French Mutinies - Tunnels Under Messines Ridge I THE GREAT WAR Week 149

[@Tracer_Krieg]

Sorry Haig. You'll have to wait 27 years and 3 days to get your amphibious landing.

[@musicmaster417]

*informes German high command*

[@aname5909]

But, isn't this the war to end all wars?! No way another war would happens after this one, regardless of who wins it!

[@poiuyt975]

It's good Haig didn't get to command that landing. "The largest disaster in the history of warfare" - sounds like a proper title for a newspaper headline.

[@andrewshea6652]

Jacob Sailer D Day happened on June 6th, 1944 so its 27 years and 5 days

[@Tracer_Krieg]

Accounting for slight change in calendar days between then, and 1944.

[@mnk9073]

Haig: I got a new plan Mr. Prime Minister. Loyd George: Is it the same plan like last time Douglas? Haig: No Sir, way better! Loyd George: Alright... Haig: We bombard them! LG: Go on... Haig: Then we pierce them with our supreme infantry... LG: Like last time? Haig: NO! Nothing like last time, this time from the sea! LG: Well, that's new. And then? Haig: CAVALRY CHARGE TO BERLIN! LG: Sigh... God dammit Douglas!!!

[@alexturlais8558]

MNK 90 Haig: IT'LL WORK THIS TIME!!!

[@zubingell6419]

THIS TIME WE'LL USE SHIPS AS ARTILLERY!

[@jamiengo2343]

Zubin Gell ships are useful at artillery. And 24 Battleship Dreadnoughts aren't something to cough at.

[@mnk9073]

Of course, that's actually the one piece of this plan that isn't utterly and ridiculously retarded. Haig's basically a "If all you have is a hammer..."-guy sitting on a tool box, using each and every tool to bash at the same old nail over and over again, expecting something different to happen and then blaming the screwdriver and the level.

[@alannguyen2221]

“I got new tactics sir!” “Well go on!” “We use ships as artillery!” “Brilliant man! What else?” “That’s it.” “...”

[@leecommander4427]

I wonder what Spain was thinking being surrounded by countries in the war.

[@TheGreatWar]

+Leecommander you will soon find out

[@riotctrl9703]

Or you know....Switzerland..

[@MegaBallPowerBall]

Soldier 76 Lichtenstein was also neutral during the war while all of Spain's neighbors were at war.

[@whoareyou1034]

+Leecommander, spoiler! The Germans lose and the allies win!!!!

[@xSayresthx]

Leecommander Spain had enough problems on its own.

[@billert_bone5663]

Something did blow - Indiana Neidell - 1.6.2017

[@TheGreatWar]

+billert_bone we were already taking bets in the studio how long it would take till someone makes a joke about it.

[@billert_bone5663]

The Great War hahaha . ps:I love this show

[@billert_bone5663]

The Great War well now you know. about 20 minutes😂

[@enveenva5584]

The Great War that's one of the funniest things I've heard all day

[@Gitami]

Hague: Calvary charge now? George: No, stop that. Hague: *monocles* oh

[@kreeperface397]

When you look at it, the french mutinies of 1917 are closer of strikes than real mutinies. Even if their was some anarchists or communists trying to ,make the soldiers riot against the officers, most of the revendications were reasonnable (like giving permissions more often). Also, even if the mutineers refused to attack the german lines, they accepted to defend the french ones when it was necessary.

[@TheGreatWar]

+Steve Kaczynski the question is if the Germans had the capacities to mount an offensive at this point. even though Chemin Des Dames was a disaster, the Germans also took some 200k casualties. And at Arras as well.

[@kreeperface397]

The Great War Plus it would have took weeks to prepare an offensive, while the french high command resolved the mutinies within a month

[@alecbertrand3306]

The Great War I'm looking foward to how they solved it.

[@gwenaellino-thibault4250]

I would add here, than germans generals tried to attack (because they got a word for spies of french mutiny and desertions) but the big majority of the french soldiers stop all germans attacks and even (but very few sometines) reconquered the land loss. However the german army gain ground with theses attacks

[@Fourbix]

I once argued with a bulgarian who said the mutinies were to cripeling to France to make them win without usa. I say if the French won without the usa, the uk would have no pressure France at Versailles, germany would have been dismanteled, hitler would never had rose to power and million of french and german lives would have been saved without even talking of polish, jewish, russian, ukrenians, etc...

