, but one of the torpedomen forgot to remove the primer from one of the torpedo tubes. Just as the torpedo officer ordered the fake firing command, a successfully armed and launched torpedo whizzed across the sea, straight toward the Iowa - endangering some of the world’s most influential figures, including Roosevelt.....
The William D. Porter finally decided that it was necessary to break the mandatory silence, and notified the Iowa in the nick of time. When Roosevelt heard that a torpedo was zooming toward him, he asked to be moved with his wheelchair over to the railing so that he could see it. Fearing an assassination plot, the Iowa turned its guns toward the William D. Porter - however, the crisis ended when the torpedo finally detonated as it struck heavy waves created by the Iowa’s increased speed. Walter reportedly answered with a meek “We did it” when pressed. The entire crew was placed under arrest and sent to Bermuda to face trial - the first instance in U.S. Naval history that the entire crew of a ship had been arrested."
This actually happened. In the real world.
taskandpurposeDOTcom/history/wwii-naval-ship-unlucky-almost-killed-fdr/
I think the imperial general staff have read the WWI records of Major Churchill and Major Attlee. So they have no real worries about Major Churchill travelling as much as he wants to.
I do hope we will hear a little about the New Zealand Airforce on Guadal Canal. I think it was part of the lend lease arrangement. Quite a small contingent and my father was in the first group of NZers sent to Henderson Field. I think he spent about nine months there but was eventually sent home with malaria. I remember him getting recurring bouts of it when I was a child.
Compared to the USAF, the RNZAF was quite unsophisticated, still with a lot of aircraft with wooden frames and linen covering. My father said the Americans never repaired anything, just replaced it, leaving their junk heaps as a goldmine of spare parts for the New Zealanders.
Like the RAAF and RCAF, the RNZAF had been at war since 1939. On the outbreak of war in Sept 1939 they had 30 new Wellington bombers and their crews working up in the UK. Ready to come back to NZ. These aircraft with their crews and support personnel were immediately made available to the British Government. And became no 75 RNZAF bomber Squadron within the RAF. Other Australian Canadian and New Zealand fighter, fighter bomber and bomber squadrons also served within the RAF structure throughout the war. In the Battle of Britain for instance. While obviously, by far the largest numbers of fighter pilots were British. The 2nd largest contingent were Polish. And NZrs were the 3rd. The RAAF was very active in the Pacific and Asian theatres of war. And 16 RNZAF, fighter, fighter bomber, torpedo, dive bomber and bomber squadrons also served in the South West Pacific campaigns. Along with PBY Catalinas and Dakota (DC3s in civil parlance) transports. And other units served in Asia. A small Airforce by comparison to larger Allies - of course. But overall not quite as unsophisticated as you might think. And in regard to 'wooden and fabric' aircraft. Many Airforces still had them on strength at the beginning of WW 2. Including the USAAF and Navy. Mostly in training, support and 2nd tier reseve roles. While they were modernising. Nevertheless, one of the most famous and effective fighter bombers of WW2 was the 'wooden' Mosquito. As to lend lease, that applied both ways. It was a mutual support and supply agreement between the Allies for the duration of the war. Cheers.
Here, it is shown as the 6th army's encirclement of soviet forces on the Don in early august happened with panzer spearheads of the 16th and 24th panzers crossing the Don, and meeting east of Kalach. This however is inaccurate, since that encirclement, the Soviet disaster at the Don, happened in the Great Don Bend, on the other side of the river. The 6th army first crossed the Don on august 21st.
The tides of war continue to turn.
Great hint on Sakai. Amazing that he saw the millennium out and sadly passed at the age of 84 - and further that he became a buddhist and sent his daughter to the US to learn English and democracy. Smart guy. [Gotta lurv Wikipedia]
One of the BEST installments yet! Keep up the great work!
An interesting WW2 movie to watch around this week is "Guadalcanal/Leckie" (2010), the first episode of the miniseries The Pacific.
The first episode of this miniseries depicts the first weeks of the Guadalcanal campaign, from the initial landings to the Battle of the Tenaru.
Period covered: August 1942
Historical accuracy: 5/5
IMDB grade: 8.0/10 (8.5/10)
Other: Winner of the Outstanding Miniseries Emmy Award
Very essential to put on some comfy moccasins and light up a nice stogie before watching this episode.
Thanks, keep up the good work! Arttu from Finland.
I heard "increased Allied radio activity" and for a minute confusedly wondered why there was nuclear monitoring going on as early as 1942...
I've started reading Aleksandr Fadeyev's "The Young Guard", a novel whose action starts in July 1942 as the Germans are driving forward.
Each episode is a damning record of mans inhumanity to man. 17 minutes that encapsulates the lifetime of hurt and loss inflicted on the survivors and so much beauty that will never be.
I've been around for a while and something never quite clicked the way it did when I watched this video. I've studied a fair bit of history but something I've always struggled with was building a mental picture of the time difference between Date A and Date B. So-and-So is at a meeting and says "we won't be ready until September." and unless I put the book down or pause the video, double check the date of that meeting and do the math, that span of time has always been elusive for me. If the So-and-So says, "we won't be ready for 7 weeks," that registers.
But when Indy said, "won't be ready until September," I saw the power of this format. That was a really neat Aha! moment for me. Thanks!
You're welcome!
