Total Devastation: The DEATH of Germany's Greatest Army | Stalingrad - World War II

Step into the heart of one of World War II's most pivotal battles, From the early days of the conflict to its catastrophic conclusion, this gripping documentary immerses viewers in the relentless struggle between the German 6th Army and the Soviet Red Army. Through archival footage, expert analysis, and firsthand accounts, explore the heroic defiance of the 6th Army as they fight to the bitter end, facing insurmountable odds in the ruins of Stalingrad. Discover the untold stories of courage, sacrifice, and resilience that shaped the outcome of this historic confrontation, and delve into the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad in altering the course of the war. Subscribe now to witness the annihilation of Germany's greatest army and the indomitable spirit of those who fought amidst the total death of war. #history #worldwar2 #education #ww2 #worldwar #battles
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Time Stamps:
2:32 1940 - 1942
8:42 Stalingrad Battle Starts
16:45 Extremely Heavy Street fighting Starts
22:24 The City is almost Completely Taken
25:47 Soviet Winter Counter Attack
28:00 6th Army Must Hold!
35:36 All Hope is Lost for the 6th Army
39:25 The Last Escape
45:08 Its Over
🎵Music:
'Goliath' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'The Exodus' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'Emergent' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'The Spaces Between' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'The Rise' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'The Great Sea' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'Vanguard' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'The Distant Sun' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'The Long Dark' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'Chasing Daylight' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'Discovery' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'This Too Shall Pass' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'Shadows and Dust' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
'Undertow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
Disclaimer: The opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the views of HistoryAtWar. All comments should contribute positively to the ongoing dialogue. HistoryAtWar does not endorse written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence, or any other questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section and reserves the right to delete any comment violating these guidelines or to block any user from the channel.

[@masroor5672]

In whole of the world war 2 battle of Stalingrad is my favorite battle to study.. infact about a decade ago i studied an article on it and then started studying and watching it.. it developed my interest in war on Eastern front and in whole world war.. no doubt it was the biggest bloodiest and deadliest battle of human history... Salute to all those young people who fell victim to this war....

[@brodyberry6253]

Yeah it was insane how the Reich had like 90% of Stalingrad taken over within 3 months. Only to ultimately end up losing smh damn supply and fuel shortages plagued them. and plus a lot of people said the opening salvo of Luthwaffe bombing cause a lot of issues because of defensive positions created by the destruction. Problems getting through but still the German snipers caused havoc but they were encircled in the end. And things just really started going down hill in general after that.

[@Hawk-sc2ok]

"Stalingrad"....what do nowadays german people think and feel about that city?...I guess they think of stalingrad like a real hell that their ancestors in the 6th army could not get out of it. 6th army veterans that survived and are still alive must shudder to remember that deadly city.

[@user-dy8pe9cs8j]

@@Hawk-sc2ok saxon english the band american called the killers are excellent!

[@Davey-Drums]

This footage did some work providing greater detail on the war, particularly the early successes of the German army. Often the battle of Stalingrad does not offer much from the German view on the ground BEFORE the winter set in. The Russians simply would not surrender, and created one of those battles when many tough and brave men opposed each other to the death. And effectively, the Russians did not provide quarter. They shut the Germans out in the freezing winter, as they held their city. The weather finished the battle, and the army. Clearly, while the weather played a roll, the real battle was indeed between the German and Russian armies.

[@roryobrien4401]

@@Davey-Drums Yes, I found the lead up really interesting because it gives you a clear idea why surrender just didn't enter their heads until the supply lines were cut - I can imagine how they felt when the rations first started to be reduced: did they see the end coming then? I agree with you about the weather but can only think Hitler was the dumbest creature on the planet when he knew full well what happened to Napoleon. Shoulda got the hell out of there while he had a chance, and I'm not sure he even had that. German reconnaisance would have seen the Soviet build up for Operation Uranus, wouldn't it? They were f****d if they did and f****d if they didn't, poor devils.

[@user-ik8yd2ll7i]

Stalingrad will continued to be studied for many many many years to come

[@eliotness4029]

Churchil so much hated both Stalin and hitler. but decided to help Stalin to kill hitler. it is true story

[@D.N..]

@@eliotness4029 since Hitler started the war by invading The Soviet Union, maybe Churchill is correct to help Stalin! Hitler. The Nazi party and Germany take full blame

[@jamesfields2916]

​@@eliotness4029the enemy of your enemy is your friend.

[@1919emiliano]

@@jamesfields2916 allied not friend

[@jamesfields2916]

@@1919emiliano check your proverbs.

[@catholiccrusader5328]

Years ago I had a conversation with a former Soviet soldier who was a miner during the Battle for Stalingrad. That man's face and overall demeanor said it all. To tell you the truth this Red Army veteran scared the hell out of me!

[@jamesdeluca6657]

Tell more? Sounds interesting

[@damianmcdonagh7908]

I visited Volgograd (Stalingrad) in September 2014. There's an excellent museum there surrounded by several original battle sites. The basement of the GUM department store still houses Paulus's headquarters, it's a separate museum.

[@user-vk6tn1ie7k]

wow Paulus's headquarters

[@damianmcdonagh7908]

@@user-vk6tn1ie7k It was free entry at the time. His staff car is also there.

[@MarlinWilliams-ts5ul]

Was it all fixed up?