[@exeggcutertimur6091]

Hello great war team! I have 2 questions for Out of the Trenches: 1. What were German gas masks made out of? Between the British blockade and the lack of a proper empire, I know the Germans were lacking many different resources, notably Rubber, and by this point livestock which could be turned into leather. What alternatives did the germans use? 2. You mention losses of shipping tonnage all the time. Does this tonnage only count the ship itself, of did it include its cargo as well? Love the show, keep up the fantastic work.

[@mewarmy9412]

Wow, you posted that a mere 20 seconds or so after this video was uploaded... :o

[@exeggcutertimur6091]

I just hope Flo sees it.

[@johnvilliers5579]

Tonnage is measured in the ships tonnage only.

[@TheGreatWar]

+th e the correct word is Ersatz and It simply means replacement

[@ilmari132]

1st question is great the 2nd you could probably google.

[@goldenshark3182]

The French mutiny sounds like the source material for Kubrick's classic "Paths of Glory."

[@ΔημήτρηςΧριστόπουλος-υ8η]

who else loves this series!!!!

[@VladTevez]

Δημήτρης Χριστόπουλος Δευτέρα 19 Ιουνίου να περιμένεις κάτι ενδιαφέρον από δω

[@ΔημήτρηςΧριστόπουλος-υ8η]

V. Athanasiou τι δηλαδη?

[@VladTevez]

Δημήτρης Χριστόπουλος Έκπληξη

[@ΔημήτρηςΧριστόπουλος-υ8η]

V. Athanasiou κατι με την Ελλάδα θα ειναι

[@CaptainHarlock-kv4zt]

ελπιζω να μην εισαι Κωνσταντινικος

[@Isildun9]

To quote Captain Edmund Blackadder, "Clearly, Field Marshal Haig is about to make yet another gargantuan effort to move his drinks cabinet six inches closer to Berlin."

[@TheGreatWar]

That he was.

[@Firehawk873]

My goodness, we have a year and a half left, and then this war's over. Time really flies doesn't it?

[@thebenis3157]

Donna Sachs Yes, they all will develop better tanks and aircraft. Except for Italy. We didn't care.

[@drewpamon]

Eddie Emilee I believe that that was a common statement of soldiers at the time.

[@MrRenegadeshinobi]

Alessandro Pedretti Italy's too busy making sports cars and wine to care about anything else.

[@ninoschier9528]

War is over by October. Was in the last Episode.

[@victorgz2907]

Alessandro Pedretti Well at least your trains *did* *arrive* in time...

[@key099able]

Ah, finally got caught up with the series after on and off binges for over a year and now can watch every new video in normal speed.

[@ninoschier9528]

Me too. Needed 2 month of it to get up to date.

[@CloneCaptainMaxCC-]

I am pretty late... it took me 3 months to get here.

[@louisiananlord17]

The Song of Caronne was banned on French radio until the 1950s because of its anti-war sentiment. They were angry at the politicians and Nivelle for throwing away so many troops. I don't blame them, revenge doesn't solve anything and France lost way more than England. Good video, Indy! Love all your vids!

[@Jungoguy]

The French couldn't take it anymore and I don't blame them.

[@InugamiTheHound]

so both Russia and france had mutinies and still Germany couldn't win this war WTF!!!

[@TheGreatWar]

+DamuEmran mutiny is a mild term for the events in Russia though

[@GhostKiller755]

Germany couldn't bring themselves to an offensive yet.. Only defensive battles

[@bond0815]

DamuEmran Germany did not have any reserves for a major offensive until Russia was kicked out of the war and the troops from the eastern front could be transfered to the west.

[@petermuster3183]

well at this point Germany had to fight France, Britain, Russia and the Unites States (at least their economy for now) They were often outnumbered 2 to 1.

[@RomainM-rv5rw]

DamuEmran During mutinies, french soldiers refused to attack but they were willing to défend theirs positions.

[@Kingspoon]

Any chance we could get another episode about numbers? I think it'd be really interesting to hear many people all of the belligerents had in the field at this point in time. We keep hearing about staggering numbers of dead, wounded and captured, but how many are still left in the trenches? How many reserves do the countries have at this point? and so forth.

[@bishop6218]

"It always rain in late summer..." I wonder if someone told that to Montgomery... 🤔

[@AIFInfantrymen]

you guys should make special on tunnelling company and tactics

[@TheGreatWar]

+AIF_Infantrymen working on it

[@optic140]

You're all supposed to be dead !

[@tomnook4048]

Who's watching this in 1917?

[@themarco6507]

Maybe wear a helmet major Lawrence

[@Redshift2077]

go blow up the Hejaz railway or something

[@tomnook4048]

The Marco nah worth it

[@SargentGunnery]

Hey Lawrence, you should try those new Brough Superior SS 100.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

How's it feel to be 'almost' an Arab?

