The Real Tank Genius Of WW2 - Percy "Hobo" Hobart

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[@the_fat_electrician]

This video is less funny, i just found the topic super interesting. Lemme know what you thought. I appreciate the feedback

[@SebastianRamirez-lx4hz]

Do a video about that one time we’re 155 Irishmen fought against 4000 Congolese

[@Sidthekidvicous-nl2xo]

You got a cross over with the line crosser let’s gooo

[@jacksondavis8940]

Please do a video on admiral Willis Augustus Lee jr.

[@Sgt_Long_Dong]

You liked my last message, but just in case, plEAASE do a video on Léo Major my man.

[@matthewhawthorne8411]

Honestly do whatever interests you that’s what has brought so many people to your channel. I may be a history nerd but certain people in war like this is super fascinating.

[@Corsair872]

I like how Hobart’s funnies go from “that’s kind of a wacky way to solve a problem” to “that bunker offends me, remove it” and “cleanse their sins in fire”

[@benn454]

"Well, that escalated quickly" in armor form.

[@t_train3796]

This made me have the evilest laugh

[@miguelrivero317]

The Emperor protects

[@matthewellisor5835]

Align reticule, press trigger, make dead. As for the "it offends me" part, ask BUFF when you need to rearrange terrain. Betty doesn't tell him to "pull up" just informs him that the ground needs to go down.

[@devildog17013]

Well said!

[@jockhughes]

I am a Guide at the Tank Museum in Bovington, we have several "funnies" and other vehicles from 79th Armoured Division. I was so pleased to see this video as I am a little bit of a Sir Percy Hobart Fanboy and it is great to see him finally get some recognition for the genius that he was.

[@raywellswork]

I wonder if it might be worth getting Nick to do a "Safe for Public Viewing" version and running it on a loop in the museum. If you guys do it they could use it at the Combined Services Museum in Maldon too

[@willymac5036]

As an American, I find it wholly offensive that I was never taught a single thing about this man in any of my history classes in high school. I chalk it up to the failing public education system in the United States. I never even heard the name “Sir Percy Hobart” before watching this video, now I absolutely MUST read every book I can find on the man.

[@softailfun]

I was at Bovington Camp, Junior Leaders Regiment in 1969. Loved the Tank Museum, we could get in free with the uniform or I.D.. spent hours in there at weekends. I suspect I wouldn’t recognise it now though.

[@bravo2zero796]

Bovington tank museum is fantastic! I visited a few years ago highly recommended 👌

[@nomadmarauder-dw9re]

​@@willymac5036How old are you? I'm 69 and I never heard of Hobart in school either. But, my interest in all things military lead me to learn of him.

[@spothecary1994]

I work as a Paramedic in the UK. A few years ago I attended a gentleman of 97 with a somewhat minor complaint. Saw a regimental picture and asked if he'd served. Found out he'd been a junior officer in command of a group of 4 crocodile tanks that landed on D-Day and proceeded to fight through northern France. He was one of the most interesting gentlemen that i've had the pleasure of meeting in this job. So much respect.

[@lefdee]

the best part about that generation of vets is that they don't demand respect for simply being. a hat with a certain ship on it or some number for a division that would otherwise mean nothing unless you knew. always respectful, humble and dangerously funny if they get a chance

[@NukeRocketScientist]

If you want to keep the British officer streak up you definitely need to do a video on "Mad Jack" Churchill, a British officer in WWII that went into battle with a longbow, broadsword, and bagpipes. When he participated in the landings in Norway he was reported as playing the bagpipes while landing on the beach and only pausing to throw grenades at the Nazis.

[@petergarratt9645]

I think dankula did a mad lads video on him

[@scottroder5516]

I think Fat Electrician already did one on Mad Jack

[@TheSchultinator]

Also got the last reported longbow kill in warfare

[@julieenslow5915]

I'm asking because I don't know: landings were in Norway? or Normandy? For all I know it could be both.

[@NukeRocketScientist]

@@julieenslow5915 there were in both Norway and Normandy but in this case I do explicitly refer to Norway in December of 1941 or about 2 1/2 years before June 6th 1944 (D-day Normandy).

[@thelawwwwww]

My grandfather, an American infantryman in North Africa, never spoke about the war. One time got serious and said, "Those weak fu*kers couldn't organize their way out of a paper bag. They needed a tough 'Limey' to come up with a plan for them and then they needed drugs to get the balls to do it!." Now I know who he was referring to.

[@kevinkern2221]

Thank you to your grandfather for being a American Hero. Im learning now that we had a lot of badass mofo's out there doing this stuff and I feel like a bad American for not knowing this.

[@spindash64]

Oh yeah, the meth chocolate

[@mauricestevenson5740]

Thank you for your contribution. I am going to acknowledge your posting by adding something many people do not know about Winston Churchill: he was half American! His mother was Jenny Jerome, who was daughter of Leonard Jerome, a wealthy American businessman. You're welcome.

[@louissanderson719]

@@mauricestevenson5740ahhh because he’s half American that’s what makes him so great?

[@lefdee]

@@louissanderson719 half great

[@steveg7066]

Man, he is a perfect example of someone who puts the mission and greater good over personal glory. Nearly every move he took both made his country's military better and took the spotlight off of himself at the same time. This guy should be talked about more, and held up as an example to all officers

[@AusFirewing]

The real scary thing about the Churchill Crocodile? Unlike most other flame tanks, the flamethrower replaces the hull machinegun, not the turret maingun. So even if you shoot the trailer fuel tank or it runs out of scary burn juice, you still have a fully-functional Churchill tank to deal with... A huge heavy tank with almost as much armour as a King Tiger and none of the transmission problems.

[@AusFirewing]

Also the Brits had another flamethrower vehicle, the Wasp. Basically you take a Universal Carrier, which is essentially a tracked battlefield taxi designed to go in, drop off ammo and extra dudes, pick up wounded and leave, and you replace the seating and cargo space with a flamethrower and pressure tank. So if you were A Brit in WWII and you wanted armoured flamethrower support it came in two flavours: The featherweight and the heavyweight, and both of them were 100% going to ruin someone's day.

[@LordInter]

@@AusFirewing had a ford v8 lump and was light weight, they could take off going over hills, most bust the exhaust because when they landed they'd twat the exhaust pipe and rip it off xD

[@LordInter]

and could climb insane hills and go over massive ditches

[@ImezRuez]

@@AusFirewing there isn't enough money on the planet to get me to drive that into combat. It had to attract ALL the enemy rounds from everything with line of sight. And it doesn't have any armor to speak of.

[@airplanemaniacgaming7877]

@@ImezRuezOnly thing is: it requires the Germans to have the weapons handy to take it out at range, or to get close enough to use other weapons. Meanwhile you can convince them that getting too close is a very.....bad idea.

