The Russo-Japanese War: The War that Made Imperial Japan

[@seanbrazell7095]

I REFUSE to believe ANY Russian leader would EVER catastrophically underestimate an opponent!

[@badluck5647]

🇺🇦 ✊️

[@seanbrazell7095]

@@badluck5647 Amen to that, brother! Amen to that indeed. 👉 ❤🇺🇦✊️🇺🇦❤👈

[@mrhitisnumberone]

Than you don't understand history.

[@mrhitisnumberone]

@@badluck5647 That's a lie Ukraine is losing this war it is going exactly as Russia wanted it to go.

[@badluck5647]

@@mrhitisnumberone Russia's plan was to have a miles-long convey of vehicles sit on the road for days as Ukraine drones pick them off? That's pretty stupid plan.

[@Talisguy]

"Only, the Tsar had misjudged things" Nicholas II's reign in a nutshell.

[@masteroftheart5548]

That’s unfair he was right twice during his reign. First just after he was coronated and cried on his wife’s shoulder saying “I don’t think I will be a good tsar.” And the second time near the end when he asked a member of his cabinet (I think maybe prime minister.) “Is it possible that during my reign I have made every possible misjudgment?”

[@TomFynn]

@@masteroftheart5548 So he zar it coming?

[@Intel-i7-9700k]

@@masteroftheart5548 Quite unfortunate that one of those "every possible misjudgment" included not wanting to delegate any significant power to his ministers or the Duma.

[@Ruosteinenknight]

@@Intel-i7-9700k Nicholas II was weirdly paradoxial figure: on the one hand, he let people like Witte and Stolypin to do almost whatever they wanted. But when anyone tried to create anything that even hinted about weakening the Tsar's autocracy, he fought it tooth and nail to keep from happening.

[@jeopardybehrens3047]

crazy looking back at his whole reign and really seeing how many HUGE mistakes he made, and yet how little it would take to go back and correct just a few things, and he really could've been the best they ever had

[@brentgranger7856]

2 of the ships from the Battle of Tsushima still exist. Admiral Togo’s flagship, Mikasa, is retired as a museum ship in Yokosuka. Mikasa is the only pre-dreadnaught battleship still in existence, the only surviving battleship outside the USA, and the oldest metallic warship still in existence built in the UK. The Russian cruiser «Аврора» (Aurora) is retired as a museum ship in St. Petersburg mostly in remembrance of its role in the October Revolution of 1917.

[@erichvondonitz5325]

We should really protect these ships

[@kaltaron1284]

@@erichvondonitz5325 AFAIK they are treated rather well. I'm still planning to visit Mikasa but there was this stupid interferance lately.

[@erichvondonitz5325]

@@kaltaron1284 As it should be, the ships are super valuable and we should keep perserving them as much as we can. Also same, I wanna visit Mikasa, Texas and Avrora once the pandemic is over

[@kaltaron1284]

@@erichvondonitz5325 I wish you good luck to do so. Unfortunately pretty much all Japanese WWII warships met a wet fate.

[@erichvondonitz5325]

@@kaltaron1284 you too as well fellow museum ship enjoyer

[@lukelee5385]

Great video as always, but I do hope you guys can include more maps when talking about the geopolitics in the prelude. Even though I am vaguely familiar with Chinese geography, I did have to look up the location of port Arthur and Liaodong peninsula to understand it fully. I suspect this is true for most fellow viewers as well.

[@quasarsavage]

yup google earth zoom-ins are dope

[@andersjjensen]

I much concur!

[@trishapellis]

For me, I must admit, the information given in the video about the Liaodong peninsula being a warm-water port belonging to China is enough to be situated, and the aerial photo of that strip of land sticking out into the ocean is enough to understand why it would give a strategic advantage. I don't need to know exactly where it is to understand the fact that everyone was fighting over it. This is not to bash what you're saying, just to give the other perspective, because you say you suspect 'most' fellow viewers agree with you. While maps would have been a nice addition, for me they weren't necessary to understand what was going on. So I guess we'll need to see more other viewers come in and tell us what side they're on to see who really has the majority. Still, agreed, maps would be nice. And for a tip for Simon or his editors perhaps: Overly Sarcastic Productions has a video on how they fix their maps.

[@lukelee5385]

@@trishapellis well, I guess it is kinda embarrassing that I totally confused Liaodong peninsula with Shandong peninsula (mostly because the aerial image is not oriented). So I was confused when Simon said Liaodong is linked to Manchuria, forcing me to do a double check.

