Armoured Trains of World War 1 I THE GREAT WAR Special feat. Military History Visualized

"Armoured Trains" in our Amazon Store: bit.ly/ArmouredTrains
Check out Military History Visualized and his video on armoured trains: • Armored Trains in Worl...
Armoured Trains were heavily armed and armored trains operating the vast rail networks of Europe, especially on the Eastern Front of World War 1. Their tactics and design evolved considerably during the First World War and the later Russian Civil War. From rather improvised locomotives to sophisticated designs specially built for combat purposes.
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» WHAT ARE YOUR SOURCES?
Videos: British Pathé
Pictures: Mostly Picture Alliance
Background Map: d-maps.com/carte.php?num_car=6...
Literature (excerpt):
Gilbert, Martin. The First World War. A Complete History, Holt Paperbacks, 2004.
Hart, Peter. The Great War. A Combat History of the First World War, Oxford University Press, 2013.
Hart, Peter. The Great War. 1914-1918, Profile Books, 2013.
Stone, Norman. World War One. A Short History, Penguin, 2008.
Keegan, John. The First World War, Vintage, 2000.
Hastings, Max. Catastrophe 1914. Europe Goes To War, Knopf, 2013.
Hirschfeld, Gerhard. Enzyklopädie Erster Weltkrieg, Schöningh Paderborn, 2004
Michalka, Wolfgang. Der Erste Weltkrieg. Wirkung, Wahrnehmung, Analyse, Seehamer Verlag GmbH, 2000
Leonhard, Jörn. Die Büchse der Pandora: Geschichte des Ersten Weltkrieges, C.H. Beck, 2014
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THE GREAT WAR covers the events exactly 100 years ago: The story of World War I in realtime. Featuring: The unique archive material of British Pathé. Indy Neidell takes you on a journey into the past to show you what really happened and how it all could spiral into more than four years of dire war. Subscribe to our channel and don’t miss our new episodes every Thursday.
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[@TheGreatWar]

Got a lot of comments like this for our Armoured Train episode along the line of "can't you just blow up the tracks and walk away?" Let's look at this a bit, we thought the episode made clear why this wasn't so easy: The most important thing to note here is that we are talking about the vast area of Eastern Europe and Russia here. 100 years ago, in a lot of areas, the railways were the most important supply route - so if you would sabotage the railways beyond repair, you would basically shoot yourself in the foot. A lot of the fighting in the Russian Civil War took place along these railway lines between major cities because whoever controlled the railways could supply troops and civilians. Lighter sabotage was of course a valid tactic to stop an armoured train but you could only really do that if you really set a proper ambush and if you knew the train was coming in the first place. The next important thing is that the armoured trains would not travel alone, they had cavalry scouts and by 1917 they had a good system in place for these troops to scout ahead and communicate any information backwards. The train itself was also transporting infantry that would defend the train in case of an ambush or when it stopped. So, we are not saying that armoured trains were invincible but at this specific point in history and in this particular place, they were a valid military resource.

[@enderpup9289]

The Great War BATTLE TRAINS,

[@jeffanderson8165]

What gets me is their use in counter-partisan operations. Maybe I'm the dumb one, but it seems to me that these things would be either targeted by the partisans, or they'd remain hidden until the Armoured Train passed, then set off their booby traps under the logistics trains. I mean, why fight at a disadvantage (the weight of men and firepower a train would bring to the fight) if you can hide until it passes and a juicy target comes your way?

[@Grizabeebles]

+ Jeff Anderson -- I imagine counter-railway tactics for infantry would be almost identical to the way partisans in Iraq and Afghanistan were booby-trapping and bombing highways a hundred or so years later. The problem is that irregular but frequent patrols "detect" these booby traps before they can do significant damage to supply trains. Throw in a few observation posts and sniper teams and you make setting bombs under the tracks a much riskier proposition. Probably your best bet would be to get a bunch of railway workers together and take a 4-day trip to some remote tracks on a random hillside and remove a few spans of track, then cart them over to the closest mine-shaft or cliff and pitch the cart over the side before a patrol caught you. That's a _lot_ harder to do in the days before they invented no-money-down finance options for pickup trucks.

