HITLER was told BARBAROSSA would FAIL

HITLER was told BARBAROSSA would FAIL #shorts #militaryhistory #ww2 #history #historyfacts #wehrmacht #stalingrad #russia #sovietunion
‪@Militiahistoria‬
www.buymeacoffee.com/militiah...
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Do you know that Nazi Germany’s war planners knew Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, would likley not succeed, and that one of the key people involved in that planning had a central role in the defeat at Stalingrad?
The planning by the German High Command revealed that Barbarossa could potentially fail due to the vast size of the Soviet Union and the limited resources available to the German army.
Hitler refused to accept this advice, and the operation was eventually launched in June 1941.
General, later Field Marshal, Friedrich Paulus was a key member of the German General Staff involved in war gaming of Barbarossa and knew the risks of the invasion.
In an ironic twist, Paulus was in command of the German 6th Army during the battle for Stalingrad and was captured by the Soviet Forces when the 6th Army was surrounded and forced to surrender.
Creative Commons Image acknowledgements: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain, Fair Use license, Attribution Share-Alike, and Bundesarchiv. Image attribution listed below:
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B24575, Friedrich Paulus.jpg
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B24543, Hauptquartier Heeresgruppe Süd, Lagebesprechung.jpg
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-021-2081-31A, General Friedrich Paulus.jpg
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-F0316-0204-005, Russland, Paulus in Kriegsgefangenschaft.jpg
File:The Battle of Stalingrad MH5646.jpg
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1974-099-19, Russland, Angriff auf ein Dorf.jpg
Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1974-099-19 / Kempe / CC-BY-SA 3.0
File:Europe before Operation Barbarossa, 1941 (in German).png
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-771-0366-02A, Russland, Lagebesprechung mit Hitler.jpg
File:Über Allem Steht die Deutshe Infantrie.jpg
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-163-0319-03A, Griechenland, deutsche Infanterie auf dem Marsch.jpg
File:Adolf Hitler Meeting Soldiers.png
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-B28822, Russland, Kampf um Stalingrad, Infanterie.jpg
File:24. PzD Stalingrad 15 09 1942.jpg
Some images have been cropped to fit the KZbin #shorts 9:16 format. No other changes have been made.
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[@brbhave2p00p4]

''Winter saved the Russians and the island saved the British" - Napoleon “I couldn't have said it better." - Hitler

[@bsaintnyc]

The German army was on the offensive in three straight winters in russia

[@moumitsaha5719]

What winter bruh! every winter during 41 to 44 German offensive/counter offensive were launched in eastern font

[@Enzo_0425]

​@@moumitsaha5719 wdym? Are u saying there was no winter on the eastern front??

[@moumitsaha5719]

@@Enzo_0425 about the phrase "winter saved USSR"

[@TheNelster72]

​@@moumitsaha5719Which they ultimately lost. Stretched supply lines, inadequate clothing, freezing conditions in which engined vehicles didn't operate properly and at other times a muddy mess difficult to travel on. By 1944 the war was lost and every life lost approaching that last winter was a complete waste.

[@KamalaHarris2024]

Hitler's worst enemy was himself.

[@ethanvonessen2853]

Nope it was the Russian winter

[@mjoelnir58]

​@@ethanvonessen2853 And treason

[@peterkilbridge6523]

No: You are right. His worst enemy was himself. But this is true of all humans. Their greatest "Kampf" is against their own lower natures. But Abraham Lincoln said in his Second Inaugural Address that we must hearken to "the better angels of our nature."

[@stuartharries8941]

The Ministry of Propaganda in the Nazi government had fooled the German people and most of the enlisted personnel of the German military forces into thinking that Hitler was a brilliant military tactician. But, the Generals knew better. None of them were willing to say anything about this out of fear of being 'interviewed' by the Gestapo. There were also elements in the British government who wanted a hit placed on Hitler. British Intelligwnce stepped in and shut down tgat argument quick smart. Hitler was making and would continue to make terrible battle tactical decisions. British Intelligence was aware of this. Their instruction was to leave Hitler alone and to leave him in charge. He was actually and unknowingly assisting the Allies in winning the war. The population of Germany back then was around 81 million people. The British population was about 61 million. The Soviet Union was a bit shy of 200 million. The same was similar with the United States. With sheer numbers alone, there was no way that Grrmany could occupy numerous countries and still wage war on other nations.

[@TheRoyalBavarian]

Exactly what I was going to post.

[@danroffee4904]

Amateurs talk tactics, Professionals talk logistics.

[@Militiahistoria]

👍👍

[@JB-uj3qm]

True true true!

[@albertofranco6122]

Facts!

[@rikmuao4699]

"Professionals" have lost in every war ever waged.

[@auerstadt06]

@@rikmuao4699 But not logistics.

[@Jcanos2011]

He forgot tanks run on gasoline, and soldiers need food.

[@confederatenationalist7283]

How much fuel does it take to get a gallon of fuel from Germany to Vladivostok.

[@Jcanos2011]

@@confederatenationalist7283 900 gal.

[@confederatenationalist7283]

@@Jcanos2011 Why do I get visions of German soldiers singing it's a long way to Vladivostok it's a long way to go.

[@collins1860]

Funny you say that because Barbarossa was their only option exactly because they were running out of fuel and food

[@confederatenationalist7283]

@@collins1860 Germany had and has far better food producing land and climate than Russia and is sitting on mountain of coal enough for self sufficiency in both solid and coal to liquid and gas fuels.

