LONGEST Battle of WW1: Verdun | Armchair Historian Reaction

[@StoryTimeZE]

1 million shells in 10 hours is About 1666 shells falling per minute . To put that fire rate in perspective, the famous mg-42 had a fire rate of roughly 1500 rounds per minute. Each shell sounding like a jumbo jet crash landing on a battlefield you could walk in an afternoon

[@christianrivera4038]

Jesus Christ that just blew my mind

[@bj.bruner]

1666 rounds per minute is almost 28 rounds per *second*. I can't even imagine how horrific that must be

[@Demensemen]

To be able to experience something like that much be absolutely insane no wonder dudes got “shell shocked” if that many were falling constantly

[@heh9392]

I miss playing BF1's Verdun map, it was epic.

[@Storiedfrog9]

I miss BF1 in general, such an awesome game

[@Basedmursenary]

So great. People still play it

[@WhatsUp-fe8jc]

It’s still alive on Xbox btw still many full servers

[@joonalavonen5929]

In the game verdun. Douamont is a (lets say it nicely) a difficult place to attack.

[@EmptyDisc1]

i was verdun for in that game

[@joonalavonen5929]

@@EmptyDisc1 terribly sorry... but might you be able to repeat that?

[@canadianrocketman3475]

​@@EmptyDisc1come again?

[@pempotfoy6206]

Yeah, although bf1 did portray better the incessant artillery barrage, explosion on every literal second

[@joonalavonen5929]

@@pempotfoy6206 sometimes the artillery hell is real in verdun. And the style of bf1 just doesn't fit with me, but one can't argue with preferences

[@RedneckSith]

36:16 There's a video I saw here which told a story about a bunch of teens who went camping near a battleground in France. They unknowingly built their campfire directly over top of an unexploded artillery shell. It detonated in the night, ending several of their lives, and nobody escaped uninjured. Most plants won't even grow around Verdun due to all the chemicals leached into the soil from all the artillery shells. I've never been there, but the pictures I've seen look like someone took a picture of a choppy ocean and photoshopped dirt & grass over it, with the occasional scraggly tree thrown in. I'll never understand how someone can go through a battle like that and have any amount of sanity left.

[@anderskorsback4104]

Yeah, Verdun was widely considered the #1 industrial age man-made horror until Auschwitz came along.

[@ClergetMusic]

They are still digging up unexploded ordnance from World War I.

[@AerialSRT]

Hello Mr Chris, there is a story telling game named “valiant hearts: The Great War” I think it’s a really nice game, it’s about characters who were living peacefully and got dragged to the war forcefully and witnessing its horror. It also has something really nice which is like collectibles, collectibles with their history and a picture sometimes, really brilliant game and hope you upload on it.

[@zac703ify]

THANK YOU for talking about that "bleed france white" catch phrase that everyone takes for granted and never realise the context

[@justinhamilton2334]

For some perspective, the 300mm and 370mm guns the French used are roughly 12.5 and 15 inch guns. They are essentially battleship guns put of railroad cars, and some of the largest land artillery ever constructed.

[@WhatsUp-fe8jc]

Finally more Armchair historian!

[@ryand2413]

Went to Verdun 2 years ago. The top of Fort de Douaumont was like the moon, with all the craters. And the cemetery right behind it is stunning. Absolutely an erie and awe-inspiring place to see. Also did find one of those abandoned villages, which again was just creepy.

[@SplendidFactor]

Ils ne passeront pas!

[@Ananas-280]

You're absolutely my favorite reaction video across all sort of content You add a great info and insight to every topic even when you say you don't know much about, correcting mistakes that could effect the perception of the topic, add your own humor moments as well as mourning the tragic events...you're the only person that i would have fun sitting for hours continuously to watch thank god for KZbin suggestions that made me find your channel, and for the day you were thinking and said to yourself "alright, I'll start making content and give it a try" You're my absolutely favorite person on the internet and i learned so much from you much love from bonn, Westphalia, Germany 🖤🤍❤

[@thegamerpersonstone721]

Hello VTH, I've been watching your content for a while now and I must say, you are probably my favorite historian youtuber out there, every video always brings a smile to my face and I have learned a lot from your videos as well, you are very knowledgeable. It also helps with my depression and such, but you help make it bearable, so thank you. As matter as fact, I've been wanting to start making a bit of history content myself (on a different channel of course heh...) but I'm still trying to figure out a niche and stuff for me to go with. Also, I know this is not the place to do it really, but maybe you could check out WW1 from the Austro-Hungarian perspective by the armchair historian, it's one of my favorites from him, but no pressure. Have a good day!

