Defense of Poland - The Battle of the Border - Part 1 - Extra History

📜 Defense of Poland: The Battle of the Border -Poland is threatened in 1939 not just by the Nazis, but by its own precarious geography between Germany and Soviet Russia. Edward Rydz-Śmigły spreads the Polish cavalry and tanks as thin as he has to around the border.
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Artist: Joseph Maslov I Writer: Robert Rath I Showrunner & Narrator: Matthew Krol I Editor: Joe Russell & Mac Owens I ♪ Music by Demetori: bit.ly/1EQA5N7 I ♪ "Admiral Yi" by Sean and Dean Kiner
#ExtraHistory #Poland #History

[@extrahistory]

Today's extra-Extra History ("tanksgiving"?) episode brought to you by World of Tanks PC! Your regularly scheduled Saturday history (the Iceland Viking Expansion episode!) is still coming this weekend :) In fact, early-access patrons can watch it right now too, at bit.ly/EHPatreon

[@MikeHawk-ub5hm]

Hello

[@alexkami-676]

Extra Credits I tank you for this.

[@knightshade1297]

Pompey's campaigns

[@tomerashkari2485]

3==========D~~~~its a rocket ship~~~~

[@LazyMe420]

Can you please do a video about Greece in ww2?!

[@bobbyferg9173]

Did you know that the blue in the Polish flag stands for reliable allies.

[@elhombredeoro955]

That was funny.

[@aneesh2115]

There isn't any blue... Oh

[@elhombredeoro955]

@@aneesh2115 there isn't any reliable ally of Poland either.

[@dexterred4932]

Welp...They aren't the best of allies, and they don't have any of those...

[@Jerry_licious]

and they are always the best allies for everybody else lol

[@kingsofserbiangameplay1623]

Allied chat: Poland: help, I'm under attack! France: lol UK: lol

[@27moniczek81]

@@_Killkor Or: well we didn't invade half of the world, drink your own cup?

[@bobafett9348]

Mi-Seung-Yoshimasa Maeda Except Poland didn't capitulate.

[@robot-he6nq]

Beef Stew oh so now I’m a racist? Do you want me to call them “middle easterners”? Would that make you happy?

[@elajza3654]

Poland: Holocaust it's a nightmare! World: lol It's can't that bad Poland: Nazist Camps are nightmare! World; Stop JKing 63% of Warsaw - * death *

[@Towarzysz_Prywiak]

Fucking true

[@ZeraSeraphim]

"Nearly a division's worth of German soldiers" Hey Google, how much is an army divisio-- HOLY SHIT. 20k?!?!

[@tonyoertle5591]

Don't forget get theres a freaking battleship with 11 inch guns to

[@raymartcarreon6069]

@@tonyoertle5591 is the battleship an scharnhorst-class battleship or The Deutchland-class pocket battleships? Just wanna know plus both of them have 11 inch guns anyway

[@pillarofautumm3738]

@@raymartcarreon6069 nope its a outdated battleship

[@szampon.1145]

@@raymartcarreon6069 pre-dreadnought Deutschland class

[@hankarnold244]

Depends. I belive that specific division had closer to 10 thousand personel, and that's including the support assets aswell.

[@TruthNerds]

Poland: "We are being invaded!" UK + France: "Sorry to hear that. Good luck!"

[@Ikoraxis]

exactly uk+france= big cowards

[@xanderanderson6673]

Oi the only reason Britain didn't help Poland was because Neville Chamberlain was a complete idiot

[@random_commenter6904]

If only Neville chamberlain wasn’t so stupid

[@chr1642]

Damn you Neville

[@JoniWan77]

They probably changed their twitter avatar to a Polish flag.

[@Markmaben17]

"Germany will be unable to resist the French offensive" Oh sweety...

[@Nonsense010688]

in defense of the french, which did totally token offensive taking some border villages which on paper honors the contract with Poland but was very dishonest of course, the month of the invasion was a big problem for the allies. If the War would have started in lets say june, french&GB would have attacked germany in September, while even if victorious, most of its troops wouldn't be deployed in the west. But because the winter break in war, germany had the time to redeploy its troops and prepare a couple of invasion.

[@Annihilaterq]

Two front war would've still been bad for the germans.

[@lonathan5653]

That non aggression pact with the Soviets will for sure work out for sure......

[@primkup]

1939 And the allies turned away

[@Jsharp0185]

*ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT?*

[@mosleyman3136]

Indy Neidell wants to know your location...

[@DaRealRessonance]

Choo Choo Im coming to screw you

[@DaRealRessonance]

Roses are red,Your covered in glue:Is that a Polish war train comming to Screw you?

[@Artur_M.]

Seriously though, I think that this and Indy's coverage of the defense of Poland will complement each order nicely.

[@mosleyman3136]

Artur M. Yeah

[@DaRealRessonance]

Soviet Soldier:Hello there polish civilian! Civilian:Oh hello... Soviet Soldier:Shoots civilian in the leg Civilian:M Y L E G!

[@exquisitecorpse4917]

Everyone knows that the invasion of Poland triggered WW2....but almost no one knows what actually happened there.

[@alekjanowski9847]

Propaganda makes a wonderful job! Nazis made us look dumb, to show German superiority, while allies propaganda made us look dumb to emphasize the danger of germany to support their war effort... one way or another we were talked behind hard enough to last till today.

[@valkkyrr]

@Rick 1974 good one.

[@whatthehellisthisaccount8984]

_Stanley was here_

[@rudigerendlos6413]

@@alekjanowski9847 Szczypiorno and Stralkowo and many more camps was dump.

[@rc59191]

@@CashCashBoys did you pull that from your ass? We have Polish and Slavic communities across the US we know exactly where Poland is.

[@flaviochavez1747]

Poland after getting rid of the Germans: We’re free! Soviet Union: It’s rewind time ;)

[@notasovietspytrustme4392]

Flavio Chavez “I wouldn’t say free. More like, UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT!”

[@andyzavala2349]

Ahhh! That’s hot!

