The REAL Operation Battleaxe 1941 | BATTLESTORM WW2 Documentary
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- Опубликовано: 12 июл 2024
- Looking for the most in-depth look at Operation Battleaxe? We cover the tank battle, the combat at the Hellfire Pass (Halfaya) the units of the Afrika Korps and the Desert Rats, and learn the roles and fate of the commanders on both sides during this epic battle. Battleaxe is an incredibly important battle that has massive tactical and strategic implications for both sides of World War II. Yet this is a battle unknown to many, and not very well documented. Today, we change that.
Using animations and detailed maps, let's find out what happened in one of the most crucial battles in the North African Campaign of World War II.
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Time Stamps:
Introduction 00:00:00
Strategic picture
British 00:01:00
German 00:02:04
Skorpion 00:02:48
Preparing for Battleaxe
Tiger Convoy 00:05:02
Rommel’s Fuel Crisis 00:11:19
The Forces at Battleaxe
German Forces 00:13:31
British Forces 00:19:23
The British Plan for Battleaxe 00:23:09
German Preparations For Battleaxe 00:27:18
The Battle - Battleaxe
Day 1
Pre-Battle 00:32:09
Tobruk 00:32:37
Halfaya 00:33:06
Capuzzo 00:35:30
Desert Flank 00:38:22
Situation at End of Day 1 00:41:37
Day 2
British Plans for Day 2 00:43:15
German Plans for Day 2 00:44:40
Capuzzo 00:46:59
Desert Flank 00:48:38
Situation at End of Day 2 00:52:23
Day 3
Rommel’s Strike 00:53:18
British Reactions 00:53:53
Endgame 00:56:51
Results of Battleaxe 00:58:00
Reasons for the failure of Battleaxe 00:58:18
Strategic Consequences 01:02:45
Outro 01:05:37
Sources 01:05:42 (Pause the video or you'll miss them)
Patreons 01:05:45
Sources:
Books:
Anderson, T. Tanks of the Second World War. Pen & Sword, 2017.
Beevor, A. The Second World War. Phoenix, 2014. (Does Mention Brevity, but no details)
Bierman, J. & Smith, C. Alamein: War Without Hate. Penguin Books Ltd, 2003.
Butler, D. Field Marshal: the Life and Death of Erwin Rommel. Casemate Publishers, 2015.
Dimbleby, J. Destiny in the Desert. The Road to El Alamein - the Battle that Turned the Tide. Profile Books Ltd, 2013.
Hart, L. A History of the Second World War. Pan Books, 2015. Kindle version.
Hart, L. The Rommel Papers. 1953.
Mitcham, S. Hitler’s Legions: German Army Order of Battle, World War II. Leo Cooper, 1985.
Mitcham, S. Rommel’s Desert War: The Life and Death of the Afrika Korps. Stackpole Books, 2007.
Nafziger, G. The Afrika Korps: An Organizational History 1941-1943. 1997.
Neillands, R. Eighth Army, From the Western Desert to the Alps, 1939-1945. John Murray Publishers, 2004.
Nash, N. Strafer Desert General : The Life and Killing of Lieutenant General WHE Gott. Pen and Sword Books Ltd, 2013.
Neillands, R. The Desert Rats, 7th Armoured Division 1940-45. Aurum Press Limited, 2005.
Pitt, B. The Crucible of War: Wavell’s Command. The Definitive History of the Desert War. Cassell & Co, 2001.
Playfair, I. The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume II, The Germans come to the Help of their Ally [1941]. The Naval & Military Press LTD, 1956.
Raugh, H. Wavell in the Middle East 1939-1941: A Study in Generalship. USA, 2013.
Urban, M. The Tank War: The Men, the Machines and the Long Road to Victory. Hachette Digital, 2013.
Williamson, Gordon. Afrikakorps 1941-43 (Elite). Osprey Publishing, 2009.
Articles:
"Mr. Churchill's Review of the War, June 10." Bulletin of International News 18, no. 13 (1941): 813-19. www.jstor.org/stable/25643049.
"Mr. Churchill's Broadcast on the German Attack on Russia." Bulletin of International News 18, no. 13 (1941): 820-21. www.jstor.org/stable/25643051.
I think it is great that people with an internet connection and a camera are making more effective documentaries than entire studios and networks.
We're definitely moving into a new age. Thanks :)
More than just that, mate. A lot of effort goes into great graphics and editing too!
These are aimed at folk who want the details. The studio ones are selling advertisement time and so are more "our side won, three cheers for us". In my humble opinion. This guy has obviously delved into historical sources and assembled the parts into a comprehensible whole product understandable by even those who have no background in the military such as myself.
and even better - isn't politicised propaganda being used to justify actions by certain cliques since.
It is truly amazing.
The Enigma machine captured from U110 was an Naval Enigma machine. Also it was the codebooks that we’re captured which were the important thing in that capture. I had the honour to interview one of the HMS Bulldog boarding party 2 years ago.