[@slimbim77]

@@user-vk6tn1ie7k yeah that's sheer incredible

[@philipcave4303]

I think I read that some 11.000 German troops continued to fight on after the surrender, considering how many died in captivity they probably had the right idea.

[@LadyFairChildVideo]

you are correct, probably not about the amount since the actual amount is not known. but yes, there were still german holdouts after the "major" surrender.

[@roryobrien4401]

I don't think it was a question of right or wrong. Their world had ceased to exist, there were no moral choices to be made. The only thing that could be done was to fight until your ammunition was gone.

[@helmuthaberkost4901]

In the name of my father who also fought in this battle, he was wounded and come out of this hell with an Messerschmitt 110 a pilot of his hometown Rostock, I thank you so much for your important work!!! Regards from Germany in the black forest - Helmut

[@adamjaramillo7218]

The poor Nazis. Their hopes and dreams of reigning darkness on the world came to a sudden end and everyone was happy.

[@davidkeith7087]

My brothers mother-in-law was 5yr old girl that survived seige.She's old lady now- trauma affected her deeply entire life

[@stephenoverend293]

How many lives have been lost just to fulfill a madman ambitions. War is madness 😢

[@porkerpete7722]

Russia is running it back 😂

[@grahamgadd4786]

He was a puppet.The real power was behind the scenes.The 2nd world war was a continuing of the 1st world war.

[@scottoldfield5979]

Wait he isnt referring to Stalin?

[@alexbowman7582]

Years ago post communism Russia admitted to losing 1.1 million men in the battle.

[@guidonencini2487]

I pazzi erano due e non so chi fosse peggio anzi lo so ma la storia ha già deciso nel 45 e non ero ancora nato. Gli imbecilli rossi continuano a massacrare anche oggi ma è colpa della NATO.❤❤❤❤❤

[@SaturnReturns]

A tragic story. Imagine being one of those encircled soldiers in Stalingrad. Truly brave men died there. May their story be heard for future generations.

[@josephberrie9550]

they invaded the cccp to kill and enslave the people of russia you silly little boy.....get a life and read the real story sonny

[@svenneff]

I saw a German soldier in Stalingrad a documentary who looked exactly like my brother........

[@MrVasja46]

As it seems these days, nobody in the west has learned anything from this story!

[@renanh7983]

Only five thousand men made it back to Germany lol

[@echochamber4095]

Manstein was so smart, he took the longest route possible while there was fuel shortage, he advances 30 km with the elite of the whermacht under his command and then expects a bunch of wounded and frostbitten people to break out and cover the remaining 48 km on foot with just a few handheld weapons. all hail the genius that was our lord Manstein

[@user-ly7np5rm5c]

😂😅

[@RememberingWW2]

The reason why they sent their best field army into a meat grinder that had already been bombed to rubble will never make any sense to me. All they had to do was occupy the regions North and South and they would still have cut off the Volga for any material transport by the Soviets.

[@nuranigeria2080]

Many civilians could design a war plans and concluded with the possible winning end. Only a true fighters can design a successful war plans

[@RememberingWW2]

@@nuranigeria2080 I don't think it takes a general to put two and two together and conclude that losing 300,000 men trying to take an area 20 square miles was not the wisest of moves.

[@keithbritton592]

Hitler wanted any reference to Starlin obilterated from Russia

[@jamesfields2916]

Vanity on Hitler's part. All they had to do was cut off the Volga north of Stalingrad and dig in. Would have cut any supplies or fuel going to Moscow.

[@keithbritton592]

apologies for any spelling mistakes

[@bushboysnags]

if I could only have 1% of the bravery of these soldiers... both sides...wow...

[@user-mn1vz5ew7o]

You do. It is thankfully, that you have never been in a situation like these young people for that true bravery to fight for what they truly believed in. Hopefully you never find yourself in such a position my friend.

[@haltungsprechen]

​@@user-mn1vz5ew7oit would almost be preferable to the false lives we live now. To die among heroes beats this life among cowards and half men.

[@Hunter_Nebid]

​@@haltungsprechenTruth. I'm glad I took the chance to go experience history myself with brave men rather than just reading about it.

[@Kongzi93]

@@user-mn1vz5ew7o Quote < these young people for that true bravery to fight for what they truly believed in.> ??? Just as in any war situation, both in the past ,present and future. These young men were fighting for their lives.! They hardly knew why they were there and what they were supposed to fight for in the first place. Sent there by insane narcistic politicians with either megalomanic, geopolitical, economical motifs. This "documentary" only shows how pointless a war can be. There are no winners only losers. And you know what? The losers are these soldiers who you so highly appreciate. They were only clinging on their lives while defending themselves against their counterparts at the other side, who also only were drafted or by other means forced to join the combat. Same principle, you get the order go and carry it out. With the same fears and hope to get home in one peace😭 Quote < Hopefully you never find yourself in such a position my friend.> Sadly that's not your call. It's for the likes of Hitler, Bush, Blair, Poetin, Netanyahu, Trump who themselves never and never have experienced such perils. And are desperately trying to keep their offspring free from this perils. "Fortunate Son" by CCR? kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIjMm6uVdsyDn6M. Further back in history Napoleon, Djengis Kahn, Alexander the Great, Caesar and more of the likes. Apparently we don't learn from this history and still vote for the wrong party and thereby facilitating these narcistic basterds. 😒😒