[@klutttmuttsprutt6087]

The Czechoslovak Legion! I think it may be one of the most breathtaking stories around.

[@HermanSVKGames]

The story of CzechoSlovak legion is something to look into if you haven't heard of it. It is a very exciting story I think we even came close to saving the tsar

[@twotwoplayer]

Is that the story behind the new game "Last Train Home"?

[@JonAlma-j4k]

Excellent as ever. My French wife's great grandfather was an engineer in the French army just after the war and was sent to Verdun in 1919 to help clear the battlefield of unexploded shells. Despite this being after the fighting has finished his family have often said that he was never the same afterwards, changed by the conditions he had to work in and the risks he faced every day. He died very young from a serious lung condition and his family were adamant that this was due to background levels of gas leaking from the munitions (apparently the whole area stank for years afterwards). I went to Verdun myself a few years back (happily for a wedding between German and French friends) and took some time out to visit the battlefields. Even after 100 years it was still shocking. I would hate to imagine what it was like during and just after the war.

[@riccardosartori3822]

19:35 1 million shells in 24 hours is 11 shells each second, that's terrifying

[@xSolraccarloSx]

30:29 😂After the somber tale of the destroyed villages the difference in tone was funny

[@AnxMa]

Very insightful content. I wonder if they could consider creating an bio-vid about Irena Sendler or Jan Karski? I feel as if their heroic stories are unknown to some ppl. Basically they've made their life mission to inform the world about the atrocities conducted by the Germans. The Hollywood movies don't fully portray those crimes as they were far worse in real life. I had some filmmaking / acting experience and I swear it's about time to accurately represent Polish bravery and German's cruelty. My whole family was affected by WWII. I had a Jewish uncle who was a Holocaust survivor and lost his mother during a Nazi raid when he was only 14. We have to keep the memory about it alive no matter how painful it may seem.

[@JoiceVaderd]

All sides commit war crimes. Only the losers stand trial

[@shortlivedglory3314]

I was an exchange student in Germany in 2006. Not sure if things have changed much since, but when I was there they were definitely talking extensively about what they did during WWII. I do think denial is getting more common, but there is a lot of content around about the attrocities.

[@AnxMa]

@@shortlivedglory3314 Hi, thanks so much for this feedback.

[@Platinum_Fitness]

Love the WWI videos! I just finished binging all of the WW1 Epic History TV videos. I also am declaring my major as history in college.

[@mikepenny8940]

Me too

[@oliversherman2414]

I loved playing the Verdun maps in BF1 Operations

[@alanholck7995]

If you ever go back to Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery to make another video & want the story of a soldier buried there let me know. My grandfather’s brother was KIA on 4 October 1918 (amazingly, it may have been filmed) and is buried there. He was in a 155mm artillery unit & was at Belleau Wood, Chateau Thierry, St Mihiel, and Meuse Argonne. Visiting him was number one on bucket list; I was there in 2017.

[@ScipioAfricanus_Chris]

This was a great video Chris! The Armchair Historian is one of the best content creators.

[@loukenstein3569]

Love the content Chris !! 🔥🔥 may need more hot tub live streams however… 😂

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

Coming in May.

[@livethefuture2492]

Would love to see a talk show of sorts based on that idea! I think it would be cool to just do a casual thing with fellow history youtubers, you know maybe have a theme, or a historical debate or something. Something for us intellectuals to flex our knowledge! 😅 ...just my two cents. Might be a fun idea!

[@Gravelgratious]

The last Checkmate Lincolnites is being filmed!