There is a lot of misunderstanding about Enigma, it was never one Code. There were something like 50 different networks running at any one time. Airforce Enigma was being broken regularly by the summer of 1940. Naval was broken in 1941 but then the German Navy changed to a 4 rotor machine and that meant it couldn’t be broken again for 9 months. Army Enigma was sometimes being broken in 1941 but it wasn’t until the following year that it was being broken on a daily basis.
I’ve been producing The Bletchley Park Podcast for nearly 6 years now, so it’s kinda my subject :)
Thank you, it is really interesting, what you wrote! I think, most people do not realize how important factor this was in the theme of winning (or loosing) the war.
I understand it was because of the broken Enigma codes that half of all that was sent to Rommel ended up at the bottom of the Med. Sea. Is that right?
There was also the Krebs incident (The trawler, what a fish to catch there) in Lofoten, Norway in March 1941 in addition to the U-boat boarding. If these two incidents did not occur the next chance was at Cruwell's headquarters during Operation Crusader where his entire staff was captured although he and his adjutant escaped. There is no mention of any documents or communication equipment recovered from there in this series covering that battle though.
Interesting!
No wonder that Bletchley used Bombes.
Without electromechanical assistance it would be necessary to have several thousand more people.
Hey all!
First off, the timestamps -
*Timestamps:*
Introduction 00:00:00
Strategic picture
British 00:01:00
German 00:02:04
Skorpion 00:02:48
Preparing for Battleaxe
Tiger Convoy 00:05:02
Rommel’s Fuel Crisis 00:11:19
The Forces at Battleaxe
German Forces 00:13:31
British Forces 00:19:23
The British Plan for Battleaxe 00:23:09
German Preparations For Battleaxe 00:27:18
The Battle - Battleaxe
Day 1
Pre-Battle 00:32:09
Tobruk 00:32:37
Halfaya 00:33:06
Capuzzo 00:35:30
Desert Flank 00:38:22
Situation at End of Day 1 00:41:37
Day 2
British Plans for Day 2 00:43:15
German Plans for Day 2 00:44:40
Capuzzo 00:46:59
Desert Flank 00:48:38
Situation at End of Day 2 00:52:23
Day 3
Rommel’s Strike 00:53:18
British Reactions 00:53:53
Endgame 00:56:51
Results of Battleaxe 00:58:00
Reasons for the failure of Battleaxe 00:58:18
Strategic Consequences 01:02:45
Outro 01:05:37
Sources 01:05:42 (Pause the video or you'll miss them)
Patreons 01:05:45
---
Second off, the bibliography -
*BIBLIOGRAPHY*
*Books:*
Anderson, T. Tanks of the Second World War. Pen & Sword, 2017.
Beevor, A. The Second World War. Phoenix, 2014. (Does Mention Brevity, but no details)
Bierman, J. & Smith, C. Alamein: War Without Hate. Penguin Books Ltd, 2003.
Butler, D. Field Marshal: the Life and Death of Erwin Rommel. Casemate Publishers, 2015.
Dimbleby, J. Destiny in the Desert. The Road to El Alamein - the Battle that Turned the Tide. Profile Books Ltd, 2013.
Hart, L. A History of the Second World War. Pan Books, 2015. Kindle version.
Hart, L. The Rommel Papers. 1953.
Mitcham, S. Hitler’s Legions: German Army Order of Battle, World War II. Leo Cooper, 1985.
Mitcham, S. Rommel’s Desert War: The Life and Death of the Afrika Korps. Stackpole Books, 2007.
Nafziger, G. The Afrika Korps: An Organizational History 1941-1943. 1997.
Neillands, R. Eighth Army, From the Western Desert to the Alps, 1939-1945. John Murray Publishers, 2004.
Nash, N. Strafer Desert General : The Life and Killing of Lieutenant General WHE Gott. Pen and Sword Books Ltd, 2013.
Neillands, R. The Desert Rats, 7th Armoured Division 1940-45. Aurum Press Limited, 2005.
Pitt, B. The Crucible of War: Wavell’s Command. The Definitive History of the Desert War. Cassell & Co, 2001.
Playfair, I. The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume II, The Germans come to the Help of their Ally [1941]. The Naval & Military Press LTD, 1956.
Raugh, H. Wavell in the Middle East 1939-1941: A Study in Generalship. USA, 2013.
Urban, M. The Tank War: The Men, the Machines and the Long Road to Victory. Hachette Digital, 2013.
Williamson, Gordon. Afrikakorps 1941-43 (Elite). Osprey Publishing, 2009.
*Articles:*
"Mr. Churchill's Review of the War, June 10." Bulletin of International News 18, no. 13 (1941): 813-19. www.jstor.org/stable/25643049.
"Mr. Churchill's Broadcast on the German Attack on Russia." Bulletin of International News 18, no. 13 (1941): 820-21. www.jstor.org/stable/25643051.
---
Third off, I’ve provided full English captions for this video which will come up if you click the little symbol near bottom right hand corner of the video.