[@trishapellis]

@@lukelee5385 Hey, as mentioned, I'm not bashing. I'm just providing the perspective of a person who doesn't mind there not being maps. I've seen a few people commenting about the lack of maps, but here's the thing: People aren't going to make a comment going "Hey Simon, great video, very informative, and I'm totally fine with there not being that many maps in this video". So I'm kinda trying to start a vote, I guess, in a thread where it's relevant, to see how many people mind vs don't mind. And then we can know with more certainty. Because I'm curious, and because that way Simon can know how much that extra effort of making maps will be appreciated. That video from Overly Sarcastic Productions about how they make maps makes it look like an awful lot of work, and Simon puts out an ungodly number of videos in a week.

[@nhd6128]

Born & raised in Portsmouth NH, this is one of the few foreign wars we were taught about growing up. Our little town having a treaty named for it, Roosevelt knew what a gem this town is! Awesome video, very detailed

[@phuckpootube6231]

Anything foreign taught in the U.S is a rarity, hence it is one of the many reasons why the majority of Americans are so blindingly ignorant to the rest of the world.

[@iielysiumx5811]

It’s crazy that in a war with 200,000 casualties and a total Russian defeat they were basically just given what they had already won as well as half an island with nothing on it

[@justinjacquez9321]

No wonder riots broke out

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:15 - Chapter 1 - Once upon a time, in the east 5:45 - Chapter 2 - The bear awakes 10:10 - Chapter 3 - The 1st pearl harbor 14:10 - Chapter 4 - WW0 18:20 - Chapter 5 - Unthinkable defeat 21:45 - Chapter 6 - Consolation prizes

[@stacyrussell460]

Thank you

[@joshuaescopete]

Would love to see a warographics on the Boxer Rebellion of 1901. This video has perfectly set the stage of China’s final act. The European powers making their stand against the last vestiges of the Qing Dynasty. Seeing the world unknowingly prepare itself for a conflict that would span the globe.

[@Battleblunt420]

Pompey vs ceaser 🥊

[@iDeathMaximuMII]

@@Battleblunt420 Yes

[@macmiller1678]

I second this.

[@kaltaron1284]

Or maybe start with the Opium Wars?

[@dragon111409]

The real fun part of the history here is the journey of the Baltic fleet from the Baltic sea to off the Asiatic seas was a hilarious series of international incidents , friendly fire ,and vodka drinking snakes. A certain blue jay did a video on it a while back i highly recommend it great video.

[@catmunkyafzainizam5137]

Agree man. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6uqoqNph5mArpYsi=cT_CYsHvvCP_jE9e

[@loke6664]

It is such a shame that you didn't go into the bumbling adventure of the Imperial Russian fleet. Like when they thought Danish fishing vessels in the Baltic sea were Japanese torpedo boats for instance and only drunkenness and poor aim stopped an international incident. The whole journey is hilarious and certainly require it's own episode.

[@paulrasmussen8953]

Drachinifel covers it well

[@user-dg9pu4pe9d]

Military blunders done in the style of The Casual Criminalist would be a good suggestion for channel or video series.

[@loke6664]

@@user-dg9pu4pe9d Or it could be a segment on Brainblaze. I do wish Simon had a bit more tactical maps and stuff though, here you miss a bit of how terrible the Russians did due to that.

[@RonnieRawdawg]

Bluejay has best video on Baltic fleet

[@loke6664]

@@RonnieRawdawg Agreed but even he cut things a bit short. I do subscribe to Bluejay as well. :)

[@matthewdopler8997]

I would love a Brain Blaze episode on the Baltic Fleet’s 3 Stoogies style journey.

[@Mazz3D]

I literally laughed out loud at the monty python lumberjack reference. it's a song that's always in my head, not a day goes by I'm not humming or whistling that tune, thanks Simon for making my day 👍

[@twimisize]

Hey Simon, great video! I noticed that you're taking suggestions, I can recommend the Hundred Years War. It lasted 116 years between England and France (French victory). It was a major factor in the peasants revolt in england in 1381 when John of Gaunt used poll taxes (3 between 1377-81) to help fund it. It contains some really interesting battles: Agincourt, Crecy and Poitiers to name a few, and was one of the most consequential wars in European history. It was a major factor for the French/English (later British) animosity which, aside from the numerous wars fought throughout the centuries between the two, impacted also the American War of Independence, the Anglo-American 1812 war, it established the borders which are held by the UK and France today and featured figures such as Henry V, Jeanne d'Arc, Edward the Black Prince of Wales and convicted child murderer Gilles de Rais. IMO it ranks up there with WW1, Vietnam and the Chinese Civil War in terms of historical consequence.

[@hetalianotaku7103]

I feel like that's too much to cover in one video. It did last over 100 years after all. I'd like to see Crécy covered though. Or maybe Lechfeld, which was fought in 955 and stopped the Hungarian invasions of Western Europe.

