Battlefield S4/E1 - The Battle of Kursk

I do not own, nor do I or intend to profit from this content whatsoever. "Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."
All right reserved to:
NBC Universal
Directed by Dave Flitton, Andy Aitken, James Wignall
Produced by Dave Flitton (series prod.), David McWhinnie, Ken Maliphant, David Rozalla
Written by Dave Flitton, Andy Aitken, James Wignall
Narrated by Jonathan Booth
Music by David Galbraith
Distributed by Public Broadcasting Service
Release date(s) 2000
Running time 6 116-minute episodes
Country USA
Language English

[@michaelbruns449]

Perfect narration, awesome footage with sound effects, perfectly paced, perfect music, no lame reenactments, totally luv it.

[@gmnotyet]

The narrator plays Mr Creedy in V For Vendetta.

[@perfectlybalancedasallthin9319]

These documentaries are a hundred times better to watch when the narrator is awesome lol.

[@TheJimmyplant]

Yeah this narrator is fire. Sounds like an ace WW2 British pilot

[@accr31d123]

D O I T A G A I N B O M B E R H A R R I S

[@audimetallica]

Tim Piggot Smith :-D

[@kv6256]

The narrator is fine, credit goes to the script writer who wrote everything the narrator is reading

[@sam8404]

@@kv6256 for documentaries the narrator's voice is as important as the writer's skill imo

[@Torterra24]

This types of history series I miss all I see now is a bunch of people pretending to survive in the wild and, guys in pawnshops and storage units digging for some old stuff

[@Konrad_Wallenrod]

Dont forget the aliens .... although I am not saying it was the aliens!

[@omark4649]

+Konrad Wallenrod heil Catalonia

[@josiek3857]

carlo cepeda

[@angrybird7324]

Oh yeah survival tv shows.. where they say "she's all alone in the jungle, how can she survive" while there are a dozen people with them filming etc.

[@aaron1182]

When the history channel started showing Ancient aliens was the time i gave up watching tv for good.

[@klaasklapsigaar1081]

These documentaries never get old. KZbin has way too many wikipedia historians today.

[@josuecarnivoro]

The scale of the fighting at Kursk was total insanity.

[@MichaelEMaus]

The Battle at Kursk was the genesis of the West's Fulda Gap nightmare that permanently shaped our doctrine. Soviet materiel and tactics had matured by D Day and the writing was on the wall while we chose up sides for the cold war, supposedly of capitalism vs communism, but more truthfully, of capitalism vs East Bloc authoritarianism.

[@purefoldnz3070]

Invading Russia in the winter is total insanity.

[@dumitruneagu3542]

aaaa no i will refer you to the video where the americans are invading iraq by tank and calling it the battle of the century, that what i call insanity

[@michck4027]

So what tell about Battle of Moscow?

[@michaeltischuk7972]

@@purefoldnz3070 Winter or not, the supply lines were too long. You don't go to war without fuel and bullets and food. The winter was the coup de grace. Hitler knew he only had a few months to win, he threw the dice and lost. Yet, even after he knew the war was lost, he forced his soldiers to fight to the last.

[@jamest2401]

I absolutely loved these series/seasons of 'Battlefield' narrated by Tim Pigott-Smith, God rest his soul.

[@efcefc-gu5dg]

Any idea where to find the complete series?

[@jamest2401]

@@efcefc-gu5dg: The channel that this video is on, has a playlist of the complete 'Battlefield' series. Please note that Season 3 is all Vietnam, and it’s quite longer than the other seasons, although each episode is only an hour long. Seasons 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are all on the Second World War. For some reason, I can’t find the Season 6 Episode 2: 'Scandinavia; The Forgotten Front' on this or any other KZbin channel ; there’s a thumbnail for it on another channel, but when I go into it, the video won’t load. If you don’t have better luck, then it’s available on other platforms. Just do a Google search of the title; “Battlefield: 'Scandinavia; The Forgotten Front'” then, after receiving the results, click 'Videos', under the search bar. Tim Pigott-Smith unfortunately doesn’t narrate the final 2 seasons, but they are still excellent; neither does he narrate the season on Vietnam. I never actually watched the Vietnam season, my focus has always been on the Second World War, so I can’t tell you anything about that one.

[@Alpha_Q_Up]

​​@@jamest2401Thanks for the info I'm binge watching. Still trying to wrap my head around this being uploaded 11 years ago. Glad that this series survived the KZbin purge that took place in 2015. You used to be able to get different perspectives on how a lot of this transpired but I guess if you say anything good about a "Nancy" even if it's a tactical issue apparently it's false information. "Hitler was the greatest general the Allies had"...."There'll be none of that Sir"!!! 😂 One I found really intriguing was when the Brits threw upper brass into that estate and let them basically have a vacation so they speak freely and recorded everything in order to get there real thoughts. Whomever came up with that idea was freaking Sun Tzu.

[@ColinFreeman-kh9us]

@@efcefc-gu5dg Yt

[@ColinFreeman-kh9us]

@@Alpha_Q_Up well said, here in Australia the moronic cowardly tyrants have made it a jailable offense to sell or swap a swastika I mean I am 50 and have never met a Nazi and I live in Sydney. The only Nazis are the governments and western media plus feral feminists.

[@daverose8082]

In the early 1960s I met a German who had been a tank gunner at the battle of Prokhorovka. He said that a point came that he didn't need to aim as just firing in the direction of the Russians meant a hit, because there were so many T-34s.

[@ltjjenkins]

They had no problems swarming if they had to. Something hard to deal with for an under manned, under supplied technical Army. The US found this out in Korean when 300,000 Chinese came forward with no intention of turning back.

[@antoinemozart243]

This is a pure lie. The OKH never mentioned it as significant.

[@michaelschlee5428]

Öo Jìi

[@zero00tolerance]

@@ltjjenkins Why dont you stop spilling bs Jenkins, thats what you and the entire NAFO bots were spilling how Ukraine is winning the war. However the recent leaks proved the opposite and nothing but lies by the Ukraine regime. I am German, I have war diary of my grandfather who was with the 267 Infantry division, from the first day of the invasion, until the his division mashed during Operation Bagration near Mogilve in Belarus in July 1944. The level of disrespect for the Russian army from you guys resembles his war diary entries up until December 1941, when he was 40 Km away from Moscow. The Russians were disorganized, had ineffective command structure, used human wave attacks etc, until they were and occupied Berlin.