*I also want to thank every one of you* for watching these videos, as well as for being very patient with me. It takes me months to make these videos (in this case, it took 5 weeks to do the presentation, animation and editing, and more weeks before that to write the script) so a new BATTLESTORM video is definitely not something you’ll see every day… However, I hope the quality of the video will make up for that. Any and all feedback is great, so let me know!
I want to doubly thank my patreons for their support. You lot have already contributed massively to this, and to the future Stalingrad video. I’ve neglected some of the promised videos as a result of concentrating on Battleaxe, so I’ll aim to catch up in the next couple weeks www.patreon.com/TIKhistory
And I also I want to thank Simon Baker for helping me with the articles for this video. THANK YOU SIMON!
From a behind-the-scenes perspective, Battleaxe has been a massive success and I learnt a lot of stuff that will shave off weeks (if not months) from the time it’ll take to make Stalingrad. So while I do feel guilty for taking a quick break from Stalingrad, I think it’s been well worth it. I’ll make a video soon discussing this and some of the things I’ve learnt.
And finally, as a bit of an update, the research for BATTLESTORM STALINGRAD is now well over 100,000 words, and it’s nowhere near complete yet. To put this into context, Battleaxe was 10,395 words. As you can imagine, it’s taking a LONG time to make, but they say patience is a virtue or something… I don’t know, but if you stick around it will eventually come out. In the meantime, check out my other Battlestorm Videos if you haven’t done so already (link) ruclips.net/p/PLNSNgGzaledgHIszXQVDreX-ZC1Xejf9Y
Thanks everyone! Hope you enjoy the video :)
Cant you pin the comment, so it stays on the top? Seen other channels do that.
liked anywya.
I think you can just pin it TIK
- - he is just doing this for more likes
Oh yeah, forgot about that! Thanks everyone :)
+TIK No problem! Great work by the way, didn't mean to watch it all in one sitting but ended up doing it regardless
The only think I can say is. TIK you are amazing, your dedication to make all those documentaries is a example to all of us. I can imagine the amount of work it takes to make all of this and still you do it without a paycheck.
Thank you very much.
No, thank you very much for your kind comment :) it is a lot of work, but I enjoy making them so it's a great hobby. My only wish right now is that I could make them more quickly somehow
+Michel Ney
Hear hear.
;-)
Ney the most idiotic general ever
@@toker6664 Mostly wrong. He was very good at what he did in Russia, during the 1806 campaign against Prussia and elsewhere throughout his career. His difficulties in Spain are mostly the consequence of the poor strategic decisions of Marshal Massena. His failures during the Waterloo campaign can mostly be laid at the feet of mistakes by Napoleon, blunders in executing Chief of Staff functions by Soult, and outright insubordination by La Bedoyere.
@@colinhunt4057 haha his taking British guns at Waterloo but not spiking them is everyone else's fault lol, Nay is disastrous for any general but for the weak Napoleon he's a death knell, I don't like or respect Napoleon outside of prussia and central Europe he's inept, North Africa and North America he failed so hard not including Russia, Napoleon was a Hitler that cared even less about his men.
Well, screw me, that's what I call an epic episode.
Glad you liked it :) this is roughly how I want Battlestorm Stalingrad to be, so hopefully that'll be just as epic
TIK Well, it certainly is going to be a little bit longer.
that is why i love those vids : epic but with facts, numbers and so on. A real pleasure !
you deserve more support, this is high quality stuff. Please keep up the good work!
Oh don't worry, I'm constantly working on these videos. Currently on over 200,000 words on my Stalingrad documentary research. I'm a long way off finishing that video yet, but it will happen
@@TheImperatorKnight 2
Congratulations on a superb doccumentary. I've watched hundreds of history docs on RUclips and this is one of the best. Well researched and written, clearly presented with lots of detail but in a way which doesnt get bogged down in it or lose the watcher. I think the chapters worked really well and the graphics and pictures were excellent. I know a reasonable amount about the subject but learned loads and I'm looking forward to watching your other films, well done and thanks.
Since I stumbled on this channel I have been surpassed by the excellent narrative very well accompanied graphically (maps and photos). The detailed OoB for both sides is fantastic! Keep the good work!
Oh my, this episode is just downright brilliant. A solid narrative with clear battle deployments, command structure overview,... Can't wait for Stalingrad!
Yeah, this was an important stepping stone towards Stalingrad. Glad I took the time to do it. Many lessons were learnt that will make Stalingrad that much better
I love this history on the micro level. Not enough documentarys get in detail on these engagments that were more important than most think. Keep it up.
TIK, you're my favorite channel on RUclips. It's really great to have you breaking the monotony of mindless content. There are other Military history channels, but your effort and personality is unmatched. Thank you!
Okay dude. Seriously. I think I have been watching your videos for about 2 months and I have to say they are most enjoyable and very informative. But this entry is really outstanding. I have know about Rommel for years and knew of the name Desert Fox but not until viewing this videos did I realize the full extent of the meaning of that name applied to Rommel. Indeed, you explained why he earned that title. Very crafty fellow to make use of the terrain with the equipment at hand. If is even possible I have a new respect for the man.