Yamamotos 6 months running wild statment proved one month to short. From this day on the Japanese were playing defense.
Addition and subtraction are difficult things. Even some first graders struggle with them.
I DID NOT KNOW INDY WAS BACK UNTIL YESTERDAY AND IM SO HAPPY 😃 was a huge fan of the Great War Channel been missing out XD
Its weird to think that in a few weeks on September 1st, that its only half way through the war. And that the much deadlier half of the war is still to come... (At least if you consider WW2 starting in 1939, and not 1937 when Japan invaded China)
And so starts the Saga for the Solomons. Looking forward for the appearance of a Certain Admiral Lee
Budyonny with an excellent moustache. Let's go Monty time to step up
Marshal Budyonny had by far the best Moustache of the Second World War. From a Russian Documentary on the Marshal, his brother immigrated to the United States. That documentary didn't go any further with that little tidbit of information. It would be interesting to find out what happened to him.
@@GeorgeSemel I recommend you look up to Oka Gorodovikov's, dear Comrade
This is the real reason the USSR won. They remembered what weaponized facial hair was capable of during the Great War. History might have been different if Eberhard von Mackensen (yes, the son of THAT guy) had grown a few whiskers for this fight.
I'll be very interested in how the upcoming naval battles will be covered in this series. The Guadalcanal campaign was perhaps the only allied campaign in WW2 where the number of sailors killed outnumbered soldiers. The naval battles of the Solomon's Campaign were brutal affairs where the allies frequently performed poorly due to factors including failures of command/leadership, failures of tactics (including failure to understand what the Japanese did well), and failures to take advantage of radar technology due to lack of understanding and training. In spite of all the mistakes, the allies won the campaign but that victory came at a serious cost. It was, on a number of occasions, a near run thing.
Really loving the coverage lately but I just hope we get a mention about the Soviet Offensive against Rzhev. Its often not talked about but is one of the bloodiest and important battles of the Eastern Front that can draw comparisons to the battles on the Western Front of WW1. It is really interesting to read about the contrast of the open steppe and eventually urban combat in the south compared to the trench warfare and battle of attrition in Rzhev. This is also where Zhukov is during the summer.
Thought they'd mentioned the salient a few times this year in passing. But yeah, when you look at the casualty figures from AG Center it's kind of a head-scratcher because nobody's moving yet they're still having to pump replacements into that area. The Wehrmacht was insane for not giving up on Moscow at this point.
wasn't it already mentioned last week? it was definitely mentioned on the day by day Instagram posts too.
Zhukhov's 2nd summer offensive against Model's 9th Army started on August 1st, by the Kalinin (29th & 30th Armies)and Western (20th & 31st Armies) Fronts. Zhukov then commited 6th & 8th Tank Corps and 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps to the breakthrough. In heavy fighting the Germans were pushed back to the Vazuza river, but the offensive ran out of steam around 23rd August. Model told Kluge on 16th August that 9th Army was about finished. (Glanz)
What's ironic about Gott's death was that he initially survived the plane crash, but he went back into the wreckage to rescue other men trapped inside. While inside, the whole heap exploded, killing him and many others.
'I said NO camels!' ...'But Indy.'
What an outstanding series! I await each week for the next episode.
15 tanks doesn't sound like much of a tank army.
Waiting a entire week is so painful
I'm so hyped for the dieppe raid!
Looking forward to the Battle for Guadalcanal. My grandfather fought there with the 1st Marine ID.
And now the gruelling 6 month campaign begins. Thousands of lives will be lost in the jungles of Guadalcanal and the Ironbottom Sound.
Good old Cactus.
Finally up to date on these, only discovered them recently
6:33
Increased Allied radioactivity, they knew about the nuke?
Radio activity, like activity of people talking on radios
@@coltonpiano7969 I know, I was making a pun...
12:28 When he is talking about Tulagi they show the 1st and 3rd on Guadalcanal...just pointing that out. Or did he mean to say the raiders came in at 8 am at Guadalcanal?
The year of 1942. Where Allied and Axis soldiers deal with the elements. The heat of Russia, the sands of El Alamein, and the tropical humidity of Guadalcanal. These battles are the turning points of the war. Only one will win.
Isn't the animation at 12:35 showing Guadalcanal not Tulagi?
But what happened in Luxemburg and Liechtenstein this week during the war? Why are we ignoring those two huge warfronts?
Luxembourg, Week 152: Local man finally realizes that his country is occupied when he drives in to town to buy his morning coffee and has to wait for a German supply column to pass.
Liechtenstein, Week 152: Heinrich's cow got into his neighbour's field and ate half his clover
I know Liechtenstein, but don't go making up places to confuse people. The war is already confusing enough
Hundreds of Luxembourgers joined the French Resistance during WW2 and many were killed. It underlined the fact that Resistance activity was difficult in Luxembourg itself.
It has been awhile since I have watched this series, I missed it and did enjoy this episode. Thank you.
Guadalcanal is one short stanza:
And when he gets to heaven,
St. Peter he will tell;
"Another Marine reporting, sir,
I've served my time in hell."
And for every Marine who dies on Guadalcanal, three sailors will die in the waters around it.
In the Vietnam War, Marine Lt. Philip Caputo noted Vietnamese traders selling T-shirts with the inscription "Da Nang - I've served my time in hell".
This is all so detailed. Great documentary