The Battle of Tsushima
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
- The History Guy remembers the battle of Tsushima, a little known conflict between Japan and Russia that presaged the World Wars in May 1905. It is history that deserves to be remembered.
The episode discusses events and shows some artwork depicting a period of war, which some viewers may find disturbing. All events are described for educational purposes and are presented in historical context.
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Battle of Tsushima was HUGE! I thought everybody knew about it. But then I'm the kind of geek who enjoys The History Guy.
I thought everyone knew too! And I also am that nerd 😄
Fun fact. The hotel that the peace treaty was signed at in Portsmouth , NH is still there and still a public hotel. It's beautiful and not too expensive
The flagship of Admiral Togo in the Battle of Tsushima, "Mikasa", is still preserved in Yokosuka, Japan. She is one of few ships from the pre-1945 Japanese Navy still in existence. She was, in fact, restored with the help of US Navy sailors in 1961.
Thank you for that information. I have seen that ship back in the 1970's but at the time i did not know what it's history was, fascinating.
Also the only Non-USN Pre-Dreadnought still in existance, being built in Barrow-In-Furness on order for the IJN.
Thank You, Ms. Miyamoto! You have given me a greater reason than I had to visit across the Sea of Japan (East Sea to Koreans). That historical fact puts an interestingly different light on the character of relations between US forces in Japan and the population under occupation. I am deeply ignorant about that, but this certainly makes me curious to know more.
@@jonathanjordahl5345 The history goes a little further. Like HMS Victory -- the flagship of Admiral Nelson at Trafalgar preserved at Portsmouth -- Mikasa is actually buried in dirt. Apparently, she had to be immobilized that way to not be counted in Japan's warship tonnage under the Washington Naval Treaty. Her status as a monument also helped protect her from scrapping during the Allied occuptation.
Jim Taylor She’s the only pre-dreadnought left, the next closest thing is USS Olympia, but shes an armored cruiser, not a battleship.
Admiral Togo"s flagship, the pre-Dreadnought battleship Mikasa (built in England and completed in 1902) is now a museum in a dry berth outside the naval base at Yokosuka, near Tokyo. One of the Russian survivors was the cruiser Aurora (parts of which were also made in Britain), which was famous for its part in attacking the Winter Palace in 1917 after a mutiny by Communists in the crew. It is now a museum ship on the Neva River in St. Petersburg, and still a commissioned ship of the Russian Navy with an active duty crew.
A great overview, and a reminder that the 'little things' do have impact in and outside their realm. The impact of Tsushima on naval tactics and firepower cannot be overstated. Another curious element there was a young cadet in the Japanese navy named Yamamoto lost two fingers in the battle. If he had lost a third finger, he would not be able to continue his naval career per Japanese Naval Regulations. He did continue his naval career eventually achieving Admiralship and subsequently leading the attack on Pearl Harbor.
+The History Guy--Your presentations of comparatively little-known historical events are always well done, accurate, interesting and a welcome change from endless stories about the Ardennes or Midway or the Somme. Keep it up, you're very popular among history buffs.
A vast subject, that was more recently covered by Drachinifel, but this was the first youtube video that covered it in detail, which also; deserves to be remembered ;-) .
Slight correction: Though often stated in tv documentarys and even some books over the years, we Brit's didn't forbid the 2nd Pacific Squadron from using the Suez Canal (despite the Dogger Bank incident and near war situation that followed), nor did the French whom had part ownership thereof.
The Russians sent some of their ships through it, but Admiral Rozhestvensky opted to send the bulk of his ships - including himself - via the long route, because:
• The entire fleet would've created a traffic jam in the canal, only irritating the British and other countries more.
• The Red Sea was one place the IJN genuinely did possess the means to lay an ambush for them (but didn't).
Some interesting details of note are that when the seven ships surrendered; they had already fought hard, were hopelessly outgunned & outnumbered, as well as some of the oldest ships in the squadron.
Several of the Battleships thst were sunk also in several cases didn't cease firing back, until they capsized. Whether this was due to refusal of the gunners to surrender, or because they never got the order to abandon ship & fought to the end, will never be known.
Admiral Togo was also dubbed "The Nelson of the East" in the UK press, and highly commended for his fleet's efforts.
Most Japanese accounts concluded that the battle was hard fought, and that in many cases the Russians fought well, a firm compliment from the IJN, whom respected opponents that didn't yield easily.
FYI: the RUclips channel, Drachinifel Naval Historiographer, created a wonderful hour+ long video on the Baltic Fleet's Far East debacle. The Russians first saw action in the North Sea, where a rumor spread that Japanese torpedo boats we're waiting for them, so several Russian ships attacked Britain's Dogger Bank fishing fleet, sinking one vessel and damaging another. This created a major international incident.part of the fleet traveled east through Suez but most circumnavigate Africa, with a fairly long layover in Madagascar. The two feet met up somewhere in the Indian Ocean. The entire transit was one huge 'Cluster F***.' The Russian admiral in charge of the fleet ended up sending some ships and officers back home in frustration. I strongly recommend the Drachinifel video for anyone desiring a comprehensive review of the trip, the Russian and Japanese fleets, and the two major sea battles of this small but important war.
