Stormtrooper - German Special Forces of WW1 I THE GREAT WAR Special

[@stevengoodloe3893]

I spent eight years in the US Army as a light infantryman and I can say from experience that a First World War German stormtrooper would integrate almost seamlessly into a modern infantry platoon; baring the language barrier. The tactics at that close.

[@kishanchali8752]

The narrator also says that in the video. Does it mean that all infantry are like stormtroopers nowadays?

[@stevengoodloe3893]

@@kishanchali8752 I suppose you could say that.

[@LiterallyGod]

I cant imagine you ever actually used those tactics. Since taliban and vietkong used guerrilla warfare.

[@Danheron2]

Lol My great grandfather on my father side was in the army I think he joined right after or during World War I (well was forced to join or be put in prison) was stationed in the Philippines and then fought in World War II and I think Korea I never met the man but apparently he used to say that when a war started and all the conscripts and people that join to fight the war came, all of the career soldiers would suddenly become NCOs overnight because they didn’t have time to to fully train everybody, they also wouldn’t equip them as well because they didn’t want them to just die and lose the equipment they gave them 😂

[@mandingo2480]

Chinga su Madre, the Mexican marines are ready for spearhead tactics(Blitzkrieg).

[@monkeypoo3000]

absolutely love this channel, World War 1 never gets as much attention as World War 2 does

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks!

[@tomatopaste4298]

agreed

[@Tsumami__]

Darth Porkins I think that’s just because many of those who lived during it were already gone by the time most of us were born. In my generation anyway, most of us had grandparents who were still alive who fought in or were involved in WWII in some way.

[@DukeofBruhington_III]

Kitana Kojima Also because World War II killed Six times as many people as World War I

[@jakewalters3951]

People prefer the sequel, more black and white

[@Jake8857]

My great grandfather fought for the German Empire in 1915 until 1918. He was picked to train and become a stormtrooper and fought in the Spring Offensive. I have his journal, a gas mask and a picture of him. In the picture he has no rifle just 2 bags of stick grenades, a club tucked in his belt and a mauser pistol.

[@BoleDaPole]

Wow that's cool, maybe one day you could upload the journal to an online database or to a war library.

[@mrwhiteanimaciones7520]

Esto es geniaaaaaal por favor te lo suplico sube el diario ya que sería genial ver algo así no se. Siempre me encantaron las cartas o notas escritas de los soldados

[@natsocool.]

yea many men had no rifle because they could move faster without it and also they might just lose it anyway

[@zerixor8134]

Strike at zero hour With overwhelming firepower They're fueled by the fear in their enemies' eyes It's a shock troop infiltration A fast and violent escalation Out of the trenches the stormtroopers rise

[@sk3lly721]

JÄGERS LED THE WAY, THE PIONEERS WOULD JOIN THE FRAY..

[@Sabengtung]

INITIATIVE GAINED, ADVANCEMENT SUSTAINED

[@failure6728]

@@Sabengtung LEAD THROUGH DIRECT COMMAND AS THEY’RE ADVANCING THROUGH THE LAND.

[@then00brathalos]

@@failure6728 ENCIRCLING THIER FLANKS, AND RAVAGE THEIR RANKS

[@sacer666]

@@then00brathalos EXPOSE THEIR REINFORCEMENTS, DESTROYING THEIR LINES!

[@cisco3111]

I can't believe that in 2 months 100 years ago my great grandfather would have been fighting tooth and nail at the Somme...

[@rebeccachitoile3349]

Same

[@individuum4494]

+Rebecca Chitoile the somme is comming!!!

[@nahuatl3092]

On which side he fought?

[@rebeccachitoile3349]

+Steven Britain

[@cisco3111]

+Steven 1st Welsh Division.

[@VladTevez]

And they had way better aim than Lord Vader's stormtroopers...

[@tortoisemaster4557]

I find your lack of faith... disturbing!

[@VladTevez]

JediTardisArchives I believe in the Force, not technological monsters like the death star

[@tortoisemaster4557]

Yes, the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the force!

[@VladTevez]

JediTardisArchives​ Tarkin had it coming all along...

[@James-yi6ww]

+JediTardisArchives you need to get a new architect even though you killed the last one your fanboy Kylo ten did it again

[@themagnanimous1246]

I don't even know how I got here but this dude is great

[@TheGreatWar]

Welcome to the show.

[@whiterider1414]

The Magnanimous dude he is awesome, keep watching!

[@me-ib1zo]

Indy is the best

[@Danox94]

Those guys sound terrifying

[@Animagus30]

Danox94 i

[@a.morphous66]

If you saw them smashing their way through your trench, anyone would be terrified.

[@brianstabile165]

Not for Marsco

[@LiterallyGod]

They didnt last too long

[@Ashfielder]

German Mark IV tank there. Rare image to see one in action.

[@EASY7356]

It's funny that they had more captured allied tanks than A7V's

[@vincentc6812]

I see you everywhere toby

[@DeosPraetorian]

well they only built 20 A7Vs

[@alexandarvoncarsteinzarovi3723]

Play Empire Earth 1

[@conquerdaworld7374]

Toby Wood TIGER??

[@jean-francoissoucy8340]

It's nice to hear about tactics from WW1 more complicated than run towards the trench. I can't wait for the introduction of the tank. The documentaries i saw on that was as funny as total war can be.

[@KhanWolf95]

at this point in historical perspective we would have to wait till September 2016 to even mention in detail about the 100th anniversary of the first tanks used during the war :/

[@jean-francoissoucy8340]

They had an effect, they crushed barb wires and provided hard cover for the advancing infantry, but they seemed to be better at destroying themselves. I guess learn more in the next 3 years.

[@KhanWolf95]

***** What about how it was a morale boost for the Allies and a technological edge for them towards the end of trench warfare. The Renault FT tank introduced the future standard for a 360 rotating turret for the main gun on most battle tanks in the years to come. They were effective at making trenches seem almost obsolete and barbed wire almost useless by then, even scaring the hell out of the Germans when they saw them as their mere presence meant that the attack was large and now backed up by heavy and potential firepower on treads. You do realise that by the start of 1918 when they were improving them it actually was making a difference from the last two years of stalemates and little to no ground gained or lost??? It gave the attackers movement again ever since 1914 and a way to punch through the lines instead of sending wave after wave of troops to the slaughter. It brought the introduction of the SPG, light, heavy and medium tier tanks that World War 2 would improve upon as well as the momentum and movement back on the battlefield breaking the lines and no they did have cannons plus machine guns not just only machine guns and they were a working experiment that had combat experience for almost the last two years of the war promoting more changes and later was vastly improved on over the years since. World War 2 only advanced the research for tanks in general on a bigger scale.

