214 - Smolensk and Naples Liberated! Both in ruins - WW2 - October 1, 1943

[@trajan75]

My wife's Uncle Aldo Capella, an Italian soldier was captured, by the Germans not treated as a POW, but was made a slave laborer at Dachau and died there. Meanwhile his brother Ennio returned from the Rusian front. He was one of the 10% of his Alpino Division that got back alive to Italy.He joined the Italian Partisans in Parma. He came to America with his family in 1955. I married his daughter. I wrote this before but it seemed like a good time to repeat it.

[@lacasadipavlov]

18:42 yeah, that's very very sad... The archive was relocated in the countryside but the Germans managed to find and burn it. It conserved all the original documents of the medieval Kingdom of Naples, one of the most ancient archives in the world, an inestimable loss...

[@kirbyculp3449]

I have to admit that this completly stupid destruction stirs up in me feelings of wrath and resentment that are equal to those felt last week in regards to the massacre of the 5,000 prisoners.

[@lacasadipavlov]

@Giorgio Fegatini you are right!

[@nirfz]

And it served absolutely no purpose. Other things might slow down your opponend, but burning books you don't need to do anything about? (It's not like the books slowed them down in retreat, and even then could just be left where they were.)

[@lacasadipavlov]

@@nirfz no military purpose at all, only the fanatical reprisal of beaten and withdrawing troops

[@enricomigliorini9612]

My grandfather was serving in the Navy, stationed at Pola, and he was captured and sent to Germany to be a worker. He often told me stories of how the Italian prisoners/slaves were hard for the Germans to deal with because they would steal anything that was not nailed down, especially food. Thanks for telling these stories.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

I assume the Italian prisoners were put on the 'Soviet' diet.

[@donallen8414]

After the Italian capitulation, soldiers who refused to serve in the Mussolini army were sent to Germany as forced labourers. They were not registered as POWs, and the International Red Cross had no access. According to German sources, about 600'000 arrived there and around 25'000 died as a result of bad treatment or executions.

[@ricflairsayswooo2457]

Based Italians

[@mattiasmengoni]

My grandfather served in the motorcycle company of the 11th Bersaglieri regiment, part of the 1st Divisione Celere "Eugenio di Savoia". On the 8th of September they were stationed at Knin in Croatia, where they were encircled and cut off by a German Division. They tried a breakout towards Italian proper but failing to do that, surrendered on the 9th of September. Possibly because Bersaglieri had a good reputation among the Germans, my grandfather spent the remaining years of the war as a POW with fairly decent conditions. He was assigned to take over a farm in the Bavarian countryside where the owner had been drafted for the Eastern front. He spoke well of his captivity and the family that "hosted" him, which stood in contrast to what he would say of the German soldiers during the Balkan campaign.

[@Noone-jn3jp]

Never forget

[@eleanorkett1129]

Indy is a wonderful singer. Bravo. The Italians suffered terribly at the hands of the erstwhile allies. Thanks for another great episode.

[@indianajones4321]

He’s a true artist

[@iseeyou1312]

What come around goes around I guess. I doubt the Ethiopians would pity them much.

[@scottsherwood7125]

Very corny … but hilarious. A talented entertainer.

[@sursumkorda]

The Italians committed atrocities in Dalmatia Istria and Ethiopia and Libya they didn't really suffer at all. They just switched sides knowing that they were losing the war

[@scottsherwood7125]

@@sursumkorda What is wrong with you? You sound like you’re grinding an ax.Yes, some Italians committed atrocities (your reference welcome). War is ugly and allows all the pus of hatred to break the surface. But don’t lick that putrid mess up and thinks it makes you stronger. It doesn’t.

[@thunderbird1921]

That is infuriating to hear how the Nazis trashed Naples. Hundreds if not thousands of years of history destroyed without any regret. First time I've heard of this.

[@EnigmaEnginseer]

It’ll happen a few more times

[@kirbyculp3449]

The nazis stole art, books, wine, anything. Hitler ordered that Paris would be destroyed. Infuriating, yes. Surprising, sadly not.

[@ThePizzaGoblin]

Nazis suck, eh?

[@DrJones20]

Nazis being scum as per usual.

[@tommonk7651]

Hitler tried to do it in Paris, but the German general in charge of the city refused....

[@edopronk1303]

It's impressive, how much East Europe war is in these videos. Sometimes that is summed up with Barbarossa and Stalingrad, but it's massive in scale and I really like to learn to appreciate that through this series.

[@harrybriscoe7948]

bigger battles are coming up Bagration and Manchuria

[@dongately2817]

It’The Eastern Front was really the pinnacle of modern warfare, and I don’t mean that in a good way. It was a death struggle between two regimes that cared little for morality, civilians, and even their own troops. Unfortunately, it’s been long neglected in western histories.

[@juvandy]

Yep. I'm no tankie, but the contribution of the USSR to defeating the Axis is difficult to understate. Just comparing the numbers of men and units involved in the Eastern front to the Western is staggering. Further- by the time Kursk starts, Germany is basically already out of manpower and is beginning to develop its Volksgrenadier units- mostly old men and boys. The Americans never really faced the German army in its prime, and the British did only in France, Greece, and early on in North Africa.

[@dongately2817]

@@juvandy Without the Soviets the best the Western Powers could have hoped for is a stalemate. No way do they dislodge the Germans from the continent without the bulk of German forces fighting in the east. The events in this episode just reinforce that. The Italian campaign was tough for the Allies, fighting a fraction of the Wehrmacht. Imagine a Germany, with a negotiated peace in the east, that could now transfer all of that men and materiel to the west. The Allies would have had to turn Central Europe into an irradiated wasteland to win the war.