As always, just BRILLIANT & real HISTORY!
The events of the world are always "creeping" toward something, it only seems things happen quickly, we just notice the explosion not the fuse burning, or so it seems in retrospect. But this was surely another step up the ladder to the worst war filled Century ever. Well done, great lesson, very interesting, BB
This is the first HG episode that was so important I have watched it twice - and back-to-back, at that! Your explanation of the significance of this battle and its consequences was very clarifying and itself deserves to be remembered. My maternal grandfather served in the US Navy in WWI and both of my parents served in the Navy in WWII. Dad also served during Korea, as did numerous uncles on both sides - you did not mention that consequence, but I don’t see it as a particular fault. The grand pattern of historical consequences was clear. I am just more conscious of it because I was born on a Naval Air Station during the Korean Conflict and have lived and taught in Korea for fifteen years. So, as I said, the clarity you brought was very important and helpful to me. It gave me a better, deeper historical perspective.
I still remember doing a class report in High School on this war. it was an eye-opening experience/research, as it was a sort of flood-gate moment as after the report I kept reading and I started making the connections to the bigger picture of the World Wars, exactly as you have summarized. It invariably helped made me realize as a youngster, the harsh reality of cause-and-effect with global politics and warfare. No wonder people like MacArthur were SO interested as military observers with the Japanese coastal assaults on Korea and Manchuria, No wonder the Russians/Soviets were SO determined to fight and win back their Asiatic-Pacific "territories" they'd lost to the Japanese, etc etc. No Wonder for So many of these events as they unfolded since Tsushima.
What a great insight on the cause of the world wars. I wasn't aware that the battle of Tsushima had such a large affect on Jackie Fishers design of the HMS Dreadnought. I just didn't connect the dots. Thank you!
siegel197866 I learned a lot about the period by reading Robert K. Massie’s book Dreadnought. He credited Jackie Fisher for bringing the British fleet around to propper fighting form just in time for the Great War. In the long period of the Pax Britannica, a lot of bad habits had formed from so called “brite work” that stressed clean and fresh paint over propper gun training to the point that some ship captains who knew they would be harshly judged on their ships appearance would dump ammo over the side so they wouldn’t have to clean up afterward. Jackie changed all of that!
The all big gun Dreadnought was heavily influenced from British observers with the Japanese fleet at Tsushima reporting that it appeared that only the largest guns seamed to matter over the intermediate calibers as it simplified the spotters work in correcting fire from seeing the splashes.
His most controversial creation was the battle cruiser. He created it to hunt down and counter the armored cruiser class of ship at the time, but because it was as large as a battleship and had as big of guns as a battleship, it was inevitable that it would be asked to fight battleships which was a death sentence because it wasn’t armored enough to fight ships if the line.
I've been watching Connections with James Burke this past week. The ending of this episode is surprisingly similar. I suppose most truly historical events lead to others. Nice work THG, thanx.
A lot of very good insight about the after-effects of the battle's outcome.
One of my favorite aspects of history is the long-reaching implications of historical events, so I appreciate that you enumerate a number of those implications.
Interesting analysis on the world history HG. Never realized how critical that battle was. It is mostly overlooked in American high school history. Great analysis on the ships and their design sirrliv.
The Japanese flagship Mikasa is preserved at a naval base just south of Tokyo. The entire Russo-Japanese war is worthy of study and you are correct to attribute later developments as being predicates of this war. The 1905 Russian Revolution, the European naval arms race, and the Japanese dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Portsmouth.
Interesting story well worth telling; it highlights the fact that us naval military historians like myself, I'm considering myself one as I taught midshipmen up to commanders, that I need to understand everyone doesn't know about naval battles like us "old salts".
Thank you for your take on this revolutionary battle.
A word on the Russo-Japanese naval war: Although in reality it was indeed a war between Japan and Russia, from a naval design standpoint it can also be seen as an indirect was between Britain and France.
All of Japan's main battleships, and indeed most of its newly modernized navy, had been built in Britain as Japan did not yet have the industrial capacity, natural resources, or technical expertise to build a large modern navy itself. As such, the design of Japanese warships very much followed the same trends that were common in the British Royal Navy at the time; the Japanese flagship Mikasa was in essence a slight modification of a British Formidable-class battleship. Among these design trends were straight lines and a minimum of joints between the ship's hull and its superstructure.