[@jean-francoissoucy8340]

I didn't expect this comment to turn this way. Can you blame these tanks from breaking? 40 feet long tank operated by a boiler with no suspension, going up the side of an impact crater to go crashing down the other side for the hour it must have taken to get to the enemy's trench. I wouldn't want to operate one. I also like that they got their name of "tank" to deceive german spy in believing they were supposed to be water carrier.

[@firecage7925]

Sure, how effective they were is exaggerated. But you have to understand that they made up for those faults in a few ways. One being the whole Shock Tactic. The same thing which made Cavalry Charges and War Elephants so terrifying, the pure shock. And yes, while they were prone to failing, they did do a good job with breaking through trench fortifications. Basically it was a small mobile armoured fort.

[@richardschenk4058]

Actually decentralized decision-making and autonomy also for the lower ranks had a century-old past in German armies, especially in Prussia. Frederick the Great has been famous for his trust in his officers and NCOs and granted them an amount of responsibility unknown in most of the other armies. In the Franco-Prussian war the audacity of lower-ranked Prussian officers played a huge role in the German victory. Even in the ferocious Third Reich NCOs and officers acted more freely compared the the Allies.

[@LasertechStudios3142]

Time to time basis and implementation on a doctrinal and organizational scale are 2 different things.

[@richardschenk4058]

+Lasertech Studios This has been no occasional events but the core of the officer training in Germany for centuries.

[@CarlosBadCo]

The energy of the show kept me coming back while Battlefield 1 was out. I would actually splurge listening to this whole playing the game.

[@mainteg2004]

In the book "Killer Angels", it stated towards the end that Confederate General Longstreet had pioneered advocating small, highly mobile units as opposed to mass attacks. I think it stated that his analysis was based on the advances in rifle accuracy, that had not been fully accounted for by most other commanders.

[@TheGreatWar]

The Confederate Army had to think economically in the end in the same way as the German army had to. They were both inferior in men and material and would just simply be overpowered in the long run. But thanks for letting us know, might look into the book.

[@mainteg2004]

The Great War Hi, I believe it was in the epilogue. It certainly was at the end of the book. It also read that he had roughly calculated the number of Confederates who would be killed going across that field in "Picket's Charge" by various means; exploding cannon shot, grapeshot, rifle, etc. Thank you for your great channel.

[@patanddanc]

Zan G you do realize that "Killer Angels" is a work of fiction?

[@patanddanc]

Zan G

[@mainteg2004]

I'm nearly certain that passage was outside the novel part of the book, in the epilogue where there was some historical context added. Thank you for adding your point; I should have mentioned that. Yikes, I used to read so much on the subject I hope I haven't mixed/muddled the source...

[@jrglenn2]

If you are interested in war at all, let alone WWI and German Stormtroopers, read Ernst Junger's 'Storm of Steel'. I read that book in less than a week. It is a brilliant account of what it was like to be a German storm trooper in WWI. Junger is also one of the finest literary authors of the 20th Century so it checks a lot of boxes

[@DanielWW2]

It was no coincidence that the Germans developed these tactics. Before WW1 the German army, particularly the General Staff was already contemplating the benefits of more decentralised command. The German General Staff was an almost unique military organisation which did not only plan out any future war or campaign but also invested a lot of time and effort in studying past wars, even ones they themselves won with ease as well as wars other nations fought and they often took the lessons to heart. It was no accident that the Germans found themselves equipped with lager calibre artillery during the beginning of WW1 because they realised that it would be necessary against field fortifications. The Germans also embraced the machine-gun to a larger degree than any other army before WW1. But back to the tactics. What happened in the German General Staff before the war was a discussion between the two main interpretations of the Napoleonic wars namely Jomini and Clausewitz. Jomini was a Swiss general in the French army and knew Napoleon personally because he was part of a number of Napoleonic campaigns. He described the command style of Napoleon which was highly centralised and revolved around the commander and declared that this was the way armies should ALWAYS operate. The alternative was Clausewitz who went far more in dept and described combat conditions and problems based of his experience in the Prussian army fighting Napoleon. This discussion basically ended with Jomini being dominant as he was in every major army. What happened during WW1 was that the armies discovered just how wrong they where in there believe of Jomini. For the Germans the answer was quite simple namely look at the other military theorist, forgotten by most and apply into practise the abstract lessons of Clausewitz into modern warfare. These stormstoopers are one of the results of that realisation. After WW1 only two countries really developed onwards from what happened namely the Germans and the Soviets. Both started thinking in combat depts and not in lines, both looked at the role of the air force, the tank and combined arms and developed there own methods of warfare. The new military question became how to avoid trench warfare. The Germans decided that a quick victory would be required and the results are pretty well know. The Soviets embraced the attrition to the fullest and organised there entire state for this purpose. The results where also seen in command. The Soviets stuck with top down command because intensive training would not be worth the time expended because the losses where expected to be to high. The Germans on the other hand took the mission type tactics to the next level and introduced them into the entire army. Yes they lost again but the German approach was the better one in a lot of ways. It was just that they ran up against a country determined to fight to the last man, ready to do this and with enormous support from the USA to actually do it. PS: Yes, I am a history student and no, you won't find all this on wikipedia. :P

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks for writing this. We will put this in Out Of The Ether.

[@DanielWW2]

Yay. :D

[@DanielWW2]

All major powers where guilty in my opinion, of both wars... You can't even just blame the Nazi's for WW2. There are just to many factors at play with such a large and complex situation and conflict. The only one you can exempt a bit for both world wars would be the USA.

[@fatmanbatman9374]

He literally said in the video the russians invented it

[@JoshIdstein]

What? Imperial Stormtroopers that hit something? What is this heresy?

[@shilelea]

This was before they started covering their eyes with those crazy helmets

[@EASY7356]

That was before the Plot demanded from them to loose

[@pergys6991]

HERSEY BURN THEM

[@drunklebodhi9938]

Not to mention that they were the original grenade spammers.