[@juvandy]

@@dongately2817 the only thing I disagree with is the idea of a negotiated peace in the east. I don't think that was every really possible. Even if it had been, there's no way the Germans would have been able to pacify the region to the point that they could have transferred sufficient manpower to the west. Those men would have been used up in garrison duty, particularly because the Nazis intended on such a harsh colonization of the region. If we're talking 'what ifs', a more reasonable question is to ask what would have happened if they hadn't invaded the USSR at all. Stalin was very happy to keep on trading with Germany right up until Barbarossa, so there was never really an economic reason to invade. It was purely ideological. Had that desire not existed, there's definitely no way the western allies land sufficient forces on the continent to liberate it. It also gives the Germans a huge pool of manpower and equipment to devote to conquering Egypt and the Middle East, which not only gives them direct oil access but also cuts the British Empire in half.

[@argosharru]

Indy sings the World War CD when?:

[@kemarisite]

I'm sure he'll have Joachim as a backup singer.

[@stevenverdoliva6217]

Please. Please don't tempt him. 😄

[@frankbarnwell____]

Maybe a duet with Louis Armstrong, with the Carters as musical accompaniment?

[@ieuanhunt552]

Isn't he in a band?

[@rolandoscar1696]

When the moon's in the sky like a big pizza pie.

[@michaelkovacic2608]

Destroying ancient libraries and archives is disgusting.

[@daveanderson3805]

Both world wars destroyed a lot of our shared european heritage and culture. But the destruction of libraries is particularly terrible.

[@harrybriscoe7948]

Like when the spanish burned the indians books in South america

[@abdulmasaiev9024]

At least there was still Naples afterwards. It's still 1943. The petty yet large scale evil fueled by sheer spite is only going to get worse as the spite grows worse with the Thousand Year Reich being destroyed piece by piece.

[@jerrycoob4750]

Every week of this terrible war, I can only ask myself the same question... _Why?_

[@pommunist]

The Nazis just really liked burning books, they probably took inspiration from when the Kaiser's army burned down the medieval library in Louvain in 1914

[@BlackBanditXX]

We can't underscore the importance of Japanese shipping losses. Unlike the Allies, the Japanese have almost no ability to replace their transport ships. While it hasn't played a major role yet, surely these losses will, should they continue.

[@michaelkovacic2608]

They could neither defend nor replace their shipping.

[@gunman47]

This was already mentioned this week on the day by day series on Instagram, but I feel this is still worth a mention here. On September 26 1943, commandos from the Allied Z Special Unit led by then Major *Ivan Lyon* will launch *Operation Jaywick* in Japanese occupied Singapore (where I am from). They departed for Singapore Harbour from Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia in the vessel MV Krait, where they attached limpet mines on several Japanese ships in the harbour, sinking or causing serious damage to them. Afterwards they were able to make a mostly uneventful return back to Australia by October 19 1943. However, the local population would suffer Japanese reprisals in the form of the Double Tenth incident where both civilians and POWs would be arrested and tortured. Among them, one of the more locally famous internees would be *Elizabeth Choy* , who is regarded as a war heroine in Singapore.

[@Free-Bodge79]

Great stuff. Thank you.

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for adding to the story.

[@astridscitadel9931]

I know this comment may seem shallow in the wake of the aforementioned tragedies, but for some reason I find it fascinating that Limpets were used in the 40's. Against naval vessels no less. They seem like a valuable tool to have for commando units. Thanks for sharing your story!

[@mikereger1186]

Televised in the probably-lost mini series “Heroes” in the 1990s. As well as its sequel for Operation Rimau, which went disastrously wrong. If anybody knows how to get a copy, please shout out...

[@thanos_6.0]

It is quit impressiv how far the 8th British army has come. From Egypt to Tunesia all the way to Italy.

[@merdiolu]

And they still have a long way to go. Just because of D-Day after 6th June 1944 , they were mostly ignored or overlooked afterwards but Eighth Army in Northern Italy that achieved final breakthough on Po Valley , destroying most of two German armies and liberating Northern Italy , ending the war at Yugoslavian border in April 1945.

[@philliparthur8672]

I'm all caught up on WWII and have been watching Indy on the Great War. I've always been a history fan and learned so much I didn't know about both wars. I could listen to him talk history all day, keep up the great work its appreciated.

[@aronjanssonnordberg307]

This is a minor thing, but it's a noticable change of pace to suddenly hear all these Italian names of places and cities. It's a very beautiful language.

[@burimfazliu3102]

To think just last year the whole world was holding it’s breath as Germany was heading towards Stalingrad and El Alamein.

[@kevinbyrne4538]

Yes. The Allies finally managed to halt the Germans' expansion and from that point onwards, the Germans were on the defense.

[@arlene9993]

Thank you for this detailed background. I have a photo of my dad in front of Castel Nuovo at Naples July 14, 1944. Merchant Ship SS Bret Harte was loading at Napoli post Normandy invasion and prepping for invasion of Southern France.

[@rumrunner8019]

That opening bit reminded me of when a bunch of mafia guys were caught selling ecstasy outside of Philadelphia. The detective who did a news conference on it said "there are a lot of reasons why it's troubling that the Mafia is now selling ecstasy. One of them is that we don't need a techno version of that's amora." Even the reporters started cracking up

[@AaAa-uo3cc]

When perspective shifts to a new region on the eastern front, it would help to do a quick zoom-in toward the relevant area of the map. For example, when the discussion transitioned to Smolensk, the map started off at a close enough zoom that it was hard to figure out where on the larger map this was happening.

[@danielweiss7396]

Thanks for the feedback :)

[@davidwormell6609]

Agreed!

[@NickRatnieks]

Well done, Indie for clarifying the destruction of Smolensk- you are meticulous in making sure the facts are always delivered.

