Week 255 - Mass Suicide on Saipan - WW2 - July 15, 1944

[@WorldWarTwo]

This video was recorded in our second post-D-Day filming session, and boy we're happy to be back to a regular working schedule! How is everyone enjoying the return to special videos too?

[@ИльяКим-ю3е]

When will new commanders?!!

[@ИльяКим-ю3е]

When will you show new commanders?!!

[@FilipMatacin]

​​@@ИльяКим-ю3е'll tell you one better WHY IS GAMORA? 😂😂

[@TheEvertw]

Glad to have you back! Though we do not begrudge you your holiday, after that historic D-day coverage. Hope you had a good one!

[@johnsmead5096]

yall wild.

[@kenle2]

"Hitler says no ... then yes when it's too late." That could be the complete report on German strategy in the second half of the war.

[@mariosvourliotakis]

WE MUST LEAVE ONE DIVISION BEHIND TO DIE IN EACH CITY THAT LOOKS IMPORTANT ON THE MAP!!!

[@jamesgillen2339]

"Hitler says no. ...We didn't see that coming, did we?"

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

@@mariosvourliotakis Tying enemy forces to deal with a fortified city in their rear did work though. It denied the Western allies crucial ports, and we see the Red Army expand manpower and resources taking those cities. So they did consider it a major thorn in their side in the long run. I'd say the tactic was not as stupid as it often gets presented. The only question is whether or not the loss of those German forces weighed up against tying some Soviet or Allied forces in the grand scheme of things.

[@kenle2]

Okay. I get that it probably made the Soviets use more "leave behind" forces to contain and reduce pockets than they would otherwise have needed. But Kesselring in Italy showed how a smarter defense (yes, I know he had the terrain on his side) could be used to a greater advantage. He held out until the other fronts had literally driven deep into Germany itself while badly outnumbered and outgunned. And while dealing with Italian political chaos. All Germany gained from most of these holding actions in isolated cities and ports was maybe a little time and empty space on a map. It's not like the vast majority of the resources could be utilized in the time they had left. And more defensible front lines would probably have gained them more time, which is pretty much all they could hope for after 1942. When almost every experienced professional soldier in the room thinks you are making a mistake, a sane person might at least hedge his bets.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

@@kenle2 Italy is a completely different battlefield then France or Belarus. It is advancing across both sides of inhospitable mountain range, poor roads and being able to fortify every river coming out of that mountain range. It's the most ideal defensive terrain against an enemy which therefore cannot deploy its massive superiority in armor and mechanization. It is the worst possible country to advance in save probably Norway. In contrast the wide open terrain of France and Belarus is ideal tank country. So what is going to hold or delay an enemy that has tank superiority? Creating a bottleneck. How do you that? Deny the Allies the use of French ports so they cannot supply their superior forces. And that worked brilliantly as the Allies would slow down in september all the way into the winter when they were finally able to get their logistics in order. Had Germany surrendered the French ports without a fight the war would have been over before X-mas. Similarly, how do you create a bottleneck in Belarus? Hold and defend the major cities that sit right atop the sole means of connection and logistics in the USSR, the railroad junctions. The Red Army did not have enough trucks to supply its advancing forces indefinitely and in Russia at that time everything depended on the railroads. If the Red Army cannot send enough supplies to its advancing forces because the Germans still hold the railroad junctions, so nothing can be shipped in time everything will grind to a halt eventually. It is not that ill conceived of a strategy. A desperate move, but they had become desperate times. It's just that German generals sucked at strategy and they were trying to exonerate themselves after the war by blaming Hitler for everything. Now we can argue about execution and how well it was implemented. Having whole corps be encircled instead of just a single division was stupid, waiting too long to give the proper orders was stupid. It seems like proper planning was lacking, making it too much of an ad hoc move, which resulted in troops getting left behind in unprepared defensive positions. And no matter how you turn it, any division getting left behind, that's a death sentence for them. They're not going to like it. At least the German garrisons in the French port cities could still get some supplies from Germany via U-boat and occupy themselves by fishing or something, as the Allies weren't going to waste resources on them taking those cities. Those in the fortress cities in the east were f***ed.

[@alansewell7810]

The story of those 48 Italian partisans, who refused to give up any information during two days of torture, and kept silent with dynamite placed on their heads, is a counterpoint to the stories of Italians lacking courage during the war. The ones fighting for Hitler and Mussolini may have lacked commitment fighting for a cause they hated, but these partisans taking the other side went to their graves unbowed. It's a poignant story, well-told by Indy & co.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

@@retiredbore378 Fascism, like National Socialism, is a collectivist ideology too. There were many cases and stories of Italian units and troops fighting to the bitter end as part of Mussolini's regime. Maybe not the norm, but many did their duty. In the case of these partisans I'd say that these men knew that they had no chance of any mercy at the hands of the Germans. They had seen what the Germans had done to other partisans they had captured and the terror reprisals against Italian civilians. Other then a reprieve from pain there was nothing to be gained by them giving in. Even more so if they were communist partisans, of which Italy had a great deal.

[@allangibson8494]

The soldiers who fought the Italians didn’t think they were cowards - they thought the Italians commanders were incompetent however. The Italian soldiers generally concurred.

[@mariosvourliotakis]

The Italian generals were pretty bad overall, and even when they did point out problems,Mussolini overlooked them... The troops however, despite the poor equipment and logistical problems, fought as bravely as all the other troops in the war, however they still lacked the motivation like you said.