[@cenastar00]

@@haltungsprechen go to a war anywhere in the world then lol what kind of dumb statement is this

[@roryobrien4401]

Got to say this is without reservation one of the best, if not THE best doc on Stalingrad. I've seen movies in German and English, I've read Antony Beevor, I've been to St.Valery en Caux where the 6th army wound up what was left of the British (Scots) defence and I've read survivor's accounts but I never really understood what happened to the 6th Army in the timeframe this doc shows. From being within an ace of capturing the ruins of Stalingrad at the beginning of November to dying of cold and hunger in the space of one month, here everything is starkly and vividly laid out. No wonder Goering thought he could parachute in what was needed; no wonder Paulus held on for so long, no wonder Hitler didn't listen to pleas for withdrawal.....possibly Manstein had an idea what the situation was like but only the Soviets really knew the score, and like some horror movie, you see an entire, well-equipped German army on a collision course with disaster. The desperation of the soldiers at the end kind of reminded me of the last scenes of Titanic, and while I cannot bring myself to find any sympathy for Nazi Germany whatseover, I do feel for those deluded doomed men and hope to visit Volgograd one day.

[@ahmadrezayi9219]

Watch Soviet storm documentary

[@brianbyrne3003]

Very well worded comment.

[@goatman9998]

My grandfather fought in the romanian army during barbarossa. His cousin also in the romanian army died at stalingrad.

[@historyatwar]

Fascinating, the Romanians fought hard! Largely a forgotten aspect of Barbarossa.

[@BenHale-hi5zh]

Rip 🙏🏻

[@SaturnReturns]

RIP the Romanian Legion. Powerful men!

[@Rayder4Life]

my great grandfather fought also at stalingrad, romanian but he deserted when the lines collapsed and he walked back home in his hometown on foot lol, it took him some weeks

[@eliotness4029]

Churchil so much hated both Stalin and hitler. but decided to help Stalin to kill hitler. it is true story

[@SuperOdyss]

Well, the 6th army kept leaving garrisons on its north flank and by the time it got to Stalingrad it really only had 30,000 front line troops. Much of it was things like tank repair battalions and General Staff. The Germans overreached and ran out of fuel. But the 6th Army was starving when it began its campaign to Stalingrad, let alone once it was surrounded. The Germans could not resupply its troops.

[@patrickturner2788]

Very good job keeping me glued to your video. This material has been covered by so many people but yours definitely is tops.

[@buxtehude123]

Many high- ranking and low- ranking Soviet defenders repeatedly wrote that it was a miracle they managed to hold on to Stalingrad in the first 3 months. But of course, it was Soviet heroic fighting and personal sacrifice which enabled that miracle.

[@PHILORTH-pi1er]

I've always thought that if the city was named anything other than Stalingrad, this battle never would have happened. Rest in peace to all involved.

[@ericcook5224]

It definitely would have been fought because of its strategic importance.

[@angry_Australia]

AH literally said in a speech that the name of the city wasn't important lol

[@brianbyrne3003]

Probably quite true!

[@merseybeast76]

Stalingrad HAD to be taken to protect the Southern Army's left flank. The city was a vital transport hub and would have been a dangerous thorn in the side of the troops heading to Baku and the Caucasus

[@donrobertson4940]

Would Stalin have insisted on its defence though?

[@lokoomontana4818]

This documentary is a masterpiece

[@rgk9999]

This was probably the best documentary I have ever seen/heard on the Stalingrad debacle. And I have been a 'student' of this pivotal point of WWII for many years. Bravo.

[@lysnoir2201]

Chaque fois que je vois ce genre de photos, je ne peux que penser au gâchis de toutes ses vies ( de n'importe quel pays en guerre d'ailleurs ), ça me rend toujours triste et en même temps, c'était vraiment des hommes. L'être humain n'apprend pas de ses erreurs.

[@blockmasterscott]

What’s sad about this is that it wasn’t just the defeat of an army, it was the literal destruction and abandonment of an army by its nation’s own ruler.

[@bsaintnyc]

there was no saving the 6th army , they tried to save it but they did not anticipate operation uranus, it caught them completely off guard. Breakout was impossible. The closest friendly units were 100km away and the 6th army had no fuel or ammo. Friendly units in the area were too weak to mount an offensive to open the pocket. German Logistics could not raise the units in the area to the level of strength necessary to relieve the pocket. It was the eptiome of a military disaster.

[@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg]

Ja Many Han's and Willie's Gone

[@brodyberry6253]

@@bsaintnyc Exactly that was very well said. so the Führer told them the best thing that he could tell them imo. Which was fight to the last man and the last bullet but Paulus went out backwards.

[@rampage_roar8056]

@@bsaintnyc after the Guderian and the other generals got sacked that moment was the end of them anyway

[@bsaintnyc]

@@rampage_roar8056 I just had this thought. The stalingrad situation shows that hitler was not as effective as a leader as Churchill. When churchill was facing defeat at dunkirk he rallied the nation to rescue the army and told them the truth of the military situation. Hitler could not publicly state the truth or face the nation after stalingrad. If he wanted the 6th army to fight to the last man , he needed one of his speeches to inspire the men to die in that city.

[@ismailconteh4369]

Hey bro!! Excellent and powerful documentary. Thanks

[@RT-far-T]

This army has the worst war crimes record as it pillaged and murdered its way Eastwards. Hard to feel sorry for them.