[@woodrowsmith3400]

Very well done, Nic. So few people know so little about "Hobo". Yes...he wrote the book. Yes...Guiderian read the book, then loaned it to Rommel. Yes, Hobo trained the 2d, and the 79th. Yes, Hobo 'designed' the DD dual drive, the flotation device, the Flail and the Crocodile. But you made a very important point near the end. Because the 79th became the SF of tanks, and a division was split into squads, AND accomplished everything they were tasked with, they received no notice. Truly sad in my humble opinion. Thank you ever so much for telling this story. I was tickled silly to see the thumbnail because I KNEW you'd give Hobo's story justice.

[@Sarge1886]

Figures British officers would promote stupid tactics like dragoon tanks. This is up there with “not taking cover while under fire” and “generally acting nonchalant on the battlefield.” Because a corpse is very inspiring to the men

[@OldSNB]

Or, like they show in Band of brothers, the british tank commander saying "We can't bloody well shoot something we can't see" even though the troops were telling him just blast a hole in the building. Tank is on the other side.🤦‍♂️ Like, yeah. With bombs blowing up, bullets flying everywhere, the literal WORLD is at war, but we stopped you because we thought it would be funny to get you to blast a hole in a house.

[@TheThundertaker]

The incompetence of British officers as the rule rather than the exception is exaggerated. You dont get to build the biggest Empire the world has ever seen by being led entirely by idiots and duffers who dont know how to innovate and adapt.

[@willy_b_coyote]

Probably my favorite thing about Hobart’s Funnies is the fact that (with one or two exceptions) almost every single one of Hobart’s inventions is still in use today with the British and American militaries in one form or another.

[@w8stral]

and every other nation who has tanks...

[@jamessieker1712]

My father was WW2 history junkie. I grew up with books everywhere on it. One year of your channel has been more broadly informative than my dad's entire library. Also I am assuming that is your wife in the cameo. The Burns-Allen style snark is hilarious.

[@ronjones-6977]

That reference is probably over the head of anyone under 35. I like it.

[@Gunny426HemiPlymouth]

Hobart really went into his interview, and when asked "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Man said "doin your wife"

[@romanhendrickson8385]

😂😂😂

[@doughesson]

Makes you wonder if the interviewer went home 5 years later & found a guest was already there.

[@SethBeck]

1984, Erlangen, 2-81 Armor, my battalion commander gave an hour long monologue on Hobart during our weekly officer professional development session. We were enthralled. Red Lions!

[@chipsawdust5816]

Your CO was a smart men.

[@TheUtahdiver]

You’ve got an incredible storytelling gift. It’s your intensity and your ability to carry the excitement it’s contagious.

[@bradleyb.425]

I graduated from the Manuever Captain's Career Course at Fort Knox (previously known as the Armor / Infantry Officer's Advanced Course - they got combined into one) in 2007. I've never heard of this British Cav Officer. I guarantee because of YOU, Fat Electrician, this Brit and his life, tactics, etc., are being assiduously looked at and considered now. Well done!

[@anzaca1]

0:38 If you're British or from the Commonwealth (like me, greetings from New Zealand), and enjoy military history, Hobart is a man you know well.

[@troystaunton254]

Yeah, Australian here. Know him well.

[@BazingusBoi]

Haha, yes the 'Funnies' man

[@keyboardplayerakas]

Another kiwi and yes know him well

[@Nickel1147]

🇬🇧 Here with a Dad who landed on Gold Beach in 69th Brigade and I of course, know Hobart The Flail tank was indispensable.

[@jamesz.1047]

Things that we still use in the militaries of the world to this day include mine flails, armored bridgelayers, and petard tanks, all folded into combat engineer duties. Some places in the world might still have flame tanks.

[@One_foot_in_the_Grave]

Fun fact, yes Juno Beach was the second deadliest beach, and it was in fact the Canadian Beach, and it was completely taken in record time due yes in part to Hobarts Tanks but also to Canadian brave men dying. In fact Canada went to England and then to China to fight at the onset of WW2.. yet no one mentions our Grandfather's contributions when making movies , videos etc. or lists us as one of their important allies..

[@Dulnaivi]

My husband got me hip to you and I'm thankful. One of my favorite Christmas presents is a huge coffee tumbler in army green with "It's never a war crime the first time."

[@devanblank65]

This man has single handedly taught me more about WWI and WWII than any history teacher ever.

[@aydenryken9314]

Nick, wonderful job bringing Hobart to the popular side of WW2. I knew of him and his "Funnies". But the way previous historians addressed him was as a man given command of a prototype design unit, not as the real leader of men as you have shown him to truly be. I blame the British Army's Officer Corps for that false portrayal. I knew about the failure of the US DD Sherman's on Omaha, but their failure was the failure of the Navy dropping them too far out in choppy seas, not a failure in the design. Thanks again, Brother!

[@fredfrederick5607]

I have also heard that the crews may have stowed extra ammunition, weighing the tanks down and making them more vulnerable to rough seas. Not that I wouldn’t have done the same…

[@tomasdawe9379]

To be fair to the British officers of the time, when they did listen to him and adopt his tank doctrines, they took massive casualties. His misconceptions on armoured warfare hurt both the tactical and strategic level. He was an out of the box thinker though and so was right at home in the experimental branch.

[@NEEDbacon]

@@tomasdawe9379 Honestly sounds like skill issue on the other officers at the time. If not out right sabotage to make the man look bad.

[@tomasdawe9379]

@@NEEDbacon 100% a skill issue, very few officers in the theatre had tank experience. That is why they called Hobart in. They listened to his policies, adopted his doctrines and suffered needless casualties. Hobart was a good theorist and troop trainer, but let his ideas of armoured independence run away from the reality of war. When working with/under another experienced armour commander, who could provide common sense he was fantastic.

[@constitution_8939]

Though this will most likely be 'shadow banned,' here goes anyway: * First, I'd submit that this is the Most In-Depth, Most informative video pertaining to just how impenerable the "Atlantic Wall" also known as "Fortress Europe" really was but for Major General Percy Hobart's Occams Razor approach to Every Defensive Measure the German Military thought up to defend the Western Approach to Europe from an Allied Invasion of France against Germany. Too bad that Germany didn't have Percy Hobart on their side because I think even God Himself was Against Operation "Overlord" from the beginning: * The British Military with it's Prideful Pretentious arrogance tried to rid itself of Major General Percy Hobart and had they succeeded may have ended "Operation Overlord" in disaster, this video proves that it would have failed. * A Live-Fire practice exercise for the Invasion called 'Operation Tiger' ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_Tiger) on April 27, 1944 turned into an actual battle that resulted in the KIA of 749 American Army (551) and Navy (198) service members by Friendly Fire and encounters with German E-Boats patrolling the Channel out of the port of Cherbourg. The German E-Boats had spotted the LST's of the U.S. Navy just outside Lyme Bay in the South of England where the Landing Exercises were taking place. Not a good Omen for "Overlord." * The weather reports for that first two weeks of June were very limiting for the invasion and only for a small window of calm on the 6th did the invasion succeed at all because a Major storm on the 19-20 destroyed the Mulberry artificial harbors. There are many other reasons, actions and opportunities and even Acts of God that may have been He helping Germany out instead of letting His and Christianities Main Enemy be running the World into WW 3 as they are today because even though the world has been brainwashed to believe otherwise about Germany, all they fought and died for was to Destroy Communism and see Western Civilization thrive and exist while others were intent on Destroying it as they may well succeed in doing very shortly.

