World War Two Explained: The Key Battles and Dates

[@johnbulger8044]

that was the most succinct, comprehensive, level-headed summary of WWII I've ever heard - good show mate!

[@priatalat]

This is why I love English. You can use words that mean the same thing but evoke specific emotions.

[@MargaretUK]

💯👍

[@marrs1013]

From a British centric European point of view, yes.

[@danubiosalas4231]

@@marrs1013I guess France, Germany, Russia and Japan have KZbinrs able to do their own centric reviews.

[@andymartin6471]

Better a American point of view?@@marrs1013

[@damngoodjob1]

This is one of the best short summaries of WW2 that I have ever seen. Simply brilliant and should be shown in schools worldwide. Bloody well done.

[@epicsilvergamer2545]

It is now! My teacher used it to explain to us WW2!

[@esjey6953]

Dan Snow, Bethany Hughes, Mary Beard and Simon...., are the best British historians. Love their narration and comprehensive understanding of history.

[@alexcurtas2616]

I'd watch Dan Snow explain pretty much anything. Great video!

[@darrenjosephgregory]

I love how you answer the question of when did the war start with 'it depends on your point of view' we in the west (UK for me) often only think of Europe, but if we generally accept the defeat of Japan as the end, I think it is fair to say that it began in 1937 with the invasion of China by Japan. Keep up the good work.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Speak for yourself I don’t just think Europe.

[@TheGamer-ld8xd]

@@anthonyeaton5153He did say “often”

[@animemangas-q2u]

No, I don't think so because the Axis alliance was signed in 1940, more precisely on September 27, 1940, Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact. WW2 start in Europe and end in Asia because the two majors power of the Axis was defeated in Europe by 1945.

[@dawsonlindahl7427]

@@animemangas-q2uyes, this is the correct view. Don’t get me wrong, Japan was doing some wild shit beforehand. But Europe wouldn’t have gotten involved with Japan independently, it would have been just another regional war and Europe would have normalized relations with the Japanese empire within a decade

[@souravdeoghuria2085]

Charchil ultimately made sure that Britain would not be a super power anymore after the war ........ Now the British position in the global stage is completely different. The mighty empire has fallen along with the rest of the European countries

[@kaitefink2031]

An amazing summary in under a half hour while still explaining all the major details clearly! Well done!

[@Egg-88]

This I'm not ashamed to say made me cry. Ive read, listened and watched so much about the second world war. None of this was a surprise to me but to hear such destruction and despair and hear words like industrial murder, the atomic bomb and continents on fire used in such a short summary just shook me

[@johnnyoutlaw6534]

My great grandfather was at the battle of Midway and the battle of Okinawa. He used to tell me stories about them and he even had classic naval tattoos. He was a living bad ass and also a very sweet and loving man. RIP Papa

[@mvs7138]

I knew all of this beforehand, but had to watch. Brilliant.

[@kueller917]

One part that never ceases to amaze me is the true global extent of the world war. Almost every country on the planet on some level was involved in the war, a scale even greater than the first. Even with our current world in chaos everything still feels far away so the scale of conflict in the 1940s is hard to comprehend.

[@JackChurchill101]

Apart from South America... Which was largely unaffected(?)

[@kueller917]

@@JackChurchill101 In combat and destruction, yes, but for other reasons many ended up joining the Allies and aiding then with production, so were still part of the war.

[@cskiller86]

Meanwhile, Switzerland is like "nah, bruh"

[@inigobantok1579]

it was the culmination of 300 years of ideology set in a very simple premise: Liberty or Tyranny. Might vs Right. Democracy vs Fascism.

[@missvidabom]

Oh, Dan Snow. I cried so much watching this. You always make the scale of war so much larger and at the same time, so much smaller somehow. Your next-door neighbor and the person across the globe. All of us have been torn apart and connected through war. The true violence and destruction, I cannot even comprehend. I can’t imagine the fear, the anger, the blood on all sides of the war. No matter how many movies, tv shows, and documentaries I watch, or books I read, I still cannot know the true cost in bullets and blood.