[@anonomyspizza9460]

Poland: help I’m being invaded Russia: don’t worry I got you Russia: *invades Poland*

[@anonomyspizza9460]

Somarik Green shhhh

[@harveyholmes9533]

Indy Neidell: *creates videos on the invasion of Poland in September* Extra History: *creates videos on the invasion of Poland in November* Indy Neidell: “am I a joke to you?”

[@ErikBramsen]

Indy made a WWII video? Why do I never get the memos? Linkie-linkie, please?

[@cvetomirgeorgiev9106]

@@ErikBramsen can't give you a link but just search TimeGhost on KZbin

[@lexington476]

@@ErikBramsen here you go: kzbin.info/door/P1AejCL4DA7jYkZAELRhHQ it's another awesome project by Indy.

[@ErikBramsen]

@Cvetomir Okay, thanks.

[@ravenknight4876]

@@ErikBramsen to be honest, indy is like 20 years early.

[@aurelian3268]

3:50 Poland could not fight a two front war what happened next was a two front war

[@Dozeji]

*Oversimplified wants to know your location*

[@patryka.9215]

Ye i quietly said to myself oh the irony 😂

[@ShneekeyTheLost]

@@Dozeji "I want that thing!"

[@nedegame]

@@ShneekeyTheLost "you can't have that thi- okay you can have that *one* thing but no more"

[@Lukas0901]

Dude... Uncool

[@MagikNR]

As a Pole I can say - you did GOOD job pronouncing "Śmigły-Rydz", "Piotrków" etc!

[@buttersquids]

Alsp 'Mokra'

[@hampusnyhlen2961]

He is Polish aswell, so it's not really thta surprising.

[@dmitriyt.5847]

What do you call a bi pole a bi polar

[@Julianna.Domina]

Even having just watched the video I have no idea how to pronounce the name, I can pronounce Piotroków

[@sunlesstundra36]

I haven’t watched the video yet, very very confused

[@rewrew897]

I personally find the concept of an armored train quite interesting

[@starleigh6680]

they basically but tank or battleship cannons on trains

[@spatha2584]

Smiały

[@rebelgaming1.5.14]

Imagine 3 Battleships on railroad tracks

[@christiandauz3742]

One of the few things that surprised the Germans when they invaded

[@RobinTheBot]

WW1 was a wild place. No one really knew what would actually WORK.

[@lightningstudios9559]

Poland: we need to mobilize immediately! Britain: *DISAGREES EVERY TIME* Poland: am I a joke to you?

[@welcometonerdland3425]

Also America: *has alliance with Britain* awwwwww damn I’ve got a family meet up for the next 5 years and breaking our alliance with everyone

[@ignacysmigielski8607]

@lagen pul how to shoot yourself in your ankle ep. 1

[@ashley-reaction720]

Btw france called the demobilisation

[@sandc9514]

@@ignacysmigielski8607 but only the ankle for now the head comes later

[@darthball2723]

@@sandc9514 just the head for now

[@ThatIrishLass]

Thank you for correctly describing the Polish Cavalry as mounted infantry!! That's one of my most-hated myths about that War!!!

[@lunag.1521]

I always thought they were highly effective anti tank divisions

[@jamiesnack]

WE REMEMBER _IN SEPTEMBER_ *_WHEN THE 7TPS ARRIVED_*

[@javanbybee4822]

sarin THAT WORKS!

[@paperbucketbob3165]

My great great grandfather fought in the polish army at the battle of Warsaw he found out that Poland lost the war and soon joined the free polish forces as a spy

[@FernandoSegovia701]

40:1 would have been kind of more fitting

[@thegeneraljohn2895]

*Coming down the Vistula!* *Then the 7TPS arrived!* *Coming down they turned the tide!*

[@milo1133]

🤘🤘

[@Vanish785]

Thing you lose when you need them Key Phone Wallet France and Uk

[@byua1835]

lol

[@finlazzi9903]

Happened to Finland too

[@anitahaenel2611]

Your right

[@thatonespecialist2060]

Op russian men xD

[@BangtonClips]

Yes I agree

[@sallad2679]

Poland often gets the butt end of jokes relating to ww2 but people often forget that Poland was the 4th or 5th strongest military power in Europe at the time. They even beat the Soviet Union in 1920. They weren't incompetent, they were a very professional army that faced impossible circumstances.

[@polishstalinist3835]

@@thelonebanana6025 your country ever fought a 2 front war against Russia and Germany with incompetent allies? Thought not

[@sallad2679]

@@thelonebanana6025 The US was a superpower at the time and had no threat of invasion or war at its borders. Also, you forget that the US largely ignored Japan in the beginning to focus on Germany. In fact, most of those things you listed there took place at different times and under different circumstances, not at the same time. This means the US could divert troops as it needed to in the war. Poland did not have that luxury. I guarantee you that if Canada and Mexico was more powerful than the US and on flat terrain like Poland, the US would not fare as well against them. Please be more logical in your historical analysis. Also, Poland did not surrender during WW2, no conditions of surrender were ever signed and the government continued to function, though in exile.

[@videodog4526]

i think your forgetting poland doesnt have resources like the us does

[@TheBlobik]

@@thelonebanana6025 If armies 2x greater than US army would landed simultaneously on both east and west coast, US might surrender in less than 27 days at the time. Don't forget you were very pacifist back then, it took Pearl Harbor to wake you up. Of course, that would rather not be possible, cause no one had enough troops nor transports to perform such an attack. Partially the result of overall US strength, partially the job of the oceans to defend the US. But don't cry that it someone "easily surrendered" when you never where in situation even remotely as hard. It would be a fair comparison to see how the French did, even though: - they only had to fight the Germans (no Soviets) and had British support, - weren't numerically inferior, - had a fair warning time to mobilize, - plus they had strong defenses in place built-up for years and overall short border to protect. I am sure they did better... Oh, nope, just around 40 days. The difference proportionate to the difference in distance from capital to the German border :)

[@arkadiuszstepkowicz8878]

@@thelonebanana6025 Poland didn't surender. Our soldiers keept fighting Germans from the first minute of the war to the fall of Berlin.

[@tonytone3892]

about time someone debunked the polish cav charge myth

[@Tycini1]

It's been debunked for years by now.