[@elizabethannedavis5176]

Love EVERY TFE video. My son and i watch them together and discuss the topic. Its made him seriously interested in history. So no matter what else, know this Sir, youve helped a 17 year old boy AND his friends start to learn history, and be passionate about it. And in todays world, it is SO important. Thank you so much Nic. Its a godsend.

[@AbleMan.2178]

Good job Mom! We are gonna need all these kids that Nick turns into Patriots because sadly we are at the "weak men create bad times" portion of the scenario so we MUST build "the strong men" from scratch in order to get back to "the good times".

[@enoughothis]

The M4 Sherman was the best tank of WW2. It did what it needed to do, it was easy to build and transport and could be patched up in the field by it's crew of farm boys and factory workers using simple tools. It was also versatile in a way that no tank before or perhaps since has ever been. It went everywhere and it did everything. It swam ashore on D-Day, it fought in Europe, Africa and the Pacific. It cleared minefields, bridged trenches, carried flamethrowers. The Sherman is what the T-34 WISHES it would have been.

[@Dime_time333]

Objectively the Sherman sucks But the scrappy underdog came out on top.

[@RogCBrand]

@@FreiherrDinkelacker So, Stalin having no concern for his soldiers lives, and Soviet generals just flinging their troops in waves, to be mowed down is to be praised? And, how would the Soviet Army have done without the vast numbers of trucks to haul their men and supplies through their advance, the boots, food, etc., etc., etc. The pro-Soviet people are truly brainwashed!

[@enoughothis]

@@FreiherrDinkelacker, the Soviets would have lost or at least taken much longer to win, without American lend-lease. Food, equipment, trucks, aircraft and tanks were shipped through the Artic convoys. These convoys were vital to the Soviet war effort. American trucks moved Russians soldiers and their supplies. American beef in Russian stomachs kept the Red Army marching forward. The Soviet, and now, Russian government gives very little mention of this whenever they talk about the "Great Patriotic War" mostly because the truth is different from the story they wish to tell.

[@spartanonxy]

@@Dime_time333 Not really. It was battle wise comparable to the Pz.4 throughout the war. Which was consistently above the T-34 in all but sheer numbers. Then the Sherman was also one of the mostr ergonomic tanks meaning crews could fight longer with less stress on them. It was a easy to maintain so much so that you could replace the transmission of multiple Sherman's in the time it takes just to get a Pz.4's transmission out. It was reliable so if you had 10 tanks chances are you still have 10 tanks when you meet the enemy. So on and so forth. Was the Sherman perfect? NO! But in truth it was THE world class tank of its era.

[@alexellis197]

@@Dime_time333 Specifications, sure, it was not the best tank. However, it was good enough. You don't need one super tank to win. You need an angry swarm of smaller tanks that support their infantry. Tigers were all well and good, but they couldn't stop every round and had limited coverage. Shermans were so plentiful and easy to get moving again that they simply won by volume of effective fire and ease of use. The Germans had great quality, but quality crumples eventually when worn down. They couldn't keep spending so long producing their better tanks. Meanwhile, the US made the quality enough to meet needs and then focused on making it fast and effective to manufacture. Even if Germany still had full tank production at mid to late war, the US flatly outstripped them on capacity. So, yes, the Sherman is objectively worse than its peers, but it is far from objectively sucking. It did its job and was combat effective, so it can't even be argued it sucked. It simply wasn't made to be the best on the field.

[@kevinkern2221]

Thank you for bringing these badass soldiers stories to life. The best thing is life is sitting next to a WW2 vet hearing their stories. Sadly these guys are no longer around and its nice to see someone putting their stories out to the world. Not to mention you are a amazing story teller.

[@arm279145]

I’d love to see a wwii movie that switches between the beaches so you can see Omaha going wrong at the same time as the others were going right

[@the_fat_electrician]

That would be really cool

[@DarkKatzy013]

Fuckin love this man know about his crazy antics for a long time. Thank you very much sir for bringing him to light in the awesome way you do.

[@jasonmajere2165]

Stories of ppl (animals, reckless) are super interesting, and your telling some of the less common ones. The dirty, nitty gritty instead of the 1000 ft view makes for a different format from most. A single person can make a difference. Making some of the old TikTok into longer video would be cool too.

[@SupersuMC]

My first request for an extension would be the M19 grenade machine gun. I definitely want to hear more about the kid who designed it.

[@Recceman901]

My Grandfather was one of the first Allied tank Commanders on the Eastern side of the Rhine River. His brother was in Devil's Marauders and my other Grandfather was a Bren Gunner, all in WW2 and all lied about their ages to join and be able to deploy (had to be 21 to deploy in the Canadian Army at that time). My Grandfather went through 7 Sherman tanks during the War, but he didn't land on D-day, he came up through Italy from North Africa.

[@clover4925]

Ive binged a ton of these videos and ive learned 1 thing above everything. The people that disobeyed orders or were hated by their command made the biggest differences in war

[@ethanmiles-keay6439]

Awesome video. In Devon England (where I'm from) there are a couple of sunken tanks where they trialed other ways to float tanks. They sank and got stuck to the sand banks, no one hurt. Ehen the tide went out they where buried to deep to retrieve so they where left. You can actually walk out to them on the sand at super low tides. Love this channel and all your content. Keep on going dude :)

[@thornfootrondeau9916]

Thanks! Your history talks are amazing. Interesting, Detailed, and fun to watch - So well done! Thank You.

[@the_fat_electrician]

Thank you so much!

[@TheBigbum1974]

So many issues with WW2 can be summed up as "WW1 officers wanted WW1 part 2". Especially Britain and France.

[@debrathompson1780]

AHH-Mazing!!! Thank You for honoring this great man's contributions. And the Wooden Wonder also! LOVE your stories and your hilarious narratives.

[@joshwalton3805]

Thank you, Fat Electrician!!! Love the history lesson!

[@RuneChaosMarine]

@15:50 the shit talking between him and his wife shows how much fun they have togeather. "you call that big? "yeah that thing is huge" "that explains alot" "whats that suposed to mean" "you told me eight inches" "you told me you took instalments" "i didnt know what that ment" lolol

[@magicman1812]

Can I just say I’m so glad to this man finally get the credit he deserves I have had to argue with so many people about this and have always brought him up only to be told then why have I not heard of him

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

As an ex Royal Engineer (including time as an armoured engineer) I’m always pleased to see mention of Hobart and the Funnies. However it’s inaccurate to credit him as the sole inventor of Blitzkrieg, for several reasons. Firstly, it’s only a development of the manoeuvre warfare carried out by both sides in 1918, and secondly, there were other British champions of the concept, including Basil Liddell-Hart and JFC Fuller.

