194 - The End of the War in Africa - WW2 - May 14, 1943

With the end of the Tunisian Campaign, the Allies have won the war for the African Continent. What next? They meet at the Trident Conference in Washington DC to try and figure that out. Meanwhile, the fight in the field continues - in Burma, the Aleutians, China, and the Kuban.
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A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Join the TimeGhost Army: bit.ly/WW2_194_PI This is the end of an entire theatre of war. It shows just how massive this war, and the project to cover it, really is. But there are stills campaigns raging all over the globe. A big shout out to all of you who have been with us since the start of the North African Theatre. Read our community guidelines before commenting: community.timeghost.tv/t/rules-of-conduct/4518

[@Jeff_the_Hobo]

Hey, the playlist YEAR 4 - WW2 - 1942/43 has a notable gap in the videos, multiple recent videos of both WW2 Real Time and War Against Humanity are missing. Would've dropped this on the most recent video, but since the pinned message on that one is a memorial, it seemed inappropriate.

[@briankorbelik2873]

The fight between Channaut and General Stillwell will come to a head in 1944, sorry if this is a spoiler Channault thinks that the airfieds that are being built further and further to the West to accomidate the B-29' which wil be coming can be defended by airpower alone. Still well believes that he has to train Chinese soldiers on the ground and only ground troops can defend the airfields. And wants to train a number of Chinese divisions his way to portect the long range bomber airfields Channault wins with the big mucky mucks and in vain he tries to guard the airfields with his aircraft. It fails as the Japanese launch a major offensive against thev airfirlds and one by on they take them. This shows that Stillwell was correct, but Channaut started witth the Flying Tigers and I believe that Mada Chiang interviened on Channault's behalf, and they go that way and fail misrably. Thus Stilwell was right and he ends up taking the Chinese divisions who are first rate units that Stilwell had the American Army train them in India, to Burma to open up the overland suppy line. Stilwwell was correct, you need boots on the ground. Stiwell was sent to China and given an nimpossibe task. I'll go into the impossibe task at a later date.

[@korbell1089]

"This defeat is another Stalingrad level disaster..." The big difference is when Mussolini promotes Messe to Field Marshall he authorized him to surrender his sword, not fall on it.

[@rotempeer-raviv4859]

Yeah, I was going to comment that this was surprisingly decent and rational and in stark contrast to hitler.

[@nicbahtin4774]

why promote him to field marshal at all ?

[@Raskolnikov70]

@@nicbahtin4774 Seems like a way to say "you tried, well done" instead of throwing him to the wolves for something that wasn't ultimately his fault.

[@Hunter-tn7og]

@@nicbahtin4774 2 things i can think of, 1 it allows him to overrule any german generals telling italians under their command to keep fighting, and 2 it could also just be Mussolini acknowledging his service before the fight was over for him to keep good graces with other generals in his inner circle so that they wouldnt think they would be treated the same as the eastern front germans

[@alexamerling79]

Yep. Paulus basically told Hitler to fuck himself lol

[@danielmocsny5066]

It's fascinating to recall that just six months ago in the timeline, Allied forces in North Africa were often on the receiving end of Luftwaffe bombing and strafing attacks. By now the Anglo-American Allies have thousands of aircraft in theater, and German air operations have become largely untenable.

[@nickdanger3802]

the Kittyhawk was the aircraft that was the most successful ...they got the Kittyhawk immediately after they stopped flying the Hurricanes...the Kittyhawk and Tomahawk were virtually the sole air force of the cell three squadron type aircraft for three years right through the North African campaign and right through the Eastern Mediterranean and Yugoslavian areas the Kittyhawk carried that by itself, and it was a brilliant aircraft...2,000 pounds of bombs At 14.18 3 Squadron RAAF You tube

[@Warmaker01]

It's only going to get worse for the Axis. We have not yet seen the start of massive Allied air campaigns in the Mediterranean in preparation for the invasion of Sicily. When it does happen it sets the Luftwaffe reeling from the shock and losses. Adolf Galland would be dispatched to Italy to salvage the situation. He said that morale had collapsed and that the air operations against them were immense. So large that he had seen nothing like it before. That will be the start of the irresistible Allied air forces against the Luftwaffe. For most of the North African Campaign there was parity between the Allied & Axis air forces. But once the air ops begin to prepare for Sicily, it was really game over for the Luftwaffe.

[@lycaonpictus9662]

It was also an Allied aerial victory that in large measure doomed the Axis forces in Africa, when Luftwaffe transports & their escorts were savaged by British & American fighter aircraft. It was similar to Stalingrad in that regard, with any final hope for the defending army evaporating when air resupply failed.

[@ThePizzaGoblin]

Slow and steady wins the race

[@dumptrump3788]

@Daniel Mocsny You raise an interesting point. So often the so called "experts" drone on about how Germany had the best weapons, troops & tactics etc etc. The justification is how victorious they were in the beginning. But really, Germany was only dominant on the battlefield for about the first year, after that, excepting a handful of all out offensives, they were gradually worn down, with first Britain & then the rest of the Allies catching them up & with increasing speed surpassing them to an enormous extent. Germany wasn't "The Best" they were simply first off the line while others weren't as yet prepared. As for the latter, my grandparents told me "No one believed he'd actually go to war....he'd fought in the trenches of The Great War....we thought that nobody who'd gone through that was crazy enough to repeat it."

[@brokenbridge6316]

The beginning of this video gave me a good chuckle.

[@williamearl1662]

Have wondered for many years, what was the impact of the North African campaign on the local people? There were the population centres, the biggest being Cairo, I do not think it was ever under attack, but Egypt was turned into an armed camp. Then Libya with it Italian colonists, and Algeria with its French. What happened to the local arab people, including the Bedouins? Do we know what their casualties were? Did they take sides?

[@bricks635]

Not mentioned in the video is that Vicktor Lutze, head of the Sturmabteilung since Rohm's ousting in 1934, died this week from injuries caused by a car crash alongside his daughter. At his funeral Hitler would give a speech to representatives of other party functionaries about the dangers of speeding which was apparently a rampant problem amongst party functionaries.

[@Thomas-pq4ys]

Wow... all commenters are as interesting as your videos. You've attracted many historians.... proof that you are doing an amazing job. Keep it up!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Indeed, we are really having the best audience! Thanks for watching!

[@Thomas-pq4ys]

@@WorldWarTwo I've followed WWII stuff all my life. Haven't delved deeply, but want as much info on the subject as possible. Great job everyone! I appreciate all your work, research, clips, editing, organization. I'm a performer. I also appreciate your sets, costuming. But I won't join an army... love ya... ✌️

[@villevalste1888]

A promotion and an order to surrender at the same time? Italian HQ has some weird incentive structures for sure.

[@Spiderfisch]

It looks like if someone wants to be promoted to field marshall all he has to do is getting his army surrounded

[@golfking3447]

Question what is TimeGhost news flash.

[@malcolmanon4762]

And so my grandfather's desert sojourn came to a close three years of fighting, from defeat to victory at long last, now he would be off to Sicily with all the other Desert Rats of 8th Army

[@WorldWarTwo]

Malcolm Thank you for sharing about him

[@jordanlaramore5430]

What was Stalin's reaction to hearing of the victory in Africa?

[@robertkras5162]

Probably "The Red Army is now fighting alone... you need to open another front..."

[@oneshotme]

Why did Russia swap around commanders so much fighting the Germans?? Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

[@caryblack5985]

All of the combatants changed commanders or reassigned them Hitler dismissed many generals and the US and UK also when they proved unsuccessful or more suited for other assignments.

[@brucetucker4847]

They were running out of bullets to shoot unsuccessful commanders, so they had to come up with something else.

[@alexandrekuritza5685]

why did the italians turn the german offer down???

[@brucetucker4847]

Would you want the Wehrmacht in your country?

[@paultyson4389]

I certainly can't fault Hitler's summation of the status of the Italian Armed Forces and leadership.

[@kidmohair8151]

like and a comment..2 bits

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for the chuckle, Kid Mohair. This is my favorite iteration of shave & a haircut I've ever seen

[@alviseossena3238]

Giovanni Messe’s career in the army is really fascinating to me. He was NOT a member of the Italian ruling class, so he had to start from scratch and all of his promotions were given thanks to his actual skills, not thanks to his family ties or political connections. He was just a sergeant at the time of the boxer rebellion. He became a lieutenant in the Italo-Turkish war. During WW1 he became a captain in the Arditi and in the Second Battle of the Piave he managed to defeat an entire Austrian division with only three battalions. In the years of the interwar period he was nominated Aide-de-camp for the King himself, and then he was slowly promoted to the rank of Brigadier general just in time for the war against Ethiopia. He was strongly against Italy’s entrance in Ww2 and tried to oppose almost every single decision made by Mussolini, but he was almost always ignored by his superiors: - messe was against the invasion of Greece (and we all know how it went) - messe was against sending an army to Russia, and he got sent there as a result. At least, when he was in charge, the CSIR (Italian expeditionary corps in Russia) performed well. All of his successes made almost all of his fellow generals jealous of him (also because he was becoming more and more popular with Mussolini) and so, in order to keep their jobs, they tried every possible way to make messe fall from grace. And so Messe was fired from his position in Russia with an excuse and was sent to Tunisia, a theater that everyone (except Mussolini apparently) knew it was doomed to be a disaster. But nevertheless, he still managed to slow down the Allies advance with even less resources than Rommel - and, ironically, Montgomery actually thought that he was fighting against rommel this entire time, and he was very surprised when he discovered that he had been fighting Messe and not Rommel for those last weeks. Fun fact, after the surrender of all Axis forces in africa, Messe went to meet montgomery in person; the first thing monty said as soon as he saw for the first time this short italian general in front of him was "WHO'S THIS?!".

[@lc1138]

It's good to learn more about this man. Thank you !

[@yorick6035]

He does sound like an interesting person, thanks for the info

[@indianajones4321]

Great info!

[@ThatRatBastard]

Imagine how demoralizing it'd be to have the enemy general that beat you just go "Who are you?"

[@indianajones4321]

@@ThatRatBastard yeah that must have really sucked

[@gunman47]

An interesting event this week on May 9 1943 is that a German Ju 88 night fighter fitted with the new Lichtenstein radar set is secretly flown from Norway to Scotland by a crew of defected personnel and possibly led by a British intelligence agent. The analysis of this new advanced equipment and other data about the tactics of German night fighters would eventually be of vital importance to the Allies.

[@karstreitsma7316]

That plane is now at The RAF museum.

[@gunman47]

@@karstreitsma7316 That's right! It is one of only two complete surviving Ju 88 aircraft in the world, the other surviving Ju 88 aircraft being currently displayed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

[@marcinholst106]

I can't wait to see those. Bucket list!

[@soupordave]

That sounds like a great Spy Thriller waiting to happen.

[@paulklee5790]

@@soupordave Brad Pitt or Tom Hardy?

[@TheProteus85]

My grandfather was on the USS Pennsylvania. He said that it was the coldest he's ever been and that they had to disassemble their 20mm and 40mm AA guns and sleep with the critical parts to keep them from freezing up.

[@yorick6035]

(N)ice story, thanks for sharing!

[@ansonarnold1584]

The u.s.s pennsylvania was attached with the pacific fleet. Not the atlantic fleet. So why you talking about wilis

[@jesswilliam5346]

@@ansonarnold1584 It's mentioned this episode that the USS Pennsylvania was in the Bering Strait to assist in retaking the Aleutian Islands

[@gwtpictgwtpict4214]

@@ansonarnold1584 Try looking at a map. A clue, the further you go from the equator, the colder it gets.

[@Hideyoshi1991]

@@ansonarnold1584 you know the Aleutians are in the pacific right?

[@jacquolen1952]

Best part of your channel is the detailed coverage of the Japanese activities during WWII. Growing up, most history concentrated on the European campaign. Japan was actually at war for much longer than Germany and were an incredibly savage and cruel military force. Thanks for the high quality presentation.- Rich

[@misterbaker9728]

I agree.

[@diarradunlap9337]

Japan's WWII experience was 8-15 years long (depending on whether you date the start from the invasion of Manchuria or from the Marco Polo Bridge incident that began their war with China in earnest.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for watching!

[@michaelroark2019]

@@diarradunlap9337 It is this long war period for Japan in China and their lack of victory which puzzles me. Why would they in 1941 attack US? If you have not obtained victory in China after so long why would you then begin another war with a stronger power. There is an element here in their thinking that is not logical but fanatic. Maybe it is the Bushido code. Alien to Western thinking!

[@lycaonpictus9662]

The "official" start date for the Second World War was always a bit flawed for being absurdly eurocentric. The start date for the conflict should really be July of 1937 when Japan invaded China, two years before the invasion of Poland.