[@nickmacarius3012]

The Time Ghost crew are truly magical! 🪄

[@thanos_6.0]

I 100% agree

[@gunman47]

Another side note this week on September 29 1943 is that the keel of the Japanese submarine *I-403* is laid down at Kobe in Japan by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. I-403 was part of the *I-400 submarine class* which was the largest submarines ever built during the war and was able to carry three Aichi M6A seaplanes for a planned strike on the Panama Canal. However, I-403 would soon be cancelled and ultimately only three submarines (I-400, I-401 and I-402) were built.

[@mikekleppinger1105]

Wow, this posting surprised me as my father was stationed at the Panal Canal and lived very near the Miraflores Locks. Near the end of the war, my mother and older sister were allowed to join him. They loved their time together (after several years of separation) in Panama. I had no idea of this plan of the Japanese Navy. I so wish I could ask my Dad about it. I wonder if he was ever aware of it.

[@Raskolnikov70]

Those subs would have been devastating against the largely undefended US west coast if they'd been in existence back in 1941. A few carefully planned attacks against shipping centers and the Canal Zone would have crippled US shipping and lend-lease efforts to the Soviets for a while. Doubtful it would have done enough damage to alter the course of the war, but those few subs could have had a bigger effect than the entire German U-boat campaign if the IJN planned the raids right.

[@Ronald98]

@@Raskolnikov70 With the Axis, it always comes down to bad planning and bad decision making...

[@tigertank06]

@@Ronald98 Bad planning?

[@Raskolnikov70]

@@Ronald98 PPP (pi55-poor planning) was endemic on all sides in this war. It's just more noticeable when the Axis does it because they're trying to do more with far fewer resources than the Allies have. If the material circumstances were reversed, they would have won regardless of what mistakes they made because the Allies made just as many.

[@oOkenzoOo]

During the month of September 1943, the French fighter regiment "Normandie" actively participated in the offensive on Yelnia and Smolensk. On the 2nd, the group is in Michkovo. On the 4th, Gérard Léon was killed in combat. A Ju88 and a Fw190 are shot down. On the same day, Normandie received six Yak9s and one Yak9T. On the 6th, Jacques Mathis was wounded in combat and had to be repatriated to Great Britain. On the 14th, a Fw190 was shot down by Joseph Risso but André Largeau did not return. Arrival of Lt. Yves Mourier. On the 15th, arrival at Barsouki airfield. On the 17th, two FW190s were added to the group's tally. On the 18th, the Filatki airfield became the new base of Normandy regiment. On the 19th, four Ju87s were shot down. On the 20th, André Balcou does not return. On the 22nd during an interception mission, six Ju87s and four Fw190s were shot down. On the French side, it is Henry Foucaud who does not return but he will be rescued by Soviet soldiers and brought back later in the day by plane. On the 26th, Pierre Jeannel was forced to parachute during a fight, Fw190s having damaged his plane. Injured during a violent landing, he broke his spine. Sent to Moscow for treatment, he will return in 1944 to pilot the liaison Yak6. The campaign will continue during October.

[@jeanineking7311]

Thank you for posting this. Very interesting!

[@Ronald98]

The only western group that actually fought with the Soviets!

[@brenokrug7775]

Very detailed! Thank you

[@JDDC-tq7qm]

@@Ronald98 it's crazy that French soldiers also fought with the Germans against the Soviets

[@silaschipman7870]

Glad I could help this week! I am excited to see what the future might hold for us after your recent visit to Normandy. Cheers TGC!

[@owenbillo5513]

I love the phone bits at the beginning of each episode so much

[@Voidableflame]

I always look forward to theses episodes every Saturday when I get home from work it’s always in my sub box

[@CrimsonTemplar2]

Great job again Indy & team. The musical intro was fun.

[@SpartacusColo]

Just about spat out my drink once the singing started. Did not see that coming in the least! BRAVO!

[@MrMerildoll]

I swear if we get to WW3 before the end of the WW2 series I'm gonna be so pissed

[@Dvvrick.07]

This has been the best opening phone call so far i’ve seen! 🤣

[@merdiolu]