[@hazardousroo]

I wasn't taught anything about Hobart in school. ANYTHING. Never learned of him on my own, I only JUST now learned of this hero by watching this video. Thank you, once again, for filling in a huge gap in my history knowledge that I should have had.

[@jacobzepeda3930]

Wow. This is insane! Thank u for putting this info out bro!! Gotta give the brits the credit they deserve. AND Hobart. This man literally helped us win the war.

[@Lil_hone]

If you’re interested in lesser known ballers from WW2, you should read up on Charles Upham VC and Bar. He is the only combat corps soldier in the world to be awarded two Victoria crosses. Another great video. 🤙🏻

[@DrewMarold]

I just discovered your channel the other day and am voraciously devouring all your content. A couple of these topics I have heard of before, but many I haven't, and I appreciate you bringing them to light.

[@Twirlyhead]

I never knew Omar Bradley asked for all the funnies. I for one had always been told the tale of how the Americans didn't want them.

[@paulmcewen7384]

I grew up reading about Hobart's funnies because they we attached to most of the Canadian Army battles in Europe. Pretty much the coolest and weirdest armored vehicles in WW2. Maybe also consider a video about the self propelled guns firing from landing craft at the the beaches at Juno, or maybe even tank ace "Rad" Walters.

[@etazeta674]

Am I the only one thinking the Marine Corps would love this guy?

[@nickvanachthoven7252]

when you think of any support vehicle in the military. chances are Hobart came up with the concept.

[@emlynweaver8102]

I adore the stories, but even more than that, the skits with your wife. You both always look like you have so much fun together.

[@SmokeyOwOs]

British people having an ego over someone doing something different is not surprising I appreciate being able to learn about history that I didn't even know about from you. You're probably one of my favorite historical youtubers up there with ahoy.

[@peterellwood8267]

What a GREAT Historical video. Thank you for taking the time to research and explain all that Maj Gen Hobart has done for the good of Warfare, if there is such a thing.

[@KrazyMitchAdventures]

17:49 and the reason Hollywood hasn't really showcased the Canadians in WWII, is because we always showed up, and showed up the American forces and drove back more of the German forces, with regiments 1/3 the size of the American.. My Great uncle was a Major in WWII, and told some fantastic stories

[@Kili121416]

Fine troops the Canadians, scary bastards in battle.

[@KrazyMitchAdventures]

@@Kili121416 3 of the top 10 longest sniper shots in the world, belong to us Canadians. #7 Arron Perry in 2002 2310m #6 Rob Furlong in 2002 2430m & #2 (unk Canadian) May 2017 3540m and being outed by Viacheslav Kovalskyi from the Ukraine, Nov 2023 with an impressive 3800m (3.8 km or 2.3 miles)

[@Pops-km8xt]

Truly the Canadians are the reason for the Genevea Convention after WW1. Salute, you Canucks.

[@gloverfox9135]

Hollywood doesn’t show Canadian contributions because Hollywood is an American establishment, making movies for Americans. Hollywood isn’t obligated to make movies for foreigners. Hollywood makes movies for money, and making movies for foreigners doesn’t make as much movies as movies for Americans. It’s simple economics. If you don’t like it, make your own movie.

[@KrazyMitchAdventures]

@@gloverfox9135 Canada is called Hollywood North for a reason. Most of the "Blockbuster movies" are filmed in Canada. Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) is Canadian. Reenu Reeves (John Wick) is also Canadian. Along with Michael Cera, Kim Cattrall, Ryan Gosling, Seth Rogen, etc. etc.

[@coopervannoy3499]

What’s hilarious is there’s a big road near where I live called Hobart road and unlike its namesake it is completely ineffective slow and infuriating

[@simanothername3035]

Maybe a daft question, but did Hobart's 'Mongol' tactics have any influence on the formation of Potski's private army or the SAS? It sounds like an extension of the tactics he was pushing in Egypt, where both first operated.

[@resonantone3284]

Percy Hobart... the cause of and solution to... most of our WW2 armor problems. Awesome video.

[@briannez3123]

I never knew of these awesome tanks, and i thank you for sharing this World saving information! I never heard of Percy 'Hobo' Hobart, his tanks for all your battlefield needs, and just a man who understood his job better than you! Thanks for sharing this story!!

[@randywhelchel4674]

I was a combat engeer Active duty, as used the “Bridge tank” has the pile of sticks or had just one part of it AND used the fail to clear mines, has “CEV” which fired a bunker buster 155 mm round is C-4 and used a little wooded water shield to swim the track 1990-1 to present only thing we don’t use is fire

[@FrankAndrews_DFA3]

Thanks, Joe. Excellent as always. Gen.Hobart should receive some long overdue recognition as a result of your effort.

[@firedirewolf]

the inventors and geniuses like Tesla who got messed with for most their life but were fundamental in changing reality as we know it, are super important to remember. Thank you for letting the world know about Percy.

[@Volvith]

I always like the chain tank, never knew it was Hobart's invention because i never knew Hobart. There's something oddly poetic about "I will defeat your anti-tank mine by slapping it really hard.", and anything that rotates that fast, with that much leverage and force just terrifies me. It, and the other funnies, are such marvels of K.I.S.S. engineering that not teaching about this man should honestly be criminalized. Thank you Hobart, your legacy will live on, even if so many do not know it.

[@michalwintz7083]

Totally awesome video. I have really enjoyed all of your work. My dad was in the 3rd wave at Omaha Beach. I asked him how he survived. He said he just ran as fast as he could. ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@garyfrench6536]

That was a surprisingly great video to watch. I'm British and know the term 'hobarts funnies ' from books I read as a child. It makes sense that, in reality they were called it in disrespect. Cav officers are a nightmare in both the British army and US army 😂

[@RanmaYagami]

I absolutely love videos like this that put the spotlight on lesser-known people who had a huge impact

[@edhoward-bearder3081]

One of the more interesting variant of Funnies was the double onion, a Churchill tank with a giant frame charge on the front. Designed to demolish anti-tank seawalls, the tank would simply advance up the beach deposit the frame against the seawall and retire to a safe distance..

[@jacoblansman8147]

"You told me 8 inches." "And you told me you took instalments." "I didn't know what that meant!" "That's your problem!" I love it when Nic's wife gets in the video, peak humor every time.

[@robertlehnert4148]

MG Hobart is in much the same case as Col John Boyd, creator of not just the OODA Loop, but effectively making aerial combat a science and not just an art.

[@p_serdiuk]

...No, Boyd's only contribution was to take someone else's scientific paper and overlaying one diagram onto another. He's an example of the opposite, someone very overhyped who achieved very little in reality.