[@LukeVilent]

@@pergys6991 Sorry, but it's them who have the flamethrower.

[@Just_Chizzin]

Gonna be extremely sad when 2018 rolls around, i've been with you guys since 2014 and have tried to watch each upload. Keep up the lovely work guys, thank you for what you do.

[@TheGreatWar]

+TheRedHawk422 Thinking about it this way: It's not even halftime yet.

[@popeye8502]

What's in 2018?

[@andrian9313]

end of war

[@a.morphous66]

Crusty Buns That means they stop making weekly videos, but I hope they still make more specials.

[@pergys6991]

AMGaming they say theu were thinking of making a ww2 thing

[@jungwestfale98]

"Trench fighting is the bloodiest, wildest, most brutal of all… Of all the war’s exciting moments none is so powerful as the meeting of two storm troop leaders between narrow trench walls. There’s no mercy there, no going back, the blood speaks from a shrill cry of recognition that tears itself from one’s breast like a nightmare." Ernst Jünger

[@MrTigerlore]

German stormtroopers were far better trained than Star Wars stormtroopers.

[@jasonbloho8015]

Tiger H. Lore death Star? meet death camp!

[@nguyenbinhphuong1491]

Tiger H. Lore lol

[@connormac4401]

Cuz stormtroopers in Star wars are just manufactured/cloned disposable cannon folders. German ones are actually military elites

[@javanbybee4822]

because of the helmets

[@M50A1]

@@connormac4401 Wrong. Those were the clones. Stormtroopers are actually conscripts.

[@yaboijared7632]

My great grandfather was a stormtrooper at the battle if the somme, i believe he was wounded.(he also later helped design the ju87 stuka)

[@yaboijared7632]

i forgot to say that he was awarded the iron cross, and my great great uncle was killed on the last day of the war

[@user-go1sl6rd7u]

Stossstrup I love your profile pic!

[@middleagedbulldog9845]

warlockmasterrace

[@yaboijared7632]

middleagedbulldog yes my brother

[@tallshort1849]

respect. my Great Grandfather was also injured in the Somme but fighting as a British Tommy

[@Duke_of_Lorraine]

Of course Stormtroopers prefered the Mauser C96. If you have a very poor aim, at least you want to shoot first.

[@youhua8740]

+Kek Man no they cant aim

[@charlesinglin]

Unlike those other "Imperial Stormtroopers" who can't hit the broad side of a Death Star.

[@Duke_of_Lorraine]

***** at least there was... no disintegration.

[@kapitankapital6580]

+Fox Mulder but not the Jawas. Boba only killed Luke's aunt and uncle, and Vader makes the stress of "no disintegration"because that is what he did to them. Boba wasn't at all subtle, whereas the Stormtroopers tried to make it look like a Tusken Raider attack. On a darker note my phone kept autocorrecting Jawas to Jews.

[@specialagentgeralt9763]

I like this comment.

[@voiceinthewilderness7596]

So much to unpack here. TL:DR Stormtroops were founded in 1915, indirect command was with the German Army well before 1914 and the Stormtroops did not have their roots in the East. @Lafargue First, Lafargue was not an influence on German stormtroop tactics. What he prossed were more heavily armed infantry companies (additional 37 mm cannons and mountain guns) advancing independtly of the success of the other companies. So far, so stormtroop. He did however not stray from the linear formation (the company was to advance line abreast 'as on parade' to 'hold back enthusiasts' and sweep up those holding back), preliminary bombardment was to be by 75 mm flat-trajectory cannons which were unsuited for the work; wire obstacles were to be passed sequential and in formation; enemy trenches were to be taken frontally in a single rush; breaks would be made to form up again; etc. His manual was captured in Sommer 1916, translated into German and distributed to units; Vieth von Golsenau claims some units used it as a training but there is no independent or other German sources to mention this. The time (Sommer 1916) also puts it almost one and a half year behind since the formation of the first Sturmabteilung happened on March 2, 1915 (Max Bauer, Der grosse Krieg im Felder, Tübingen: Osiander, 1921; also Adolf Vogt, Oberst Max Bauer: Generealstabsoffizier im zwielicht 1869 - 1929 Osnabrück, Biblioverlag 1974) . Wynne is wrong in his assumptions and so are texts drawing from him. @Calsow assault detachment: As already mentioned, this was founded March 1915, almost a year before the Battle of Verdun started. Initial setablishment were a headquarter, two pioneer companies and an overstrength artillery battery of 20(!) 37 mm Krupp Sturmkanonen. They hid some snags on the way (the first time the detachment was deployed its components were cannibalized and used independently) and the unit had to be drawn back understrengthed in June. In August Willy Rohr arrived (with the backing of Max Bauer) having already employed 'Stormtroop tactics' in an assault at Hartmannsweilerkopf on new Year. After Rohr arrived the Detachment got a machine gun platoon (two MG 08) and trench mortar platoon (four light mortars) and six light flamethrowers compliments of Captain Reddemann. This is really the core of the assault units: All arms and supporting arms packed into a batallion-sized unit that can then but broken up into smaller detachments. The 37 mm gun was then ditched in favor of the 7.62 cm Russian field guns captured in early 1915 which were cut-down and made lighter by removing unnecessary equipment (long range sights). As far as i can tell this happened somewhere between the arrival of Rohr and the deploymnet to Verdun. The first use of this equipment and the new tactics happened on October 12, 1915 in the Vosges on the Schrätzmannle. And was a success. Six large flamethrowers fired on the french trenches, than a squad(!) (no longer companies or platoons or god-forbid batallions) of stormtroopers cleared that stretch of trench with hand grenades and then closed it off. They were reinforced by regular infantry carrying the necessary entrenchment tools and sandbags, which the stormtroopers had not carried. The Assault detachment then began training other units in December 1915 (43 officers and 351 NCOs of 12. Landwehr Division, which is a unit of the second or even third line) Birthplace of the Stormtroops was in the east: No. That is part propaganda employed by the British and French to explain the setbacks in late 1917 and 1918 as the result of new tactics brought in by German troops coming from the east (the same reason those tactics are called, almost exclusivly by the Entente-Powers at that point, 'Hutier-Tactics') so they (the Entente) could not possibly be expected to be able to deal with them. The Brusilow offensive might very well have sped up the advancement of stormtroop doctrine within the German Army but by the point the offensive was launched, Germany looked back on over a year of Assault Detachment Calsow/Rohr and attacks made using those same tactics (Schranzmännle, Hartmannsweilerkopf, The New Years Eve 1914 attack in the Vosges, etc.). The Russian were the first though to use those tactics at Army level though... in the east. The first use of such tactics in the West was ...February 1916 at Verdun. The Russian use was more advanced insofar as they relied on far shorter bombardments however, making reinforcement and surprise much easier. 2:16 As we have seen however Willy Rohr and Bernhard Reddemann had been at it for more than a year by this point. Quick point on Reddemann: He was a pioneer captain and pioneered the use and development of flamethrowers, first use early 1915 north of Verdun. 4:17 Revolution within military culture: This is false. Two points there. Command was decentralizing as needed since 1866. By the start of the World War decentralization had reached a point were batallion commanders were expected to be able to act independently and on their own initiative. Since the batallion was seen as the smallest unit of control, however, control did not decentralize further beneath that point. With the advent of the stormtroops control went down from company to platoon to squad, with squadleaders now being expected to lead and react on their initiative. This i showever not so much a revolutionary as an evolutionary development already half a century in coming. Secondly, i have no idea what Indy means by 'strict rules within the chain of the command'. The idea that 'orders' came from high up is misleading though, same as the idea that junior officers were required to 'coordinate'. German style of command knew 4 levels of 'militärische Willensäußerungen' (military declarations of one's will); those were, from most severe to least: Kommando (command) Befehl (order) Auftrag (assignment) Weisung (directive) 4:47 Führung nach Direktive is Führung nach Weisung which is NOT leading through direct command. Führung nach Weisung is much more indirect. The commander high up defines an objective. Example: I want to take those hills by noon day x because we need them for y. He then tasks a lower commander, a division maybe, with fulfilling this objective, stating what support (artillery, aircraft, etc.) they can expect. He is not part of the planning. He only sets the framework but communicates not just the objective but his intent in taking it. This is vital. The commander of the division then divises a plan of attack. He divides the objective further and assigns his units, regiments in this case, to specific portions of the plan. Here, again, he is not part of the planning of the regiment, but communicates the intent of his superior commander and his own as well as the support assigned to each regiment. It goes on down all the way to the company. Each commander plans his own operations within the framework but indepently of interference from higher up but aware of not just what he is supposed to do but was is meant to be achieved by that. This allows for a much better appreciation of the tactical situation. So Führung nach Directive is not directly commanding ones own troops, it is being told not just what hill to take BUT WHY THAT HILL IS TO BE TAKEN. Mission tactics stem from the same idea: You are given an Auftag, a mission, not a step by step plan as the British command structure would have given you. But again, these are OLD. These were in use by the Prussian by 1866 and the only thing changing and evolving was that more and more junior leaders and smaller and smaller units were given individual assignments. Okay. I do not know if i have slain all misconceptions here, but for a further look, if anybody wants to look further and only read one book for each of those concepts i would point you to 'Stormtroop Tactics' by Bruce Gudmundsson for the evolution of the stormtroops and 'Command or Control? Command, Training and Tactics in the British and German Armies 1888 - 1918' by Martin Samuels for Mission tactics and Command by Directive.