And man, I noticed I haven't even subscribed as yet. Will fix that now.
Bravo!
READING IRVING'S ROMMEL AT THE MOMENT, SO I CAME BACK TO THIS VIDEO, TO REFRESH MY GEOGRAPHICAL KNOWLEDGE; AFTER FAITHFULLY FOLLOWING YOUR COURLAND POCKET AND STALINGRAD SERIES, COMING BACK TO THIS FEELS LIKE COMING BACK FROM HOI4 TO HOI2; SO EPICALLY NOSTALGIC! YOU REALLY WENT A LONG WAY FROM THIS, EVEN THOUGH THIS VIDEO IS STILL VERY VERY GOOD!
Another great breakdown of a little documented battle - my knowledge of the desert war keeps growing and its fascinating me more and more. Great work
This was excellently done. Congratulations!! Keep up the good and hard work!!!
The level of detail is absolutely amazing. I look forward to viewing your other videos.
I'm actually working on the follow up to this battle - Operation Crusader. It's going to be 7 to 8 hours long, which explains why it's taking so long!
Found your channel over the weekend and really like it. Keep up the good work.
Thanks! Hope you stay :) and don't worry more to come. In fact, I have another video out tomorrow
Excellent. watched your vid on Market Garden and at 1hr 50 odd mins it was great. Really gave me a whole new perspective on the Op.
Richard Miller me too to both your posts!
Detailed, easy to picture, thoughtful. Great channel overall
As a relatively new fan of tik it's really cool to see the evolution of his editing over the last few years.
An amazing video, really! We apretiate your work and thank you 4 it. Hats off! I did enjoy it from your first word to the last one. Truly awesome, mate!
Really glad to hear you enjoyed it! Not sure if you've seen, but I'm currently publishing videos on the following battle after this one, Operation Crusader. I'll leave the link to the first video ruclips.net/video/_pBfn6UVktY/видео.html
Finally got around to watching now the School Holidays have started. Didn't expect to see my name in the credits, you're too kind TIK. Great video as always, I'm so excited for Stalingrad. Keep up the amazing work :)
I am highly impressed with your level of detailed analysis, which provides us with a much better understanding of how and why things happened as they did. It sheds much needed light on nearly every case you discuss, and goes far beyond the gross overviews we have been given for years by more biased historians. Thank you for your efforts to help us understand something much closer to the REAL story. The only thing possibly missing from your presentations is a first hand account of engagements by the actual participants. And that, at this stage, is highly improbable given the age of the participants, memory lapses, and their availability. Each of your presentations have been well researched and presented professionally. A pleasure to watch. Thank you! Although the task you've taken on is hard, I'm sure it's much more rewarding than Retail! As one who has been there too, I applaud you for surviving!
Excellent! This is just the series I having been waiting for the Western Desert campaign, keep up the good work.
Well, the good news is that I'm working on the next one now - Operation Crusader.
Good Man! That is next one I want "Operation Crusader"
Amazing videos. Most do not get into the trees and focus only on the forest. Great explanation for German anti tank tactics. I have been reading Pitt and your video helps to picture the engagements. Loved your video on operation compass.
Amazing production. Super quality, great research and so nice to follow. I do not understand why you do not have more followers. But I guess it is a small audience covered. But it us for sure not du to quality an insight. Thanks for this!
Glad you liked it! Be sure to check out the next in the series - Operation Crusader - if you dare (it's over 9 hours long) haha ruclips.net/video/Ji7MZYB4dho/видео.html
Great video! Love the detail. The animation is perfect and I prefer the 2D top down look. This beats anything on the History Channel.
Wow, thank you! That's a compliment-and-a-half :)
Thank you TIK, for making this video and so many others like it. Your videos remind me that "The more you know, the more you know you don’t know".
An informative and entertaining piece of work. Well, entertaining might be the wrong word, more like captivating in it's depth of detail.
Hi This is a most excellent video. I can see the forces on the map. You explain who what where and when the forces move. I was able to follow/ understand how everything played out. Again- a really great video.
Awesome! I'm glad you liked it! I'm working on the next one now - Operation Crusader. So I hope you stick around for that one :)
Hi, Your use of the map to show all the groups is excellent.This presentation is clearly the best I have seen. You made improvements from your previous videos.The map/ presentation clearly showed what rommel was trying to do. Will you do a video on mansteins classic winter 43-44 counter offensive? When will you have the 2nd video on stalingrad showing him as the villain regarding paulus's choice to not break out.?
Awesome video! I'm currently binge watching this series! Good stuff
And I'm working on the next one now. Operation Crusader. Will probably be the longest Battlestorm video so far too :)
Awesome! I love high quality longer content like this. I look forward to your next one. You definitely got a subscribe from me!
London calling.... amazing video. You must give our grandfathers some praise. They drove slower tanks and were out gunned. Brave men .