[@Mr.Demenius]

What an absolutely fantastic succinct brief of World War II. Really just absolutely succeeded here. Obviously there’s enough detail to hammer out tens of thousands of hours of video, but I’m guilty of it and know plenty of people who pursue those veins of knowledge and can easily miss out on some of the pretty significant aspects of the war. I’m sure this will be as educational a video for many as it will be inspirational to dive into new areas to learn more details of certain operations for people. Just blown away again by the quality of content here.

[@dennisselleck1281]

I used this video to help teach my history class !

[@cskiller86]

This was a great summary of WW2. I would love to see a similar video on The Great War.

[@drew_peabawlz]

That was bloody brilliant

[@alancooper9632]

I'm 65 and have been fascinated by the second world war since as a young lad watching all our yesterdays in the 1960's . For someone younger this is the perfect thing to watch to get an interest in an absolute fascinating part of world history.

[@ChidiNwachukwu-y2e]

I like this man; he gives detailed history.

[@oneworldawakening]

Despite growing up with knowledge of the war, the scope and scale of it are still mind-boggling.

[@janfelchner1543]

20:33 In 1944 indeed Soviets crushed German armies, but this one offensive must have been mentioned: operation Bagration - the biggest one, the most successful, the one which disintegrated the whole German central army, comparable to operation Uranus from 1942/43.

[@unixbadger]

Thanks!

[@archer8492]

That was a very effective, succinct and clear overview of an incredibly complex and important topic.

[@devoncook5899]

that was the most succinct, comprehensive, level-headed summary of WWII I've ever heard - good show mate! (bulger said it good)

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Surely it is either succinct or comprehensive but not both.

[@gavinedmondstone316]

That was an amazing quick summary! Inevitably simplifications were made. China was the scene of much bitter fighting throughout the was but lacked real highlights so I understand the minimal coverage. I have heard it argued that the German invasion of the Balkans did not delay Barbarossa (the invasion of the USSR) because they needed to wait for the ground to dry up after the spring mud season anyway. I think a word about the forced movements of people in post-war Europe would have been worthwhile. Those points made, it was an excellent video.

[@johnodwyer3559]

Thanks!

[@AledPritchard]

Despite knowing all of this…. Wow! Much respect. Love the channel, love Dan Snow. Also, this condensed, or bitesize video would be a great introduction for learners of this period.

[@georgejernigan3312]

Bravo Dan!

[@GreeklishOutdoors]

A fantastic overview of WW2. I love your passion on the subject. It made me want to read about it in more detail 🙂👍

[@Toshin..]

Thabk you so much my history exam is saved

[@cataclysmic1999]

What a good video

[@LornaBall]

Tremendous 🧡😊🧐

[@LudiCrust.]

I’ve studied WWII for most of my adult life. This is very well put together. I don’t know why exactly but most of us have a hard time summarizing the war in a way that’s easy to understand. We get too bogged down in the details & debate which parts are more important than the others.

[@janhansen554]

I have studied ww2 too alot. May i ask, when do u think germany lost ww2? At young age a set date at defeat at Stalingrad, at age 52, i set date when Hitler came to power. How about u?

[@151mattwilson]

I see this reaching 5 million views and beyond

[@williamrobinson7435]

Good this. A great summary! Nice one Dan and team. ⭐👍

[@rubencontreras9288]

Brilliant

[@perarduaadastra7648]

Hey Dan, great video. Although as an Aussie, I do get sick and tired of being lumped into “British Forces” and/or American Forces. Aussies did perform quite well as part of the Empire (Tobruk and El Alamein) and in coalition with USA in the Pacific (Singapore and Kokoda). Even the good old Kiwis deserve a mention for Crete and Italy. And Canada was awesome! Might be nice to get a look in every now and then.🇦🇺🇳🇿🇨🇦

[@stephmaehder4155]

I was shocked not to hear Australia even mentioned with El Alamein! I'm Canadian and am more familiar with the battles of mainland Europe. Even with my limited knowledge of the African theater I know the Australians were unbelievable.