[@twimisize]

@@hetalianotaku7103 You're not wrong, and that sounds fascinating, I've never heard of Lechfeld and it sounds like something that'd be cool to watch about.

[@hetalianotaku7103]

@@twimisize It's been hailed as the battle that made medieval knights in armor famous. It also led to Otto I being crowned Holy Roman Emperor, which in turn led to the so-called Ottonian Renaissance. Fun fact, Otto's first wife was Eadgyth of England, the granddaughter of Alfred the Great. His second wife, Adelaide of Italy, is a Catholic saint of abuse victims.

[@twimisize]

@@hetalianotaku7103 yeah I'm absolutely gonna be reading about it. That's another example of history that'd make a great film without any changes

[@trishapellis]

He's already made a video about Joan of Arc over on Biographics, so he should be more or less familiar with the Hundred Years War. Also, I support the motion of separating that conflict up into its component parts, because in the end, it wasn't actually one hundred years of continuous war (luckily), and that way you can go into more detail about each segment.

[@luisfelipegoncalves4977]

I'm currently trying to write a historic fiction about the voyage of the Second Pacific Squadron, and this video came at a good time, thanks Simon

[@MAOofDC]

You should watch Drachinifel videos on the Second Pacific Fleet. He goes into a great amount of detail. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b37HmpJ8nZ6Sd8k

[@sammead7911]

I’d recommend The Tsars Last Armada by Constantine Pleshalov

[@irrationalmoon]

Anyone else notice the jojo references? The writer must've had a lot of fun writing this.

[@josephterry1390]

Lol I just heard him say “diamond is un breakable” went straight to the comments to see if anyone else noticed the JoJo reference

[@razasayyed382]

@@josephterry1390 and i hear "crazy diamond" and rush to comment section to find someone of jojo type like me lol🤣

[@Sergiblacklist]

Someone should put all Simon's videos into chronological order crossing all his channels would make an excellent documentary

[@Oxtocoatl13]

A pretty irrelevant but interesting participant in this conflict was the future marshal of Finland, C. G. E Mannerheim. A cavalry officer in St. Petersburg, he fought tooth and nail to be transferred to the front, because, as he wrote to his sister, "After this war there will be two castes of officers, those with combat experience and those without." And he calculated correctly that his career might depend on this. He would survive his miserable ordeal on the front with enough distinction to be assigned an interesting task post-war: a lengthy reconnaissance trip to Manchuria disguised as a scientific expedition. He would map the road networks, water sources and grazing ground for the cavalry in preparation for a future rematch with Japan or China. Then he actually traveled to Japan and met with officers who'd fought on the other side. This reconnaissance trip made his career in the imperial army and he would start WW1 leading a regiment in Poland.

[@Beryllahawk]

The script for this was SO well written. Damn. Good job, Simon and team!!

[@trekkie108]

The most interesting story about this war is the the journey the 2nd pacific squadron took to get to the pacific. Voyage of the damned is a fitting term.

[@mrhitisnumberone]

Drachinifel made a video about it and it was hilarious.

[@ericstromberg9608]

@@mrhitisnumberone Yes, I was about to mention it! Do you see torpedo boats?

[@osmosis7464]

@@ericstromberg9608 Ah the good old Kamkachka, along with the mistaken identity of British trawlers as Japanese warships amongst other things. What did we achieve today apart from to bring Britain, France, Germany and Sweden into the war...!

[@osmosis7464]

@@ericstromberg9608 Sorry, Kamchatka!

[@MAOofDC]

Here is a link to the first of Drachinifel videos on the Second Fleet. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b37HmpJ8nZ6Sd8k

[@slicc2653]

“the battle of tsushima was likely the biggest anti-climax prior to the rise of skywalker”😭

[@HerrCobra_762]

I actually like the movie and I'm a huge Star Wars fan and that line still may be laugh out loud

[@Falkirion]

"The battle of Tsushima had ended the Russo Japanese war" And as we in the future know, it's naval doctrine about fighting a larger foe. Decisive battles are great if you can force them, if you can't you better have a backup plan

[@Oxtocoatl13]

I thini it's telling that this war would be the model for all future Japanese strategies up until the end of ww2. The thing is, if you pick a fight with a stronger enemy but can't force or win the decisive battle, boy are you screwed.

[@lehammsamm]

If I've learned anything, it's that Simon needs more channels. Him and his fabulous team of writers and editors are the Blinkist version of KZbin and I'm totally here for it. I love learning so much in an easily digestible format. Great work as always!

[@nickjohnson1997]

What other channels could this guy have? Food O Graphics?

[@michaelgallagher3640]

Graphic o Graphics?

[@lehammsamm]

@@nickjohnson1997 Brain Blaze has some pretty hilarious movie reviews.