On the flip side, Russia's latest battleships, the Borodino-class, had been designed and built in France and therefore followed French naval design trends. Among these was the inclusion of tumblehome; having the hull be considerably wider than the superstructure, with the two meeting in a broad curve. Although this design certainly looked impressive, it hid a major flaw that would prove disastrous for the Russian fleet at Tsushima. Tumblehome ships are inherently susceptible to a rapid loss of stability as a result of battle damage; shell holes in the upper works of the ship allow water to pour in more easily than on a British-style straight-lined ship. As a result, the Russian battleships rapidly lost stability as they took damage from the Japanese, resulting in the loss of two of the four Russian battleships, a third being blown apart by a magazine explosion.
sirrliv Thanks for your contribution here. I did know about the ships being built in France and Britain though I had forgotten about the flaws in the French warships. Not only were the Japanese ships built here in Britain but the British Royal Navy also trained the Japanese Navy here in Britain. The highlight of the visit by the Japanese was a visit to Fred Jane and taking part in his navel wargames using models and a set of rule he devised. Fred Jane was the founding editor of Jane's authoritative military reference books which are still being produced today.
I live in Kingston upon Hull in Yorkshire and we have a connection with this war. When the Russian Baltic Fleet was passing through the North Sea they came across some of Hull trawlers. The Russians panicked and thinking they had come under attack by Japanese torpedo boats opened fire upon the trawlers, killing and wounding several trawlermen. Apparently, because Russia knew that Britain was supplying the Japanese Navy with its ships they thought that the Japanese had sent torpedo boats out from British ports in order to attack the Baltic Fleet.
There was a huge outcry about the attack and calls for the Royal Navy to attack the Russian fleet, but it was allowed to go on its way. They probably had a good idea of the Baltic Fleets fate anyway and decided to let the Japanese deal with them.
This incident makes you think about the state of mind of the Russians. They know their Pacific Fleet has been destroyed, that they now face an epic voyage to the other side of the world and they are sailing ships which they know are inferior to those of the Japanese Navy.
Because of the closeness of the British and Japanese navy's the British had unparalleled access to the Japanese Navy and all of the information about how the Japanese Navy and its ships had performed. This would have helped the Royal Navy when it decided to build the Dreadnought.
There is a local museum in Hull which includes photographs of the trawlers on return to Hull and also parts of the trawlers which had received damage.
sirrliv Thanks for the throughness. A good read.
You as well Big Blue. Thanx!
I forgot to mention about the statue to commemorate those who died or were injured. It is in an area of Hull called Hessle Road nearby to where the dock, known as Fish Dock, was located. And where many of those who went to sea or worked on in the dock lived.
And it would not be the last time Hull trawlermen was involved on combat. During both world wars many served in the Royal Navy some on the very same trawlers they would have been on in peacetime. They often acted as convoy escort to convoys sailing around Britain, a job which was very dangerous. Especially during the Second World War as Hull is on the East Coast which is closest to German. Hull, in fact, was the second most bombed city in Britain, the first being London.
Thanks. I learned a bit more!
These are the videos why i love this chanel. It gives much more context to history by highlighting events i never knew about.
Thank you history guy!
I just happened by your channel on youtube and i love it. i try to watch a couple of them every day. Your knowledge of history is amazing!
Happened by? Wtf?
I took a history class on the US Navy in college years ago, and the professor emphasized the impact of the Battle of Tsushima on naval tactics and naval weapons for several decades, and the impact to geopolitics to this day.
For anyone interested in World War II history, and especially the Battle of Midway, I cannot recommend highly enough the book Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway. This is by far the best book I've seen on that battle, and it dispels many misconceptions and outright myths told for many, many years after the battle. The reason I mention this here is because the Battle of Tsushima profoundly affected Japanese military doctrine all the way into World War II, and some of that doctrine came back to haunt them at Midway, and affected their naval warfare fortunes throughout the war. The book actually tells the story of Midway from the Japanese perspective, and for a book so dedicated to military doctrine and theory, I found it quite entertaining. Anyway, my two cents worth.
Speaking of Midway, there was a young Japanese ensign who was wounded in the Battle of Tsushima, losing two fingers. Had he lost three he would have been invalided out of the IJN. His name at the time was Isoroku Takano, but would soon be adopted into the Yamamoto clan and change his surname becoming known to history as Isoroku Yamamoto.
Thank you History Guy !!
Thank you history guy. I really liked the events going forward that you described. It reminded me of a show called Connections by James Burke. It shows that any event in history is tied to something before it and will in turn affect events in the future. Keep it up love your channel.
I love this channel thank you so much for your content
This really explain the Japanese thinking with the attack on America
A sneak attack on a naval base followed by a decisive battle at sea worked against the Russians
But they didn't take into account that the US had resources the Russians did not
Sorry typing error-
The Japanese sided with the allied side of World War I and felt slighted when territories and remunerations were divided so became convinced that they needed to seek their own territory. Also setting the confrontation in the Pacific that lead to that part of WW2
History Guy- I also enjoy your channel. Watch a little almost every day.