Naples to Cassino , Fifth Army at War (24 September - 1 October 1943) On 23 September X British Corps pushed northwards towards the two passes which led to Naples, a journey that was to involve them in repairing numerous bridges (on one seventeen-mile stretch of road twenty-five major bridges had been blown by the Germans). Progress was inevitably slow, but by 30 September , General McCreery’s X Corps forces were through the eastern outskirts of Naples and moving northwards. The following day 82nd US Airborne and Darby’s Rangers entered the city, and by the end of the first week in October the Fifth Army was at the Volturno river in strength. The 56th British Infantry and 7th British Armoured Divisions had marched through Caserta and both X and VI Corps were on the river. The cost of AVALANCHE, of capturing Naples, and of advancing to the Volturno was over 12,000 British and American casualties (some 2,000 killed, 7,000 wounded and 3,500 missing). Naples had been systematically destroyed by the combined efforts of Allied bombers and German demolitions; transport, communications, water and power installations had been ruined. Harbour facilities, railways, bridges and buildings had been rendered musable by dynamite, mines and booby-traps, and the German artillery continued to play on the city for several days after its capture. Half of the city’s civilian population had escaped into the surrounding countryside and for some ten days those remaining had little food. It would take the Fifth Army Base Section three months to restore Naples to a semblance of normality, a task which required it to expand from a headquarters strength of 600 men to an administrative force of over 33,000 personnel attached and assigned to carry out the restructuring. Among the tasks was the removal of the hulks of more than 100 vessels scuttled in the harbour. Two weeks after Naples had been captured the Allies were able to unload 3,500 tons of matériel daily, less than half of the port’s pre-war capacity; by the end of October the figure had risen to 7,000 tons daily by employing about 600 DUKWs. All American, and some British, supplies were delivered through the port and smaller local harbours at Salerno, Castellamare and Torre Annunziata were used for some of X Corps’ requirements. The entry into Naples had illustrated Clark’s desire to be seen at the forefront of events, preferably with cameramen available to record them for posterity. As the British 23rd British Armoured Brigade with the attached 505th (US) Parachute Infantry Regiment approached the city with orders to clear it, one of Clark’s staff officers presented the paratroops’ commander, Colonel James Gavin (later to become General "Jumping" Gavin), with an order to halt until Clark arrived to make a ‘triumphant entry’. Gavin had little alternative but to obey and a procession was duly organized in which Clark was driven to the Piazza Garibaldi for the enthusiastic welcome the Fifth Army staff had predicted. Unfortunately for Clark’s ego the Piazza was empty, for the Neapolitans had gathered in the Piazza del Plebiscite to greet tankers of 23rd Armored Brigade, the traditional location for greeting conquerors. The Allies had a number of possible courses to pursue after the fall of Naples, and much depended upon the effect that their actions would have on OVERLORD. The more German forces that could be tied down in Italy, the fewer would be available to counter the cross-Channel invasion. The decision to invade Italy had been taken to exploit the success of Sicily and to drive Italy out of the war while containing as many German divisions as possible; Italy had ceased to be an enemy, but the objective of containing German forces was vague in the extreme. The Combined Chiefs of Staff had failed to stipulate geographical objectives, a factor which gave the campaign no defined structure. Without such objectives there was no indication of how far up the Italian leg the Allies should press, and to attempt to fight as far north as possible - up to the Alps, say - would require a great deal of resources which might arguably be better used for the North West European theatre. The implications of fighting a major campaign in Italy were immense for both the teeth and tail organizations. The balance of Allied/ German strength was of concern. While there were Allied formations departing from the theatre for the United Kingdom and OVERLORD, and others beginning to arrive, the number of divisions available was expected to be fifteen by mid-October, seventeen a month later, and then sixteen in mid-December. The estimate for German divisions was twenty-six. twenty-six. Allied air power would have to improve the odds, and with the Luftwaffe in decline the RAF and USAAF could expect a relatively free run at the enemy. At sea, although German naval power in the Mediterranean was now negligible, Allied resources were being steadily leeched away in anticipation of OVERLORD and options were becoming more limited. For the United States planners at the Joint Chiefs of Staff level, gaining air bases north of Rome near Ancona from which to step up the bombing of German-held areas in North West Europe would be sufficient justification for continuing to push onwards. In early August Marshall informed Eisenhower that at least twenty-four American, British and French divisions would be available to him for future operations; these should be sufficient to occupy Italy as far as north of Rome, to seize Sardinia and Corsica, and to make a landing on the Mediterranean coast of France to support OVERLORD. No attempt was to be made to move into the Balkans, and operations on the Italian mainland would be halted north of Rome. Eisenhower’s response was that as far as operations on the Italian mainland were concerned a situation in which the Allies held the south of the country and the Germans the north, with a no man’s land lying between, was unsustainable. One side or the other would be driven out, depending upon the resources each could muster, and Allied capabilities would be limited by shortages in men and equipment rather than by numbers of divisions. He reemphasized the argument that a particular limiting factor would be the amount of shipping and landing craft which could be drawn upon for Mediterranean operations, commodities which were in high demand for OVERLORD. With a belief that the Germans would fall back as least as far as Pisa to shorten their lines of communication, the planners envisaged a rapid advance northwards, an advance which would facilitate the landings in southern France. In AFHQ the planners felt that it was probable that the Germans could be forced back as far as the Piave river and the foothills of the Alps by the spring of 1944. Both American and British intelligence indicated that the enemy was preparing to withdraw, possibly covering their move on a line running through Cassino. As the Germans had evacuated Sardinia and Corsica they had exposed their flank on the western coast of the mainland and would have to pull back or risk having Allied forces land behind them. Eisenhower believed differently. He considered that the German strength in Italy would impose a painstaking and methodical advance on the Allies, a view supported by fresh evidence that the enemy’s withdrawal would be slower than previously thought. The German move would be paced to allow time for defensive lines to be completed, to give time to stabilize the internal security in northern Italy, and to inflict as much damage on the Allies as possible while denying them access to airfields from which missions might be flown against targets in German-held territory farther north. Eisenhower’s view was seconded by Alexander. Although German morale might have been lowered by the Italian surrender, their numerical superiority in ground forces, the absence of any significant internal security problem in German-occupied Italy, the strongly defensive nature of the terrain south of Rome, and - on 12 September 1943 - Mussolini’s rescue by the Germans and the establishment of the Italian Social Republic eleven days later, from which Fascist sympathizers could continue to support the Axis cause, led him to expect increased resistance. Apart from these reasons, the fact that the Germans had been retreating since El Alamein in November of the previous year spelt out to him that there would soon be a decision to make a stand. Fifth Army in Italy , A Coalition At War

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

I think the importance of the Italian capitulation for the Yugoslav partisans is downplayed - THIS is the point Tito can start raising tank units of his own - they seize tons of small arms and ammo, not to mention artillery guns and anti-air guns, and even some static coastal arty. And they're even getting Italians willing to operate those machines for them, thousands of new trigger-pullers. THIS is the moment where the partisans transform into a conventional military force and it gets lost amidst the postwar jingoism. I think the Italian capitulation is probably the most chaotic the war gets at the individual level - at this point, Italians will have fought every other major participant in the conflict at one point or another, including themselves. I think only the last days of the German regime can rival its scope of confusion and chaos.