[@prierepanda2186]

It's been debunked for decades. The main problem is that people making fun of Poland like it, and ... many Polish does. It gives an image of bravery and honor against an overwelming threat they couldn't ever beat.

[@EmporerAaron]

Shame, it does make a interesting heroic story about the last ditch effort in the defense of a country that would be overrun.

[@sjeggy6]

Thattus Gaius I still cannot believe my history books spoke about polish Lance charges vs German tanks (Holland). I'm only 21

[@ayanbille7547]

Poland: I’m being invaded by Nazi Germany, help! United Kingdom: new phone who dis France: new phone who dis

[@Because-dm9ek]

Ayan Bille is this a oversimplified reference?

[@bigbob754]

@@Because-dm9ek ww2 oversimplified Norway and sweden

[@duxling4995]

"Poland couldn't fight a two front war" Soviet Union: "Cowabunga it is"

[@ArcturusOTE]

2:36 *WE ARE BEING REINFORCED WITH AN ARMORED TRAIN*

[@elgatto3133]

THOMAS THE DEATH ENGINE

[@jacobs279]

Goddamn train killing me across the map

[@neilisbored2177]

@@elgatto3133 Cue the thomas the tank engine theme on electric guitar

[@mehulvarshney3124]

Battlefield 1.5

[@biaoczerwony4669]

And after the War

[@wilhelmzdobywca965]

I'm from Poland and i'm always warmed inside when i watch video abut Polish history in English channel. Great video can't wait for more

[@Iklilledurhamster49]

Im german and it always warms my heart to see resistance against the worst of us when we were to blind to do it ourselves.

[@DaemonBlackfyre2137]

American*

[@wilhelmzdobywca965]

@@DaemonBlackfyre2137 ok channel may be American but i was refering ot language

[@sugandhakohli]

kurwa

[@WelloBello]

Poland was backstabbed from every angle. It’s “allies” its neighbors everyone. The fact they held out as long as they did is actually astounding.

[@0707565]

How long??

[@-ninetynine-2498]

0707565 1 month and 5 days

[@chickencurry8233]

@@radify9248 They just declared a war over germany. But their army didnt do anything, but they promised to send armies

[@EmulatorNoob]

And how many countries were backstabbed by Poland?

[@godlessrose1258]

@@EmulatorNoob Literally none.

[@troll-td8nh]

I always knew denmark doesnt exist, the fact that it isnt in the map in this video proves my point.

[@user-hb7vt7rk4p]

Germany: *invades Poland* Poland: wtf man!? Germany: its just a prank, dude Poland: France, Britain, help! Britain&France: sorry man, we're busy ... Germany: *reached Warsaw* Britain&France: *declares war on Germany* Poland: phew, that was close USSR: HELLO, IT'S ME

[@eddiggs5280]

The Soviet Union didn't invade Poland. The Polish government fled, which made Polish lands stateless. The Polish army allowed the Soviets to freely claim territory because the alternative was to give the land to Germany: msuweb.montclair.edu/~furrg/research/mlg09/did_ussr_invade_poland.html

[@awesomestick]

Poland: oh kurwa

[@the-wisest-emu]

*USSR attacks Poland* Poland: Hey, we had a deal! *Germany attacks USSR* USSR: Hey, we had a deal!

[@jerrypawlak2396]

Spoiler XD

[@ivanmonahhov2314]

@@the-wisest-emu Nahh , it is closer to : Hitler comes to power , outlines territory that he wants to conquer first of all in Russia . Hitler and Mussolini aid Franco in Spanish civil war and this is the first clashes between USSR and Germany , Britain and France basically aid Axis as neutrality partols really work just against USSRs aid for Republicans. USSR makes a pact with Czechoslovakia , Germany invades/annexes Czechoslovakia with a green light from the Britain , USSR requests a corridor for troops to aid Czechoslovakia , Poland goes "No!" , Poland annexes a bit of Czechoslovakia , USSR tries to build a pact with Britain and France but they stall , Allegedly Poland has secret agreement to all with Germany vs USSR and Poland gets Belarus and Ukraine which falls apart due to Germany wanting a Danzig corridor upfront , USSR makes a pact with Germany to delay the war and startes trading raw materials for technology and production equipment with Germany and starts rearmamament which should end by 1943. USSR annexes/agree to join Baltic states ,Germany invades Poland , USSR waits a while and takes back territories that Poland conquerered during Russian civil war, USSR offers a shitty land swap to Finland to shield its second largest city and that does not go well.

[@DaydreamingSwede]

To be honest i have a huge respect for the Polish soldiers during ww2, they were fighting a war on 2 fronts, right at home against 2 of the most powerful armies at the time. But they still tried, and still lost. However they deserve the respect

[@jerrypawlak2396]

well actually more like 3 fronts... there were also Ukrainian nationalists that sided with Nazi (УПА). Not to mention minor events like local uprisings of orthodox population against poles....

[@iv2925]

*4th fronts. We're attacked by slovakia czechia lithuania germany ukraine belarus and russia. And mercs from italy and scandinavia.

[@DaydreamingSwede]

@@iv2925 Scandinavia? Sure Denmark and Norway were in the war but they were invaded, just like you while Sweden wasnt in the war at all

[@iv2925]

@@DaydreamingSwede yeaa but secretly they support hitler. Theres only one scandinavian nation in that time with these shit tons of steel who was send to germany from denmark side.

[@trenchcoatsamurai6757]

Polish pilots were the best at shooting down German planes. During the Battle of Britain the 303rd Squadron had the best kill/loss ratio of all the other squadrons.

[@AlexHyena-dv4mb]

Baptized in fire, forty to one. Spirit of Spartans, death and glory. Soldiers of Poland, second to none. Wrath of the Wehrmacht brought to a halt.

[@theodoreperkoski1951]

Thank you very much for this video. I have watched it with tears in my eyes. When I was growing up, people made fun of the Polish resistance during the invasion. Wish I could have had this video. Again, Thank you very much

[@welcometonerdland3425]

Theodore Perkoski I’m sorry they did that at least this helped :)

[@dead-ishchannel6212]

Germany: *gets in taxi* Taxi Driver: Where you going? Gernamy: Poland.