[@TheJMBon]

Simon: The Russo-Japanese War was a prelude to the industrial slaughter of WW1. US Civil War in its last year: You're forgetting the 9 months of trench warfare, use of land mines, gatling machine guns, troops charging dug in defenders across a no mans land, scorched Earth tactics, etc

[@jonnunn4196]

While the US Civil War was a preview of WW1, the Russo-Japanese War was an ever closer one. The Gatling Gun invented in 1861 was on wheels and required multiple people to move, set up, and fire. The machine guns seen in Russo-Japanese war and later WW1 could be handled by a single strong man.

[@almighty3946]

Slight correction. The main reason that the Russians lost access to the Suez Canal wasn’t because the Japanese were allied to Britain. It was because the Russians stupidly attacked a British ship in Baltic Sea thinking it was a Japanese ship for some reason The British were so angry that they nearly declared war on Russia, but in the end they just closed access to the canal.

[@kaltaron1284]

I love how the British admiral was willing to give the Russians a handicap when he noticed their atrocious gunnery. And yeah, with the Japanese as the attackers the British were neutral to the Russians. Edit: The Brits even allowed the reinforcement access to the canal which might actually have been a boon to the Japanese.

[@alyssinwilliams4570]

The Japanese Admiral in charge of the fleet that took out Russia's Baltic fleet had studied naval warfare in.. either england or the united states (or maybe it was france? I'd have to check, but Im feeling lazy), had seen the effectiveness of the all-big-gun warships inspired by the HMS Dreadnought, and also had access to an advance new naval artillery shell that was much more effective than anything Russia was using. Even if the Baltic fleet had made it in half the time and were thus less drained of morale and resources, the Japanese fleet likely still would have crushed them thanks to superior tactics and new advanced firepower

[@michaelsinger4638]

In his private journals, he stated that he believed himself to be the reincarnation of Horatio Nelson.

[@theawesomeman9821]

Kings and General, has a great KZbin series on the battle aspects of the Russo-Japanese War

[@kaltaron1284]

HMS Dreadnought entered service in 1906. The Japanese flagship at the time Mikasa was still a pre-Dreadnought. The ideas were already there but they hadn't materialized yet. What helped the Japanese a lot was also the poor training, communications and morale of the Russians. Their torpedo boats were also pretty neat.

[@simonbeaird7436]

Admiral Togo studied naval warfare in Britain from 1871 to 1877, including a round-the world cruise on a British training ship lasting a year.

[@kaltaron1284]

It basically goes French for the army, British for the navy and parts of the constitution, Germany/Prussia for education and medicine. Broadly speaking. Not sure about the USA. Possibly when it comes to weapons?

[@blue-d4g]

Almost felt proud for our Japanese bros, then I remembered this war was fought in Korea and China, independent nations that literally had nothing to do with the war. Damn you, Japan.

[@Wintersmith12]

Well written and well paced. Though to agree with some of the other comments more zoomed-out maps to describe the area and the political situation would help those who aren't already familiar with the conflict.

[@jjohnsonTX]

That was excellent, Thank you, Simon.

[@tylerhewitt1204]

I love you Simon! I don’t need to meet you, you share the knowledge that would be lost. Thank you

[@annonymus2579]

i LOVE it when you guys add so many chapters, if only others would start doing that Keep going man, love all your channels

[@randallrona9618]

Great video. Please do the Philippine Revolution of 1896. As a Filipino, only few know about this event in my country. I suggest to make a video soon in the future. Thank you.

[@everburn]

Simon coming after rise of skywalker was something I didn't know I needed.

[@EligibleBubble]

Speaking of Imperial Japan, I’d love to hear you cover the Battle off Samar in the Philippines. It’s a great story and is one of the last major battles for the Imperial Navy.

[@christopherjohnrudma]

Great video! a fascinating time in history! But please include more maps in your videos

[@andrzej6294]

So, to sum it up: Russia thought that their army is unstoppable and got their ass handled to them by smaller, inferior in their eyes, barely globally known country. Sounds familiar.

[@vinnyk.9670]

The shade thrown at the rise of Skywalker was beautiful

[@Talisguy]

"The problem with calculated snubs..." In Nicholas's case, the problem with calculated snubs was that he was lousy at maths.

[@col.waltervonschonkopf69]

It was quite a comeback from acquiescing to Imperial Russia's demands in 1895 because Japan didn't really have a navy to drubbing Imperial Russia's navy ten years later in 1905.

[@klaytonboyer2686]

Been watching Simon's videos for years love this guy's content you need a brand!!

[@garlandgarrison3739]

A new Graphics channel? Simon is something else.