[@paijomarkezo]

Hitler elevated Paulus rank to Field Marshal the day before surrender. Paulus tought that was invitation to suicide, becaused there was no Germany Field Marshal ever surrender before. Then Paulus simple said, "I have no intention of shooting myself for this Bohemian corporal."

[@Militiahistoria]

👍👍

[@28pbtkh23]

Good for him!

[@paijomarkezo]

@@28pbtkh23 thats true. Hitler was bad leader. He was too micromanaging. He did not trust capabilities of his generals, so his generals cannot fully show their capabilities.

[@PrivateWalker]

Model did.

[@PrivateWalker]

@Yulis You had a good look into his mind then. I'd loved to of read his memoirs. Often read he was called 'Hitler's Fireman' for being able to quench hot area's l.

[@karlmichael2255]

Mussolini remarked to Hitler... The 3 generals that would defeat the Nazis if they invade the Soviet union, General MUD, GENERAL SNOW AND GENERAL DISTANCE.

[@Militiahistoria]

👍👍

[@saidblanco7696]

Don't forget General INCOMPETENCE and General BLAME ANYONE ELSE.

[@stuartahrens6775]

Yeah tell us something that we don't know.😂

[@karlmichael2255]

@@stuartahrens6775 Sure manure😂😂😂

[@JDDC-tq7qm]

Don't forget General Zhukov, General Konev and General Rokosovsky

[@jackbarnes9728]

Hitler screwed up when he didn't end the war with Britain first before attacking Russia followed by declaring war on the US when he didn't have to. There was 80-100 divisions tied up on the western wall and approximately 500 planes. If 60 of those divisions and 400 planes were allocated to Army group center the battle of Moscow may have went differently. Which in turn would have also would have had great impact on Army group south getting across the Volga and to the Baku oil fields. If Baku was taken over it would have crippled the Red Army and air force.

[@stratejic1020]

Hitler tried to get peace with the British after the invasion of France but Churchill refused. Germany declared war on the US because Japan was an ally and this Germany didn't really do anything out of the ordinary there. A lot of people make these claims but don't actually know anything about what was going on and so they think that they're smart when they say that Germany shouldn't have done this and that but don't realize it wasn't that simple.

[@stratejic1020]

Also regardless what the Germans did even if they took Moscow or absolutely crushed the Russian forces it wouldn't have lasted the German army would have ran out of supplies and Men eventually and faced defeat regardless.

[@Boomhauersdad]

Don’t underestimate the drugs that affected his choices.

[@Slo-ryde]

The worst thing to happen to Hitler was his easy win against France…. After that his already big ego got even bigger and thought he could not be stopped.

[@techelitesareadisease8816]

The Germans put forth numerous peace offers. The UK was dominated by the likes of Churchill who wanted absolutely no treaty with Germany short of completely neutralizing them. Hess flew to the UK not because he couldn't get his own people to see reason - negotiating with the Brits would do nothing if his own party was against the idea. It was to get the Brits to see reason. For their troubles, the British lost their empire, lost their status as anything more than a second-rate power, and now their country is becoming remarkably different from the Britain that Churchill's generation grew up in with their immigration policies. How could you possibly say it was sensible?

[@ihsanersindemirel8918]

I am not so sure about that. Guderian wrote in his memoirs that German High Command was overly optimistic. Secondly, German generals had a tendency to put all the blame to Hitler.

[@Militiahistoria]

👍👍

[@kochpeter7174]

Completely correct!

[@davidcortes4022]

True but there’s also the problem of saying no to hitler

[@ScottHowell-uv4bf]

😮

[@ScottHowell-uv4bf]

@@Militiahistoria 😮

[@robertmartin9677]

Nevet Fight a War on Two fronts against 2 Different Nations.

[@enyawrebbuj9458]

Germany fought on 7 fronts against 103 nations, and yet still lasted 6 years. They are just built differently.....war is in their DNA?

[@mrpaddy3318]

So look on a map where Germany is?

[@kovesp1]

Practically speaking, it was a one front war until June 1944. After the fall of France, nothing was happening in the West. Africa? 7.5 German divisions engaged at most while at the same time up to 180 in the East.

[@peterkilbridge6523]

I sure hope Sleepy Joe Biden is listening...

[@michellebrown4903]

​@@peterkilbridge6523 general Bone Spurs...

[@disgruntledpedant2755]

Paulus survived russia, came back, and was given his german army pension.

[@istvantorma4301]

DDR pension 😀

[@spookyengie735]

​@@istvantorma4301 Money is money.

[@businessmanbrute2211]

Survived the soviets*

[@pashvonderc381]

Lived very comfortably indeed, in comparison to the troops that he was responsible for

[@THEBIGGAME683]

@@pashvonderc381 well, he ain't private though, he is a general, why compare? I'd complain if they're all general and all of them did not get any pension but that's not what happens, also you may say they're humans, well humans sucks, some good and bad guys have to die and live. There's always ranks within the ranks. I know millions die and for sure my my relatives died with it too, but it's war, and as if you can change a thing. So yeah, you can't do shit.

[@steveuchiha536]

I wrote a whole 35 page essay for my senior year in university about this topic. I can say it’s a very fascinating part of WWII that doesn’t really get the attention it’s deserves here in the west.

[@Militiahistoria]

👍👍

[@warnasamika]

Because of European hatred towards Russia. It is the same thing destruction of Europe in near future.