[@rafaelgustavo7786]

Italy is the ultimate proof that its soldiers can be brave, but if their logistics are bad, if your technology lags behind your enemies, if your leaders do not know how to recognize your limitations in the war effort: your nation will be an eternal joke in military historiography.

[@danielstickney2400]

Given how badly Italy suffered in World War One it's not surprising the average Italian conscript had little appetite for this war. Especially after Germany declared war on the US with it's large and close-knit Italian immigrant community. One could argue that Italian ties to the US were much closer than Italian ties to Germany, at least at the community level.

[@merdiolu]

Italian soldati did its duty as well as any military serviceman could do under the circumstances he found himself in any front it fought , Greece , North Africa , East Africa , Eatern Front , Balkans etc...The strategic blunder of Mussolini's decision to enter the war and remaining in Axis and following Hitler's lead into catastrophe had little to do with combat endurance or bravery of Italians who had some great artillery and specialist units in their army but let down on a number of vital factors from economy andf industry to leadership to lack of modern weapons in critical areas to logistics and supply and lack of critical leadership

[@samsungtap4183]

I think also there was a feeling in the Italian military that they were fighting on the wrong side !

[@gunman47]

Another interesting footnote this week on May 12 1943 is that the *Mark 24 FIDO acoustic torpedo* will have its first confirmed kill when an RAF B-24 Liberator dropped one such torpedo on surfaced German submarine U-456 and caused major damage to it when the torpedo guided itself to the submarine even though it had submerged by then. U-456 would sink the next day when the damage proved too extensive and sank with all hands. For deceptive purposes, the Mark 24 was described as a “mine” instead of its actual torpedo function.

[@alexamerling79]

Black May for ya

[@Tom_Cruise_Missile]

Glorious German engineering meets the country that made analog standoff self guiding bombs and fucking nukes, haha

[@gerardwall5847]

The Mark 24 mine was highly classified during the war. My father would never speak about the functioning mechanisms of the weapon only recounting that US sailors in the Atlantic Fleet commonly referred to it as the Mickey Finn. The nickname was apparently due to the weapon’s success at knocking out German submarines.

[@merdiolu]

Flowing back from Cap Bon towards Tunis and Bizerte and out of the mountains around Enfidaville, thousands upon thousands of troops made their way into captivity, German officers driving themselves in blunt-nosed open Volkswagen staff cars and a few Mercedes-Benz, Italians in Toppolino Fiats and Lancias, carrying great mounds of personal kit, very few of them accompanied by guards. Two trains passed each other, German prisoners riding in one lot of trucks and British Tommies in the other: ‘British Army no good,’ called out a German soldier. A Tommy shouted back, ‘Then who put you in the f……g cattle truck?’ Bloody Road to Tunis - David Rolf

[@tigertank06]

I wonder had the Axis taken Malta, would things have been different.

[@Raskolnikov70]

@@tigertank06 Yes, very. The UK would have had a much harder time supplying its own forces in Africa as well as interdicting Axis shipping in the Mediterranean. Might have turned the tide of the whole war.

[@robtoe10]

@@Raskolnikov70 Malta earned their George cross

[@noobster4779]

I have to admit, Mussolini clearly had more honor then Hitler in regards to his men. Promoting a general to field marshal and explicitly allowing him to surrender with so many troops is something Hitler would never do. At least once Mussolini did the right thing. Im honestly suprised Hitler didnt order von Arnim to die fighting and refuse Messes command to surrender.

[@tigertank06]

They should’ve evacuated them to provide a defense for Sicily.

[@murmurrrr]

Hardly..

[@marvelousmoostacheman5560]

@@tigertank06 That wasn't logistically possible.

[@tongtong4077]

@@tigertank06 One of the reasons the Axis lost in the first place was that it had become impossible to supply North Africa given Allied air operations and naval supremacy, how could they have evacuated without losing tons of ships, equipment, and men ?

[@abdulmasaiev9024]

@@tongtong4077 Also they couldn't even ferry supplies to those men in Tunisia without half the ships sent getting sunk. Evacuating them? A bit of a TALL ORDER.

[@robertjarman3703]

North Africans: Hooray, we are finally free of European imperialism. France: Yes, but actually no. Wait until 1962.

[@merdiolu]

Still an improvement from Italian colonial imperialism

[@aaroncolby6124]

More like, under new management

[@drdal]

The allied powers won over the axes powers in Africa. But if we talk about the colonies in Africa and the rest of the word, WW2 was the beginning of the end for the colony system. WW2 end the european rule over Africa and other european colonies in the world. WW1 and WW2 was a tragedy and the beginning of the end for Europe, but not for the the rest of the world.

[@Casa-de-hongos]

When was the french/US invasion of Lybia? Seems like yesterday... Imperialism is not over yet.

[@robertjarman3703]

@@Casa-de-hongos NATO never invaded Libya. They enforced a UN Security Council resolution to put a no fly zone on the place, taking out the SAM sites when they were used against the NATO jets and any aircraft taking off by either the rebels or Gaddafi´s forces, with minimal casualties for NATO soldiers and minimal civilian losses even by Human Rights Watch. It was not perfect but that was one of the odd cases where things were done by the book.

[@rnp497]

Those German who became POW's in Tunisia were lucky. After this defeat things are going to go downhill faster than Mussolini's approval rating

[@editorcj]

Living in a POW camp in North America was the safest place for a German citizen in 1944 and 45.

[@jacksonlarson6099]

@@editorcj No kidding. A fair number of German POWs even gained weight while they were held in the US or Canada. For late war German soldiers, North American POW camps were closer to luxury resorts.

[@rashkavar]

Y'know, the thing that's always impressive to me that tends to go without remark when it's done properly: caring for prisoners after these mass surrenders. 250 000 Italian and German troops in Italy surrendering mean 250 000 more people that the British and American forces suddenly need to provide food, water, and medical care for. Of course there are many examples where Prisoners of War do not get that proper care from their captors, and the food quality and quantity can probably fall significantly from an active duty soldier's rations before it reaches a true starvation ration, but it's still quite the logistical challenge, and one that is difficult to plan for since you don't know when or if the enemy will surrender, nor how many there will be when they do. Once they've had a week or so to get everyone processed and distributed out to POW camps and so on, its less dramatic a problem - supplying POW camps is a part of overall logistics, and their requirements are predictable. But in that first week, when your front line forces suddenly have to make sure there's food and water for an extra quarter million people...that's gotta be a challenge. (Worth noting that while a surrendering force does bring their own supplies with them, there's still the issue of bringing those supplies into the logistical system of the captors, and the force that surrendered is often one that has suffered from a lack of resupply immediately prior to their capture. Also, in this case, the water demand is of supreme importance because all of the fighting in Africa has been in very dry conditions (some literally in the Sahara, some coastal stuff that gets Mediterranean weather but is still very hot and dry), and everyone's been on pretty short water rationing this whole time.)

[@WorldWarTwo]

rashkavar Thanks, great thoughts about the logistical challenges of POW's.

[@barrywatkins8031]

A huge number of the Italian POWs were sent to POW camps near Bedford in England and Glasgow in Scotland. Many thousands stayed after the war and settled in those areas.

[@robb1068]

I remember reading a story from the end of the North African campaign where a German unit was refusing to surrender to the Americans because they wanted to instead surrender to the New Zealanders who they had mostly fought with during their time in the desert. The American commander had told them, “to stop this foolishness and come down and surrender already.”

[@michaelmorley7719]

When my father was drafted in 1944, there were Afrika Korps POWs working at the facility where they issued out uniforms to the new inductees. The Germans were in superb physical condition, well fed and exercised, and quite content to be out of the war. My father remembered looking at one particularly beefy gentleman and thinking "We've gotta fight those guys?"

[@greggweber9967]

Actually the not so well fed ones in Europe and the Pacific.

[@danielstickney2400]

Fortunately the US & Canada had the resources and the wisdom to feed and treat their POWs well and the wit to anticipate the post-war benefits. Britain wasn't quite as lavishly supplied but POWs there weren't treated or fed worse than anyone else so they also reaped the post-war benefits. It helps that the Western Allies didn't have a supremacist ideology that would mandate the mistreatment of prisoners. The Soviets also didn't have a supremacist ideology but they also lacked the resources to feed their own people, let alone prisoners, and their utilitarian ideology considered all people fungible in the name of the cause..

[@greggweber9967]

@@danielstickney2400 I suspect that the Soviets had a lot of revenge on their minds.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

@@greggweber9967 It was during 1941 and parts of 1942, but the Soviet leaders quickly realized that it was better to capture Germans alive then murder them, because dead soldiers can't be interrogated for information. They had to sternly force their own troops to not kill any German prisoners though, as they tended to see a lot of the war crimes that the Germans had committed. And by 1944 the Soviets started to capture so many Germans that they came to be seen as useful for forced labor. Conditions were just harsh for the Germans because the Soviets had barely enough food for their own troops and citizens.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 I don't know the exact number but it was at least hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of German soldiers who starved to death (or died of disease) in Soviet POW camps. But like you said, it wasn't really intentional starvation because the Soviets just plain did not have the resources to feed them.

[@PhillyPhanVinny]

2 of my Grand uncles are captured during this week fighting for Italy in North Africa. While on my Mom's side, my other Grandfather is fighting for the US 1st Infantry Division. My Dad's dad is stationed in Sicily as a 18 year old cook/solider fighting for Italy and will be captured when the Allies invade. My family on my Italian side all agreed they were treated better in American POW camps and later American/Allied rule of Sicily in WW2 after being captured then they were by the Italian Army and Italian government. This is why they all tried to move to the US after the war. Though only my Grandfather would be fortunate enough to get in. His 2 brothers would move to Canada and the Netherlands since they couldn't get into the US. Their sisters kept living in Sicily.

[@WorldWarTwo]

That's quite amazing, Vinny. I'm glad they made it through as POWs, and very glad that you're my fellow countryman as a result of your Grandfather's getting in.

[@PhillyPhanVinny]

@@WorldWarTwo Thanks. Yeah it would have been more crazy if both my Grandfathers actually fought against each other during the Allied invasion of Sicily. But my Grandfathers talked about it after my parents got married and they were not in the same location in Sicily when the fighting was happening. My Grandfather who fought for Italy in Sicily said that his unit was only given 10 bullets each (2 clips) for their bolt action guns to face off against the US and British troops invading them. My Grandfather said he fired his 10 bullets like the rest of his unit and then they surrendered since they were not getting any refill on ammo. My Grandfather on my Mom's side fighting for the US in the Big Red One said he would fire all 8 of the rounds in his M1 Garand every time they got into combat and would then reload. He said he had plenty of ammo during his whole time in the war (he was sent back to the US after North Africa and Sicily to train new recruits so he didn't fight on D-Day, France or Germany).

[@gwtpictgwtpict4214]

@@PhillyPhanVinny Something the Allies did, but the Axis never quite seemed to grasp, rotate your combat experienced personnel back to pass on their hard won experience to the new recruits. It pays dividends.

[@lycaonpictus9662]

@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 That was partly out of necessity. The Allies had a deeper manpower pool and were better positioned to rotate experienced personnel away from the front and into training roles than the Axis powers. Of course the manpower problem was the fault of the mad Axis leadership that blundered their way into a global conflict against three great powers simultaneously.

[@jacksonlarson6099]

@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 The Axis doctrine of "use them until they win the war or die" really screwed over their pilot reserves. Germany and Japan started the war with a good number of ace pilots racking up absurd numbers of kills in comparison to allied aces (who were consistently rotated out), but by mid-war these countries had almost completely run out of experienced pilots, leaving no one to train the new-comers. This is one of the factors that led to the adoption of Kamikaze tactics by the Japanese.

[@satanicmuffin9309]

Please update your "Source Literature List" in the description. It only includes sources for 1939, 1940, and 1941. It seems very much incomplete.

[@douglasturner6153]

A not so fun fact is the US Army 7th Inf Division were trained and equipped in the southern California desert for the North African Campaign. Unneeded they were sent right off to the Aleutians Operation.Totally ill equipped and trained. The suffering was terrible

[@eleanorkett1129]

I hadn't seen much coverage of the campaign in Alaska. Those Axis troops surrendering in North Africa are a lot better off than their friends continuing the fight. Mussolini would have achieved greater glory had he limited his North African adventures to oil exploration.

[@noobster4779]

Imagine he had found the lybian oil we know of today and massively exploited it, he could have fuel half the german army with that...

[@misterbaker9728]

@@noobster4779 that’s like sayin what if they knew of all the oil in Germany. Problem with that is TECHNOLOGY. Wasn’t even close to being able to get it out of ground let alone refine it

[@popeo1973]

@@noobster4779 lol how would he get it cross the sea when the Royal Navy Attack the supply line?