[@PaulSimonMcCarthy-fu6ms]

I definitely don't.

[@SamTheMan538]

how many young naive lives sacrificed to stop a madman..born by their mothers just to be slaughtered in this hellhole of war..

[@scottoldfield5979]

Yeah Stalin truly was a vile human being.

[@silasd5269]

Yea.. imagine giving your life to Stalin…

[@heinz3591]

As a dual national German-US born in Nurnberg after the war Germans will never get over losing the whole 6th Army. It is so deeply engrained in the minds or all Germans because of losing loved ones and handing victory to the Russians when not needed due to poor leadership : not just Hitler but Paulus and all of the German generals and Nazi leadership. My mother lost two of her Uncles brothers in Stalingrad. I lost my grandfather in the war. All Germans realized then as now that this was the beginning of the end for Germany and that the German people would get enslaved if the war was lost. In light of what happened by the end of the war that was proven true. Finally you had all of the Nazi crimes that were exposed by 1945 and that really hardened the attitudes of the victors and rightfully so losing this battle, land, and national pride. But the lose of 300K men and the suffering they endured will always be engrained in the national psychic of all past, current and future Germans nothing to do with politics but of this national catastrophe. This is probably the main reason Germans do not want to fight today.

[@BrianMarcus-nz7cs]

Tag , yup U got spanked m8 , sorry, 🙏🕊️☘️

[@trade1713]

Yes, you're still enslaved, not by Russians which left more then 30 years ago, but by The US that never left. In fact that US is using Europe to antagonise Russia by all means possible, but one of them - expending NATO that Russians see as existential threat to them is the one that set in motion irreversible consequences that will change history of world. Russia kept warning about this problem of European security for years, but no one took seriously their concerns. Germany cut themselves from cheap Russian energy will realise more and more as the time go by that they will become uncompetitive on world markets due to high energy costs. I think if no one listened to Russian's concerns before, they'll pay more attention now.

[@peterc4632]

tell that to the idiots running NATO today

[@ziblot1235]

I dont think modern Germas give a hoot about WW2, Barbarossa. I am 73. My geberation maaaybe . My uncle was in 16th Pzr in 6th Army. he was wounded in December and flown out In 45 he tried to surrender in 45 in Linz but the Americans shafted him. He stayed in coal mines till 54.

[@ballard863]

Lllp

[@cliffgray9822]

Bravo on another very well put together episode. ❤💯

[@jda7656]

Another amazing upload from HistoryAtWar......Thank you!

[@chuckguard6128]

Man another stellar video!! You are by far the best for WWII info. Keep up the videos they are great! And do a dive into 4th and 12th SS history!!!

[@shawnastephens1536]

I love stories on Stalingrad. Every soldier was young innocent and niave. They had hopes and dreams just like everyone else. Some of them new in the end they would be slaughtered all for a delusional lunatic. This was a great story. Your documentaries are excellent. Thank you.

[@helmuthaberkost4901]

No! They know exactly for what they fight!!!

[@keithbritton592]

we still donot learn by our mistakes.

[@davidjackson2179]

Calling the sixth army soldiers innocent and naive is the funniest rewriting of history ever. They were mostly battle hardened veterans by this time with a laundry list of war crimes, civilian massacres and rapes attributed to them during the campaigns leading up to their annihilation at Stalingrad. There should be little sympathy for an invading Nazi army getting absolutely obliterated by a people defending their homeland.

[@constantin240]

He became delusional but and aproached evil deeds but the reason for which everything started was not one unworthy of doing your research about. The Khazarians did indeed all those things that he was accusing them of doing my man!

[@ryan2580]

Great video!

[@teedtad2534]

Very good video and with good video coverage!!!

[@rolandvoss3600]

Amazing footage that I had not seen before and certainly one of the best documentaries on the subject that I have seen so far. 👍

[@michaelleewes8439]

A really great video describing an incredible part of human history. The millions that died is devastating and something we shouldn't forget. For we will relive history similar to the past, if we forget the cost. The cost is life. Beautiful, loving, and caring peoples lifes will be the cost. Let's not relive the past.

[@MWM-dj6dn]

BEAUTIFUL AND VERY CHARMING DOCUMENTARY

[@TylerWest1776]

Amazing Documentary. One of my new favorites.

[@historyatwar]

Thank you!

[@blueclover9918]

Great visuals, so many I've never seen before, amazing

[@fereidounmaroufi1941]

Best Stalingrad documentary by far!👍

[@robertburch1998]

Nice job on this short documentary. Such a tragedy is any war yet fascinating to study. It's sad humanity still fights amongst itself.

[@zeronzemesh7718]

The crazy thing is, there was absolutely no strategic importance in even taking Stalingrad. Zero, absolutely none. They tied themselves up in a battle of attrition with an enemy has wants that kind of battle. Hitler, and most of the German generals were absolute morons. Not one of those idiots could have possibly given a single reason for why they were even in that city. All because of the whims of an Austrian postcard painter. That's a proud military tradition.

[@slimbim77]

He lost the war the minute the first Landser set foot om Russian soil

[@2vintage68]

OIL was one objective.

[@Jumpertj]

You are absolutely WRONG about it! Just check the map, logistics, resources etc.