[@zero00tolerance]

@@antoinemozart243 It is a lie read this I am German, I have war diary of my grandfather who was with the 267 Infantry division, from the first day of the invasion, until the his division mashed during Operation Bagration near Mogilve in Belarus in July 1944. The level of disrespect for the Russian army from you guys resembles his war diary entries up until December 1941, when he was 40 Km away from Moscow. The Russians were disorganized, had ineffective command structure, used human wave attacks etc, until they were and occupied Berlin.

[@sotis1756]

Tomorrow it will be the 77th Anniversary of The Battle Of Kursk.. Rest in Peace to all those Brave men who Fought and Died there!

[@ludaheracles7201]

How was it?

[@landfill402]

Lol wut? They're nazis and communists. No thanks.

[@sotis1756]

@@landfill402 They were young men Fighting for their stupid beliefs. But at the end of the day there were a lot of boys who were never to see the sun rise again. They have my full respect for the hellish battle they participated in.

[@sotis1756]

@@a.t1313 sounds like you’re the one with a problem here.

[@kishanchali8752]

@@sotis1756 Soviets were fighting for their country.

[@mikerage1011]

One of the best documentaries ever on ww2 no overpowering back ground music. Details of weapons, commanders, and strategies. Unbiased breakdown of situations. Well done !!

[@Cloud_Seeker]

It is pretty biased however. Many things are just outright wrong. Take for example the order to stay and not retreat in the winter of 41. The video say it was "successful, but actually a complete disaster". This is not correct. The issue was that there was no way to get the equipment to the front because the logistics was horrible. A retreat was possible, but also required that the armies abandoned most of their equipment in doing so. So if you blow up all your ammo and artillery. How do you plan to fight and win the war in the spring? The logistics will not get better with a retreat as it still have to deal with the retreat and everything else. Isn't it better to stay and fight so you still have your equipment and reinforced positions rather than facing the cold without prepared positions and without any protection? The problem here is that most of the narrative is set by biased people. People that want to portray the Germans as super skilled and super soldiers. And those who want to portray Hitler as mad and the cause for the loss of the war. Someone like the Generals that are about to face a trial for crimes against humanity. "Oh no. I might have been the General but I was not in charge. It was Hitler, he was completely mad you see. My soldiers were the best in the world, but Hitler made all the wrong decisions and I had no say in what happened. You can't blame me for what happened. I am in fact innocent. I was just following orders you see." It is very easy for those who wants to avoid blame to blame it on a man who is dead and can't not defend himself from the accusation.

[@IanCross-xj2gj]

Excellent overview of Kursk operation.

[@stefanhahn9472]

My grandfather was one of the 90 Ferdinand commanders who took part in the Battle of Kursk. He survived the war and returned home in the early 1950s after 8 years as a prisoner of war. He never spoke about the war and the terrible experiences.

[@chris1806]

tell us more

[@gurjeetsingh-gd1wr]

Now gone?

[@jeroenvandenberg5750]

I would have loved to drink einen vollen Weizen mit ihm and hear him out.....

[@stefanhahn9472]

According to my research, my grandfather was in Panzerjägerabteilung 653 which consisted of 12 Ferdinands and 45 Tiger tanks. My grandfather was the commander of one of the 12 (tank number 112, Stabsfeldwebel Willi Slanarz) Ferdinands used in the Battle of Kursk. Half of the Ferdinands tanks were destroyed and many of his comrades were killed. He survived the battle and returned from Russian captivity in the early 1950s. He died in summer of 1975 in his early 60s. It's also strange. that he brought home with him one of his comrades who had lost his home in the war and also survived the Battle of Kursk. With my grandfather’s help, he was able to build a new life, start a family and be happy here. He came from Sudeten Germany.

[@stefanhahn9472]

1. Schwere Panzerjäger Abteilung 653. My Grandpa was Commander of Ferdinand 112, Stabsfeldwebel Willi Slanarz. I have a picture of him from Russia summer 1943. Him and his Comrades on the Ferdinand shortly before the battle.

[@theoneandonlyboiler]

Simply the greatest war documentary series ever produced. Pure fact without the annoying sentimentality of other productions. Thanks for uploading this! Since it has only been released up to season 3 on DVD i thought i could never watch this. Thanks to You and youtube, now i can! :-)

[@tripleo4255]

It's well produced but the way Hitler is portrayed is just like all the other generic, mainstream WW2 documentaries that by this point are at best a good source of info for beginner learners and at worst verifiably wrong in many major aspects of the War.. they all source their info from the failed Generals memoirs who had the easiest scapegoat in history to blame and which has lead to generations of misinformed people

[@leeshackelford7517]

Victory at Sea....

[@fobbitguy]

I enjoyed the BBC's "a World at War" from the early 70's as well.

[@oldgoat142]

@@fobbitguy World At War was an absolutely remarkable series. It really began my love of history.

[@rudedude1686]

Best documentary about the eastern from is without a doubt "Soviet Storm" with (I think) 26 episodes ..can be seen here on a channel called StarMediaEN... and French series "Apocalypse WW1, Apocalypse WW2 and couple of others, also very well made..

[@robbyreynolds9290]

These old Battlefield documentaries are so cool. I remember watching these in early 1998 when I didn't have cable..it was on PBS or some channel. Cool memories because that is when I first got interested in WW2.

[@larrygarrett724]

@eldunno73 Saving Private Ryan jumped right into gutwrenching action right off. Realistic to actual combat it was said by actual WWII Veterans.

[@jb1934]

They are indeed... unless they aren't. all of them are a mash-up of narrative voice-over and matching still photographs but generally unrelated video footage. Without the matching video to work with, that's not exactly an easy documentary task and as such, there's a tremendous amount of schlock out there. I started watching this unsure of what I'd be getting, and it swiftly became apparent that the voice-over narration was on a sufficiently higher level that the unmatched video footage could be overlooked. Only afterward did I notice that PBS attribution in the credits, and then it all clicked. I hope one day Americans will place a higher value on their public broadcaster.