[@tigertank06]

Could have been retreated to Sicily.

[@Raskolnikov70]

@@misterbaker9728 Even if they weren't able to fully use oil reserves in Libya due to lack of infrastructure, knowing about them would have changed German and Italian strategy when it came to the African theater. It's likely they would have put a lot more effort into building up that area (in both military and technology) as well as their naval defenses in order to ensure access to it. Instead they treated Africa as a backwater and only half-heartedly supported operations there while throwing everything they had at the USSR.

[@merdiolu]

Bizerta Outside the town the prisoners’ cages were filling up. Not since Wavell’s days had I seen such swarms of men. The compound on the Massicault road overflowed beyond its barbed wire and cactus hedges, and the Germans and Italians simply hung around the outskirts waiting to be taken in. A German band, complete with its instruments, had arrived. The bandsmen stood in a square and played soothing Viennese lieder. There must have been five thousand prisoners in that camp and more were coming in at the rate of five hundred an hour. The prisoners were being issued with tins of bully beef, packets of biscuits and tins of fruit. There seemed to be plenty. Since neither I myself nor anyone in the army had been able to get his hands on more than a spoonful of tinned fruit for the past few weeks, I found myself unreasonably annoyed with one German who was pouring away the juice in order to get at the pears in his tin more easily. At that moment I had not yet begun to know the full story of the prisoners or I would not have been so excited. While all this peaceful sorting-out was going on in Tunis tremendous events were happening outside the town. The Americans had broken clean through the mountains to the west and north of Medjerda Valley, and were mopping up prisoners in uncounted thousands. The Seventh Armoured Division wheeled northward from Tunis and pursued its old enemy, the 15th Panzer Division, up the coast road as far as Porto Farina, outside Bizerta. The Germans made one abortive attempt to escape by sea-bodies were being washed ashore for days afterwards-and then surrendered. Those two divisions had been fighting one another across the desert for years. The Fighting French had come through Pont du Fahs in one epic rush and were counting their prisoners by the truckload. On the coast the skeleton Eighth Army was again locked in a most bloody battle around Enfidaville. But all this did not account for the main bulk of von Arnim’s forces. They were in a state of disorder, but they were still intact. In a vast disorganised mob the majority of them had made for the Cape Bon Peninsula, where arrangements for evacuation ought to have been made. Cape Bon was defensible. A stiff double line of hills ran across its base, and von Arnim’s last coherent plan was to get as many of his men and weapons as possible behind those hills before the British arrived. There were only two feasible passes through the hills-one at Hamman Lif, where the Bey had his palace, on the northern coast outside Tunis, the other at the lovely tourist town of Hammamet on the south coast at the base of Cape Bon. Von Arnim himself had retreated to the Zaghouan area and was fighting a hot rearguard action back toward Hammamet. His northern armies meanwhile were slipping through the Hamman Lif gap in the north. This was the moment when Alexander turned his decisive thrust on Tunis into a coup de grâce. It is fascinating to me now to look back and see a guiding hand in all these vast movements. At the time, everything to me was pretty confused; indeed, travelling as I was with the onward sweep of the troops and being without general information from hour to hour, it was impossible to know what plan, if any, was being carried out. All I knew was that a major breakthrough had occurred and, willy-nilly, one followed the general advance wherever it went. It was not until a few days later, when General Anderson explained to us personally what had happened, that I realised what a masterpiece of design the breakthrough had been, and what enormous risks had been taken. In our headlong thrust to Tunis we had left huge numbers of the enemy in pockets on either side of us. It was an extremely narrow thrust, and the major risk was that the enemy might close in behind us and entirely surround the head of the British army. Fifty things might have gone wrong. As it turned out, the sheer depth and swiftness of the thrust entirely disorganised von Arnim’s command. Von Arnim himself was put to flight. So were his corps and divisional headquarters. The result was that the big pockets of fresh fighting troops on either side of the British breakthrough were without orders. They saw a great column of enemy vehicles and tanks rushing past them, and they simply deduced that the game was up. They headed at full steam for Cape Bon. Now, having taken this first major risk and got away with it, Alexander and Anderson decided to go one further. They decided to split the German army in two halves by occupying the Hamman Lif-Hammamet line across the base of Cape Bon Peninsula before von Arnim could. In that way one-half of the Germans would be bottled up in the peninsula, the other half would be isolated outside, and neither would even get a chance of getting to the boats. There was, of course, not an instant to lose, and already, before Tunis fell, the orders went out to the Sixth Armoured Division: ‘You will break through the enemy position at Hamman Lif and then, wheeling south between the hills, proceed to Hammamet.’ Even on paper it seemed to be a fantastic thing to ask of any division. For one thing, it meant their tackling an enemy at least ten times numerically stronger. But Alexander had the Germans on the run and he meant to keep them running even if it cost him an entire division or more. Some of our finest infantry-the Guards-without waiting for daylight, set off into the unknown. The subsequent march of the Sixth Division must place it and its general in the very highest place in the military history of the war. They arrived outside Hamman Lif at nightfall, the evening after Tunis fell. The village straggles along the main road and the seashore, and it is dominated by the Bey’s white palace on the road and a tall apartment house standing near the sea. There are half a dozen blocks of smaller buildings and the streets run at right angles. The Germans had set up about twenty 88-millimetre guns in a field beyond the town. They had also established snipers in every one of the six storeys of the apartment house, and there were fighting troops in the village as well. It was an extremely strong defensive position since it had to be attacked frontally, after the surrounding heights were taken. The general waited until the moon had risen. Then he placed tanks at the mouths of each of the village streets. The Guards infantry clambered up on the outside of the tanks. Then the tanks charged. At each intersection infantry dropped off and went down the side streets mopping up with the grenade, the bayonet and the tommy-gun. Others continued to the apartment house and dealt with it in the same way. The tanks engaged the 88s at short range and knocked them out. In that one epic moonlight charge the town was taken. Someone went into the Bey’s palace and apologised to the hysterical officials for the damage that was done, and the rest of the division swept on. They broke clean through to Hammamet inside the next ten hours. They roared past German airfields, workshops, petrol and ammunition dumps and gun positions. They did not stop to take prisoners-things had gone far beyond that. If a comet had rushed down that road, it could hardly have made a greater impression. The Germans now were entirely dazed. Wherever they looked, British tanks seemed to be hurtling past. Von Arnim’s guns would be firing south only to find that the enemy had also appeared behind them-and over on the left -and on the right. The German generals gave up giving orders since they were completely out of touch and the people to whom they could give orders were diminishing every hour. In what direction, anyway, were they to fight. Back toward Zaghouan? Toward Tunis? Under the German military training you had to have a plan. But there was no plan. Only the boats remained-the evacuation boats which had been promised them. The boats that were to take them back to Italy. In a contagion of doubt and fear the German army turned tail and made up the Cape Bon roads looking for the boats. When on the beaches it became apparent to them at last that there were no boats-nor any aircraft either-the army became a rabble. The Italian navy had not dared to put to sea to save its men. The Luftwaffe had been blown out of the sky. In other words, the Axis had cut its losses and the Afirika Korps was abandoned to its fate. On May 10th I set off up the peninsula through Hamman Lif to see one of the most grotesque and awesome spectacles that can have occurred in this war-an entire German army laying down its arms The Desert War - Alan Moorehead

[@nbhoser]

Why did he consider it "grotesque?"

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

@@nbhoser Seeing an army collapse, even an enemy army, is probably a surreal experience

[@lycaonpictus9662]

@@nbhoser I assume he means grotesque from the point of view of the defeated. An entire army forced into a situation where it must lay down it's arms, is an epic disaster. For the soldiers who marched off to captivity however it was likely a blessing in disguise. Most of the German combat troops who were elsewhere in 1943, and still fighting, would be among the dead in 1945.

[@mconrad8243]

@@nbhoser While "grotesque" to modern American speakers has only the meaning of malformed or disgusting, Moorehead is using another, perhaps more educated artistic or literary meaning. Consider these dictionary definitions: "Incongruous or inappropriate to a shocking degree" "A very ugly or comically distorted figure, creature, or image."

[@jasondouglas6755]

You called it the Normandy landings. Have they already decided on Normandy or are they still considering the Pas-de-Calais?

[@WorldWarTwo]

We refer to them as the Normandy landings, but the Caen sector wasn't confirmed until (slight spoiler) August 1943.

[@robertkras5162]

Nobody would invade France by Normandy - Calais is so much closer to Britain. I would fully expect an invasion there.

[@AbbeyRoadkill1]

@@robertkras5162 I don't see how it could be anywhere else. Other locations are too difficult for such a massive undertaking.

[@brucetucker4847]

@@robertkras5162 There might be a diversionary landing in Normandy, but der fuhrer won't be fooled by such a transparent scheme!

[@IudiciumInfernalum]

I've grown so accustomed to hearing about the Afrikakorps and the general action in Africa that it's jarring and almost seems unreal when these big events happen.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

Rommel is still around, will be active in Italy again soon, and some of the DAK divisions will return in a new form. 15th Panzer division would return as the 15th Panzergrenadier division, a renamed division, in Sicily, Italy and the battle of the Bulge. And 21st Panzer would return as a reformed division in France, fighting in Normandy, the Bulge, Alsace and meeting its end on the Eastern Front in the battle of Berlin.

[@Lematth88]

This Week in French events : The 9th, Michel Clémenceau, the son of George Clemenceau « Le Tigre », is arrested by Laval after having received a letter from him denouncing the political utilization of his father’s image for Vichy France. He is first incarcerated in Fresnes, then in Romainville, Compiègne and Royallieu. The 11th, Paul Reynaud is transferred to Itter. By this time the French tennis man Jean Borotra is transferred too in Itter. He was a minister under Petain in 1940 for Physical Education and Sports until April 1942. He was against the professionalization of sports and forbid two federation (tennis and wrestling) let four year for football, cycling, boxing and Basque pelota to dismantle. He did too as his last action forbid the FSPT, UFOLEP and USEP, federation multi-sports in schools, that had the tendencies to be ideologically near the communists and the socialists. Marechalist but not Petainist and clearly not collaborationist, he retarded actions against the Jews in sports. He does try to escape to North Africa in November 1942, but he is arrested by the Gestapo and deported to Sachsenhausen. Now the Swedish King Gustave V, particularly fond of tennis, ask to Germany his transfer to Itter, which happens. [Spoiler: he will continue to “protect” the memory of Petain until his death, being the president of the Association for the Defence of the Memory of Marshal Pétain from 1976 to 1980, claiming that he did what he had to do to save France. And wanted the revision of his condemnation.] The 12th, Édouard Herriot (prime minister between 1924-1925 and in 1932, president of the Chamber of Deputies between 1925-1926 and 1936-1940, member of the Parti Radical and president of this Party between 1919-1926, 1931-1936, supporter of Petain in 1940 but supported the deputies who wanted to go to North Africa, then in 1942 begin a muted opposition before being interned by the German) bring is official support to Spoiler next week it’s going to be extra long 😊

[@odysseusrex5908]

I find the contrast between Mussolini promoting his commander to field marshal with the explicit permission honorably to surrender, and Hitler promoting Paulus to field marshal with the implicit direction to commit suicide as his command is liquidated interesting.

[@Valdagast]

Poor von Arnim. Not only defeated but forced to have dinner with Montgomery.

[@merdiolu]

That was General Ritter Von Thoma captured at the end of Second Battle of Alamein in 4th November 1942 who dined with Montgomery. General Hans Jurgen Von Arnim was captured by 4th Indian Division (they also captured entire Heersgruppe Afrika HQ on 12th May 1943) and met with 18th Army Group commander General Harold Alexander who was his equalivent. Eisenhower who had been previously badly burned with Darlan Deal and other contacts with Vichy French authorities at the eyes of press and public in November 1942 at Algiers , refused to meet with Von Arnim and Montgomery was about to leave to Algiers busy with planning Operation Husky invasion of Sicily at this time.

[@Valdagast]

@@merdiolu details, details

[@danielmocsny5066]

Imagine dining with Montgomery and then being hospitalized with nervous trauma as a result, only to be slapped by Patton when he visits and discovers you don't have any "actual" (i.e. physical) wounds.

[@robertkras5162]

I'm pretty sure dinner with Montgomery reaches the level of a war crime.

[@bigwoody4704]

@@robertkras5162 That's what Churchill said something like "Poor Von Thoma - I too have dined with montgomery"

[@teerex51]

At 13:35 there's a curious quote from Rick Atkinson's "An Army at Dawn": 'They came as a bedraggled mob of *Mangiatori'.* Initially it didn't make much sense to me, as the word 'mangiatori' only means 'eaters' in Italian. I did a little research and found out the meaning here was *"useless mouths."*

[@WorldWarTwo]

Great context, thank you.