[@DQuartermane]

So I play various pencil and paper Role Playing Games. And one I have never got to play but love the setting is Achtung! Cthulhu. Basically WWII mixed with all manner of supernatural and occult creatures and organizations on both sides. This is relevant because a supplement book, soon to be released, is all about D-Day and Operation Overlord. In a promo email, the contents of the book were discussed. Including game stats for various vehicles, with a specific reference to Hobart's Funnies. I not only appreciated the fact they reference the Funnies. But the fact that thanks to FE, people can learn about them like I did from this channel! Sorry for the long message, but wanted to share!

[@DerekIcelord]

You talking about the tanks not being on Omaha but being on the other beaches, now I want a WWII video game where easy/med/hard/v hard modes put you on different beaches and give you varying levels of armor support.

[@andytucker9573]

The German tanks facing off against the DDay invasion forces were in part, quite similar... the 21st Panzer Div had basically taken any old obsolete tank, and re armed and rearmoured them with 105mm, rocket launcher batteries and 75mm AT guns... making some really odd looking Adhoc "armoured" vehicles. They made a whole regiment of them as part of the newly reformed and refitted 21st Panzer Div who had seen extensive fighting in the desert. Called Baustab Becker (after Alfred Becker) All very interesting stuff😊

[@Matty_th]

18:06 “Navy Beach battalion, sir! I’ve got to clear these obstacles. Make holes for the tanks.“ “All the armor is foundering in the channel!“ “Orders, sir! You go somewhere else, I’m clearing this one!”

[@TinMan0555]

I’ve long been sort of a history nerd, with an emphasis on the Military. Although I had heard of Hobarts Funnies, I knew almost none of the backstory of how it all began…. simply because of this great man’s initial involvement. The pettiness of his contemporaries and superiors and their blatant attempts at quashing his ideas at every turn, reinforces my long held observation that “politics fucup everything”. The display of that text from Winston Churchill, smacking down those arrogant clods, has elevated my already high regard of WC even higher. A thousand thanks to you for bringing this deserving hero forward for long overdue recognition. 🫡

[@Restlessmedic]

Every single time I see a TFE video, I stop what I'm doing and watch it. Thanks for explaining history in a way that the American education system won't. I am so much prouder to be an American with the information you give me.

[@arielrife3792]

I literally clicked the notification button for this video the second it popped up

[@Jims_Camera_at_dawn]

Not only the way it's taught but the information left out. It's all about controlling information.

[@Why1Countryboy]

I stopped my live stream to watch this.

[@resipsaloquitur13]

I concur.

[@zachariahkitzman3398]

Gurl same

[@_spacegoat_]

"Hobart's Funnies" is exactly the right amount of British understatement for the name of a unit that sails their goddamned tanks onto shore, hits the ground with chains to blow up your traps, builds their own bridges _on the fly_ and sets you on fire from another time zone.

[@justsoicanfingcomment5814]

It's funny... Because it's not.😅

[@ardantop132na6]

I think there's a term "It's funny when you're not the butt of the joke".

[@silverjohn6037]

Considering tanks themselves got their name when British said they were water tanks as a security measure but then just kept it as an official designation that sounds about right

[@kevinvsmarshall5240]

Hobart's Funnies were straight out of the British psyche of the time. Look up Ben McIntyre's account of Operation Mincemeat, based on a mad idea by a bloke called Ian Fleming. Or Barnes Wallis's 5 ton bomb that bounced across water. Or the wooden Mosquito bomber. Or Frank Whittle's development of the jet. Or the development of radar.

[@khallkhall7237]

Imagine being the infantry position being overrun by a flail tank. What a terrifying way to go.

[@mattevans7884]

I'm British and knew nothing of this man! Thank you for educating us all in something and someone that absolutely should not have been brushed under the carpet...

[@MrVvulf]

You knew nothing because the same clique that comprised the officer corps also determined the curricula at schools around the nation. Persona non grata are rarely celebrated by the peerage and gentry regardless of how much they contribute to the success of the nation.

[@Tomyironmane]

Seriously? I knew at least about Hobart's Funnies, and I'm an American.

[@praetorian3902]

The bitchy officers had probably something to do with it.

[@mrbrew5417]

I heard about the funnies long ago but I had no idea about the tactics. You Brits, from what I've seen have some incredible engineers who are always doing quirky things that actually work. If we had those tanks before D Day we would have had alot less white crosses in Arlington

[@marc4561]

Same here, I'm a Brit and have never heard of this man

[@alabamamanus1]

I’ve noticed through the years TFE gets more and more passionate about this content. He’s gone from being more “funny” to being a little “funny” and a ton more serious. It’s been exciting to watch his evolution with his content. I used to watch him because he’d make me cry laughing. Now I watch him because I’m excited about what he will teach that day. You’re doing an amazing job, don’t stop.

[@jwdundon]

Hell yeah, dropping less profanity, so the kids can Actually Learn HISTORY.

[@raymondwiggins354]

13:10 amphibious tank 14:00 road Placer tank to roll the (probably) not so red metal carpet (silly looking but effective) 14:56 weed/mine/barbed wire wacker tank 15:34 tank with bigger gun (not much to joke about that wasn't said) 16:00 flamethrower tank (extra scary if you are out in the open) 16:31 bridge tank, just drop a bridge on the hole they made 16:52 stick filler tank

[@frankalley8064]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus]

@@jwdundon I mean as a child I learned history from people swearing and smacking me upside the head to make sure I was respectful.

[@vasiliarkhipov2121]

One of the biggest reasons I left the Marine Corps was bad leadership. The handful of great leaders I had were all shit on by command. I have so much respect for them and leaders like Percy Hobart, I can barely articulate it. These men are constantly being harassed, mocked, and even having their careers ruined by the very military they are trying to serve. Yet when their country calls, they put their lives on the line without hesitation. They deserve every bit of praise we can heap upon them. Percy Hobart deserves to be remembered. Thank You for honoring him.

[@Hazaerdt]

I appreciate the depth on your comment. Thank you for your service, however long or short it was. I also appreciate your double-spacing after a period.

[@leftistsarenotpeople]

@@Hazaerdt You MUST be an English teacher or at least a typist/typing instructor of some sort. We used to get beaten up SEVERELY by our teacher over those double spaces if we didn't do it properly. I took typing in High School back when the Apple IIc was the instructional tool of choice. Now, I put them in without even thinking twice. It does make for a much more reader friendly text though.

[@Ring0--]

​@@leftistsarenotpeopletry to be concise instead of your typing speed POG.

[@patrickhenry236]

I recall a book by a Marine sniper from the early battles of Afghanistan and Iraq who was pioneering the use of "humvee's" as mobile sniper nests. He had been working on it since the 90's, and was given the runaround by many officers who eventually stuck him with a logistics battalion. In that battalion was a man he chose to nickname "Officer Bob", a walking breathing CF who could always be counted on to give the wrong orders. When I hear about bad command officers, I now always think "Officer Bob." Anyway, the sniper's tactics worked and soon it was being used to give cover to the grunts advancing in the front line.