[@ikmarchini]

Notice at 2:53 Vesuvius was still active, smoking, with flames, like Etna. An eruption in March 1944 collapsed the walls into the caldera and 'he' is now dormant. The Neapolitans used to ask "How is 'he' today.?" Another eruption is expected soon, perhaps of Pompei force.

[@kathyastrom1315]

My brother’s first father-in-law was a teen in Naples when it was liberated, and he had some fascinating stories to tell me about those days. I don’t know if they were exaggerations, but he spoke of doing some recon for the US troops as they moved through the area.

[@sursumkorda]

Naples 💩💩

[@merdiolu]

10th German Army retreat to Volturno and Bernhardt Line and 8th Army liberation of Foggia , 5th Army liberation of Naples General von Vietinghoff had served in the Prussian Guards in the First World War and had a pride in his command not uncommon with Prussian generals. He had held command in a Panzer army korps in Russia for two years, giving and receiving some mighty onslaughts. He had then commanded 14th Army in Northern France. Vietinghoff tended to treat his men like numbers but had an excellent rapport with his Army generals and with General Westphal, who had been Rommel’s Chief of Staff in North Africa. Von Vietinghoff’s own Chief of Staff, Major-General Wentzell, had served with him in Russia. Von Vietinghoff chose Hube’s XIV Panzer Korps, which now consisted of the Hermann Göring Panzer Division, 16th Panzer Division, 15th Panzer Grenadier Division and one regiment of 3rd Panzer Grenadier Division (its other two regiments which had come south to fight at Salerno had returned to guard Rome airfields. Its third regiment would join them during the last week of September) to defend the western half of Italy whilst Lt-General Herr’s LXXVI Panzer Korps - 26th Panzer Division, 1st Parachute Division and 29th Panzer Grenadier Division - defended the eastern half. The 1st Parachute Division was spread out between Salerno and Bari. It had to regroup near Foggia. General Herr’s other two divisions would have to withdraw eastward until they reached their place in the line between XIV Panzer Korps and 1st Parachute Division. Von Vietinghoff had only just completed his plans for a very tricky operation when he was ordered to take over temporary command of Army Group B as Rommel had been operated on for appendicitis. Von Vietinghoff briefed Hube, who had just returned from sick leave himself and would be taking over temporary command of 10th Army, on how his plans were to be carried out. Much would depend on General Wentzell and the German rearguards. Hube chose the Hermann Göring Division and regiments from the 3rd, 15th, and 29th Panzer Divisions to delay the Allies while 10th Army re-grouped. It would need at least three days to complete the job. The rearguards held magnificently. The main body of the Army completed their task in spite of constant bombing of the Allied air forces. By 26 September it was in line abreast across Italy. XIV Panzer Korps retreated at its own pace, helped by persistent rain which impeded the Allied armour as well as grounding most of its planes. The Korps was commanded by Lt-General Hermann Balck, another general who had served with distinction in Russia. When Hube went sick OKW had sent him to take over temporary command of XIV Panzer Korps. Hitler had taken note of how well he had handled the Korps at Salerno and had marked him down for an Army command in Russia. OKW had refused all Kesselring’s requests for fresh divisions and replacement of essential equipment but they certainly sent him good generals. Von Vietinghoff returned on 28 September and found XIV Panzer Korps in such good order that he was able to send 16th Panzer Division and 15th Panzer Grenadier Division back to the Volturno to dig defences, leaving the Hermann Göring Division to hold up the Allies, who had the best part of five divisions in the hunt. Von Vietinghoff also sent Hube to reconnoitre the Bernhardt Line. Because both Kesselring and von Vietinghoff believed that the Allies’ primary objective was Rome, and that the main thrust for the city would be bound to be up the western side of Italy Kesselring ordered von Vietinghoff to supervise Balck and Hube’s handling of XIV Panzer Korps’ retreat to the Bernhardt. The Neapolitan underground movement, who had molested the 3rd Panzer Grenadier Division on its way to Salerno, got wind of Kesselring’s plan for the destruction of the city’s harbour and public facilities and on 29 September they overcame the German garrison and manned the public facilities. Von Vietinghoff had to recall tanks and infantry from the 16th Panzer Division to deal with the uprising. By next day it was all over. 10th Army engineers could get on with the job, which they did with ruthless efficiency. The engineers and the Hermann Göring Division left Naples late on 30 September. The Allies entered it on 1 October. On 30 September Kesselring and Rommel had been summoned to a conference with Hitler at his headquarters in Bavaria. The Führer had intended to discuss the defence of Foggia airfields, the biggest in Southern Italy, but they fell to Montgomery's Eighth Army two days before the conference began. Hitler believed that once the airfields were in working order they would be used to support an Allied invasion of the Balkans. Allied disinformation and poor German counter-intelligence had convinced Hitler that the Allies’ main thrust would come there and not in Italy. He asked his two Field-Marshals whether they thought the airfields could be recaptured. Rommel thought it unlikely. He could hardly have said anything else without appearing to back-track on his defensive policy for Italy. Kesselring was confident the airfield could be retaken, provided 10th Army was given adequate support. Actually there was almost no hope of recapturing Foggia and its airbases without at least four or five refreshed Panzer Divisions transferred to Central Italy (which was not coming from Eastern Front) Still Hitler was impressed by Kesselring’s optimism and told him to send him a list of the support he would require. Kesselring asked for the Bernhardt to be fortified so that the line behind it - then known as the Gaeta-Ortona , later known as Winter Line or Gustav Line - could be made strong enough to hold up the Allies indefinitely. Rommel emphasized the importance of fortifying the Massa-Rimini Line. On 4 October Hitler authorized the fortification of both lines. He also ordered OKW to send two divisions from Army Group B to 10th Army. Two divisions from France would be sent to Army Group B as replacements. Countdown to Cassino - Battle of Mignano Gap 1943 - Alex Bowlby

[@giovannidistasio5820]

Thank you for explaining in details what the resistance in Naples meant and what the Germans did to Naples

[@thunderbird1921]

I am so sorry to hear about your historical sites being destroyed like that. It may not be as valuable as actual people, but I have special levels of disdain for those who obliterate important human history and culture without a second thought. Reminds me of what ISIS did to sites in Iraq.