[@ruairiodonohoe2533]

Nice

[@bilfbilfbilf]

"Gernamy"

[@Lady_in_Yearning]

@@bilfbilfbilf Germany: *slaps Gernamy* Shut up I'm talking! *turns to driver* Poland, please.

[@sammym2511]

_Being peaceful and attempting to make allies_ I like this. _Going to war with basically all of Europe_ But this is *_b r i l l i a n t._*

[@ognjenivanovic7871]

*partisans tryes to get Gernamy out of serbia* GET THE FRICK OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU PRICK!!!!!!!!!!!

[@majestichotwings6974]

Many people assume the Germans just walked all over the polish. And they did capitulate after a month, but the poles fought ferociously for their country. And heck they also had the Russians invading as well, of course they’d lose. But Poland definitely went down swinging. If only the British and French didn’t leave them out to dry

[@thelonebanana6025]

Yuxiang Weng wtf are you talking about? Poland surrendered on 27 September 1939.

[@rekerboi1125]

@@thelonebanana6025 We didnt surrender officially tho, technically we were still at war from day one till the very end. Not to mention the resistance movement.

[@marcinmalczewski8610]

@@thelonebanana6025 Fight goes a litlle longer month and few days . Longer than France and Denmark. Without british expeditionary corpse to help and with red army knife in the back.

[@a-drewg1716]

@@rekerboi1125 the Polish government never surrendered (like France which surrendered and was then puppeted) instead the government did 2 things. A.) Moved out of the country in exile and worked then with the allies in pretty much every front from the skies of Britain, to Italy, and France and B.) The government worked inside the country and was the one keeping the Polish resistance a organized movement

[@rekerboi1125]

@@a-drewg1716 Exactly

[@jasonyang9462]

The Pols did not get the credit they deserve during ww2

[@SentryWill]

Same for the Chinese

[@nikolauz3162]

Jason Yang Yeah true.

[@stalinosaurus3970]

Same from France

[@michaelgoldsmith9359]

Lasted just one month

[@doj3799]

@@british_royal_navy against overwhelming odds

[@herculean616]

The Poles could've ended WWII *if only their allies helped*

[@khal7702]

France would have survived if they helped Poland sooner

[@slydessertfox6267]

@@khal7702 France would have needed to mobilize a couple weeks ahead of time. The whole French strategy revolved around the Poles holding out for 6 months. This obviously didn't happen, and the french didn't really have enough time to mobilize for a proper offensive in time.

[@khal7702]

@@slydessertfox6267 True but they should have been mobilizing when Germany was taking over Austria n Czech-Slovakia

[@slydessertfox6267]

@@khal7702 I think you're confusing re-armament with mobilization here. The whole point of appeasement wasn't necessarily to actually prevent war (though that was the hope) it was primarily to buy time for Britain and France to re-arm. They were re-arming, but re-armament had not been completed. But that's a separate issue from mobilizing.

[@gideonmele1556]

Yet both London and Paris never thought anyone would want another such war. And yeah, imagine if they actually supported Czechoslovakia, especially since a number of Czech tanks were used by the Nazis to invade both Poland and France.

[@doso4782]

I can’t be the only one who googled ”Polish Armored Trains” right? Right?

[@lumi3089]

couch 😎

[@CT-Polski]

Douglas Roempke youre not the only one

[@Chaika1974]

@@lumi3089 what?

[@cookieusa1]

Douglas Roempke, I am now.

[@magebro01]

Ikr. Never heard such a thing before

[@thesenate2180]

Current Objective: *Survive*

[@ayazamikanz5299]

*Mission failed, we'll get em next time*

[@awesomestick]

@@ayazamikanz5299 in about 6 years

[@iv2925]

@@ayazamikanz5299 country occupied but people still fight.

[@LAV-III]

There'll be another time

[@yourfriendlyneighborhoodbo1252]

say I'm the Senate

[@moonlitaura_]

1:20-1:42 is literally the best 22 seconds of my life

[@theberminator6180]

Glorious

[@badoodadoodadoo7653]

It is amazing how much I learned in this that I didn’t know due to the stuck-up “aMeRiCaN” education I grew up with.

[@krzysztofbugaj6102]

Cool fact: Armoured Train no. 53's nickname was "Bold", or "Daring", "Śmiały" in polish.

[@kentruiz6204]

Let's just say Warsaw saw war

[@TheBlobik]

I kinda hate myself for loving that pun. Words well played, sir.

[@FELCHINGTON]

*WARSAW CITY AT WAR*

[@badoodadoodadoo7653]

VOICES OF UNDERGROUND, WHISPERS OF FREEDOM

[@hawtdawg8049]

1944

[@badoodadoodadoo7653]

Hawt Dawg HELP THAT NEVER CAAAME

[@wiej007]

Someone: How many times your country was invaded? Me: Yes

[@alexisjankowski3281]

wiej007 Remember that time we weren’t even a country? Wild times...

[@juice5951]

Dziękuję za zrobienie tego odcinka jest bardzo interesujący.

[@JanKowalski-to6ou]

O ktoś coś napisał po polsku

[@filthyoldman]

XD po english pisz please

[@alanowa123]

Napisał "oficer rzeszy" 😂😂😂

[@krzysbulski4032]

Wreszcie ktoś tu mówi po polsku!

[@samisyperek5711]

Masz like'a ale ten nick to jest prank, nie?

[@TheJboy88]

In most tellings of WW2, it's easy to come to the conclusion that Poland was an "easy" target. Good on you for showing that they put up a better fight than most give them credit for :)

[@thehypest6118]

Idk man I've never looked at the invasion of Poland as an easy win for Germany from a historical standpoint, the Poles wrecked shit on the German army and revolted post conquest at pretty much every given opportunity, the free Polish army made up some of the most aggressive units in the British army, anybody who views the fight as a German steamroll obviously knows nothing of WW2

[@PMMagro]

If the Germans in 1939 was not super strong/unbeatable the actions and failure of the Allies could not be justified. Hence the Germans where. We NEVER do anything wrong, amen.

