"We won’t come back here, so we can’t leave Stalingrad!"

[@alexbowman7582]

You have to think of Fritz Todt’s early 1942 talk to Hitler, with tears in his eyes, saying that the war was unarguably lost as both Russia and America produced five times the bombers Germany did. Todt left soon after on a plane which mysteriously blew up in the air which Albert Speer was due to fly on but Hitler persuaded him to stay back for a while.

[@dasdasdatics420]

But they knew this before Barbarossa. In fact America was all for Hitler invading Russia anyway, it just wasn't common knowledge. The only thing keeping the Americans out of the war was the German russian invasion which collapsed after Stalingrad. I firmly believe that it was Stalingrad catastrophe which bought America into the war, pearl harbour just being a catalyst, no American wanted to see a communist Europe.

[@joshmcclellan4838]

I have to read about this. I knew about Todt but didn't know that Speer was going to be there.

[@josephpercente8377]

Napoleon had the same issue with horse fodder. Not enough transport for fodder, horses die, not enough transport to supply men, they die. Not enough men to conquer Russia the army dies.

[@anthonytomari4994]

A brilliant entry and much relieved to hear the next Stalingrad installment is in the works. You sound energized and much refreshed; the break clearly served it’s purpose

[@TheImperatorKnight]

"You sound energized and much refreshed; the break clearly served it’s purpose" There hasn't been an actual break, I've been working my **** off! In fact, I worked until 3.30 am last night getting this video finished. But I'm glad I paused Stalingrad because I think I would have had to do so anyway

[@mikereger1186]

“Best things come to those who wait”. Unless, of course, you’re still waiting for The Winds of Winter to ever be completed by George R. R. Martin. We can wait, it’ll be worth it.

[@anthonytomari4994]

@@TheImperatorKnight Understood. Your considerable efforts in compiling this amazing and comprehensive work are deeply appreciated

[@ssssaa2]

@@mikereger1186 Bro give it up he hasn't written a page in years.

[@danreed7889]

Only a break from the Stalingrad series...

[@TheBismark117]

I love these stenographs because they add a human element to a otherwise black and white war. One can be easily desensitized by reading statistic numbers and brief overviews of major events.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

I fully agree. I'm not sure what the modern military does, but records like this are super-valuable, as are diaries and other reports made at the time. Anyone doing anything important should be writing everything down! Memoirs are less useful for obvious reasons.

[@mnk9073]

They really help to see what was considered, what were the perspectives and what belives were held which in turn gives the context to what was decided.

[@Oldscale]

@@TheImperatorKnight the emails are probably all archived on some spinning rust somewhere

[@lukewong9253]

@@TheImperatorKnight bua

[@skeeterd5150]

@@Oldscale it took a couple seconds. Ok check got it

[@hq21]

Mentioning the possibility of abandoning the 6th Army in order to concentrate on stabilizing the front and holding on to the gains in the Caucasus alone make this video worth the time. It's something I almost never see discussed and was always out there as a viable option. Instead we see never ending debates about how 6th Army could be saved or that they should've broken out, et al.

[@eze8970]

Yes, it's a very good point. I think TIKs video shows just how bad the situation was for the Germans in Dec '42 (compared to the 'high' of Nov '42). All the German shortages were finally hitting home, & the German High Command struggled to see or believe this after almost constant successes since 1939.

[@henriklarssen1331]

@@eze8970 That should realy be the end of the War. Even more when the germans lost 50% of their casulties in the last two years of a 5 1/2 year long war. Alot of death and suffering could be avoided for everyone. But that wasnt a option for the Leadership.

[@stevewatson6839]

@@henriklarssen1331 Paulus surrendered on the 31st of January. A week earlier on the 24th Roosevelt, at the close of the Casablanca conference, had declared the Allies policy of Unconditional Surrender. Not the brightest idea to have when you are reading your enemies mail and know they know the game is up. No, you offer your enemy a "Golden Bridge of escape" as the maxim from Sun Tzu has it. There is much point made of the inaccuracy of the "Madman Hitler" narrative by Lewis; in contrast this isn't the first bit of Roosevelt bonkers: despite also being able to read the Japanese mail; he had left them misunderstanding American terms for lifting the embargoes that led to the Japanese thinking Pearl Harbor; Strike South; and war with the US, however unlikely to succeed, was their only option. It wasn't only the Axis leaders that bore guilt; in the upper echelons I see no "heros" in WWII on either side.