[@giovannidistasio5820]

@@thunderbird1921 yes, unfortunately it's the same and there is never justification for that.

[@Spiderfisch]

The Italian Campaign is going well so far Lets hope they dont get held up at a random monastary for several months

[@TheNMan64]

Indy needs to cover all of Dean Martin's songs in WW II puns

[@Panzer4F2]

I am in awe of your pronunciation skills. Switching between Soviet and Japanese names like a pro, because you are.

[@JTA1961]

Athefumen ✅

[@benismann]

soviet cities are euhh at times, but more often then not the pronounciation is quite decent. Always fascinated me how much english speaking ppl want to skip letters in those names

[@sheldonwheaton881]

Well done as always! Points up the eventual necessity for the Marshall Plan.

[@jwclapp1183]

Indy, your Texas came out when you said, “The blowed the main aqueduct…” I may have giggled slightly.

[@pnyfids]

This is the first WWII video in about two years that I've received a notification for

[@cobbler9113]

I'm sure the Allies will be able to burst through any German defences in Italy and will promptly be up to the Alps by Christmas...

[@Kay2kGer]

and by christmas we will have the 14th + battle for the isonzo?

[@Spiderfisch]

@@Kay2kGer 13th WW1 only had 12

[@Ronald98]

@@Spiderfisch *120

[@mikereger1186]

@@Kay2kGer hats off for the sheer imaginative genius of Cadorna. The one man who could make Conrad von Hotzendorff look good.

[@seanmcateer7982]

I wish you would have mentioned that Henrici was relieved for insufficient destruction of Smolensk....

[@honglong7764]

wow, THAT was insufficient? I think they wanted to raze it to the ground and erased it off the map

[@seanmcateer7982]

@@honglong7764 he left the ancient Orthodox cathedral intact-for that he lost his job a few months

[@hannahskipper2764]

Nice episode! Thank you for making my hurricane Ian clean up a little better by your work.

[@michaelbergen269]

I always wait to hit "like" on these episodes so I can do it at the end, in appreciation of yet another historical masterpiece. This episode's intro warranted an exception. Keep up the good work Timeghost!

[@alicetwain]

The liberation of Naples is the subject of what is possibly the greatest Italian War movie ever: The four days of Naples by Nanni Loi.

[@kirbyculp3449]

Thanks

[@stanash479]

In regards to your singing, I don't think the late Dean Martin has anything to worry about..

[@rwmoser53]

Thanks!

[@Dustz92]

Movie recommendation of the week: Tutti a casa [Everybody Go Home] (1960) by Luigi Comencini. It depicts the whole Italian surrender from the POV of some Italian soldiers, and the later part of the movie depicts the Four Days of Naples that preceed the arrival of the allied forces. Period covered: 8-30 September 1943 Historical Accuracy - 4/5 IMDB grade: 7.7/10

[@MrDaredevil96]

HE SAID IT! HE SAID THE THING! MODERN WAR!

[@shaider1982]

10:25 Weird, this sounds like an upcoming problem of a country that had just recently announced a partial mobilization to prop up a special military operation.

[@sheldonwheaton881]

Thanks for the nod to the SCALE of the fighting on the Eastern Front.

[@indianajones4321]

It’s also worth noting that in October 1943, the last of the Italian guerrilla fighters in East Africa surrendered to the British

[@miljangoloc]

What a singing! Bravo maestro!

[@thegift20luis]

I love this series! But what makes it what it is is Indy!

[@donjones4719]

The maps showing divisions and armies are a constant reminder of the enormous disparity between the Eastern Front and the Allies. In North Africa and Italy relatively tiny handfuls of divisions were engaged against Germany, tying up not many more German divisions. The Italian campaign helped somewhat by requiring the transfer of a couple/few divisions from the Eastern front but that was pretty much a drop in the bucket. An example this week is the German retreat to Crimea. Six divisions were used *just for the rear guard.* No wonder Stalin kept pounding away at the US and UK to invade France and accept the high casualties that the Soviets were accepting.

[@merdiolu]

Italian Campaign when it started on September 1943 , diverted 15 German divisions to Italian peninsula (seven of them were fighting in south , eight were at Northern Italy occupying vital industrial towns and Po Valley and Brenner Pass plus disarming Italian military) , plus eleven more German divisions to Balkans to disarm Italian units and garrisons at occupied Yugoslavia , Greece , Dordenecesse islands and Southern France and take over their occupation duties. Without Allied landings on Italian mainland , forcing Italy to quit the war and forcing Germans to substitute them and engaging Allied drive , that would not happen. It was certainly not "a handful German divisions" as you display. 26 German divisions in 1943 would constitute two full German armies in Eastern Front that could stall , inflict heavier casaulties and even check Red Army advance on reaching and crossing Dnieper.