[@Bubbles47]

Hope you guys will read this: in Italian language when you find words with i.e. "chi" or "che" you should read the "ch" with like a strong k. "Pachino" it's not pronounced like the actor Al Pacino, but more like Pakino (like how you would pronounce the "Paki" in "Pakistan"). Excelsior!

[@DarthVader-ig6ci]

How did Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt travelled to the conferences during the war? It must've been dangerous and may had to travel close to Axis occupied territories( if they did so) and risks of assassination and such.

[@m1t2a1]

There's news about USS William D. Porter in six months or so, accidentally firing a torpedo at USS Iowa. President Roosevelt was on the Iowa.

[@nickdanger3802]

Churchill and FDR usually went by air. Stalin only attended one, and that was in Crimea which was part of the USSR at the time, in Feb 45. See: Travels with Churchill Air & Space Magazine

[@caryblack5985]

@@nickdanger3802 Well I know Stalin was at the conference at Teheran in 1943.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

Roosevelt probably traveled via USN cruiser or battleship, Churchill I think often traveled by air, which means on his flight to Gibraltar or North Africa he had to pass the Bay of Biscay where the German navy and long range aviation was active. So he was probably most at risk, but he was a risk taker. His generals constantly had to talk him out of visiting the frontlines. He wanted to personally witness the D-Day landings and go ashore on French soil that day. Mark Felton has a vid of Churchill even ending up under German fire when he visited the Rhine when it was being crossed by Allied forces in 1945. Ironically enough it was a front sector that his generals had deemed safe for him to visit. Personal courage was never a failing of Churchill. Stalin rarely traveled to any of these conferences save the Tehran conference, which was partly under Soviet occupation, so he was rarely in any danger. He had probably more to fear of his own underlings then the Germans, although there seems to have been a German plan to assassinate the Allied leaders at Tehran.

[@greg_mca]

Stalin didn't trust aircraft (understandable seeing how many crashed with important officers aboard) so he insisted on travelling by train. This limited his meetings with the other leaders so they often came to him. Churchill often moved about by aircraft, such as crossing to neutral Portugal in order to travel to north Africa or across the Atlantic. He did this often enough that special masks were made to allow him to smoke cigars while in flight. Molotov visited London in 1942 by plane as well, and did so by taking a route across the baltic, using a fast bomber at extremely high altitudes, too high to intercept in a timely manner. Lord Beaverbrook, when he visited Moscow to arrange lend lease supplies, went via the Arctic shipping route, dangerous and slow as it was. Much of the time leaders sent representatives on their behalf, but if necessary a high flying plane and a sturdy ship were enough to get them where they needed to be. For the axis to stop them they'd need to know they were there first, and be able to find them and intercept them quickly enough, which they could not

[@AdmV0rl0n]

One of the most splendid shows on KZbin. For much of my life - I have watched, studied and learned about history, and this war. And your work is right up there. Top notch.

[@WorldWarTwo]

AdmV0rl0n Thanks for the very kind words. We're all history enthusiasts as well, and it's incredible to have the support of wonderful people like you who also take it seriously. Please do stay tuned every week as we grind through the rest of the war

[@SupaThePink]

Proud Time Ghost Army member for a few months now. Keep up the exceptional work!

[@WorldWarTwo]

That's great to hear! Thank you so much!

[@bullholder]

Sorry but it is no small wonder why the Chinese still resent Japan today and for good reason. They have never apologised for their atrocities in China and continue to celebrate war criminals.

[@bloodrave9578]

They don't even teach the war crimes in Japanese schools and the government only recently (within the last 30 years or so) started apologising for the treatment of POWs

[@merdiolu]

Alexander’s fresh ‘final plan’ emerged, indirectly, from the block in the Enfidaville bottleneck. On April 21st, when the failureof the three-division attack there had become painfully plain, Montgomery was driven to suspend it because of the mounting losses - a suspension that had helped Arnim to shift all his remaining armour northward to stop the main British attack from breaking through east of Medjez el Bab, as already related. Montgomery planned to resume his effort on the 29th, concentrating it in the narrow coastal strip, without trying to secure the high ground inland. This directive, though accepted by Horrocks, met with strong objection from the two foremost divisional commanders, Tuker and Freyberg. Their warning arguments were supported by the early check suffered when the fresh attack was delivered. Next day, April 30th, Alexander arrived on the scene to discuss the situation with Montgomery, and then gave orders that the two best available divisions of the Eighth Army should be switched to the First Army for a fresh and reinforced thrust in the Medjez el Bab sector. That alternative course had been urged by Tuker before the abortive Enfidaville attack. It might well have been adopted earlier, for the Enfidaville attack had not even fulfilled the limited object of pinning down the Axis forces there and preventing the reinforcement of the central sector. The switch, once decided, was quickly put into effect. The two picked divisions, the 4th Indian and 7th British Armoured, started on their long north-westward move before dark that same day. For the 7th Armoured, which was lying back in reserve, it entailed a circuitous journey of nearly 300 miles along rough roads, but this was completed in a couple of days - the tanks being carried on transporters. The two divisions were transferred to the 9th Corps, which was entrusted with the decisive stroke, and itself sidestepped northward to concentrate for the purpose behind the sector held by the 5th Corps. Horrocks himself was also included in the transfer, to take over command of the 9th Corps, as Crocker had just been disabled by an accidental injury incurred in demonstrating a new mortar - a personal stroke of ill luck at a moment of great opportunity. Meanwhile Bradley’s US 2nd Corps had resumed its attack inthe northern sector on the night of April 26th. In four days of stiff fighting its efforts to advance through this hilly region were baffled by the enemy’s obstinate resistance. But persistent pressure strained the enemy’s resources so heavily, and produced such an acute shortage of ammunition on his side, that he was compelled to withdraw to a fresh and less easily defensible line east of Mateur. The withdrawal was skilfully carried out during the nights of May 1st and 2nd without interference, but the new line was only fifteen miles from the base-port of Bizerta, so that the defence had now become perilously lacking in depth - as it was, already, in the Medjez el Bab sector facing Tunis. Such lack of depth for defence made fatal the defenders’ extreme shortage of supplies, and this went far to assure the decisiveness of the fresh offensive that was now being mounted by the Allies for launching on May 6th. For once the crust was pierced there would be no possibility of prolonging resistance by elastic defence and manoeuvre in retreat. Although the Axis forces had managed to frustrate the previous attacks they had succeeded at the price of almost exhausting their scanty stocks, being left with only enough ammunition for a brief reply to the attackers’ overwhelming fire and only enough fuel for the shortest of counter-moves. Moreover they were devoid of air cover as the airfields in Tunisia had become untenable and almost all the remaining aircraft had been withdrawn to Sicily.The impending blow came as no surprise to the Axis commanders, as they had intercepted Allied radio messages which revealed the switch of large forces from the Eighth Army to the First. But awareness of the blow was of little help in meeting it when they lacked the means. In Alexander’s new plan, ‘Vulcan’, the breakthrough was to be made by a hammer-blow with the 9th Corps, passing through the 5th, and striking on a very narrow front - less than two miles wide - in the valley south of the Medjerda River. The assault was to be delivered by a massive phalanx composed of the 4th British and 4th Indian Divisions with four supporting battalions of ‘infantry’tanks, closely followed by the 6th and 7th Armoured Divisions. The armoured strength comprised more than 470 tanks. After the two infantry divisions had penetrated the defence to a depth of some three miles, the two armoured divisions were to drive through and in their first bound reach the area of St Cyprien, twelve miles from the starting line and halfway to Tunis. Alexander emphasized in his instructions that ‘the primary object is to capture Tunis’, so as to forestall any rally, and that there must be no pause for ‘mopping up localities which the enemy continues to hold’. Second World War - Lidell Hart

[@merdiolu]

As a preliminary to the 9th Corps assault, the 5th Corps was ordered to capture the flanking height of the Djebel Bou Aoukaz on the evening of May 5th - a mission which was achieved after some stiff fighting. After that the chief task of the 5th Corps was ‘to keep open the funnel’ through which the 9th Corps was thrusting. In the event it proved to be no problem, as the enemy no longer had the means of developing an effective counterattack. Opening the funnel might have been more difficult if the 9th Corps assault had been launched in daylight as originally intended - in view of the First Army’s lack of experience in night attacks. But on Tuker’s insistence the plan was altered and zero hour was fixed for 3 AM, so as to gain full benefit from the cloak of obscurity provided by a moonless night. At his urging, too, the customary barrage was replaced by successive concentrations of fire, centrally controlled, on all known enemy strongpoints, and the provision of artillery ammunition was doubled, raising it to a thousand rounds per gun. These concentrated shoots put down a shell on every two yards of front, so that the defences were plastered five times more thickly than by the barrage at Alamein the previous autumn. The paralysing effect of these concentrated shoots, by the 400 guns immediately supporting the assault, was increased and extended by the terrific air attack starting at dawn, which comprised over 200 sorties. By 9.30 AM the 4th Indian Division had punched a deep hole, at a cost of little more than a hundred casualties, and reportedthat there was no sign of any serious opposition ahead - telling Corps Headquarters that the armour could now ‘go as fast and as far as it liked’. Before 10 AM the leading troops of the 7th British Armoured Division had begun to pour through the line gained by the infantry. On the right wing, the British 4th Division was late in starting and slower in advancing, but was helped by the thrust of its left wing neighbour, and reached its objective before noon. The armoured divisions were then at last permitted to drive on. In mid-afternoon, however, they were halted for the night near Massicault - which was barely six miles beyond the start-line of the assault and three miles beyond the line gained by the infantry, while only a quarter of the way to Tunis. This extreme caution is explained in the divisional history of the 7th by the statement that the commander ‘considered that it would be wiser to keep each Brigade in the firm positions they both held rather than to loosen the hold of both and complicate the long task of replenishment’ - an explanation which shows all too clearly a failure to grasp the elementary principles of exploitation, and to fulfil its spirit. As at Wadi Akarit, Horrocks and the commanders of the armoured divisions were slow to respond to the call of opportunity, and continued to operate at a tempo more characteristic of infantry action than fitted to fulfil the potentialities of mechanized mobility. There was no need for such caution. The eight-mile sector south of the Medjerda River where the blow was struck, on a two-mile frontage, had been held by two weak infantry battalions and an anti-tank battalion of the 15th Panzer Division, supported by a composite force of less than sixty tanks - almost all that remained of the Axis armour. This very thin shield had been stunned and pulverized by the tremendous concentration of shells and bombs supporting the assault. Moreover lack of fuel had prevented Arnim from bringing northward the unarmoured remainder of the 10th and 21st Panzer Divisions, as had been planned. That fatal lack of fuel had proved more effective in pinning them down than the elaborate deception plan which the British had designed to make it appear that they were again going to strike in the Kourzia sector.The 6th and 7th British Armoured Divisions resumed their advance at dawn, on May 7th, but again showed excessive caution, and were held up until the afternoon by a handful of Germans, with ten tanks and a few German anti tank guns, at St Cyprien before all of these were destroyed or crushed by British tanks and infantry. It was 3.15 PM before the order was given to drive into Tunis. The armoured-cars of the 11th Hussars entered the city half an hour later, and thus fittingly crowned the leading role this regiment had played since the start of the North African campaign nearly three years earlier. The Derbyshire Yeomanry, the armoured-car regiment of the 6th British Armoured Division, entered almost simultaneously. They were followed up by tanks and motor-borne infantry to extend and complete the occupation of the city. In the process, the troops suffered more embarrassment and obstruction from the hysterical enthusiasm of the population, pelting them with flowers and kisses, than from the sporadic resistance put up by small pockets of confused and disorganized Germans. A considerable number were taken prisoner that evening, and many more were rounded up next morning, while a much larger proportion sought to escape by fleeing northward or southward from the city. What remained of the fighting formations on the perimeter also retreated in these divergent directions once they were split asunder by the thrust into Tunis. Meanwhile the US 2nd Corps had resumed its attack in the northern sector to coincide with the British thrust. Progress on May 6th had been slow, and resistance seemed still stiff, but on the next afternoon reconnaissance elements of the 9th Infantry Division found the road open and drove into Bizerta at 4.15 PM, the enemy having evacuated the city and withdrawn south-eastward. Formal entry into the city was reserved for the French Corps Franc d’Afrique, which arrived on the 8th. The 1st US Armored Division, advancing from Mateur, had suffered checks on the first two days. So had the 1st and 34th US Infantry Divisions farther south. But on the 8th the 1st Armored found the defence collapsing and progress easy, as the enemy’s ammunition and fuel became exhausted and the British 7th Armoured Division were swinging north from Tunis along the coast in his rear. Trapped between the British and American spearheads, and without means of resistance or retreat, mass surrenders began. The leading squadron of the 11th Hussars had some 10,000 prisoners on its hands before evening. Early next morning, the 9th, part of another squadron drove on to Porto Farina, near the cape of that name twenty miles east of Bizerta, where it received the surrender of 9,000 more who were crowded on the beach, some of them pathetically trying to build rafts - and were relieved to be able to hand this crowd of prisoners over to the American armoured force which arrived soon afterwards. At 9.30 AM General von Vaerst, commanding the 5th Panzer Army and the northern area, signalled to Arnim: ‘Our armour and artillery have been destroyed. Without ammunition and fuel. We shall fight to the last.’ The final sentence was a gallant bit of absurdity, for troops cannot fight without ammunition. Vaerst soon learnt that his troops, realizing how nonsensical were such heroic orders, were giving themselves up. So by midday, he agreed to a formal surrender of his remaining troops, which raised the total bag in this area to nearly 40,000. Second World War - Lidell Hart