[@jimstevenson4208]

I have crammed all the videos in the last couple months and found these to be the most informative of the Great War. There should be credit hours in History for this. Looking forward to the future videos now I can get caught up on all the side videos to learn more.

[@nellennatea]

Thanks for teaching. Always enjoy listening to you.

[@koffieslikkersenior]

The English weren't the only ones tunneling in Ypres. The Germans were as well. For example near Hoge, where Bellewaerde Park is today and Hill 60.

[@koffieslikkersenior]

They weren't rare. They actively listened for the enemy, setting off bombs when they were close enough. Must have been espescially terrifying down there

[@koffieslikkersenior]

ah yeah it seems logical that that would be rare indeed :)

[@CirryInCommand]

Your description of Flanders is really accurate. Just to clarify, it doesn't just rain here in late summer but pretty much around the year ;) We haven't had any rain for the past 2 weeks now so I'm getting kinda worried...

[@Rokosquid]

I know you disabled comment on Croatia video but as a Croat I want to thank you for that episode. I follow you from the beginnings, you are doing amazing job. Keep it on forever!

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks, glad you like it.

[@nerdyguy1152]

This video is so far the most objective one. I enjoyed watching it so much. French soldiers still stayed in the trenches. So it wasn’t really a mutiny.

[@watermelontreeofknowledge8682]

Would love to see a Great War special series on the Sykes-Picot and its reverberations for the next century.

[@GravesRWFiA]

A summation, but I've always been fond of saying that the surprise wasn't that the army mutinied in 1917, but that it took so long to happen. As early as 1914 there were reports of officers lying to men, telling them they were going on leave-and then leading them into an assault, all of which just chewed up the respect between enlisted men and officers.

[@lossguette1669]

I'm really offended : in Bf1's CTE, on the Nivelle's Night map ( so based on the Nivelle's offensive ), in Rush you are attacking as the Germans. Impossible to sleep after this.

[@grogery1570]

Indy mentioned the tunneling that was being done by Plumer. There was an Australian movie made about this called "Beneath Hill 60". It tells the stories of a group of Australian tunnelers who worked on this and other tunneling projects on the Western Front. It is a pretty good movie, makes it clear that it is much more fun learning about the Great War than participating in it

[@TheGreatWar]

We will have a tunneling special this summer.

[@papabearpaw5866]

great show as always.

[@terrab1ter4]

Though it has been five years, there is a question that still preoccupies my mind: what did the trench lines look like near the beaches, and what did they look like on the border with Switzerland? I tried to look it up but I cannot find any pictures or descriptions, so I was wondering if you had come across the answer. Fantastic show, gentlemen! I have been watching the whole series with the greatest interest

[@sergeantpanther678]

I can honestly tell you that you told me about 300 times more about the first world war than my history teacher.

[@thejourney2point0]

"Something did blow". To be honest, so far, this entire war has blown.

[@rainmanslim4611]

so many opportunities for blackadder references...

[@jacques8221]

dylan abrahams. yah squire is hilarious. super funny to watch as a frenchie.

[@s.sestric9929]

There was definitely an ostrich involved...

[@charlescrowell4615]

There were mutinys in the French, Italian, British, and the Russian who just went home. How long can a man endure?

[@wildncrazyalaska5491]

I've been waiting for you guys to talk about this

[@Wobbly_Wombat_two]

Over the course of past 3 or so years I've became eerily numb to the casualty tolls, and the extent of general human suffering, that is being presented in this show. People in the driver seats of these nations back in the day must have been under enormous stress since the loss of this war would mean, and meant, a disaster.

[@ColTravis]

I smell the move "Beneath Hill 60" coming to fruition next week! It is available here on KZbin for those interested.

[@blueband8114]

I visited the Caterpillar crater at Messines ridge last yr, along with the lochnagar crater in the Somme, truly devasting and horrific testament's to the devastation of WW1.

[@isaacwade7381]

Indy is savage today! "...what passes as dry weather in flanders, there's water two feet down!"

[@historycenter4011]

And you never expected to hear from Ypres again!

[@deskfan3615]

Man, god bless those ( valiant hearts)

[@7uc1u5]

Just watched Ian from Forgotten Weapons talk about the French desertions in 1917 as well.

[@ramusingh3008]

I'm proud of you my dear saki

[@alexanderm3504]

Is there anyway you guys can do a video about the French foreign Legion during the great war?