[@stefanodalledonne1004]

Fantastic! Thanks. True History!

[@johnclements2898]

My partners grandfather was an officer in the sixth. Taken prisoner he was one of the few that made it home although it was 1952 when he did. He died in 79, sitting in his car at a set of traffic lights. Someone ran into the back of his car and the impact broke his neck. Imagine surviving that hell only to die in such a mundane way. He wouldn't have even have known what had happened.

[@ritchielovegrove4376]

yeah that's sad 😢

[@jmanusmc2006]

Only one out of 50 men lived to see home again.

[@maryanne7414]

🌹+

[@MantaHaugan]

Excellent. Thanks

[@Anonymous-hn1ur]

This has to be the best Stalingrad doc out there.

[@maxnikolenko2302]

Thank you for telling it how it is. Lots of Anti Russian sentiment right now, but the bravery of russian deffenders in ww2 so often gets sidelined and more credit given to US, and Britain whose loses were so much lower, and who fought way less battles then the russians did in this war

[@richardstephens5570]

Millions of Ukrainians served in the Soviet army in WW2.

[@HERETOHELPPEOPLE729]

​@@richardstephens5570if he's Russian he won't even understand why you said that. Total zombie nation.

[@pashapasovski5860]

​@richardstepthere were millions of Russians living in Ukraine, Banderistas killed over 250K Russians as Western Ukrainians waved Nazi swastikas! Once Ukrainians realized that they were treated like cattle, they started joining Red Army!

[@TheNelster72]

Yes defenders. The others allies were not defending.

[@johncharles2524]

Excellent documentary .

[@user-vk6tn1ie7k]

Valuable lessons to be learned about arrogance and perceived invincibility. Was the cream of the crop of the Wehrmacht wasted in street fighting, a tragedy for all parties engaged.

[@StevenGuderian14]

The 6h army was the MOST highly decorated German army unit its defeat in this battle. The battle of Stalingrad.

[@kohtalainenalias]

germans fought like true warriors but eventually lost to endless hordes of expendable fodder.

[@StevenGuderian14]

@kohtalainenalias truly expendables, if you think . Every young person( soldiers mostly) who lost their lives in WW2. If they survived, they would have lived out dam near their whole lives by now. Since how long ago WWII was, tell me that isn't kinda sad?

[@Jakez408]

@@kohtalainenalias Germans were bad soldiers and the cowards only fought Croat civilians if accompanied by tanks as we found out in 1941 and their army was defeated by our townsmen. My father fought them in Albona, Istria.

[@John-bz6re]

@@Jakez408 Croats fought side by side with the Germans. In fact, 369th Croation division participated with the Germans in Stalingrad.

[@jephgalland7324]

@@John-bz6re No WRONG! It was the 369th Reinforced Croatian Infantry REGIMENT under the command of Colonel Viktor Pavicic and after January 20th 1943, by LtCol Marko Mesic. The unit was attached to the 100th Jäger Division part of the 8th corps, 6th army of the Whermacht. Check your sources before posting a comment!

[@BenHale-hi5zh]

Really well done, love your Narration

[@historyatwar]

Thanks 😊

[@stikmannn]

Someone commented pity it's AI I was thinking no that's a British lad 😂​@@historyatwar

[@DISBrickProductions]

love your videos ,they just look incredible! I would also love if you could some day make a video about the battle of Breslau in 1945:)

[@historyatwar]

Thanks!! Will add to the list 🤝

[@DISBrickProductions]

Also, is it okay for you if I use the information in my Breslau stop motion. I don't want to just pressure someone into making a video for me. I would just love to also see more information about that battle given how interesting it is. So if it's okay for you I would use some for my Breslau stop motion

[@eliotness4029]

there was NO battle for Breslau in 1945:) Soviet troops went directly to berlin.

[@eliotness4029]

german nazi troops in Breslau did "hende hoh" after hitlers deadth

[@DISBrickProductions]

@eliotness4029 Yes but there was a siege after all and its pretty interesting:)

[@benhardgliocam6871]

Very interesting document...

[@oscarmadison8530]

Another excellent production. I also like the footage you provided some of which I hadn't before seen.

[@dwaynecarroll7985]

This battle was lost well before the city fight. But the most crucial and pivotal point where everything was lost for the 6th was the ferrying across the Volga of Rodimsev's (sp) 13th Guards division.

[@MaximBatcho-fk5dr]

Most part of fight wasn't even near of Pavlov's house 🏠 but from Nord too the South ,red October ,Tractor factory end Elevator, German troops wasn't even thinking about possible Russian contre attaque. Roumain Trooper was not equal and didn't have any anti tank artillery. That's All folks

[@johnhenderson131]

28:36 Paulus should have ignored Hitler’s ridiculous order to hold Stalingrad. He should have made a tactical withdrawal, saved his men to fight another day and if necessary, fallen on his sword. He was too indecisive to be a combat leader and not the right general to command the 6th army. The end result would have been the same regardless as every day the Wehrmacht and Germany became weaker and the allies stronger but it would have saved a lot of suffering and death trying to achieve an impossible victory. Moscow I believe was the most important objective and they had already failed to accomplish that so the war was already decided. Hitler was delusional by this point and declining, giving unrealistic orders. There was no possible way Goering’s Luftwaffe could come close to delivering the amount of supplies the sixth army needed to even survive let alone fight but Goering’s brain was addled by his morphine addiction so he wasn’t thinking any more clearly than Hitler and both were too arrogant and narcissistic to even listen to the advice of the generals that did know what they were doing. Complete insanity! Barbarossa was doomed from the start, Hitler was like a child that wanted everything and wanted it immediately. He failed to take into consideration the vast size of Russia, his timetable was unrealistic, he didn’t consider the fall rain and mud or the bitter cold and snow and his supply lines were far too long and vulnerable. It’s military suicide to push your army far ahead of your ability to adequately supply it. This is too complex to cover in this format.

