6th Army's Rations at Stalingrad

[@TheImperatorKnight]

*Notes* Even the figures for the food Sixth Army received are disputed, with one source saying one thing, and another saying something else. So you have to take the ration numbers with a pinch of salt (ha!). That said, the official figures indicate that they were on half rations from the first day of the siege, and things only got worse as time progressed. The weight loss calculations in the video could be challenged too - and I don’t dispute that! I’m not a diet expert, however there are websites out there (some listed below) that do state though that a reduction of 500 calories does equal a loss of 1 pound of weight per week. These claims are challenged by the story at the time (stated by Speer and Beevor), which says that Zeitler lost 26 pounds in 2 weeks on a similar diet to Sixth Army, even though they should have been losing around 4 pounds a week by the 500 calorie deficit idea. So clearly 500 calories = 1 pound of weight loss per week, is probably incorrect. Either way though, the troops in Sixth Army were severely malnourished by the time the battle ended. Existing on two and a half slices of bread, and some horse meat and cigarettes is not a particularly healthy diet to have. I did make a few mistakes in the video regarding the numbers (mostly just mis-reads). It’s likely some will complain about this and use it as an example of me being “untrustworthy”. As I keep telling people, do your own research. Don’t just rely on mine. I encourage you to go out there and read the sources (listed below) and form your own conclusions. You should see my videos as an introduction to the topic, not as the start and end of it. *Links* Link to my “Why Germany Lost the War - Oil” video kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYfSZnxmrbOFnsk Link to my “The BIG Stalingrad Airlift Myth” video kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJbIioKnhtClaa8 Link to my “Paulus’s 6th Army ORDER OF BATTLE - Before Stalingrad” video kzbin.info/www/bejne/enSnm3Snibp2o9k Link to my ‘Stalingrad’ video playlist with lots of Stalingrad-related videos kzbin.info/aero/PLNSNgGzaledhLd1zG3MeeRSbIei6lHhxO Please consider supporting me on Patreon and help make these videos as good as they can be www.patreon.com/TIKhistory *Selected Sources (Sauces!)* Beevor, A. “Stalingrad.” Penguin Books, 1999. Collingham, L. “The Taste of War, World War Two and the Battle for Food.” Penguin Books, 2011. Forczyk, R. “Demyansk 1942-43, the Frozen Fortress.” Osprey Publishing Group, 2012. Glantz, D. House, J. “The Stalingrad Trilogy, Volume 3. Endgame at Stalingrad Book Two: December 1942-February 1943.” University Press of Kansas, 2014. Hayward, J. “Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitler’s Defeat in the East 1942-1943.” University Press of Kansas, 1998. “Germany and the Second World War: Volume VI/II, The Global War.” Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt (Research Institute for Military History) Potsdam, Germany. Oxford University Press, 2015. Calories come from the back of a pack of Warburtons Bread, plus several websites listed below. NHS Website “What should my daily intake of calories be?” 13/10/2016, accessed 20/03/2018. www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1126.aspx?categoryid=51 HealthLine Website “How Many Calories Should You Eat Per Day to Lose Weight?” Accessed 20/03/2018. www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-many-calories-per-day?floorType=lowestByBidder Thanks for weight watching, rye for now

[@Wustenfuchs109]

Good video, as always. Visualizing the amount of food was a great touch because numbers just fly around and we usually don't connect them to something real. That being said, why are you using Imperial system? Germans of the time did not use it, no one except USA uses it today (and in certain cases some smaller countries) so it begs the question, why? I mean it is not as problematic now when you say "pounds" when I can see the bread and can get the idea. But otherwise, it is a bit hard to keep track. Sometimes I have to pause the video and do a calculation just to get the idea what are talking about here. Don't get me wrong, you do you, how you like or how you learned, I am just asking though. Once again, nice that you remembered to use actual bread and peace of meat, regardless of the units system you are using.

[@thesovietspy1748]

TIK I thought it said sauces instead of sources

[@dmcc5110]

Is 'rye for now' an intentional pun?

[@nicolasallaire1148]

Hi, I really love your in depth analysis of the war. I agree with pretty much all you said in this video, but I would like to add some points. Calories are a good way to understand how much energy food with provide you, but not all sources of calories are the same. For instance, your body cannot stockpile proteins, therefore you need some every day. As for the bread, in my opinion it's by far the most important sources of calories you need. Your brains can only sustain itself for a short while if you don't get enough sugar ( around 500 calories from glucose a day ). When no glucose is available it will feed itself from fat, witch need to be transform in ketone body, but this will create disorientation, motricity problems of all sorts, which I assume is not good for a soldier. If this diet is prolonged it can lead to death pretty quickly and I think that's why a lot of soldiers just dropped dead, not only from starvation, but also from sugar deprivation.

[@bakters]

500 calories deficit for 1lb of weight loss per week is more or less correct. But the deficit depends on calorie expenditure, not only on intake. Most combat rations nowadays contain from 3500 to 4000+ calories per day, not 2500. Royal Navy sailors used to consume 4000-5000 calories per day. I'm quite convinced that around 3500 was probably required for non-combat troops, 4500 for combat troops in those conditions. Though people were a bit shorter back then, so I don't really know. That's what it takes to fuel an average soldier nowadays.

[@weirdshibainu]

Imagine being stationed in Paris, pissing off the wrong officer and 2 weeks later you're at Stalingrad.

[@islamicschoolofmemestudies]

Plot twist : The officer you're pissing at were also sent to Stalingrad*

[@joegarrison5911]

You would hate the man responsible for that. Literally sent you to hell.

[@jmweed1861]

Col. Wilhelm Klink. Stalag 13...

[@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry]

But you'd get to have one helluva going away party!

[@HuubHeesakkers]

@@joegarrison5911 But the German peoples were determined to see it through! Sadly, bad hierarchy decisions doomed them (and the world being manipulated into hating "Nazis").

[@stevejazzband]

The siege of Stalingrad is no place to try and quit smoking...

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Not if they keep giving you cigarettes!

[@METALLICARULES11]

TIK Cigarettes are a lot cheaper and easier to ship in than food and act as a hunger supressant. They also reduced stress and were often the only form of relaxation for German Soldiers in Stalingrad. If you took away cigarettes morale would just collapse like a House of cards because with little food thats all that would be keeping you from getting tempted to eat any dead rats you find on the street. Considering how much Hitler hated Smoking and his lack of knowledge for what keeps a average soldiers morale high, it does surprise me a bit he didnt stop the supply of cigarettes to the sixth army.

[@thatnewpimptrickgangstacli8922]

Steven Band if I was put in the worst battle in human history I’d want some coke or heroin or something I wouldn’t care

[@jackt7331]

I love this comment lol. So true.

[@cs0345]

Corey McCrann People did eat whatever rats and animals they found. Its a much better alternative to hunger, even if it increased the risk of getting sick.

[@imandyhi7671]

"Lose weight like in Stalingrad" would be a great slogan for a weight loss camp

[@diviksophistrum5466]

But still they were not like prisoners of concentration camps like Buchenwald, etc.

[@islamicschoolofmemestudies]

Diet ala 6th armee...aka Starve to ded

[@ynog0978]

Or a labour camp

[@josephstalin7350]

I find this funny yes but you realy cant do that a bit disrespectful

[@Fred5612]

A 6 week re-enactment in a dilapidated urban scenario to recreate Stalingrad. Best weight loss camp ever.

[@obfuscated3090]

A typical US servicemember in garrison is expected to need ~3250 calories/day. In combat that would increase considerably.

[@HustleSenseiMikey]

we eat good we fight good.

[@andrewpestotnik5495]

Well yeah, MRE's give you like 5000 calories

[@olliefoxx7165]

@Tom Sanders dude stfu. You hating on our military is dumb. Have you bothered to learn about the hells of Correigedor or Guadalcanal, the Battle of the Bulge? Those men fought like hell with nothing. You acting like our troops were overfed fatasses is so disrespectful. You're the type that always complains but never does anything.