[@TheGreatWar]

+Hawkeye 47 there are multiple ways doing that actually

[@bloke7127]

I've got a question for out of the trenches: what happened between the armies that were fighting at the time of the end of the war, and what did they do after it was ended. love the show

[@kenphillips8525]

Hello from Canada . I learned that my great great grandpa who fought in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment was a corpral I always thought he was a private .

[@braindamage7128]

Great episode guys!

[@984GR]

My Great-Grandfather left with Pershing from New York this week with the 18th Infantry Regiment. He would spend another 2 years in Europe.

[@kokon64m]

Hello! I've watched all episodes so far. Hoped to get some additional info week by week about the eastern front for the first half of 1917. It's a pity that there is no info about it for months.

[@TheGreatWar]

We talked about the Russian Revolution extensively in the last month which basically led to a fighting stop on the front. But not for long.

[@brokenbridge6316]

A nicely informative video. Great job.

[@KaffantoDezso]

The feeling when you play with the hearts of iron iv great war mod and see that there is a new video in this channel...

[@luke33luke]

It is remarkable that the German high command did not notice the mutiny in the French army. The British offensive of Ypres (Paaschendaele) did indeed distract the Germans from noticing the state of the French army, their rock bottom morale and their mutinous state. In this regard, the offensive of Paaschendaele was both necessary and successful

[@TheGreatWar]

But it's also doubtful that the Germans had the capacity to exploit the French position in a meaningful way.

[@johnconnor478]

The Great War with all due respect to your knowledge on the subject which vastly outshines mine, but the German martial spirit/mentality seems to me as always ready for a final offensive

[@SamuelJamesNary]

To add to what was said at the end is that the patriotism of the French soldiers was not to be questioned. And while the mutiny represented a "low" in their morale, it was not something that made the French incapable of fighting. In fact even the mutineers stated they would fight if attacked. And in that... they didn't talk to the Germans, and as a result, the Germans NEVER found out about the mutiny. Many American historians, in their efforts to claim that the American military WON the war often point to a line said by Petain during the course of the 1917 mutiny in which he said, "we will wait for tanks and the Americans..." as proof that America saved France from defeat. But they ignore a few things. 1) Is that the the US wouldn't put troops on the line until Spring 1918 in numbers with which to have a battlefield affect. In that, the US wasn't taking over the lines to let the French sort things out. 2) Petain would launch 3 separate offensives in late 1917 at various points on the Western Front, including on the Chamin des Dames Ridge... all of these attacks, while limited in size, were successful, which would mean that the French Army would resume the offensive before American troops entered the lines in numbers in 1918. 3) The tanks that Petain was waiting for were the Renault FT17s, the first modern tank, and arguably the best tank design of the war (and the one nearly every other tank design is based on). America would come out with a tank design, largely mirroring the British designs, BUT these models never saw service on the Western Front in numbers. The tanks that Patton would use at Meuse Argonne were ALL French built Renault FT17s.

[@SamuelJamesNary]

sharkfinbite - It's probably not all or even most... but there are historians who make that argument. The most notorious and blatant of them is John Mosier who made that argument in both "The Myth of World War I" and his book on the Battle of Verdun. The others that have made that case have been more polite than Mosier, and in theory were writing almost exclusively on AEF actions, but that doesn't change that the argument was made... And official Marine Corps historians STILL teach that 1 brigade of Marines saved Paris at Belleau Wood against an attack by 5 full strength DIVISIONS of Stormtroopers. Most of the histories that I've read that have tended to be more balanced in their assessment have been written more by British authors than American ones. The sources "The Great War" has used the most have both come from British historians Martin Gilbert and Peter Hart.

[@jamiengo2343]

Sam Nary it was the British and French that did everything

[@SamuelJamesNary]

Great Jamie - Not everything... but they by far did the lion's share and one could even argue that much of the rest was actually done by the Russians, even with their dropping out of the war in early 1918 (when Brest Litovsk was signed) and both the British and French were ultimately heavily reliant on loans from the US to pay for the war... And its on the economic side of things that the US had a real contribution. In that, the US helped... One could make the case that the French and British militarily beat Germany (and it'd be a case I'd agree with), but without American money... things might have been different... but that still differs things from what historians like Mosier claim in that they think the US military contribution was what won the war.