[@cheften2mk]

Last one?

[@Lakitu886]

ill miss that series

[@geoffroydegodefroy2374]

If anyone's insanely into French warfare I forcibly recommend Schwerpunkt's relative playlist

[@jordonhancock05]

enjoyed the WW1 content VTH. I got into Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) history and their roles. -the Battle of Fromelles (19-20th July 1916) (Somme Offensive) (German victory) the Australian 5th Division (along with the 61st Division British, 2nd South Midlands) against the German army (6th Bavarian Reserve Division where a young Adolf Hitler served as a runner (carrying messages) (visited the Fromelles trenches in 1940) the Australian War Memorial (AWM) described it as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history". Of 7,080 BEF casualties, 5,533 were suffered by the 5th Australian Division; the Germans suffered 1,600-2,000 casualties and lost 150 prisoners. - Battle of Pozières (23 July - 3 September 1916) (Somme Offensive) (British Victory) Charles Bean (Australian Historian) wrote that Pozières Ridge "is more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth". -Gallipoli Campaign -Battle of Beersheba (Levant Region Campaign against the Ottomans) 31st October 1917 The Charge of the 4th Light Horse Brigade -First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux and Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux. The first tank-against-tank combat in history took place here on 24 April 1918 -the First attack on Bullecourt (11 April 1917) and the Battle of Bullecourt (3-17 May 1917) (General John Monash in Australia is still revered today (on $100 dollar Australian note) (Other Campaigns in WW1) (WW2 in Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific theater, the attack in Sydney Harbour and the Bombing of Darwin) and future wars. thanks for reading.

[@goober5713]

As an Iraqi war veteran, I can not imagine what these men went through.

[@HeydenHarvey]

Thanks for serving

[@turtelbro1123]

I just started reading Grants memoirs and I got to the point when he talks about he wanted to a buy a Colt from a Mr. Ralston. Hardest I laughed in a good while. 😂

[@travisnamaste5372]

SUNADY BASEBALL with Indy was 🔥

[@jacobduchesne22]

Would love to visit one day to Verdun, also Normandy due to my last name coming from there, also found out recently Andre Duchesne who is considered the father of French history is related to me which I find the reason why I have such a love of history

[@thatsedzoonth]

The line in the LOTR book is “ you can not pass”

[@TGriz28]

Great video man! Would love to see you react to more historical top 10’s and more trivia videos. Keep up the good work 🔥

[@patttrick]

1 of my uncles was gassed at Gallipoli ,when he came back the only thing he was fit for was pushing a brush around a factory, which he did till he died, young.

[@zcarrizal2322]

I love your channel. You explain things very well

[@svenrio8521]

Simon Whistler of Geographics just did a video of the Ohio River Valley. Might be up your alley.

[@tibsky1396]

If only all MPs were like Colonel Driant.

[@alanholck7995]

Driant is somewhat of a French Winston Churchill- part statesman, part journalist, and part soldier.

[@livethefuture2492]

I don't know why I thought initially you mean 'Military Police'...now I realize you must have meant 'Member of Parliament'.

[@tibsky1396]

@@livethefuture2492 Exactly ^^

[@Mile2357]

I know it’s not directly related to battle of Verdun but my great great grand father, who was a Bosnian Serb fought for Austro-Hungarian empire against Italy in Italian front. A lot of national Serbs who lived in what is today Bosnia were enlisted into the Astro-Hungarian army but they they that if they sent them to Serbia they would not only surrender but join the fight against them. He was wounded once and got into trouble when medical staff asked him what nationality he was, as there were many nations in Austria-Hungary. When he said he was Serb (Serbs were usually called the Orthodox instead of Serbian by Austrians as they tried to mitigate the fact that they also had Serbs in their army while being in war against Serbia) an officer attacked him but another man from his unit explained the officer that he was fighting on their side. Great video as usual, I have been watching a lot of videos about WW1 recently.