[@albertreyes5298]

What ever you say, in the beginning of operation barbarossa, hitler cannot win this war. he can wage it but he cannot win it. Why? Because the industrial operation of Germany during hitler's time is weak compared to Russia and US. Like in chess which the Russians are expert, hitler has poor strategic planning and has no long term plan for the invasion. hitler thought that in 3 months stalin would capitulate and hitler failed to anticipate Russian winter. hitler underestimated the determination of soviet people and military, despite suffering heavy casualties and the loss of vast territory, the soviets refused to surrender. And one thing more why hitler failed to invade Russia because God did not take side with him because of his lofty ambition. Arrogancy is an abomination to God. The earth has enough resources to meet the needs of all but not enough to satisfy the greed of even one person. By mahatma Gandhi. Proverbs 16:5 - The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.

[@johnhenderson131]

@@albertreyes5298 Very well put, and yes those are some of the reasons I wrote that Hitler’s invasion of Russia (operation Barbarossa) was doomed from the start. Hitler failed to take many factors into consideration, had he done so, he would not have invaded. I was about to start writing the reasons (mostly from military and common sense point of view) but I realized I would be writing a book on evil, narcissism and hatred…a very long book. Your comment is perfect and I can’t improve on it. Take care, Doc

[@allancheesman4354]

Interesting comment… well said. The reality was that Paulus was actually a staff command officer promoted due to his location to general Staff command. Where one was a planner but not a strategic thinker and leader as his ideas were over ruled by someone else. Consequently, he was programmed to learn that not to take risks and follow orders as his chances of promotion and career advancement was at risk if he showed a spine. Especially in the hierarchy of the harsh discipline and behaviour of the inflexible regime of which he was familiar. In effect, he was the wrong person as a field Marshal and reflective of the narrow minded elite Prussian right wing officer class.

[@johnhenderson131]

@@albertreyes5298 Well said! Intelligent, informed and accurate. Completely agree. Take care, Doc

[@johnhenderson131]

@@allancheesman4354 Absolutely true, and agree. I like the way you phrased it. You’re well informed and know your history.

[@user-hw7ww7fq6n]

To advance as an army group so quickly to find that many variants eventually caught up with the German wehmacht. From the change in terrain and the enviroment to supply problems and finally the winter. This must have been sheer hell for both German infanteer and russian, too.

[@jamestang5015]

AWESOME

[@2serveand2protect]

00:50 - is the original sound the "long" 50mms gun of the Pz III makes?? PS. Fantastic footage! Big thanks for the upload! :)

[@teddworak4193]

Great info..”10

[@jamiegoss4970]

Sadly, if you look at Europe now'everything accomplished through our strifes,both together and against, has been for absolutely nothing 😢

[@merseybeast76]

It has benefitted the USA immensely, and still is I'm afraid

[@Smiley_Face_Killer]

Fascinating

[@WillHolm-mg9sn]

The worst battle ever

[@ruthmoreau6419]

Two million lives lost, both sides.

Relentless.

[@constantin240]

@@ruthmoreau641975 million in total.

[@ritchielovegrove4376]

Thanks

[@historyatwar]

Thank you :)

[@bro5800]

Thank you.The Germans who chose to fight to the end made the right decision at least after what happened to the soldiers who surrounded to the Soviets. The worse thing is Paulus and his generals were treated very good by the Russians.After war he went and lived in East Germany.Somehow he never went back home!

[@helmuthaberkost4901]

He changed and made agitation against Germany!!! Because that he go to DDR!!! Verräter an Volk und Nation!!!

[@ruthmoreau6419]

Paulus went over to the other side and became a mouthpiece for Communism

[@winstonvillaflor7050]

When the Afrika Korps was facing annihilation at El Alamein, Rommel said that the lives of his soldiers mattered the most. Against Hitler's orders he decided to retreat. Hitler later approved of his decision. If Paulus had decided on a breakout from Stalingrad, a part of the 6th Army may have been saved. It would have been one of the great what ifs in military history.

[@bsaintnyc]

Saving the 6th would not have changed anything in the big picture, the soviets now possessed all of the advantages in terms of trained staff , trained soldiers ,weapons , ect . the quality gap was closed enough that the massive manpower and economic advantage the soviets had was now insurmountable

[@jamesfields2916]

They would have had to withdraw all the way to Kharkov. Imagine all the losses just to end up where you started.