[@eze8970]

@@henriklarssen1331 Yes. But 'on paper', they were still winning, & the 'wonder weapons' were supposedly not far off. Hitler was always a gambler, who still thought he had a few rolls of the dice left.

[@fazole]

@@stevewatson6839 "In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way." -Franklin D. Roosevelt

[@SittingOnEdgeman]

This is an absolutely brilliant video and gives an awesome perspective about the human perspective of H-man. This is the sort of humanizing perspective that I had always missed around Stalingrad... it proves almost every single broader strategic point you've talked about for WW2 and very much demonstrates the rationality of H-man at this point in time. He knew what he needed to do to win, and they were even aware that something big was coming but were unaware HOW big, and were helpless to stop it. Honestly, it sounds like this whole book is fascinating and I might have to see if it's available in Ebook form.

[@petriew2018]

far to often people try to make him out as if he was just insane, or somehow an idiot, instead of just evil. I've always hated that, not because i have any positive thoughts for the gentleman in question, but because i think dismissing his obvious intelligence in dangerous because it makes him out to be as some aberration that can't easily happen again.

[@stevewatson6839]

@@petriew2018 Evil? even that is too simplistic. I'm getting the impression from some of the directly quoting Hitler literature that I've bought from Lewis' bibliography that it was dawning on him that a large number; and maybe most; of his assumptions and guiding principles were deeply flawed. What Lewis' work has brought out too is Hitler never actually had de facto control; there were a large number of competing authorities in the Reich, none of which could be said to be pulling in anything but the vaguest general same direction, and were more often than not in complete disagreement and pursuing their own agendas. A large part of this was Hitlers fault; and by commision as much as omission. It didn't help that the Allies, the UK in particular wouldn't stick to the script! 🙂 Shame about that. NOT.

[@sthrich635]

Hitler's assumption and principles may be "flawed" in hindsight and in today's standard, but at that time whether it is flawed in the sense of true or false, is less important than whether it WORKED: Is Hitler's German master race concept flawed? Yes, according to modern science. But did this concept unite the German states and people, and build back up their confidence right after WW1, to a large degree, YES. And sure there was a lot of authorities with some overlapping responsibilities in the Third Reich, but to say they are directly competing and disagreeing each other is just bullshiit exaggeration, there are still clear guideline on who do what, like Waffen SS were strictly under Wehrmacht operational control while SS only has administrative control, and parallel authority positions are often held by the same person, like town mayors were held by local Party leaders, SS and Police units were under the same SS officer (SS and Police leaders).

[@jbelcher6473]

I believe you might enjoy watching the Hellstorm Documentary . and The Greatest Story Never Told Hitler .

[@Ph33NIXx]

@@petriew2018 agreed - it is a disservice to just call him a madman... if you do so, you wont see the next hitler coming.

[@edgarbumblefoot7467]

Thanks for this TIK great to see the Stalingrad train is still chugging along! Long live Battlestorm Stalingrad!!!

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Indeed it is! I've been doing the screenplay and helping my editor today in fact. Not sure when it'll be out yet because I'd rather take the time now to get the editor up to speed, but rest assured that I've certainly not abandoned it

[@ruberxwibebadhi]

@@TheImperatorKnight can you make a video on why Germans lost at battle of Moscow in depth?

[@stevewatson6839]

@@ruberxwibebadhi Steady on, mate! Let the lad catch his breath. 🙂

[@TheImperatorKnight]

I get the eagerness for loads of Battlestorms on different battles but I'm really stretched right now

[@ruberxwibebadhi]

@@TheImperatorKnight a short video might also do i am really curious what were the reasons to why Germany lost battle of Moscow.

[@InTaco7]

There's absolutely nothing in any of the Hitler quotes which indicate he's concerned about prestige. German culture doesn't have much double-speak. What they say is what they mean.

[@wacherwicht1810]

Still, in general, as a german, I notice that often the Real meaning of something gets lost in Translation. So especially in more unknown quotes one needs to be aware of that.