[@Nonsense010688]

I don#t think that viewing Poland as easy necessary means that they fought bad. But realities are still realities and while some armies would struggle in this scenario (I look at you Austria-Hungary and your attempt in conquering Serbia), the Wehrmacht didn't really, even if those first days didn't went perfectly.

[@Nonsense010688]

@@PMMagro I think that is more true for the France campaign. You could make a decent argument, that the allies (and that includes the UK, which sometimes acts as if only France was defeated) should not be able to lose that war against the 3rd reich 1940. They weren't outnumber, despite they though that, and while they equipment had serious downfalls (french tanks being 1 men turrets and bad radios for example), so did the Germans. The main force of german tanks were tanks (panzer 1&2) that were never suppose to actually fight a war but rather as training tanks. Those should not have worked so well against the allies.

[@drewpamon]

@maciejl20 I've always thought of Poland as a tragic victim of circumstance whereas France lost due to their arrogance.

[@Jungoguy]

A lot of people downplay Poland’s role in WW2, but they were some of the Allies best fighters long after Poland fell

[@noobster4779]

and a lot of poles tent to overestimate polands role in WW2

[@zigzagduck952]

I have heard (but cannot confirm) that during the battle of Britain, Polish pilots ignored there tactical training as soon as they saw German planes and flew straight at them guns blazing. This turned out to be a good tactic as it disrupted the German formations and reduced the battle to a series of individual dog fights which suited the British forces as they had better maneuverability. They fought like demons to defend our homeland so that we could liberate there's, and we gave there homeland to Russia.

[@somepolishmoment9118]

My grandfather obviously polish fought at d day at the Juno landing and his brother fought in the Warsaw Uprising so I’d say we did alright

[@nickkk420]

Did better than the French army, maybe not the revolution fighters but deff better than the recognized French forces

[@DanieleCapellini]

@Henry-Bart rightly so, because their government was fascist af

[@burakbozkurt764]

So come, bring on all that you've got ; Come hell, come high water, never stop ! Unless you are forty to one , Your lives will soon be undone! -"40 to 1" by Sabaton

[@ivantan42]

BAPTISED IN FIRE 40:1 SPIRIT OF SPARTANS DEATH AND GLORY SOLDIERS OF POLAND, SECOND TO NONE WARTH OF THE WERMARCHT BROUGHT TO A HALTTTTTTT

[@stevencolor3389]

Baptized in fire Forty to one So silent before the storm Awaiting command A few has been chosen to stand As one outnumbered by far The orders from high command Fight back, hold your ground!

[@leopard2a547]

Sabaton ❤️

[@IshijimaKairo]

:)

[@howardbaxter2514]

Hey, look! It’s another Sabaton fan! Welcome my friend!

[@IshijimaKairo]

@@howardbaxter2514 he is my friend too now!

[@nathanbrown8680]

Three things never trust in or your future shall be brief: A British oath, the French army, or a Russian bond of peace.

[@TeddyTheAcro]

Wait, so the battle of my little city of Piotrków actually mattered? Woah

[@kotestalina3838]

Hehe widzisz piotrków też kwst ważne

[@alephomega7008]

*China Mapping, Picture profile France Balls,MY LITTLE CITY OF PIOTRKÓW* *Me want know your location*

[@TeddyTheAcro]

@@alephomega7008 Saudi Arabia, tho born in Brazil Edit: Sorry, but I forgot to add that I'm of Mongolian, Greek and Inca ethnicity

[@0707565]

Stupid pole!!!

[@kostakatsoulis2922]

Literally everyone else: Cavalry is outdated Poland: hold my beer

[@yuubenia404]

*40:1 plays*

[@jamiesnack]

yes

[@ibbi32]

Baptised in fire 40 1 spirit of spartans death and glory

[@ivantan42]

@@ibbi32 SOILDERS OF POLAND SECOND TO NONE.

[@andystanco5797]

Polish people have balls of steel. Respect to all poles.

[@dynamicworlds1]

Except the Polish police, which following the norm for police, were more sympathetic to fascists than to their own country when push came to shove. (No offense to any good cops out there, but police forces have a track record of being more sympathetic to those who want to impliment a police state than the communities their duty is to protect)

[@andystanco5797]

@@dynamicworlds1 Yeah that's a bit disappointing.

[@yuxiangweng2768]

Not Polish police- local police means the country Free City of Danzig Police, where the Nazis were elected earlier with a tax 51% support and passed an Enabling Act making it into a nazi dictatorship. Majority of Danzigers were German, and scared by propaganda that the Poles were out to get them. My grandpa recalled the advice that while on the beach on the Polish coast, you should be careful not to accidentally wander onto FCD land or you might be caught and beat up by some Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth). Westerplatte was a Polish military base on the territory of the FCD. There was actually also a Polish Post Office in Danzig which witnessed what is considered a heroic defense.

[@yuxiangweng2768]

No tax, autocorrect

[@jerrypawlak2396]

@@dynamicworlds1 Screw You we have great police force and we are proud they do their job and not side with anyone (not bending backwards to antifa is not being fascist)

[@scoodoop7203]

8:25 WHEN THE NON-WINGED 7TPs ARRIVED

[@majan6267]

winged would have been better

[@miked884]

firing from the hill side

[@embasorangiratina36]

@@miked884 THEY TURNED THE TIDE!

[@robertwalpole360]

Poland: Everything looks more epic with wings!

[@abhisheknanda181]

Dedication! dedication!

[@kainaluhikalea4641]

Poland government:"Poland can't fight a two front war" Me "sweats frantically knowing what's gonna happen"

[@dear_totheheart]

Wow, thoroughly impressed with such indepth military tactics and analysis, especially regarding Poland, as they are always overshadowed. I'd love to see a future video discussing Poland's Kosciuszko Uprising if possible! Thanks for your consideration and all your efforts!

[@ulyssessphoenix2745]

Poland: help they are beating us up Britain and france: no you're not you're just bleeding from hitting yourself Poland: it's the Germans right there Britain and france: I see no Germans........ Poland: dude........ Britain and france: fine we'll help.

[@warriormasterdeath7093]

@@alexandersuperapple Also Britain: Shit

[@vantuz8264]

Czechoslovakia: HA! Karma is a bitch, isn't?