[@AristotlesRevolution]

as usual a great video

[@SHAd0Eheart]

How many of us thought that when Hitler invited the two SS men to return the next morning it would be to meet the firing squad or something similar? (Raised hand)

[@parshiwal887]

One of them lived all the way to 1995

[@merdiolu]

Biography of General Richard McCreery , X British Corps , later Eighth Army commander (24 September - 1 October 1943) The X Corps offensive to push the Germans back through the passes began on the night of 22/23 September, with attacks by 46th British Division towards Nocera and by 56th British Division up the road to the north towards Avellino. There was fierce fighting in the hills on either side of the two routes, with pockets of Germans holding out until the last moment and delaying the capture of both villages and high ground. Cava was taken by X Corps on 24 September, but 46th British Division made slow progress until two days later, when it appeared that a large scale German withdrawal of more than local significance was taking place. By the morning of 27th September the leading vehicles of 46th British Division with help of 505th US Parachute Intantry Regiment overrun German rearguard detachments and were in Camerelle, just short of Nocera, and plans were issued for the final break-out by X Corps. On the following day the tanks of 7th British Armoured Division burst through as far as Scafati. 23rd British Armoured Brigade, which had come down the Chiunzi Pass that was still held by US Rangers, reached the sea at Castellammare, and 56th British Division passed through San Severino overrunning German rearguard en route. 7th British Armored moved so fast in fact , to the suprise and ire of Germans , leading British armored units captured the bridges on Sarno river at Scafati intact. By 29 September the front line ran from Torre Annunziata around the southern flank of Mount Vesuvius to Sarno river and 23rd Armored Brigade was approaching outskirts of Naples. Next day on 30th recently landed relatively fresh 3rd US Division captured Avellino after ther town was subjected a very heavy air and artillery bombartment and well executed US infantry flanking attack that destroyed German defenders and convinced rest to retreat north. General Lucien Trusscott commander of 3rd US Infantry Division wrote sadly : "All buildings were demolished and destroyed , all around were shell craters , demolished buildings. Avellino reeked of putrifying bodies buried in debrids "It seemed strategly sad to me that the inhabitants who had suffered so much , greeted us with kisses , cheers , flowers , fruit and wine" Same day 46th British Division also captured Nocera after a very tough fight that caused heavy casaulties on both sides till remaining German defending units left alive were again finally persuaded to leave after heavy Allied air bombing and artillery fire. By noon with capture of Nocera , Fifth Army threw Germans (already retreating quickly to north towards Volturno river due to loss of their natural defences around Salerno) from its ring rocky defenses on west and north west of Salerno , burst into plain of Naples and fanning out. Meanwhile Allied warships in gulf of Naples were bombarding retreating German forces on the coast and remaining German pockets around Naples Finally at 0930 hrs on 1 October the armoured cars of the King’s Dragoon Guards from 23rd British Armored Brigade and with 505th US Parachute Regiment troops reached the centre of Naples. The first great city of mainland Europe had fallen to the Allies. Allies had something to celebrate - a point General Richard McCreery made in his Order of the Day, which read: "After ten days of fighting, X Corps has forced the enemy on to the defensive and on our right he is carrying out a big withdrawal. The enemy’s objective was to drive us back to our beaches. For this purpose he concentrated against us the 16th Panzer Division and elements of four other divisions. He has failed, thanks to the courage, endurance, and splendid fighting spirit of you all. You have inflicted very heavy losses on the enemy, and he has lost much equipment. We will now turn to the offensive in conjunction with the US Rangers on our left, who have harassed the enemy continually in very hilly and mountainous country. Once we have the enemy on the run we will keep them moving. I wish to express my grateful admiration and thanks to all officers and men of X Corps for the fine fight you have put up throughout this operation in widely varying and difficult country." As McCreery pointed out, the two Allied corps had finally achieved what they set out to do ten days before. They had fought their way onto the Italian mainland and established a bridgehead. They then held these toeholds against everything Kesselring’s Germans could throw against them, including the might of several armoured divisions. While the whole operation might well have highlighted grave problems, it could also be seen as a success. Eventually the Germans had been forced to retreat, and the way now lay open to continue to harass the enemy as he retreated up the Italian peninsula. The horrors of Cassino, Anzio and the Gustav Line lay in the future: for the moment, the Allies were content the horrors of Salerno were behind them - and that they had somehow managed to survive the experience. The Last Cavalryman , General Richard McCreery - Richard Mead

[@jordanhicken7812]

My grandfather flew in Flying Fortresses out of Foggia during the war. Glad to see it finally liberated!

[@Onthejazz247]

Good to hear a little about the US submarine warfare in the pacific. I read a really good book on it a few years ago. It's odd how when we talk about subs in ww2 we talk so much more about the unsuccessful German campaign against Britain than the successful American campaign against Japan. Would love to see a special on this in the later years of the war

[@gharkun]

Sitting ovation for the intro Indy :)

[@davehann8178]

Indy you're nuts! but we love you!

[@vincen4228]

Just another awesome episode. Keep it up!

[@ScooterWeibels]

I didn't know Indy was related to Dean Martin

[@merdiolu]

Four Days of Naples (2) "This republic begins to lose ground everyday" lamented Mussolini when he heard liberation of Naples. The philosopher Bernedetto Croce , observing all from Naples , wrote that Mussolini was just a patched puppet that has lost all of his sawdust and fell down limp. Croce who once hailed extraordinary personality of Mussolini , conscience and moral sensitivity. He described Il Duce as ignorant , lacking capability of self criticism , extramely vain , devoid of taste , vulgar , afrogant etc On 4th October , Mussolini in desperation wrote to Hitler , ephasizing on that his own Salo Republic goverment must have absolute autonomy within the shrunken borders in which it operated or otherwise it would fail. The German military he said must cease interferance in Italian civil life and its various commands must stop issuing contradictory orders. Hitler did not even bother to respond. Ambassador Anfuso noted that after that last snub , Mussolini's exalted view about Germans just evaporated and now he saw them small , sinister , disquieting and at times monstrous people. "The German" he quoted "mutated from historical lithographs into hysterical , complicated and hostile creatures" The Last 600 Days of Mussolini and Salo Republic - Ray Moseley

[@jonbaxter2254]

This channel and K&G Pacific War coverage literally get me through the week.