[@jeffanderson8165]

While it does make sense, Grizabeebles, I honestly don't know how effective counter-partisan tactics would be, especially in the vast stretches of Russia. I hope I can explain this... Imagine *you* are part of a partisan team. "The Enemy" has come through the lands around your village, killing and looting. Most of the menfolk are gone, save for a few old men and young boys. (Please picture yourself as someone from one of those categories?) In enclaves in the forests that dominate the vast stretches of land, hidden from the rare patrol aeroplane by the canopy of trees, your team has hidden caches of tools, weapons, and explosives. On the scheduled day, your team leader (who may be you) meets with the team at one of your rally points. "Enemy" foot patrols are your greatest concern. Horse mounted patrols can be easily heard as the hooves kick in to occasional stones in the dirt roadways, but by the time you might hear the leather soles of infantry boots, it may be too late. There are four of you; no more. "The Enemy" has declared that if more gather in one place, you'd all be subject to arrest. You have only small arms; you've opted for pistols that can be easily concealed beneath your civilian clothes. You carry your explosive charges in bags disguised as local delicacy foodstuffs that outsiders find repulsive (while I'm thinking Scottish Haggis right now, I'm sure all cultures have some equivalent that outsiders would likely *never* develop a taste for the way the locals do), just in case you *do* run in to one of the rare security patrols in the vast countryside. Your scouts have determined a stretch along the track where you are likely to remain unseen at night, if the moon isn't out. It is there that your team dig from the side of the roadbed to place your two pounds of explosives under the rails. Through the night, even after moonrise (?) your team leader waits, hiding in the forests that have been laboriously cleared a hundred yards to either side of the tracks, hiding under branches that have been cut from the local trees, disguised as another innocuous piece of the vast forest. He waits until the right target comes along before electrically detonating the charges. He then runs like heck to get away from any "Enemy" who is likely pouring in from all directions to the sounds of the explosion and derailing train. He runs, but knows that, if he's caught, he needs to save the last bullet in his pistol for himself. I know that's a long story, but that was the essence of partisan operations against the rails. How *can* that be countered, especially in the vast reaches of the Russia, where trying to get enough troops to counter such forces demands such numbers as to significantly weaken forces available for the front line?

[@william_brobrine8975]

Thank you!

[@generalediaz2391]

We are losing objective butter

[@ChevyChase301]

General Diaz halfway there keep it up The enemy is being reinforced with an armored train You have almost won One can only speculate what an Austrian hunagarian victory could have looked like a victory may have reinvigorated the dying empire allowing the hapsburgs to control their various races nations and ethnicities for at least a few months longer.

[@generalediaz2391]

Joey Kevorkian I liked Austria-Hungary :(

[@ChevyChase301]

General Diaz it's a quote from the conquest map I think at the end. I played this one so much so I remember it.

[@Thumbsupurbum]

Welfare train!

[@generalediaz2391]

Joey Kevorkian yes yes I know but I feel bad for AH anyway XD (even though I'm Italian)

[@SuperLusername]

So if armored trains drove on tracks...and tanks have tracks. That means...that means Tanks are just armored trains with their own railway system.

[@gcircle]

*head explodes*

[@jonaw.2153]

Evilsamar How high are you right now?

[@SuperLusername]

Jona Willekens very

[@Loup-mx7yt]

Evilsamar wow I never thought of it that way.

[@Lonestar24]

Well, take a good guess where the name "track" of tracked vehicles comes from. The german equivalent is even "chained track" (Gleiskette)

[@SuperLusername]

I am so hyped for World of Wartrains now

[@lordofcreation3498]

I will be surprised if they make that game

[@ChevyChase301]

"Thomas the tank engine plays in the background"

[@das_edelweiss8736]

dammit, you stole my idea 😂

[@thomasfeck188]

Why should i Play in the Background if i could roam the fields of flanders in the front, eh?

[@RaeSyngKane]

Last time a train engine was this terrifying was in Skyrim

[@generalediaz2391]

RaeSyngKane HAHAHAHA and very dank

[@RaeSyngKane]

Wehraboo_Of_El_Alamein In their tongue, he is Dovahmeme

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

was a pleasure working with you guys! And in good old tradition, we left a long "paper" trail, thx to email we didn't have to kill any trees for these episodes.

[@TheGreatWar]

+Military History Visualized huzzah to digital communication!

[@darthcalanil5333]

my favourite 2 military history channels coming together. huzzah!

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

Military History Visualized I knew it

[@ChaosDelivery]

email? I thought you guys are living 100 years in the past, you surely mean telegrams right?

[@Adrian-ry6bm]

Were you triggered that he called your accent German or is it nothing because it's German still?

[@rramos117]

"The enemy team has been reinforced with an armored train" ...destroyed in 3 minutes by anti-tank mines and dynamite - only in Battlefield 1

[@JurzGarz]

Especially if the driver is an idiot who drives it right up to the enemy front line instead of using it as intended.