[@gunnigasig9084]

What do you mean with „Here in the West“ In germany we learn about the World Wars since 7th grade. So in total 6 or 7 years (consider what kind of school you go) about these stupid wars and our guilt in that. I heard that Americans get to learn only blinks of the wars so you might be right. But definitely not in Germany. We reached a really good level of education about the cause of the wars and the aftermath and the reunion of Germany.

[@isaacgarcia1605]

@@gunnigasig9084 Americans definitely learn about the world wars by at least 7th grade as well. We definitely don’t pay as much attention to WW1 as we do WW2 when compared to Europeans, though. I think what the guy is talking about is specifically the details of the Battle of Stalingrad and the feasibility of Barbarossa. US schools tend to focus on geopolitical and social/economics affects of wars not the individual importance and logistics of battles/operations.

[@davidrosenau3136]

​@Isaac Garcia that's so the socialist historical revisionists can work their magic on textbooks.

[@zane3699]

If any of y'all actually watched TIK you would know Hitler was extremely smart and often thrown under the bus because his generals didn't want to admit their own mistakes. Y'all historians keep up with the typical stereotype tho.

[@mw123lover]

yea loved his video on oil awsome

[@JB-uj3qm]

TIK also made a strong case the Germans did not have the logistics to succeed. They had lost the war even before Stalingrad. Hitler had a risk-it-or-die mentality and that's what allowed him to succeed, but also to fail. Personal hubris. The generals conveniently blamed Hitler after the war but for the most part followed him into the grave, figuratively speaking. Hitler should have read Calincourt's memoir from the Napoleonic wars.

[@coreykelly5383]

Lots of Hitlers advisors told him it would succeed as well

[@jantschierschky3461]

Problem with Paulus, great in planning, bad in execution.

[@stuartahrens6775]

And became a Communist after everything. He got a spot in the east German parliament. What sort of a man joining the enemy. He says he cared about his men who died in jail

[@robertschweppenhauser9891]

That's what happens when you put a corporal in charge of generals

[@dragoncaos7098]

Except Hitler was more competent than any of his Generals.

[@deutschermichel5807]

​@@dragoncaos7098which was first, the chicken or rather the egg?

[@dragoncaos7098]

@@deutschermichel5807 Eggs were around long before chickens. If you were to ask about chicken eggs then it's a question about definition. Is a chicken egg either 1. an egg layed by a chicken (in which case the chicken was first) or 2. an egg from which a chicken hatches (in which case the egg was first).

[@divinewind6313]

War is too serious a business to be left to generals.

[@theoneandonlyhooda]

​@@dragoncaos7098 how can an illiterate person like him know more about war than battle-hardened generals?

[@WLH-ss2qw]

People don't realize how close Germany came to actually winning the war. Just how a "perfect storm" occurred to create the war, a "perfect storm" lead to Germany's defeat as well. Sticking to the Eastern front solely, there were 3 small but key reasons the Germans didn't defeat the Soviets. One being the 5 week delay of the incasion, to occupy Greece bcuz the Italians were worthless fighters and couldn't do it themselves. If not for that delay the Germans pretty much would've had victory at hand bfor winter got arrived. The second was Hitler diverting Panzer divisions from Army Group B (Moscow) to the south to help Army Group C who was bogged down in Ukraine and then doing it again to try n capture the oil fields in the south. If he would've left them where they were n didn't delay the attack on Moscow, it's all but certain Moscow would've fallen and therefor the Soviet capital and the war in the east most likely. And the third was Soviet spies in Japan finding out that Japan had no intention on opening a second front against the Soviets in Siberia therefor allowing Stalin to transport millions of his Siberian troops to the German front. Even if just 1 of those things would've happened the other way than it did, more than likely Germany would've defeated the Soviets which would've allowed for Hitler to move most of his Army back west in support of the Atlantic Wall basically making it damn near impossible for an Allied invasion of France. England would've had to sue for peace and America would've found it not even worth fighting. Absolutely amazing how simple decisions can change the outcome of an entire war. There's a few things that happened on the Western Front that lead to the same thing as well. Had Germany followed thru with "Plan Z" in the first place there would've never been any chance of a Allied invasion of France to begin with and solely would've been just Germany vs USSR. History is incredible

[@WLH-ss2qw]

@Eugene535 u don't have to surrender to b defeated. Germany amd Japan were defeated an entire year bfor they actually surrendered in reality. That's literally how wars start in the first place, bcuz someone won't surrender therefore the aggressor attempts to defeat them

[@allanritchie4243]

hitler altered barbarossa in august delaying army group centre ,had he not things might of gone very different.paulus was traitor like hitler

[@caractacusbrittania7442]

Blitzkrieg calls for forces to converge or meet, Barbarossa had three army groups moving further and further away from each other None able to support the other.

[@Hipurr1000]

When a politician override true military professionals you get whatever occurs!!!

[@andrewcormack-foster3790]

Surprisingly some equal though different in paradox is that of the Confederate President during the U.S. Civil War, who too had been a former soldier interfering in huge critical decisions and battles that contributed to the South's defeat.

[@mo07r1]

Hitler wasn't just a regular politician. Strategically, he wanted the armies to take the oil fields since Germany was chronically short of oil. The generals thought Russia would surrender if they lose a few big cities and their capital, like the western countries. In the end, they tried both at the same time, and dividing the army into three attacks was a mistake.