[@Verdun16]

I love Verdun as you could probably tell, but yeah that video was amazing

[@Awells89]

Question for Chris, is Verdun the World war 1 version of Stalingrad? In terms of coarse of the war how important the city is ect ect

[@smal750]

yes

[@tremendousbaguette9680]

When I visited the place, upon reaching Douaumont I heared machine gun bursts echoeing in the distance. At first I thought it was some sort of rendition or reenactment, but then I realised it was live fire from a firing range nearby. And then I remembered that the place has been left so desolate that military activity is the only thing left to do here. Same as the Marne where most of the military camps are, close from the former frontlines and in places now unsuitable for settlement.

[@TyGonzalez-q2w]

Great channel I learn a lot keep it up

[@Thraim.]

2:55 There's a word for that in German legalese, "Schutzbehauptung".

[@olivierdk2]

On April 19, 1916, Joffre, who found Pétain too defensive at Verdun, decided to appoint Nivelle to command of the Second Army until December 15 and his charge at Verdun ended on December 19, i.e. until the day after the end of the battle. As for Pétain, he was promoted to command of the Center Army Group, Nivelle took command on May 1. He failed to recapture Fort Douaumont from the Germans alongside General Mangin, an operation during which critics attributed little consideration to human life. When i learned about him in Elementary school, his name was associated with some terms : butcher, cold, haughty .

[@anumeon]

Baldrick: I heard that it started when a bloke called Archie Duke shot an ostrich 'cause he was hungry. Blackadder: I think you mean it started when the Archduke of Austro-Hungary got shot. Baldrick: Nah, there was definitely an ostrich involved, sir.

[@WhatsUp-fe8jc]

Hey Chris you should react to SandRhomans video on how gustavus adolphus fought the winged Hussars!

[@invictus7940]

30:00 there is a documentary from a French channel on polluted soils saturated with combat gases which are today a real environmental problem, because specialists do not know concretely how to treat them without it costing a fortune. In particular an area near Verdun whose basement is full of gas shells which have been stored and left there and which are beginning to pollute the groundwater. and the European Union, which would be an opportunity to show what it is actually used for, does nothing.

[@phillataxeudo2563]

Imagine the souls of the brave french man seeing some internet idiots , who never leave their room level them and there nation as cowards.

[@CT--eo2vv]

The channel “ the unification party “has a great video about becoming president and deserves more subscribers!

[@mattgregorowicz7705]

Chris you have to do a reaction to the new World War I movie coming out this year called Before Dawn!

[@benmaguire1729]

hey man, Griffen has another great new video up about the Rhodesian Bush War coinciding with the US Vietnam war. Great video and i know you like the good old Armchair Historian! thanks again for all you do!

[@aerominty12]

Just would like to know peoples opinions, I know that there were 4 distinct battles that took place at the Ypres salient from 1914 - 18, however I always considered it the longest battle on the western front because it was always a dangerous sector to be in as a British or Empire soldier even when there was periods of less intensity. You were never safe from artillery, snipers, trench raids and gas.

[@Mikesh0450N]

React to the frosty 1 he makes videos of all historical inaccuracies in cod

[@andrewgeldmacher4765]

It’s interesting to think about how things changed from WW1 to WW2. During WW1 the western front was considered the nightmare while the eastern front was considered an easier deployment. And then barely a quarter of century later, the eastern front was the nightmare that Wehrmacht soldiers dreaded being sent to, while occupation duty in the west was almost considered a cushy deployment (that is until the Normandy Landings). In fact I remember reading a journal entry of a career German NCO, who had served as a private on the eastern front during WW1 and during WW2 he was now a senior NCO taking part of Operation Barbarossa and at first he was telling all his men how easy of a Job they would have using his prior experience fighting Russians as an example. He then explained out of the 120 men within his company that had heard his story less then ten where still around 2 years later when they where leaving Russia.

[@danielsantiagourtado3430]

Love your content 😊😊

[@RDA000]

If I were a verdun commander I couldn't live with myself after the 1st day. Officers and soldiers were built differently back then. I'd be Grant sobbing in my tent after hearing how many men died.

[@bairdrew]

Of all the many pointless horrors of the Great War, the notion of a battle for which the whole point was unremitting slaughter - for which killing men was both the means and the goal of the conflict - it is perhaps the worst and most heinous horror of those years.