[@changeoftone4958]

Reymond Ramos YEET

[@BigBoss-sm9xj]

Amir Muhammad XD

[@scrooglemcdoogle]

If the driver is competent, the train becomes an instant free win for the losing team. Behemoths were a mistake in Bf1, they are so poorly executed.

[@lek1223]

Do you mean incompetent?

[@wearealpharius641]

'the enemy is being reinforced with an armourd train'

[@kevray]

Daniel Flynn The anti tank grenade spam is coming

[@MeGaFPSPlAyEr3000]

These things are sometimes damn terrifying in BF1 when you hear them sounding the horn while approaching loudly from the horizon. One can only imagine how frightening these beasts must've been to come across in real life.

[@unnatixlr8]

Man i felt the same when I played the game. BF1 suddenly became a horror game to me

[@battlecatsubernoob1924]

@@unnatixlr8I’m still never gonna forget how real the game felt during my first match on the German side of the Meuse Argonne forest where I spent 5 minutes holding the bunker throwing grenade after grenade, terrified of an enemy breakthrough

[@pizzatime3367]

🇬🇧 500-499 🇹🇷 We have an enemy armoured train en route

[@nathanaelraynard2641]

Durr Plant lol

[@Meirstein]

Austro-Hungarian armored trains: Designed to work on 7 different track gauges, with 3 different measurement systems, and giving all orders in 27 different languages.

[@WARLOCKIKITCLAW]

The poles also used armored trains as defensive weapons in World War 2 in 1939. On September first 1939 during the battle of Mokra the Armoured train 53 'Smialy' supported the polish Cavalry in the defense of the town, knocking out several German panzers.

[@truecerium4924]

I heard about that one, they used the armoured train as mobile artillery moving it behind the front up and down to support infantry where needed

[@clashcitywannabe]

I'd like to share a quote here from "The Bloody White Baron" by James Palmer which is a book about Roman von Ungern-Sternberg, a fascinating figure from the Russian civil war. "Armoured trains were the dreadnoughts of this war. Huge and expensive, they could bring a devastating amount of firepower to bear-albeit upon a necessarily limited area. Three standard types of armoured train had been manufactured during the war, but in Siberia many of them were unique, improvised creations; engineers took an ordinary train and bolted great slabs of steel to its sides as armour, then took whatever guns could be found and attached them to the roof of the carriage. Some were merely semi-armoured, their wooden carriages reinforced only with bricks or sandbags- enough to deflect rifle bullets, but useless against artillery. Most comprised eight to ten carriages, but they could be much longer. Their modular nature made for both flexibility of purpose and ease of replacement; damaged rolling stock could be cannibalized for spares. Some of these snaky juggernauts were painted in camouflage colours, greens and browns, while others were liveried in menacing black. Churchill wrote of armoured trains that ‘the very name seems strange; a locomotive disguised as a knight-errant, the agent of civilization in the habiliments of chivalry’, but there was nothing either civilized chivalrous about their use in the Transbaikal. Semenov’s trains had no effective opposition, and to be the commander of one was like being captain of a pirate vessel; one could simply roll into a small town and demand the locals either hand over whatever they had or be blown to smithereens. The Reds strove to set up their armoured train crews as a trained, organized force, and tried to use them as massed artillery. In contrast, Semenov’s captains recruited or pressganged their own men, often acting on their initiative rather than any higher orders. Crew sizes ranged from forty to nearly two hundred, sometimes with an auxiliary infantry force of two or three hundred men. Many were armed with naval artillery, stripped from the boats of the Siberian lakes. They were given names fit for machines of mass destruction; the Reds had the ideological Death to parasites, Ruin of the Counter-revolution, Liberty or Death, while among the White trains in Siberia were the Valiant, Swift and Just, along with the more aptly named Master, Avenger, Destroyer, Terrible and Merciless."

[@TheGreatWar]

he will hopefully get an episode too.

[@dylanrodrigues]

I was worried this collaboration between the Great War Channel and MHV would go off the rails, but I should have considered your respective TRACK records.

[@TheGreatWar]

chew chew

[@vadimkavecsky3698]

8:44 I love the way they have a flag on the top right that saying ARMORED TRAIN (Rus : Бронепоезд). So any enemy who would be observing from far away would know that they're about to get screwed.

[@that1guyonpoint213]

Watch out! Here comes Thomas the Death Machine!

[@theorium6398]

Czechoslovakia mentioned yaay!

[@vbdope]

About time for a special episode!

[@Andy-wc5xw]

Theorium Czech legion special confirmed

[@niiiimand]

It was Czechoslovak legion, do not forget about that

[@rundaneperu9334]

Czechoslovaks finally going into the sea!