[@tommyw8576]

Yes. They were on PBS.

[@leondobre7498]

I had an uncle named Vasile that fought in a gun crew in the Russian stepe,he returned and had 13 children and passed away in 1989 ,my hero !

[@leondobre7498]

Following Napoleon was one thing but one like Hitler??? With no school or diplomas for only his loud mouth was an offense to human character and that happen in Germany country with profesional education in character!...

[@dmoney8602]

No one cares

[@leondobre7498]

@@dmoney8602 For you is the money only?Never have it never will ??? Ha ha ?

[@hhjj621]

​@@dmoney8602 We DO care!! 🇹🇩☦️

[@vincentlussier8264]

​@@dmoney8602HEY! RESPECT! Anyone who gave their life in a war is a top notch hero becusse they died for your freedom! You fuckin better believe it ! And we all care and you better learn to appreciate that and YOU WATCH WHAT YOU SAY

[@tktkdiamond]

the best of all time Tim Piggot for the best ww2 series of documentaries never be one like it again on this masterpiece level again

[@douglas69ification]

I'm listening to this and trying to picture it in my mind. The losses for both sides were terrible. The war was chewing up and spitting out souls at an unbelievable pace. 😢

[@MakeSomeNoisePlaylists]

oh really ? Damn Douglas, get educated !

[@JugSouthgate]

The Soviet Union lost more people killed in single battles (Stalingrad, Leningrad) than the USA lost in the entire war on all fronts in all services. About half of those killed were civilians.

[@robertmatch6550]

Nobody kills more white people than other white people. If that sounds racist; substitute "Europeons".

[@unitedwestand5100]

​@@JugSouthgate,. The Soviet Union was not a country either. It, like the Nazi eastern Armies, was a constantly fluctuating alliance of countries. Fluctuating meaning, countries fighting for one side one month, and the other side the next month. Countries like Hungary, Finland, Ukraine, etc.. Plus, you have to note where the statistical data came from. Who gave it, how reliable it is, etc. The Soviet Union was, nor is, the most reliable source to get correct data from. For example, it is still against the law in Russia, as it was in the Soviet Union before it resolved to speak or print this fact; Even before the United States entered World War II in December 1941, America sent arms and equipment to the Soviet Union to help it defeat the Nazi invasion. Totaling $11.3 billion, or $180 billion in today’s currency, the Lend-Lease Act of the United States supplied needed goods to the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1945 in support of what Stalin described to Roosevelt as the “enormous and difficult fight against the common enemy - bloodthirsty Hitlerism.” 400,000 jeeps & trucks 14,000 airplanes 8,000 tractors 13,000 tanks 1.5 million blankets 15 million pairs of army boots 107,000 tons of cotton 2.7 million tons of petrol products 4.5 million tons of food

[@Peace.Officer]

I've been watching documentaries for decades and this is my absolute favorite!

[@englishalan222]

Then you should be proud to learn the Battlefield series is American, the narrator is British but he is under American imploy.

[@Peace.Officer]

Best documentary series ever made!

[@rajindersng]

Me too

[@ludaheracles7201]

Yeh you get to know every word, like memorising a script if you're an actor

[@safeysmith6720]

@@englishalan222 No it isn’t. It’s a British series which first debuted on the American PBS. It was produced by Lamancha Productions, out of Edinburgh, UK. Not American. British.

[@larrykent196]

Well done, thank you. History has to be told. Cheers to all of you!

[@hiddentruth8741]

Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped.

[@shlyk90]

My grandfather fought there during this battle. He told me a story that during german offensive he was in the trench with his buddy when suddenly a grenade came, struck his friend in the head and killed him. He jumped on the ground and thought that’s the end of him for sure but the grenade didn’t blow. Next thing he know - he rose his head and there were german soldiers in front of him. That was how he was captured and sent to prisoners camp somewhere in France. He didn’t like to talk about his time in that camp, only mentioned that things were rough, he barely survived. Russian POVs were kept separately from allied POVs and they were treated like shit and worked hard while watching allies eating decent food and getting cigarettes and stuff (though some of them secretly shared the food with soviets). By an incredible coincidence he met his own brother in the same camp, he told me that if not him he’d die there for sure. Eventually they were freed by the allies and they proposed them to stay in France, but they both refused since they missed the motherland. And when they came back they were sent and forced to live in Siberia, cutting the woods for some time, as “traitors” (that’s how most of those who surrendered were treated). And that’s how he met my grandmother, who lived there.

[@patrickmonaghan8555]

Wow, what story? Thanks for sharing that!

[@jacklaurentius6130]

Communists throwing their returning prisoners of war into labor camps for not fighting to the death. Ah, communism.

[@jeffandbernadinecostello1146]

Quite a story of endurance, survival, betrayal. To imagine wanting to return home only to be sent away and treated as a traitor. Imagine the joy of finding your brother!! Thank you for this.

[@anthonyetemadi7975]

Wow....thank you for sharing! What a story!..your grandfather sounds like A very tough man..

[@brianjensen6087]

…liar

[@jonmandelbaum5395]

Am I the only one who grew up preferring this sort of content for entertainment

[@kaijudirector5336]

Nope!

[@clintcarter5984]

Nope

[@Jcanos2011]

No...

[@MS-yr8wn]

1:04:12 -------> 1:06:10, watched this scene like ten times, the song put on that scene perfectly fits the intensity of the barrages on that evening.

[@asmanawafleh2722]

Excuse me, could you please give me the name of the song if u know, and i will be veey thankful for you

[@22grena]

The narrator was a good actor and a good narrator. RIP.

[@ludaheracles7201]

No Luga . Say it is not true 😭

[@nostraanus]

@Marijn van Beers he died in 2017. But yeah, "Panzer Kiel" also had me fuming...

[@EricToTheScionti]

Wait what

[@dmoney8602]

No one cares

[@jamesdean1143]

Tim Pigott-Smith 1946 - 2017

[@moonmunster]

I watched this a few years ago and it is a great documentary on the battle of Kursk. I watch it now in Dec 2022 when Russia has invaded Ukraine. The names of the cities and towns are familiar. Much of the pre-battle conflicts were in what is now Ukraine (at least today). Lots of fighting in this region.