[@ViktoriousDead]

Andrew Pestotnik no they don't

[@andrewpestotnik5495]

@@ViktoriousDead the ones I was given did

[@nstice1]

They were shipping in cigarette because almost everyone chain smoked at that time. You remove nicotine abruptly and your army goes into severe nicotine withdrawals. You get cold, weak, you can’t think clearly, you shiver and you feel sick. Would have been on par with severely cutting rations from a performance standpoint. Those three cigs a day kept those withdrawals at bay. It was a smart move

[@sickmit3481]

I would be chainsmoking too if i was in stalingrad

[@spectreshadow]

I feel if you are in a warzone and smoking helped you get through it chainsmoke all day since there is no guarantee you will get home alive.

[@rigzyded5911]

Nathan Stice dont forget the meth.

[@donlove3741]

@@rigzyded5911 more likely

[@SusCalvin]

A lot of rations include some little morale item. A chewing gum, spice packet or strip of toilet paper adds a small comfort to the day I guess.

[@gingeabredguy8070]

U complain bout the US not using the metric system then ya just use fokin STONE!?!?

[@Schmissgesicht]

i never heard of stones before ... i was lmao

[@waszkreslem9306]

Why wouldnt he use fucking metric system?

[@mgway4661]

I understand metric but wtf is stone? A kilo?

[@MidgardMessiah]

1 stone is 14lbs. About 6½ kg or so

[@Sundara229]

@@Schmissgesicht Ive heard it in some british documentaries before and it sounds like something a caveman would refer to. Im fine with pounds, but all that other shit like Fahrenheit, Inch, Foot, Yard is just confusing as hell.

[@VasileIuga]

Cigarettes are drugs, not very heavy to transport, but needed. Many people will go mental without them and also for many is a way to calm down. Also, they could be used as ”gifts” at the end of every period of the day, making a routine who would give them some track of time and will help with cohesion. Also, is a heat source for your body. So, for morale and mental health. If not, after some days you have a problem with those who cannot handle the deprivation, a huge problem.

[@raymondervin1596]

Vasile luga So true!!! and i love your channel

[@donfelipe7510]

They often said in wartime that tobacco smoke covers up to smell of the battlefield. Imagine thousands of sweaty men who hadn't washed properly for a while, latrines and the smell of decaying corpses rotting somewhere in the rubble where they can't be buried properly. I think I'll have a smoke now after writing that...

[@PobortzaPl]

Smoking (and drinking, especially things like tea or coffee) reduces not as much hunger as impulse to eat. And really, there was nothing to eat that could have been shipped instead of cigarettes and have any significant impact on daily rations.

[@The-Clockwork-Eye]

Not to mention front-line troops are not going to be worried about the long-term health effects of smoking cigarettes.....;)

[@HighAdmiral]

T h e y w e r e s t a r v i n g I do not care how addicted you are to lung cancer, it does not get priority over food.

[@JerryWonka]

When I was a student in West Berlin in the 60's I went to Kreuzberg , a low end budget student area. you could buy a bowl of soup and what they called a "Schmalzstulle" This "sandwich" consisted of a slice of dark brown bread smeared with lard and topped off with a large slice of onion. The thick slice of bread had the consistency of plywood. Germans sometimes eat a very heavy bread they call Bauernbrot (frarmer bread). I found this bread to be of even a more dense consistency. I suspect that the bread the German soldiers we're eating in Stalingrad was more like what I have described than the kind of soft white bread we are more familiar with. I would suggest that if the bread the soldiers were eating was anything like the bread I ate, then a ration of a" slice of bread a day" would be more plausible from this perspective. I might add that the "sandwich" I ate gave me a severe case of indigestion for quite a while. But although I was in considerable discomfort , I was definitely not hungry for some time after I ate it. I believe that the purpose of that low budget (about 35cents) hungry student style sandwich and the ration of the German soldier may have served the same purpose. --- to stave off hunger rather than to be a source of nutrition.

[@j.h-j5j]

Very interesting.

[@JerryWonka]

@dwiggins01 At the time, I was convinced that the onion was the source of my discomfort.

[@davis7099]

Good comment and an indication of hearty plain food that student and soldiers alike would eat. Of course factory bread and white factory bread is relatively new and certainly would not have been known to German soldiers. . For one thing to those of us who live in Europe and to other foodies, the German excel at making excellent bread in many styles then as today. The bakery is the centre of many towns and cities. German bread = good.

[@CarrotConsumer]

Whole grain rye bread is very nutritious compared to common modern breads.

[@coolkidsclub9943]

The bread quality was likely better but the mass is still the same, and because it's so dense then we could be talking about a single slice instead of two and a half of modern white. That would be terribly demoralizing for troops to receive, I imagine. Still, at least they ate something they're familiar with! If I had to eat Wonderbread during war then I'd do myself in, I'm sure.

[@w0tna781]

"Don't waste your cereal Timmy, those poor Germans in the 6th Army would be so grateful for it!"

[@TheImperatorKnight]

For just £3 a month, you can help a starving soldier

[@jarogniewtheconqueror2804]

Please donate £4 per week for a Nazi fleeing from Germany and other warzones endangering their lives through dangerous conditions to reach Argentina. As a bonus, you will receive free time with hot latinas.

[@Mister.Psychology]

So if Timmy is not a Nazi he shouldn't eat up then.

[@andrewallen9993]

For less than that you can starve little children in South Africa if you are a British Liberal government en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LizzieVanZyl.jpg

[@arnekrug939]

TIK I recently had a presentation in history about the economy of Nazi Germany were I also briefly touched on the toppic of food shortages and famine at the eastern front and from what I read it seems to have been caused by the lack of people working on the fields (because they were drafted or had to flee). Is this true? Also did the Americans support the SowjetUnion with food (since they shipped tanks, jeeps, trucks etc. I thought they also could have shipped food).

[@kalebcartier5474]

Veterans of any modern war will tell you how important cigarettes were, in most cases more important then food itself. They provided a bit of mental relief and helped soldiers deal with situations that would have otherwise made them snap. Imagine laying in a trench full of the decaying corpses of your friends because you can't bury them or move them due to snipers, you'd go completely mental, that's where cigarettes came in.

[@toaderspanache8571]

its a drug you stupid

[@georgkorea3154]

@@toaderspanache8571 fuck off

[@buckplug2423]

@@toaderspanache8571 yes. It is. That statement does not conflict anything in the comment above.

[@ukaszw6623]

@meezy i guess not, learn how nicotine works

[@yamingoat]

Dont forget that tobacco suppressed your appetite too, which helps lessen the horribleness of starvation.

[@zsoltpapp3363]

You need about 2000-2500 calories a day depending on your body weight having an office job, heating, aircon etc. If you are out all day in the cold it will be significantly more than that, even if you do nothing all day.

[@chrisyorke3013]

An annex to my world atlas published in the nineties then gave the US average calorie consumption as 3750 cals/day, one of the highest in the world, behind Greece and Ireland. Can't say how military diets may compare.

[@andreaskarlsson83]

Yes 2500 calories is very low. For a physically active combat soldier I imagine 3500-7000 calories. That's a lot of bread.

[@andrewpestotnik5495]

US MRE's are at least 5000 calories

[@greatcornholiotha2nd]

@Americanetz that depends on your weight, height, and activity level to an extent.

[@ceu160193]

@@greatcornholiotha2nd it also depends on clothing. If you are having proper winter uniform, your heat loss is decreased, reducing amount of calories your body spends to maintain warm. But if you don't have proper clothing, you need a lot more food to not freeze.

[@taccovert4]

And in the US Military, I used to get around 4000 calories a day in 'combat' conditions. Cold Weather rations could go as high as 6000 calories per day.

[@randomusername7096]

6000 a day? That's insane to think about

[@chico9805]

@@randomusername7096 A normal man's gotta eat, but a fighting man must devour

[@taylorwatson7932]

@@randomusername7096 I know a fellow who was a US Marine infantryman in Iraq. He claimed to have been given approximately 6,000 calories a day and he still lost around 25 pounds during the second battle of Fallujah.