[@DoctorNowak]

How can I pin this so viewers must read it? Splendid work.

[@Lizardboythelazy]

If a reply has "unpack" in the opening sentence you know it's real talk. Thanks for taking the time to enlighten the details.

[@philiplindecker6628]

This was my first video watched on this channel. I really appreciate it. WW1 is worth remembering, but for some reason it's shoved on the back burner. Most people I know can't even tell you what started it, or who was allied with who.

[@TheGreatWar]

Welcome to the show.

[@Wyrd80]

I love hearing Anglos pronounce German words :D

[@nahuatl3092]

+Kek Man it is

[@isaacvasquez4743]

I think it would be better to hear a Hispanic person try to pronounce it since English is descended from Germanic (though not the German we know)...

[@rippspeck]

Yes, J sounds like Y in German and most other Germanic languages.

[@rippspeck]

***** Of course, but the influence of the Norman invasion and the language they brought onto the island lead to many oddities in English compared to other Germanic languages. J being pronounced the French way is one of them. Another example would be the fact that in English, the meat of animals is called differently than the animal itself (cow -> _Kuh_ [de], beef -> _bœuf_ [fr]). That's why some linguists even go as far as to claim English can't even be considered a pure Germanic language anymore, but those people are a minority.

[@rippspeck]

***** Haha, yeah, English would be "that guy". But still, the fact that is was forged over centuries by a handful of different peoples is probably what makes it so accessible and such a great language to use internationally. I think you can tell I really like the English language.

[@klauzer16]

Looks like Battlefield 1 gameplay is not that history inaccurate after all when you play Operations game mode.

[@christianrichardson8956]

Zielony ludzik inaccurate* and that's the only thing about the game I like... needs more trenches tbh... I want a trench multiplayer mode where you take turns charging at each others trench

[@rejectedkermit1220]

+Christian\ Richardson That would be epic!

[@Hunter27771]

There is exactly this game. its called verdun and i had a lot of fun with it^^

[@clk98]

+John CENA Its equal, attackers get much more vehicles, also they get an attack aircraft.

[@WordBearer86]

I recommend the game Verdun.

[@efegichris]

I'm curious to know how much of an impact the release of "battlefield one" had on the traffic for this channel. In my own circle of friends the game has opened the eyes of a lot of people - not because of the game itself but the game/campaign sparking an interest in the war and causing people to find out information from channels such as this one. People had issues with the game saying it glorifies war - which it might - however in a way it has caused an entire generation of younger people to have an interest and to learn resulting in far more people respecting the sacrifices the men and women made during this time. Anyways, great channel!

[@TheGreatWar]

We have seen a noticeable increase in views and subscribers since last week.

[@charliepettman386]

I know, it has made people really want to know more

[@BigEvan96]

Chris There's no way you can sit through the 1st campaign and say it glorifies war. They flat out show you that you will die. There is no survival. This is why I love the campaign because the opening levels show the gruesome reality of war. You can't escape death.

[@efegichris]

BigEvan96 The first mission was great. I wasn't sold on the rest of the game, I felt the AI was too dumb and there was too much of a "one man army" feel to it. I wasn't implying that bf1 or the campaign glorify war - it was more so war games in general are glorifying war due to the fact you're having fun doing something that was horrific. I was also suggesting though that they open up a lot of peoples eyes to certain events and stories etc that would most likely never come to the attention of a lot of people, particularity the younger generations.