Thanks
Laurence Elisha Italy also fought on the allied side in World War One.
very nice video, i'm definitelly going to watch more videos tomorrow
The Russians were so nervous, that they opened fire to British fishing-boats in the North-Sea, believing they were Japanese destroyers planning an ambush...!
(known as the 'Doggerbank-incident')
The Russian fleet baaarely even made it, most of the fleet was in desperate shape before the battle. Russia ceased to be a naval power after this. They never recovered until the cold war.
Makes me wonder how many officer commissions were bought by alleged Russian Naval Officers?
I am glad you brought up the Dogger Bank Incident and yes it should have been included. The Russians got a free escort from the Royal Navy from that point onwards. ruclips.net/video/9Mdi_Fh9_Ag/видео.html
When the admiral in command of the fleet was told that a further fleet was being sent to reinforce them, he knew they would be useless old tubs and refused to give his position.
He was also known for losing his temper and throwing his binoculars into the sea, his officers had ensured they took a whole box full of them.
The story of the fleet's voyage is absolutely hilarious, they had a gunnery practice where the only hit scored was on the vessel towing the target.
The gunnery training for the Russians was also almost nonexistent. In the Doggerbank incident and several incidents along the way where the Russians fired at each other mistaking their own ships for enemy ships, and then when they finally met the "real" Japanese navy, the Russians fired thousands of rounds and only very rarely managed to actually hit what they were aiming at. I suppose this was good when they were accidentally shooting at each other or accidentally shooting at the British but when it came time to fight they were all but useless.
Bravo! Another battle I never heard of. Very enlightening.
Yes. Just yes. If we went to the same bar, we would write a book together I bet. One of your best videos.
The last and only surviving British pre dreadnaught battleship built in Barrow in Furnace in England is the Mikasa that fought in the battle of Tsushima is preserved in Yokosuka Japan and there is a street in Barrow in Furnace called Mikasa street after the ship.
A little while back, I created a document of the war-time losses of battleships since 1900. At total of 61 battleships were lost in this reference frame. Only 13 were lost in surface action. Of those 13; 4 were French ships sunk in North African ports during WW2, 4 more were also WW2 (2 IJN, 2 KM), the remaining 5 were Russians at Tsushima. 31 BB's (just over half) were lost to mines and torpedoes, 12 to air attack and the remaining 7 to internal explosions (known/unknown cause). Not only does this show how COMPLETE the Japanese victory was, it also shows how truly hard it became to pound another BB to the point of sinking - even then, surface launched torpedoes were used in almost half of the 13 surface actions!
what about hms hood
HOOD was a battlecruiser, not a battleship. Outside the scope of my document because as warships designed with full size guns, but undersized armor, battle cruisers were much easier to sink than true battleships. Further, since there is debate about where to draw the line between the two, I used what the ship's country called it.
royal oak was sunk by u boat
So was HMS Barham
Could you share that it sounds interesting.
Most fascinating story Ive heard here. Amazing battle in its repercussions.
Les B
Did Japan know of Russian fleet moves?
My wife did some translations for an American whose ancestor wrote back home from the Philippines to his family in German. He was serving on an American motor torpedo boat "The Chauncey" which during this period of his service was constantly being refitted with more powerful motors. One the letters contained pictures of Russian ships the Askold that escaped the battle of Tsushima to the Philippines, the Askold was very severely damaged. There are pictures of a funnel shot off and shell holes through the side of the ship.
Incidentally during this time he became friendly with a German crew and was also given a tour of a German battleship
I enjoy this series of videos very much for its balanced information.
In the vein of this story, I would suggest another topic:
The Battle of San Jacinto .
While people are somewhat familiar with the Battle of the Alamo,
The Battle of San Jacinto was decisive, with interesting tactics , ( beyond attacking during siesta) with little loss of life, and changed the history of both Mexico and the USA, forever.
As I understand it, Santa Ana took no defensive precautions, and the "Texicans" crept up on them through chest-high tall-grass prairie. I think that's it for tactics. And, believe me, if you lived in Texas, you'd have heard about the battle plenty.
Thank you I stop in on a regular basis when I need a shot of history.
I love History too, and this is the channel for me
The law of unintended consequences- fascinating.👍
Awesome!
Great lesson sir
Another great piece of work. I'm a "History Guy" too. I like that you don't focus on one era. Have you done The Chaco War or Khalkin Gol (the ground wars between the Russians and Japanese)? With your voice I could easily listen to history books read by you. Thank you.
"Battle of Portsmouth"? Another significant part of the Battle of Tsushima was the Japanese "crossing the T" --a tactic that naval commanders sought to emulate ever after (see Surigao strait)Great episode! From comparatively small incidents, large effects
Thanks History Guy. I knew of the battle, but the ongoing implications of it I hadn't considered.