[@andrewcormack-foster3790]

@@mo07r1 You are forgetting it was Hitler himself who tore up the idea and split up Army Group South so one half would take the Caucasus Oil Fields and the other would take Stalingrad (if you don't believe me watch Nat Geo General's at War).

[@fluffy1931]

@@andrewcormack-foster3790 revisionist fuddlore dude.

[@andrewcormack-foster3790]

@@fluffy1931. Okay...😐🤨

[@mattkeyes9153]

Food.fuel.manpower......simple logistics

[@Militiahistoria]

👍👍

[@ericlopez8795]

And not learning from ww1 do not fight in two fronts

[@chipschannel9494]

The Great Oil wars , not in the foreseeable future will mechanized units move in such numbers. Control the oil.

[@darthmongoltheunwise8776]

@@ericlopez8795 Bro, you think the western allies just gonna leave them alone, if they say they don't want a 2 front war? That's not how it works 🤣

[@IslamThing]

​@@darthmongoltheunwise8776he meant starting a war on usa and ussr made german fight 2 front which is germany biggest mistake

[@robertphillips6296]

They didn't Learn From Napoleon's Defeat.

[@harvey1954]

that's why we study history

[@chrismandalor1293]

Actually it's quite the opposite! Hitler purposely didn't take Moscow. Because napoleon made the mistake of taking the capital in his conquest and lost. He was worried about the Wheat in Ukraine more then Moscow.

[@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

@@VrilWaffen The main goal of Operation Barbarossa was to reach the Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan line, which failed.

[@siegfriedkroeger2038]

Never forget that Stalin wanted to attack Germany but Stalins army was in bad condition so that Stalin must wait......

[@chipschannel9494]

And risk starting a war with the west over Poland , not likely.

[@michellebrown4903]

I don't know where you all get this " Stalin was going to attack Germany" bullshit. It took him 3 or 4 days to get over the shock of Barbarossa. The Brits repeatedly warned him . He didn't believe them.

[@peterkilbridge6523]

Stalin's failure to defeat Finland made a lot of people think that the Red Army was a paper tiger.

[@dmitryletov8138]

There are no real proofs for this

[@peterkilbridge6523]

@@dmitryletov8138 The American General Staff thought Barbarossa would succeed. Stalin had hollowed out the army by political purges. Solzhenitsyn, a Red Army officer, wrote a letter criticizing Stalin's handling of the war and was sent to the gulag for his reward. Stalin was as pathetic as Hitler. The Soviet People won the War in spite of Stalin.

[@martinmallasch2814]

And it was hilarious when after knocking out the entire estimated amount of tanks the Russians had AND STILL FACING TANKS, they realized they had a problem.....lmao

[@GP-fw8hn]

He was also told everything else wound fail. He tried.

[@lovetolearn5253]

Also hitlers high command thought the arden would fail as well. The high command might of spoke badly of Hitler after the war but with victory after victory and completing the impossible why would people doubt him. Hilter had demons without a doubt and maybe being a demon him self but we can't act like the guy was clueless when he had victory after victory. France was suppose to be the best military in the world. After smashing through France with ease Russia looked like a strong possibility. I understand hilter was a bad person but we have to keep facts a fact no matter how bad someone was. Look at Genghis Khan.

[@peterkilbridge6523]

Yes. After a series of stunning victories, it seemed that the Fuhrer was a Man of Destiny with the magic touch. But The Grateful Dead said: "When life looks like Easy Street, there is danger at your door."

[@lovetolearn5253]

@@peterkilbridge6523 holy crap i most of been half asleep when I wrote that. I had a hard time reading it and I wrote it lol.

[@peterkilbridge6523]

@@lovetolearn5253I thought it was a very insightful comment. 👍

[@Militiahistoria]

😀👍👍

[@kevfinn5425]

Adolf was a poor student of military history! Remember what Hinden burg called him!

[@joehendrix8667]

His generals previously told him they needed 5 more years before they even started the war in 1939.

[@MrWaterlionmonkey]

Yo be fair to Hitler when he declared war on Poland he was no expecting a European wide war let alone a world war. He was expecting to fight only Poland and to defeat only Poland. When Britain and France declared war he was shocked. He reportedly said to Ribbentrop "now what?"

[@zupnanazwa]

5 more years of what? Starvation? They couldnt wait, thats the point of WW2

[@patricklarry6645]

​. not true. britain\france told germany if they invaded poland they would go to war.

[@MrWaterlionmonkey]

@@patricklarry6645 why should he have believed them? Britain was ready to go to war for chechoslovakia and then they chickened out and even carved it up for him.

[@patricklarry6645]

@@MrWaterlionmonkey because poland was where most of europes jews lived. Britain and france had to defend their overlords. Hitler knew this.

[@mamunursiam9806]

winter and lend lease saved Russia's a$$ in ww2 though

[@Militiahistoria]

👍👍

[@rsears78]

Miscalculated. There was a book written by a soldier who surrendered that said “Russia was vast, so much territory, and the Soviets were savages, there were so many of them, weapons were scarce, most of the soldiers were sent to fight without weapons, just anything they could find”

[@gamincaimin9954]

To be fair, the Soviets would’ve just attacked him later when they got stronger, so I don’t blame his rationality, fortifying the eastern borders would’ve been a safer bet I think, but the terrain was still not great for defense, all in all Germany was in a bad situation and it needed resources and food, which were abundant in the USSR

[@darthmongoltheunwise8776]

The biggest mistake was going for Moscow. It is but a city, and losing it wouldn't have caused the soviets to surrender, this wasn't France. They should've booked it to the resource richest areas of the land, through Ukraine to Caucasus and Caspian sea, to cut off food and oil from the SU. By 1942, it was too late.