[@SamuelJamesNary]

Steve Kaczynski - A lot of those perceptions is often based on patriotism and wanting to make it seem like one's presence was important. And at times, that can be valuable, but if it's taken to an extreme, it loses relevance and with regard to the Battle of Belleau Wood... Marine Corps historians have turned the battle into something of a myth to make the Marine Corps more fearsome as a fighting force... because if, 1 brigade can defeat 5 full strength divisions of the best troops the Germans had... that means the Marines are tough, right? The Marines certainly think so. The point of issue in that claim is that the numbers are ridiculous. Typically a division is made up of four brigades. That would mean the Marines claimed to have defeated a force that outnumbered them 20:1. I've yet to find a single battle in history where a force was outnumbered by that much and still won. There is also the fact that in looking at the actual "Order of Battle" for the German units, none of the committed divisions were stormtroopers. The Germans at Belleau Wood were mostly reserve units that were typically used more to defend German trenches from attack, not attack Allied trenches. And the fighting at Belleau Wood also wasn't an American defensive battle. Logistical issues had already stopped the German advance and the Marines attacked the Germans in the woods. In that Belleau Wood was a counter-attack, if not an American offensive... And while the Marines claim to have "saved Paris" in the battle, the only proof they have of that is that they were close to Paris. However, German records that survive generally indicate that Ludendorff only wanted the attack south to look as though it was a threat to Paris and thus draw the French reserves away from Amiens and thus allow for him to attack the city and hopefully destroy the BEF... as it was thought that the French would panic and rush troops to defend their capital. In this, the advance south wasn't much more than an attempted deception of the Allied armies. And even if one wishes to claim that there was serious intent on taking Paris, by the time Ludendorff dug in at Belleau Wood, his forces had failed to even attack rail heads that would be needed to supply a drive on Paris. And in that, the German position had the potential to collapse under its own weight even if the Americans weren't there because they couldn't supply their armies. The Marines did win a victory in the Battle of Belleau Wood, but it was a victory over a distraction and against a threat that was more imagined than actual. To Marine Corps historians, however, admitting that wouldn't make the Marines look tough or heroic, so they perpetuate the myth to keep getting recruits coming in...

[@zero-dh1pc]

War is like an endless soccer game You travel to the field and endlessly play soccer.

[@thomassugg3422]

Great show

[@rlbadger1698]

The common French soldier, Lloyd George, Petain, Churchill, AND EVERYONE ELSE say wait for the Americans. Haig? Turns to his bloodiest commander," Say why don't we try a explosive tunnel attack again, hasn't worked in a long time, maybe this time it will. Oh and lets do it on the worst, most bloody point on the line. Haig a name to be reviled for centuries.

[@paulochikuta330]

Rl Badger the battle of the Messine Ridge (where the British used the mines) was one of the biggest British successes of the war

[@paulochikuta330]

***** Haig did learn from his mistakes, and won the war, so he couldn't have been too stupid

[@jamiengo2343]

Rl Badger but it did work lol

[@hagamapama]

Messine took too long to work and there was no time to exploit it before the whole battle turned into oatmeal. It was a bad plan. Haig was a bad commander and the fact that no one else did any better does not change this. Only a few Allied commanders come out of the war smelling good. General Sir John Monash, General Sir Henry Rawlinson, Marshall Foch, Marshall Petain, General Pershing who fought hard against the use of American troops in pointless frontal attacks.

[@paulochikuta330]

Messine and passchendaele were planned as completely separate offensives, however the delay between them was one of Haigs biggest failures. In no way did messine take too long, they achieved basically all their objectives in two days, then spent two weeks nipping up

[@thomassugg9657]

Great video love the show.

[@SuperLusername]

Why am I not surprised that Croatia special had its comments blocked?

[@fortis3686]

Evilsamar Why are the comments blocked?

[@SuperLusername]

Alonzo Aldaba why do you think they are? Its the bloody Balkans! Everyone hates everyone and loves everyone else at the same time. The story of Balkans would give Game of Thrones a run for it's money.

[@fortis3686]

Evilsamar Oh yeah, I forgot.

[@jamiengo2343]

Evilsamar I made a joke on one of the videos of Gordon's Ramsey Kitchen Nightmares about the huge amount of pasta there was being wasted. I said "there's enough pasta to feed Albania". Then somebody said "or Kosovo". I think you can guess what happened next

[@SuperLusername]

Great Jamie WW3

[@a_willthethrill]

Last time I was this early, the war was going to be over by Christmas

[@vinaymane5538]

Will Mills sorry son, sinterklaas ain't coming to town.

[@callumhair8504]

*and that means mutiny* Happy summer everyone!

[@JRMusic933]

Hey Indy! Can you show us the stuff on your desk in detail in the next Out Of The Trenches episode? Also why did the Germans believe they would keep America out of the war if they refused to try and attack enemy battleships?

[@pauldavies9360]

Top notch Channel!