[@ognjenivanovic7871]

Serbia: Did something happen?

[@williewillie5622]

Fml Chamberlain was an idiot and most of all scaried of German

[@blackskullknight9062]

@@ognjenivanovic7871 Germany: Open your border and join the axis or Else.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

4:20 Denmark floated off as fighting began

[@randyzhu9705]

Denmark doesn't exist tho

[@theskitsdump7728]

Denmark noped the hell outta there.

[@lunamoonfang2]

But they never got away...

[@miketacos9034]

How did THIS not get into a WW2 FPS?!

[@dirtybongwater5751]

Cuz germans have op guns

[@thenewfireguy5658]

because the role of america in the war is way glorified, so much so that many nations like poland fail to be included much. let alone mentioned

[@Demicleas]

@@thenewfireguy5658 or let alone the greeks

[@fartpluswetone8077]

@@Demicleas Or, partially, Finland.

[@luigibellini811]

"We have a non agression pact with Soviet Union" *SAD* *FLUTE* *SONG* *STARTS*

[@lvd8122]

Wait, what happend to Denmark at 4:23?! I know they were insignificant, but you can't just ignore them

[@blaz2892]

They were important enough to be invaded! They need to be on the map!

[@osamabinladen2018]

@@blaz2892 they lasted 1 day -_-

[@the1grove]

Didn't even last a day

[@oofman2153]

Denmark doesn't exist tho

[@nicolerreid]

Denmark isnt relivant to the invasion of poland

[@tymekx014]

Wanna hear a joke? Why did the chicken cross the road? Mutual defence pact

[@rjabrogar3492]

Lol?

[@LAV-III]

Lol?

[@bartekrdzanek6725]

Some TKS tankettes were armed with 20mm autocannons, these were sufficient against german armor at the time

[@justinh6651]

2:43 The enemy is being reinforced with a behemoth

[@dakotahutchison7288]

Poland just makes me sad. They used to be so cool, they where the dragon of Europe like you said in the Catherine the Great series. I'd really love a series from that time m

[@iskenuz]

Poland was badass in the interwar period. They fought the Soviet union and beat Trotsky in the field, besting one of the best Field Marshals in the world (Tukachevksy) to do it. They knew what was coming and structured their army to be ready to fight WW2, not WW1. They tried repeatedly to build an alliance of eastern european states, because they knew that Russia and Germany couldn't be trusted. And even then, when betrayed by the allies (See: Phony War) and the Soviets (See: The Polish-Soviet Non Aggression Pact), they still took almost a month to fall in a two front war against the great industrial powerhouses of Europe. It was Polish intelligence, that cracked the Enigma, Polish pilots that fought in the skies above Britain. Even once the Soviets moved in, the Poles were constant agitators that Russia was constantly having to suppress to keep in line. The reason why Poland fell the first time was internal instability: They had a foolish parliament that required literally a unanimous vote to pass any law, resulting in almost total anarchy. The reason why Poland fell the second time was because her allies abandoned her, and she stood alone. Now she's swinging hard right Falangist, but the question ought to be asked, why?

[@Pilchowski01]

@le_zitron_foufou a video series on the Commonwealth would be amazing

[@777Mikos]

While Poland was historically a powerhouse in Central/Eastern Europe arena, generally it could not compete with Western empires. Those were usually in the league of their own, but they also rarely cared about the east. So, Dragon of Eastern Europe it might be, but it was never a dominating power of All of Europe, not even in the times of the Commonwealth.

[@wietomeiborg1934]

Nieprawdziwy yes, it is. Our autocratic regime is taking away our freedom and destroying all the hard work we’ve put in to rebuild the country from ww2. Because of our stupid nazi-nalism, we’re constantly pushing away all of our allies. We see everyone as a threat to our existence, because the sad thing is, if Poland has no enemies r isn’t managed by any outside force, it has no idea what to do with its freedom.

[@huwguyver4208]

They still gave us CD Projekt Red and Polish Paul with the Freshest PSVR News in the Village.

[@randomknight2585]

Poland soldiers were determined to stop the Germans my heart goes out to them

[@klutz3955]

very uncreddited

[@d77h-tcipelican45]

Make pewdiepie have 100m subs

[@adamk.2261]

First off I'm really glad you guys are making a series on the defense of poland since I'm a polish myself and because my great grandfather fought in many of those battles at the start and somewhat middle of the war but in the end he was lost in action. Anyways, thank you guys a ton and keep up the great work!

[@yryama]

That armored train must've been an awesome sight.

[@amymglick]

For Poland! Not many realize that Poland's country may have been seized but not the military and the people they fought when under occupation and the Polish navy, Air Force, and military fought for Britain and France and Russia eventually handed over Polish POW's and they fought under British command after France fell and the polish navy even tracked the Bismarck

[@o00nemesis00o]

Amy Glick I AM A POLE (lol)

[@joust8907]

I feel as if the Brits and French listened to Poland's calls for mobilisation. This war wouldn't cost millions of lives and might of been, in another timeline, a short war...

[@iv2925]

If france and uk will be like they wrote in their books there will be the shortest war in the history.

[@Aposthumushobo]

You're possibly right, but in their defense, you cannot make an accurate assessment if you ignore the hellish experiences of WW1. Even though they were the victors, the UK and France lost so much that even over 20 years later their scars could still be felt. Towns who lost so many of their young men, people who came home not in one piece, both physically and mentally, widows still grieving for the lost ones who will never return. Additionally, France's government was incredibly unstable, so any coherent grand strategy from them outside of a solid defense was probably out of the question. As for the UK, there's a reason why Chamberlain's appeasement attempts were initially popular at first. Your nation literally threw away an entire generation of men into the grinder of ww1, a generation that is lost forever. How would you react if your leaders suddenly demanded that another generation be sent into that very same horrific grinder? I doubt that the public would have been very welcome to an offensive strategy that could potentially result in massive casualties, especially if looked from a WW1-era perspective.

[@arturkarpinski164]

Awesome, absolutely awesome. Thank you for teaching what most history books and classes don't. The truth is stronger than fiction.