[@danstrickland8908]

Hitler had no choice but to invade the Soviet Union. He needed the food from the Ukraine and the Oil in the Caucasus. Without them Germany would collapse within a year or so. Hitler’s strategy was sound (That’s not to say that this wasn’t a massive gamble) His generals failed him by failing to see the overall strategic goals, and instead wasted resources pursuing tactical successes that did nothing to further Germany’s strategic interests. We seem to give Hitler’s generals a great deal more credit than they deserve - it’s strange how the main sources we rely on that put the blame on Hitler’s shoulders rather than his generals are the memoirs of those exact same generals. I think it’s fair to say that they have a vested interest in diverting blame away from themselves.

[@alexrennison8070]

Or Franz Halder ignoring Hitler’s better plan to destroy the Soviet economy by taking the Ukraine & cutting off the Caucasian oil in hopes of forcing Soviet collapse. Instead focusing on taking Moscow, for some reason🤷‍♂️

[@Militiahistoria]

👍👍 yep absolute nuts.

[@robertdelorey1149]

The Allies had many chances to get Hitler but were afraid if they did someone competent might take over!

[@TokitoZinn]

Myth Put English subtitles on the 2 videos on the Brazilian channel graysax about how could germany win WW2 and why they lose I'm tired of these generals' lies

[@OUigot]

History books leave out the fact that Stalin was constantly threatening Germany and Europe. Stalin had an army in the south ready to invade Romania to capture the oil fields that Germany needed. Something had to be done fast, hence Barbarossa.

[@dilloncrowe1018]

Most German generals were fully behind invading the Soviet Union. They were all WW1 veterans, and were VERY hesitant about the Invasion Of France, fearing disaster, but Hitler had the final say, it turned out to be one of the greatest victories of any army in history. So after Russia had torn itself apart during and after WW1, most WW1 veteran German Generals believed if they could push over France that easily, Russia would be a cake walk, they, as Hitler, were wrong.

[@paulzellman9632]

Hitler was a risk taker. Munich in fall 1938 was risk.

[@rid1bee]

Overconfidence in his master race ideology vs inferior enemies is one of the biggest reasons why Hitler was doomed to fail. You never underestimate the will power of your enemy to fight back. Look at Russia in Ukraine.

[@slomo49]

Stalin won't trade a lieutenant for a field marshall

[@clintonreisig]

After official wargaming in planning for Barbarossa had ended, Paulus and several officers continued wargaming the operation. The Wehrmacht lost every game scenario

[@josephsierzengaIV]

Of course it could possibly failed. But here is an oversimplified way it would of succeeded: 1. Make the capture of Moscow the main objective. 2. Persuade Axis forces to collude in its occupation.(Japan attack USSR instead of the US. Italy remains a defensive fighting force, not offensive) 3. Avoid entanglement with USA.(Don’t declare war)

[@DawgBreff]

Absolutely zero consideration of history... The same thing happened to Napoleon: stretching supplies lines too thin, plus the Russian Winter, as harsh enemies as their actual enemy

[@dragoncaos7098]

Napoleon lost more soldiers to the summer heat than he had left in Winter The German army didn't freeze, they ran out of oil in a last ditch attempt to get more (Romania couldn't supply all the Axis) Neither defeat came because of the Russian winter.

[@edwardledesma2249]

His supply lines and the climate were what halted their Blitzkrieg plus killing of 25-45 million people takes time

[@Psychonaut165]

Paulus was known as a logistics wizard. If anyone would know the Soviet Union was too big and Germany’s resources too little it wouldn’t surprise me it was him. He also wasn’t afraid to go against the grain as evidenced by his refusal to condemn all his men to death and instead allow for their surrender to the Russians around Stalingrad.

[@56rprice]

Hitler and the rest of the General Staff chose to ignore Paulus's war gaming results.

[@GSXK4]

All you had to do was look to history.. what tended to happen when grand armies invaded Russia?

[@jaccocu7213]

Well I mean the high command did say there was some risk but they were all very confident because of the Russian defeats in finland and how they saw the Russian people as inferior

[@unpataunpata]

Time was the issue...it was now or never

[@T-Square]

The hollow nut as Hitler called Russia was anything but hollow.

[@user-cv1jf1wq2m]

The problem with a very High on drugs Hitler was his HUGE ego and he couldn’t be corrected and poor decisions were built into the plan. Thank God Hitler thought that he was wiser than the people around him who were actually competent!!

[@harvey1954]

That's why we study history, Adolf. Bonaparte tried the same thing and failed for basically the same reasons.

[@JDunham631]

Notice they said it would fail because of Russia's size, not because of Russia's Army.

[@Austenthor]

Yes the size was the reasons the soviets survived for so from 1941 to 1944 it was size and the winter but from 1944 to 1945 the soviets for 3 years built lots of equipment and then there strength started to win plus size but more strength

[@picklechin2716]

The partisans are the last nail in the coffin. Imagine how much resources would be spent if they concured all of the soviet union, just because of sabotage? Then when you're at the end, whats there? Alaska. Theres no winning.

[@djjdjdndjdjd7724]

​@@Austenthor um no, pearl harbor happened and usa got involved and gave ussr the majority of its supplies to survive, not win.

[@dmitryletov8138]

Who are "they"? And why you trust them?