[@kallmannkallmann]

BTW verdun, a world war 1 first person shooter is free today, its based on the west front mainly

[@MrBandholm]

Given the amphibious plan of the British, I would like to tell of a plan that the British admiralty had thought of as early as 1914. Mentioned by the British naval historian prof. Andrew Lambert. Early in the war, the British admiralty had identified one of the key weakness of the German position, the Baltic Sea. Thing was, that Germany had sent most of its agricultural labor force to the front, meaning that Germany was getting ever more dependent on food supplies and other stuff (particular metal and horses) from Sweden and Denmark. It was then theorized that the main British effort should be: 1) to cut Germany of from the Belgium coastlines (to kill the threat of German submarines), and then 2) amaze a task force (made up of an army and navy component) and enter the Baltic sea via Denmark (in the process violating Danish neutrality), praying on German shipping in the Baltic. The navy was quick to gather the navy component, creating a task force of largely older ships, and the navy had even found the army component (to support keeping the shipping routes open, the newly created ANZAC unit... The plan was fairly simple: Sail down through Skagerak, take control of one of the main shipping routes, land the army, to make sure that the shipping routes stayed open, and let the navy create havoc in the Baltic for the German shipping... It was believed that Germany would be starved out of the war within 6 months, due to lack of food and other materials. The main part of the Royal Navy (the home fleet), would keep the German navy pinned in Wilhelmshaven... Why didn't this happen? Well as most have probably guessed, Churchill decided on a different approach, and attacked Turkey at Gallipoli. Btw. before anyone starts to claim that only the British were mad enough to involve yet another power in the war... The plan never happened, and more to the point, Germany made a similar plan (in 1916-17) of attacking Denmark, to make sure that the Baltic was denied the Royal Navy... That plan was later executed in 1940. I find this fascinating, because it showed a side of the military mind, that was ready to look outside the box... Being a Dane, I am of course grateful that this plan of the British, was never completed... But I cannot help but wonder if perhaps, it wouldn't have been better to attack in the Baltic (in an almost pure naval operation), instead of bringing in the Turks to the war.

[@alexturlais8558]

bandholm it would have been really interesting, I'd love to here more about that idea. Do you know how far the planning went? Did the Germans or Danish have any idea of their plans?

[@MrBandholm]

According to prof. Andrew Lambert, quit far... As in, the navy task force that was used at Gallipoli had been meant to be used in the Baltic, and had been assembled by John Fisher (the first sea lord of the admiralty) with that plan in mind. I don't know if the Germans knew about the plan, the Danes certainly didn't (or at least didn't act as if they knew), but I suspect not... The Germans first made a plan for invading Denmark in 1916-17, and John Fisher assembled the navy task force in 1915. However, the Germans very early in the war, demanded that the Danes lay out mines in the sea, and the Danes did that (with British acceptance I might add) already in 1914... Those minefields were the principle effort the Danish navy made during the war. And later when the Germans wanted those minefields open, the Danes denied them... The minefields were there until after the end of the war. Also according to prof. Andrew Lambert, if the Royal Navy had succeeded, and swept the Germans from the Baltic, the war would have been over in a matter of months after that... The amount of goods from Sweden in particular (but also the shipping from Denmark and to a degree Norway) was one of the principle reasons that the Germans could stay in the war for as long as they did... The tunip winter, and food shortages that we see now (100 years ago) in Germany would have happened much earlier, and earlier 1914-15, the people might not have had the stomach for continue for as long, as they did in 1917-18.

[@MrBandholm]

Mind you, if Gallipoli had succeeded, the war would have turned out much different... With better ports and easier access to the Russian infrastructure in the Black sea, than in the Baltic. Still, given that Denmark didn't have any real reason to fight in the war, and didn't have a navy or coastal batteries as the Turks did... And the small detail that most Danes were somewhat fearful of the Germans, due to earlier battles/wars... It seems quit possible that the campaign could have ended the war as early as 1915. Especially because we have an idea of how much material were actually shipped to Germany via the Baltic (most of the horses in the German army after 1915 were bred in Sweden or Denmark... All the German ones had died, either in battle, or been eaten).

[@WARthogBasilius]

Hey Indy and Team! Love your show and watch every episode! I've learned so much about WW1 thanks to you guys! question for out of the trenches: Why by this time is Commander Douglas Haig still in command? From what i can surmise even the prime minister thinks that he is an absolute tool living in a dream world where cavalry charges would win the war! The french replaced their commander in chief for the third time by now and the soldiers are in mutiny yet Douglas Haig still goes forward with his insane attack plans which only ever cost thousands of lives and give little to no gain! What trump card does he have that keeps him in command?