Love the true info mate. Keep it coming and I'll keep.sharing
Thanks for your work on this. Really watchable and informative.
Awesome job, Lewis. Worth every minute of it. When the Stalingrad will be uploaded it is going to be a real physical challenge, since I don't think I will be able to resist the temptation of watching it all in one shot :D. Just like the brits in this operation, I will definitely need reserves and additional suplies :D
I'm certain someone out there will marathon it. I think I might do as a bit of a celebration :D
Verry nice Video keep on making these:D
Oh don't worry, I will :) and thank you
@TIK
I have only just discovered your channel and I find your vids nicely detailed, well presented and researched.
Keep 'em coming.
;-)
Will do! In fact, I'm working on the next in this series right now - Operation Crusader :)
+TIK
Good stuff.
Your vids about the early campaigns in North Africa have renewed my interest in that theater during WWII.
;-)
Very good video. Hope you can do one on the Crusader Battle in the Western Desert.
I believe that's the next battle in the Western Desert Campaign, so don't worry, it'll be coming :)
thanks for ur videos.. i used to be really into wwii in high school and am now 30 and feeling aimless, but your videos help to break up my mild depression. hope to find some fun in life soon enuf.
At 32:25, I got a cold shiver up my spine. Those tanks crews were up against fully manned AT guns, on full alert. The 20 year old me would have been in grave peril.
Your videos are very intense. I sometimes have to pause the video and watch again to comprehend. Not a complaint, filthy detail is addictive.
Wait until you get to Operation Crusader 😂
It is amazing to see this operation covered by anyone, and very good to see it covered very well. I was only familiar with the British (our) side of the history. Very interesting to hear of the stuff happening on the 'other side of the hill' regarding personnel changes too!
TIK has clearly done his homework, and quite thoroughly covers the critical details of the engagements. As usual, a very well researched and ably presented bit of military history.
So few views on such a great channel. Too bad people have not seen it yet. Keep up this great work. It's super informative and also a lot of fun to watch.
Thanks Jurij! Glad you're enjoying my videos. Spread the word if you can :)
Really enjoyed watching this. A lot more depth than documentaries I have watched in the past, maybe because you focus in on quite a small timescale.
Yeah, a lot of documentaries don't go into enough detail in my opinion. I like to know where every unit is at any given moment of time. My other documentaries are similar
Excellent analysis again, keep it up please!
you deserve way more subscribers
Maybe if I form a naval convoy the subs would come find me
Mate I have to tell you, your videos are absolutely fucking fantastic! I have probably watched 20 hours of your videos the past few weeks and it's not once been boring!
Thank you very much and keep up the good work! Will try to support you via Patreon.
Great video. As a WW2 amateur historian and a proud Kiwi I have read many books on the North African campaign. You docos are some of the most comprehensive I have ever seen on the subject. Excellent graphics really show what's happening.
I have looked thru your videos, there are so many! If not done yet what about a vid on 2NZ Div, always at the heart of the action. Minqar Qaim to 1st Alamein to Alam Halfa to 2nd Alamein would be a good story. Somehow at 2nd Alamein the tanks exploited about up to 15miles behind the lines while 2nd NZ Div (obviously infantry not known as breakout units) exploited 40 mile's behind the lines and captured Halfaya Pass in a night action capturing 40 artillery pieces waiting for dawn to setup and defend the feature. This is officially the last action of 2nd Alamein.
I am also a keen gamer and enjoy Panzer Corps. Can you recommend any other games?
Anyhow make more battle vids you clearly know your stuff! (PS agree on O'Connor, great General, big loss if you have not seen it there is a great interview with him in the 1970s World at War doco series, the Western Desert episode).
Battleaxe failed because our main tank formation, armed with our most modern tank, charged headlong into a very well prepared trap. That this trap showed a high likelihood of pre-knowledge of our plan is rarely commented upon, though the way that the area of the trap was defended well prior to Battleaxe pretty much confirms it. You do make reference to the German counter-reconnaissance efforts though the key unit here is the 11th Hussars who were armed with Morris A9s and Rolls Royce armoured cars mounting Boyes AT rifles. There was a smattering of Guy ACs too, though their heaviest armament was a 50cal. In the days and weeks prior their 3rd recon battalion used it's 232s supported by Me110s to great effect, chasing the British ACs away. The British response to this however was interesting as they borrowed a couple of 2pdr AT guns and tried to get the German ACs or light tanks to chase them into a trap. They managed this on several occasions leading up to Battleaxe, pretty much teaching the Germans the trick which they would then use of a much greater scale. Meanwhile the 6RTR had been in Tobruk just a month or so previous and had been brought up to strength from roughly half and re-equipped far too quickly to allow familiarisation with a new weapons system. Particularly one which had seen it's spares stolen and engines run without oil on the Liverpool docks. It was Churchill that insisted upon the attack, also that every 27litre V12 Merlin should go to the RAF whilst the Crusader got the 27litre V12 from a WW1 biplane which produced about half the HP. Fundamentally the war office didn't believe that the Crusaders were as unreliable in theatre as claimed as their trials in Blighty hadn't shown such problems. Seems it was only after the Gazala debacle that the problems were truly believed, though that merely resulted in Churchill demanding every Sherman that the US could provide, it had shattered confidence in our own armour. Considering that the other 5 roadwheel Christie suspension tank with sloped armour did pretty well for itself in the war (the T34) the difference is stark. Though the RAC tax on engine size had deliberately, to the benefit of the railways, prevented development and production of our own large engines in the interwar period. So who is to blame for distorting the interwar market and failure to invest in vital R+D? Compare and contrast to the Kharkov V2, variants of which still power Russian armour. So a hasty attack against un-recon'd positions with equipment that units had neither received sufficient training on or spares support for in the pursuit of a political victory. Churchill literally wanted to colour some desert pink for the propaganda value, as indeed he later did at El Alamein despite the imminence of Operation Torch which would have forced Rommel to retreat regardless.