[@VCOSTA1861]

​@@dmitryletov8138 "they" are the generals named in the video

[@danielrendon8555]

That what happens when you have a fool in charge.

[@sdboy1978]

He didn’t learn from Napolean

[@yunusemresoylu7756]

Everybody is blaming Hitler for failure,but if you read the memoirs of Soviet generals like Zhukov or Rokossovsky, you can see that many German generals made enormous mistakes during the course of war.

[@Militiahistoria]

Very true!

[@TimelessStorys]

Hitler was forced to invade the sowjet union, because the axis was running out of oil,yes Romania had a lot of oil but it simply wasn’t enough for the axis, because of this hitler launched fall Blau to get the oil from the Caucasus

[@ethanedwards422]

The thing is, the Nazis got most of their oil from the Soviet union. They were Major trading partners, the Nazis got many rare metals and lots of oil for their vehicles. Almost as soon as they went to war with the soviets, they had to limit how much fuel trucks could use

[@TokitoZinn]

​@@ethanedwards422the thing is: Stalin wasn't stupid, he knew the Germans hated him, he wanted to maintain good relations until recover the army from purges and start operarion groza, invadinding germany

[@k.thanuj9523]

Hitler's worst enemy was himself and Winter ❄️

[@SuperGreatSphinx]

Jack Frost

[@vinhlenguyenphuoc8841]

Every campaign have it own risks. In Germany's perspective Fall Gelb even more likely to fail than Barbarossa. The whole OKW and OKH, not just Hitler alone greatly underestimate the Soviet strength. So it is still understandable why they launched the offensive

[@winfriedkloeser3244]

The delay was Greece . If the Italians would have secured Greece , Barbarossa would have been five week’s earlier. But the Germans got delayed to bail out the Italians. Watch some of the interviews of Leone degralle. He survived the war and became a millionaire in Spain.

[@dmitryletov8138]

They can't start Barbarossa earlier due to heavy rains in USSR

[@epic9746]

@@dmitryletov8138 bro please learn your facts operation Barbarossa was supposed to happen in April or may to avoid the mud later in the year not earlier it was the Italians who delayed the launch by 39 days bozo

[@dragoncaos7098]

It was delayed by one week maximum. If you look at the date of the planned deployment of the Luftwaffe then it was only 1 week of it's planned deployment after the Yugoslav/Greece intervention.

[@epic9746]

@@dragoncaos7098 nah 39 days including the intervention in Yugoslavia

[@pini1076]

@@epic9746 go watch TIKhistory’s analysis on this and then come back

[@alpardo4124]

No matter all other factors, if they had been able to capture Moscow they would have had a much better chance of success.

[@mw123lover]

no stalin even said if we lose moscow its not a big problem the one thing it all depended on was food and oil aka the south, ukraine and the caucuses

[@ethanedwards422]

The capturw of Moscow would mean nothing. The Soviet government would move eastwards. The Germans would have an even harder time attacking Stalingrad due to the sheer number of equipment and manpower they used to take Moscow, which means no oil at all.

[@alpardo4124]

@@ethanedwards422 Well, you're right maybe in the long term they just wouldn't have had the manpower or logistics to prevail. But capturing Moscow would certainly have made things easier in the short term because of it's central location and road hub. But yeah, Hitler chose to capture the oilfields which meant they didn't have a chance before winter set in.

[@russell6777]

I didn’t think capturing Moscow would have defeated the Russians, it didn’t help Napoleon, the Russians would have fallen back beyond Moscow, who knows what would have happened thereafter,the Germans would have to come to a halt at some point, still leaving the Russians with most of their territory

[@alpardo4124]

@@russell6777 Yes, but capturing Moscow, with it's attendant roads and lines of communications, would have allowed the Germans to consolidate their gains without an immediate threat of counterattack by the Russians, plus, it most likely would have avoided the disaster at Stalingrad. Even with the continued American support it would probably have delayed the German defeat by at least six months to maybe well over a year, depending on the effects it might have had on the western front. Ah, the endless speculation..

[@MrKaido93]

In a meeting between Hitler and Finland's Marshall Mannerheim that the Finns audio recorded over German objections, Hitler said that he they underestimated the Soviet Russians' abilities to produce Tanks at the Ural Tankograd factory facilities. Those factories were safe from German aerial and land attacks and kept cranking out thousands of tanks that eventually swamped the German forces.

[@Militiahistoria]

👍👍

[@gabrielfreitas-st7fv]

No option...

[@PIFFthePUFF420]

Amen

[@donb7113]

Barbarossa also began late because of Germany’s need to bail out Italy in Greece.

[@mo07r1]

Russia would have been muddier a few weeks earlier, that would not have made the difference...

[@dragoncaos7098]

Not really. The planned deployment of the Luftwaffe was only missed by 7 days. If you consider planned deployment to real deployment this gap narrows even further.

[@tjschakow]

And winter sets in and scuttles everything.

[@peraperic8775]

I Love how everyone pretend Yugoslavia never existed!

[@andrewgrandfield7214]

TIKhistory disagrees

[@Coyote-wm5op]

Just think if they never started a western front and only went east. If you look at man power and logistics spent on France, Norway, the Atlantic, Africa, and England they could’ve absolutely taken the Soviet Union.

[@dragoncaos7098]

That was Hitlers plan originally. He believed Poland to be sympathetic to his anti-marxist cause and planned to annex czechoslovakia to get the ability to attack the Soviets North (East Prussia) and South whilst the Poles hold the center.