[@merdiolu]

A much larger part of the Axis forces, when the split was produced, lay in the area south of Tunis. This area was also more defensible by nature, and the Allied commanders expected that the enemy would make a more prolonged stand there. But there, too, the exhaustion of the enemy’s ammunition and fuel produced a quick collapse after a short resistance. The collapse was accelerated by a general feeling of hopelessness, since even where some supplies remained the Axis troops were aware that no replenishments were possible - for the same reason that no escape was possible. Alexander’s aim now was to prevent Messe’s army, the southerly part of the Axis forces, retreating into the large Cap Bon peninsula and establishing a firm ‘last ditch’ position there. So the 6th Armoured Division, as soon as Tunis had been captured, was ordered to turn south-east and drive for Hamman Lif, the near corner of the peninsula’s baseline, while the 1st Armored Division converged in the same direction. At Hamman Lif the hills came soclose to the sea that the flat coastal strip was only 300 yards wide. This narrow defile was held by a German detachment, supported by 88-mm guns withdrawn from airfield defence, and for two days it blocked all efforts to force a passage. But the obstacle was eventually overcome by a well-combined effort. The infantry of the 6th British Armoured Division captured the heights overlooking the town, the artillery swept the streets methodically block by block, and a column of tanks was then sent along the beach at the edge of the surf, where they were better shielded from the fire of the one German gun that remained in action. By nightfall on the 10th the drive was extended across the baseline of the peninsula to Hammamet, thus cutting off the enemy’s surviving forces. Paralysed by lack of fuel, they had been unable to withdraw to the peninsula. Next day the 6th Armoured Division drove on southward into the rear of the Axis troops who were keeping the British Eighth Army in check near Enfidaville. Although these still had some ammunition in hand, the definite proof that they were trapped and without hope of escape produced their speedy surrender. By the 13th all the remaining Axis commanders and their troops had submitted. Only a few hundred had escaped by sea or air to Sicily - beyond the 9,000 wounded and sick who had been evacuated since the beginning of April. As to the size of the final bag, there is a lack of certainty. On May 12th Alexander’s headquarters reported to Eisenhower that the number of prisoners since May 5th had risen to 100,000 and it was reckoned as likely to reach 130,000 when the count was complete. A later report ‘gave the total bag at about 150,000’. But in his postwar Despatch Alexander said that the total was ‘a quarter of a million men’. Churchill in his Memoirs gives the same round figure, but qualifies it with the word ‘nearly’. Eisenhower gives it as ‘240,000, of which approximately 125,000 were Germans’. Second World War - Lidell Hart

[@jimmyjimmy2075]

British failed invasion of Burma big defeat for the British...

[@dumptrump3788]

5:50 What Brook said is always overlooked by so called "Experts" who drone on & on about how the Mediteranean campaign was "Churchill's folly" & how it detracted from the European invasion. Keeping the USSR in the war was vital & the Strategic Bomber campaign & the Mediteranean were used as justification to Stalin that The Allies were fighting & not just leaving it up to the USSR.

[@watcherzero5256]

Indeed and a quarter of a million prisoners, between 100,000 and 150,000 of them German (allied commanders disagreed on the exact German-Italian ratio of the prisoners) with another 50,000 taken earlier in the campaign. At this same time a German-Romanian force of 200,000 on the Kuban peninsula has forced a Russian army of 450,000 to give up offensive operations. The Germans will withdraw in September to try and shorten the front and the Soviets will move in behind to reoccupy but it will be a full year before the Soviets in this region go on the offensive again.

[@doodledibob]

I just want to say a big thank you to all of you working to bring us this coverage. The amount of nuance and detail you bring is truly essential to understanding this part of our history

[@WorldWarTwo]

Doodledibob Thank you for your very kind words of appreciation. The whole team works hard every week to bring you this history, and it helps us immensely having a keen & engaged audience like you.

[@JiveDadson]

My dad was a secretary in Ike's N.Africa office. (He was one of few men who could type.) Victory in NA was not kind to him. He was transfered back to the 5th Army, and given an M1 Garand and an entrenching tool. Soon he was living in the Anzio Beach mud.

[@WorldWarTwo]

That's amazing, thank you for sharing his experiences here. He must have seen some incredible things at Anzio

[@JiveDadson]

@@WorldWarTwo He deftly avoided the topic of Anzio. I wrote a response here earlier, but somehow fumbled it during a glitch. Remind me to write more later.

[@ottovonbismarck1352]

Honestly knowing what we know, I would rather be taken as a POW in North Africa then “escape” back to the Axis to be sent to another hellish front to fight on.

[@Elongated_Muskrat]

Its weird that Churchill sponsors TimeGhost but understandable.

[@indianajones4321]

The end of an era, the war in Africa

[@gianniverschueren870]

Wonderful necktie, very old-fashioned but in a good way. 4/5

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks Gianni

[@Paladin1873]

I think the North African campaign lasted just under three years ( June 1940 - May 1943).

[@temy4895]

"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

Does anyone have an inkling as to why Mussolini turned down Hitler's offer of troops? Did he fear reaction in his own country?

[@merdiolu]

Fearing further loss of face , fear of displayed unable to defend even Italian home shores...this is worst fear of dictatorships

[@aaroncolby6124]

He feared becoming another German puppet state, like Slovakia.

[@noobster4779]

Imagine 5 more german divisions in sicaly waiting for the allies. Considering the trouble the allies had with the german troops there during the landing (one german counterattack literally had to be stopped by naval gun fire from crushing right into the american landing beach) it would have been much harder.

[@Casa-de-hongos]

Also possibly distrust at this point and fear of occupation.

[@brucetucker4847]

@@Casa-de-hongos A fear that would prove well-founded.

[@MB-eb9ed]

Yay I’m an officer now lol

[@pnutz_2]

grats on the promotion

[@WorldWarTwo]

MB THANK YOU! The TimeGhost Army is amazing, we couldn't do this channel without you.

[@marcsteenbergen8541]

Thank you very much and welcome to the club from Fleurke en Marc:-)

[@rook1196]

surrender to timeghost and become a field general

[@maximilianenescu9611]

The 'Word from our sponsor' bit was hilarious 😂😂 Great job guys, as always.

[@marcsteenbergen8541]

But all is not lost: It is reported that Steiner and his rubber ducky are crossing the Med to Tunis for the counterattack which will solve all >:)

[@caryblack5985]

Steiner's attack failed.

[@robertkras5162]

What?!!! it can't be...

[@johnogrady696]

One of the fascinating things about WWII is that it had these interim “ends” where it was clear the war was over in a particular area. Another example are the islands in the Pacific taken back from the Japanese,the taking of Sicily,etc.....for the people living in these areas it must have felt like the day the war ended.

[@ForgottenHonor0]

"Who would have thought the final plans for the invasion of Sicily would take place in a lavatory?" General Montgomery, _Patton_

[@danielnavarro537]

The end of the North African campaign has come. The Allies have gain the experience needed to go on in the war. The Tunisian campaign was brutal for all sides. Kasserine Pass, Bizerte, Mareth Line, and much more. The Allies and Axis fought bravely for these lands but the Allies have prevail. Now the questions remain: Can the Axis achieve a victory despite suffering major defeats? Only time can tell. Godspeed to those who died in the war.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you Daniel

[@yes_head]

Hopefully you follow up with all of those German and Italian prisoners. How long did they remain in North Africa? Where did they go next? Inquiring minds want to know! 😉

[@bobsemple07]

wow 3 years of this African campaign I can't believe it's over image the feelings of the men from both sides and how they thought about it. as always great work indy

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for watching, Bob

[@mnk9073]

Honestly, kudos to Mussolini for being realistic about the situation, promoting Messe for more authority and letting him surrender/telling him to surrender. Especially given the other guys "No fieldmarshall of Germany ever surrendered!" just a bit earlier... I always wonder what a non-Pact of Steel Italy would have turned out to be.

[@Johnsavage1]

North Africa can be considered it's own separate war and it's end should be celebrated more.

[@hannahskipper2764]

Rommel: *bows head then salutes* I told them this would happen. Take care of my men. Allies: *returns salutes* We'll always remember Africa. *whispers amongst selves* Holy shit, it's over.

[@jacobsamorodin9937]

You didn't mention preparations being made for the Dambusters; and of an American B-17 bomber named Memphis Belle that was nearing 25 combat missions to retire at.

[@SitInTheShayd]

My army and my Regiment is going to be involved soon. Paratus

[@bcvetkov8534]

It's crazy we're finally here at North Africas fall. After all of that fighting the Allies finally have the upper hand in the Mediterranean campaign. Onwards to Rome boys!! Berlin next!! Maybe, even Tokyo. 😁😁😁

[@stephenclark9917]

Combat on five continents : Europe; Asia; Africa; Oceania; and North America.

[@sambagaz]

Not sure about the animations of allied officers in predominantly black uniforms with white piping lads...

[@caryblack5985]

Yes a strange choice.

[@ToddSauve]

Indy, you forgot that the Canadian army and the Canadian-American First Special Services Force also took part in the invasion of Kiska, as well. I know because my Uncle Joe was with the Canadian army's Rocky Mountain Rangers on Kiska. 🤷‍♂😜😂

[@greg_mca]

They haven't gone to kiska yet, they're only just arriving at attu

[@ToddSauve]

@@greg_mca They actually showed both Attu and Kiska on a map and placed only an American flag on both islands. That is only correct for Attu.

[@TheYellowAnt]

11:17 the central power players of the nation: The King, the Pope, generals, government officials, and a small ethnic and religious minority. It’s really amazing what this kind of ideology will actually get people to believe

[@OMGitsSparky]

One thing I'm wondering is that what are the native people, for example in North Africa, are doing while all these fights between Axis and Allies are happening? Do they take sides or just wait to see the outcome?

[@Ramzi123_]

Many Saw the German as liberators when Germany invaded France and sided with Germany

[@USSChicago-pl2fq]

For my Geology of National Parks I actually chose to do my final on report on Attu a very popular spot for birds interestingly enough

[@marcsteenbergen8541]

Awesome, have you been to Attu. I never came further than Dutch Harbor, Unalaska (so far ;))

[@pnutz_2]

Flooding? in the Ruhr? In May? It's not even raining...

[@fluffyninja6380]

That sounded less like Winston Churchill and more like Emperor Palpatine.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design.