[@RedFawcett]

"The imperial version of the Hikikomori..." I see what you did there, my dude. Though in all seriousness, I do wonder what your take on the 2nd Pacific Squadron's voyage would be like. If you're working on such a video, I look forward to seeing it soon. Also, I felt it kind of wanting that you didn't mention future Admiral Yamamoto and how he was involved in the Battle of Tsushima, however you did keep referring to Admiral Togo as Heihachiro a couple times there. But still great video, do keep them coming.

[@CadenceGao]

i know that I’m biased cause I’m from there so this bothers me a bit more than it should but, Liaodong. Not Liandong.

[@johnaaron37]

Simon, Drachinifel has a channel with a great special about the Second Pacific Squadron

[@MoshpitMaestro]

I love it when there are Star Wars references in the scripts, as I know Simon hasn't watched Star Wars :D

[@Symbiote_Coyote]

Bluejay does a great video of the Baltic fleet voyage

[@imperialprimarch4442]

An interesting foot note the Russian baltic fleet accidentally sunk a British fishing boat (they thought it was a Japanese torpedo boat) which almost brought the UK into the war. This was called the dogger bay incident

[@markwilliams2345]

Make a video on the 2nd Russia fleet it’s a good story

[@quadri31]

Drachinifel has a wonderful video covering the voyage and a separate video for the Battle of Tsushima

[@ag7898]

For more info on the voyage of the 2nd Pacific Fleet and the insanity of that voyage, I HIGHLY recommend the two episodes that Drachinafel did. Both informative AND hilarious!

[@jonmcgee6987]

Blue Jay had a really funny take on it as well.

[@MaxwellAerialPhotography]

The voyage of the damned second Pacific squadron, is a Monty Python sketch, made farcical reality, truly proving that the truth is stranger than fiction.

[@michealmcneal2259]

Completely agree. The story of how one worthless ship can help get its whole armada destroyed.....

[@adenkyramud5005]

Do you see torpedo boats?

[@samwinwood218]

Is the kamchatka here?

[@lychan2366]

The Russo-Japanese war in 1904-1905, with the high-profile Battle of Tsushima resulting in Japanese naval victory over Russian Baltic Fleet, gave Japan the confidence to beat a much larger empire. A major consequence of this war was that Japan's much celebrated victory fueled its nationalistic pride, imperial and territorial ambitions. A tragic lesson that Japan drew from its victory over Russia was that it could gamble on an opportunity to defeat the world's largest (British) empire and its US ally; who enjoyed much more natural resources and industrial-military capacity. Japan had placed too faith in its people's Bushido and Samurai spirit. By doing so, it underestimated the latent Yankee spirit of the American public, who had become largely isolationist and pacifist, to be against participation in others' war after WWI, until Pearl Harbor ignited the Americans' thirst for revenge and justice. Japan's ambitions led to its military buildup and conquests of Manchuria in 1931, mainland China in 1937 and occupation of French Indochina during 1940-1941. These conquests triggered US President Roosevelt to impose an oil and economic embargo on Japan, which in turn led Japan to launch the Pacific War, resulting in much greater consequences than the Russo-Jap war. Have all powers learnt from the true lessons of WWI and WWII? Judging by Russia's current invasion of Ukraine, I'm afraid not. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Lest we forget.

[@donsandsii4642]

It's amazing Nicholas II lasted until 1918. Should have been gone in 1910

[@302racing3]

Could you cover some of history’s Pyrrhic victories like the Battle Asculum, Bunker Hill, or Chosin Reservoir?

[@jimland4359]

Pyrrhic Wars would be cool.

[@duncancurtis1758]

De Gaulles 1940 tank battle, the Italian fiasco in Greece the same year, Kasserine 1943 and Czechoslovakia 1945.

[@maxwellt91]

Yes!!! This is the one I was hoping for

[@teheyepatch]

Please do a video about the Baltic Fleet's journey. We learned a bit about it in high school history classes, but there's probably a lot of stuff that wasn't covered. I'd love a more detailed video about one of the biggest hot messes in history!

[@TheBods666]

Drachinifel has an excellent video about the Second Pacific Squadron.

[@elagrion]

Check out BlueJay video

[@barrydysert2974]

The last five minutes tied up the loose ends of history for me in a way i've never experienced 🏆 🙏⚡️

[@barrydysert2974]

i couldn't agree with myself more !'-) 👍💜😽

[@barrydysert2974]

If not now, when? If not me, who? 💔🇺🇦 ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️ 💜🇺🇦🙏

[@barrydysert2974]

i couldn't agree with myself more i dare go no further lest the AlGoreRythm delete me 😱. ⚡️🤢⚡️. 😿

[@barrydysert2974]

Just kidding Agnes of God At Play in the Fields of The Lord of the Flies PLAYING NOW in theaters world wide (web)

[@thevozhd9846]

Will you stop

[@patrickhasachannel]

I love Warographics as a channel, but for whatever reason, I can't always picture the troop movements being described. I appreciate the historical photographs, but is there any reason why we can't get more maps?