[@BDNeon]

1:29 When Cousin Itt wants to play with Gomez's trains. PS, it's a locomotive used in the second Boer War known as Hairy Mary. They used hemp rope as improvised armor.

[@Ericisnotachannel]

One the of things I love about the Great War channel, isn't just the awesome content. But the fact that they keep doing minor and major colabs with other channels.

[@doorexplore1477]

That's a cool Behemoth

[@klaus1580]

I thought I had hair on my phone

[@crnacpanker]

Mustafa Özkan haha same!

[@dablop1]

Heh, your profile picture made me think there was something on my screen... I spent A good minute trying to wipe it off with as washcloth like an idiot...

[@The6thHouse427]

Door Explore I saw you on the bf1 dlc video

[@neilwilson5785]

Tried to get that hair off my screen. Well done, you got me.

[@grayflaneur4854]

It seems surprising to me that trains were so effective. I just assumed that you blow the tracks and it's over. Very interesting. Good episode.

[@TheGreatWar]

+Bogus Mosin consider the distances we're talking about here

[@diarradunlap9337]

This is true. Also, such was also tried by both the Unionists and the Confederates during the American Civil War at times, with slightly more success. Again, due to the distances involved. Operating in vast areas of land does hinder somewhat the effectiveness of sabotage operations, particularly when one doesn't know WHEN a train is due in a particular location.

[@JonatasAdoM]

Tracks can be repaired

[@jamestheotherone742]

They were fighting for control OF the the tracks. Both sides wanted to use the rail lines to move troops and supplies. Destroying the lines means that on your next offensive, you are going to have to spend the resources for your engineers to fix the track you blew up.

[@TheUnknown-rs5el]

Yea but it still is a long range consider.

[@yengthao4258]

you should talk about that kukri on your desk right there next

[@secretivehamster]

I like trains

[@thenoobinator3508]

Iamadam that was soo long ago. i feel veey old

[@arifkramer4974]

NEEEOOOOOOWW.

[@limescaleonetwo3131]

I like turtles 🐢

[@ritzman8312]

limescale onetwo boooom!!!

[@maciek_k.cichon]

my thesis was about trains

[@that1guy335]

I'm a simple man. I see "armored trains" and I click

[@Flakfire]

What about hype trains?

[@bababooie7296]

Flakfire I love you and your KZbin channel 😱😱😱😱👌👌👌👌👌👍👍👍👍

[@thurin84]

what about the trump train?

[@themeapster5974]

OMG I love your channel!

[@patrickmccallion9383]

Watch your vids keep up the good work

[@ryanvidal5580]

Gasps, it's flakfire, HI

[@bluemoondiadochi]

Armored train: my all-time favorite weapons system!

[@galladesamurai2380]

I just realized that "zaamurets" is the Armored train that the Armored train behemoth in battlefield 1 is based on. That is amazing!

[@thenoobinator3508]

wow i imagine that operating thses required a lot of TRAINing. I'll see myself out

[@thurin84]

id rail against your pun but ill settle for a tie.............

[@met_big_kawaii4999]

The Noobinator that derailed my sanity

[@jelenajankovic9546]

One of them had a broken drivetrain.

[@jeffanderson8165]

I heard they weren't popular postings to the point where officers were railroaded into serving on them. Okay, I'll leave the puns up to people who are legitimately funny.

[@that1guyonpoint213]

Did these beasts ever have anti aircraft guns?

[@TheGreatWar]

+That1GuyOnPoint wouldn't be surprised

[@vincenzoemanuelkleinszig9094]

That1GuyOnPoint At 8:55 when they talk about the trains in WW2 you can actually see a german AA gun the Flakvierling from WW2 Also I don't think that AA guns on trains were used in the 1.WW because the plans were probably pretty useless against the trains because of their armor and the problems of hitting such a target in the first place

[@jeffreymcfadden9403]

not so much so during WW1. WW1, ground fire was much more dangerous to trains. During WW2, Germany did put AA guns on trains.

[@kalle911]

medium.com/war-is-boring/a-remarkable-armored-train-fought-its-way-across-eurasia-db3e3180b50c this says zaamurets was used as mobile anti-air in russian army.

[@BountyFlamor]

Shouldn't machine guns be enough to stop WW1 planes?

[@rickkcir2]

It’s the Anti-Titan artillery from AoT.

[@chrismincher6193]

Also, myself and my family really appreciate mention of "Lord Plumer" (direct relation) in previous episodes. Contributions will and have been made. Thanks again, love your work.

[@TheGreatWar]

Indy is certainly a fan of him.