[@bsaintnyc]

@@jamesfields2916 that still would not have worked. They were done. By stalingrad the soviet leadership competency gap had been filled and training standards were high. At the same time the germans had a massive manpower deficit and this was getting worse by the day and they plugged it by worsening traning standards and fast promotions in the face of increasing soviet competency. The technological advantage the germans had was not large enough to offset the quantative advantage the soviets had in land forces. Even worse , the german technological advantage was enterly useless on the eastern front. The kriegsmarine did not matter , the luftwaffe's radars and electronics did not matter , nothing they could do could offset the size and competency of the red army post stalingrad. The allies still were not ready for D day to the level they wanted to be at. They had to launch the operation to prevent the red army from occupying all of germany's possessions in europe. Germany got as far as they did because France and Russia were the only countries that could resist germany on the continent .No other nation had a large enough land army to resist them. The jig was up the day the very first lend lease convoy arrived in russia. On top of that hitler did not believe in the feasibility of nuclear weapons and all of the physicists talented enough in the reich to pull it off had low morale because they all thought nazi germany was a moral abomination - see heisenbergs debriefing by the CIA on the manhattan project and his groups reaction to it. They all agreed that it was a good thing for mankind that their effort failed. First thing would have been to nuke , moscow, stalingrad and leningrad , then threaten to nuke london unless the entire empire completely capitualtates to the nazis. After that the weapons would have been used relentlessey on america. The end result is total nazi dominaton of the earth. The entire planet enslaved by hitler and his meglomania which was exponentially worse than stalin's . You see stalin was open to acquiring territory by fostering communist movements in foreign countries. Nazism could only spread via violent territorial acquisition. Stalin got the bomb and never used it. Hitler would have used it the week it was completed.

[@jamesfields2916]

@@bsaintnyc that's the point. They would have wasted a good chunk of their army to end up back where Operation Blue started. Couldn't have stayed out on the Steppe.

[@bsaintnyc]

@@jamesfields2916 if they pulled back to blue's starting point shortly after they would be overwhelmed and forced out of that position. The red army suffered so many caualties in the second part of the war because stavka wnated constant attacks to deny the germans the time they needed to build up defenses

[@NikolausFedermann-im5nf]

That was really sad - those good boys!

[@Lis2875]

You mean German 'good' boys?

[@alexbowman7582]

Panzer General Hans Valentin Hube was ordered to fly out the kessel by Hitler, his reply was “I’ve marched my men into Stalingrad, I’ve ordered them to fight to the last bullet, I intend to remain and show them how”. Hitler sent in some of his personal SS bodyguards and an unsuspecting Hube was ordered to HQ where he was jumped by the SS and dragged onto a flight out with a pistol at his head. Hube intended to vent his rage at Hitler but on meeting with him he backed down. Hube died just over one year later in a plane crash.

[@richshaver3962]

Der Mensch!!!

[@paulbayem1294]

The servile obedience of Paulus to Hitler sealed the fate of the 6th army. Paulus was not a great General,he did not value the lives of his beleaguered soldiers. HE WAS SUBSERVIENT TO THE CONCEPT OF OBEYING ORDERS. A great soldier must understand that,when he is on the battlefield and has a better assessment of the situation,HE HAS THE LAST SAY.

[@vincentavella5368]

Bless all the soldiers of each side

[@Simon_Belfor]

Can i use seconds from your clip. Just small sections for my music video on youtube?

[@James-is2dr]

The saying you reap what you sow comes to mind.

[@user-uy2ro1tl6c]

Wow!

[@bookaufman9643]

By the time that the German army actually entered Stalingrad there were no towering buildings to be found anywhere. The luftwaffe had bombed it relentlessly which turned out to be a big problem because it gave a lot of places to hide soldiers behind. Also I believe you said earlier in the video that Stalingrad was one of the objectives of that campaign but it wasn't. Initially they were just looking to cut off the Volga. The plans eventually changed.

[@RagnarLothbrok2222]

The diary entries are incredible. Shows how professional, educated, and proud the German soldiers are 🫡

[@ruthmoreau6419]

The German Army were the greatest fighting force of WW2. Never forgotten. RIP

[@johnciummo3299]

They lost. Get over it. They fought and died for a bad cause. The Soviet armies crushed them and ground them into dust. On the modern battlefield it’s all about production and logistics. Individual bravery counts for little. The early German victories, with the exception of France, were against second and third rate military powers. Once the German armies faced a real power their weakness’s were exposed.

[@RagnarLothbrok2222]

@@johnciummo3299 they fought to save Europe you boomer fool. And it took the entire world to stop them. Once your generation finally dies off we may actually have a shot at correcting the mass propaganda that your generation had levied on the masses. Keep watching cable television bud.

[@MickyTubbs1985]

Yes, they were a force to be reckoned with.

[@PaulSimonMcCarthy-fu6ms]

I mean, they were pretty evil.

[@fasttruckman]

The 6th army did not have to enter stalingrad it could have been by passed and isolated, but hitler was obsessed with symbolism. Once the 6th army was surrounded the 6th army could have broken out, but once again hitler was obsessed with symbolism and allowed the 6th army to be destroyed. It would not be the last time hitler allowed german divisions to be destroyed because of his obsession with symbolism.

[@CCharles0519]

There is little doubt that such passion, determination, and bravery, whether for good or evil, is a rare gift nowadays. Truly, hard times make strong men.

[@evilstorm5954]

Do some research on Pavlov. He was there for a brief period and then an Officer took over.

[@user-fz1co1sz3x]

🔥🔥🔥

[@dansecor8753]

General Patton famously said after the war was concluded that the US had fought the wrong enemy. He died under somewhat mysterious circmstances not long after he said that. For those who are curious about what he meant I would suggest further research and a look at today's geopolitical situation. Tip: He likely wasn't speaking about the Russian people themselves but of another powerful faction.