[@Mantis11235]

As a non-native but arguably expert-level German speaker, and also perhaps an expert in double-speak in many languages, I respectfully disagree. From many perspectives, German seems very technical, unpoetic etc but make no mistake: One has a wide and varied choice of words, phrases, metaphors, euphemisms etc that one can employ when speaking German. German speakers are no less intelligent, motivated or literary than the rest of the world either. To me, the last sentence in your comment betrays something of a lack of familiarity or understanding of German language or perhaps culture/history. Yes, Germans are different to, for example, the English but again, make no mistake: Germans are not all simpletons and Hitler was more than capable of not expressing exactly what he felt. He was, after all, a political mastermind, with all that entails.

[@MikeMyers-th1rk]

@@Mantis11235stop making excuses bitch. The Germans say what they mean

[@davelauerman6865]

This is one of TIKs best videos. I am very very impressed.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Really? I think it's one of my worst! 😂

[@morningstar9233]

Agree, it's a great insight into Hitler's thinking at this time.

[@chriszelez7970]

@@TheImperatorKnight No, it was your standard package of excellence.

[@richardcowling7381]

@@TheImperatorKnight I've seen people dance around the subject for 3x longer and not impart as much insight into it.

[@lynnmcculloch-m4h]

❤❤❤❤❤ very impressed!

[@Baamthe25th]

There's probably a good deal of the sunk-cost fallacy in Hitler's decision After all, the quote says that "Too much blood has been shed for this", and it's a very common mistake. It's not exactly "prestige", but it's still a form of overcommitment/not cutting your losses (assuming they could)

[@sthrich635]

No doubt The Fuhrer was determined, but most people facing difficulties would give efforts to rescue or salvage the situation first rather than immediately abandoning ship. For example, someone running a company facing net loss would first try to change business practices rather than immediately selling the company, even if the company never recover their profits and eventually goes bankrupt, whereas the perfect avoidance of sunk-cost fallacy would mean the company should be sold the moment it lost a single cent, since (by hindsight) that is when the lost is at the minimal and should be cut, with any efforts later would just be "overcommitment".

[@Mystic_Gohan97]

i hated history so much in school just because i couldn’t speak much english and i had to memorize all the dates and stuff like that, but now all i do is watch documentaries about all the battles that occurred in the last century

[@AD-ji9ci]

I think you should get like an honorary PhD or something for all the hard work you do on the massive Stalingrad series.

[@samsonsoturian6013]

He'd need to be David Glantz level famous for that. Honorary degrees are so the university can gain clout from the association.

[@stevewatson6839]

@@samsonsoturian6013 On the Gripping hand, I think there is enough work here (The site overall) to award an actual PhD if it were to be put in the required format. I certainly have on my shelves a fair few academic works that are just a waste of good trees in fact - as well as relative, and in comparison, to Lewis' endeavours.

[@DannyBoy777777]

@ A D • 2 There is nothing new to say about Stalingrad. This video is based on long-published sources. No scope, no PhD project.

[@stevewatson6839]

@@DannyBoy777777 I can't help it if some wankers aren't paying attention. Fuck off, mate.

[@DannyBoy777777]

@@stevewatson6839 No, I won't you cunt.

[@iainplumtree1239]

I knew a retired British brigadier of logistics and he had an interest in history such as this. He would have agreed with your focus on the logistics not prestige and would have agreed with your assessment. Getting his perspective on the complexity and challenges which face modern logistics, with all our technology and engineering, going into recent war zones was fascinating.

[@Legio__X]

This is why I love this channel so much. This level of detail and interesting behind the scenes insights you get no where else on KZbin. Thanks TIK

[@tomasvalent3876]

4years ago I came for the tanks, but staid all these years because of the Logistic lessons (and Economy lessons) 👍

[@Rich5131]

TIK, could you do a review of your bookshelf one day? Would be interesting to see what you have gathered, and to hear from you the significance of each book to you. Favourite book, avoid book and so on.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Yeah a few people have asked about this, so it's definitely something I need to do

[@MrModernKetchup]

one of the most informed and well presented channels around. always a great way of breaking down the technical with real sources. thank you sir

[@willd4491]

It’s interesting that one of the Roman generals who was defeated by Hannibal at Cannae was also names Paulus

[@sirridesalot6652]

WOW! I say again. WOW! What a revealing video this was. A masterpiece for those interested in the Eastern Front as well as the rest of the war. So many questions are answered in this video. A huge thank you for making and posting it.