[@johnr797]

@@randomusername7096 you've clearly never been to my grandma's house then

[@thomasbrady3827]

@@randomusername7096 Roman soldiers were known to eat as much as 4k calories a day under normal conditions. In the Aincent world logistics were an absolute nightmare but the romans still thought it was important to give there soldiers 2000+ calories per day. The other 2000 or so would probably come from stuff the soldiers foraged for

[@JS-wp4gs]

Its worth mentioning that you left out the fact that a large number of German troops died as a result of refeeding syndrome when their medical officers prescribed them high calorie meat paste due to starvation. It took them quite awhile to figure out exactly why people that were receiving that medical diet were dropping dead faster than those who were left to starve. tldr is starvation causes a severe drop in the phosphate levels in your blood. When you suddenly start taking in a larger amount of food your body goes into a form of metabolic shock that causes a further sudden large but temporary decrease in blood phosphates while your body kicks out of starvation mode. Its just enough to trigger a cardiac arrest and thus death. The americans noted the same problem when the first concentration camps were liberated and prisoners started suddenly dropping dead after having food handed out to them indiscriminately. With that kind of starvation, all food intake has to be carefully regulated and monitored to prevent that from happening

[@JackG79]

This.... Not only that, they needed to be hooked up to IV's and have their nutrients put in a little at a time so as not to cause the liver to go into shock. When the liver is filtering basically WATER for blood for 3 months, then suddenly it's full of nutrients, this can cause the liver to releaee deadly enzymes to counter this. And it is usually to much on a starving person. They need their system leveled off through gradual small food intatake in a stepped nutrient re-introduction.

[@sliferxxxx]

Abdur you're a pos

[@rbguerreiro2466]

@@sliferxxxx you know the holocaust deniers always creep out of their caves once in a while. Ignore them.

[@jillvalentinefan77]

@@rbguerreiro2466 Its always entertaining and sad simultaneously.

[@Numira]

i guess the same happened to a lot of survivors of death camps, when starving and weak inmates got fed by their savors and the body was so weak it could not handle the amount of food and water thy got in such a short amount that they died too.

[@TheClanAdventures]

I'm a mountain guide and research in cold weather expeditions put calories burnt being anything upto 3500 and in some cases over 4000 per day. this is in temperatures of -0 to -20. The wait loss can be spectacular. Cold temperatures make all government recommended calorie intake inaccurate for anything other than a civilian working a 8 hour shift. Keep up your great work.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Curious to know if height up a mountain affects weight loss - only because you lose weight by breathing, so if you're breathing differently, would that affect it? kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKasnaaEaJeKl6c

I go to the gym 4 days per week and cycle to work. I eat about 3000 calories per day. 1200 calories would be a serious eating disorder.

[@TheClanAdventures]

It's only when your very high. and the cold out ways any effect of height. Or cold temperatures and wind. The wind can drop a easley survivable temperature down to deady in minutes. -10 or below you will get frost bite on any exposed skin. Add wind chill. -8 with a 20mph wind takes you to -18. were as -4 with a 10mph wind would give you -10. Your body just eats calories when its this cold then you have all the other problems. Water supply, the energy required to melt snow for water. Even something as simple as going to the toilet becomes a dangerous act. Pissing in bottles and shitting in bags next to where your sleeping is how artic and mountain expeditions do it. It would be interesting to see the difference if any in the casualty due to cold for German troops stationed in Stalingrad and troops out in the open countryside.

[@Psytinker]

The short answer is yes. The long answer is www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physiologyonline.2001.16.3.134

[@davidbriggs264]

Actress Audrey Hepburn was always very slight, largely because she grew up in Belgium during the War and didn't always get sufficient food during the day.

[@daviddavidov8398]

Cigarettes suppress hunger, one cup a coffee with cigarette and you don’t think about food half day

[@mickeskogen3184]

Nahm couldnt disagree more :). not after a few days without food

[@petarristevski9830]

They both speed up metabolism you dont think but the results are obvious

[@donovanb9020]

Yep. While overseas, I had a regular routine of coffee and cigarettes (or just cigarettes if it was more miserable than usual that day) every other hour. Was never hungry. I only ate because I knew I needed to between workouts.

[@RubySapior]

*suppresses hunger, still does not help with calorie intake

[@Bialy_1]

"you don’t think about food half day" word of someone that have no idea what real hunger is... There is a book "Pięć lat kacetu"(five years in concentration camp), its ofc unknown in the west beause the guy that wrote it was not a Jew so his story how he survived 5 years in Dachau, Mauthausen and Gusen is not worthed a Hollywood movie...

[@MicaelSantana450]

Ive met one of the 5000 German soldiers who survived Stalingrad .. I was a small kid, when I´ve met him at the Beach catching worms to go fishing I was afraid of touching the worms he helped me and told me he ate that at Stalingrad but did not realized what he actually have been trough..

[@yannikoloff7659]

He was a German soldier who came to other country to kill their people. In fact, on the other side of front, civilians and soldier were dying from hunger by millions. And that happened because of him. Do I catched a hint of sympathy to this man from you?

[@soerenp.e.ziemens5939]

@@yannikoloff7659 oh and you would have denied military service, facing concentration camp with your whole family together?! Guys like you don't remember that the Nazis conquered Germany first. In a regime you say no and face drastically consequences. At the front disobedience leaded to death and the family were sent to concentration camps. I don't believe that you would have been able to do that. The system was the cruellest soulgrinder you can imagine.

[@yannikoloff7659]

@@soerenp.e.ziemens5939 Nope! They were nazies and that's why they took guns and went to kill other nations. And dude, if you are in Germany, then you commited a crime with your comment

[@yannikoloff7659]

@@soerenp.e.ziemens5939 There was no threat of camp for Germans, they were going themselves. And yes, I would beny. And, as I look on today politics, I'm allready prepared for avoiding army all together. My family is moved to other country allready. And if somebody is force me into army, I would exchange my life for 5-10 soldiers around me, than execute criminal orders. That's why I've been thrown out from French Foreign Legion. Since my time in Legion, I have my own opinion. And yes, those Germans were brainwashed to the core, they took guns to kill a lot of people. And again, you commiting a crime in Germany

[@soerenp.e.ziemens5939]

@@yannikoloff7659 being not in that situation makes it easily to say "I would have denied". You are a keyboard warrior. Men who served in the legion don't express it in a commentary discussion. :'D

[@FlashPointHx]

Eat food then the rats then the leather and then each other - I wonder how many times this has been repeated in history

[@Logaweed]

Probably as many times as communism has been tried.

[@bashpr0mpt719]

Too many. And almost always because of communists.

[@SexyFace]

cant really say communism is a failure considering there are still multiple countries operating under it

[@christosvoskresye]

Uh huh. So Communists were to blame for the Nazis invading them -- both for the starvation of their own people and of the poor, virtuous Nazis? Get your head out of your ideology and learn some history. As evil as it was, Communism never had a monopoly on evil, and it really never invented a new kind of evil. You could read in the Bible (which you obviously have not) about sieges that drove people to cannibalism almost three thousand years before Lenin was born. You can start with 2 Kings 6:26-29.

[@JackG79]

Smegmɑ There are ZERO nations operating under strict communism. EVERY nation that has ever been communist has had to implore some means of capitalist market and zeal to keep them going. China is all but a capitalist market now. with very little communist labor/wage/rationing going on. Nothing like communism or marx or lenin. Even North Korea, (who are more of a Jucha soziety now days than a communist one) have had to allow their black markets to florish to feed their own people. And even if there is enough communis going on inside of these nations.... that does not mean that communism ISN"T a failure. It just means that EVEN A LITTLE capitalism will keep them afloat. All large nations where Communism was the norm suffered from HUGE famine and there is ALWAYS shortages. East Germany was the showpiece of communism and that failed. the problem with communism isn't the ideas.... .is the PEOPLE. There will always be human beings, and THEY will always be flawed, and they will use the upper echelon of communism to do JUST want it is supposed to elimite.... they will make themselves the upper class and dine in eclelency while the rest of the nation starves.

[@Yomolosolo]

even 2500 calories are clearly insufficient for a combatant soldier. Actual rations for US soldiers have like 3.500 calories and they recommend not to feed them more than 3 weeks with that kind of rations. Roman army feed his soldiers with more than 3.000 calories. If you consider that german soldiers at stalingrad were at -30 degrees... imagine.

[@ExUSSailor]

When you're encircled, "rear echelon" doesn't mean a whole Hell of a lot. If you could hold a weapon, you fought.

[@largol33t1]

I still have to respect Zeitzler. Going on a diet to protest his troops' dire treatment.