[@sonyascott6114]

You prepared your homework on this production.SPLENDID,just SPLENDID!!!

[@dmoney8602]

It’s a professional production you asshat

[@Cody0ne5]

The Battlefield series is by FAR the best and most educational series of all the WW2 battles that took place. Especially those of the Nazis and Soviet Russia.

[@eh1600]

Check out soviet storm. Dated graphics, but very detailed

[@fidelcastro6931]

A very intelligent, informative, and well put together documentary. I enjoyed it.

[@dhaqabk4022]

I bet u did

[@ScotchTreat]

► Gracias compadre. Viva la revolucion! (just kidding)

[@rahulbond3m]

Biggest "It's a Trap" in History!

[@gowithgroove]

Accept that the Germans should not have been surprised.

[@Liam-B]

@@gowithgroove Isn't that what makes it a trap?

[@aaropajari7058]

@@Liam-B That's called hitting the nail on the head.

[@aronyak1]

I'd go with Midway.

[@nikkibaugher9573]

🤣

[@antp6674]

Best WW II documentary series ever Ant p

[@masr8875]

17:48 "spent some time in prison" That's a bit of an understatement. He was subjected to torture, fake executions and more. He later always carried a pistol with him, so that he could kill himself if they ever tried to imprison him again.

[@EricToTheScionti]

Jeez

[@purebloodheretic4682]

He Should have used it on Stalin!! He'd would have been a National Hero 😁👍

[@PRLcafe]

@@purebloodheretic4682 baby stuff, you could not enter kremlin while armed…..but trans masters cannot comprehend.

[@maskirovkarokossovska45]

@@purebloodheretic4682Rokossovsky still remained pro-Stalin, despite Stalin being the one who ordered the NKVD to arrest him

[@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg]

​@@maskirovkarokossovska45And he was a Pole

[@caliberwest]

Thanks Vasile, Great shows with No bloody commercials!

[@Jimmybarth]

Yeah respect to Luga for that 🗿🇺🇸🇧🇿

[@aussiedownunder4186]

A Horror War I hope we don’t ever see again. Good that Doco’s like this are proof of a world gone Mad.

[@harukrentz435]

Biden and Putin might have different idea.

[@456swagger]

The "World" didn't go mad. The war was started by a few selfish evil men and good men were caught up in it.

[@tdd_4526]

For someone living in Kursk it feels awesome watching this

[@mybad8805]

This comment didn't age well.

[@marrchy2682]

@@mybad8805 your comment to his comment didnt age well lol

[@philliphall5198]

It’s living with history

[@jacobjorgenson9285]

And again the west threatened Russia , and again they will be victorious 🤷‍♂️

[@twatmang1]

@@philliphall5198 Then, now, the war never stops. People are fucking stupid.

[@thebestmusicmix9418]

Naturally a TV series doesn't include ALL pertinent views or sacrifices but still..The best documentary series of WW2 I have ever watched...good job to all of those involved in producing this series!

[@MakeSomeNoisePlaylists]

besides two other German documentaries. Of course not available on this Google platform

[@EsquizofrenicKid77]

Really grateful for you posting these excellent pieces

[@neurite001]

The battle starts at 1:03:24. First, artillery preparation.

[@ninehundredbr8385]

And thats the time they won the War.

[@flouisbailey]

Thanks

[@charlesreid3482]

Thank you

[@michaelking9818]

Thank you

[@maciejkarczemski9009]

Anybody knows the music??

[@Ranxerox1911A1]

I have always wondered why Hitler failed to learn from Napoleon’s almost identical experience in Russia.

[@baruchben-david4196]

'Cuz Hitler thought he was a genius, guided by destiny.

[@BGfootballfan]

Simply did not have a choice. Certain defeat versus possible victory.

[@aaropajari7058]

The two cases are not the same. Hitler should have not got distracted by the Balkans and Greece and invaded earlier than June.

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

Hitler's and Napoleon's experiences in Russia were far from identical. That said, there were certainly lessons from Napoleon's invasion that could have aided Hitler's campaign in Russia. Luckily he didn't apply those lessons to his battle plan.

[@vuktodic1356]

Why other country attacked other country: because they though they will gona win lol Like napoleon he though he can win but like napoleon he failed

[@EquilibriumTelevision]

Such an excellent series. Haven’t seen in years but still remember so much of it.

[@johnforbey8454]

...yep-good one I think shown on History Channel before ice road truckers took over😢

[@auerstadt06]

When the Germans failed to meet their 1941 objectives they should have gotten the hell out of the Soviet Union while their military was still superior. A battle of attrition was one they could not win.

[@cocotaveras8975]

auerstadt06 AGREED! In a battle of attrition against the masses of men and material that the Soviets could field, a German defeat was inevitable!!!

[@mikealvarez2322]

It was Hitler's megalomania and over confidence in his own abilities that led to the disaster that befell the German army, and thank God for that. Nazism had to be obliterated. National SOCIALISM had to be totally destroyed just like the Union of Soviet SOCIALIST Republics had to collapse. Socialism is a scourge on mankind.

[@steveg8322]

@@mikealvarez2322 whose economy is stronger China or the US?

[@mikealvarez2322]

@@steveg8322 The US has the strongest economy in the world. I believe that someday China's will be number 1 simply because they have over 3 times the population of the US. Before the Industrial revolution, China was the world's leading economy. So long as they maintain their move towards more capitalism and less socialism, I expect their economy to be No. 1.

[@steveg8322]

@@mikealvarez2322 with no due respect you're nuts

[@asullivan4047]

Interesting and informative. Excellent photography job making it easier for viewers to better understand what the orator was describing. Historians did a very good job presenting actual facts from fiction. Orator presented the documentary very well. Class A research project. Once Moscow was lost. The Russians slowly gained the advantage. No quick summer campaign for Germany.