[@MrHullRockers]

They were British Empire troops. India, South Africa, Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland's individual troops don't get a mention either.

[@TheSnoopHogg69]

As a Kiwi I agree. Always hard to not hear the ANZACs get a shout

[@anthonyeaton5153]

It makes a change not hearing the Aussies mentioned who on other forums can’t stop shouting about themselves whilst denigrating British troops which is scandalous.

[@perarduaadastra7648]

@@anthonyeaton5153 Of course, as opposed to us being written off as untrained, ill disciplined, colonial hooligans. How dare we be parochial? All’s fair in love and war. 🇦🇺

[@tausifameen956]

Do one for WWI as well

[@Toldale15]

Another perfect video from this channel! Thank-you.

[@GEL0_12]

The Axis betraying the Soviet Union was the worst mistake followed by Japan angering and waking a sleeping giant

[@hollye142]

You’re the best

[@stephaniecoulshaw9288]

That was excellent! Very informative and interesting.

[@SirFatDuck]

Fantastic way to put such a complex time in history into a nutshell

[@tramolho]

What a wonderfull work!!! 🤩👌 Great video! 🙌🏻

[@alexamerling79]

Amazing summary of the war. Great job Dan!

[@powerfrenzy]

Still don't understand the decision to engage USSR in the East before settling the western front if they were already stretched thin there as mentioned...

[@syncopaint_minis3016]

Was Hitlers biggest military mistake

[@oneworldawakening]

Madness, megalomania, possibly amphetimine-induced.

[@finndaniels9139]

I’d put forward 3 points : 1) the matters in the west were unsettle-able. Germany had no means of invading Britain, they evidently couldn’t win in the air, and they couldn’t force her to the negotiating table. 2) war with the Soviets is the overall aim of this war. The other bits are peripheral, even though they are so strong in the public conscience. War is inevitable. i) Germany needed resources that the Soviets held. Oil and food especially. War was not possible without these resources. ii) Hitler and the Nazis were guided by ideology, and this ideology often overtook common sense. They thought the Soviets had no means of repelling them. They had failed in Poland 10 yrs ago, in Finland 3 yrs ago etc. they were ineffective in ww1, and it seems they’ve only gotten worse. Our idea of the USSR is one that is formed from hindsight, the view at the time (especially to an ideologically tainted mind) was not the same. 3) that the Soviets are getting stronger year on year. Within the previous decade Stalins 5 yr plans had - at terrible human cost - modernised the Soviet nation. They have very quickly caught up to the industrial strength of other western nations, and have within the last 3 yrs overtaken Germany in a broad range of industrial markers. They are out producing them in steel, oil, and much else. The soviet army is also undergoing a process of modernisation. A great purge is undertaken throughout 1938 and 39, and much of the upper army leadership is removed from their positions. New doctrines of deep battle are being implemented on the strategic and tactical level. The soviet air force is modernising rapidly as well. For almost the last time for the foreseeable future, Germany is in a better situation for war than the Soviets. This will never be true again, for the Nazi state. To summarise : war b/n the two is inevitable. Germany is still the top dog, but for not much longer at all. The window for a succesful war is closing very fast (it has already closed in fact, but this isn’t clear at the time). The war in the west is both unwinnable and not on a significant scale yet. Hope this helps :)

[@stevem7868-y4l]

I learnt a lot with this vid, thanks, How did south america, keep them selves out, or did i miss a bit

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

A wonderful introduction by history Hit channel... Thank you for sharing .

[@jabR47ak]

Quality

[@cowcocky]

Very good but not sure how you can talk of turning back the Japanese without noting the Australians and Kokoda Track.