[@Bravo-Too-Much]

Göring did the same thing. Hitler saw him looking “emaciated” after eating ration equivalents for a month, losing over 30 pounds, and ordered him to resume his normal diet.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

@@Bravo-Too-Much Hermann Goering?? I've never seen any photo of him where he didn't look morbidly obese

[@marvelousmoostacheman5560]

@@bucksdiaryfan He did become quite skinny at Nuremberg.

[@Waldemarvonanhalt]

@@bucksdiaryfan a morphine dependency can do that to you.

[@mosesmarlboro5401]

Frostbite was also a huge killer. On one day alone in December, the 6th army suffered over 2000 casualties from frostbite.

[@Black-Rat]

Got that right, the only way to treat this and still know nowadays are amputation, given the situation the 6th Army was stuck with, the only way that I could think of to even amputating was done without anesthetics, extremely painful, that is, if the patient survived such thing, not everyone can tolerate that line of pain...

[@notbadsince97]

"Why they still ship cigarettes?" Well according to Orwell, "In stationary warfare there are three things that all soldiers long for: a battle, more cigarettes, and a week's leave." The 6th Army had enough battles and couldn't get weekend leave for obvious reasons so that only left cigarettes. Also, you could probably just imagine the problem of ten's of thousands of soldiers that would be constantly irritated, fatigue etc from withdrawal without cigarettes and on top of that starving while being armed? Not a recipe for success.

[@leathery420]

There is a reason alcohol, and cigrits were popular rations up until just a couple decades ago. War can be exciting, but it can also be extremely boring. Hours, days, even weeks of boredom broken up by seconds, minutes, and hours of sear panic. There are also only two speeds in the military. Hurry up, and wait. Something as simple as a 5 minute cigarette can make the world of difference in getting your mind off the things going on around you. Even today while cigarettes aren't issued it's not uncommon to come back from a combat zone with the habit. Somewhat unrelated, but there is a documentary called: This is what winning looks like. It's got lots of video of the ANA/ANP regulars indulging in smoking opium, cannabis, tobacco, brewing tea while they fire PKs a basically nothing just out of boredom. While the ANA/ANP might be more dysfunctional than other groups what is certain is that activities like these have probably gone on as long as wars have been fought.

[@RandySavag]

Nah bro, I've never seen warfare or been apart of a military. I don't smoke so it's not something you need and you can live without it. Obviously they were just stacking up the trucks tits full of smokes instead of food. Those soldiers are just pussies.

[@libertatemadvocatus1797]

RandySavage, a lot of combat soldiers START smoking when out in the field. Including in times and armies where tobacco has been removed from rations. And it's not like they were removing food to ship cigarettes. There simply was not enough food to send to these guys. However, there were enough cigarettes. And like it or not, morale is a major component to the effectiveness of a fighting force. You can tell guys out in the field who are bleeding a dying that you don't think they should eat sugary food or smoke, but you'll just make them more miserable and less effective with your grandstanding.

[@EroticOnion23]

Nicotine also suppresses hunger...

[@MrRedsjack]

Cigarettes are an hunger suppressant

[@TheImperatorKnight]

So if food

[@TheImperatorKnight]

*is

[@SteveMHN]

I can't imagine 3 cigarettes a day is going to suppress their hunger too much, and doubt it would suppress their craving for more smokes either.

[@BrorealeK]

At this point heavy nicotine addiction makes a reduction in cigarette rations actually affect hunger negatively, so yeah I doubt the 3 cigs a day alleviated anything.

[@stefangadshijew1682]

I don't think cigarettes are a good hunger suppressant. They just distract you for a bit. (Maybe that's different from person to person) But _not_ supplying the _promise_ of cigarettes would probably also be enormously distracting to the addicts. If they can tell themselves that there _will_ be cigarettes, they will stop thinking about how to _get them anyway_ if they wouldn't supply any, or at least not think about it as much or do stupid shit to get some.

[@TheSecondVersion]

"An army marches on its stomach." - Napoleon

[@mcpartridgeboy]

no you march on your feet, only sealions move on their tummys.

[@doubledekercouch]

@@mcpartridgeboy me, the snakes, the seals and the penguins about to roll up on you.

[@methylene5]

An army marches on it's stomach, especially when crawling under barbed wire.

[@maonyksmohc9574]

@@mcpartridgeboy your feet will quickly disappoint you if you do not eat

[@vytautasgaldikas7588]

Regarding cigarettes - it's a huge morale boost for smoking troops.

[@Novafire194]

That and it acts as a hunger suppression, keeps you awake and alert, and it takes the edge off ya a bit. Didn't serve in the army but I worked on the Riggs, and in warehouses (both physically demanding with various levels of stress) Although a few buddies who were in the army said they managed to keep calm during nasty fire fights and clearing villages in Afghanistan (we're canucks) because they had darts (cigarettes).

[@Erikaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

Even if you look at a relatively innocent drug like caffeine, if a heavy coffee drinker just suddenly stops drinking coffee one day, they will suffer from withdrawal symptoms. Headaches, fatigue, anxiety, and restlessness are all quite common. If you look at Tobacco, which is a much harder drug than Caffeine, you really can understand why you wouldn't want most of your troops to suddenly go and get sick in the middle of a siege. Cigarettes are small and light-weight, you can ship over a box of several thousand quite easily.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

I understand the morale boost - but it's about priorties. You can live without cigarettes. You cannot live without food. And when you only have limited transport capacity, you need to prioritise food.

[@markp6621]

It might be possible that ammunition and food were so dense as to approach the weight capacity of an aircraft while still leaving a lot of room. Cigarettes are very light for the volume. I have no idea if they were doing air drops, but light stuff at the top of an airdropped package might also make sense in that kind of logistical scenario, or perhaps even the bottom as a "shock absorbing" packaging that was also useful.

[@adrianj2666]

Werent German army on morphine anyway?

[@DeepPastry]

That 2,500 calorie number is for people with central heating and normal physical activity, not for soldiers fighting in freezing winter temperature. For those situations you probably need closer to 6,000 calories a day to avoid losing weight.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Perhaps. Either way though, they weren't even getting 2,500

[@burlatsdemontaigne6147]

TIK _. Not perhaps. Royal Marines cold weather/arctic training recieve between 5 and 8 thousand calories per day - every day. In a frozen fox hole at Stalingrad you would burn 2,500 just shivering!

[@deanroberts2021]

Don't take 2500 cals as a serious recommend amount it's alot like the food pyramid recommend amount with set fruit veg carbs meat etc , largely influenced by the sellers of meat & veg rather than facts much like 5 a day very little scientific backing

[@MegaMapper]

i'm sure they had many days of just lying on the ground but still... you lose calories by just lying on the ground and crawling time to time.

[@phredd2]

I believe the recommendation is for 4,000 calories for activity in serious winter conditions.

[@GunsNGames1]

Meanwhile on the Soviet side: *Ivan you can drink the vodka and eat the snow, if you mix snow and vodka you get alcoholic ice cream.*

[@obiwaankenobi4460]

Absolutely genius!

[@dirkusmaximus9268]

And the vodka kills all germs.

[@EgnachHelton]

100 grams of Vodka is about 231 calories, so better than nothing...

[@p70581]

Very funny, wise guy!

[@jonathanhansen3709]

Having personally experienced a 30 day period where I could not eat or drink (had intestinal surgery which had to heal, my fluids came from an IV drip) I know just lying in a bed you can lose 30 lbs. I also discovered after the first week, it would be easy to starve to death, as you loose all sense of hunger.

[@Novafire194]

Poor buggers were surviving on roughly on 706 calories a day and 3 darts a day in combat when I was going through 3000 calories (loaf of bread and a couple of cans of stew) and 50 darts a day on the Riggs when I was 18. How any of those poor guys survived just shows how tough humans are when it comes to surviving.

[@unrealassasination]

No

[@utahraptor4729874]

I’m eating during this video just to flex.

[@Ethan-mp7wr]

GopnikRaptor Woah... D: Adequate amount of food? Eating a snack and not conserving your food? Madness, I say, madness.