[@plrc4593]

Wow! Extremly solid and informative material that informs among others that: 1. Allies pressed Poland to not mobilize its forces 2. Polish cavalry was used as mobile infantry 3. Poland in 1939 had better tanks than Germany. I think these are very little known facts.

[@okezieeleweanya]

America: If I fight the French, can I get representation? UK: Yes. India: Can I get independence if i fight the Germans? UK: Yes. Poland: Will you protect me from nazi? UK: Yes. Ukraine: Help me fight Russia? UK: Yes. Ukraine: Are you sure? UK: HAVE I EVER LET ANYONE DOWN?

[@noonespecial9704]

Me: Yes. You have

[@glenv9511]

Me: Many times

[@riograndedosulball248]

And kids, that's why Finland told England to go to hell after the Winter War, and allied Germany

[@superrnggame1618]

Lol

[@mcnwu7795]

6mln peaople die im Poland WW2 bcouse of allies.

[@eton3331]

BAPTIZED IN FIRE 40 TO 1!!!!!

[@friendcomputer5276]

SPIRIT OF SPARTANS, DEATH OR GLORY!

[@hanos2094]

@@friendcomputer5276 SOLDIERS OF POLAND SECOND TO NONE

[@alexs1954]

John Stevens WRATH OF THE WEHRMACHT BROUGHT TO A HALT!

[@alecsis882]

THE 8TH OF SEPTEMBER IT STARTS... THE RAGE OF THE REICH

[@bot_burg5320]

eton3331 ALWAYS REMEMBER A FALLEN SOLDIER

[@collinsmakaumukungi991]

Thing I love about your topics is that the title may seem boring, but, once I get into it, enlightenment.Thank you and keep it going.

[@speisman3731]

You made me proud of my country. It's my favourite episode yet. To takie piękne!

[@Qba86]

The allied pressure into "not provoking the Germans" certainly didn't help. Although the decision by Rydz-Śmigły to begin defence from the very border, instead of establishing a more manageable defence line further inland, wasn't too clever either.

[@grayscribe1342]

You have to wonder how much of the british stance was because of Chamberlain's 'Peace in our time' speech. As for strategy... I don't know how the military had adapted to the lessons of WWI, but WWII brought a completely new set of lessons few were prepared for..

[@Cerulean_Frost]

As I understood it they had to oppose the invasion, one might argue that giving up any land without a fight could constitute a breech of the agreement. Also I'm a fan of defensive fighting and falling back to prepared defenses, but the key is those prepared defenses.

[@the_tactician9858]

Well as argued here, if they wouldn't fight back the British and French would consider the Poles as a lost cause and would not have aided in the war. As it turned out, they didn't help anyway, but it was their only chance to not lose

[@maciejmanna9246]

The decision of defending the borders was most likely because Poles knew that GB-FR were fickle allies, to say the least, and if Rydz-Śmigły would retreat to places better suited for defence (mostly lines of rivers) they could be less inclined to come with quick support ("if they do not want to fight for their homeland, then why should we care"). As history shown, his allies were even "ficklier" then he anticipated....

[@Qba86]

It is my understanding that Rydz-Śmigły made that decision out of fear that the Germans would just grab some Polish territory and then keep it. This was a mistake, as it allowed the Germans to encircle some of the best Polish troops. Obviously this didn't matter in the long run. Once the Soviets attacked from the east, we were boned. BTW: In the agreement with France and GB Poland guaranteed that its army would remain in a fighting condition for at least 3 months after the invasion. I'm not sure that would be feasible even without the Soviets.

[@caboose.20]

Poland in 1939: *exists* USSR: It's free real estate.

[@JacatackLP]

freezaplanet419 actually when the Polish Government fled into a neutral country it legally ceased functioning as a state, meaning the USSR could either let the Germans take everything up to their border or grab as much space as possible, not to mention the fact that most of the areas taken were regions stolen from them in the Polish-Soviet war nearly two decades prior

[@FELCHINGTON]

@@JacatackLP thanks sweaty internet historian

[@brachson]

A large portion of Polish army was cavalry because it was better prepared to operate in the roadless Eastern front - which is the war that we were planning to fight until 1938. Western diplomacy made Poland start war with Der Führer, meanwhile getting rearmed and prepared. Once the alliances shifted, the Western diplomacy quickly sold Poland to Stalin and didn't allow Poland to participate in the Victory parade in London. Profit? Profit. 😎

[@brachson]

So I guess the lesson from this game is this (as G. Dubya Bush famously said): "There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again."

[@waszkreslem9306]

Poles prepared 2 plans. One which included joining the anticommitern or creating an allied axis of France, Britain and East. European states i.e. Baltics, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania. All of this failed as Polish government was incompetent. Making a stand on a foreign policy was something unreachable for the corrupted and pitiful sanacja. Firstly they reclaimed lost land in Zaolzie meanwhile losing any potential chance to make an alliance with Czechoslovakia, didnt went for the anticommitern fearing USSR intervention and eventually making Poland a battleground for 3rd Reich/USSR conflict. Eventually all of this stack up to become a ww2.

[@themoskaubliztkrieg1959]

Great Series Mate continue the series

[@nobrac1647]

"Poland could not fight a two front way." Well buckle your pants because I have some news for you

[@matstermatimapping3060]

finally a series about Poland! ive waited so long and this episode was Amazing!

[@zackakai5173]

Really? Nobody? Well, I guess someone has to do it... 🎵 *BAPTIZED IN FIRE, 40 TO 1!* 🎵

[@user-pq7ov9bd5g]

thx for this vid man

[@frederickthegreatpodcast382]

The Poles did an incredible job defending and fought better than the French.

[@avatarwan5824]

The French didn't even fight. The Saar Offensive was called off because the soldiers did not want to be fired upon.

[@fundust1800]

150 thousand where inflicted upon the Axis in the battle for France although the Battle for France was a quick and supremely successful campaign for the Germans this does not mean France did not fight.

[@frederickthegreatpodcast382]

I know that, but given the industrial capabilities of France and you compare it to Poland’s lack of supplies and eventually fighting a two front war, you would expect the French to at least defend an attack for more than two months.