Another great video! TIK, you are awesome!
Beautifully done!
Thank you for this great history video
At last...another good documentary☺ thanks TIK
Sorry for the wait, Stalingrad is kinda distracting
Great presentation, TIK. Thank you.
Thank you for your hard work. This is a comprehensive and detailed presentation and a great education.
It was my pleasure. Thanks for watching :)
You are welcome. I also enjoyed your presentation on Operation Market Garden. Another thoroughly researched piece and as informative as this one. Thanks again for all your effort. It is greatly appreciated by all of us who own a sufficiently heavy anorak for the subject! ; )
13:45, figured it out, Rommel's commander he dismissed was Streich, who was to interested in the wellfare of his men. Streich reply once he was dismissed by Rommel was, "Herr General, I can imagine no greater word of praise for a division commander.".
Fantastic effort! I just subscribed
Glad you like it, and welcome to the channel! Be sure to check out my latest series on the battle after this, Operation Crusader ruclips.net/p/PLNSNgGzaledjvQKDHORAPuJdug2sY4lrL
You should consider launching a crowdfunding campaign to direct a documentary. That way you can include more in the way of professional voice-over, real and simulated clips from the battles. If you do, please let me know. You provide just the right level of insight into the generals, command of armies, and tactics. I could do with some clips of tanks firing or rolling through the desert or whatever to get a better visual. But truly great work. Thank you!
Hey Nanor, I do have a Patreon where you can help support me, and with all the books needed for the research I need as much support as possible www.patreon.com/TIKhistory
Not sure I have a big enough of a following to make a crowd funding campaign to direct a documentary, but I did try with some of these videos to make things more dramatic (Brevity and Fort Eben Emael especially, with tanks being in the Fort Eben Emael video) and while it did work out somewhat, it took too long to make each one as I had to animate them myself. Something to aim for though.
Signed up for the $1/month plan, thanks! and I will check out the videos you mentioned. Keep up the great work!
Excellent work sir
Great documentary! Will be coming back!
Oh good! They take time to make, but more will be on their way eventually :)
good video, i've subbed. whats the next battle to watch after BattleAxe??? thanks
Fantastic episode! :-)
Thanks! I'm really happy with this and Bruneval. And I've been working on the next installment of the North African Campaign today in fact. Crusader will be soon!
fascinating episode! im getting addicted to this series
I'm working on the next one's (Operation Crusader, and then Stalingrad). Crusader is next, and will be the longest Battlestorm video I've made ever. Stalingrad will be at some point after that, and again, will be even longer!
"Gawd Damn you are good!". Thank you for yet another fantastic and interesting documentary!
The towering intellect here was certainly Erwin Rommel. Thanks for your hard work. It told me a thing or two. WC's quote I hadn't heard before: and very good it was.
Hardly. It was his subordinates, like Bach and Herff
Great job, really great job.
Finally got around to watching this.
I was really afraid that with the longer episode length, that the quality would suffer. You have completely proven these fears wrong, and I look forward to Stalingrad.
"I look forward to Stalingrad"; words probably not said by many, hah.
I'm glad it was better than expected :) As I said in one of my previous videos - I kinda want you to be scared to click on the Stalingrad video when it comes out, because you know you'll be sucked into watching a good-quality 24hour video :D
Woot! Very fascinating, and well-told, TIK. Although some of the 'chapters' were a bit short (i.e., as long as their title shots), they were nonetheless plenty informative. :)
Feedback: I think your 'portrait' piece was helpful when you described the technical/organizational features of tanks, battlegroups, etc, but I think it did get in the way occasionally when you were showing maps (I think you blotted out some of the towns midway through the battle).
As for the battle itself, a recurring problem I see for the British was their lack of long-range guns. In the vast, open expanses of desert, fast tank units and long-range guns reign supreme. The British tanks were slower, and were effective almost always at close range. The Germans were right to use AA guns for ground combat, and used this quite successfully on the Russian steppes.