In Herman Wouk's The Winds of War (the book, not the mini-series) there's a scene where Warren Henry aboard the Enterprise gives a briefing to the other officers on the outbreak of war between Germany and Russia in June, 1944, and he mentions the battle of Tsushima, which took place only 39 years before, saying that it was the first time the colored man had taken on the white man and won. What's notable about that scene is that Wouk pauses to contemplate the reactions of the Filipino Stewards and Negro Messmen present in the wardroom but ignored by the all-white officers until that moment.
@@oldgringo2001 1941
@@oldgringo2001
Please check your dates......
@@oldgringo2001 Absolutely! What a great observation amongst a typical (& do not get me wrong BRILLIANT) dry, detailed, almost endless novel that is not really such (novel) but is still!
H. Wouk was, for me, always a huge desire to pick up, then only to regret starting, because it was so bloody draining, yet totally engrossing writer!
It's interesting how battleships evolved so quickly with the singular moment the HMS Dreadnought took to sea. The USS Texas, which was commissioned only eight years later, has all the features of the class such as the large caliber guns. I think it's the only Dreadnought left, and I hope she can be saved. Of the pre-Dreadnought battleships, apparently only Japan's Mikasa survives. The evolution from the Texas to the Iowa class ships occurred so quickly, only 30 years, and then they were rendered obsolete. Fascinating.
Sterling Crockett Well the crusier USS Olympia suvives as well. It was Adm. Dewey's flagship at the Battle of Manila Bay. It is a museum ship here in Philadelphia.
WALTERBROADDUS Wish I still lived in Warminster so I could see it! I’m curious though... is a cruiser also considered a Dreadnought? I always thought the term only applied to battleships.
Update: I looked up the Olympia and she is impressive. By definition though she can’t be a dreadnought as she was launched in 1892 while HMS Dreadnought wasn’t launched until 1906. The term is strictly applied to battleships and battlecruisers built after the Dreadnought was completed. But to see a survivor of the Spanish American War would be just as cool as the battleship Texas in my opinion. Thanks for letting me know about her!
Brilliant and well presented great job
Great video and channel. I love history especially forgotten military history. I hope you will do a video about the U S schooner/brig Enterprise a forgotten ship with a great history commanded by some famous Americans
He deserves to have a million subscribers. I watch every one.
While researching the voyage of the second Pacific squadron - a tale on it's own - I found out that the Brits didn't forbid the Russians from using the Suez canal. The russian admiral was afraid that the Japanesee will lay a trap in the narrow canal, so he decided to take the long route, but smaller, older and slower ships actually wre sendt through the canal.
Thank you for your excellent work
Great job professor 🙋
Very interesting, especially the conclusion.
Bravo! Good lesson.Keep it up!
Wonderful ships on both sides. In a few days I will complete the model of the Borodino.The Mikasa waits still in her Box......
Just make sure to lose the Kamchatka
Funnily enough the only scale model kit of The Kamchatka... is made in Japan ;-) .
All these years later, they still remember the assist her Torpedo Boat'o'phobia caused XD.
He forgot to note that Japan attacking before a declaration of war is communicated could become habit forming
😅😄😃🤣😂
Yea, send a note that "I'm gonna punch you" but drop it in the mail and punch before the mail is delivered. Brilliant!
Gary Stefanski when you go through thousands of years and never lose a war, you really don't think about things like that!
Well if it worked the first time we try it a second a few decades later..
Not just the method of sneak attack, but also the tactic of attacking an enemy fleet in harbor by means of torpedo. In fact, the Japanese commander in his airplane above Pearl Harbor noted that the Americans had apparently not heeded the lessons from the Port Arthur attack a mere generation earlier.
@@caseytaylor1487 Well, big surprise. In 1940, the British Navy attacked the French Navy at Mers el Kebir. Did the US take the hint ?
In 1954, the French lost the war of Indochina. Did the US take the hint ?
The French sent them all the intel they had. The Americans did not even bother to open the boxes.
Great video
Very well done.
Best youtube channel...
Cheers and Thanks
ABSOLUTELY SUPERB
Awesome video. Thank you
I learn so much here on the wonderful videos and in the comments thankyou everyone🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗
You are the best, hands down - from a retired teacher
hi , loved the video ! :) as always awesome content keep up :D . I have an idea hope you like it , why not do a short video on "the Pirates of the Mediterranean" cuz i think they are really underestimated and deserve five minutes :) , btw im tunisian so they propably were my ancestors lol thats why im eager to know a bit more about their history.
Mbarki Prods this is about the king of the Barbary Pirates. Were you looking for another era? ruclips.net/video/BIqrNF--gks/видео.html
Another interesting video! The outcome of this battle did cause mass suffering despite how it is often overlooked for its significance in history.