[@merdiolu]

In the rapidly shrinking band of territory still controlled by Axis forces, the Oberquartiermeister der Heeresgruppe Afrika had lost contact with the northern half of the front. Oberstleutnant Brand was still trying to supply units wherever they could be reached. One plan was to use landing craft and Sturmboote (rubber boats) to ferry goods from ship to such harbours as were left in German hands. Another was to use ‘Dunkirk piers’ (vehicles driven into the water to form a chain from ship to shore). Such desperate measures were never attempted because the Italo-German machine began to shrink and collapse in upon itself with fearful speed. On 8 May, CG A of 1st US Armored Division struck again in the north with tanks and assault guns, breaking up a final attack by remnants of 15th Panzer Division around Djebel Kechabta and driving the enemy from Djebel Sidi Mansour, four miles east of Ferryville, taking over 200 prisoners. From the crest of the hill troops of 3rd Battalion, 1st Armored Regiment, and 2nd Battalion, 6th Armoured Infantry, observed Germans in full retreat, scurrying across the Tunis-Bizerte road towards the village of El Alia. Next day, when 15th Panzer Division had completely exhausted its artillery ammunition, 3rd Battalion captured the village without difficulty other than that posed by, ‘the determination of several thousands of Germans to surrender.’ While one arm of 1st US Armored Division was involved at El Alia, another was reaching around the southern shore of Lac de Bizerte towards the village of El Azib, astride the Tunis-Bizerte highway. This involved Carr’s 1st Battalion, 13th Armored Regiment, which was forced to cross perilously open ground. Two companies of light tanks were therefore ordered to, ‘drive like hell, pray, and rally in a wooded area a mile south of El Azib.’ Flat out, they ran the gauntlet of enemy guns for eight minutes. Six were hit but the enemy was forced to retreat, which opened a corridor for the remainder of the battalion, 91st Reconnaissance Squadron and 3rd Battalion, 6th Armoured Infantry. In the hills south of Lac de Bizerte, CC B’s advance was held up by the craggy terrain but a determined push by Howze brought his 40 tanks to high ground from which they were able to cut the Tunis-Bizerte road at the Oued Medjerda crossing. From their vantage point they could see, on the coastal flats, hundreds of trapped enemy vehicles turn to fiery torches and the sky lit by tracer bullets as the Germans shot off the last of their ammunition. As sniping and shelling died down in Bizerte, 47th RCT withdrew so that the Corps Franc could make a symbolic entry. ‘All the nice suburban houses were empty,’ noted Master Sergeant Tommy Riggs, ‘with marks of shell and bullet on the plaster. Arabs were in the road carrying gilt-framed pierglasses and fine chairs, and having no luck looking like the owners.’ A few locals still around gave the troops a wildly exuberant welcome. ‘Where are the Gaullists?,’ was the question heard time and again, and ‘Who is Giraud?’‘ The legend of de Gaulle is more powerful here than anywhere else in North Africa: it would be a political error not to cash in on it and thereby redeem the mistakes of last November,’ commented Philip Jordan. ‘Giraud’s regime is as reactionary as ever it was; and will continue that way, with the open support of the [US] State Department and the silent backing of Whitehall.’ But despite Giraud’s efforts to shed much of his anti-semitic and extremist following he was being steadily out-manoeuvred by de Gaulle, of whom Harold Macmillan observed: ‘he is a more powerful character than any other Frenchman with whom one has yet been in contact.’ Bloody Road to Tunis - David Rolf

[@merdiolu]

In the adjoining 9th Corps sector, General Horrocks replaced 7th British Armoured Division with 1st British Armoured Division which had at last pushed beyond Bou Kournine when the Germans melted away on the night of 6/7 May. A small patrol sent to bury recent casualties discovered a horrible sight, with the slopes and summits littered with bodies of men mown down in successive assaults. The burial party had to tread carefully and six were wounded on a mine when someone’s boot fouled a tripwire. Crossing the Oued Miliane, 1st British Armoured Division moved on 8/9 May past small villages en fete to Créteville. Veering south-eastwards on the 9th, the division entered hills on either side of the Grombalia-Tunis road and was forced to run the gauntlet of artillery and mortar shells on its way to prevent the enemy moving into or out of the Gap Bon peninsula. In the meantime, 7th Armoured Division swung north from Tunis, one prong along the road to Bizerte and another parallel to the Oued Medjerda where fierce clashes took place on the 8th. Many Germans and Italians who had given up the fight made for the river where enterprising Arabs offered them a ferry service on horseback to the west bank - at 50 francs a crossing. West of Protville elements of 6th British Armoured Division linked up with 1st Battalion, 1st US Armored Regiment on 9 May. As the 1st Battalion turned north on the Bizerte road, passing thousands of prisoners and great mounds of discarded arms and equipment, 3rd Battalion, 13th Armored Regiment, and 11th Hussars took the road to Porto Farina. Their arrival saved many enemy troops, busy trying to lash together rafts, from certain death since, on 8 May, Admiral Cunningham had set up Operation Retribution - so named after the agonies suffered by British troops while evacuating Greece and Crete in 1941. Moving in every available destroyer for close patrol work by day and night off the Cap Bon peninsula he signalled: ‘Sink, burn and destroy. Let nothing pass.’ The ‘Kelibia Regatta’ as destroyer captains termed it, took place in heavily-mined waters outside an exclusion zone covered by Allied aircraft and shore batteries. On the night of 8/9 May, HMS Tartar with two other destroyers, HMS Laforey and HMS Loyal, sank two Axis ships with their cargoes of ammunition and tanks. On the HMS Tartar, Lieutenant-Gommander Hay could hear the shouts of Germans screaming in the water. ‘We circled round once more… but it would have been useless to try and pick them up then. I was glad to see the davits and falls on one of the ships were empty and two or three large black shapes were, no doubt, the ship’s lifeboats.’ Conflicting evidence had been assembled by Allied intelligence but air reconnaissance over the whole area detected no signs of evacuation even though German radio broadcast on 8 May that the African campaign was over and troops would be taken off in small boats. At the last moment some did manage to escape like 18-year-old W. Jüttner, conveyed from hospital to a ship about to sail. However, sunken and damaged vessels littering the harbour prevented it putting out and so, accompanied by 12 other wounded comrades, he was rushed to El Aouina airfield where, at 1600 hours on 8 May, the last Ju-52 took off for Palermo, only minutes before the Germans blew up the airstrip. Surviving an attack by British fighters and a forced landing to repair the damage, the aircraft arrived at its destination the next day. On 10 May another hospital ship, the Italian Virgilio, sailed from Korbons; on board was Hauptmann Reutter carrying secret reports for the Heeresgruppe Afrika War Diary. Shortly before 0900 hours the ship was stopped by three British destroyers; as she was boarded Reutter quickly destroyed all his orders and papers. Ordered back to Tunis at first, the ship was allowed to continue her passage to Naples later that afternoon. A few others escaped, like the tank repair company from Panzerabteilung 501 pushed back to Gap Bon, which took a pioneer landing boat and made off for Sicily. Without water or provisions of any kind 18 men suffered terrible privations, eventually drifting ashore on Sardinia totally exhausted. Officially, only 632 officers and men were evacuated from Tunisia: about another 1,000 were rescued and captured by the Royal Navy during the first two weeks in May from rowing and sailing boats, rubber dinghies, rafts, clinging to empty fuel drums and even driftwood. Had there been any intention to fight to the death on the Gap Bon peninsula in order to cover a last-minute wholesale evacuation, 6th Armoured Division would have prevented it. Ordered to Soliman, Grombalia and Hammamet by Anderson, on 8 May 6th British Armored Division approached Hammam Lif where a narrow defile bars the way at the only northern entrance to the Gap Bon peninsula and Djebel el Rorouf runs down in precipitous falls to within 1,000 yards of the sea. The stopper in the neck of the bottle was the town itself through which 6th Armoured Division had to pass since the beach was intersected by a wadi, considered impassable for tanks. The town and heights around were infested by a hastily formed German outfit, Gruppe Franz, consisting of a Panzerjäger unit and artillery. They had tanks hull-down behind the breakwaters, over 30 guns of various calibres covering the approach, a strong armament of anti-tank guns in the town backed up by mortars and Nebelwerfers, machine-guns on the hills and heavier artillery on the summits. A simple head-on attack was obviously suicidal unless the heights dominating the town could be captured. About midday the 2nd Lothians’ armour on its approach was hit by anti-tank guns firing straight down the road. There was a pause while the Welsh Guards, nearly three miles back, were brought up to take the dominating narrow, crescent-shaped ridge of Djebel el Rorouf. That afternoon, as 3rd Grenadier Guards moved smoothly inland against light resistance, taking 400 Italians prisoner, 3rd Welsh Guards attacked towards the crest, 750 feet above. Watched by crowds of interested civilians on the road below, and supported by Lothians and Border Horse tanks, they were swept by mortar and machine-gun fire. Not until nightfall was the battalion able to take out a troublesome German mortar located in a nearby cement works and even then could do no more than consolidate its hard-earned gains having lost 24 killed and 50 wounded. But the fight had been knocked out of the defenders and when the Coldstream Guards came up they were able to clear the remainder of the ridge fairly easily. The way was now open for 26th Armoured Brigade to attack frontally. This was still a very formidable task. Arriving in time to see the last of the enemy cleared from Djebel el Rorouf, Horrocks witnessed the blunting of the first probing attack by Lothians’ tanks on the morning of 9 May and, anxious about the speed of his thrust, ordered the town to be taken without further delay. Other ‘red hats’ visiting the Lothians’ regimental HQ included Keightley, Roberts and Anderson himself: ‘… their reactions to Nebelwerfer fire were much as ours,’ commented one tank driver, ‘and they hastily jumped or crawled for cover under our tanks.’ At 1500 hours three squadrons of Lothians’ tanks went in again, one of them with infantry riding on their hulls. Deadly fire from well-sited 88s led to a series of bloody engagements as they fought their way into the town’s six parallel streets. Once there, British infantry cleaned up house by house, driving German snipers out of one six-storey building in vicious hand-to-hand fighting on bayonet point. Meanwhile, two tank troops had forced their way across the beach, rounding the wadi where it falls into the sea by driving through the surf and running a gauntlet of anti-tank guns. In immediate danger of becoming surrounded the Germans hastily withdrew towards Grombalia and the pursuit was on, across the base of the Gap Bon peninsula. The remarkable capture of Hammam Lif wrecked 22 Shermans but opened a gap through which British armour surged forward. This British breakthrough amazed General von Broich (commander of 10th Panzer Division ) who thought it the most remarkable event of the campaign. As dusk fell leading tanks were three miles short of Soliman from where 6th British Armoured Division was to swing south-east and then south, towards Bou Ficha and Enfidaville. Bloody Road to Tunis - David Rolf

[@merdiolu]

On this same day (9 May), the Americans completed their destruction of the remains of Fifth Panzer Army in the north. Some 300 officers and men of the Hermann Göring Division still held out on Djebel Achkel but everywhere else resistance collapsed as von Vaerst’s forces were sliced into smaller and smaller pieces. Generalmajor Josef Schmid had lost contact with his troops on the mountain several days previously; now he showed von Arnim a signal received from Göring himself ordering him back to Italy. The contempt in which von Arnim held the Reichsmarschall deepened. From the last heights under German control near Porto Farina, von Vaerst was still holding on with a couple of Tiger tanks and a handful of infantry. At 0930 hours he sent a final situation report to Heeresgruppe Afrika: ‘Our armour and artillery have been destroyed; without ammunition and fuel; we shall fight to the last.’ German units resisted until they had expended all their ammunition and then quietly surrendered. They had done their duty; indeed, some went beyond it, like the crews of the last seven tanks of 10th Panzer which dug in when completely out of fuel and carried on until they had no more shells and bullets. Then, like other units, they blew up their vehicles and destroyed their weapons. At 1000 hours Generalmajor Fritz Krause and his aides arrived at General Harmon’s HQ to seek an end to the fighting. Harmon radioed Bradley, seeking advice, and was told bluntly: ‘… we have no terms. It must be unconditional surrender.’ While Bradley ordered a halt to avoid unnecessary casualties, Krause, his face stone-hard and betraying no emotion, negotiated a surrender at noon on 2nd US Corps’ front. Maurice Rose, Harmon’s young chief of staff, was sent back with the German delegation carrying a set of explicit instructions. ‘They are to collect their guns in ordnance piles and run their vehicles into pools. Tell them,’ ordered Bradley, ‘that if we catch them trying to destroy their stuff the armistice is off. We’ll shoot the hell out of them.’ Later that afternoon the generals and their staffs arrived in Mercedes-Benz staff cars. Formally clad in their crisp dress uniforms, stiffly they presented themselves to Harmon who, in utter contrast, was in his creased and sweat-stained working uniform. ‘You would have thought the bastards were going to a wedding,’ he said. Last to arrive was von Vaerst who signed off in a final signal at 1523 hours from his HQ to OKW and von Arnim. 2nd US Corps had netted six German generals, von Vaerst, Krause, newly-promoted Borowietz, Bülowius, Kurt Bassenge and Georg Neuffer (commander, Luftwaffe 20th Flak Division). Refusing to have anything to do with them, Bradley had them locked in a German hospital overnight with an ordinary sack of K-rations and a picture of Adolf Hitler, hung on a wall by one of their aides. Next day, ‘Chet’ Hansen handed the generals over to the British authorities where they were saluted and invited to lunch. The only people not fed were Hansen and his driver. ‘We were annoyed,’ commented a justifiably aggrieved Bradley. In the meantime, tens of thousands of prisoners were entering the barbed wire cage, erected by American engineers north of the heavily used road west of Mateur, on the sandy plain stretching towards Djebel Achkel. Sitting atop his carrier, Lieutenant Royle, a 78th British Infantry Division gunner, looked at the streams of Germans passing by, ‘and thought that up to a few hours ago we had been trying to kill each other. And now it was all over.’ The way in which the Germans suddenly caved in seemed to show that individuals lacked initiative in an unanticipated crisis; remove the immediate command structure, said some observers, and the body will rapidly fall apart. There was some truth in this; the speed and weight of the Allied attack since 6th May , broke the Axis positions and made prolonged resistance useless. But the prisoners were, wrote Major-General Penney, ‘disciplined and not demoralised.’ Commanders of all units had their men well in hand until the close of fighting. Ralf Harding’s 5th New Zealand Brigade was still under determined attack in the hills west of Takrouna. During the night of 8/9 May, 23rd and 28th Battalions were hit by 88mm and 210mm guns firing haphazardly and Nebelwerfers loosing off four at a time. ‘This was a puzzling affair,’ commented Kippenberger, ‘the Germans had never before attacked at night in our experience, and it was hard to understand their reasons for now doing so.’ Freyberg had not expected any notable results from the probing attacks he had been ordered to mount between 4 and 9 May in which the New Zealand Division lost 16 killed and 36 wounded. There had been no signs of a general collapse and on the coastal sector Messe had appeared even to strengthen his defences. Nevertheless, that was where 56th British Division - commanded by Major-General Graham who had taken over from Miles on 5 May - was ordered by 10th Corps to advance on the night of 10/11 May. A battalion of Brigadier Birch’s newly-arrived 167th Brigade had successfully attacked the Young Fascist outposts 24 hours earlier, whereupon the brigade was ordered to take the foothills on the left of the sector before being relieved by 6th New Zealand Brigade which was to attempt a decisive breakthrough. It fared just as badly as had its unfortunate sister brigade, the 169th, on the night of 28/29 April. Fierce opposition sent the 167th reeling back, losing 63 killed, 104 missing and 221 wounded. Messe’s troops might be awaiting their inevitable fate but they could still sting, even though, like the DAK, they were completely immobilised through lack of fuel: ‘In effect the Corps was waiting for the end and was mainly preoccupied in ensuring its long service in Africa be brought to an honourable conclusion,’ Messe observed. The failure of 167th Brigade deterred 10th Corps from putting in Gentry’s New Zealanders; they at least had the consolation of knowing that greatly increased shelling revealed an enemy who knew the end was in sight and was no longer trying to husband his dwindling stocks. With the end of the campaign imminent, however, there was, as Kippenberger noted, a certain amount of ‘gun shyness’ among his troops. Riding down from Gap Bon on 10-11 May, 6th British Armoured Division was held up at the white-walled Arab town of Soliman by a screen of anti-tank guns and so, leaving a force to contain it until 4th British Infantry Division arrived, Keightley turned south-east towards Grombalia. An advanced patrol of the Rifle Brigade reported little resistance while another from the Derbyshire Yeomanry, travelling fast beyond Soliman, surprised a German mess at dinner , capturing all German personel. ‘Dinner excellent, champagne sweet’ they signalled to division. ‘German now sampling bully-beef.’ Bloody Road to Tunis - David Rolf