[@brokenprime149]

Reminds me of Rail of War, an old PC game where you used various armored / armed trains to complete missions. I used to love that game, but as far as I know you can't get it anymore.

[@Dreaded88]

@The Great War: Dear Indy: *PLEASE!!!...* Get Steven Zaloga on your show! He's a great interview, and *SUPERBLY* knowledgeable about every Armoured Vehicle in the world!

[@TheGreatWar]

We would certainly be up for that.

[@jildert7302]

So these trains could drive in Artillary fire but my train can't be on time? smh

[@TheGreatWar]

+private name what's the correlation here?

[@jildert7302]

The Great War that trains riding a century ago were doing doing their job better than the ones driving now. By the way I love your show!

[@alexander1485]

run*

[@Crimethoughtfull]

Also, *300* armored trains just for the Russian Civil War?! I had no idea that the use of armo(u)red trains was so extensive or effective!

[@Rabidus289]

Two FIAT motor vehicle engines powering AN ARMORED TRAIN, i cannot even begin to imagine how desperately slow that thing must have been.

[@TheStowAway594]

Great special, I find armored trains very interesting and rather bizarre, but there is something so forceful, and menacing about them, even though they seem impractical for most situations. Keep up the great work! I really enjoy your channel and encourage everyone I know to watch!

[@indianajones4321]

Are you going to talk about the Somalia campaign in World War One? Because the German Empire and Ottoman Empire supported Ethiopia to fight the British, French, and Italian armies in Somalia. This was also the reason that Mussolini invaded Ethiopia in 1934. The Ethiopians were successful in defeating the Italians (no surprise) and the Allies were forced to send thousands of troops to the Somalia Campaign.

[@crnacpanker]

Indiana Jones wasn' t it in 1936?

[@indianajones4321]

crnacpanker The invasion began on December 5 1934, and in October of 1935 the Italians claimed it was a colonial war. In 1936, the War was over and Italy was victorious.

[@gamemaster4356]

Didn´t know about that. I know the Italians tried to invade Ethiopia before the war, but lost. Interestingly the Ethiopians were supported by the Russians. What was their view on the events there in WWI?

[@tommy-er6hh]

I think he is talking about this: How the Ethiopian prince scuppered Germany's WW1 plans : www.bbc.com/news/world-37428682

[@hussite7235]

Indiana Jones Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia was over in less than a year...in favor of italy.

[@mikemurray2145]

A video on trains this will be watched way more then the usual, people love trains.

[@jakobhawkins77]

I found you guys casually and seriously love what you do. Specially when you break down what your saying and allowing us to expand what the war really had going on. Thanks for your time and appreciate the effort

[@Londoner37]

Hey Indy, it is important to mention that it was the Czechoslovak legion, not just Czech. My great-grandfather fought with them and returned home only sometimes in 1920s..important to mention that from Vladivostok, general Stefanik managed to ship them home. Look up MR Stefanik, he deffo deserves an episode, he is our national hero. And dies/or assassinated?/at the war plane with the Italian king...really interesting story!

[@brendonnorris6831]

Londoner37 my great grandfather was born there during the war and came to America befor ww2

[@holextv5595]

You are right but still majority was Czechs

[@saminyead1233]

This is so cool! I'm a fan of both 'The Great War' and 'Military History Visualized' channels! And the day finally came when they 'met'. 😀

[@TheOrangeType]

Watching Indy trying to look like hes listing intently is great. 10/10 acting would watch again

[@iippa4679]

That armoured train at 6:10 is from Finnish Civil War used by Red Guard nice detail ;D

[@franklinescobar5229]

Love ur videos!!!

[@MrWhitmen1981]

Love the show, as an Australian the way education is taught in this country about the ANZACS is almost to point were it is "legendary" very distorted. Many Aussies forget that lots of the public were against the war at the time with referendums for conscription defeated two times in 1916 and 1917.

[@rogervoss4877]

No different in the USA, where 'fighting Europe's battles' wasn't all that popular. Quickie History now skips over those details.

[@TacticusPrime]

Thanks for the special episode you guys!

[@JTelli786]

So happy that the Zaamuretts was mentioned! It has one of the most fascinating stories behind it!.

[@danielquick7541]

I like trains.

[@TheGreatWar]

+Daniel Quick we do too

[@beetooex]

You should watch 'All the stations'

[@daca8395]

Daniel Quick ha ha yes you do!

[@JohnSmith-nf2qz]

So does Sheldon Cooper

[@mikeoxsmal8022]

Daniel Quick I like moist tunnels

[@Mostlyharmless1985]

So, you could say these were chew chew trains. Cause they chewed through infantry... I'll uh. Just see myself out.