[@kaltaron1284]

That's a good point. There's basically two ways to go about it. Use historical maps which can be inaccurate and difficult to read or create new animated ones which takes quite a bit of effort. Look for Kings and Generals' Pacific War series for an example of how it could look. But I have no idea how much effort that takes.

[@micahistory]

very interesting, especially since the great war made a documentary about this very war not too long ago

[@price41899]

The Bear seems to never be as scary as everyone thinks it is.

[@devenmacintosh4124]

Inaccuracy spotted: The Portsmouth Naval Yard where the peace treaty was signed is not located in the state of Maine, it’s located in the state of New Hampshire. Portsmouth is on the border of Maine and New Hampshire

[@barrydysert2974]

"...so cold brass monkeys have nightmares about it." 😂😂😂😂

[@natecody3305]

I've been waiting on this!!

[@henrikrasmussen8661]

Great video! Yes you should tell the fantastic story of the jurney of the Baltic fleet!

[@warrick7689]

That feeling when Simon pops up on your history videos 🤌

[@lusanduthando1522]

Hey man. You're always top-notch with the videos. Ever thought of covering the Anglo-Zulu war? That'd be fantastic.

[@ronniescrazyadventures2478]

The number of jojo references... my man Simon is a man of culture

[@koharumi1]

The Russian fleet got to have the first battleship sunk by gunfire. The battleship Oslyabya.

[@diegopons4622]

Hi Biographics. You guys should do one video on Jack Johnson (the boxer) and another one on Jose Artigas.

[@samirkumarsaha7714]

Just as I had expected from this fabulous channel

[@michaelsinger4638]

Admiral Togo was truly a naval genius.

[@Catie2010]

Damn Simon! You have so many channels and I love it my dude! 🤘

[@swedishfish2357]

I wish Warographics got more attention because it's one of my favorite of your channels! I know if more people watched it then y'all would make more

[@robdon3472]

A video on the Basque Conflict would be great, I don't know much about it but I think all the political intricacies and sheer length could make for a very interesting topic

[@dsxa918]

Jose Jennifer and Morris, greasing the squeaky Simon

[@Arwcwb]

You're still the best Simon

[@Menuki]

So many anime references, this isn’t a regular script writer

[@InquisMalleus]

So glad to see a.new video on this channel!

[@thewaddlingidiots]

Could we see a Warographics on the Sino-Soviet border conflict? I think it would be super interesting and very on brand for the channel. Also relevant to current affairs because of the Uighurs situation in western China.

[@justindieterich1773]

I really hope you do a video on the comical misadventures of the Baltic Fleet. The utter insanity of it makes me wonder why no one has made a comedy movie about it.

[@Sorcerers_Apprentice]

KZbinrs BlueJay and Drachinifel have done videos about it. Would be funny if not for all the death and destruction, good for a black comedy.

[@kaltaron1284]

@@Sorcerers_Apprentice Yeah, the ending ruins the comedy aspect quite a bit. But there is a genre called tragicomedy isn't it?

[@jsonitsac]

This is one of those conflicts would be funny if it weren’t for the thousands of people needlessly killed. That said, I think you left out a few important details. 1. The Japenese appointed the wrong army commander to lead their war effort. Nogi Maeresuke was a legend in Japan for defeating the Qing dynasty in the first Sino-Japanese war; getting the job on his reputation alone. However, when he was fighting there were no such things as topographic maps and he couldn’t read them so he would frequently order charges up steep hills not realizing that they were some of the hardest grounds to take. 2. General Kuropatkin’s strategy wasn’t bad. By falling back he knew he would make Japan pay a price for any territory it took while at the same time he could buy more time for reinforcements from Europe to come and eventually overwhelm the overstretched Japanese. However, He was constantly undermined by his subordinates who wanted the “honor” of attacking so he was often forced into offensive engagements that he was otherwise hoping to avoid. 3. Russia’s best and brightest didn’t go into the navy. It had a reputation for a place for parties and having fun. The real glory was in the army and the result was that navy standards were lacking. The Russians failed at ship recognition. Paranoid about surprise attacks the Baltic fleet fired at UK Royal Mail ships. Called the Dogger Bank incident that’s the reason that Russia lost their Suez Canal privileges. 4. Ship identification screwed the Russians in the Pacific too. They apparently made contact with Japanese fishing ships believing them to be friendly Russian ships. However, those ships radioed back to Tokyo and the Japanese were aware of where the Russians were and where they were going. 5. The war became something of an orthodoxy for the Japanese; they apparently believed that surprise attacks and decisive naval battles were the key to victory over a bigger power; also getting to the point where they believed that some kind of special “fighting spirt” was the key to victory. Forty years later even as it was clear that wasn’t going to happen during World War II the Japanese navy continued to dig in on that view. 6. The war contributed to global antisemitism. The Japanese were bailed out by American-Jewish banker Jacob Schiff who was more than happy to lend Japan needed loans at a cheap rate because of how Russia was mistreating its Jewish population. The “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” had been written about five years before and were circulating amongst the Russian officer corps. As a result, these officers saw Schiff’s loan as confirmation of what was in the Protocols.