From having studied both Russian and modern Japanese history (Japan since the Meiji Restoration), this battle did, in fact, lead to the eventual revolutions in Russia against the reigning tsarist government that began in 1905 and ended with the formation of the USSR in 1922 and the rise of an expansionist Imperial Japan that would suffer great tragedy 40 years later. If it had not happened, then maybe my Russian language professor may never have had a family that fled Ukraine after suffering during Stalin's famine and my Japanese friend would have known more of her family.
Some other facts not mentioned in this video:
The Japanese flagship Mikasa is the only pre-dreadnaught battleship that still exists today. It currently resides as a museum ship in Yokosuka, Japan. The Russian cruiser Aurora also still exists as a museum ship in St. Petersburg, Russia, but is more well-known for its connection to the October Revolution of 1917 than its survival at Tsushima.
"Vladivostok" translated into English means "Ruler of the East." This port city's function was to enhance Russia's influence in the Far East and the Pacific.
Do the story of Ernie Pyle he deserves to be remembered. In a time when reporters stayed safely behind the lines and followed the big picture with the Generals Ernie lived with the Infantry and wrote the "worms eye view" off the war.
Wow didn't know this
Thanks!!
Very good video. Do you have a video on the the US-Spain naval battle in the Spanish-American War?
Love naval history videos do you have a video about river boats
Hallelujah! Thanks be to God! At last, a history channel that DOES NOT PLAY MUSIC WHEN NARRATING THE STORY! II has been a constant complaint of mine regarding several other RUclips channels that, one, they play music. Two, that the music that they select is completely inappropriate AND, consequently, out of sink with the topic being discussed. Three, that the music is too loud and hovers distractingly over the narrative. Sir, I give you two, five star attaboys - for production and one content! Very well done, to be sure. By the way, I did subscribe on this Saturday, March 24, 2018. Oh, and, uh, nice hat collection. Warmest regards. John
Look. I don't know where you learnt that style of language. But normally we say praise be to...
...out of "sync" with the topic...
Watching your subscribers go up by over a thousand each day is satisfying.
Great episode! I'm currently on the eastern flank of that battle right now.
And one of those three Russian ships that made it out of the battle still exists today as a museum ship. The armored light cruiser Aurora. Also the Japanese flagship for that battle is a museum in Japan. IJN Mikasa
More correctly Aurora is a protected cruiser.
Being one of the competantly crewed and utilized warships in the 2nd Pacific Squadron, the Aurora had to put up with a lot.
Thank you, History Guy, for making me a little bit smarter this morning. If anyone hasn't seen this, I recommend checking out a series entitled "James Burke's Connections." You can pull it up on youtube. It's a mesmerizing tale of how one incident in history begat another & so on, down the line. Warning: once viewed, you'll be hooked.
Very nice video, could you do a video on David M. Jones who was a pilot on the Doolittle raid and part of the great escape. Thanks
Also, about the Trans-Siberian Railway and its role in the war:
Technically, the railway had actually been completed in 1903. But in its initial form, it was practically useless. Russia really couldn't afford a railway on the scale of the Trans-Siberian and had nearly bankrupted itself to build it. As such, every cost-cutting measure that could be taken during the construction was; normal European and American railways used steel rails weighing 120lb. per yard, but the Russians used wrought iron rails weighing only 90lb. per yard. Normal railways used 3,000 wooden crossties per mile, made from timber cured in creosote oil to prevent rot. The Russians used only 2,000 ties per mile made from green wood hacked out of the forests surrounding the railway itself. Little grading or ballasting work was done to give the track a proper foundation. The result was that trains could only safely operate at a top speed of 15mph. Further, only a single track was built with sparse passing loops at water stops, so only one train could pass between stations at a time, unlike the European standard of double track, which allowed trains to pass one another freely on two parallel tracks, one going in each direction.
As a result, troop/supply movements to the front and evacuation of the wounded along the new railway were chaotic and agonizingly slow. When the war was lost, the railway was one of the factors blamed; the Great Trans-Siberian Railway that was supposed to bring such promise in uniting Russia was all but useless. Almost immediately, the government began rebuilding the railway with stronger rails, better foundation work, and double track. However, this project would not be completed until after the Soviets rose to power.
When he refers to the Trans-Siberian as incomplete, I think he is referring to the fact that the Circum-Baikal railway was not opened until after the war, so there was no continuous rail link during the war. Your comment has a lot of other info I was unaware of, so thank you for it.
sirrliv I was aware that the railway was originally a single track but not aware of its incredibly poor construction. (Green lumber? What were they thinking?) Thank you!
Our own Unites States first transcontinental committed many of the same errors during construction, to be rectified later. Perhaps this was what the Russians were doing, get it in service and flesh it out afterward.