[@RexFuturi]

​@@leftistsarenotpeopleDouble spacing after a period was taught by a few while I was still in school, but it was completely done away with by the print industry decades ago and is actually grammatically incorrect. It was just something some teachers asked for because they found it easier to read.

[@patsfreak]

The flail tank has always been a favorite of the funnies for me. The idea of just going “screw you, I’m just going to harvest your mines” amused me.

[@longshot7601]

I've been saying that the Brits invented the flail tank because they had a problem with mines on the beach. Now the Brits have a problem with idiots in orange vests. Just saying. :-)

[@Archris17]

Now, technically, using the flail-o'-doom on German infantry is one of the few times that yes, it's a war crime _even the first time_ but you can't tell me you don't kinda wanna.

[@deezkhajiit184]

@@Archris17 Sometimes when life gives you a flail you gotta thump a few guys.

[@Cecmomega]

@@Archris17 i mean, it's not like the bodies will be recognisable after the tanks go over them so anyway

[@jpmountaingaming5681]

@@Archris17I guarantee at least one German found himself meeting god after a flail tank driver saw him.

[@moshguy]

There's a line in Apocalypse Now where they say something to the effect of, "Command wasn't mad that Kurtz defected. They were mad because he was winning the war on his terms and not on the military's terms."

[@chumleyk]

It's a tale as old as time. happens in corporate too.

[@needsmetal]

and that saying can be said for Rommel, wanting to win the war his terms helped end his life

[@WithTwoFlakes]

As a Brit myself and a bit of an amateur military historian, I wanted to say "Thank you..." I did know about Hobart, but am grateful you are bringing his story to hundreds of thousands of other people. He should be celebrated in British history more than he is. My own interest stems from my Grandfather being a tanker (Royal Wiltshire Yeomanry). He'd never talked about the war, the only time was our conversation the final time I visited him before he passed away. I'd just returned from a business trip to Milan, he off-handedly commented that he'd finished the war in Northern Italy. I pushed him and he opened up a little about his experiences. He'd been in Crusaders, M3 Lee/Grants and then M4 Shermans - variously driver, loader and gunner. From El Alamein through North Africa, then Sicily and all the way up Italy. He was a little dissapointed that the liberation of Rome by Allied forces had barely a mention. Of course it had coincided with D-Day. He liked the Sherman - easy to operate, easy to repair and it kept going. Lost 3 of them, all to losing a track. Two because of A/T mines, the other an anti-tank gun.

[@KevinStull]

I’ve watched almost all material on WW2 and have always thought Hobart’s inventions and tactics were CRIMINALLY underrated. He single-handedly created modern armored warfare. Thank you so much for highlighting this!

[@aidan32]

Ok.. I hear you … German blitz… stolen from lessons learned of British Tell me how Monash fits in Need to know

[@Banthisyoutube-zs6sx]

No hobart single handidly created the concept of the armored engineering vehicle. The germans created modern armored warfare to the point the US military literally copied rommel during gulf 1 evwn going ao far that they had pictures of rommel around to make people remember.

[@airplanemaniacgaming7877]

@@Banthisyoutube-zs6sx That's because everybody knows about Rommel. If you were to ask somebody if they knew about Erwin Rommel, chances are they would. Ask them about Hobart, they'd more than likely just go "Huh?"

[@Banthisyoutube-zs6sx]

@@airplanemaniacgaming7877 this is very true i remember hobart more for his specialist vehicles and cause i am a tank nerd. As far as ideas go Hobart may have come up withbit but he couldn't execute and i would argue execution is more important. Anyone can say "hey this would be a really awesome thing" but if you can't bring it to life......its just a fantasy. Semantics i know but life runs on semantics. Now we can blame british high command this is true butbit was the germans that said "this is some good shit" and built a gameplan around it. With the execption of the desert rats the brits really weren't that successful tankwise. Blame ot on the detioration of the wehrmacht in europe, point to the far wider use of fighter-bombers by the allies, just chock it up to the bocage. The western allies really only had the african theatre to have eastern front-esque armor battles. And thw germans shit kicked the americans at kasserine and rommel almost had the brits in egypt. But i am armchair quarterbacking here.

[@mickbourne3028]

As a former Royal Engineer, the antecedents of the ‘funnies’ are still part of the armoured Engineers,bridge laying and other gap crossing methods, incidentally the troops who carried out the beach survey prior to D-day were a Sapper Officer and a SNCO

[@kart70]

After listening to this, I agree with you. Not only is Hobart the father of modern tank warfare. He's the father of modern combat engineers. So many things I've seen in a modern combat engineer battalion are copies of Hobart's funnies.

[@marcuscaesar3538]

He’s literally the definition of “if it looks stupid and works, it isn’t stupid.”

[@ardantop132na6]

Aka something the US Marine Corps would like to hang out.

[@adarkwind4712]

​@@ardantop132na6 I mean they loved the Bazooka tank I imagine they'd love every single one of these things as well.

[@GhostBear3067]

​@@adarkwind4712 Marine: "I love it but it needs a little something..." (slaps on an extra .50cal) "Perfect!"

[@adarkwind4712]

@@GhostBear3067 🤣 it's funny because it's true.

[@5peciesunkn0wn]

@@adarkwind4712 The marines would 100% have tried running a flail tank into a Banzai charge...

[@weldonwin]

The thing is, we do know about Hobart's Funnies here in the UK, in fact we had an entire department of the British War Office dedicated to insane specialist weapons. Officially the Office of Miscellaneous Weapons, more commonly called The Wheezers and Dodgers, they were a crack team of madmen, who's entire brief is to come up with inventive solutions to problems.

[@francisphang242]

So... Q section but for the military?

[@weldonwin]

@@francisphang242 Pretty much. There biggest project was the so called Mulberry Harbours. Basically, in order to maintain the supply lines following D-Day, the allies needed harbours to dock supply and troopships, but all the harbours on the French coast were still in German hands. So, the OMW, designed pre-fabricated, floating harbours that were towed across the English channel, moored and sunk into place, to serve the allied supply chain, until the French ports could be captured.

[@ryanbauer3680]

That is the most American solution to that problem and I am both pissed and thoroughly impressed our limey cousins came up with it first.

[@annebishop9634]

Now THAT would make a great movie!

[@weldonwin]

@@annebishop9634 One of their members especially would be worthy of a movie. Jasper "The Amazing" Mescaline, a stage magician in civilian life joined the OMW after offering his services to the war office. Initially thinking he wanted to put on shows for the troops to keep morale up, he demonstrated what he was offering by camouflaging an entire bunker in the middle of an open field, using his skills as a stage magician and the inspecting officer apparently only found the bunker after literally tripping over it. He would then go on to use his skills in stage illusion and misdirection all through the war, with his biggest trick being making the entire Suez Canal disappear.