[@brendanlcollins]

.

[@hentehoo27]

The armoured train at 06:08 is from the Finnish Civil War. During the civil war, the Reds relied more heavily on armoured trains than the Whites

[@remcodenouden5019]

An armoured train is pretty much a tank with severely limited mobility. It can only move where there are tracks, so it's very easy to predict where exactly it'll go.

[@MrOfflain]

In 1918-1920, during the Estonian War of Independence, Armored trains were used to transport troops all over the country thus out-maneuvering Russian forces and cutting off supply lines and creating pockets. also when Landeswehr declared surprise-war, it played a vital role to bring troops to the Latvian Border asap. because Estonian forces were enormously out-numbered, with the control of the railway, they could use the troops where they were needed. The trains turned out to be highly effective and by 1920 the lost territory from russians and Landeswehr were regained and estonian forces were standing outside of Riga and together with latvian nationalists, repel germans from baltics and ending the occupation of Latvia. Fun fact, The Armored Trains were mainly cattle wagons, reinforced with steel plates. Thanks for an awesome video, Indy and the crew!

[@MrOfflain]

If there was a mine/or de-track, troops were disembarked and perimeter was set. If train was immobilized, troops continued to their objective on foot. Due to superior firepower and artillery support of russians, estonians used hit and run tactics to overrun outposts and head back to train to head out to a different hotspot.

[@X3h0n]

Fun fact: the first picture in the video, the one shown while noting, how "armed trains" are different from "armored trains", is "Soomusrong nr. 2" (as noted in the bottom right of the picture) aka "Armored Train number 2" from the Estonian Independence War.

[@MrOfflain]

One reason why the strategy worked is that radio wasnt invented yet. Messages were still sent by runners or pigeons. by that time the train could be anywhere already. so a coordinated ambush or attack on the train was very difficult to organize without a proper spy network within the army. But i doubt that Estonia would have won the war if that was the case.

[@kalle911]

on what do you base your claim that 'Estonian forces were enormously out-numbered' ?

[@rohesilmnelohe]

Get out. Fact. Estonians were outnumbered at least two to one in every battle the armored trains were sent into. More in other battles.

[@thewinterlord1518]

NOTIFICATION SQUAD ASSEMBLE! P.S: 3:59 my God, Austria does something that doesn't fail in thirty minutes, my God, my God! I guess von Hötzendorf wasn't in charge of this project...

[@TheDJGrandPa]

TheWinterLord15 The fact that Austrian engineers were good should come as no surprise ;)

[@apudharald2435]

TheWinterLord15 they had the hungarians do it.

[@PSmith-nj2ck]

Conrad made "a big mistake" - that was not forgotten - he devised a plan for the Gorlice-Tarnow Offensive. Therefore, historiographers from the winning states and the Russian trolls hate Conrad and make false mockeries.

[@murderbus]

"Wait we are winning?! Send Conrad send Conrad!"

[@laiskamadooneus]

the photo in 4:36 was taken in Finland during the Civil war. The Germans captured armored trains from Reds and used them widely. Finnish Civil war was mostly fought with trains. Especially the Reds relied on them and railway workshops in Helsinki, Pasila and in Viborg made those. Light "armored" trains were made by putting paper mass rolls as cover. Usually the reds attacked by following an armored train, but the infantry took shelter in nearby buildings and refused to carry on. Red leader (no Star Wars reference!) Mikko Kokko managed to organize a pretty good attack during March, wich combined the charge of the train, artillery support and a fierce infantry attack. Tactic was developed too late, since the Whites massive operation put the Reds on defence. In Carelia the armored train used by Whites was given the nickname "Savior of Carelia", because as soon as the attacking reds saw it, they pulled back. In Tampere region and in Carelia there were even sort of duels between red and white trains. Usually both sides fired cannons and machine guns for a while and then retreated. German Ostsee Division quickly adapted the armored trains they captured from the Reds. Trains were though opponents: for example in Hyvinkää 21.-22.4. Reds managed to push through German lines and create havock.

[@XCrawlFan]

Lovely video. Some if this footage I hadn't seen. Thank you for posting.

[@marcoandresrosario8474]

I've seen these in Attack on titan

[@lucaserafini2741]

Hi Indy! I've heard about some italian armoured trains that were used as coastal defense. do you know more about them ? Congrats for the show, greetings from Italy!

[@TheLoyalOfficer]

300 armored trains! Wow!

[@mbe102]

WHOA! Military History Visualized! Was not expecting that, awesome!