[@motionpictures6629]

I'm from the French German boarder region. I recently did my family tree, and people from my family died on both sides in Verdun. I'm not a fan of the EU bureaucracy, but seeing so many of my relatives die, in one battle, on both sides, made me appreciate the EU. Not only that, but I was lucky enough to find a dynasty that catapulted my family tree back almost one millennium(von Heerwarth, who ruled Augsburg), and I'm a descendant of basically every king that started a European nation: Charlemagne, Otto I., Alfred the great, William the Conqueror, Kasimir I. of Poland., Bela I. of Hungary, Samuel I. of Bulgaria, Alfonso VII of Leon and Castile. Aristocracy back in the days was pretty interconnected, and all Europeans are basically one large family. When I go to church tomorrow, at Aachen Cathedral, I will have a direct look at the golden coffin of my 37 generations grandfather Charlemagne, behind the altar.

[@atompunk5575]

It always blogged my mind on how incredible the artillery was during WW1, calibers so large it can only be called; Goliath. I always wondered how it sounded, each shell must've been deafening, like rolling thunder, constantly for days😢 60 shells a sec 😭

[@Sarrle]

When you're talking about other channels, which ones do you mean? I cannot find any links. Could you please link them with this channel? Definitely want to check out some of the content you mentioned in this and other videos. Austrian hobby historian here and I am very interested in your tour videos.

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

There’s a link in the description to all my videos from this past month for the new channel

[@Sarrle]

@@VloggingThroughHistory Thx, found the new channel. I've been studying WWI for a long time, especially it's aviation aspects, but moved my focus to the Civil War about ten years ago.

[@keiranallcott1515]

One thing that I think most people don’t remember is that Charles de gaulle fought at verdun and was captured and was a pow for the rest of World War One

[@glory2christcmj702]

I also thought Joseph Joffre and his decision making was idiotic. Because Petain's command of the battle was outstanding, in my opinion. His commitment to defense, shuffling troops in and out of the line to bring fresh soldiers in, and more, made him, in my eyes, one of the more exceptional generals on the Allies' side, and in hindsight I was even frustrated about the command change.

[@hareshbaskar8693]

Hello, Epic History TV has dropped two new videos. It is really interesting!

[@sanjosesharks3534]

I was wondering have you done a video of the Men at Osowiec. Sabaton did a song called attack of the dead men. Be cool to know the story of that battle

[@VloggingThroughHistory]

Yes I think I've done a few videos on the topic.

[@chrisigoeb]

We shouldnt downplay Hindenburg and ludendorff tho, they were brilliant commanders

[@coxmosia1]

Hey Chris, are you planning to do any live streams in the near future?

[@MegaMerlin2011]

last train home game? interesting

[@zacharync3066]

Could you do epic history tvs series on Admiral Kolchak at some point?

[@tkkohn6190]

Would love to see you play Valiant Hearts!

[@ClergetMusic]

Ils ne passerent pas!

[@horizon42q]

Good one

[@SiddharthKishan-wo2gg]

What is the documentary called? The one coming from the history channel with you?

[@raiskis1]

The Legion d'Honneur is the highest French medal.

[@ernestchoi4464]

dang... when the did the Germans have a TMNT Foot Clan Transport Module? 🤣

[@StoryTimeZE]

Not so fun fact, future Richesmarshal Herman Göring was a reconnaissance pilot during the battle of Verdun. He’d later go on to command the red baron’s squadron after Richthofen died.

[@jankovitsbalint]

I live in Hungary and it is well known fact that there is a memorial of the First World War in every single settlement of the country

[@antoinedoyen7452]

Chris, you are right to repeat in your videos that nothing comes from nothing. Petain was adored by his men because he maneuvered very well at Verdun and because he cared about the morale of the soldiers. This explains the fact that he was given power in 1940. "Ex Nihilo, Nihil". (NB: the Meuse River is not pronounced "Muse").