[@ChristianGunNut2001]

Hi TIK! New subscriber here (from the USA), and I gotta say I love your videos! I first came across your channel last year when your 5 hr. long "Hitler's Socialism" video showed up in my recommendations (which I fully agree with, as it makes much more sense than the prevailing narrative), but just started watching your videos these past few days. God bless, and keep up the good work!

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed the 5 hour video, and I hope you like the rest too 👍🏻

[@Pangora2]

This reinforces my idea that the Germans getting this far was the miracle, and that outright victory had escaped already.

[@CMY187]

In my opinion, victory was always out of reach. Germany never had a chance from the very beginning.

[@Pangora2]

@@CMY187 indeed. I am not going to say luck aided them, but France was a poison pill. If Germany was at ck in France for even half a year more of heavier fighting- Barbarossa wouldn't happen. Events in the Pacific should not happen (indo China). Beating France defeated the Third Reich

[@jonnyd9351]

Literally everyone back then disagreed with you.

[@brycecrousore1985]

Spectacular! Your videos should be mandatory in all high school history classes! Thank you for all the research and hard work, plus video editing.

[@jim7544]

Real simple answer as to the number of tanks available for Manstein. Tanks on hand does not mean tanks in service. Very easy for there to be a 20% difference between the two during the Russian winter.

[@richardcowling7381]

Also got to remember how the Germans reported their vehicle strength. A tank might be inoperable, awaiting repairs, but it would still listed in the fighting strength of the unit. Wonly when a tank was a total loss would it be removed from the lists

[@lynnmcculloch-m4h]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@XtReMz98]

TIK is the best history channel around :)

[@prabhavvenkatesh9247]

Thank you Tik History for your dedication and commitment to the videos!

[@lynnmcculloch-m4h]

❤❤❤❤❤ one of your best videos. Tops Glatz

[@KoalaG888]

Good on ya Tik - you're making history producing an epic of this size on Stalingrad

[@jefffreeman8905]

Another point is that the oil from Maikop and Grozny would have a much shorter distance to cover, which would drastically reduce the strain on logistics, as a multiplier it would be traveling a different direction than most of the supplies (north-south instead of east-west).

[@petetirp9776]

This is you at the top of your game. Kudos!

[@alkers372]

I had stopped watching this channel about 3 years ago, because I thought the videos were not well done enough to satisfy any really hardcore Eastern Front history buff. The quality and the source material has risen dramatically however. Good job!

[@TheImperatorKnight]

You stopped watching just before I started the Stalingrad series? Yeah, you've missed a lot! Welcome back

[@fighting_bones]

I have now watched this episode 4 times it's just such an interesting meeting and the first hand account really makes you feel like you were there in that meeting

[@alexhodskins8426]

Every time TIK recommends a book I haven’t read Amazon gets my money. I would love to see episode of you going through that extensive collection you got behind you and give your opinions on them

[@michaelmckenna9460]

This is what I like the most Actual notes of the conference

[@regu6582]

I am glad you produced this chapter. It does tie up some of the thinking going on behind the scenes and that Hitler was aware and calculating prior to Stalingrad's encirclement. He just really had no assets any longer, and appears to realize this, if not admitting it.

[@scottmiller6958]

I, for one, am SO glad you came back to this series.

[@brandonkirk5357]

I have read six books directly on the battle of stalingrad and none explained Hitler's notion of having essentially no option but to sacrifice the 6th army to stabilize the front as clearly as you displayed in this video --I appreciate the detailed mapping and insight! I was not aware of the repair timetable of the oil refineries down south and had just assumed that due to manpower shortages and poor logistics in the region, engineers had not been sent to facilitate repairs especially considering the degree of destruction wrought on the refineries when the soviets first retreated. You explain how this raises the stakes for the Germans who are in the conflict of dual prioritization to stabilize the front and to support / facilitate a potential breakout. It was easy, at least for me, to just assume that a breakout of the 6th army would take the priority, but I now see the greater picture and broader concerns at play especially when you mention the fragility and state of affairs of the Italians. I must thank you for these videos, I am surprised how often they make me think in new ways despite my already extreme knowledge in these subjects.