[@JB_Shryke]

America's approach in WW2 - Effective Weaponry/Tech and Strategy. Britain's approach in WW2 - Chicanery/Trolling and Shenanigans

[@BazingusBoi]

'You got trolled, you got trolled, you're in the Hague'

[@troystaunton254]

My 2 favourite trolls by the British 1. A British pilot escaped a POW camp, dressed in full gear, because he created a fake id that said he was a Bulgarian spy. So he walked out the front gate. The name he used?? “I. Buggeroff” 2. The Germans built a decoy airfield somewhere in France. Timber planes timber everything. It was all fake. The day after it was completed the British dropped a timber decoy bomb on it. As a way of saying “we know and you’ve wasted all your time.

[@arielrife3792]

Case in point, the De Havilland DH98 Mosquito.

[@chaddusmaximus4938]

British Intelligence pretty much clowned on the Abwehr and left it more compromised than a one dollar whore.

[@ardantop132na6]

In gaming terms: America - Pure OP with lots of money Britain - Troll the enemy until they ragequit.

[@SirMattomaton]

This is *no* overstatement... You are doing a service to history and humanity with this style of content and stories.

[@MKZ3003]

I mean they are good videos, but that’s to far lol

[@elonever.2.071]

@@MKZ3003 I disagree. He is telling the true stories of how individuals made contributions that won the wars. My history classes never mentioned any of this and said it was sheer numbers and logistics that won those wars when in truth it was individual rogue men who found a better way to do battle that actually made a huge difference. Percy's teaching of his men in Egypt the how's and whys of their campaigns are still used very effectively today.

[@MKZ3003]

@@elonever.2.071 I don’t care if you disagree, you’re wrong

[@SirMattomaton]

@@MKZ3003 No... No it's not. In an age where it's trendy to be ignorant as hell. Ignorance makes a population gullible or desperate. A gullible or desperate population is capable of all levels of sheer insanity. Just look at how people behaved during all of 2020. The ruinous effects are still felt today. *For those that don't know history are DOOMED to repeat it.* History shows this so damn often it should be an official law of physics! But the opposite is also true, as many scholars have said, "those that *know* history are destined to shape it." That is the power of the knowledge of history. EDIT: That willful ignorance makes you even more dangerous to civilization as well...

[@ThrawnFett123]

I find it fitting that the two tanks he's best known for are the minefield meals on wheels mace machine, and the flamethrower so souped up he convinced the Germans "you know what, maybe this IS a warcrime..."

[@MrSGL21]

one Brit officer approached a German bunker under a white flag of Parley. He told the German officer he had a flame thrower tank. The germans had a choice, they could fight, and he'd have them all roasted alive, or they could surrender. He politely asked for their surrender because he didn't want to burn them all to death. they surrendered.

[@skurdibbles7913]

@@MrSGL21 I would think everyone would start telling the germans that even if they didn't have one.

[@persuisixh4804]

@@skurdibbles7913but what if they do have one. I don’t want to fight a flamethrower tank

[@KingofDiamonds117]

@@MrSGL21 A similar thing happenned in the pacific war. It did not go well for those british officers.

[@tothethreshold.9965]

@@KingofDiamonds117 A sane offer does not go well when fighting indoctrinated nutjobs who want to die for "honour" . The war didnt end well for the Japanese did it.

[@CatLemur-d1v]

my respect for Churchill just doubled

[@bionicgeekgrrl]

It was Churchill who sent Montgomery to Africa too. Churchill had a number of problems of course and wasn't liked in parliament (people either remembered his involvement with the disaster in ww1 or his other things, but he also champioed the tank in ww1), but during the war he was the leader needed

[@drd675]

@@bionicgeekgrrl Not great on the societal aspect of being a Head of State. A lot of issues with workers rights, colonialism, etc. However, he was the man stubborn enough and crass enough for that War.

[@barrygeistwhite3474]

Churchill was the right man in the right place at the right time. He's still a man with many issues.

[@TheAttacker732]

At the end of the day, Churchill remained a soldier first, a statesman third.

[@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus]

@@drd675 the German propaganda tried to depict Churchill as a unstable belligerently drunk thug who could be ready to go off at any moment and make everything worse for everyone, the allied forces loved the idea of this Tommy gun wielding, mob boss like leader of men who’s constantly on the sauce and ready to go at any moment.

[@anzaca1]

16:01 The Petartd's shell contains roughly 28 lb of explosives. For reference, the Churchill's standard 76mm HE shell contianed just 1.5 lb.

[@999Phiro]

"THAT'S A LOT OF DAMAGE!!"

[@projectdeveloper9311]

"We had a problem that we couldn't send enough bang to the enemy, so now we decided to just throw the whole canister of it into them"

[@mikethurman3147]

Modern ish would be a CEV, right,

[@5peciesunkn0wn]

@@mikethurman3147 Yup! :D

[@jamesbarrett5226]

As usual, you knocked it out of the park again! I wish more people would take the time to research history the way you do. At 45 years old, I've acquired more historical education from your videos than I ever did in high school. Your information is prudent and to the point. Your delivery is clear and concise. If I had to critique any part of your videos, it would be possibly finding a way to offer a version without the language so educators could use your videos in a school setting. I personally have zero issue with the language, I swear just as much. I'm only saying that, because I truly think that your delivery and lack of boring filler could truly spark some interest in history to a generation that is not receiving a proper and engaging education. Please keep doing what you're doing, brother! Sorry for the book report. Lol

[@the_fat_electrician]

Im working on having older videos censored and ill launch a clean channel

[@chipsawdust5816]

@@the_fat_electrician Curious why you would want to have them censored. Just leave them up and use your other channel. It wouldn't be TOO hard to edit previous content with a little different lexicon.

[@icaleinns6233]

@@the_fat_electrician welp THAT'S gonna cut the video run time in half! 🤣

[@the_fat_electrician]

@@chipsawdust5816 no that is what im doing like all my videos stay up but ill have clean versioms om a diff channel

[@seatedliberty]

@@the_fat_electrician Does that mean you’ll change your name to “the kidnap resistant electrician”?

[@folcotook3049]

I have a BA in Military and Diplomatic history. While I was aware that German armor tactics originated in the UK, I was unaware of all the contributions of Hobart. I mainly knew him for the "funnies" but not his pre-war contributions to tactical theory. Thank you.

[@jplund3149]

Makes you dig for more information n history because bias has caused innaccurate history to be written.

[@chrisbingley]

Most people know the names Rommel, Patton and Eisenhower. Very few know who Monty was. It's funny how having the wrong political opinion can get you deleted from the history books. And yes, cancel culture goes back that far.

[@twodaves9480]

When people ask how Britain went from the largest empire the world has ever seen, to ‘that little island off the coast of Europe that everyone pretty much ignores’… it’s examples like this that I point out. As a Brit I am consistently ashamed of how well we award conformity and mediocrity over innovation and forward thinking.