[@guyincognito2506]

Dick troll 😂

[@lordfatcock]

You ever eat a big mac in the middle of Stalingrad just to flex? 😩

[@lordfatcock]

@Leroy Awar I actually forgot I even made that comment. I was either high or drunk because I don't find it funny loool I'm so confused

[@wheelman1324]

I’m drinking whiskey as I watch this. If I were one of the Germans, I would have wanted to die feeling warm.

[@mikepodella]

German Army bread (kriegsbrot) is nothing at all like the loaf of white bread you show. It was very dense, brownish-black, and had a very long shelflife and lots of nutrition. Kriegsbrot was made of bread yeast, white sugar, all-purpose flour, medium rye flour, whole wheat flour, bran flakes, salt, instant coffee powder, unsweetened chocolate, caraway seed. powdered onion, water, molasses and cider vinegar.

[@EroticOnion23]

Mass is still mass. 16oz.

[@gulanhem9495]

@@EroticOnion23 That's a good point, but it had 30% more calories for the same weight.

[@thetankers14]

I know this is quite old but i'm interested. I've never seen any recipe that includes coffee powder, powdered onions, molasses and cider vinegar. Where did you see this?

[@kniazandrei9904]

@@EroticOnion23 Normal bread has around 35% water in it. Bread issued to deployed soldiers will have less water but even if it had none it would give only 50% more calories per ounce.

[@danielapel1976]

I highly doubt the nutritional effect of Kriegsbrot. Its Made from sawdust, leftovers, acorn and oak seed and gereral chaff. Its not Pumpernickel. Wich is nutritional and rich.

[@u.iceman6598]

Why the cigarettes you ask? Every soldier was addicted, having no cigarettes along side with little rations, would mean an imminent collapse in morale.

[@StevieMoore]

Just imagine, on top of that, they've also ran out of meth pills so they'd be in withdrawel as well.

[@OkDannnn]

reading a book about that now! Blitzed

[@dannysigurdson6533]

Meth withdrawal isn't the agony that heroin or alcohol withdrawal is- more than anything else, you'll be extremely sleepy and HUNGRY... which I guess would be pretty agonizing in this situation!

[@hughiedavies6069]

Can't imagine anything worse

[@StevieMoore]

@Zombiebuilder101 what’s that got to do with Stalingrad?

[@StevieMoore]

@Zombiebuilder101 yes I agree, US likely used more than the Germans. We Definitely had more morphine, and the fighters in Stalingrad neither. At least the rooskies had vodka, Wehrmacht didn’t even have that.

[@mihaiserafim]

I've liked the final part very, very much. You are rare bird in the history enthusiasts ranks. Most people when they go very deep into a problem loose sight of the broader picture, but you don't. I have another 8 hours of sentry duty to go but now I have something to keep my mind occupied. Thanks!

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Sometimes you have to think outside the box. It was no doubt very bad for Sixth Army's soldiers, but let's not forget the many other encirclements that happened during this war, and how many other people were starved. Puts things into perspective. Hope your sentry duty goes well :)

[@mihaiserafim]

TIK I've remembered a story told by one of my neighbors who was with the German Army/SS. He told me about the desperation of seeing supplies dropped behind Russian lines. They have run out of flares and the Russians were imitating their signals to fool the pilots.

[@Amadeus8484]

War doesn't determine who is right, just who is left...

[@TheImperatorKnight]

History isn't written by the winners, it's written by the survivors.

[@vivalafelix681]

Thank you! I never agreed when people always said that the winners write the history

[@danmarr7916]

Another cringy war comment

[@vivalafelix681]

@@danmarr7916 I dont get what's cringy about war

[@protonjones54]

You can't say the same for the second world war

[@capoocat1278]

My gramps survived Stalingrad he was lucky to be one of the last to get our via plane bcause of a shrapnelwound. However he told me that they had no food they ate grass and even allready rotting animals he lost nearly 15 kg bcause of that foodshortage. Up untill his death he never ever wasted food he either ate it all or put it in the freezer.

[@nikolaynovichkov166]

Not to dispute your gramp's memoirs, but the animals could hardly rot, as the encirclement happened in November when the temperatures were already firmly in the subzero region, so dead animals would stay as good as in a freezer.

[@cwolf8841]

@@nikolaynovichkov166 leave a dead horse out on your yard in winter and see what happens.

[@EroticOnion23]

@@nikolaynovichkov166 He probably meant like rat or stray dog-eaten horses or something like that.

[@blasterofmuppets4754]

@@EroticOnion23 or may be just meat that was full of mud.

[@matthoskin3572]

What was his name, rank, unit etc....... don't believe you.

[@ziggymorris8760]

Cigarettes raise the metabolism 20%, so the body was burning those low calories at a faster rate which is deadly.

[@sigma6656]

Yeah, but at that time nearly everyone was addicted to cigarettes so you definitely don't want your men going through nicotine withdrawal. It's the same with the USAF survival rations of the time, why pack cigarettes where you could stash more food?

[@kalebcartier5474]

ziggy morris Where the hell did you hear that statistic from? Most smokers are Average or Overweight 😂 We ain't getting no 20% boost to metabolism

[@sigma6656]

Kaleb Cartier Hey! I resemble that remark!

[@critical242]

It's true. Stop smoking and see what happens. Smoking burns approximately 200 calories a day.

[@kalebcartier5474]

critical242 asking a smoker to stop smoking is like telling a thot to stop sleeping around ain't gonna happen

[@mtf_nine_tailed_fox385]

I wonder If Vegans can survive the Russian Winter

[@mrgameboy6261]

I doubt...

[@gonkdroid1337]

Why wouldn’t they

[@bradleyg7498]

@@gonkdroid1337 Because plants won't give you enough nutrients to survive freezing temperatures, you need meat.

[@donnienehls2588]

Lol in any kind of world conflict vegans will be the very first to die off.

[@gonkdroid1337]

@@donnienehls2588 counterpoint: to a vegan eating human meat is just as detestable as eating animal meat, so when shit gets gnarly it'll be easier for vegans to commit fully to the apocalypse. also vegans have a more sensitive palette and are used to eating vegetables, so while most omnivores will suffer from having to eat canned shit and vegetables for years, vegans wont mind having to basically only eat staple foods. most vegans are also health nuts and theres a kinda mental discipline that comes from adhering to a specific diet. finally, vegans are used to being hated, so the stress of the apocalypse wont really hurt htem so much. jsut food for thought

[@konstantingr5928]

you are actually one of the few youtubers that tries to picture a realistic view of the ww2 . only thing i hate now is that i cant watch discovery/national geo anymore knowing how biased and propagandized the modern documentaries are

[@TheImperatorKnight]

I think the reason is because they've tailored their shows to a broad audience, purely for profit and also not get negative press. The result is a mixture of non-historical programs (Ice Road F) and diluted military history programs that keep repeating the popular opinions so as not to rock the boat. Whether you agree with the things I say or not, it's nice to have a debate about whether it was Göring's fault or Jeschonnek's for the decision to do the airlift. You won't see that debate on TV because the TV channels putting these programs out are too scared of negative ratings. I'm not though. I'm more interested in the debate, giving tons of information and helping others. Downvote my videos to oblivion and see if I care (hint: I won't)

[@Snatch737]

TIK This material is pretty uncontroversial. But I remember what was happening after your videos in which you said that Russians won II WW, rejecting the idea that Germany simply lost it and that Soviets didn't put any effort in winning

[@DivineFalcon]

Konstantin Gr Discovery and Nat Geo still runs documentaries? I've avoided those channels for years due to all the reality TV crap.

[@longfordboy2538]

This is a really excellent point!! Thank you.

[@destubae3271]

People also complain about how great the History channel used to be. It was always hit or miss imo-- it always had sensationalist elements.

[@nathanm9212]

I come back to this video every few weeks to remind myself to be grateful... Perspective is everything.

[@Anthony-qu7qd]

It would actually look like less bread, german bread is notoriously dense and vitamin rich

[@paraskaikessa597]

Its called masterrace-bread

[@unfortunately_fortunate2000]

Ben Benjan why do you not like germany?

[@Wieselkatze]

@Ben Benjan there is no butter in the most widely consumed form of bread here in Germany. It's a type of sourdough bread called "Bauernbrot" which translates to farmers bread.