[@ethanedwards422]

Then there's the issue of industry. Quite a lot of vehicles used in the early stages of Barbarossa were captured from France and Czechoslovakia. If the Nazis were not to go to war with the allies, they'd have to leave Poland alone. This means they have a very very small border with the soviets, which is easily defendable.

[@OK-yy6qz]

Fully occupying Soviet Union is almost impossible. Just look at how hard it was to occupy the much smaller Yugoslavian. Now multiply the Land and population by 10,give them a massive war industry that drastically outperforms the Axis ,and factor in harsh terrain and weather that the Russians knew how to navigate in but the Axis didn't and you'll see the insanity of that plan. Also the Western front already existed before the Eastern front. And the Axis could have probably won if they didn't start an Eastern front (when i say won I don't mean full occupation of Europe,but heavily favourable terms for the Axis and a lot more occupied land)

[@rickjensen2717]

Very good interview!

[@solutionrecruiter7130]

they shouldve focused on air supremacy and used the luftwaffe to beat the soviets...

[@mw123lover]

oil my man they used the last bit of oil they had trying to get more

[@solutionrecruiter7130]

@@mw123lover true....but dont you think obtaining that oil wouldve been more achievable with air dominance right from the outset of the war?

[@mw123lover]

@@solutionrecruiter7130 they had air dominance in the beginning but their logistics started braking down after 200 km and i think they went in 800 km and the ussr out produced germany over time becus of the oil shortage

[@solutionrecruiter7130]

@@mw123lover yeah ive seen documentaries where they did well at first until they tried to take on england but got beat up due to radar....i just have to wonder why they didnt foresee the need to have air dominance to make their effort easier and successful....,or how they didnt see air dominance as necessary to win

[@mw123lover]

@@solutionrecruiter7130 no offence but i dont think you understand they had dominace but everything need oil and as the war in ussr went on they ran out witch in turn hurt their production lines as well but it didnt matter becus they couldnt us the tanks and planed they already had becus of the oil shortatge check out TIK here on youtube he had an amazing video on it

[@younglee2257]

Barbarossa was launched to merely forestall the Soviet invasion of Germany that was planned for early July 1941. Read the book 'Icebreaker' by Viktor Suvorov.

[@bdpage2023]

That was the last time Gen. Keitel told Hitler no. Thereafter, he was a yes man called Lackeitel behind his back. He & Jodl both hung for it.

[@theAEDan]

Had it not been for the American lend lease the soviets likely wouldn’t have been able to push the Germans back. The German decision to try and cut off Soviet oil from the Caucasus mountains to their war machine, thus securing it for themselves, was on the face of it a good play.

[@billm4330]

And the fact that the Americans gave the Russians all sorts of weapons and food for their soldiers to fight the Germans.

[@Militiahistoria]

👍👍 very true. Lend lease to the Soviet Union was substantial and is often overlooked. Thanks for watching!

[@harvey1954]

Only after the Germans attacked them. Senator Truman said that the USA should give aid to whatever side was losing the war. If the German were gaining then we aid the Soviets. If the Soviets were gaining then we aid the Germans. That way we end up maximiizing the number of fascists and communists killed.

[@Au60schild]

Hell, the U.S. even shipped over a railroad locomotive to Russia.

[@harvey1954]

@@Au60schild In return the Soviets promised to attack Japan once they were done with the Nazis. Strangely enough thye were not at war with them even though they had been in the past.

[@dmitryletov8138]

After battle of Stalingrad, when war in USSR was basically won

[@PrivateWalker]

But this is overlooking there was overwhelming positive reaction from most quarters, or at least many quarters. So to suggest that generally the advice was against this operation is misleading.

[@EarlHall-zi4cm]

The Russian winter saved Russia, The German army was a formidable foe. To THIS DAY Russian population has not fully recovered from that war.

[@bruhbruh-us6gl]

Barbarossa’s initial stages were a resounding success though, the only reason the Soviet Union was able to recover from it was because of Japan’s non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union and the insane amount of aid they received from the US. Otherwise Barbarossa would’ve been a resounding success.

[@dccp_MM]

The amount of aid received by the USSR during Operation Barbarossa was not really "insane" to make any significant impact at that point of the war. Even if the Germans were able to enter Moscow, they would have to fight an extremely costly urban battle, which could well end up in total failure like Stalingrad. Resounding success? Very unlikely.

[@stelleratorsuprise8185]

I don't think Paulus was the right person to stand up against Hitler. Rommel may have ordered a retreat against Hitlers orders, better than bekommin encircled.

[@Militiahistoria]

👍👍

[@harrylime8077]

Napoleon & Hitler got gluteus maximus kicked invading Russia. Americans think, building on their successes in Vietnam, Afghanistan and the Mid East, they can whip Russia! Bon Chance!!

[@derin111]

Those Generals hadn’t read or at least understood Mein Kampf very well. They thought only in terms of military strategy and logistics. They were not politicians….let alone ideologists. Hitler’s die was cast, and the of the fate of the German people, long before. It was determined in and by the political imperatives and ideology that Hitler had declared long ago in his manifesto - which is what Mein Kampf essentially is. He had by then, long boxed himself (and Germany) into an impossible situation from which if he and his followers, if they were to stay true to their ideology, had no alternative. 1) His ideology had always necessitated an invasion to the East, for Lebensraum and the subjugation and exploitation of the Slavic peoples. 2) His spending meant that the German economy required it. 3) (Equivocal) evidence may suggest that a preemptive Soviet invasion westwards would come. Whether true or not….it was certainly a genuine fear which Hitler chose himself to preempt. In summary, Hitler’s war was already destined to be lost well before Barbarossa even commenced for it was based upon false ideologies and unsound politico-economic foundations.