[@libertybell8852]

America is doing the same thing and it pisses me off! Well.. to be honest, we're awarding the lowest in the damned barrel, not even mediocre! I have to take a break from thinking on it because it is just so infuriating that it turns me into a bit of a hag 😂. Like my grandma when she got old and crotchety lol!

[@capeclint]

Here is the question. How do we honor these doers (WWII} that made a great safe society for us? For myself, It’s just about you community and being a part of that. I do think values have been changed for no ones benifit.

[@RomanvonUngernSternbergnrmfvus]

@@capeclint by making your environment a product of you rather than you being a product of your environment. Oh and remain dangerous and free

[@robertenloe9943]

Hobarts rule. Yes.

[@louissanderson719]

We became the biggest empire on the planet and paved the way for the Industrial Revolution because of forward thinking. By the end of the war, we were out of money the empire was just a pointless waste of time by that point.

[@goblinslayer7096]

The Crocodile utilized fascinating tactics. Although they had very limited juice, they would start firing as they advanced while the Germans were out of range. Seeing the fire coming closer, Germans surrendered. The tankers also would do a “wet spray” dousing the Germans in petrol so that they knew the next shot would be burning agony. The Germans often surrendered.

[@DragonKnightJin]

"Hans!" "Ja?!" "Zey brought ze flammenwerfer!" "Scheiße!"

[@cousinzeke4888]

Lindy Beige did a video on the crocodile, by the numbers it's the most effective weapon of the war.

[@davesy6969]

Hobart retained control of his funnies. They were lent out and had to be returned after use. Crocodile tanks would often give german bunkers an unignited squirt, and if the terrified petrol soaked soldiers didn't surrender, then they got a hot squirt. The two greatest contributions to allied success were the Mulberry harbours and PLUTO (pipeline under the ocean).

[@William_Bryant]

The best part of this is the method behind the Sherman Crab. "Oh so the ground is trying to kill our soldiers too? BEAT THE GROUND INTO SUBMISSION."

[@DVAcme]

Mine-killer tanks to this day still use the basic mine flail chain spindle in the front. It's a perfect example of getting the idea perfectly the first time.

[@drd675]

@@DVAcmeI think the only real next step is some form of wave or energy device that would trigger mines at a distance, but until that, the flails will feast

[@William_Bryant]

@@drd675 **smiles in Mine Clearing Line Charge**

[@tachyon8317]

That's some straight up HFY story material - "When humans both weaponized the ground and then beat it into submission"

[@Cayman192]

The cool thing is, is some of the concepts that Hobart funnies used are still in use today. Our Engineers still use mine flails(Rollers?) and bridge layers because it works. So we can thank a British Armor officer for laying the foundation for all of modern armored warfare.

[@silverjohn6037]

It was also a British officer who developed the Bailey Bridge. Basically an erector set that let you assemble pieces to make a bridge strong enough to cross tanks in just a few hours. Yet each of the individual pieces were small enough to be man handled into place by 6 guys with no need for cranes or other machinery (all though the engineers would take the heavy equipment if it was on offer;).

[@alganhar1]

Except HE DID NOT. What TFE fails to mention here is Hobart was part of the 'all the army needs is tanks' crowd. He literally believed Artillery and Infantry were obsolete. He was one of those who proposed the Tank carrier, and if you think that is a ground vehicle acting as a tank carrier much as aircraft carriers do for aircraft you would be absolutely right. Yes, he actually proposed the idea. Seriously. The development of British Armoured Doctrine was not down to one man, it certainly was NOT down to Hobart and Hobart alone. The man did have some genuinely good ideas, but he also has some abjectly shit ones as well. Hobart was not sidelined because the British senior Officers were throwbacks ignoring a genius, he was sidelined because he was an unmitigated douchebag that literally no one could work with unless he deemed they thought similarly to him. The guy was a complete tosspot. Laying the foundation for modern warfare my pimpled arse....

[@silverjohn6037]

@@alganhar1 Could you point out the source for those ideas? Sounds like it could be an interesting read.

[@TheMalootrager]

A Fat Electrician episode always brightens my day 😊

[@michaelmartin4874]

Especially when his wife has a cameo. I always die laughing.

[@TheMalootrager]

@@michaelmartin4874 Yeah that always cracks me up, definitely need and episode with her as a guest host, that be fun

[@Fidd88-mc4sz]

Percy Hobart lived in my village in England. A few years ago, the owners were rebuilding the kitchen, and found numerous press-clippings and old newspapers under the floor, written about Hobart. The lady of the household then wrote a novel called "only the good boys" with Hobart as one of the central characters!

[@trc8197]

20,000 people walk into a shop within 30 minutes of the store opening. This guy and his stories are awesome.

[@biketech60]

One hour , 63 ,400 + views .

[@trc8197]

3 hours and over 120k people came by. I tend to double dip his content. My watch time on his videos are probably around 190%-210%. Deviance due to good or bad "for sponsor videos."

[@KingHarambe_RIP]

7 hours. 225k

[@elonever.2.071]

16 hours and 333.5k visitors.

[@chipsawdust5816]

@@elonever.2.071 A day ago and 401k. Awesome.

[@peterblacklin9174]

My father was a Desert Rat, he was in Tobruk then took a tour of North Africa with some friends, as he put it, followed by Greece and Italy! He would not talk about the detail, I think it was pretty bad. He used to get angry at people taking democracy and freedom for granted. An amazing role model. Thank you for an very spirited bio of Hobart. Dad was of that mould.

[@junkferjon]

Loved the point about old school British officers not wanting the enlisted men to think, just shut up and soldier. One main strength of the U.S. military is empowering and listening to the enlisted soldiers. There is always a push back by some entrenched officers, but good officers and staff leaders pay attention to their enlisted personnel. As so many of your videos show, it is the guy whose life is on the line who finds a new, better, bolder way to destroy the enemy!

[@gilliganallmighty3]

It's amazing how the aristocracy thinks that military leaders, a.k.a. those who lead bands of men into places to savagely administer unhealth care to their opposition, should have agreeable personalities.

[@the_fat_electrician]

Right!?

[@aztumtheknightofwumbo7060]

In short, the more human they are, the harder they are to control and the aristocracy would rather control you and tell you what to do then actually take care to remind themselves that you are a human being that can do way more than what they think you can do.

[@Fox_Mortus]

When it really comes down to it, all the officers do is point the infantry in the right direction and try to stop them from committing war crimes. It's just strategic baby sitting.

[@ElAirHawk]

Welcome to Modern Corporate Middle Management.

[@tiagodecastro2929]

Sounds a bit like my experience in the trades, too. Sometimes the undeniably best workers can be rough around the edges and get screwed because others often see their own dislike of a man's personality more than they see his skill and quality

[@isosev]

You are honestly more educational to watch than almost every single history class I have ever had the displeasure of attending.