[@nacillajanry1463]

Greetings from the Philippines. I would just like to ask the cost of the war and how much will it cost today. Thanks!

[@Rhodes1966]

$186 Billion is current estimate in 1914 dollars. This is roughly $2.5 Trillion in 2017 dollars.

[@nacillajanry1463]

Rhodes1966 Thanks but I need a much more ellaborated one like how much does one artillery cost or a rifle or a ship or a bullet, etc.

[@beppitheclown8330]

Remember Valiant Hearts:The Great War anyone?

[@TheGreatWar]

+Sans the skeleton the Chemin Des Dames Level was the only really good level in the game where they figured out the tonality and the message of the game.

[@beppitheclown8330]

The Great War I agree that level was really good

[@beppitheclown8330]

The Great War and remember Baron von Dorf

[@Mirageknight2133]

Baron von dorf looks like a mix between Conrad Von Holtzendorf and August Von Mackensen

[@beppitheclown8330]

Mirage Knight seems accurate

[@xxDrain]

People don't typically forget to subscribe, they just choose not to. But I realize you have to say it because statistically it will be of some effect when working with such large viewer numbers.

[@castalov247]

Jeez, Indy and Pétain are such downers. I really thing Haig can breakthrough this time.

[@willforest5302]

3 years into the war and haig turns to his generals and says "no seriously guys its gonna work this time"

[@Vinny_TheCableGuy]

"See you next time" at the end of the video sounded like "Xanax time" Indy no

[@zinmoney96]

If this was a TV show the ending would probably be a shock to most people right now.

[@nathanberger7643]

Well the plan for the third battle of Ypres does sound like a typical Western front battle but there were differences between this offensive and the bloodbath that had been the Somme. This time the artillery would be overwhelming with the depth of the bombardments going back beyond 1000 yards if not more. This meant artillery shells going off 1000 yards deep. For example the British fired 4 million shells on a 9000 yards front in the lead up to the detonation of the mines under the Messines Ridge. Despite these changes the offensive would bog down after the success on the Messines Ridge. However once the offensives commander (Hubert Gough) was replaced by Plumer the offensive would pick up it's pace as he would focus on small advances supported by an ENORMOUS number of guns. These small advances would go like the clockwork with the German defense in depth being thwarted by the depth of the artillery as their was a constant curtain of shellfire falling ahead of the Allies as well as a machine gun barrage. This meant any German counterattacks would be crushed by bullets and shells. At first this was extremely successful with the Allies winning at the battles of Menin Road, Polygon Wood and Broodseinde Ridge. In fact from the top of Broodseinde Ridge the Allied troops could see untouched belgian farmland to the rear of the German lines. Everything was going like clockwork and the Germans were getting absolutely smashed until their greatest ally showed up. The rain. The battlefield which had been churned up by tens of millions of shells now turned into a quagmire as the natural and man made water courses and obstructions had been blown away by artillery leaving the land free to revert back into a swamp. At this point haig could have called off the offensive and claimed victory as he had captured the ridges around Ypres but in a very Haig like decision he decided to continue the offensive for another month or at least until he captured Passchendaele which after repeated attempts would be taken in November after which Haig would close down the offensive with onset of winter. No one knows the true extent of the casualties. While the casualties were not as extreme for both sides as they had been at the Somme they were nonetheless very high with anywhere from 200 000 to 400 000 casualties each.

[@paulvmarks]

It is no good being angry if you so not get rid of the commander who is making you angry - David Lloyd-George never got rid of Haig.

[@watermelontreeofknowledge8682]

Can't wait to get back to the old world when this war is over. I thought it would be finished by now.

[@hardcoremedic]

perfect way to describe Flemish weather :)

[@rayenavar793]

God I love this channel

[@grenmoyo3968]

when you first said Lloyd George i thought you said Boy George.

[@jondaniels4325]

Hey Indy, I'm Jonathan Daniels and I enlisted into your channel in May 1917. I have 1 question for you and the team. 1. What do you think would've happened if the Central Powers, specifically Germany, had not surrendered after the 100 days offensive and had continued the fight until Berlin was captured? Thank you, love your channel and keep doing what you do!