[@univeropa3363]

For a bit of perspective, despite an entire year of promises the EU struggles with scrounging together a million shells to send to Ukraine today. In WW1 Germany fired that number of shells just to kickstart a battle. Talk about the industrial capacities that got mobilised during that war.

[@samrevlej9331]

It's important to note that since the 1980s, Verdun also became a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation. On September 22nd, 1984, French president François Mitterrand (1981-95) and West German chancellor Helmut Kohl (1982-98) were commemorating the common dead of WW1. Then, during the ceremony, suddenly, Mitterrand grabbed Kohl's hand, and though surprised, the German chancellor accepted it. It was a photograph that went around Europe as a symbol of peace and reconciliation between former enemies now moving into European construction. I think it's a beautiful symbol, which is often overlooked when talking about the battle's legacy.

[@franciscodetonne4797]

Sorry but I don't think "On September 22nd, 1914" is right...

[@samrevlej9331]

@@franciscodetonne4797 Whoops, thanks for catching that.

[@James-qo9ow]

Ok let's be honest how strange is it that the reason Petan wasn't executed was because of poor health.

[@theofficialy1b]

Pretty sure there’s a battlefield 1 DLC called “they shall not pass”

[@rkang6531]

Verdun VerDoing Ver Did

[@Mitchell7]

I learned a lot about WWI with your program, but I would rather view old 'film' footage.

[@bradsandel9050]

If my maths is correct it would have been 1667 shells per minute over 10 hours. I’m bad at math though

[@dakillacharisma]

Reaction to Putin’s (revisionist) history lesson / interview coming to the channel?

[@shovalgrunberger7579]

can you react to putins history talk with tucker ?

[@railfanadam1944]

On ne Passe Pas 🇫🇷

[@oliversherman2414]

Lol I just translated this and in English it says "We do not pass"

[@railfanadam1944]

It's from a Verdun poster, those are voices that are said by the German soldiers after they were defeated.

[@GeneralYen]

@@oliversherman2414 This is a French expression which means "you are not allowed to pass" ; for instance, a policeman could say this to drivers at a crossroad for a control check.

[@sovietonion5256]

I disagree with the notion that Russia was basically a pushover. In the first 2 years of h the war they gave Germany and Austria a hard time even after tannenberg, although they weren’t able to hold them back. While it is true that the German and French armies were superior, France would have lost quickly without Russia in the war. Also Russia had its way with Austria no questions asked. (No bias of course, willing to discuss this)

[@xenotypos]

I don't think he was disagreeing with that, he just said from his point of view they weren't as difficult to fight. But I think it's obvious every major ally was indispensable: you remove either Britain, Russia or France and the war is 100% lost. It's more debatable for let's say Italy or even USA (just the late military intervention, the material and economic aid prior that was probably vital too). I think he would also agree (considering his other videos) that Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman empire were way weaker than Russia. Germany only had second-rate allies, even if Austria-Hungary was considered a great power.

[@Texmsx]

I hate the fact ww2 overshadows ww1. Tbh ww1 is much more interesting

[@Tuning3434]

I care to disagree, not at all if you also dare to venture into the finer details of World War 2. The Great War is underappreciated, but WW2 is just overwhelming.

[@Texmsx]

@@Tuning3434 yea just different opinions, I just think WW2 has been oversaturated to me. The infancy of all those weapons makes them more interesting to me, by WW2 those weapons were more advanced

[@faeembrugh]

The Douaumont capture story is quite ridiculous. Basically, a sergeant of engineers gets into the fort, wanders around capturing various French defenders, helps himself to a meal that was left behind, captures a few more Frenchmen and then encounters another group of German troops who realise they've captured one of the most formidable defensive structures in the world without firing a single shot.

[@Lakitu886]

would you agree with the thesis that the treaty of Versailles did more bad for the world than a German victory would have?

[@lysimaquetokmok6755]

Bullshit, the Treaty of Versailles was actually very laxist and not enough harsh.

[@HeydenHarvey]

​@@lysimaquetokmok6755 it would've been fine if the allies didn't do jack shit during Germany'a complete disregard for the treaty

[@scubasteve9845]

first