[@eduardovaldivia5572]

I’ve read somewhere that if the war lasted longer Russia would have won. Japan could not sustain the long term effort in the war.

[@jsonitsac]

@@eduardovaldivia5572 Correct. Japan was bailed out financially by a Jewish-American banker named Jacob Schiff who was motivated by anti-Czarist feelings. Anti-semites in Russia used his action as “proof” of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Japan’s not great financial position actually motivated them to getting less in the Treaty of Portsmouth than what a lot of the public believed that they should have gotten from Russia and it was a source of inspiration for various ultra-nationalist groups that would develop in the Taisho and early Showa period.

[@brothergrimaldus3836]

"Do you see torpedo boats?"‐ The Kamchatka

[@vin8889]

Can you also do the sino-Indian war, or the indo - Pak wars of 1965,71,99?

[@hunteraho244]

“The Tsar would misjudge things” seems like a common issue with him and current Russian leaders lol

[@jamesshelton2283]

Simon, your beard is now Magnificent!!

[@richardcummings7398]

You should do a video about the 2nd pacific fleet! It was a disaster from start to finish, would be great to have you narrate it.

[@thenneklkt7786]

As a fun aside, Wilhelm II confronted Edward VII over Britain's alliance with Japan, and accused the English of committing racial treason. Wilhelm II was convinced that failing to support Russia over Japan would lead to the "yellow peril" marching into Europe, burning and looting every city in its way. Edward told his precocious nephew to get bent, and that the Japanese had proven themselves a noble and dignified civilisation on parity with those of Europe.

[@WhydoIsuddenlyhaveahandle]

Great story! Thanks for sharing! While I agree with Edward in regards to the quality of Japanese civilization, Wilhem was kinda proved right a few decades later in one way, as the Japanese wrecked the Pacific instead of Europe.

[@thenneklkt7786]

@@WhydoIsuddenlyhaveahandle As far as Britain is concerned, they only have themselves to blame. Until the mid 20s, Britain's alliance with Japan remained in effect; one that was particularly useful in light of the Washington Naval Treaty. Japan practically acted as the protector of Britain's interests in the East, freeing up the now displacement limited Royal Navy to patrol elsewhere. That alliance with Japan was abandoned only to placate America, to whom Britain now owed exorbitant war debts, and for the sake of involving Britain in the naive League of Nations project.

[@GrudgeyCable]

Great video! You guys should do a video on the war of Spanish succession sometime. That would be awesome!

[@robgibson8387]

A video about the Russian 2nd Pacific squadron and the battle tsushima would be a good one, it's interesting to see that Russian incompetence is still a thing

[@Platinumsniper]

You need to tell the full story of the Second pacific squadron.... The tales of their travels is well worth the video

[@AngelusAnsell]

Morris is absolutely legendarily brilliant. His ability to turn a phrase, or inject just the right note of humor to cut the tension is incredible. I kinda wanna see him do a Casual Criminalist episode.

[@briancunningham483]

Do the Japanese Sino war of 1894. The war was the coming out party for Japan and setup Japan as the power of the future in the Far East. It was also the first navy war fought almost with modern iron ships only.

[@11jaidee]

Hey Portsmouth is in New hampshire!😊

[@meowmeowmeow1243]

Despite being one of the largest countries in the world, Russia always seems to need more land. And always feels threatened by its tiny neighbors.

[@kennethdaniels3000]

Why else do you think Stalin violated the 1941 Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Pact EXACTLY a month before their surrender? They didn’t care about defeating Imperial Japan. They just wanted a piece of it after their surrender.

[@nikkasinparis8142]

Appear strong when you were weak and appear weak when you IN FACT strong.

[@claypidgeon4807]

You forgot to mention the comedy of errors that was the 2nd Pacific Fleet.

[@sandybarnes887]

I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok. One of the great Monty Python songs

[@redjirachi1]

There's a balance to these things. Just as you can't win a land war with Russia, Russia can't win a sea war

[@AndrewC.McPherson-xf5zw]

You roll out good shows my man.

[@whalehands]

Alot of these videos I had no idea they even happened, and that's sad.