You can make very similar statements about the first American transcontinental railroad completed in 1869. Most of this railway had to be completely rebuilt, refurbished and upgraded due to shoddy workmanship. Many of the first railway trains seldom wemt much of 35 MPH many at speeds far lower but the tracks were improved comstantly in the United States. American railway locomotives were designed to travel down rough and crudely constructed railways with good suspension systems and other features to keep the train moving on rough tracks. But none of this stopped Americans from rapidly improving both construction of the railways and better locomotives. We learned as we built and ran railroads makomg them better along the way in an evolutionary process.
The Russians were the same as the Americans only they developed their national railwqys from east to west. The Russian engineers greatly improved the Trans-Siberian railway continuously after it was constructed. The Russians, and later Soviets, forged better steel, used more improved ties for roadbeds. The Russian Trans-Siberian Railway was still an engineering marvel in the late 19th century. The railway around Lake Baikal wasn't completed until after the 1904-05 war. But this railroad still worked very well for Russia. The Trans-Siberian railway helped link communication networks and transportation systems over massive distances together to make Russia a more united modern industrialiized country. The Russians continuously upgraded, improved, and modernized the whole Trans-Siberian railway line. The Soviets added double tracks, sidings, and made constant improvements to the railway. In short order, the Trans-Siberian railway was good as any other railway in the world. The historical and social impacts of the Russian Trans-Siberian Railway are so enormous that superlatives can't be found to describe it.
Also, Germany used the railway as a means of trading with Japan. Japan sent to Germany rubber, tin, hides and other goods in exchange for locomotives and the all important machine tools. When Hitler attacked the USSR, this important artery of commerce was, of course, cut off. Also Zhukov took command of Soviet forces in eastern Mongolia when the Japanese attacked there in 1939. Although the supply situation had improved by then, the nearest railhead from the Soviet forces was 400 miles away. Thus, Zhukov organized the largest resupply in history using only trucks. He did crush the Japanese when they attacked in August, 1939. Eventually, a new rail line was built southward from the USSR to the eastern part of Mongolia.
Love your presentations!
Can you please lower the volume of your intro and exit (prerecorded). I have to listen on headphones and too loud.
Please balance the volume to new programming.
Thanks for your valuable information.
Dale
This is astounding historical information! I know a little bit about all this stuff as I'm writing a book about World War 2 and World War 1.. Air power, God etcetera... I constantly theorize how Germany and Japan could have won the war but this is possibly the cause of it all. It does make you think and pause and wonder. Up There by Terry Allan...
Awesome!!!!
Big Guns are decisive! This battle helped produce HMS Dreadnaught. The first all big gun ship! Ships had guns of various sizes,..the long range and accuracy could sink a fleet of ships without ever coming under serious fire!
I stayed in that hotel where he treaty was signed.....such awesome History!....
Thanks
the Japanese flagship the Mikasa was built in Barrow in Furnace in England and there is still a street called Mikasa street and is still a museum ship in Yokosuka Japan
I had read a bit about this but most history books just show it as a Japanese victory that 'set the stage' for future hostility between them and Russia. With Your Detailed account, You could say it set the stage for the 20th Century. It could even be tied directly to hostility today of the two Koreas and the rest of the world! Great Job!
One suggestion for a future episode: The wreck of USS Truxtun and USS Pollux 1942, and the subsequent life of survivor Lanier Phillips.
I would call it wireless telegraphy rather than simply radio, as some people may think it means voice communication through radio waves.
Fair point.
I''m sorry that my comment does not refer directly to this point here, but
I wanted to discuss my own comment with The History Guy himself, which
is to say that around 8:48 of this video, you refer to the "Battle of
Portsmouth". What did you actually mean to say? Were you referring to
another battle, or the Treaty of Portsmouth? I also want to say that
THG presentations are truly excellent and provide extremely interesting
and important historical knowledge that encourages viewers to perhaps
seek further information about these and surrounding events. Thank you
for your very well presented contributions to the furtherance of the
study of history!
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel
Russian navy had radio ???
@@charlesmichaels6648 Yes, the main salesmen were Marconi and the German Telefunken. I'll not get into the argument 'Who invented Wireless Telegraphy' , lifes to short. But Marconi took a lot of other peoples ideas and sold a Package, equipment, training, and maintinece. In civillian ships it was a leasing system, you went to Marconi's, they gave you a full set of equipment plus the operators. You paid for the system , plus' Messages at normal call rate' :-) When I were lad! There was an old guy, probably in his late 80's - He had been a Marconi Operator and swore WT was to save lives. As I lived on the coast and was always in and out of boats, as soon as he thought any of us were old enough he would teach us how to make an SOS call. I was about 9 or 10 at the time.
Can you please do a video on Commodore Perry and the role the US Navy played in Japans decision to end its 200 year policy of isolationism? Please?
BTW I love your work!
thanks !!!
Imperial Japanese Admiral of the Navy Isoroku Yamamoto lost his right hand's index finger in the Battle of Tsushima.
In Imperial Japan, the custom was to hail a taxi with the use of a finger. A single index finger meant, "I want a regular fare." Holding up the middle finger meant, "I am in a hurry, I will pay double fare." Of course taxi drivers would pick up the middle finger display first.