[@Pangora2]

Indeed, whenever I am in a "wait everyone is being stupid" I feel that means I am missing something. This video is one of those where people are indeed being logical.

[@mjs3343]

Excellent TIK. Keep'em coming.

[@Josephbyrnehistory]

This for me really is the most interesting part of the war, Germany’s last gasp for victory so it’s so interesting to watch this with the wealth of all the stenographs. Amazing work

[@lynnmcculloch-m4h]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@TyZaTube]

Always an immediate watch!

[@Axisjampa]

Each time it sounds more like Hitler was a pretty grounded person, aside of the Aryan stuff. I want to add, besides of losing a position that would ruin the Caucasus mission, it sounds as Hitler understood that losing Stalingrad is basic so he can't block the oil sent to the North for the soviets. Great video and analysis, TIK.

[@kaletovhangar]

Yeah.People too often mix Hitler the public speaker with Hitler in private or among the generals.Most of stories of deranged Hitler yelling out of his mind with his generals either are from last year of the war or were often intentional false testimonies of several generals like Halder and Manstein.

[@warriorjason2763]

he was grounded it sounds like, just in the wrong things and still made irrational yet consistent decisions

[@rangersoldat]

Fantastic, balanced, non-biased perspective. Content like this is why I subscribe. Well done! ~RS

[@alansewell7810]

Thank you for this continuity as you rest from the Stalingrad series. rest assured that your faithful viewers are not neglecting to read everything you post. We respect you and your work more than words ill permit us to express.

[@mikereger1186]

Side note: My daughter loved that old Retail tales video you did. Classic. She might not remember “TIK” but she now can say “Grade A Moron” with perfect enunciation ;)

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Haha that made me laugh!

[@Hillbilly001]

Great! TiK posts! Bloody brilliant. Cheers from Tennessee

[@lynnmcculloch-m4h]

❤❤❤❤❤ Another Tenn Fan !!!!

[@Hillbilly001]

@@lynnmcculloch-m4h Actually, no. I'm a retired vet and I follow Army football and I went to a number of different colleges. KU, UNC and U of F. Even have credits from American University Bonn W. Germany. LoL. Cheers

[@tangobayus]

This adds a depth of information I've not seen before, and I've been studying all this for decades.

[@jayjayson9613]

This is absolutely fascinating. Thank you for making a video on this.

[@fatih3583]

Hey Tik, longtime viewer. Just picked up in a whim Richard J. Evans's "The Third Reich in Power" book today whild visiting my local College's library. I originally was looking for books on Napoleon and I recognized his name on one of his other books "1815-1914" and thought "hold on... Richard Evans? Like, Tik's book source author?" Absolutely newfound respect & appreciation for you and your work! I cannot imagine reading so many books & works, script writing, editing, video editing, and more all while pumping out an INSANE amount of content!! i started watching you while i was technically still a kid, and now as a new working man i will be sure to support you & others on Patreon. Keep up the important work!! ❤

[@lloydchristmas1086]

Hows the book?

[@fatih3583]

@@lloydchristmas1086 Pretty good, about 800 ish pages. The Bibliography is insane and makes up a good chunk of the end of the book. I can see why Tik and others dig books like these. Just about to start officially reading it once i go to lunch!

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Evans is good. He thinks Hitler's not a Socialist (which I obviously disagree with), but otherwise he's definitely recommended reading. Glad to hear you picked it up 👍🏻

[@fatih3583]

@@TheImperatorKnight That's the vibe I've been getting from Evans so far. Some of his lectures on KZbin he calls Hitler a "monopoly capitalist", some other historians say it too, but nobody ever follows up. Just kinda say it and assume it's correct 😔

[@Demy1970]

I read all his books, very good and easy to read I also liked David stahel’s books

[@DaredeviIGR]

I imagine the final 17-24h Stalingrad video having an attachment with TIK saying "Sorry guys, didn't have enough time to put it here so here is a link of another 1h vid. to that conference".

[@kernowpolski]

This was a great piece of analysis, giving a fascinating insight. Thank you TIK. You are always worth watching.