[@drewb3490]

One of the best historians anywhere, the passion is real.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Please read other historians’ work get deeper broader view.

[@rodeastell3615]

Excellent ... thanks for posting.

[@Tacozrule12]

Pretty decent video, but just a quick thing, Finland lost territory in both the Winter War and Continuation War. So while technically they “lost” they still maintained sovereignty.

[@tjanderson5892]

After Dunkirk and the rest of France I always wondered if Brittain would’ve been open to either allying w/ Hitler or a non aggression pact while Hitler targeted the SU. Once Hitler bombed Britain that possibility was gone forever, but the few months before that may have been able to change history

[@superpantman]

That's a great overview of the war. I think you did an excellent job explaining the German-UK dynamic. Germany never wanted to fight Britain they just wanted them to give up so they could focus on eastern Europe. In a way it's lucky the Brits could retreat after Dunkirk, protected by the channel. If there was a landbridge between Britain and Europe, Britain would have fallen very quickly in the early days of the war similar to France.

[@ruthindigo]

If there was a land bridge between Britain and Europe the world would look so completely different it's not really worth considering.

[@benboucher-giles2241]

@@ruthindigo I'm inclined to agree: Had such a land bridge existed the UK would have been defeated swiftly but that's because the UK had focused upon its navy almost to the exclusion of the army, largely because it has a large moat around it (and needed a navy to obtain and retain its Empire). Had there been a land bridge (and of course there was one until c.6,500 BC, search for 'Doggerland') then I suspect that the Western part of Europe would have enjoyed a very different history indeed. A more interesting question would be, had the English been unable to get any troops off the mainland at Dunkirk, would that have changed Hitler's timetable for the invasion of Britain and would it have changed the course of the war?

[@anthonyeaton5153]

@@benboucher-giles2241 is that the sum of your WW2 knowledge talking about What Ifs? It is a lazy argument.

[@SaturnCanuck]

Wow~! A great overview. Excellent.

[@nathanricci]

This man is an absolute treasure. Must protect at all costs.

[@javi6377]

making japan surrender and sign a treaty on a US battleship is such a cold moment 🥶🥶💯

[@Risran]

That was fantastic! Thank you!

[@johnjames3286]

Great summary. Pity the bomber command offensive including fire bombs and Operation Chastise didn't really advance the war effort, and Guy Gibson and Co unfortunately killed over 1,000 of allied POWs in their raid. Pearl Harbour didn't hold up the Americans either as the water was shallow and they were able to retrieve their sunken ships and make them sea worthy again quickly

[@nursestoyland]

plus the 3rd canceled strike was meant to strike at the oil reserves and submarine pens

[@dredavbar]

4:40 I'm always buckled up for you Dan.

[@archie3k433]

I love strap-on jokes! 🫡🍆

[@destroyer2579]

Yap sesh

[@todd9593]

For real!!! I relate to this homie!

[@acajudi100]

Excellent as always God is in charge folks, Hola from Queretaro..

[@tconroy1000]

Great video. Do the same for WWI

[@ElsieWashington-c4g]

Hey Dan. Love your work . This man is an absolute treasure. Must protect at all costs..

[@ufomichaelcody2037]

Dan Snow is the best historian ever. Look how excited he is. He's like a kid in a candy store. He is a crazy history man.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

He’s a a bit superficial at times.