For the Germans, better planning and research into the supply situation before arriving in Africa would have been beneficial, although this oversight was near universal among the German army's commanders. Once they realized how bad the situation was, they were right to realize the need for the harbor at Tobruk in order to continue. Conversely, the British could have blockaded the Italian ports in that region to choke off supplies further. If the Italians had build a railroad along the coast to connect the major cities before the war, then they would have had considerably less trouble with supplies.
Yeah, this is the first time I've done Chapters and that's one of the lessons I've learnt. Some of the chapters were a little long too.
And I know there was an editing mistake towards the end where the presentation box was bigger than I set it and it covers the map. I think I went back to fix another mistake and the editing software decided to mess up. Sadly, I only noticed after the video was uploaded and I'd already announced it was coming out, so too late to go back and fix. I'll be careful in the future.
The 25-pounders would have been effective, however the British had three problems. First, the Support Group (with the 25-pounders) was an independant unit from the tank regiments, making the coordination of the guns and tanks difficult. Second, while Rommel had updated his doctrine on the use of artillery and anti-tank guns to combat tanks while conserving his armour, the British hadn't come to this conclusion. This meant they still tried to engage the Germans with their armour throughout the battle, leading to heavy armour casualties. In fact, the whole premise of the Battleaxe battle was to get to grips with the German armour and overwhelm it. So Rommel had skillfully countered British intentions by not committing his armour to a tank battle - until the British were weakened at least. Third, British tanks were armed with the 2-pounder AT gun. The issue is that the 2-pounders could not fire High Explosive rounds. As mentioned in the video, this meant that they had to score a direct hit on enemy AT guns (an impossibility at long range) meaning that they had no effective way of countering the PAK guns, or the 88's (who were even futher back). The Germans on the other hand, could use HE rounds in their Panzer III's and IV's, meaning that the British equivalent of the 88mms (sort of) had to pull back before they could really do any significant damage to the panzers.
While I haven't mentioned it (or looked into it in any detail) there was a naval war going on in the Mediterranean. The Battle of Taranto is an early example of the battles being fought for supermacy. I don't know to what extent the Royal Navy was capable of blocking Italian or African ports, but as mentioned in the video, around 80% of axis supplies were reaching Libya.
The chapters were a unique touch, and I don't think the long ones were too long. The longer ones had the most detail, and your excellent storytelling kept me interested the entire time. :)
The 25-pounders were effective when they were employed, but I'm surprised that the British garrison units in the region before the war didn't expect to need an ample supply of long-range guns. In Europe, where there are forests, towns, and mountains, close-range weaponry like the 2-pounders make sense due to the closer engagement ranges. In the plains and deserts of the middle east, however, units like the support group should have been more plentiful. Instead, they had only one group with any long-range guns.
The naval side of the Mediterranean war is certainly important to understand, as well as the railroads (or lack thereof). Rail and water were the only viable long-distance logistics arteries for both sides throughout the war.
I love all your videos, but these videos on the Desert War really stand out to me as being both incredibly factual and informing, whilst also telling a fantastic and entertaining story, striking the perfect balance between the cold, objective analysis of research and also the emotional, engaging telling of a great story.
What you said about Rommel especially was quite interesting. Rommel seems to be a favourite target of historical revisionists, so I was quite surprised to hear that 1) He fully understood that logistical situation he was in and 2) That Halder and High Command were more to blame for his lack of supplies than Rommel himself
Maybe you could do a "Their Story" special on Rommel some time in the future? Being such a controversial figure, fought over all the time, being seen as either the greatest general to ever live, or a raving lunatic, I think that the pragmatic, astute analysis' you provide is sorely needed.
His service record in World War I alone is enough to write a book about!
Cheers! :D
Rommel and Halder hugely disliked each other -- which went back before North Africa.
Rommel 'dissed' Halder back when Rommel was the commander of Grossdeutchland -- appointed by Adolf himself. If you get the right footage, you can see Rommel talking to Hitler when Rommel was still wearing a steel helmet... and a mere Col.
Ooops, sorry TIK, second viewing. Forgot to hit the like button. Bloody brilliant video! Best on RUclips. Cheers.
Brilliant work TIK.
Awesome as always TIK
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
9:30 Brooke also found this quite impossible to explain to Churchill. Source: Dankchev's edition of the Brooke diary.
For the final conclusion, I imagine Rommel explaining with a big grin that the primary cause of British failure was their commitment to racial purity. The various British types of arms did not seek to support eachother.
Great presentation! Subscribed.
Good stuff!
Making a *Battle of Gazala* Documentary would be amazing after Stalingrad ends. Seeing Rommel's Moonlight Ride across Cyrenica, into Egypt. After some mind fucking battles from May 26th - June 10th, him moving from Gazala to Tobruk in 1 day & then from Tobruk to Mersa Matruh in 1 day is pretty insane
Wonderful watching TIK, you keep the tension high. But is there any way at all of going back and inserting a scale of miles into the maps? I found it frustrating not to be able to judge distance and the range of the weapons. Thanx for all you do.