[@GeographyCzar]

10:26 THIS is the definition of overextended. I am astonished to hear this. You don't learn this from the old West Point Atlas, or maps like that. I can't believe no one in the German High Command realized that they needed to consolidate and regroup further to the west for the winter.

[@petereffin4373]

Good job on this one Tik!

[@sidgar1]

1:37 I just happened to be watching this on the 12th of December 2023, 81 years to the date of this conversation. Nice little synchronicity there!

[@malcolmseigmiller1622]

honetly TIK I really like these stand alone vids. I really dont have the time or attention span in order to make it through a full 50 hour battle storm series but vids like these are very good

[@Amp497]

Thanks for the detailed accounting of why there was no breakout at Stalingrad. I finally have a complete picture, after decades of confusion on the topic. For your own good, you should consider putting Stalingrad aside for quite a while. Remember, you experienced extreme burnout over this topic. Best regards.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

I don't think others will let me wait too long to continue Stalingrad

[@Amp497]

@@TheImperatorKnight Well, they've waited for Frank and Glanz. So, they can wait for you. One should never let the tail wag the dog. You are a historian of note in your own right. Don't work yourself into exhaustion just to please a few impatient fans. Good health is paramount.

[@matso3856]

@@TheImperatorKnight Then may I add my voice to the camp of long term health is more important , I would much rather prefer to get good stuff several years from now , then you suffering a burnout and perhaps not touching this subject again.

[@nickjohnson6368]

My dog! Excellent video TIK. True History here

[@samsonsoturian6013]

One of the interesting points that isn't brought up: Hitler doesn't want to leave because getting men and equipment out of an area is even more difficult than getting them into an area.

[@Pangora2]

In this video that is brought up.

[@brianbrady4496]

Thanks tik. Love your work

[@The2ndFirst]

Very illuminating video. This puts a lot of things in perspective. I'm very much looking forward to the next Stalingrad video.

[@kevinpascual]

It would be cool to do a video like this to study their response to Operation Bagration. Great work, TIK!

[@danreed7889]

Or a video about this battle!

[@diggman88]

Operation Bagration would be a battlestorm all it's own. As a steel division 2 fan, I would like to learn more about the flagship campaign.

[@kevinpascual]

Oh hell yeah. Such an amazing feat accomplished within 3 weeks. I would consider this their magnum opus of deep battle.

[@richardcowling7381]

Background to Operation Zitadel would be good as well... 2as long as ot doesn't lead to a mental breakdown

[@awitcher5303]

@@richardcowling7381 i imagine it would be the lenght of courland so it would be fine, although he could go all in and go from stalingrad and cover everything up until citadel, seeing how stalingrad draged into february and that he would certainly cover its aftermath he might as well cover the months in between for full context

[@ivanjevtic2084]

My friend, I gotta tell you that I think that your knowledge about biggest and most important battle in human history is simply THE BEST...in any kind of media: films, documentaries, books and everything what is produced...That`s really big thing !!!! PS-I wish you continue series (of course when you got energy again), because you`ll finish one very big project for education next and next generations...Greeting from sunny Belgrade,SER...👍

[@insolentjackal716]

Taking the city of Stalingrad was about oil. The oil that came from Baku came up the Volga River and by taking the city of Stalingrad the vital supply of oil to the Soviet Union would be severed. Stalingrad sits at the great bend in the Volga and controlling the city would also control the river.

[@pathogab3528]

Another fantastic episode and thanks fir posting it. I can understand why so many people criticise your posts. They must be jealous. Take care

[@jamie-fm6mx]

excellent info, i really enjoyed this one.

[@foxpedro001]

Great video as always TIK. Greetings from Brazil 🙋🏾‍♂️

[@tomsinclair2674]

TIK, thanks for going back to being an historian and focusing on the facts.

[@eze8970]

Thanks TIK!🙏🙏 , your programmes are really revealing why the Soviets had so much success late 1942 in the south, the Axis troops & their allies were totally exhausted, combined with the German High Command failing miserably to equip the troops with the right clothing. With increasing Soviet ability & equipment, it makes sense why the previously unbeatable Germans started losing virtually everything after this. As per your previous videos, the Germans really did only have a year & a bit to win WW2 (& probably hadn't disclosed this to their Allies!)