[@markmendel9883]

I started watching because of it. I only had a very broad understanding of WW1 before the game. Now i've been absorbing everything I can.

[@christopherwilliams7845]

But what about the 501st?

[@LetsTakeWalk]

Wasn't that WW2

[@isaacrivera5452]

+Lawrence Tider no it was the war of 1812

[@youhua8740]

+Lawrence Tider lel

[@MichaelTheGhost]

yeah, but when i heard of 501st the first that come to my mind was Schwere Panzer-Abteilung 501 (501st heavy tank battalion) from the second world war.

[@MichaelTheGhost]

Well, unless you spending years studying about it and trying to write a books base on it. I guess you would think of Star War first.

[@robertbruce7772]

This is the stuff that should have always been on the History Channel. People are so woefully ignorant on the Great War in the West. Good job with this Indy and co!

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks!

[@dogwoodhillbilly]

Actually the 98k was not used in WW1 the Mauser 98AZ was but not the 98k. The 98k was not put into German service until 1935.

[@GiampaoloPazzini7]

Actually its a Mannlicher 1895 as you can see from the magazine lol. These are austrian soldiers.

[@blakebramley9171]

So awesome. I couldn't even imagine how badass these tough, young, agressive younger men were when taking a trench

[@Wallynuzz]

Very interesting to see, that the basics of this method is taught even today in the German Bundeswehr. War never changes...

[@jonasmuller3815]

My favorite THe GREAT WAR Special ! My Greatgrandfather surved in the Sturmbataillion Nr.5 Rohr

[@AlcholicAlligators]

This is all my opinion, but the Stormtroopers always horrified me. At the risk of dehumanizing them, they sound like the type of people who can find harmony amidst the horrors of the battlefield, and embrace the madness that surrounds them. I know it's basic human instinct to adapt to your environment, but the fact that they did it so well and were so brutality , well it just unnerves me. Great episode by the way.

[@ww2fanatic123]

Another awesome episode Kameraden, keep it up!

[@christophgohlen4568]

great name

[@axriim7251]

wustenfuchs

[@ww2fanatic123]

+Christoph Goehlen Thank my Father and Mother

[@ww2fanatic123]

***** Manstein alter Schwede, wie geht es dir?

[@Jammil2477]

Cheers for giving me a giggle with the names. Very humorous!

[@Jebbtube]

So, when did Palpatine integrate German tactics into his Galactic military?

[@TheGreatWar]

Never it seems.

[@jackhunter1626]

I love how you can describe a sound and actually make people hear the sound in there head with no recordings or audio files

[@DerpDigital]

Always nice to see another TGW video pop up in the feed ^^

[@TheGreatWar]

+DerpDigital Wholeheartedly agree

[@tancreddehauteville9983]

+The Great War Hey Indy Could you Please do a special episode about India's Role in WW1

[@TheGreatWar]

+Xi Jinping Will happen, you need to be very patient though. Not before winter.

[@dxvnte627]

+The Great War Could you answer how long training was for the armies

[@Corristo89]

The Allies had the tank and the Germans had highly specialized infantry units. Ironically, Germany would later use both to smash the Polish, French, British and early Soviet forces during WW2, despite having very little experience with tanks. The Allies on the other hand didn't use their tank and infantry forces effectively for a large portion of the war. The Germans on the other hand applied the tactics of the Stormtroopers to their tank arm, which allowed it to move independently from infantry forces and smash through opposing lines with concentrated attacks. It took the Allies quite a lot of time to come to grips with this tactic.

[@KhanWolf95]

Pretty much the Stormtroopers and the early Panzer divisions in World War 2 combination coined the term "Blitzkrieg" to this day.

[@SamuelJamesNary]

More that they guessed wrong in 1940. While the German use of armor made their army more flexible, what enabled the rapid advance of 1940 was that Gamelin expected the main German thrust to repeat the Schlieffen Plan and then committed everything to it. This meant the Allies had no reserves to commit should the Germans do something else. So when the German armies went through the Ardennes, there was nothing really slow them to set up a counter-attack. Everything had been staked on a battle in northern Belgium... Had the Germans gone through northern Belgium as was expected, it is likely that the Allies probably would have won, as shown by actions at Hannut where the French did get the sort of tactical scenario they wanted. A head on clash of tanks where the more heavily armored and armed French tanks could just hammer away at the Germans... Or, had Gamelin kept his main reserves at Rheims rather than committing them to the northern Belgium, he would have had strong forces that could have countered the thrust through the Ardennes and allowed the main part of the Allied army to counter-attack or at least get out of the trap that the Manstien plan created. And all of this would be regardless of the German use of "blitzkrieg." Or, if you wish a scenario that isn't speculative.The Germans used "blitzkrieg" tactics at both the first and second battles at El Alamein... how did they do there?

[@LasertechStudios3142]

If you wanted to point out "Blitzkrieg gone wrong", you should have mentioned out Kursk. The Soviets basically gambled on the Germans attacking them to encircle and crush a salient, and it turns out they were right.

[@SamuelJamesNary]

Lasertech Studios It really wasn't that much of a gamble at either Kursk or El Alamein... At El Alamein, Rommel's advance into Egypt could only mean the intention of taking the Suez Canal, thus why when the British recovered from the Battle of Gazala, they deployed in a position that geographically was unsuitable for Blitzkrieg tactics. The British lines were deep enough that they could absorb and repel direct attacks and the flanks were anchored so that Rommel had to attack head on. In pure theory, Rommel could have gone around the position, but that would have taken him deeper into the Egyptian desert to get around the depression that anchored the British southern flank and weakened his logistics further. He HAD to attack head on at Alamein, and thus did so. At Kursk, while it is possible the Germans could have attacked anywhere on the Eastern Front in 1943, the Kursk sector was an obvious choice. The Soviets had made a deep bulge in the line that if the Germans were to fully stabilize their lines and allow for troops to go west to deal with the likely Allied landings in Italy, that bulge would HAVE to be eliminated. Attacking elsewhere would only extend German lines further and weaken their ability to maintain their lines in the East in the long term. They were further helped by the fact that Soviet spies and the Western Allied intelligence learned of Operation Citadel and passed it on to the Soviet high command, thus eliminating the need for guessing. In both cases, the battles could be applicable because specific strategic decisions made in those battles. Which is my point.