[@MrLolx2u]

The Baltic Fleet was indeed, crazy. When the news were relayed back to St.Petersburg about the blockade and dire situations of the Pacific Fleet losing more and more ships, Nicholas II remembered that he had a Baltic Fleet to send towards China. However, as you've said, they can't pass the Suez without the British pounding their ass thus they had to do it the old-fashioned way of travelling above Scotland, coming back down the Atlantic bypassing Portugal, down towards South Africa, head back up towards the bottom of Dutch East Indies (They couldn't get thru the Malacca Straits the same way like how they cannot cut across the Suez cuz... Britain) then straight up towards China all over again. That added at least 3 month extra to their journey and having about 15 ships doing the same thing while coordinating movements with them all was tough. Regardless, the ship left with high morale and sailed for China. Here's where the problem starts... Russia hasn't seen any naval conflict major enough to even give them enough experience to say "we're actually pretty fucking good". On the Japanese side, Japan had already flexed it's naval powers be it with their Marines or actual naval ships way back during the First Sino-Japanese War by also destroying the biggest naval power in Asia at that time owned by the Qing thru the Beiyang Fleet at the Battle of the Yalu River (Again, hot contention point for Japan) and the pivotal battle at Weihaiwei. Most of the officers during the Russo-Japanese War were excellent veterans of that conflict thus they were prepared for whatever strategy the Russians tossed at them and with actual combat experience, adaptability to situational changes were relatively high too. The same couldn't be said of those in the Baltic Fleet. They saw close to no action since 1890 and despite the ship being advanced for its age, the crews were not battle tested and many were greenhorns from officers down to the crewmates thus asking them to taste their hands on such a major battle while sailing over 8000km across the world was a stretch and a half but as commands from the king came down, they had to do it. When the journey started, it was actually pretty much ok but it was when they reached towards the area of what was modern-day Liberia, shit starts to hit the fan. Sea voyage for that long tends to turn people crazy and in fact, they did. When the ship left the Baltics and by the time they reached the outskirts of Liberia, it was already 1 month at sea and by the time they reached South Africa, it was already 1.5 month into their journey. As they reached South Africa, the crews went wild. Drinking, partying and doing all kinds of antics as it was their 1st time being out on foreign soil and many in fact bought exotic pets that they wouldn't see in Russia back onto the ship. Some even reported that the animals went from giraffes and rodents to even poisonous snakes like cobras into the ship. Then the ship sailed towards Jamaica and that's where it was even funnier. As they landed in Jamaica, that was about 3 month into the total journey already and this time, tropical disease hits the crew as they wern't acclimated to the weather of the tropics with Malaria and some even suffered Dysentery. In Jamaica, some again loaded up with even more exotic animals that they don't see in Russia like monkeys and what-not. Just as they were about to leave, one of the ship that was in the fleet hit a bank and was damaged and stuck thus it couldn't continue the journey and for that, they lost one ship already. However, disaster wouldn't meet them the last time. Testing their naval gunnery skill, they tried to test their combat moves in the middle of the Indian Ocean onroute to Dutch East Indies but as they were firing on the move and with the greenhorn officers and crews, they accidentally blew up one of their ships when it got friendly fired upon. That's down another ship and that was the ONLY time they've even fired their guns since 1890s and from that time onwards all the way towards China, they did nothing more and just did the journey. However, the damage and psychological collapse has already been done. With the loss of two ships, it gave the Japanese an even smaller window to focus on as there's less ships to contend with and the same goes to the Russians as they've lost the extra firepower that they could carry. It was made worse that the crews were combatting all kinds of sickness they've picked up along the 8 month journey and with morale and lack of training being at an all time low, the Japs gave them a sound defeat.

[@attiepollard7847]

I think the KZbin channel blue jay did a subject on this which was funny

[@EAWanderer]

Love this 1! - Dark as always, but always enjoyable👍👍👍👏

[@jonmcgee6987]

Japan had added one of it's greatest and most powerful weapons to demoralize the Russian 2nd Pacific squadron. Of course I am referring to the Kamchattka.

[@andromenia1]

Don’t forget their torpedo boats in the North Sea. I know they look like fishing ships, but they won’t fool me!

[@jonmcgee6987]

@@andromenia1 It was dastardly clever of the Japanese. Disguising their torpedo boats to look like ordinary freighters and fishing boats. Equipping them with extremely high speed engines. Allowing them to reach the North Sea in a matter of a few days.

[@kaltaron1284]

Using the Kamchattka should count as a war crime or even crime against humanity.

[@kaltaron1284]

@@jonmcgee6987 Too bad the Russian fleet hit almost none of them. Or was that actually lucky?

[@jimland4359]

Really good episode. I was nervous that you wouldn't talk about the voyage of the 2nd Pacific Squadron. Understand that you couldn't go into details with the time constraints, but glad that you mentioned it.