[@gregorynasrallah1755]

The vast majority of Wehrmacht armor in this encounter were Panzer III's, IV's, and Stugs, not Tigers, Panthers, or Ferdinands. Soviet losses were staggering by comparison and German losses were no where near what such documentaries would have one believe. The halt in the offensive was due to allied landings in Italy.

[@johnhynes6094]

Almost all German efforts were concentrated in the east the western fronts were minor in scale ,planning and effort when compared to the fight with russia

[@PRLcafe]

Read some letters from german soldiers….lol…form day one they get scared more and more and more…typical german bs prevails in the west. Same in ukraine today.

[@Jimmybarth]

Hi Luga, thanks again for the content and all the hard work you put in making such wonderful series. Thanks Luga. 🗿🇬🇭

[@ludaheracles7201]

Yes we should respect Luga like the Germans did the T34

[@Jabberstax]

He posted but he didn't make it. It's a old BBC/PBS series

[@fpscanada3862]

lmao vasile luga didnt make this. he just reposted it. thank the lord he did though, Because i don't think anyone else would have

[@goldzipoify]

Agree, one of the best prepared documentaries I have ever seen.

[@ernestspencer4879]

What I would like to see is a more detailed documentary on Bagration. That operation was huge in its scope and planning, and left Germany reeling. When you start looking at the numbers of men, tanks, artillery, etc.....

[@Strider-bl5sq]

Last year I read a great book about this epic battle by Dennis Showalter called Armor and Blood - The battle of Kursk. I would recommend it to anyone watching this. Niall Ferguson talks about it some in his fascinating book War of the World.

[@michaelcurcio4025]

A year to bend to the enemy,a year to halt it,a year to regain,and a year to crush him.Good lord...

[@dmoney8602]

Loser.

[@critter39]

This seems unimaginable to me. Those poor men being driven and discarded by two of the most ruthless men in history. It must have been complete hell.

[@Radrook353]

Especially when you are told to advance without a rifle and told to pick up the one from a dead soldier ahead of you as was the case among the Soviets at Stalingrad. Told that if you retreat, you will be mowed down by those behind you armed with that purpose in mind.

[@ajcastellon5903]

​@@Radrook353As it seems, that was a myth.

[@thehighlander1945]

@critter39 Ordinary people have always been easy to brainwash, abuse, exploit, bully, seduce, rape or even convince to do things on their behalf by the most dominant, bright, persuasive and ruthless individuals on the planet. Believe it or not, mother nature, the universe, "god" or whatever you want to call it intended for things to be that way. What goes for other species of animals and extraterrestrials also goes for us 🤔

[@ftffighter]

"Blocking Attachments" did exist, but they didn't just wild wild west their own troops all of the time. Most of the time, they just told anyone they saw to go the other way. There were recorded times that full on blocking orders like that were given and it's pretty sad but they were not all too common.@@Radrook353

[@hrlider1057]

@@ajcastellon5903, absolutely true. Even in 1941 there were enough supplies to arm the whole army despite terrible material losses and massive industry evecuation of the firsl months of war. And in 1943 the tide turned back till it reached Berlin. Do not rely on Hollywood movies about the Red Army ))) they are full of stereotypes.

[@tinman3586]

It is interesting today looking back at these documentaries and the history they recount. It's a strange feeling knowing that many of these World War II battlefields in eastern Europe are again being fought over by Russia and Ukraine at this very moment.

[@johnsmith100]

Finally, a good narration, that is not overtaken by a too loud background music.

[@j.dunlop8295]

Zhukov genius, one of the top ten military leaders, of all time! He beat the Japanese, and then the Germans. He's ability to handle Stalin, saved the world.

[@martinmarker4601]

Genius hmm nah but his brutality and mindset was perfect for the time. if you studie his battles you will see that he allmost never won on tatics but on numbers and bruteforce and not caring about losses. a Brutal leader that did not care abt hes soldiers but that what was needed.....

[@DejanShadow]

He handled Stalin but he's not a genius, just like Montgomery and Eisenhower for the west allies, they won just with numbers, nothing more. The real genius are Von Manstein, Patton, Rommel and some else. Others are just overrated, Montgomery is the king of them by far. Edit: i'm not saying Zhukov was bad, he was good, not a genius, just to be clear.

[@steaustin8789]

Hell yeah boy

[@Trump20-24years]

@@DejanShadow hahahahaha what a stupid take you troglodyte

[@arijitchakraborty297]

@@DejanShadow Another nazi spotted whose ass got kicked so hard that he is now kissing his own asshole by praising all the jokers.Yeah your fucking nazi ancestors attacked Soviet Union by using the resources of all of the europe but still lost and still you're blabbering here the same eastern horde shit.Except Rommel all of those generals were just jokers.

[@zeddicus456]

“To which Hitler replied, Im high as fuck so let’s attack!”

[@clarkw4028]

There’s 2 things you never do, attack the Russians in the Winter (just ask Napoleon and Hitler) and you don’t challenge them to a drinking game. You can’t win...

[@MsHacon]

🤣

[@danielschindler6700]

Neither began their campaigns against Russia during the winter.

[@clarkw4028]

@@danielschindler6700 but both struggled mightily because the winter came very early during that 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union it started in June but the snow started like in August of that year I believe many say it’s what saved the Russians from complete defeat as well. Because German soldiers weren’t equipped or trained to sustain brutal winters like Russian soldiers normally are.

[@jacobjorgenson9285]

I wouldn’t attack the Russians at any time of the year! Eventually they will push back, and when they do…….

[@chickamauga1]

best and most intelligible documentary I've seen on Kursk

[@jariusaliffwan8001]

Damn they changed the format. The format of the presentation in season 1 and 2 were perfect

[@mrwri]

We will never see this many armoured vehicles in battle again. The way we wage war has changed, and technology is so precise, that we will probably never manufacture war vehicles on this scale again. This will be the biggest tank battle for the foreseeable future of the history of our species. It involved nearly as many infantry as the battle of Stalingrad, and over a much shorter period of time. The carnage would have been beyond our ability to comprehend.