[@LasertechStudios3142]

Sam Nary Regardless, given Stalin's natural instincts to attack and the prowess the Germans had demonstrated in the years before, the decision to dig in at Kursk practically represented a gamble for Stavka. After-all, the Germans were about the most dangerous force in the world to give the initiative to at the time.

[@prussianlord4066]

the stoßtrupp some of the first special ops in history thanks for the video learned a lot more about their history!

[@christophermoltisanti9301]

It's the best WWI history channel on the entire KZbin!

[@TheGreatWar]

Thank you.

[@steelhammer103]

You guys should make a T-shirt in the store that says "This is modern war" with channel's logo in the background or above the quote.

[@TheGreatWar]

shop.thegreatwar.tv/en/Clothing/T-Shirts/This-is-War-T-Shirt.html

[@steelhammer103]

+The Great War Oh cool, Thanks!

[@ericswain70]

kickass grenade throwing effects at 3:31.With Special Forces from all over the world in action today it is a nice fit to see this episode on German Stormtroopers .Another fine episode.

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks, kudos to our editor for the effects.

[@Comrade_Nikolai]

he looks like a good nice version of Alex Jones

[@leroyrockwell4837]

Comrade Nikolai I don't think Alex Jones and good/nice go together lol

[@kodan7879]

Who?

[@Tsumami__]

Comrade Nikolai Alex Jones is much tubbier, but I can see it

[@Tsumami__]

KoDan the conspiracy theory lunatic guy

[@mattwalters6834]

Comrade Nikolai yes but Indy is not screaming at the camera... that would be funny to see though.

[@LoneWanderer727]

The stormtroopers and associated tactics were on peak display at the Battle of Caporetto. Unbelievable how doctrine had changed so quickly, and how effective these units could be. Almost a similar effect to how a flanking cavalry charge in earlier periods could competely break and route an army.

[@bzawk]

I love this channel, I've never know a whole lot about WW1. I was to busy learning about WW2 I suppose haha. So glad I found this channel.

[@MasterMaulz419]

man everyday i get on youtube and see a new video from the great war. it instantly gets played and liked.

[@ethanhatcher5533]

your German pronunciations we're top notch execpt for Jäger

[@gawkycolt775]

ethan hatcher its pronounced yay-ger

[@halflifeger4179]

Yeah no, his pronounciation was awful all around.

[@australiananarchist480]

HalfLife(Ger) better than pronouncing it like "Jay-ger". It wasn't thaaaaaaaat bad.

[@rsgenocidnatvorevina]

pda

[@TucTonic]

No its the correct geeman pronunciation.

[@klackon1]

This is an absolutley brilliant series: thanks a lot.

[@pipper07]

Great video and information! Thanks!

[@TheGreatWar]

You're welcome. Glad you like it!

[@lawrencebittke8478]

I had not read of German Stormtrooper tactics in World War 1 until Operation Michael of Kaisersclacht commencing March 1918. This Great War Report on stormtrooper tactics originating in 1916 was a revelation for me. Great job Indy and The Great War for outstanding research on German military tactics!

[@fistmedaddy6998]

Why does this guy look like Saul Goodman from Breaking Bad

[@jotesingh2171]

Hey Andy I can't stop watching your videos how can I NOT stop watching

[@derf2170]

One of the best episodes, Rommel was brilliant and Indies German is much better than his Chinese.

[@stosstruppenelite8491]

Cannot get enough of these videos. Very informative.

[@AustinAOkay]

German command: here’s all this equipment: field gun, rifle, comms, knife, and…. StormTrooper: just give me a bunch of grenades and a club…maybe a Submachine gun

[@lepmuhangpa]

Comms?

[@Rangersly]

Very well explained! Thank you to eveyone who works on The Great War.

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks!

[@Rex1987]

spoilers: the ideas behind the Stormtroops, inflation tactics, is what later would later develop into blitzkrieg (with more focus on combined arms and the use of artillery, airforces and especially tanks on a single point to make the enemy break). from what I read s that the British continued the idea of a strict chain of command and would try to control as much of the battlefield. The ideas of inflation tactics where more about making as much chaos on the battlefield for the enemy and - as said in the video - give more initative to smaller units. this will be interesting in the following specials to get more coverage on, what tactics the British and the French used. Stormtroopers sounds a lot like the commandos that Churchill later requested being formed - during World war 2 however :-)

[@alberich3099]

As for the comparison between the Sturmtruppen and the Commandos I think you are a bit off. Not becuase their tactics where not similar but their intent was different. Commandos where and still are trained as a force to deal behind enemy lines little sting operations to crucial parts of the information and supply lines of the enemy. Sturmtruppen were a charge into enemy lines. They were not used to "infiltrate the lines and disrupt them" but to break them head on. Also the Commando did not present a different style of leadership and widespread idea of weapons handeling which the Sturmtruppen did. With them not only came the idea of a very well tranied weapons specialist but a completly different method of organising your troops and use NCO sand low COs to guide your soldiers. Now that is even seen today. I was paticipating at the 250 years Battle for Minden. Where british and "germans" fought the french. At that time I was a Officer Designate OF-D (at the level of a british sergeant or an american Staff Sergeant - its a bit differenet due to who german military ranks soldiers compared to UK and USA but you geet my drift). I was in command of a german engineer platoon (36 Soldiers) and together with a british platton was tasked with bulding terrace for all the politicians and generals attending. This platoon was led by an first Lt. who was buffled that a young NCO ranking soldier was in command and was his person to speak to. I came to understand that said Lt was not used to talk to lower NCOs who are performing the same task as he is. And he was even more bamboozled that I trusted regular privates as section leaders as much as giving them a task without checking on them every few minutes or whatsoever. Now don't get me wrong that might only be on CO who was bit strict over his work but that made me realise how different commanding philosophies can be among the nations.

[@lordpatience5772]

I love this series.... All my buddies are ignorant of world history for the most part. It makes me sad. If people know more about their history i think the chances of humanity repeating this disaster would be less. I use this program to teach my kids about WW1 history.

[@MongyBongy]

The 98k wasn't developed until 1935, the stormtroopers used the mauser 98az

[@shaybeeson1457]

My favorite video so far! Keep up the great work!