[@tomcolvin8199]

Great video, you can see in German footage,, that German soldiers were very reluctant to move forward, Soviet snipers were virtually everywhere. Soviet heavy artillery on east bank of Volga was also devastating.

[@TheNelster72]

I'm not sure where you get that. The Germans held 90 percent of the city.

[@needap0078]

The kind lads at History at war have uploaded another video Nice! Something to watch when the mrs fucks off to bed

[@historyatwar]

😂🤝

[@BenHale-hi5zh]

😂😂

[@helmuthaberkost4901]

After the video you go in close combat with your wife!!! 😉😂

[@johnwright7895]

Excellent,except for the adverts.Far better than most I have watched.Many of the presenters spend more time on screen than warrants the narrative.Great films and photos.

[@dominikbt7891]

My great grand uncle was in Croatian 369th infantry regiment that was part of 6th army he survived Kharkiv and Stalingrad he was one of the lucky ones to evacuate Stalingrad. When he got back in Croatia he was part of same regiment only this time worked on anti partisan operations he barely survived the war he died at the age of 92 he withnessed fall of Yugoslavia and Soviet Union and was very happy about it.

[@historyatwar]

Thanks for telling me! Very interesting, a very lucky man 🤝

[@SaturnReturns]

Wow! That's incredible.

[@user-dg9hq8uz3g]

Wow, so proud of your notsee ancestors huh? F*ing hell, you guys really have returned.

[@SaturnReturns]

@@user-dg9hq8uz3g Do you need your diaper changed?

[@LexTomas-jl1lf]

So Brutal, Stalingrad was the death of europe in many ways, the death entailed was just absolutely mental

[@Arkephalos]

The death of Europe came about in 1945 around this time.

[@eliotness4029]

the death of europe was dropped down asa bombs from american airplanes

[@donaldwyant3483]

No.. thank you for a excellent work . I'm in my 70's and have always been interested in what went on in Stalingrad .. so Thanks for giving me a history lesson into the truth!!.

[@catholiccrusader5328]

I really feel sorry for both the Red Army and German soldiers fighting for the twin demons of Stalin and Hitler. All those poor guys.

[@carneasada100]

I’ve never seen Hitler or Himler or Goebels fighting alongside their men !!

[@foryt4193]

The soldier playing piano in the ruins is such a powerful visual

[@stuartahrens6775]

Yeah I'm not a nazi but I do love the way the German army fought. And the weapons from those days. All the best efforts wasn't enough. This war between Two Dictators Hitler and Stalin both drunk on power. But I respect the Russian army for the way there people fought was amazing. Both sides done as there crazy leaders told them. 🇩🇪⚔️⚔️⚔️ But we never thought about how many people the Russian army would be able to put into this war between Two Dictators Hitler and Stalin.

[@henriramonfosse]

the Russians were fighting for their country against the usual invading horde. The hordes lost a couple of millions and the Russians lost 22 millions. That's heaps of sacrifice.

[@Christopher-zw1by]

Just goes to show the insanity of bowing down to a ruthless dictator.Mans inhumanity to man

[@karljensen893]

Very well done I admire your talent. If I may suggest a few maps showing locations would have been helpful to many. However joining all the film clips and the excellent narration deserves 3A rating

[@bruceklassen8261]

So was it the loss of the original General to when Paulus took over, even the Russians knew when to Tactically withdraw

[@asullivan4047]

Interesting/informative/entertaining. Excellent motion photography job. Enabling viewers to better understand what the orator is describing. Had the WW-1 dispatch runner corporal Hitler.. Allowed his generals to run the war as originally planned. Perhaps the out come would have been different-???🤔. General Von Paulus was an inexperienced/incompetent arm chair general. Had he disobeyed Hitler and with drew from Stalingrad. Perhaps 2/3rds of the 6th army would have escaped before the in circle ment-???🤔. Once winter arrived without reinforcement & supplies. General Zhukov slowly took control of the battle field. Insubordination would have saved the 6th army. A rational thinking commander would have withdrawn from Stalingrad in October 42. The original plan were the oil fields south of Stalingrad.

[@nathangarland9453]

I've got a book about this called starlingrad.its got many of the same pictures,maps and all the figures of lost soilders from both sides.good read.

[@tomassmolen1260]

It was not failure of 6th army, flank lost at the truth

[@lilsmoke5999]

Big facts they shoulda had most the 6th army on the flanks and the Romanians Bulgarians and Italians fighting through the streets not the other way around

[@tomassmolen1260]

@@lilsmoke5999 problem was that their failed in observation. I think also that Halder pressured Hitler to strenght flanks for potential attack. Hitler ignored and war was lost

[@RememberingWW2]

​@@lilsmoke5999originally they did have units on the flanks but they had to keep pulling men from the flanks to put into the City to replace their lost forces

[@MarkWilliam-pl6qs]

Stalingrad was the hill the German Army died on..

[@user-eh3zv1ex5o]

He who transgresses the boundaries , incurs the wrath of God. USA in Vietnam. Germany in Russia. Napoleonic France in Russia. British in South Africa. etc,etc.

[@zillsburyy1]

there was a big holdout of germans that didnt surrender