[@bandwagon22]

Battle of Kursk is largely exaggerated event. Germans lost just about 326 armour and Soviets 6 times more. That's it. More important is that Hitler halted it and started to pull troops and aircraft much more to west and south. That's the real importance of Kursk. Not battle itself. Germany was decimated largely in airwar and at Battle of Atlantic. Those who had airpower would win the war. Germans invested over 55% of money on airwar, 15% to Kriegsmarine and just about 30% to land battles. People are too ignorant about these facts.

[@squarepants49]

+bandwagon22 True, and quite a few soviet tanks fell into their own tank traps due to bad info, these were wrongly added to the battle figures.

[@scythee7774]

+bandwagon22 It was the fall of nazi army. “The three immense battles of Kursk, Orel and Kharkov, all in the space of two months, heralded the downfall of the German army on the Eastern Front.” - Winston Churchill According to german archive documents, they lost 3.5 times more men than USSR. You can accept or not. But everyone agree, that battle of Kursk was a turning point in ww2.

[@robertgrimshaw1938]

In Fall of 2018, Russia and China held joint war games. The Russians fielded between 36 and 38 thousand TANKS. The American Army has about two thousand Tanks. Don't piss off Russia.

[@cookingonthecheapcheap6921]

But this wasn't the largest tank battle in WW2, that was (bad spelling) it was Dublo or Dubno something like that. I tank battle during barbarossa.

[@hoff54a]

Videos like these should also be age restricted to stop so many stupid comments from children.

[@barrywood8249]

Game Fly lol If you took everyone acting like idiotic little kids off the internet, there would only be like 25 of us on here. lol

[@hoff54a]

Barry Wood True, but I get tired of the comments that equate to "my dad can beat your dad". It is history, not national pride.

[@barrywood8249]

hoff54a Yea, I totally understand, I was just making a joke. I'm proud of my family and country's contribution to WWII, but not to the point to belittle other nations involved.

[@hoff54a]

Barry Wood Ooops! Sorry.

[@adamwilliams1216]

Pun Master88 and A lot of dumbass adults

[@ankanbhattacharya6119]

Very informative documentry. Thanks for making it. I am amazed you managed to get the footages.

[@irwansyahtourguide832]

The Battle of Kursk is one of the greatest German defeats in the Soviet Union during WW2 and the greatest Soviet victory in WW2 as well. It is also the greatest tank warfare in WW2. After the Battleof Kursk, the Soviets planned to attack Germans in East Europe and then Germany itself.

[@alzaidi7739]

Best video documentary om Kursk I have seen.

[@tommy_sparrow]

We should continue to blame Hitler for every single setback the German army had, because Guderian told us so in his post-war, pre-trial memoirs. Sounds legit.

[@zexal4217]

Wehrabooism is sadly an ever popular myth these days.

[@harukrentz435]

I loved that franz halder completely blamed hitler for everything wrong in the eastern frontm

[@bigbadladnamedalasad7071]

@@harukrentz435History is written by the survivors

[@richardthomas1566]

Hitter got them their Germans failed every time them met a real army . They never had a chance .

[@herptek]

​@@richardthomas1566 So I take it you mean that every time they won it wasn't against a real army? I find this quite selective kind of reasoning.

[@ianjohngonzales4066]

This should be the kind of programs The History channel should be showing.

[@jacobl4597]

A good documentary.Very detailed in the events leading up to the battle.Described both sides current strengths and weaknesses.

[@Arclight104]

Von Manstein suggested letting the Soviet's attack first in 1943 and when they were overextended, counter-attack and pin them against the Sea of Azov broadly repeating the strategy used early in 43 to recover Kharkov. However, Hitler's chief objection to this was that it would involve giving up (temporarily in Manstein's view..) the important industrial region of the Donetz basin. Hitler could not be persuaded and Kursk went as we know. However, I can't help but wonder if Manstein's strategy would have worked. Its certainly not enough to be decisive but if it did work it would dislocate Soviet operations for months and extend the length of World war two with unknowable consequences..

[@JGD185]

Manstein was brilliant. I think if he was given full control, he could have brought the USSR to a stalemate and a truce.

[@philliphall5198]

I think it would have given Germany more time to supply Ammo and tanks

[@craigwilcox4403]

Logistics can win or lose a war, along with the Court of Human opinions.

[@jacobjorgenson9285]

Much later the U.S. would support the Ukrainian neo nazi Azov battalion who would see its end in Mariupol as the Russians killed or imprisoned them

[@jamesblack5993]

My favorite quote accredited to Stalin: "it takes a brave man to be a coward in the Red Army"...

[@krevin543]

Hitler and His generals during WW2: Hitler: “let’s do X” Generals: “if we do X we will lose” Hitler: “we’re doing it” They lose the thing Hitler: *fires generals*

[@stevebrownrocks6376]

This is an EXTREMELY well-made doc! ✨👏🏼😎✨

[@oranultra]

In this stupendous clash of armour, each side gave as good as it got. This reflected well on the Germans, considering that the Russians knew all about the impending German attack and were well prepared for it.

[@-GS-]

Yeah all thanks to the British code breakers who fed the info to the Russians allowing them the time to strengthen their defences and have the element of suprise. Which is what the Germans needed for their blitzkrieg to work.

[@Lomnjac007]

Kinda difficult to hide almost a milion men from the Russian? The fact they knew the date of the attack (which started earlier in the south) only helped them better plan their defense knowing how much time they have to build them, that is it.

[@Argentvs]

To be fair on the Ferdinand, they lost most of them in Kursk, but the Ferdinands destroyed around 500 enemy tanks more artillery positions and MG nest. The Elefant had the most successfull kill ratio in history with a rate of 10:1. The 653rd Heavy Tank Destroyer Battalion destroyed 320 vehicles at the lost of 13 Ferdinands.

[@bakters]

You mean, that they *claimed* that many victories over actual and total losses. According to such claims USSR lost pretty much all of its vehicles, then the next day attacked in strength, which is impossible. Even comparing numbers from archives is difficult, because Soviets and Germans counted losses differently. Comparing claimed victories against actual losses sits right next to useless.

[@Bluesit32]

Argentvs They sounded like rushed hunks of gas guzzling junk. How many other tools and weapons could all that steel and diesel have gone to if they hadn't built those tanks?