[@attilarischt2851]

Hey Flo, do you think you guys can team up with the Bovington tank museum (or any other one) for a few special episodes? Tanks are about to be introduced this year, and they could help you with research and allowing you to show how they worked. And they would get some advertisement.

[@TheGreatWar]

+Attila Rischt If we get the travel budget, sure. We are in contact with a museum in Berlin though for covering the German Air Force

[@attilarischt2851]

That is neat. If you manage the travel budget, you should even go to Australia. If I recall corretcly that german monster of a tank is there (I would love to hear how it got there), and you could also make a video about Indy's heroic fights against the deadly local fauna.

[@archstanton5113]

I think Australia is a bit too far for them just for that German A7V, but I think there's a replica of it in the tank museum in Münster.

[@TheGreatWar]

+Attila Rischt travel Budget within Europe first. Then we will see.

[@attilarischt2851]

The Great War Bah, humbug! You know we all want adventures! Excitement! Funny situations! -Murderous animals- Unusual historical stuff!

[@DandizzleUK]

This channel is awesome. Well done guys!

[@Stun1298]

It's a shame I could not have met any of these heroes and heard there stories from their perspective.But your videos are very interesting and I appreciate them keep doing what your doing.

[@first6digits]

Your channel is what KZbin looks like when it lives up to its full potential. Bravo sir.

[@TheGreatWar]

+first6digits Thanks.

[@chairio6212]

...7 nation army couldn't hold me back...

[@r0ast5_61]

ChairPerson no.

[@yonathan7658]

ChairPerson no.

[@romuluspalaiologosxiii5171]

ChairPerson no

[@nightspawnson-of-luna4936]

dog probably because Indy wrote the codex entries

[@r0ast5_61]

Nightspawn Son-of-luna indy wrote the codex,, and ian(forgotten weapons)armed us.

[@hw9803]

These videos are amazing and so interesting! Great work. Though I get depressed watching them after a while, with all the casualties and death.

[@sergeantpanther678]

My great grandfather fought and lost one of his legs in world war 1 as a German soldier and we want to look at some of his items from the war. Any thoughts on that? Have you guys looked into the history of your ancestors trying to find out what they did back in 1914? I would like to have an exchange of stories.

[@TheGreatWar]

We have a lot of these stories on the show. And thought about doing an episode on such research. But it's a bureaucratic nightmare because of German copyright law.

[@sergeantpanther678]

How so?

[@baransenyuz9382]

my grandmothers father fought in WWI (ottoman) he actually survived the battle of Gallipoli and many more as a artilerry chief

[@creepercraftgaming8334]

Alexander Walker: ye my grandad fought in ww2 and he brought back his ammunition pack which he carried and we still have it today

[@creepercraftgaming8334]

Alexander Walker This is like the only place on the Internet that has RESPECT for the dead that fought

[@oliverenevoldsen9143]

I thought the stormtroopers were busy failing to hit people in a galaxy far far away...

[@levi_athon9648]

Strike at zero hour!

[@rickhigson3881]

I love when this history story exposes me to new things,thanks!

[@ajlunce]

I know this is old and won't be read but jäger is pronounced with an ay sound and when anglified really should be spelled Jaeger

[@TheGreatWar]

It's not pronounced with ay. It's pronounced like an American short a which granted Indy didn't really pull off well here.

[@ajlunce]

the short a as in "a"? because if so then we agree haha and I just dont know how to write out phonetics

[@TheGreatWar]

ajlunce yeah basically that bust just a bit stretched out.

[@ajlunce]

ok cool we agree then, love your channel by the way and am VERY suprised you replied to a comment on a video as old as this one! keep up the great work

[@kanenbarrow3420]

ajlunce you could of just said yay-ger

[@C05597641]

your channel is great. thanks Bro.

[@mo45327]

Great stuff as always guys, just one thing, that's not a Mauser 98k (that was a WW2 rifle) but Austro-Hungarian Mannlicher M95 carbine and those are Austro-Hungarian, not German Stormtroops.

[@simonsubauer8435]

The Karabiner 98 was already in use in ww1 by the German army, it went from the Karabiner 98 A over the Karabiner 98 Az ( and some other varieties) to the Karabiner 98 B that was also used in the Wehrmacht in ww2

[@mo45327]

Simon Süßbauer Yes, but what I said is that Karabiner 98k was not in service in WW1.

[@simonsubauer8435]

+mihajlo olujic Yes he was! He was besides the Luger 08 one of the main wielded weapons by german Sturmtruppen!

[@mo45327]

Karabiner 98AZ was used, not the Karabiner 98k, look it up.

[@simonsubauer8435]

+mihajlo olujic Ahh I see , you're totally right! Sorry for bothering you and thanks a lot for this enlightment good sir , have a safe and nice evening!

[@eyepatchpirate7726]

Oh man, I'm a historian who specializes in Late Antiquity, but I absolutely love this channel.

[@CommunistSpyware]

you might be badass but not sturmtruppen badass

[@xxxfirehuunterxxx]

Single handedly the greatest world war one channel ever, thank you for this gift upon the KZbin nation! XD

[@TheHandgunhero]

Good explanation, just the only thing to note - the Stormtroopers used K98AZ carbines, not K98k carbines. These didn't emerge until the 1930's, and later became the standard issue rifle of the German military in WW2. They also utilized a large number of Artillery Lugers to my understanding. They were certainly the perfect trench sweeper at the time, until the MP-18 came out at the end of the war. They also had access to MG08/15 LMGs, but these proved to be ridiculously heavy and large to be of much use compared to the limited number of Madsens they had, or captured light machine guns like the Lewis or Chauchat.

[@theexperimentasd904]

just found ur channel . its amazing . love ur work .

[@brandonlee5755]

It is not the Mauser Carabine 98k which the storm troops used but the Karabiner 98a model of the Gewehr 98

[@TwentythreePER]

That picture showed Austro-Hungarian M95 carbines too.

[@datamill]

Man I love this show

[@TheGreatWar]

+Ryan McConnell we love you too

[@GroßdeutschesLosung]

Might be a bit late to the party, but I believe that the rifle which you point out to be a Mauser Karabiner 98k is actually a m1895 Steyr-Mannlicher "Stutzen" which is chambered in the 8x50mmR Mannlicher cartridge. I'm attributing this to the straight-bolt, the sling placements, as well as the Berndorfer helmet worn by the soldier on the right.