[@merdiolu]

Still holding on 11 May, headquarters of Armeegruppe von Arnim and Armeegruppe Messe were hastily formed and within hours lost touch as Mathenet’s Division du Maroc destroyed much of what was left of 21st Panzer Division. Le Coulteux’s armoured group swept beyond Djebel Zaghouan reaching Sainte Marie du Zit that evening and Boissau’s Division d’Oran moved forward parallel with Bateman’s 5th Indian Brigade in the hills north of Zaghouan. Sandwiched between French and Indian troops, Germans began to surrender in droves, great pillars of smoke arising from their burning dumps and transport. Throughout the night of 11/12 May, units reported to von Arnim’s HQ for the last time: ‘Ammunition used up, tanks and artillery pieces destroyed.’ Fighting patrols from l/9th Gurkhas and 4/6th Rajputana Rifles brought in 2,000 POWs and next morning (12 May) one of the latter’s carrier patrols accepted the surrender of the entire Italian Superga Division. Not to be outdone, even company cooks of 1/4th Essex seized transport and brought in their own prisoners. By then 6th British Armoured Division had reached the last remaining stronghold of enemy resistance, Bou Ficha, immediately north of Enfidaville, where 90th German Light Division was dug-in. General Freyberg 2nd New Zealand Division commander had called on his German counterpart General von Sponeck to surrender on the 10th, repeating his demand early next day, but received no answer. At about 1000 hours 26th Armoured Brigade came into radio contact with the wearied leading units of 56th British Infantry Division, three miles to the south, thus menacing 90th German Light Division from both sides. Shells from German 210mm guns on the heights kept leading elements of 26th Armoured Brigade at bay and some vehicles were lost to accurate anti-tank fire. As the defenders began deliberately using up their ammunition there was much indiscriminate firing and this furious barrage of artillery, anti-tank, machine-gun and small arms fire from the heights continued with renewed ferocity on the morning of 12 May, ‘a perfectly crazy day’, thought Kippenberger. At about 1330 hours concentrated artillery of 6th British Armoured Division, joined by the combined fire of 144 guns of the New Zealand Division, ranged the Germans’ HQ. Bou Ficha disappeared under a great cloud of dust and smoke as three waves of USAAF A-20 Boston bombers pattern-bombed the enemy’s positions; soon after, British tanks advanced. From every gun-site, slit trench and dugout came a frantic waving of white flags by Germans. Down from the hills, late in the afternoon, came von Sponeck’s men, white faced and shocked by the pulverizing display of Allied power. Keightley received von Sponeck’s capitulation and sent him on to Freyberg, who had come forward through 56th British Infantry Division, to whom he repeated his unconditional surrender. Going out next day with Freyberg and Graham to a gap in a minefield on the 56th’s front, Brigadier Lyne came across a, ‘nasty scene when some Italians, apparently put off by the sight of so many senior officers, tried to take a short cut through their own minefield and got blown up. Some of the British spectators were also wounded.’ In orders issued on 12 May, Anderson demanded complete maps of minefields before surrenders were accepted and enemy units were ordered not to destroy militarily valuable material. The men of 6th British Armoured Division were, however, disappointed to find that troops of 90th German Light Division had systematically smashed all their highly-prized binoculars and anything else which might have been taken for souvenirs. Away in the hills to the north of Sainte Marie du Zit, Cramer and von Arnim prepared to close down their operations. At 0040 hours on the 12th, Cramer radioed his last defiant message to the OKW: ‘Ammunition shot off. Arms and equipment destroyed. In accordance with orders received DAK has fought itself to the condition where it can fight no more. The Deutsche Afrika Korps must rise again. Heia Safari.’ Later the same day, von Arnim sent off his last report to OKW and a few private signals from staff to their families at home. Then all communications with the outside world were severed as radio installations were destroyed together with Rommel’s caravan, which von Arnim set on fire with his own hand, having vowed that no enemy would ever lay claim to it. Slowly, the sounds of battle from the surrounding heights ebbed away, ‘as if’, wrote von Arnim, ‘nature itself was holding its breath.’ By this time troops of Lieutenant-Colonel Glennie’s 1st Royal Sussex had worked their way onto the heights around von Arnim’s HQ. Knowing a reconnaissance unit was nearing his position, von Arnim arranged for three officers to carry a letter to Glennie’s HQ offering his surrender together with that of his staff and Hans Cramer. The delegation was headed by, ‘a small, bulletheaded, fair-haired, closely cropped German colonel,’ Oberst Nolte, Stabschef (chief of staff) of DAK. While Tuker prepared for formal negotiations with Nolte, l/2nd Gurkhas intervened. Mopping up south of Sainte Marie du Zit, Lieutenant-Colonel Showers climbed a ridge to reconnoitre his position when he spotted a German staff car, parked in a nearby hollow, with an officer waving a white flag beside it. Clambering down, he found himself in von Arnim’s HQ, where 1,000 Germans had been drawn up on parade. He was told that Nolte had already left to arrange a surrender and so, accompanied by an English-speaking German officer, Showers returned to brigade HQ. On the way, he met Glennie who was about to post guards around the camp. Hearing what had happened, Tuker contacted Allfrey and the two generals with Nolte, interpreters, the intrepid Showers and an escort, arrived at von Arnim’s HQ, now guarded by men of the 1st Royal Sussex.

[@merdiolu]

Both von Arnim and Cramer had turned out in their dress uniforms, strung about with decorations and Iron Crosses. ‘They gave an impression of green, scarlet and gold,’ remarked Tuker. He was wearing a pair of much-worn drill trousers, a threadbare battledress jacket without medal ribbons and the usual reverse-hide desert boots; Allfrey was equally plainly dressed and Showers, ‘an extremely dirty officer and most unshaven’, completed the scene. Walking straight past von Arnim’s proffered handshake, Tuker led the way to his caravan where negotiations began. From the start, von Arnim was difficult; he could not surrender his units because contact with them had been destroyed and refused to do so even when offered an Allied radio link. At this, Tuker threatened to move his division and attack 90th German Light (which had not, at that time, surrendered) from the rear. Their lives, he told von Arnim bluntly, were on his head. At this von Arnim agreed to surrender his own staff and that of Cramer, petulantly threw his revolver on the table with a clatter, followed by his penknife. In the meantime, his staff were lining up outside to say goodbye. ‘Arnim was very red in the face and extremely peevish on the whole,’ noted Tuker, ‘while Kram [Cramer] was most ingratiating, talked a little English and tried to be friendly.’ Guarded by a Gurkha officer and Royal Sussex detachment, von Arnim and Cramer were driven through the lines of their saluting troops to meet Alexander - inadvertently making their way through one of their own minefields - von Arnim standing up, gesticulating angrily at his driver. ‘I… was cold and brusque at this meeting,’ observed Tuker. ‘As a plain soldier and no diplomat, I could not in those circumstances have brought myself to be a whit more cordial to the German commanders. Alexander, however, was his usual polished self at 18th Army HQ, near Le Kef, where von Arnim arrived on 13 May, hospitably offering him supper and a tent for the night. Major-General Miller thought the German, ‘looked a decent sort of man. He said they never had any intention of withdrawal.’ Other than that the interview was not very productive observed an HQ intelligence officer, David Hunt, and von Arnim appeared bewildered by the suddenness of the collapse. Eisenhower absolutely refused to meet him or receive his sword in surrender. Meanwhile, Bradley and his lieutenants dealt brusquely with remnants of the Hermann Göring Division still clinging to Djebel Achkel. ‘Monk’ Dickson was instructed, on 11 May, to see that their resistance was brought to a speedy conclusion and ordered von Vaerst to scribble a note to whomever was now in charge of the division. Delivered under a flag of truce, this summoned them - and the rest of Fifth Panzer Army - to lay down their arms. Back came the American officer and an Oberleutnant, his wounded arm in a sling. Before surrendering the Germans wanted to verify the message from von Vaerst. ‘Tell him to go to hell,’ said the battalion commander whose men surrounded the hill. Then the division would surrender, replied the Oberleutnant, if they could receive a document verifying that they were the last to lay down their arms on this front. ‘Brother,’ was the blunt response, ‘either you’ll come down right now and cut out this monkey business or we’ll carve that certificate on your headstone.’ A rapid attack killed some of the defenders and word soon got around. From the heights appeared several hundred men claiming unconditional surrender. This left only Generale di Armata Messe, commanding the greatly weakened Young Fascist, Trieste and 164th German Light Divisions, in touch with the OKW and Comando Supremo. On the morning of 12 May Messe received permission from Mussolini to negotiate an ‘honourable surrender’ and sent a message at about 1300 hours to Eighth Army offering to cease hostilities. This was picked up by the New Zealanders and 10th Corps alerted. At 2030 hours General Bernard Freyberg sent this uncompromising reply: ‘Hostilities will not cease until all troops lay down their arms and surrender to the nearest Allied unit.’ Late in the evening New Zealand signals picked up another message from Maresciallo d’ltalia Messe - he had been promoted field marshal that day - whose representatives had left to meet those of 10th Corps. Travelling by a difficult route, General Mancinelli, Oberst Markert and Major Boscardi, arrived at Freyberg’s HQ at 0830 hours on the 13th. There they attempted to open negotiations but were told that only an unconditional surrender would be accepted; failing that hostilities would resume soon after noon. Lacking the necessary authority to accept these terms, Mancinelli returned with a British officer to Messe’s HQ where a message had been received from Freyberg of what had taken place. At 1220 hours Messe issued orders for the surrender of all his German and Italian troops and, later in the day, together with von Liebenstein, surrendered in person to Freyberg. On low ground between the sea and positions occupied by 90th German Light Division , Ronald Lewin had seen the white flags of surrender go up, ‘first in small clusters, turning into larger groups as platoons merged with companies. White everywhere, as if butterflies were dancing over the hills.’ ‘The Hun has jagged in,’ reported Private Crimp. Alexander sent an altogether more grandiose message on Thursday, 13 May, to Winston Churchill who was in Washington for the Trident Conference: ‘Sir, it is my duty to report that the Tunisian campaign is over. All enemy resistance has ceased. We are masters of the North African shores.’ In Berlin next day, Goebbels confided to his diary: ‘In Tunis[ia] the fight is ended. I write this with a heavy heart. I simply cannot read the exaggerated Anglo-American accounts. They are full of insults to our soldiers, who fought with legendary heroism to their last round of ammunition.’