[@JGD185]

@@bakters I wouldn't trust Soviet sources. The Germans were meticulous record keepers. Let's just say I had to bet money on one side being more accurate, would definitely bet on the Germans

[@bakters]

@@JGD185 " *Germans were meticulous record keepers* " Their air victories claim / real lost ac ratio is pretty much the same as everybody else'.

[@Dilley_G45]

@@JGD185 if you watch the "TIK" channel, he analyzed soviet sources from.stalingrad battle and debunked a lot of propaganda there. A lot of false claims

[@oh8wingman]

As a Canadian, I thank you for your comment regarding our education system. However, having said this, I find I must question your condemnation of our neighbours to the south. I do not believe that the people of the U.S.A. are lacking, deficient or malicious in intent. Instead, I believe that they have been misguided and betrayed by a corrupted government and poor leadership. I sincerely hope that they will be able to rise above their present situation without resorting to revolt and bloodshed.

[@jacobjorgenson9285]

They are stupid , which left unchecked is very dangerous

[@scottkrater2131]

Love the series, can someone explain the narrator's claim that the Panther had 120 mm of armor at 45 tons but the Tiger had only 110 and came in at 55 tons? Noticed these small errors are quite common in this series. Another thing is the invasion of Poland and France really relevant to Kursk? Other than that it's very interesting.

[@petergibson2318]

The Germans had to invade through Poland to even be at Kursk you idiot.

[@johnthereturned]

they measured it across the slope. . John in Texas

[@jacobjorgenson9285]

Other considerations, length, width, height ….

[@mohammadnawafleh5678]

I really liked this documentary so much

[@tktkdiamond]

The Greatest All Part WW2 Documentary Series Of All Time

[@davidca96]

I wish I could have been there to see 600+ tanks heading straight for each other, while hundreds of 152mm and 88mm artillery is falling everywhere and the tanks taking shots at each other. It was likely one of the loudest battles ever fought on Earth, its almost hard to grasp. From as far as you could see in both directions was nothing but tanks, all shooting at each other engines revving tracks clanking.

[@hrlider1057]

David, those who were there said they wished they never were there to see this.

[@aussiedownunder4186]

It is easy for todays generation to glorify war but in truth it is endless bloodshed and horror. If you were there to experience it I am sure you would change your mind in a instant. If you were at the Battle of Kursk you might not have survived. Tank crews were literally vaporised or incinerated to little pieces.

[@Jumpmanmauro]

You'd probably be dead on the first day after the initial artillery barage.

[@EricToTheScionti]

It apparently was just one loud noise.

[@Lomnjac007]

Then imagine how we feel hearing now Yanks how "WE freed Europe from Nazism in WW2, we will free it again from Russians Natzism now", one the 2,2 MILION men and 3000 tanks and 5 500 planes... NEVER had even a 20% counterpart on the western front, so freeing Europe is a joke regarding WW2, and two them supporting BANDERITE NATZEES is not freeing Europe from Nazism now!

[@genegarren833]

Attacking in Russial in the summer of 1943, was completely unwise. Field Marshall Von Meinstein had pulled off a miricale in his superbly skilled fighting withdrawel from the Caucaus and the Stalingrad fronts. Under his leadership and General Paul Hausser, the Germans recaptured Karkov and stabalized the front. The German War industries did a superb job in bulding armored vehicles, and other heavy weapons. German combat replacements arrive and were well trained. A defensive war in 1943 was the most common sense thing. With the Allied Invasion coming in 1944, it as vital also not to attack in Russia in 1943. The German offensive at Kursk, lost Hitler the iniitive in Russia was lost forever due to the battle of Kursk. While the Germans inflicted 3 times the casualties, on the Russians, and destroyed vast amounts of Russian Tanks and heavy weapons. However the Russians could recover from these loses. The Germans could not. From now on it was retreat to one defensive line, usually on the west side of a river. Now the Germans were very much weakened to fight in the coming Allied Offensive and the Russian Summer offensive for 1944. Only the suberb and dedicated efforts of the German Soldiers on the ground kept the Allies and Russians from achieving victory in a shorter time.

[@harukrentz435]

This was mainstein's idea although tbf he wanted to attack as early as April instead of July.

[@ChrisZukowski88]

Well April could’ve yielded a possible victory for the Germans. 3 extra months of trench and mine time was disastrous imo.

[@genegarren833]

@@ChrisZukowski88 The problem with April was it was now the Spring Mud season, among other things.

[@genegarren833]

@@ChrisZukowski88 April was too muddy.

[@carlmarch9591]

loved watching these and Tim piggott Smith was a fantastic voice over

[@johntechwriter]

I hope that someday, somebody takes the trouble to digitize and remaster this valuable WWII video footage.

[@miguelmontenegro3520]

Why we can't have those documentaries anymore?

[@PrimoMagazine]

Good victory by the Soviets. British intelligence had a big part to play in allowing the Soviets to know German plans and prepare and counteract them.

[@dougdouglas3696]

Germany was the fatherland and Russia was the motherland. And I thought MY parents were tyrants.

[@jazzaman147]

lol ikr

[@jefvarnadore2267]

My mom always whooped my dads ass when they fought too

[@dougdouglas3696]

@@jefvarnadore2267 lmao!

[@stoggafllik]

@@jefvarnadore2267 Pussy father

[@696969640]

ive watch this over 40 times and still amazed me the burtle battle

[@696969640]

@AS - 10WD - Harold M Brathwaite SS (2482)I just like watching it

[@tktkdiamond]

me too brother favorite WW2 documentary series of all time nothing compares to it nowadays especially in 2024

[@sattyamevjayate6183]

Best documentary on battle of koorsk evermade complete in every aspect!

[@renechatto3369]

in my elementary time im not ntersted n history but when i see the sacrifice of people about what happen in past i want to share to the other of the forgotten sacrifice of our ancistor to build a peacefull nation ! for us

[@johnmoran4469]

This was an interesting series. Very well done.

[@eriktronstad8063]

If you are a reader .. Look into the book "The Forgotten Soldier" This is in the book and very descriptive.