[@caleblongacre7058]

Hey Indy & crew, from the Volunteer State! I have a couple of questions, maybe for Out of the Trenches... 1.) You've mentioned the nature of WWI Communications in numerous episodes, mainly concerning connections from one sector of the battlefield, to the rear or to another sector. What were communications like between individual soldiers during battle? Was there some form of standardized hand signaling, as was seen in WWII (paratroopers in Band of Brothers for example), or did they simply resort to screaming at each other in order to be heard over the fighting and artillery? 2.) What authority did the British PM have over the military? Was there a Commander in Chief factor to his role, or was the military left completely under its own authority? It seems to me that, with the differences between Haig and the PM, the latter just would have had Haig replaced with someone more competent, or at least more willing to listen to advice. Thanks for the great work on this show!

[@caleblongacre7058]

Jumo 004 Yes, indeed. Middle TN, though, around Nashville.

[@TheDutchCat]

Gimme Da Meeta (love your vids man, keep it up!)

[@Inoka01]

Hey, will you guys be covering the Conscription Crisis? You very briefly mentioned it in passing in your Canada special but it was a pretty seminal moment in Quebec's history.

[@TheGreatWar]

+:thonking: if we find the time

[@chenching168]

This part remind me the ending of valiant heart.

[@minivanclan1949]

Hyped for Paschendale

[@Autobotmatt428]

4:54 the answer is Yes yes and Yes across the board. But will cover this battle in late July. The Third battle of Ypres will forever be remembered as Passiondale ( sorry for misspellings)

[@TheGreatWar]

+Matthew Arenson we will spell it wrong at least three times. calling it now.

[@AmerikanSkull]

Indy I have a question, I know that Italy joined the war on the side of the allies and much of the fighting on the front against Austria took place near Tyrol and Venice. But what stratigic position did Sardinia hold and did the island play any major role in the war? ( sorry if there were spelling errors.)

[@glory2christcmj702]

Sir Douglas Haig sure was a stubborn fellow

[@ReVist]

I have a question for Out Of The Trenches. I know America had a bad disposition against the central powers prior to 1917 and onwards until the end of war. However; my question is, What was the American home front or its military attitude for the war like before the first American troops landed in force. I can imagine support for a foreign war wasn't high but troops still flowed. Thank you for the amazing show keep up the great work.

[@jhoward8780]

I've said it once and I'll say it again; the only reason Haig didn't get sacked is because there was literally nobody else to replace him.

[@randolphguevara6084]

The French were able to keep the news of the mutinies very well contained. The French themselves didn't find out till the seventies when it came out in a book. Caused a big uproar. I wonder about the level of resistance. They were were able to keep it a secret so it seems that were not on a level of the Russian revolution. I don't believe that any officers were assaulted or killed for one thing. A question for out of the trenches. Did the German army have any episodes of mutiny/mass refusal to go to the front/indiscipline?? Thanks for all your hard work!!!!

[@akmalkamaruddin6506]

Hi Indy and friend, im from Malaysia and have been watching this channel since the beginning. Good Job and keep up the good work everone. I have a question for OUT OF THE TRENCHES - How does the Warring State of Europe finance the war

[@TheGreatWar]

+megat samson we will answer that at some point but it will take a while and be at least two episodes

[@akmalkamaruddin6506]

+The Great War Excellent and TQ. Keep up the good work guys.

[@peraire]

Very good

[@mizukiakagi896]

question, were there ever any swiss volunteers in the war? i know that before the americans entered the war, americans individually became pilates etc for the allies. thanks, and love the show

[@fristnamelastname5549]

Allies response to American Troops: Yay, More fresh Meat of the Grinder. Central Powers response to American Troops: We are going to need more Ammo!

[@noah-front]

Indy: talks about Flanders Me who lives near Ypers: welcome

[@Mike-tg7dj]

I agree I'm surprised that more units didn't mutiny with as much carnage that went on. With two years of continuous conflict it had to be absolutely insane beyond comprehension. To think that there were men who had fought and died there in the beginning and consequentially buried by artillery barrages only to be disinterred at the next offensive. Of course by that time decomposition had set in making the whole experience one of unimaginable horror. I guess the only winners there were the blue bottle flies and rats at least until the gas attack to which I don't anything escaped. There isn't a whole lot of difference between nerve gas/ phosgen gas and bug spray. In fact they are both are deadly. It's just that nerve gas is of a greater concentration. Just look on the can under ingredients. I should clarify that it was chlorine, mustard, and phosgen gases that were used in that conflict. I almost forget they also used tear gas to some extent. I do have a question, " Are there areas where poisonous gas contaminates the environment so much that humans can't be in that area even for short visits?"

[@desroin]

Now I want to know more about this Lloyd George, the man seems to be the only one who at least shows a little sense of honor and common human sense '_'

[@highfatcheese7668]

your great plz keep it up

[@der_baerlauch]

4:52 Angel and Snake voice :D