Since Admiral Yamamoto was missing his index finger, he would point his middle finger for a taxi, knowing full well the driver would think he would be paid double.
Interestingly Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō flagship from the Russo-Japanese War and the Battle of Tsushima, the pre-dreadnought battleship Mikasa is still afloat as a museum ship in Yokosuka, Japan. Which ironically is also the site of a large US Naval Base.
I believe Admiral Nimitz had a hand in her preservation.
It's not afloat. It's sitting in concrete up to its waterline.
General Obi Wan Kenobi point is, it still exists. Keeping a Naval Vessel in water is very costly. The USS Texas, is literally rusting away and although “afloat” it is in fact floating on its pumps. It is in desperate need of “dry berthing” but funds are still in need.
Not actually afloat. It’s landlocked in a park adjacent to the Joint naval base at Yokosuka. Japanese subs are stationed there too. I was stationed on USS Kitty Hawk in Yokosuka from 1999-2001.
Actually the ship is set in concrete. It was built in England, but it has German armor, as did many British warships built before World War I. It is the only surviving example of a "pre-dreadnought" battleship still in existence. Admiral Yamamoto served on the ship as a young officer in command of one of the six-inch gun batteries and lost two fingers in the battle.
This was a battle that I do remember from college studies. The couple hours where the Russian Navy was discovered to be a paper tiger.
And still is today. In fact, one of the interesting things about Russian military history is they continue to make the same mistakes today that they did back in the early 1900's. One is never having enough weapons and ammunition. Just a couple weeks ago Russia couldn't resupply units in syria and they lost 26 men due to poor planning
@@johnstark4723
Could explain Russian attitudes....
@@charlesmichaels6648 well you are obviously clueless
@@johnstark4723
Read Russian history,
Comrade.
@@charlesmichaels6648 you are the clueless one who needs to read and study Russian military history. I have done military research for 50+ years and you don't have a clue as to how bad things are with their military. Corruption on an epic scale. Unable to even arm an entire army. Hell, they lost 26 men in Syria because they didn't have enough ammunition. And they couldn't even resupply them because they didn't have any aircraft or supplies for them. Russia's military is a freaking joke and so is anyone who supports them.
Very informing and entertaining video. Do you know the story of the photo that appears a couple of times in the first half of the video, with what appears to be a woman in a fur coat standing beside the engine of a train? The second appearance is at 4:19. I am really intrigued by that photo.
The extreme failure of the Baltic fleet leading up to this is so hilarious that I actually laughed myself into using my inhaler 😂
I've always wanted to learn more about this war. I'd love a follow up video about why these two rival nations, though eventually on opposite sides in the second world war, don't engage in much combat with each other during that all-consuming conflict. That always baffled me.
Zhukov. stomped the Japanese military. The Japanese stopped attacking. Stalin. finally listened to one of his spies in Japan and moved his Siberian. troops to fight the Germans before Moscow. They were better trained to fight in the snow than the Germans. Better winter gear to.
Hell, in reference to @Big Blue Bloody , that is wonderful History there! What is so amazing, considering what you have brought forward in this comment & in also understanding the outstanding elements of the Great British Navy (let's not ever dilute that fact by time)...is that this very same Great Navy was TOTALLY UNPREPARED for the true essence of navy warfare, probably the first & only time in history, by 1940 & onto 1944. If NOT for this total unpreparedness in both it's Navy & it's Harbours, what a different story the Japanese would have to tell it's children today, not to mention all the children of the POW's of those in Singapore, Manila etc...
You mentioned Theodore Roosevelt's role in negotiating peace. Can you talk about the Taft-Katsura agreement that was an important catalyst for Japanese aggression that eventually led to World War 2?
The largely unknown siege of Port Arthur was the first example of trench warfare with enormous casualties. The generals of 1914 thought only of the mobile war of 1870 between Prussia and France.
Two comments: 1.The flagship of the Japanese fleet was open for tours, in Tokyo harbor. At least is was in the 1970’s. 2. Yamamoto, the fleet commander in WW2, was a cabin boy at the battle of Tsushima
The Russo Japanese War is a subject I’m increasingly interested in. The trip from the Baltic to Tsushima is a fascinating one. If not a little comedic at times.
I enjoyed your video, and I strongly recommend you watch a video on Dracinifel’s channel ( I hope I spelled that right) about “the Russian 2nd Pacific Fleet,voyage of the damned. It is absolutely hilarious!!! He does a great job describing the voyage of the Russian fleet to get to this battle, you will be glad you watched this!! Mike Hoshall
This and drac's chl are my go to both top teir so x?
Do you see Torpedo Boats??
Yes your right. The Battle of Jutland would happen 12 years after Tsushima between the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet, but it wasn't a "decisive" one.