[@grandcrowdadforde6127]

Well done ! this is by far the BEST vid i ve seen on this momentuous turning point of WW 2

[@simonsmith2779]

Good job Jerry never knew we'd broken the Enigma code, otherwise they'd have changed it and we'd all be speaking German. Thank you to the guys at Bletchley! You're heroes in your own rights

[@RS-kt6is]

I greatly doubt the Germans didn't have their own code breaking operations. They knew from 1941 of the Soviets' far greater production capability. Hitler was horrified about the worker camps Stalin had set up near the factories for one. All and all, the Germans couldn't or wouldn't adapt to the circumstances and were doomed to fail sooner or later. Their only chance was knocking out USSR early, which try tried desperately and had already failed before Kursk.

[@adgw1423]

Simon Smith Bletchley was amazing, but a German occupation of England would have been like what was witnessed in the Channel Islands. German occupation of countries with Germanic peoples (i.e. the Anglo Saxon United Kingdom), Holland, Denmark, Norway was entirely different from their policy in Eastern Europe. Not saying that's great by any means, but it was 1000x better than Poland or Russia.

[@adgw1423]

Radu Savutiu German intelligence was pretty poor overall after 1941. Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr, was active in plotting to dispose of Hitler. Germany's intelligence shortcomings did them no favors. They had some successes, but the British and Russians were miles ahead of the Germans in regards to intel.

[@cursarius3285]

Simon Smith "German military messages enciphered on the Enigma machine were first broken by the Polish Cipher Bureau, beginning in December 1932. This success was a result of efforts by three Polish cryptologists, Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski, working for Polish military intelligence".

[@simonsmith2779]

Cursarius Whoever broke the code was a bloody genius. And Jerry never knew until too late.

[@asterixx6878]

The battle is still going on.

[@neolord50pro77]

Tigers and Panthers have screw up, Leopards are taking the turn.

[@chilIychilI]

Many German soldiers were highly trained & disciplined men. It's never easy to articulate their heroism because of other factors in the war. But their commitment & dedication was unmatched. It must be severely frustrating to not be able to celebrate their sacrifices & contributions because of atrocities committed by some, that others surely couldn't of known about. As an American I know, that most civilians here, have no idea what our countries military does abroad and we certainly dont judge our countrymen or vetrens on goals set by our military.

[@chilIychilI]

BroSki, what up? we seen this one bro. I know, but... yeah, it says we did watch it. Yeah theirs a comment we left. A long one too. Yeah, it was over 11 months ago though. Wana watch it again? huh? while we fall to 😴💤😴 🤷🏼‍♂️yeah I'm down bro. Less get it! 😉🤣🤣

[@evangelinewangari1124]

Best documentary ever

[@tktkdiamond]

agree 10 fold

[@Spencer481]

The use of the panzer 2/3/4 at Kursk is goes totally unmentioned although they were fielded in much larger number in comparison to the more charismatic tiger/pather/Ferdinand

[@dmoney8602]

No one cares

[@Spencer481]

@@dmoney8602 you cared enough to dig up a 4 year old comment. Very cool.

[@keithbrown7685]

@@Spencer481 The Pz4 became what is called the mainstay of the German army. In that way, they were like the T34.

[@mikekomalley]

I’ve always wondered if those Ferdinand Panzerjägers ever had a successful battle. I’ve only heard the negatives on their weight and lack of mobility. Still I find them fascinating.

[@Whatisthisstupidfinghandle]

No not really. This was the only battle on the eastern front. All surviving units were withdrawn and refitted including getting a machine gun and some other improvements. They were eventually sent to Italy which is very mountainous so they were not very useful

[@rossjones5741]

One OUTSTANDING ability of the Ferdinard is the 88mm gun. It was said that it could hit and destroy a tank from as far away as 4 km. At that time that was kick-ass!!!. Unfortunately, it had quite a few problems that history focused on instead and it lost favor over time. Only 2 are left today. Another setback of war.

[@umbrellacorpsoldier1]

Great Video, I love these history documentaries. If I remember correctly this tank battle was the biggest operation that Germany launched aside from the battle of the bulge.

[@johnhynes6094]

The battle of the bulge was very minor if you compare it to kursk

[@harukrentz435]

Even in battle of kiev german deployed more tanks than the bulge.

[@geekfan4086]

77 years ago today the Battle of Kursk began along with the largest clash of armoured vehicles (some dispute other wise)

[@blueeyedscorpio7]

*Whenever the narrator says, schedule!! Lol* 😂🤣

[@killman369547]

what an incredible battle the full brunt of the german army vs the biggest integrated network of defenses man has ever constructed watching this unfold in a reconnaissance plane must have been incredible

[@rahulbond3m]

the reconnaissance plane pilot must be thinking "I told them, it's a trap!"

[@killman369547]

Rahul Lodha lol

[@2serveand2protect]

You're right!... The only proper words for the witnessess and soldiers, to describe it must have been "APOCALYPTICAL".

[@Hannibal953able]

Rahul Lodha And may the force be with you.

[@jabersawaya7131]

Espionage played a major factor in German defeat

[@philliphall5198]

Yep and Russia will feel the hate from the Ukraine people for many years

[@lorenzsevilla]

They firing those AA guns with no Earplugs, Holyyy

[@reedaton2933]

Anyone have the soundtrack to these documentaries? It is amazing.

[@imbetterthanyou6927]

The narrator sounds like a general. XD

tim piggot smith - legendary

[@MB-fo2sk]

May he rest in peace.

[@sircurtisseretse3297]

He doesn't know how to pronounce Orel.

[@JOHNTOPG]

hes not dead

[@NordicClaw1]

Yes he is unfortunately. Look it up.

[@NikolNikol100]

The honor and glory of a great Russia

[@lestergreen1190]

Yeah, right.😀

[@-GS-]

The only reason Russia was able to have the element of suprise to develop defences and plan their strategy was due to the intelligence fed to them by British code breakers. If not for this then the Russians would have been beaten at kursk.

[@mazrio128]

F Russia

[@mrpistonrecaro6483]

Funny how I got interested in ww2 history after playing 2008 cod waw. Many years have passed but I’m still into it

[@kyrieeleison3522]

Don't mess with Russia. The Russians don't lose wars on Russian soil. Napoleon and Hitler learned that the hard way.