[@ITIsFunnyDamnIT]

@Ben Benjan I will be going to Germany at some point to visit my girlfriend as she has already been here to the U.S. and is coming back again. Next year I'll be going over there if all goes well. But I do have concerns about going there. Like the fact that everything closes so damn early, knowing most Germans are rude and unfriendly. An you have to be real careful about what you say , I knew Nazi jokes, Hitler Jokes and Jokes about Jews was not allowed, but you can also get in trouble for telling any racist jokes there. An I like to make fun of everyone including but not limited to white people.

[@jamesson_heinicken]

@Ben Benjan what exactly didnt you like?

[@pauld1216]

"Why they still ship cigarettes?" Lol Join army mate and see how it works

[@TheImperatorKnight]

I thought an army marches on its stomach

[@pauld1216]

Yes,but...It is very simplistic approach.You cannot underestimate them small "morale boosters".In place of cigarettes,chocolate etc they could flew in more nutritious stuff but if you look at modern armies rat packs,they are not only proteins and carbs.Loads of stuff to keep lads happy. You doing decent job in your videos (in most of them) but sometimes they lack "ground perspective".Soldiers see things differently

[@notbadsince97]

I think a veteran from the Israel 1948 war said something along the lines of, "Can you imagine soldiers without cigarettes? It was so terrible."

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Hold on a second, what's more important when your soldiers are starving to death - morale or food?

[@pauld1216]

I know its hard to believe but morale is as important as food.Fighting is such complex thing

[@Tauntboot]

Stalingrad was the most effective weight loss to date

[@OhDannyboy7]

Horribly hilarious comment. Lol

[@duxlorbitxl9986]

Doctors HATE him for using this simple but effective trick!

[@Dulcimertunes]

No. Concentration camps are

[@kylehopkins7841]

Maureen Barnes *laughs in cannibal island gulag

[@BlackIce777-b6h]

Fuck off

[@Ginkoman2]

14 stone??? what kind of unit is that? half a rock wich is 1/42 of a hill???

[@SerBallister]

It's a British imperial unit. 14 x 14lbs so 196lbs

[@Jamesltricker]

another ignorant yank

[@petethedigger9464]

....who cannot spell.

[@MasterElite403]

Jamesltricker A brit calling an American Ignorant? Oh how fun!

[@pyllywaltteri]

Jamesltricker most of the world doesnt use stones so..

[@smittywerbenjaegermanjense7376]

"This is steak, don't be mistaken to think this is actually horse meat." I mean, depending on where you are...

[@daxstreamer7992]

Smitty Werben Jaeger man Jensen its very good and I wouldn’t know what’s wrong wit it tho

[@deusexaethera]

Cigarettes were included partly because everyone smoked back then, and partly because tobacco contains a wide array of fast-acting antidepressants. That's why smoking calms people down, and helps to counteract the effects of drinking too much alcohol. (alcohol is a depressant.)

[@nedisahonkey]

Shawn Elliott Oh boy. An anti depressant doesn't automatically negate the effects of a depressant.

[@deusexaethera]

It's complicated. There are several neurotransmitters used in different parts of the brain, and their release can be depressed or stimulated by endogenous or artificial means. Whether an antidepressant will counteract a depressant depends entirely on whether they affect the same neurotransmitters. As it happens, alcohol is a broad-spectrum depressant, and the MAOIs in tobacco are broad-spectrum antidepressants, though they each affect the release of various neurotransmitters by different amounts. As a result, you're right that they can't _completely_ counteract each other, but they do counteract each other to a limited extent.

[@nedisahonkey]

Shawn Elliott Glad you have a nuanced understanding of 8t but I still haven't seen anything in the literature indicating that alcohol (primarily GABA influenced) and nicotine (Nicitonic and acetocholine) have any sort of antagonistic effect. In fact if anything they're secondary effects on the opioid receptors would seem to cause potentiation. But i would love to hear more since you seem to know a lot on the subject

[@deusexaethera]

I didn't say nicotine. Nicotine is the addictive substance in tobacco, but tobacco also contains several other chemicals which function as MAOIs -- the same class of chemicals as the first generation of pharmaceutical antidepressants. Nicotine makes you want to smoke more, but it's the MAOIs that make you feel better. Unfortunately I don't have a list of chemical names to give you. Also, alcohol is broader-spectrum than just affecting GABA receptors. Benzodiazepines are much more tightly focused, which is why they have the same anti-anxiety effect as alcohol without the intoxicating effect. Even if you overdose on benzos, you don't stumble around and make a fool of yourself so much as just fall asleep.

[@deusexaethera]

I'm not inclined to respect the medical opinion of someone whose name is 1337sauce.

[@alyssinclair8598]

Kurt is one of the few German officers I unironically respect. Eating what your soldiers do requires a lot of self sacrifice but it sends a strong message

[@JR9979]

Mark of a true officer. Understanding what your men are going though and trying to lead them to victory with those limitations in mind.

[@wailnshred]

He seems like he had a heart.

[@bryanmartinez6600]

Hans get back to your position... Hans? Where Hans go?

[@cesarcoronel9135]

HERPY DERPEDY Hans get the luber

[@marrymekatsuya]

Cesar Coronel Luger

[@cesarcoronel9135]

d e a t h _ s c r e a m _ no I mean luber

[@marrymekatsuya]

Cesar Coronel oh

[@kingrichard3990]

He freeze to death with Fritz

[@buddyanddaisy123]

No wonder Colonel Klink was afraid of being posted to the eastern front!

[@indydude3367]

Perhaps you meant Sergeant Schultz.

[@IkeCarterShow]

Which one is it? I’m new to this?

[@agentc7020]

THE1NONLY1 not like red army conditions were any better

[@eric777100763]

I know nothing!!!!!!!!

[@mountainguyed67]

@@indydude3367 Both, except one episode Hogan had Klink begging to go to the Russian front...

[@98katman]

A person living/working in the cold will need more calories just to maintain body heat.

[@OhDannyboy7]

3 smokes WAS their breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

[@codywachter6891]

“They will lose 1/10 of their body weight during the siege..” If ThEy SuRvIvE

[@dreadpiraterobertsii4420]

I can’t even imagine the horrors that the civilians faced

[@Thematic2177]

Thr VAST majority of the civilans either fled, or was evacuated

[@alexg3911]

Most civilians were evacuated and those who weren't were given quick lessons in fighting or trench digging

[@hydenshribby]

When I was a kid in Germany (in the 90s) a friend and neigbor of our family lived with his father who was well into his 80s and I always only knew the old man as "Grandpa Turnip". He would always take walks around the neighborhood and into the nearby forest and when he met my father doing some gardening outside he would stop by and tell him something about his time as a POW in russia, these were always just over-the-fence conversations, literally. My father would sometimes then tell me the stories that he heard from him afterwards. I remember one in particular: They where chronically malnurished because of the lack of food, but because they had to do basic farming tasks as part of the labour in the POW camp, and this would take place somewhere outisde the camp, they could occasionally smuggle in one or two radishes in their pockets, and they had a small oven in their cell, so they would slice these small radishes into thin pieces and lay it on the oven, so that everyone could get a slice. He said, for him this thin slice of radish tasted like the best steak they've ever had, because there was barely any other food really. For me, the sheer thought of slicing up a tiny radish and then baking on a blank oven top and eating it like it was the best delicacy in the world seemed totally absurd, but for them, that was their reality. I could never get over the thought, that's why it stuck with me ever since. Grandpa Turnip died in the early 2000s.

[@mikearmstrong8483]

I claim nothing like that in my experience, but I can say that receiving a small saucer of oatmeal was a feast after eating nothing for 3 days during some certain military training. And I don't even like oatmeal.

[@alanfenick1103]

Extreme cold weather dietary requirements can exceed 5 to 6,000 calories per day depending on the activity level and exposure to the elements. That amount is just to maintain current body weight. US Army Quartermaster Corps has complete dietary tables for areas of service. Really enjoy your posts. You have great enthusiasm and demand for accuracy in your presentations.

[@CM-ls6fh]

Fantastic video, I never found any information more precise than this. All I have read up until now was basically, >They were starving. No exact information like this, great work!

[@TheImperatorKnight]

No worries! I aim to be as in-depth as possible with all my videos :)

[@audioaima2k893]

Who are you quoting?