[@apisitprasan8766]

@@fundust1800 they didn't do as good as the polish did

[@crosbychang]

France could have fought on longer, but did not want their beloved beautiful city of Paris reduced to rubble like what happened to Polish cities. So they negotiated a surrender term to save Paris.

[@Dragons_Armory]

Poor Poland. Some of the worst neighbors and worst allies.

[@d4n737]

And the bravest men....Also a fucking bear. Yeah. A goddamn bear.

[@misterkrazy8401]

I assume you heard of Wojtek, the alcoholic bear?

[@d4n737]

@@misterkrazy8401 Not only alcoholic, Also a smoker. And a brave soldier under Monte Casino.

[@slydessertfox6267]

To defend the French here, the French needed time to mobilize, and their plans revolved around their expectations that the Poles would hold out for ~6 months. The Poles fell in only a few weeks.

[@d4n737]

@@slydessertfox6267 That's no defence. The french agreed to help, they had been asked for help, yet the help never came. "Six monts"... If they were to send amunition instead of "Mobalizing" The War could end with Poland saving Europe under Westerplatte in the year 1939. But they did nothing. They didn't mobilize. It was called "The Strange War" And it wasn't about the Doctor Strange :D. When soldiers defended Poland at Westerplatte France and England were, let me quote how folks are calling it here, "Caring for their gardens". Their Tactic was called "Feeding the aligator." They thought that Hitler was going to be happy with the little countrys and they should just sacrifice them. That's the reason.

[@titangamer6824]

Thank you so much for sharing this story!

[@Klishar122]

It always amazes me how the leaders of France & Britain at the time were just the most incompetent people in history. It isn’t covered on Extra Credits but it is covered by the series on Netflix: When the Nazis turned their attention towards France, reconnaissance planes actually managed to spot a massive pileup of men and armor about to punch through the Ardennes. And the French general chose to ignore the reports. Whereas if he’d acted upon them, it could’ve prevented the Nazi occupation of his country. Combine that with how they handled the Polish situation, (in both this video and the next) it’s no wonder that the Germans brought Europe to its knees in those early years.

[@arthurolejniczak4547]

When the Germans turned their attention towards France....Is the sentence correct! THE GERMANS!

[@geraltzrivii4582]

Thank you guys so much for posting this video :D my great grandfather was in the Polish cavalry (he was an Uhlan) he got wounded in the battle of Bzura, and he got to a POW Camp, but he fled. So thanks so much

[@geoffreyherrick9900]

Geralt z Rivii an Uhlan? Like Von Richthofen!

[@user-oq3ep6hu3k]

Spirit of Sparants, Death and Glory, SOLDIERS OF POLAND, SECOND TO NONE

[@commanderneyo]

WRATH OF THE WEHRMACHT BROUGHT TO A HAAAAAALT!

[@leopard2a547]

Sabaton intensifies

[@Darkstar1484]

But when captured by the axis and forced to tell the truth, we will tell them with a smile we will surprise them with a laugh. We are all, we were all

[@howardbaxter2514]

I knew someone was going to bring up Sabaton!

[@orecvetkovic904]

So silent before the storm

[@padlock2446]

Please do more on Poland. Its one of the most interesting nations in the world and y'all have so little on them.

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

They have little videos period still. I mean entire South America still only has Bolivar episodes and there is nothing in Europe between First Crusade and the Great Northern War. They only have lot of coverage form England and Rome really (and maybe Vikings at this point) even though for those you could do ton more as well.

[@marekplayer8506]

Love from Poland! ❤🔥

[@kajetanradulski9267]

I have been awaiting for that series for long long time!

[@KaptenN]

Motorized infantry use trucks. Armoured Personnel Carriers are used by mechanized infantry. Early in the war both were still rare and most infantry were travelling by foot and had their artillery and other equipment transported by horses.

[@uniwaffle6190]

i prefer the other art style. still great tho

[@aidandonnelly3022]

Uniwaffle 61 nah this is better

[@treyshaw3474]

Uniwaffle 61 I love the other art style. This one is good but I absolutely love the other one.

[@aidandonnelly3022]

Alexander the Greater at least he can fucking draw

[@takebacktheholyland9306]

I miss the genghis Type horses that looks like llama

[@literal_gamer1573]

I like the other art style, the new one feels kinda unfinished to me

[@yasintamer1547]

I adore your works...Visually attractive, keep up the good work (y) Cheers

[@fletcherpersinger5102]

Bet there were so many legendary heroes we will never know about there. Mad Respect for the Polish.

[@JoelJames2]

What I've learned from history videos: If you say you can't fight a two-front war, you'll end up in a two-front war.

[@StrakanDocrusReakal]

I love the fact that germany started by attacking poland with the soviets attacking from the other side as well, giving the war on two fronts, then the allies just turned to germany with a grin and basically said "you liked crushing poland between two fronts didn't ya, well, we're gonna crush you between three fronts"

[@ugxxx5501]

Thank you for this stories extra credits

[@mr.numbers5968]

Panzer ones and two were not training tanks. They were built for combat and used in battle before the invasion of Poland in Spain.

[@johnbagel2560]

About to get a tasty dose of history.

[@theskitsdump7728]

World History With Dan I’ve been bingeing this. Boutta overdose.

[@alany3805]

not really with this episode, quite misleading info actually. The battles are cherrypicked to paint a rosy picture of Polish heroism, while the whole strategic meltdown is glossed over. France didn't invade Germany in large scale because it needed time to mobilise. By the time that was done Warsaw was already under siege. No reason for France to send their boys to die rescuing what couldn't be rescued anymore. Poland lost the war not because of the lack of French help, the French couldn't help because Poland already lost the war.

[@carsoncasmirri3874]

The story of the Polish is the story of those who faced impossible odds fought to the bitter end and rose from the ashes of destruction like a Phoenix

[@DamikanGejmer]

Dziekuje

[@TSmith-yy3cc]

It's so great that the Polish got a whole mini-series plus special episodes done by this channel. Their story is awe-inspiring and is really not given enough attention.

[@Wiki-cq6fc]

I really liked this...I never even knew about this channel,but I love history...I think I'll stick around