[@angusmackaskill3035]

WWII was an extension of WWI

[@alantentevier4018]

The last official action of the war against Japan was not at Nagasaki on 9th August, but on 15th August 1945 when Fleet Air Arm pilots shot down eight Mitsubishi Zeros for the loss of a single British aircraft. Its 19 year-old pilot became one of the last direct casualties of the war when he was murdered by his captors after the emperor announced Japan's surrender later that day. If you learn your history from the Americans, you will be unaware of the fact that the British took part in the battles of both Iwo Jima and Okinawa. On 1st April 1945 HMS Indefatigable, part of the now-forgotten British Pacific Fleet, received a direct hit from a kamikaze attack. With their metal decks, British carriers could withstand these attacks far better than the American wooden-decked ships; the Indefatigable was back in action an hour later. The British Pacific Fleet was the largest ever assembled by the Royal Navy, and its contribution to the fight against the Japanese was significant. It comprised over 200 ships, including six first-class aircraft carriers, and over 750 aircraft. Its personnel comprised British, Australian, New Zealand, South African, Canadian and other Commonwealth citizens as well as one Greek - Prince Philip.

[@roxammon5858]

This video should be shown to all school children. Every year.

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Heaven forbid.

[@dylanbrice9783]

missed the kokoda track and the first victory of the japanese on land in ww2

[@anthonyeaton5153]

Both minor in the concept of the war.

[@kimberlyholt2241]

Excellent short documentary!!!!!👏 Although, it's simply heartbreaking of all the loss of lives! 💔

[@porksterbob]

Very annoyed that Ichigo was left off the summary.

[@janfelchner1543]

19:55 The maps are not correct. They present north and central (north Philippines) Pacific, not south (New Guinea) and central.

[@jasse803]

...and yet not a single word about Iron Curtain...

[@liam5382]

This was fantastic. Thanks Dan

[@Blazecfc]

Saying that south Korea was a democracy is a wild take

[@davidpt]

Excellent presentation. Sometimes when I hear about WW2, I get confused why certain countries were even involved. Turns out in school they didn't teach us the war very well at all. We learned less than a third of it

[@undefeatedgaul3201]

Dan Snow is a brilliant guy with such a good personality for teaching.

[@Madmun357]

I'm always a little surprised by how the American perspective barely makes mention of the eastern front against the Soviets.

[@ExpectedBoy]

Another brilliant video

[@MrMickthemonster]

Love a bit of Dan Snow.

[@tomvandongen8075]

One day, I hope to have one tenth of the charisma of Dan Snow

[@kocon1]

This video was a masterclass

[@tomm9963]

5:00 You called the Winter War an embarrassing defeat for The USSR but it was an embarrassing victory, they did eventually win. The Continuation War was waged by Finland to gain lost territory from the Winter War, not by The USSR. I'm not sure if it was bad script, bad word order or a simple mistake, but it sounds like you've got it the wrong way around

[@katherinecollins4685]

Fantastic video

[@chesterhawkins4660]

Dan Snow da 🐐 no 🧢

[@ankledsquid]

What makes you realise how sadistic hitler was is in the closing phase of the war. Hitler was being defeated, and yet, piled all of his resources into genocide. Not defence

[@reorioOrion]

1) 5:00 a) The Soviet Union did not lose the Winter War. He won. Quite literally. The war of 1939-1940 ended with the signing of the Moscow Peace Treaty. According to the agreement, Finland transferred to the Soviet Union the territory that the USSR claimed before the war. b) 5:06 The USSR did not make "another attempt, which it won" Finland entered into an alliance with Nazi Germany and took part in the invasion of the USSR. The Second Soviet-Finnish War began with the invasion of Finland into the USSR, and not vice versa. 3) 4:10 The British Empire and France did not agree to “reluctantly” give up Czechoslovakia to Hitler. They signed the Munich Agreement, according to which Hitler was allowed to annex Czechoslovakia. He literally let him do it. Everything was open and official. After the signing of the Munich Agreements, Prime Minister Chamberlain flew to London and showed everyone a piece of paper signed by Hitler, shouting that he had brought peace to the British. The British Empire and France were directly involved in Hitler's annexation of Czechoslovakia. In addition to them, POLAND took part in the division of Czechoslovakia and the conspiracy with Hitler. As a result of the division of Czechoslovakia, Poland received the Cieszyn region. It was in response to this event that a reciprocal peace treaty was concluded between the USSR and Germany, part of the secret protocol of which was the division of Poland.