Almost every real battle in real history was primarily about supply issues. Almost every popular game depicting historical war strategy ignores supply. What's going on?
Yep! And when they do think of supply, they think "so long as this division is connected to Berlin, it's in supply", taking no really account of distances or interdiction or anything :(
A solution: Each unit in gaming has values for damage, hitpoints and morale. Add another for "supplies". Each turn, the value is diminished by some amount. But an amount is also added depending on how far away it is from a supply center.
PrivateSlacker Well,Hearts of iron 3 has really restricting suply sistem, although naval landings are a bit too easy.
Where possible, you should check out SD44 and Wargame: Red Dragon. It's tactical in level, but it forces you to keep your men in supply of ammunition from a physical vehicle/truck/depot as they fight, or they might run out.
@@TheImperatorKnight
Yes. That is the common "supply" situation in games.
Given the fact that running the logistics for a large scale operation is more difficult and time consuming than running the combat units (while at least being seen as boring) - I don't see that changing though.
Those "professionals talking logistics" are after all getting paid to do it as it is their job, where as gamers who may in fact be paying to play the game - don't want to come home from work - to more "work".
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Amazing presentation, the north african theatre has always seemed to complicated to grasp reading books for mr. Your attension to details is first class, you should do the breakthrough through the ardennes 1940, i would lacking the know how and resources
Thanks Steven! I'm concentrating on Stalingrad at the moment, but I will be doing other campaigns after that. 1940 would be interesting, and I do intend to cover it at some point
Jolly good show!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it :)
I'm playing the Operation BattleAxe wargame while watching this, TIK. Cheers!
in history the most interesting is true. awesome work mate carry on please
keep up the good work!
I'll try my best :)
"lets attack this vital high elevation pass head on with no bombardment of artillery or support"
Magnificent idea chaps!
Great video
Glad you enjoyed it :) working on one on Operation Crusader now, hope it'll be out in a few weeks
You have something planned for Gazala? That was great fun.
Awesome documentary TIK.Your videos are very detailed and I've learned much about WW2 from you. Ty I'm unable to join patriot however because of my current financial situation...
6:03 "..the closing up of all American cooperation through the Red Sea..." Woah. Fascinating. References, suggested search terms? Enquiring minds, yadda yadda....
Were the Axis aware of the HUGE and easily accessible oil and water deposits under the Libyan desert? If so, would they have been able to exploit them in a timely fashion? I've read that often the Allied forces suspected the Germans of deliberately sabotaging the water wells with gasoline but this was the result of natural seepage of the oil so near the surface. Libyan oil is of excellent quality and very easy to drill for and the water aquifers are equally impressive. I wonder if knowledge of this could have altered the nature of the war in the western desert in particular and the European campaign as a whole. Congratulations on your work, it is excellent and very enjoyable to watch!
Have you thought about sharing the scripts to your videos? I often find myself going through your videos looking for specific quotes, and it can be a bit of a hassle to find them
Very interesting, very good
Extremely well made - I'm using this to make this battle in Steel Panthers - with extreme attention to detail !
Good to hear! The start to the follow-up to this battle will be out next week (Operation Crusader) :)
Any idea what the Italian Arty he found was ? I I used 6 100mm FH m14's...
This is much later in the North African Campaign, with that said could you do a battle lost in history the battle of Sidi Bou Zid 1943 which got less attention than Kasserine Pass.
I've said it before....Love yr work Tic
As I doubt that you will not stop making these video's anytime soon (The fervent wish is most everyone who watches them!), can a suggest a most minor tweak? I lose the plot some times over the distances between points. When convenient/possible, it would be great if you could find a way to put a distance legend on the maps. Fantastic work without it, but I find myself sometimes jumping to google earth to measure some distances. Just a humble suggestion ...
I agree this is one of Tik’s best videos.
The British obviously lost the battle due to Rommel's tactics and the heavy use of his AT guns, in particular the massively strong 88mm AA guns, against British armour- a tactic he had already used in France in 1940 against the British at Arras and would carry on doing up to Tunisia against the Americans and in Normandy 1944, where his commanders used the same methods. Churchill was livid because his own strategy in the ME by supporting Greece when taking the whole of Italian North Africa should have taken priority had failed with drastic results (as everybody else had told him would) made him look for a scapegoat, Wavell.
Better equipment allied to better tactics and training. And an opponent very slow to learn from the good old 'AT gun trick. Bullseye!
Both my Bio Father and father fought in the battle of Sidi Rezegh in November 1941(NZEF Batt 22 & Batt 24). Both wounded but my Bio Father is a POW until the end of the war whereas my father was severely wounded by Flak 88 shrapnel (He said it could have been 25 pounder shells) and spends the next 2 years in Egypt recuperating before being repatriated to NZ.
WOW ….. very well done .
Brilliant 👏
Excellent
What are the best North Africa Campaign books available? I´m mostly interested in the early period up until El Alamein +/-.