[@RussianOrthodoxMonarchist]

Great War Staff: I have a theory on the Orlik and where it likely ended up in service. It did fight in the civil wars in Manchuria in the 1920s, as you mentioned. Either, it ended up with the Imperial Japanese sponsored Fengtian Clique pre Zhang Zuolin assassination, or it ended up serving in the Imperial Army of Manchukuo if it survived that long. Many former White Army officers would end up serving under the Kangde Emperor, so it is not out of the spectrum of possibility. Record from that era have largely been lost when the Empire fell after the Greater East Asian War, so I have no proof, just a theory. I can ask some people that may know more, if you wish. Being a Russian Monarchist, I have some connections with the RIUO.

[@Itsab-oo2bp]

Russian Monarchist? Does this mean you want to restore the monarchie in Russia? And i'm correct, who would be the rightfull heir? Please don't take this offensive, it would really interest me.

[@RussianOrthodoxMonarchist]

Itsab 1234, yes. While there are two branches of House Romanov with right, the rightful heir is seen by the Russian Church, a large part of the nobility, and the RIUO to be HIH Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia. HIH is also who I support given the Churches position and the RIUO.

[@ternovnik257]

I know this is pretty late but I would love to hear if you have any more info about where Zaamurets went! I'm writing a fantasy story inspired by the Civil war and I'm really fascinated by that beast of a machine and its crazy story.

[@t.j.murray5498]

*Glitch mob starts playing in the background

[@TheUnknown-rs5el]

I love trains.

[@CarlosBadCo]

I still love the desk. Every episode with it makes it that much greater. Almost a home like touch but the narrating by indy is superb also makes the show interesting and keeps us here.

[@william_brobrine8975]

I really want to know what happened to Zaamurets after the Japanese had it I hope it's still in one piece I really want to see it

[@jamestheotherone742]

Sorry. They scrapped it.

[@lixxxxit]

"......we're powerless against the trains!" Ummmm......not operating near train tracks seems pretty powerful to me.

[@cd180]

But you need train tracks for logistics and transportation.

[@thomastheelephant4602]

How are you just gonna “operate” there without supplies? The railway covers the useful areas so if you are in a hill or valley what’s the point?

[@CliftonHicksbanjo]

Great episode!

[@stevensonDonnie]

Great combination of my two favorite history sites! Awesome!

[@Kubinda12345]

A very interesting video. However I've found a small grammatical error. At 8:16 it's written on the photo "photo by Československé obce legionářské." But the organization is called "Československá obec legionářská." The words written on the photo are conjugated to fit in a Czech grammar however it's not the correct name of the organization. But it's just a tiny mistake. Anyway keep up the fantastic work.

[@TheGreatWar]

We copied it directly from the website. We don't even speak czech.

[@rrevolver1]

Chooo Chooo Chika Chika Chooo Chooo

[@DjJooze]

choo choo

[@lifesbeautiful2285]

I think I can. I think I can. I think I can...

[@fishyfishy3140]

Teksti Teksti oof in the childhood

[@yukikaze3436]

S.J. Zaloga is a fine source for armored vehicals. Good program Indy!

[@o-tuathail]

“We’re outnumbered, sir! Our infantrymen and air are no match for theirs!” *”BRING OUT T H E T R A I N”*

[@enterprisevi4440]

AOT ANTI TITAN ARMORED TRAIN

[@erikhodne7548]

But is it named Thomas?

[@alexvanderwal9382]

i am just loving these crossovers between channels

[@leronbenari226]

Conrad is the type of guy to take his trains off rails in the mountains in the winter into combat.

[@oscarfabi_]

Last time I was this early Germany was about to win the war! That went according to plan...

[@markgarcia3101]

Let's put a gaint cannon on one of them! Yeah, that's real smart!

[@markgarcia3101]

2 Chainz' 2nd Chain pretty much!

[@BrateTebra123]

2 Chainz' 2nd Chain No it is not as the counter-force from fire of the cannon will damage the raills and they will become useless for another train to pass

[@user-lv7ph7hs7l]

Not if designed right. The energy can be dispensed horizontally rolling the train back instead of pushing into the tracks. That´s how they could put giant railway guns like the Dora gun on tracks and not destroy them by firing it.

[@BrateTebra123]

221 b you can not change the direction of the rails so that would only work if the gun fires in only 2 directions, the other 358 combinations will be useless or the train will have to be moved outside the tails (hundred of feet of rail build at the moment just for that)

[@robbert-janmerk6783]

Seeing how the wagons the cannons fired from weighted about 45 tons, it seems that they could easily handle the recoil of a 70 mm gun.