[@ВячеславФролов-д7я]

You can also see the influence of this war on cold War soviet army, why it didn't become professional and stayed as a huge conscription force. Lesson was, that even the best units wear down in heavy fighting, thus, If you think that the next war will be ww2-like, small professional forces won't be able to win it

[@honk813]

Another nice video from tik history

[@josephd27]

Another great video TIK, thank you for all your hard work of researching to make these so people can get the real history

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

Hitler: Is this railway fully done? Underling: Yes, it is fully done. Hitler: Is this really really done? Underling (looks away uncomfortably): Well.......... Totalitarian economics in a nutshell. It's a wonder the Germans got as far as they did and it really shows the adage that he who f***s up the least tends to be the ones that wins. Once the Allies and Soviets stopped f***ing up so much as they had the tide of the war changed.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Yeah, the reason I included that entire part was because I was surprised how persistent Hitler was there, and he was right for being persistent. Zeitzler didn't tell him the full story, and if you think that one of the criticisms of Hitler was that he was making bad decisions, part of the reason why is because the generals weren't giving him all the relevant information, or were even being vague about it. For whatever reason, Hitler clearly didn't believe Zeitzler here, suggesting that he had been let down in the past regarding information on the logistical situation.

[@luddite31]

@@TheImperatorKnight One of the key points I got from reading "Wages of Destruction" was how messed up their logistics were even before the war started. There were chromic problems with their domestic railroads during the 30s, causing all sorts of resource shortages. And of course no one wanted be seen responsible, so all the industry leaders pretended like their own department was doing great and someone else was responsible for the problems.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

@@TheImperatorKnight In my humble opinion this has always been the achilles heel with dictatorships. They surround themselves with yes men and then get progressively fed worse and worse information, either out of fear or because that's what the yes men think they want to hear. It even happens to politicians in Western democracies. The longer they remain in power, the more they push out the competent people below them as potential threats and replace them with yes men. And the less effective their administration becomes with time.Just look at how bad the last terms of Thatcher and Blair became. You can argue they were bad from the start, but at least they knew how to make it look good at first. Term limits are such a good thing to implement for all politicians.

[@drivewaynats3696]

Excellent timing - excellent video. The whole perspective at the exact time Hitler asks 'has something disastrous happened?'

[@mechaboy0226]

Glad to see u back at it

[@Jason-md2fn]

This is the first time I've actually seen u I've listened to your stuff for years ,

[@i-etranger]

Great episode, I have never saw anyone doing similar - reviewing in such detail so important meetings. obviously hate hitler but after watching this, I feel I need to read more into him.

[@MrNaKillshots]

Just wanted to thank you for all your excellent uploads.

[@rickeisenberg4091]

One question: Why did Hitler, who seemed to have at least a decent grip on the Fall Blau situation, even bother with trying to occupy Stalingrad? Why not just complete the entire blocking line to the Caspian Sea, and thereby protect both the Sixth Army as well as his forces in the Caucasus attempting to seize the oil fields?

[@michaelmorley7719]

The discussion of where to send the 17th Panzer made me wonder: what if, instead of going after Stalingrad, the Germans had gone up to the Don river and stopped there, established a nice strong defense line, and sent the mobile units of the 6th Army into the Caucusus to secure the oil?

[@Pangora2]

Because the mobile units went from the Don to Volga at the shortest area, which made them arrive north of Stalingrad. If Stalingrad was a secure base for the Russians, allied supplies would still move up the river and reinforcements to the south would also ride the river down. Shutting down the Volga was seen as essential.

[@tonyz3304]

Glad to hear that Stalingrad series will continue soon... I started watching it last summer then took a few months break myself and just finished watching E42 the other day. Great timing!! ;) No pressure, no rush though!

[@johnweber6612]

Sad that most of the conference records were lost. Some one ( the generals) wanted them destroyed.

[@michaelprice6448]

"... in 1931 so he was a committed national socialist." Thank God they kept thinking that was more important than competence.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

This is the concept of the "primacy of politics" over everything else. They believed that the problems in the economy or the military etc were because the people running the show weren't driven by "the Idea" or the National Socialist "world view" (the Weltanschauung). They thought that if they put their guys in positions of responsibility, then this would sort out their problems. Of course, we know that that's not how things work.