[@merdiolu]

Epilogue Major-General Strong admitted that the total number of prisoners taken, ‘far exceeded our estimates’, and there was much difficulty in finding accommodation for them. Allied intelligence thought provision would have to be made for 150,000 - failing to take into account the number of extra administrative troops and civil and military officials in Tripolitania who had nothing to do with the final battle but headed back into the last bridgehead waiting to be picked up. The Italians were put to work under fixed bayonets: ‘Very disorderly and dirty in their habits,’ recorded Lieutenant-Colonel Shirley Smith, ‘unlike the Germans.’ In the open barbed-wire enclosure at Le Bardo, a suburb of Tunis, the Germans methodically buttoned together their groundsheets to provide tent-like shelters but had to be kept in separate compounds from the Italians because of mutual ill-feeling. The latter were, observed Sergeant Danger, allowed to roam around at will, while the Germans remained closely guarded. Tragedy was only narrowly averted in one US compound when the grass was accidentally set alight, but it was the French who demonstrated least concern for the welfare of their prisoners. Major-General Penney saw them ill-fed and, contrary to the Geneva Convention, forced to clear minefields. At Grombalia, where a huge compound had been established, the entire band of 10th Panzer Division turned up carrying their instruments. They were put on parole and played for battalions of Evelegh’s 78th British Division. Food was not a problem after the first massive influx of POWs because the enemy’s ration dumps, unlike his fuel and ammunition stores, were well stocked. The civilian population in towns, however, had little to eat and the Allies had to ship in sufficient supplies to prevent outright starvation. In due course most of the prisoners were sent to Britain, America and Canada, roughly a quarter of a million of them, which is about the closest one can get to any final reckoning. Messe and his staff had two floors at their disposal in the high security quarters of the White House, at Wilton Park in south Buckinghamshire. They enjoyed six months’ croquet and tennis with two Italian admirals until the Italian capitulation when they were sent home to help the Allied cause. Messe became Army Chief of Staff in Marshal Badoglio’s government, surviving the change to Ivanoe Bonomi in 1944 but losing his post the following year. The German generals were held in closer detention not far away, at Cockfosters, where they joined Generalleutnant Ludwig Crüwell and General-leutnant Wilhelm Ritter von Thoma, captured earlier in the desert war. Their rooms were bugged and von Arnim made little attempt to hide his outrage at never having received a clear plan of operations in Tunisia, at the contradictory orders issued by both German and Italian High Commands, and the failure of promised supplies. For the victors there were the usual plaudits. Only in First Army were there any serious misgivings. In a less than frank letter, Eisenhower thanked Anderson on 10 May for his ‘perfect team play.’ Anderson was quick to reply, not through Alexander as propriety dictated, but in a personal letter two days later. ‘I don’t know what our future relations will be after this show is cleaned up…,’ wrote Anderson, ‘but I do hope it will not mean a complete severance of our paths, and that I may still have a close relationship in one form or another with you and the US Army.’ Not long after he wrote again, this time in a spirit of misgiving and confusion*: ‘As First Army seems to be disappearing I would appreciate being able to help my bewildered Commanders and men. Please send a senior officer urgently to help throw light on the darkness. Of course I will do all I can to help in a spirit of utmost co-operation if only some information is vouchsafed me.’* Eisenhower merely passed the letter on to his staff. First Army was dying, dismembered and despatched to other formations, its only job to oversee the reorganization of Allied control in Tunisia into four subordinate sectors along the coast as the French assumed responsibility for internal security. On 22 May de Gaulle arrived at Algiers to open negotiations with Giraud. After much hard bargaining a French Committee of National Liberation was formed and recognised by the US, British and Russians as the de facto French government. Many difficulties remained, which were not resolved by the complicated system of dual control which was set up. Within a year, however, de Gaulle’s authority was complete. Victory in the Tunisian campaign was purchased with men’s lives, 10,290 of them, with a further 21,363 missing and 38,688 wounded - in total 70,341 Allied casualties.The dead were scattered in groups, nearest to where they fell. Sentries were mounted to shoot packs of marauding dogs and drive off Arabs who dug up the bodies. To discourage grave-robbers, caps were removed from hand-grenades before they were placed carefully in the pockets of the dead; anyone attempting to disinter a corpse received the full effect. Of German and Italian troops wounded, missing or killed there were less exact figures. Later assessments by German and Italian authorities give their dead as 9,563 and 3,727 respectively, to whom have to be added the missing and those wounded and evacuated before the surrender. All that can safely be said is that Axis losses were much higher than those of the Allies. Eisenhower hated the idea of a vainglorious parade, preferring a combination of celebration and commemoration of those who had sacrificed their lives. Nevertheless, ‘it turned out to be just a Victory Parade’, noted Butcher, held under a sweltering sun through the streets of Tunis on 20 May. Roars of cheers and applause greeted the Zouaves, Tirailleurs, Moroccans, Algerians and Foreign Legionaries, led by a detachment of Spahis in red cloaks with drawn swords, astride their white horses. There followed Goums in their burnouses, carrying long-barrelled desert rifles and murderous knives in their belts. A French detachment led by Koeltz, ‘poor in physique and general appearance’, still impressed Macmillan because, ‘one felt it a sort of resurrection of France, and because one realised what a brave show they had put up all these months with such poor equipment and material.’ Two American regiments followed, superbly turned out in finest quality uniforms and equipment, led by a brass band. Yet many of them still looked like raw recruits: besides, it was impossible to make a dramatic impact while marching in the US Army’s standard rubber soled boots. What was to come, therefore, was even more effective. In the distance was heard the faint sound of pipes then, marching in slow time, came the massed pipers of the Scots and Grenadier Guards and such Highland Regiments as were available. To Flowers of the Forest they marched and countermarched with perfect precision; there then followed a long procession of British units, the divisional generals, brigadiers, colonels leading their formations, stepping out with representatives of the RAF and Leclerc’s men (who had refused to march with the French). Apart from the Highland pipers and a few detachments from the 11th Hussars, Derbyshire Yeomanry and Gurkhas, the entire British march-past was First Army; the Eighth was considered to have had its own affair at Tripoli in February. Bloody Road to Tunis - David Rolf

[@chaso4937]

HI INDY!! WHY THE HELL DON'T YOU EVER SAY GOODBYE TO THE GUY ( or girl?? ) ON THE PHONE??

[@WorldWarTwo]

The Hollywood Hang-up strikes again

[@John77Doe]

It is really hard to supply an attack from the Sea of Azov. I am glad this has no relevance in 2022 and a terrible war like this will never happen again. 😃😃😃😃😃😃

[@lycaonpictus9662]

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes."

[@alexandersturnn4530]

'Ammunition spent, weapons and war engines destroyed. The German Afrikakorps has fought as ordered until it could fight no longer. The German Afrikakorps must rise again! Heia Safari!' -Last Radio-Transmission of General of the Panzertruppen Hans Cramer, last Commanding Officer of the German Afrikakorps, on 12th of May 1943 to the OKW-Headquarters in Berlin, before he and all his remaining Men surrendered to the Allied Forces.

[@waynegordon2628]

IL Dice had one great desire Dreamt of a new Roman Empire Three years elapsed His Army collapsed Of war his people doth tire...

[@ricardokowalski1579]

The blue shirt, purple vest and *that* tie. Approved.👍 Solid content.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you ricardo! Love reading the outfit appraisals every week

[@zacharyadelberg8481]

I know this is an old video but i didn’t watch the series until after it already started so yes im only on 1943🤣 but i was curious what happened to Soviet Generals who are relieved of command? with the purge of the 30s i just assume that means typically executed or what not.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Hi there, trying to answer your question. There are cases of soviet generals executed for "incompetence", like Dmitry Pavlov in 1941. But I can't tell you whether this was the usual or decided by case / Stalin. You might find the answer in Cathrine Merridale's "Ivan's War - Life And Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945 ", although I am not sure ( its been a while since reading it). And there might be better or more relevant books, not an expert on russian military history. -TimeGhost Ambassador

[@zacharyadelberg8481]

@@WorldWarTwo thank you for the book recommendation i’ll definitely have to look into it! Because I know there were cases in the winter war where officers were shot for like you said incompetence and also cowardice.

[@jasondouglas6755]

The battle for Africa is over, the liberation of Europe is about to begin.

[@Johnny-Thunder]

13:32 Could have made the title of the video: 'German soldiers are waving their underwear'.

[@joethompson3621]

This is perhaps the beginning of the end

[@dirtcop11]

Will this collection of videos be made available on DVDs? I think WWII buffs in particular and history buffs would buy it. It would be a great resource if they teach the history of WWII.

[@WorldWarTwo]

We do appreciate your suggestion, and it's one we've discussed at length. All our videos are available on our channel page, and you can watch them all in order there! Given the immense size of this project physical media presents unique challenges, and crosses into the realm of 'creating more problems than it solves.' We want our show spread as widely as possibly, so generations of people may benefit from the study of history. Right now KZbin is a worldwide phenomenon that allows (nearly) unfettered access to this content for the price of ad breaks. It's not a perfect system, but it suits our goals of spreading knowledge of history to as many as possible.

[@glenmartin2437]

Thank you. I wish this war had never happened! I had relatives who fought and died on both sides. My father, uncle, my uncle's brother and many other American relatives fought against the Axis Powers. Also, many relatives from the British Isles and Continental Europe also did so. On the other hand, German, Austrian and Italian and distant Japanese relatives fought on the Axis side. It seems we do not get to pick our relatives and vice versa. Thank you again for your work. My grandchildren do not even know of WW2.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you Glen

[@mikaelcrews7232]

A little unknown fact about the Kiska and Attu! The Japanese were going to reenforce both islands at the earliest possible time! But the troops were sent to New Guinea and the south east Pacific instead! They even had a force going to take some of the other islands as well and try to get as close to Dutch Harbor and set up sea plane bases to bomb as far south as Seattle!.... But troops and resources were sent to the south Pacific instead. In a few weeks that same task force that was to put troops on those islands would evacuate the island of Kiska instead! One more foot note! The us army recruited 50 men who lived in Alaska's backwoods landed on the islands first and scouted for the us army! And one of those men nephew would later become famous on the deadliest catch... And two others would help start up the Green Berets......

[@brucetucker4847]

The weather in the Aleutians is absolutely atrocious. The idea that they'd be useful as a base for long-range bombers was absurd. Maybe with today's technology, but certainly not with 1940s instruments.

[@mikaelcrews7232]

@@brucetucker4847 well the Japanese during world war 2 had a bad habit for doing the impossible and the stupid! Look at there record from December 7 1941 to August of 45! They kept over 100 ships in the Kuirle islands after we took the Aleutians back, plus nearly a million men stationed on those islands! But we just kept them guessing until the end of the war!

[@christopherjustice6411]

Well, with the African campaign over, it's time to blast Darude Sandstorm one more time in celebration.

[@DonovanHunt-o6v]

Technically wrong, Vici, France, Madagascar was liberated later. Not liberated, just put under another occupation it was still colony.

[@mcmax571]

I'm glad Indy told just how much a disaster the Tunisian Campaign was for the Axis. In some ways it was even bigger than Stalingrad.

[@jnssndr7651]

1 Million Subscribers. Well done. Congratulations 🎉

[@antoniodemunari3335]

When it's reported to montgomery that the commender of the axis troops in tunisia is captured he thinks it's still Rommel and when he sees an italian general he is very disappointed

[@cirihime9479]

They should had help China. Instead of USSR. See what happemed today. Kuomintang will not have fall to communists. I blame the british

[@marktaylor6491]

8:38 - God enters the chat.

[@GiulioBalestrier]

Unlike this and the few episodes before seem to suggest, the Italian army in Tunisia wasn't demoralised at all. Actually Tunisia is where the Italians gave one of their best fight. That is why they resisted one day longer than the Germans. This was proven in the Mareth line, through Akarit, Takrouna and up to Enfidaville. Read what general Alexander wrote about the Italians in the Tunisian campaign. Also, read what British newspapers reported about the slaughter they suffered in Takrouna. A significant portion of the Italians who fought in Tunisia already had 2 years of war experience in North Africa. The units new to that theatre gave a good proof of fighting skills as well. The Centauro armoured division (6000 men with 30 obsolete tanks) held line against the entire US 2nd Corps for several days before being annihilated.