[@TheImperatorKnight]

What do you mean?

[@PrimusSwallows]

TIK I think that audioaim was asking something along the lines of "If it's so hard to find sources that go into detail about the 6th army's diet, then what sources did you get the information in this video from?"

[@358Disaster]

Screw the food, send me the smokes. I'm probably gonna die and I at least wanna have a smoke before I die.

[@jonmiranda93]

Excellent content! Really changed my perspective on 6th Army. I had always wondered why so many Stalingrad prisoners died in captivity.

[@kendallstar7221]

You sound unhealthy af

[@Danke1982]

I know somebody who's father was fighting in Stalingrad and survide soviet war prison. He told me that his father had the rest of his life some psychological scars because of the experiences in Stalingrad. Stalingrad was a brutal nightmare for all soldiers fighting there.

[@tobymaltby6036]

A reminder of the true horrors of war. A reminder of the cruelty and callousness of totalitarian regimes. Excellent work TIK.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

No worries, a lot more to come on similar lines

[@cliccclacc6561]

He never denied that those two committed crimes. Why are you so worked up?

[@uracil792]

Its 3am why am i watching this

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Yes, why are you? Get to sleep!

[@paraskaikessa597]

Maybe cuz you clicked on the video :D

[@johnb.8687]

Because your lonely

[@mahrihaque4944]

Because history > sleep

[@Obnoxiouswolf2]

Same

[@Thx1138sober]

When I was in the US Army from 1981 to 1984, I estimate that I ate 3,200 to 4,000 calories a day to maintain my body weight of 155 pounds, when my enlistment ended I put on about 20 pounds over the next year as a civilian.

[@Thx1138sober]

I'm really glad you have made some progress with your traumatic brain injury, what a very special boy you are.

[@floydlooney6837]

All that exercise troops get does count for something!

[@Lightspit]

I BELIEVE YOU! In 1998 I was artillery officer student with 5-6 hours/ day practical or physical activities and another 4 to 6 hours of theoretical classes. My daily ration was regulated at 5050 calories a day. The food was really good and some of the guys could not even afford that type of food when they were not in the army. The only other branch in the Romanian Army with a larger ration then us were the paratroopers at 7000-7500 calories/day. Regardless the fact that I was chubby, in 6 months I lost 88 pounds. I remember that at that time I always want to sleep and I was feeling light headed almost all the time. I was not making fun anymore of the paratroopers because they were looking like falling at sleep when they were marching.

[@georg57garvy21]

I was in the USAF 35 years and rarely ate over 2500 calories a day. My weight stayed steady at 150lbs. Now at 84 i weigh 155 and my daily average calorie intake is around 2000. When i was in my 20s i was 5'9'' now i am 5'8''. Luckly i am fairly good health for my age.

[@Lerxstification]

If Goring was captured in the Kessel, his weight would have been down to 300 pounds according to your formulas! 😂

[@boulder89984]

Brilliant video mate. Thanks for explaining this to a generation that know very little of this struggle.

[@MarioMario-vn3fx]

I'm a recent subscriber and I have to say i love how informative your videos are. I've learned a lot from your vids, your unbiased view is really appreciated.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Thanks Mario, really happy to hear that :)

[@azanjac]

Another great video. You do the Stalingrad battle more justice than many flashy documentaries combined. Special props for underlying that the men of the 6th army were not innocent, but were brutal beasts at their worst. Too much romanticism with the German army recently.

[@brianmikkelsen1308]

I dont think you can compare plain white bread with the bread the german soldiers got; what they got was full of protein, fibers and good energy, and probably contained more than 1200 calories...

[@bovellois]

Yes probably pumpernickel that holds its shape and keeps for a long time.

[@wardaddyindustries4348]

Having been in the US Marine Corps and having situations where food wasn't always the best I'd happily take cigarettes over food. Not saying our situation was nearly as bad cause it wasn't just some insight. Once seen a guy pay $100 for a single smoke.

[@theortheo2401]

Addiction is great isn't it :)

[@Gaur1983]

Nicotine is a kind of introspective drug. Tobacco allowed the soldiers to take their mind off(if only temporarily) the cares and tedium of military duty and,in this case, the hell of Stalingrad ,where death was in the offing. Even in the present day it's not uncommon to find American soldiers on sentry duty in Iraq or Afghanistan smoking cigarettes. Also,remember, a cigarette was traditionally offered to a condemned man before execution. Maybe, Hitler and German High Command realised that the situation in Stalingrad was hopeless and only a suicidal last stand would maintain the honour of the German army. If a Wehrmacht soldier was expected to blow their brains out or make a suicidal attack on a Russian position, nothing would quite restore their spirits and bolster their resolve than their last cigarette.

[@simonestill2351]

A combination of malnutrition, stress (depressed immune systems) and unsanitary conditions meant disease was a big factor as well. There were typhus, dysentery and cholera epidemics within the kessel itself and the POW camps afterwards killing large numbers of soldiers. In such conditions even a small flesh wound could be fatal.

[@MrArgus11111]

At the worst of the GULAGs, typically the gold mining camps such as Vorkuta, the zeks were reportedly sometimes receiving only 300 calories/day and were then expected to mine gold... by hand... sometimes without equipment. The mortality rate at Vorkuta was, unsurprisingly, incredibly high.

[@ZaJaClt]

People had deformations from that labour, like if you were a wheelbarrow pusher (very crudely beaten together wooden crappy cart) your arms would stiffen in that position untill death relieved you from the suffering.. thats what judeo-bolshevism brought the world

[@КонстантинОсьмаков]

As Russian I will say, it is bullshit.

[@whiteeuropean581]

​@@КонстантинОсьмаков of coutse, because russians think that they never did nothing bad in history and deny Stalins crimes.

[@elmascapo6588]

​​@@КонстантинОсьмаков source? Also: Ewwwwwww, a moskal🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

[@badbob9596]

I wish more people were interested in history. It reminds us of the horror we are capable of.You have a great channel!Thank you.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Me too.

[@aaronseet2738]

Why were they still receiving cigarettes? A colleague from my first job, a habitual smoker, put it this way: if they had come down to their last $5-10 (or whatever it costs to buy a pack of cigarettes), they'd rather forego lunch and smoke instead. Yes, hunger is _secondary_ .

[@malcolm3664]

Aaron Seet !!??? Haha I’m Australia it’s a min $25 for a pack government bull shit tax hence the illegal imports.

[@IPFreelly604]

Oxygen and water are way more important.

[@IPFreelly604]

Please, go back to reddit so you receive your gold.

[@hoosierjonny336]

It is true that all sides committed horrible acts but we must also remember that not every soldier did. Not every Soviet or German that starved to death at Stalingrad was guilty of a heinous crime so we must remember that as well.

[@bryanmanuel4945]

teslagod2003 well it wouldn't make you innocent because you could have done something to stop it

[@mrocean8139]

Ahhh, The Battle of Stalingrad. No phones, no social media, just people living in the moment.

[@Dragon.7722]

The cold was almost even more dangerous than the lack of food. Just staying warm takes massive amounts of energy and can easily sum up to an additional 1000 calories required.

[@Oryxification]

You forget something about that bread ration: It was made mostly of sawdust. So they were getting much much less than you thought.

[@nelorfin1433]

Please make video (or several) about siege (or blockade) of Leningrad. Topic is very close to this one, but in much greater scale.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Good idea, I probably will :)

[@Unregistered.Hypercam.2.]

"There were no innocents" *laughs in 17 year old conscript not even knowing where he is*

[@buckplug2423]

Yeah, calling a whole freakin army "not innocent" is like saying everyone in Reading is a cunt. But such generalizations are acceptable if the phemomena is occuring frequently and universally enough. Like saying everyone in the 6th Army smoked. It's a hard thing to do when accusing a group, since in the West we're used to individual juristiction, but in WWII you were tried for the crimes of your group.