[@jm-holm]

1) I'd agree they won, but it was not the victory they had wanted. They never broke the Finnish army and their Terijoki puppet government never got to Helsinki. The immense cost made the USSR look like a joke internationally and the "excuse" to invade in the first place was so that the Germans couldn't make use of Finnish territory in an invasion of the USSR, which is exactly the situation the USSR created for itself by turning a neutral country into an enemy. 2) The continuation war started with the USSR bombing Finland, not with Finland invading the USSR. It is however the case that Finland was just waiting for an excuse not to look like the aggressor. The plans were already drawn up and Finland wanted her territory back. In June-July 1944 you could certainly say the USSR "made another attempt" to completely break Finland but the offensive was stopped and while the Soviets may not have succeeded in conquest, it did succeed in its primary goal of forcing Finland out of the war.

[@darrenk920]

Great video, though the British didn’t sink the Graf Spee, it was scuttled by its own crew

[@anthonyeaton5153]

You are correct.

[@bloonstowerdefender]

I appreciate that you acknowledge that in some regard that WWII didn't necessarily start in 1939. That always bugged me. I get it. People "declare war" but the Nazis had famously already invaded other countries. And as you noted, Japan had already started conquering Asia

[@bloonstowerdefender]

Look up some of the stuff the Japanese did. Particularly to the Chinese

[@janfelchner1543]

3:38 Western Poland was the part of Poland occupied by Prussia, later by Germans, for around 123 years. It's like saying Ireland is English territory (because they belonged to England/UK).

[@54mgtf22]

Hey Dan. Love your work 👍

[@jimreilly917]

Another truly outstanding historical video.🇺🇸🇬🇧🇨🇦🇫🇷🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇧🇪🇵🇱

[@roxammon5858]

Tidy summary. Thanks

[@Emjackson89]

Incredible explanation of Ww2 in such a detailed but simple way. Excellent

[@Shifty51991]

Any chance of doing videos that focus on Canada and Australia? both the good and bad eh?..... Notice you left out the bombing the allies did during the Blitz

[@matthewwilson5548]

amazing synopsis of WW II, as always History Hit has hit the bulls eye.

[@ianmunro1427]

The Graf Spee scuttled herself. She had been damaged but not sunk by 2 British ships and one New Zealand ship..

[@Chipoo88]

Fantastic video however did I miss it or was Malta not mentioned at all?

[@AWGragg007]

I wonder why on Earth Japan decided to remain in the fight even though both of their larger allies were defeated.(25:00) I mean what did they seriously think was going to happen? That they were going to have there be some divine miracle in their favor and they'd somehow take over the world even with their dwindling war resources? Wtf were they thinking, maybe it was a pride thing... smh?🤷‍♂️

[@cogsy8578]

Shaun has an excellent (loooong) vid on the build up to the nuclear bombs dropping. Really worth a watch.

[@AWGragg007]

@@cogsy8578 Thx, I'll have to look into checking it out.

[@naamantaimanuli]

Funny how briefly Finland was mentioned, as US, UK, France and other western countries gave aid to Finland during the Winter war and sold a lot of weapons, because of USSR's aggression towards Finland. Churchill even gave a great speech about the Finnish bravery, you can easily find it. Helsinki was also the only capital in Europe with London to not be occupied during an aggression. Because of Stalin joining the Allied countries, Finland had to get weapons elsewhere to keep its independence and after the peace with USSR, Germany burned the whole Lappland. Anyone can be hypocritical about who allied with who, but Poland, Finland and many other small countries were sold between dictators, when other western countries were only watching. Poland fought bravely against two huge dictatorships at the same time. Finland fought against one dictatorship at a time. Our veterans have always said that "never ever alone again" and Finland finally got itself to NATO, that if the eastern dictatorship tries to invade again, Finland will prevail again.

[@pedroh.g.8071]

amazing video