[@mladtheimpaler]

Nice video. Very informative.

[@manfredvoncoolstuff6071]

I don't know why, but armored trains are just so badass! Like seriously, why are they so cool!

[@Ziggletooth]

Really? It seems trivial to counter an amoured train. Can't you just destroy the track or avoid it? Maneuverability is so important in war that having a weapon with predictable movement should be worthless. Very strange development.

[@apricotbar9776]

True, but imagine your a general and you take out the enemy's train tracks. A week later, you've advanced your army and taken a key area, only to not be able to supply your men since your trains can't get through the track and it'll take weeks to repair.

[@X3h0n]

Rather the issue is that its fairly trivial to repair a stretch of track in comparison how slow troops were on foot or on horseback at the time. Most of the work that goes into building railways is flattening and preparing the ground. So unless you're going to take the time to dig out the groundwork on the rail for a couple of kilometers, destroying the track will merely inconvenience and slightly delay the enemy. Great if you're laying in ambush, but about as useful as an unguarded minefield otherwise.

[@TheGreatWar]

The most important thing to note here is that we are talking about the vast area of Eastern Europe and Russia here. 100 years ago, in a lot of areas, the railways were the most important supply route - so if you would sabotage the railways beyond repair, you would basically shoot yourself in the foot. A lot of the fighting in the Russian Civil War took place along these railway lines between major cities because whoever controlled the railways could supply troops and civilians. Lighter sabotage was of course a valid tactic to stop an armoured train but you could only really do that if you really set a proper ambush and if you knew the train was coming in the first place.The next important thing is that the armoured trains would not travel alone, they had cavalry scouts and by 1917 they had a good system in place for these troops to scout ahead and communicate any information backwards. The train itself was also transporting infantry that would defend the train in case of an ambush or when it stopped.So, we are not saying that armoured trains were invincible but at this specific point in history and in this particular place, they were a valid military resource.

[@mbr5742]

Ziggletooth In theory yes. In reality the trains carried spare tracks etc. and enough manpower. Plus they often (more WW2 russia) where the Escort/rail clearance for the folowing cargo trains. Unless you can kill the engine (Russian Partisans and the german grey/army railway man played a cat and mouse game there in WW2) a train is hard to stop long Term. And even a standing train is a hard target before man portable anti tank weapons (Armored against rifle bullets, maschine guns behind armor etc)

[@changeoftone4958]

"the enemy has been reinforced with an armoured train"

[@changeoftone4958]

Yay I got liked

[@elsasslotharingen7507]

-I don't like you- *province noises*

[@jacobbuxton932]

Awesome video!

[@privatepyle2639]

Why did i miss this?! These two channels.. i like it! Well done and thank you!

[@brycehoward9075]

In BF1 I use shotguns a lot can you do a special on it or mention it in your Q&A. Thank you if you read this keep going we all love your work. 😀😀😀

[@sgtpetergreen]

Swaggy Petush you filthy, filthy shotgun user.

[@BeagleBuddy-qf7uw]

Swaggy Petush Model 10-A Hunter?

[@GAMERxCOWBOY]

Great video!

[@TheLeadSled]

Wonderful series, extremely knowledgeable and informative. I've studied World War 2 extensively and now enjoy your series.

[@TheGreatWar]

thanks, glad you like it.

[@catman2217]

Good work Keep it up!

[@GaryCSchade]

Very well done.

[@LavrencicUrban]

AWESOME SPECIAL!

[@Mr.RailYard-LJLRailYard]

Pretty cool video. Ever since I was a kid I have been obsessed with locomotive. This brings back memories of watching a documentary called War trains. Thank you for bringing this topic to the world And Happy Railroading.

[@flemhawker9134]

Very interesting and very well put together. A great channel and well worth subscribing to for us history buffs.

[@Cziro_]

Nice vid! I'd once saw a WWII Panzertrainjager 16 in rail museum in Chabówka- Poland. It was a massive beast!

[@icedem0n326]

Thank you for your hard work .

[@msgfrmdaactionman3000]

Thanks for the great topic! The Winston Churchill capture on the train event was depicted well in the 1972 film, Young Winston!

[@chriscalvin5083]

great video

[@WildBillCox13]

Hi Bernard! Hi Flo! Hi Indie! More great collaboration from The Great War and my other favorite content creators! I am smiling . . .

[@Ostalgie658]

I love how he just has a kukri on his desk your pretty smart if you know what and on which side of his desk it is on.

[@1joshjosh1]

That was a good one!!

[@babisoflout8403]

I awaited this episode for a long time, I especially loved corto malteze in Siberia. way to go guys!