[@adaw2d3222]

Best intro so far.

[@chrismontgomery2918]

I simply insist every episode now be opened with a capella singing. Insist.

[@Conn30Mtenor]

My dad was in the Canadian Navy at this time- he told me that the British had a countermeasure against the G7e torpedo within weeks- the Foxer- which was when towed behind the escorts- making more noise than the escort's propellers (the Acoustic Torpedo's primary target) and thus drew the G7e's away from the primary target and exploded harmlessly to the stern of the target. The foxer was cheap to build (being a tube with holes drilled into it) and could be done in the ship's machine shop, whereas the acoustic torpedo was expensive and each U-Boat only carried several of them. 77 ships were sunk by 700 acoustic torpedoes. Not an economical return.

[@hughledger7835]

Canadian CAT gear was even cheaper Nd easier to use

[@brokenbridge6316]

Indy singing that funny song at the start of this video made my day. Great video too. Have a nice day everyone.

[@grahvis]

7:19 Matilda II, the only British tank to serve right through WW2.

[@Pile_of_carbon]

That intro was gold!

[@alexAplst]

The closing lines of this video reminded me of how you narrated the WW1 series, has its own taste, amazing stuff

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

Wonderful introducing &informative Coverage

[@davidsnow9504]

Great Job TGA!!! Thank you.

[@agustintrivino9365]

So we're not gonna talk about Indy's amazing singing voice?

[@MessiahProphylaxis]

I hope you will consider issuing this series on physical media when the war is all over, as it must be the most thorough chronological visual documentary of WW2 at this scope (at least that I am aware of).

[@icaricc]

Best intro so far

[@gordybing1727]

Hi Y'all, One of the first comments is always, "What is happening in China?" Nobody asks what was happening in North Dakota, but it is kind of interesting. The 1930's were hard on ND, stories of farmers bailing tumble weeds for cattle feed, fences being buried under 10 feet of windblown dirt, houses without a stick of furniture in them. People had "Cream Separators", and a few dairy cows, the truck would come by once a day, take the cream, they would survive on wheat and skim milk. When the war came, there were thousands of jobs in Seattle, and two competing railroad lines, the state started to empty out. The Homestead Act gave people 160 Acres, the average farm probably doubled in size during the war, as people gave up, headed west. So many headed West, I have been told that there were North Dakota picnics in the 1950's that would draw thousands. In China, there was no Seattle, no railroad lines, just hunger, starvation, and death on a scale that is hard to imagine. Today, the joke in North Dakota is that half the population lives east of Interstate 29. If you look at the map, I-29 is about 20 miles from Minnesota and 330 miles from Montana. Thanks for your time, take care.

[@ar494]

Indy flexing them golden pipes. Bravissimo! Bravissimo!

[@friendhui4320]

Another great video, love u Indy ❤

[@tenstorme426]

Happy Birthday for the past week, Indy.

[@robbpowell194]

After dozens of mentions of “Smiling Albert” Kesselring, I had to look him up. Turns out, his moniker was actually a real thing...

[@darvennej4495]

''Smiling Albert'' Was where he was supposed to be, he was made especailly for the Italian Campaign, he spoke Italian ,listened to Opera and was a bonafide ''Italinophile''. Destiny!. He had the equivalent of ''Russian Winter ''as a Ally !. He had the Terrain and Hills of the leg and Boot of Italy as a advantage.

[@nicholasconder4703]

18:30 The best explanation for this is childish, petty spite. If they can't have it, nobody can. And they will make everyone suffer for their humiliation/defeat in some way.

[@caryblack5985]

On October 1,1943 the Germans had 1,340,448 deaths on the Eastern Front and approximately 4,000,000 wounded. They will have a further 53,264 deaths in the month of October.

[@ahorsewithnoname773]

That goes a long way toward explaining why units at the front were thinly stretched at this period, receiving inadquate and hastily trained replacements, and why (spoiler alert) the static divisions manning the Normandy coast in 1944 included Ost battalions staffed by former Soviet PoW. Herr Schicklgruber was running out of fodder for the cannons.

[@24meandyounothing]

Now another reason why I watch this channel..the SINGING and the CANADIAN flag.THANK YOU.

[@jasonmussett2129]

The Soviet Airborne drops near the Dneiper sound like another Arnhem.

[@peterrasmussen6720]

They say that "That's Amore" was writting in 1953. But no, Indy got there 10 years early.

[@websterdds]

The cleverest, most entertaining intro ever!

[@ronbednarczyk2497]

Indy, I have a question I've been meaning to ask for some time. When you discuss tonnage of ships lost, is that just the ship or does it include the cargo?

[@darthbee18]

Awww Indy, what a rendition of Amore at the beginning! 😂😂😂

[@billyyank2198]

When Allies hit your eye Like a big pizza pie That's a'war ayyy

[@nicholasmiller3872]

Dean Martin is laughing right now, and calling up Frank to get you fitted for concrete shoes... lol. that was good Indy.

[@DKelso]

Hahahaha that's one damn catchy tune, Indy. You must do this more often on your next episodes! 🎶

[@charlesadams41]

"Smiling Albert Kesselring" never gets old--I chuckle everytime

[@jjeherrera]

Was the introduction lyrics made up, or did they really sing it back in 1943?

[@naveenraj2008eee]

Hi Indy Another thrilling week. Finally axis on defensive and allies are winning. But still murder and destruction continues. This is awfull. And part and parcel of modern war. Thanks for video.

[@skrag2112]

Was Indy talking to Dean Martin at the beginning?

[@jonbaxter2254]

Oh, I hate seeing old buildings and libraries destroyed :(

[@quineloe]

1:55 that turned out to be the premise for a movie.