[@trenchlad5576]

It's the sabaton guy

[@BigBrownMemes]

The mature part of me finds this documentary riveting, and loves it. The immature part of me is still giggling at French Army captain Andre LeFag. What a time.....

[@thomasfejdasz9907]

NCO: Go raid that trench Storm trooper grenadier: Don't worry, we got this. In the bag >_>

[@r0ast5_61]

Thomas Fejdasz no.

[@thomasfejdasz9907]

Roastgnome Le Shpee you know, like those bags of nails and bayonet teeth they would fill with explosives...in the bga...ehh? eeeehhhhhhhh?

[@r0ast5_61]

I know,its good... too good...

[@egonnijdam8185]

It’s not the Kar98k but a shorter version of the gewehr 98 called 98 az

[@bastiaandebruijn3653]

Sorry for this weird joke but: "Whats the Difference between a World war One stormtrooper and a Star Wars Stormtrooper? Those in world war one managed to hit something"

[@persebra]

Indy's acting skills are in great display reading Rommel's quote. I hope he also does audiobook narrations.

[@Schmirrgl]

So one might wonder why the Germans then didn't win the war with the spring offensive. As effective the Storm Troops might have been, they succeeded mostly only in a tactical aspect, territory gains of some kilometers. But the reality was, that when the attackers reached the distance where their own artillery cannot longer support them, the defender is in the better position. In the end the Germans weren't able to breach the frontline.

[@TheGreatWar]

The general supply situation was also not that great anymore in 1918.

[@Schmirrgl]

True, I read an excerpt from Ernst Jünger's war diary (who fought the whole war and pubilshed his memories in the book "In Stahlgewittern". He died in 1998 and became over 100 years old). He was himself a storm trooper in the 1918's offensive and his squad reached an English trench where they found food supplies and couldn't believe the culinary riches. They instantly quit fighting for a moment and feasted before continuing the advance.

[@nikitaananjevas1614]

Germans breached the frontline (all 3 lines of pre-deloyed defences were overcame) but were unable to exploit it before Allied reinforcements have sealed it. Allies were faster due to railroads and roads available. Insufficient mobility before motorised troops entered the field during WWII. This however is in no contradiction to your very true statement about artillery support: inability to bring in artillery en masse following your infantry progress. This is again about motorisation.

[@VoloxTV]

Matin Smit Keep in mind that the Americans reinforced the Entente with manpower and equipment, making it hard for Germany to win the already uphill battle.

[@flaviusaetius5701]

I LOVE THIS CHANNEL IT FINALLY MAKES WWI AWESOME( you know what I mean ) WWII HAS TOO MUCH ATTENTION!!

[@Democracy-is-non-negotiable]

what do you think of the game Verdun?

[@kapitankapital6580]

love it!

[@skuba16]

Excellent idea

[@TheGreatWar]

steamcommunity.com/groups/thegreatwarchannel

[@Democracy-is-non-negotiable]

The man!

[@MyelinProductions]

GREAT VIDEOS! Very Well done and very well presented. We are a film company and often utilize your videos for training, education, and preparation. Thank You Indy & Team.

[@Zooasaurus]

isn't the 98k designed and produced after the war? probably the karabinier you mean is 98az

[@budmeister]

Yeah, the 98k did come out in 1935, so it probably was the 98az.

[@mikeivlev6395]

Illuminati confirmed

[@TheGreatWar]

+Kade Berrier Hey, we're actually Germans producing this show and telling us that we don't do much research about any topic is pretty insulting. Yes, the pictures from the stormtrooper training are Austrian. They still illustrate the same point we are making since the Austrians copied the concept. Moreover, these were the pictures that were available to use for us since we produce in Germany and cannot rely on fair use. Lastly, saying we don't know our shit because we don't know what a Gaede Helmet (assuming that is what you are referring to) is or we made a mistake by identifying a rifle is, again, really insulting. Producing this show is an incredible effort for us and we need to be versatile in countless topics and military equipment is just one of them.

[@Capmikqc]

U da real MVP.

[@joewalker2152]

Hear,hear!!

[@operator9858]

can never get enough of this subject, thanks particularly for this episode fellas. What these tactics are capable of is simply nothing short of stunning even today (as mentioned).

[@gibson4ever28]

Would you say that these strategies were the basis for the "Blitzkrieg" in the second World War?

[@TheGreatWar]

Yes and no. The Entente also used combined forces in the late stages of the war and that also played an important role in the development of Blitzkrieg.

[@gibson4ever28]

ah interesting, so the germans also got their strategies from their enemys after WW1, I mean in this video we can see that they got the stormtrooper tactics also from the french plus their own ideas

[@salamanderguy3270]

the germans basically took a concept and build on it to improve it and make it more effective they in no way "stole the idea" they saw something that might work and they iild on it so it would work the blitz klieg was very effective and this was mainly due to german commanders and not allied commanders

[@limonade7050]

Fascinated by tactical warfare, takes it to a whole new level

[@DissectingTitanic]

Did they find any traitors?

[@frederickemail9985]

As in TR-8R?

[@DissectingTitanic]

LUASMCC Official Of course!

[@dominickstewart433]

Any droids specifically?

[@a.morphous66]

Frederick Email His name is Nines, FN-2199.

[@stanhirt]

I red Rommel´s book,it´s kinda crazy what he was doing,they took one trench and rushed to another one,then to another one until they had no ammo left .He must have had lot of luck to survive those actions.Once he killed two men with one shot.I recommend this book

[@bobskywalker2707]

I suggest you guys read Storm of Steel

[@riotctrl9703]

Quincy Nelson I have!

[@thegreatmechanizedape8262]

the production is impressive. good work.

[@Tarik360]

you had an episode featuring two old military thinkers who each wrote their book on war, one was clausewitz, I don't remember the name of the other.

[@TheGreatWar]

Do you mean Jomini? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine-Henri_Jomini

[@Tarik360]

Yes! Apparently, people seem to have discussions with both of them. And I recall you guys having an episode with them. By the way, did Jomini write a special book about war as Clausewitz did?

[@youtube.comactivateterryhw9323]

I don't have to go o

[@youtube.comactivateterryhw9323]

War. Mode

[@youtube.comactivateterryhw9323]

Warfemls