[@emmettmckenna4565]

Too bad the Germans lost at Stalingrad. It could’ve changed the outcome of the entire war and communism would not have flourished the way it did!

[@roymaddocks3184]

but there would have been that wee problem of rampant Nazism

[@stuartharries8941]

The invasion of the U.S.S.R. was originally meant to be in May 1941. But, the Royal Navy successfully sunk the reputed 'unsinkable' German battleship, Bismarck. This threw the proverbial spanner into the works of that operation, resulting in a month long delay of the intended invasion.

[@stuartharries8941]

Thanks for the heart Militia.

[@jantschierschky3461]

Actually, nope. The issue was Mussolini messing in the Balkans, German forces to clean the mess up

[@chrisnichols4962]

Would have been interesting to see what would have happened if the Bismarck had been available for shore bombardment in the siege of Lennigrad.

[@michellebrown4903]

​@@chrisnichols4962 they had Tirpitz. Why didn't they use her ? Because it wouldn't have been feasible.

[@stuartharries8941]

@@jantschierschky3461 You're wrong on this one mate. My information was from the documentary series, The Secrets of War.

[@martinholmes-ue9ko]

Don't start everything off with " Did you know. .....?".

[@Militiahistoria]

Ha ha, I don’t 👍👍

[@fish9905]

Germany killed 11 million soviet soldiers, Germany lost 2 million on the eastern front, Russia just had more man power and just kept coming

[@unitedwestanddividedwefall3521]

They were all to cowardly to stop it.

[@robcat2075]

"Could potentially fail" is true of every military plan. If they KNEW it wasn't going to work they should have given Hitler a "will fail" briefing. The bigger mistake was underestimating the USSR's ability to maintain high war production even after long retreats.

[@RifleEyez]

it’s actually really interesting reading about Barbarossa planning. basically everyone knew it would fail, the quartermaster general Wagner knew they could support max a 500-700km advance, which is barely to Smolensk from jumping off points at Brest-Litovsk if i remember right. it was a huge gamble and Hitler knew it was then or never, which is why i’m still surprised they lasted 4 more years.

[@matthewguzda4075]

The reason Hitler was so keen on beating the USSR was he was encouraged by the Finn's defense against the USSR. The Finn's had to cede some land but they fought the USSR with strength and intelligence with much fewer numbers.

[@trevormillar1576]

Three rulesfor a successful dictator: 1.NEVER march on Russia 2.NEVER fight a land war in Asia 3.NEVER fight on two fronts at once

[@kochpeter7174]

This is not true! Hitler said, he had a very bad feeling about this Invasion before... he looked at russia like the flying dutchman of the wagner opera

[@davidlewis2447]

It’s what happens when a corporal thinks he knows more than his generals

[@billsanders5067]

If Hitler had deployed the troops, arms and supplies used on the Eastern Front to North Africa instead, Rommel would have rolled Montgomery up like a moth eaten rug.

[@confederatenationalist7283]

The idea that he thought invasion of Russia ends at Moscow or that Germany didnt/doesnt have enough room for its population doesnt add up.

[@Chris.M]

von Rundstedt told him, but he didn't listen

[@JG-tt4sz]

So Hitler forgets about Barbarossa and Stalin conveniently forgets about world revolution?

[@bueb6969]

If he had winter clothes then maybe he would have won

[@19trebor53]

This is what happens when the boss thinks he knows more than his collective generals.

[@1302VL]

Of course they knew that. But the Soviets had a 100 divisions ready in offensive positions near the border. They knew they would likely lose, but a surprise first hit was still their best option.

[@takashitamagawa5881]

Yes, I previously heard the historical commentary about Paulus and his understanding that Germany could not win a war of attrition against the Soviet Union, which is what Barbarossa turned into by the autumn of 1941.

[@hlf_coder6272]

They really had no choice. For whatever reason, it's hidden in the west, but Stalin made a speech just a month before the invasion started and said that a Soviet invasion of Germany was imminent. Zhukov even wrote the invasion plans. That's why the German invasion was so successful at the beginning. The Soviet troops were in an OFFENSIVE position and not a defensive one. That is downplayed in the west to support the rather absurd argument that Hitler was trying to conquer the world, but it was a preemptive invasion. Both sides knew war between them was inescapable.

[@sjonnieplayfull5859]

"Did you know that the German general staff said that the attack on France in 1940 would most likely not succeed?"

[@Militiahistoria]

I did!! 😀

[@namelesscurmudgeon9794]

That is what happens when a corporal tells generals how to fight a war.

[@prestonhanson501]

The previous victory's went to his head quick

[@JohnWick-yh5kn]

Austrian painter tried to save us

[@comradeconstantine1317]

Imagine if he threw the battle on purpose just so he could prove that he was right.

[@toddinde]

I’ve always been convinced that Hitler couldn’t comprehend huge distances. He had never been outside Western Europe. He had no experience with vast distances.

[@Militiahistoria]

Agree. He was very much a continentalist. He had no strategic grasp of operating on a global scale, the importance of a navy for instance for global reach and protecting and enhancing economic trade routes and relationships. He had no idea.