[@BasedBards]

Something doesn't add up here. 850 cubic metres is only the equivalent of about 12 ISO containers. Yet they also talk about 4.5 trains per day and needing a lot more. I'd expect a single heavy artillery battalion ( 150mm) to go through 50-100 cubic metres of ammo per day.

[@chadczternastek]

I just got in the mail that book you are showing at the beginning of your video. You referenced it in another video I believe or this one. I can't begin to describe what a good read it is.

[@jaaackaissa1633]

How many pages does this book have and do you recommend reading it?

[@nickush7512]

Great TIK. I have not had the time to follow your work so much for a while, it has been very enjoyable to catch up with this one. Glad to see you looking a little less stressed...

[@piotrtrypus]

Outstanding episode, thank you so much for your work!

[@traveleraz8269]

Thank you once again for a great video. You laid out your thought process in a logical manner.

[@aquilamario8300]

Fantastic video !

[@RPGPod]

STALINGRAD SERIES PART 44!!! Let’s go, can’t wait

[@shlamushaaretz5357]

Thanks TIK, enjoyable discussion.

[@TheZod00]

Bump for the algorithm, will definitely watch this later today.

[@allanfifield8256]

It was good of you to take a break.

[@TheNorman1169]

You look good tik. Love the new content.

[@jeffreybaker4399]

Mierzejewski...a great reference. Good work, TIK.

[@Worrun]

I think at 24:08 Hitler just gives a hypothetical, if they come back and by some miracle the materiel (guns, equipment etc.) stays there and isn’t salvaged by russians. Thats why he says it’s a ridiculous thought. But maybe it’s just my own way of interpreting it.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

It's a valid interpretation. I wouldn't agree with that, simply because leaving equipment outside in all weather without proper maintenance will result in excessive wear and tear, rendering them inoperable, and Hitler would have known this... However, that doesn't necessarily mean that he wasn't considering that.

[@Worrun]

@@TheImperatorKnight yea that makes more sense. on other topic, at 5:43 you say there is no explanation for his distrust to Georgians but like a minute back he says that quite a lot of them would be attracted to Stalin and communism, which he hates. So maybe that would be an explanation or are you looking for one based on racism rather than their political following?

[@azoniarnl3362]

@@Worrun He also says he trusts the Muslims, so Hitler is sometimes more pragmatic then we realize.

[@TheGixernutter]

Hi Tik. Nice job. Excellent material. I can see why you found that one so compelling. Don't forget to rest buddy Perspective is key.👍

[@paulrevere2379]

To some degree, a major degree I think, the purpose of any military campaign is to destroy your enemies army. Plz allow the oversimplification. With this in mind, Stalingrad might not have begun as a main purpose of a campaign, but by the Russian reaction of holding Stalingrad at all costs, they create the need for German forces to make Stalingrad more central to the campaign. I'm sure there's a proper metaphor, but the Germans in Stalingrad were like one who has a grip on a snake, but the snake refuses to die. They cannot let it go without becoming a victim of the snake's bite, but as the grip weakens, the rest of the snake has been free to turn the hunter into the hunted. The possibility of winning depended on the defenders being no match for the invading forces. It didn't work and none of the efforts to adjust or reinforce in order to pull off a victory really had any likely hope. The failure of the campaign was inevitable. Kinda seems to be a recurring theme, btw.

[@mikemazzola6595]

I agree with TheBismark117 comment. This is fantastic history. Not the blame game of hindsight, but the reality of making hard decisions that reflect strategic and operational reality.

You are a gem in making history comes alive❤

[@seanpoltzer1107]

TIK, I won't bore you with the usual praise and thankfulness that you rightfully deserve by putting in all the hard work you do. Now however I just went crazy with this last video because it had at least six if not 7 adds that I had to skip through. Please do something to fix the ad issue. Thanks and bye for now

[@lucid4005]

Thank you TIK

[@drivewaynats3696]

On fire mate! Great episode!

[@joeyartk]

From the quote about Nordic blood, Hitler clearly associates Turkic people with being Muslim, thus reliably anti Communist. Nordic blood traces to him means non Turkic, thus possibly pro Communist.

[@christopherroa9781]

You seem healthy! It's great that you're taking care of yourself. It's almost like seasons of Show, this being bonus. Glad you're doing it your way