[@FrederEngelh]

Lol

[@kingkonut]

@@buckplug2423 everyone in Reading is a cunt though

[@Tepid24]

I know this is 6 months old, but anyway: We're talking about Stalingrad, not Berlin. The overwhelmingly vast majority of Wehrmacht soldiers were *volunteers* (!), with limited drafting that was again, happily accepted by almost all (the majority of objectors to conscription were so for religious reasons, mainly the Jehovah's Witnesses. Puts it into context when a tiny religious group made up most of the people who didn't want to partake in a war of annihilation). Even if we look at later in the war, when you might see a "17 year old conscript", they were far more often than not, all too happy to support the Wehrmacht's practices due to propaganda and fearmongering inciting racism and brutality.

[@andrewpestotnik5495]

Most German soldiers knew nothing of politics and were simply fighting because they felt that they were defending their country

[@rafterrafter5320]

Absolutely nothing wrong whith horse meat, my brother; you should try it; It is actually one of the leanest meat there is, and very tasty!👍

[@Darqshadow]

Venison is better

[@MrSnoopy100]

ok kazakh

[@islamicschoolofmemestudies]

Well yeah that's the point. The meat had no fat therefore horrible for calories supply in a harsh Stalingrad winter.

[@Georgieastra]

I've eaten quite a few Aldi lasagnas and can confirm this...

[@Johno1992]

@@Georgieastra wasnt it tesco? Dont forget about ikeas meatbaws

[@SteveMHN]

Going through a living hell like this is unimaginable, I bet some must have been welcoming their death/

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Some definitely. But humans tend to want to survive and fight hard to do that.

[@ADZ01982]

I feel sorry for them German soldiers who fought at Stalingrad. Bitter cold, starving surrounded. Only a few of the prisoners taken at Stalingrad ever made it home. I read that 50,000 died within two weeks of the surrender. Marched to death by starvation and cold. All died for Hitlers vain glory.

[@babaganushsky]

Thanks a lot for such detailed descriptions. It is shameful how little we know about the WW2

[@olecanole8596]

"Why are they still shipping in cigarette?" When you are addicted, cigarettes are more important than food.

[@adamfox1669]

Absolutely

[@jpo375]

Well done! Amazing work as always 😊

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Thanks, glad you liked it :)

[@ak9989]

I took German in a college in 1992. The instructors had a German man helping us learn German. One day we started talking about Stalingrad. He told us he was a survivor and a former pow of the 6th Army. I was skeptical but the following day he showed us his photo album and other items. kinda shocked he was telling the truth. He had his Russian issued pow card, pictures taken in Stalingrad with him in them. He was a part of the 297th Division. He even had his soldbuch still with the unit details inside. He told us they would make bread out of the glue from wallpaper. A picture taken of him in 1955 when he was released was pretty sad. I wish I could remember his name but after 20 plus years he most likely passed away. He immigrated in 1959 from East Germany.

[@chrisd4112]

That is sad thanks for sharing.

[@kirbyculp3449]

He may have been a cannibal.

[@endorphinvidmaker]

@@kirbyculp3449 Inferences on that?

[@traubpablo7736]

Mr TIK, your are building week to week one of the most complete and supported document about Stalingrad.even seen in youtube. Plus opinion, with full commitment. Your are risk taker. Thanks again and congratulations. Two issues to point out: a) The Wehrmacht were gulties of war crimes, they were not just a profesiontals ones. They also were commited with the utmost heinust war crimes. b) Chiukov troops shares the same food shortes than the wehrmacht.

[@AlanTheBest97]

Used to smoke a lot, It makes you feel less hungry for a short while.

[@shiinaai2978]

For the cigarette, I'd imagine it was to maintain their morale, apart from keeping themselves warm. I don't smoke myself, but those who do smoke, told me that smoking can make you forget that you're starving. So my belief is, they ship in cigarettes to make the soldiers forget that they couldn't transport enough food to transport to the front lines due to the encirclement.

[@diedertspijkerboer]

Latest food scandal: KZbinr passes beef off as (much less valuable) horse meat. The horror.

[@j.h-j5j]

I don't think that you can't buy horse meat. Horses are not being slaughtered for human consumption.

[@MrMturko44]

@@j.h-j5j yes,people still eat horses

[@Gabriel-sdf]

@@j.h-j5j if you can't find places where people still eat horses, then you aren't looking

[@SauberC10]

Jose Hernandez Martinez It’s a reference to the UK Horse Meat scandal, where supermarkets were caught selling Horse Meat as Beef Steaks. Horse Meat being cheaper than Beef, allowing greater profits for the supermarket. It was fraud, they got caught and it was a big scandal in the UK.

[@dzejrid]

@@j.h-j5j This is over one year old, but I'm going to answer this anyway: of course they are. The only country where killing horses for consumption is illegal is US. Horse meat is available in supermarkets across Europe and Asia. It's not usually cheap, but it's not prohibitively expensive either.

[@ottofin3178]

Thanks for debunking the "clean Wehrmacht" myth.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

My pleasure, and more to come on this topic. That said, I don't want to be seen as just 'picking on' the Wehrmacht. I'm conscious that all sides committed crimes and I do want to examine those incidents too.

[@Sirlunchalot1962]

It`s hard to stay clean in a Dictatorship. At first,there are bad propaganda and evel orders A very thin line,and it`s leading to a negative spin. Skin of civilisation is very thin,and many innocent had to suffer for the brutality of other`s.

[@rconley95]

That and all the crystal meth they used

[@elvispelvis5891]

Im sorry, but who actually needed this "debunking"? This is common sense, for many years actually, that the wehrmacht wasnt as free of commiting crimes as stated after the war. small edit: That being said. Wars are "dirty". Every side committed war crimes, but that doesnt mean that the wehrmacht as a whole was comprised of bloodthirsty war criminals.

[@Azoonaloc13]

If you had the choice between giving food to your own starving soldiers or giving food to enemy prisoners, what would you choose? He didn't "debunk," anything, this was common practice during WW2.

[@SVP-uy9qb]

You are amazing, TIK

[@jont2576]

when u dont have food,cigarettes and red bull can work just as well...

[@namesurname624]

Now I'm hungry

[@notbadsince97]

I had some nice borscht with some sour cream while watching this and there was beef that was cooked with the soup for hours that it became so tender that I could easily cut it with a spoon.

[@namesurname624]

Illya Lypyak ate borsht yesterday, best soup

[@notbadsince97]

Amen to that

[@stevenhannum758]

Name Surname smokebreak

[@MS-kd9fd]

I really liked this video and offers up a lot of food for thought (pun kind of intended). As an American, the scale, the viciousness, and the intensity of the Eastern Front is almost beyond comprehension.

[@paulscherz22]

crazy video bro, my grandpa was on the eastern front and his cousin was in the sixth army. I didn’t know 95% of his group died though because they told me he survived the gulags and walked all the way back home to austria. crazy to think too they had no food and would steal it off women and children. just sad

[@skyemasterson1111]

Thank you very much for this piece. I've always wondered why The 6th Army had such a high death rate, after surrender. It's something we might call "pre-existing condition" today. The extreme hunger they had to suffer, before surrender and the myriad of diseases, weakened immune system, associated with hunger and starvation, then, the march into captivity.......Heck, the most walking I could do in one day is no more than 5 miles, and, that takes me about 2 hours.

[@kainschild]

I know that this is a very old post but the 6th army after it gave up was stuck into rail cars and was only fed a small meal every 3 days. They were then sent to a forced labor camp and would not be released for another ten years.

[@Tazini]

After being few months or years in combat zone you will start smoke, trust me

[@DovaIsAverage]

"Now there's people out there who say 'calories don't mean anything' " Yes, I believe these people are refered to as "scientifically illiterate" Great video as always! Looking forward to the Stalingrad Documentary :D And don't worry about it taking time to finish, remember: There are no short cuts to any place worth going :D

[@lolwut1337n355]

You could eat all the calories you want and still die if you don't get enough vitamins and minerals.

[@JL-dance]

Hey guys, i know i’m late here, but just to clarify something: calories are energy. Without calories, you can’t do much physical activities without tiring yourself out quickly. Water has minerals. Vitamins don’t matter in the short term. Therefore, a soldier in stalingrad doesn’t need to worry about his diet when he’s getting shot at and bombed all day long. That is why bread has always been precious to humans.

[@ian4846]

I can’t believe they would just feed soldiers mostly bread I can’t imagine soldiers performing well with such awful nutrition, even before the rations were cut