[@alansewell7810]

@@mariosvourliotakis The Italians also seemed to be less bloodthirsty than the Germans. They fed their Soviet prisoners the same rations they issued to Italian soldiers. And seemed to have been tolerably well liked in the Soviet territories they occupied: “It may be un-Marxist to say so,” he [The Soviet partisan leader] said, “but the Germans are a bad lot-practically every one of them. If there are exceptions, I haven’t come across any.” But he had met some Italians in Kharkov, and they were really quite different from the Germans. They hated the Germans, and he was sure the Italians would soon get out of the war. “A lot of these Italians were really decent chaps,” he said. “I managed to get a set of guitar strings for one of them, and he asked me, on the quiet, to the house where he and a number of other Italians were living; and there they would curse Hitler, and play the guitar and sing. They had little to eat, but they gave me some nice wine from a straw-covered bottle. Good chaps. But they were miserable, and they hadn’t even any proper shoes, and suffered from the cold." Werth, Alexander. Russia at War, 1941-1945: A History

[@mariosvourliotakis]

@@alansewell7810 I am Greek, and the Italians werent disliked here in the occupation, while the Germans were absolutely despised. It probably had to do with Greece not losing to the Italians but succumbing to the German invasion, but the Italians were nicer to the Greek population in comparison to the Germans just starving out the cities and taking literally everything and carrying out brutal reprisals against any resistance.

[@Hurricane0721]

My grandfather witnessed some of the suicides on Saipan. My grandfather was a medic in the US Navy during the war in the Pacific. He saw the horrors of combat firsthand. He saw men shot up in combat, and men who had their legs blown off by landmines. However, he said seeing those suicides with young Japanese mothers grabbing their children by the hand to jump off a cliff was something more horrific and traumatizing than anything he saw in combat.

[@FoxFourX1]

My former flight instructor was a B-29 pilot stationed there. He witnessed it too. Told me they had an interpreter with a bullhorn desperately trying to talk them down.

[@mariosvourliotakis]

Even though the American death toll in the Pacific wasnt as high as Japanese casualties, the absolute horrors those men had to witness and the fact the called PTSD just combat fatigue back then... Pure trauma for those poor men, how could you return from that war and live your life normally afterwards?

[@xiphoid2011]

The power of indoctrination and brainwashing is terrifying.

[@TheBandit7613]

@@mariosvourliotakis My grandfather wouldn't talk about his time in the Pacific. Only bits and pieces that would slip out. He had an intensity about him. He hated the Japanese until the day he died.

[@scrubbingoffinternet5221]

The Japanese had honor

[@oOkenzoOo]

Today, July 15 1944, a tragedy occured within the French "Normandie" regiment. During the transfer to the Mikoutani airfield in Lithuania, Captain Maurice de Seynes crashed with his Soviet mechanic, transported with him in the luggage compartment of his yak. During these trips, it was customary for the mechanic to travel with his pilot so that he could, upon arrival, prepare the plane for combat. But the cramped space reserved for him made it impossible to carry a parachute. Captain Maurice De Seynes took off with his Soviet mechanic, Sergeant Vladimir Belozub. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot returned to the field and announced that he was victim of a fuel leak in the cabin. Blinded, then intoxicated by petrol fumes and the start of a fire he tried to land several times, but in vain. He received the order to parachute jump. Captain De Seynes refused, out of solidarity with his passenger, and crashed to the ground during his last landing attempt. The sacrifice of Maurice de Seynes considerably impressed the Soviet personnel of the "Normandie" and demonstrated the brotherhood in arms which united the French pilots to their Russian mechanics. This is the account of the event made by Colonel Engineer Sergei D. Agavelian, then Captain Mechanic in the "Normandie" regiment: "On July 15 1944, at the crucial moment of the Belarusian operation, our regiment left Dubrovka (Smolensk). One after another, the squadrons had taken off in the direction of Mikountani in Lithuania. Each pilot had taken on board, in the narrow luggage compartment arranged behind the seat, his mechanic so that he could prepare the planes for combat as soon as they arrived. About 20 minutes after takeoff, Captain Maurice de Seynes announced on the radio that he had a fuel leak and was turning around. Major Louis Delfino told him that the ground was clear and that he could land immediately. De Seynes made several unsuccessful attempts to land, probably because gasoline had coated his windshield. When we understood that de Seynes could not land, we announced it to the commander of the 1st Air Force, who gave the order to abandon the plane. Overcoming his emotion Delfino took the microphone and said: - Maurice, the commander gives you the order to abandon the plane. We were all frozen, waiting for the appearance of the white dome of the parachute. One of the pilots sighed: - Personally, I would not leave the plane. He has Warrant Officer Bielozub with him who doesn't have a parachute. - Me neither, said another pilot. - I won't jump either, said another one. Maurice made two more attempts to land in the marshes without succeeding, climbed to 800m and leveled off. We thought he was going to jump anyway. - Agavelian, you represent the Soviet command here, says Delfino to me handing me the microphone, give him the order yourself. I took the microphone and said: - Maurice, it's an order. Jump!! There is no other solution. Petrified we waited for the outcome. When the plane crashed to the ground, very close, we rushed at it. The shock had thrown Maurice de Seynes and Vladimir Bielozub out of the plane. They were both lying on the green grass. We laid them in the same grave and silently returned to our planes. As we flew west, our hearts bled thinking of what we had just experienced and we couldn't get over it." Many years after Captain De Seynes' death, General Zakharov met his mother, Ms Thérèse de Seynes. Expressing her feelings to the General, Ms De Seynes summed up her situation in these words: “General, I had only one son, and he had the opportunity to save himself... But then the honor of our whole family would have been tarnished. My son acted nobly...” In Paris in the house of Ms de Seynes, there were two portraits on the wall: one of her son Maurice-Phillipe and the other of Vladimir Belozube. Inside a white scarf, wore by the Pokrovka farmers in Ukraine, the parents of Vladimir Belozube kept the letter from the front, in which their son spoke of his French combat friend, the pilot de Seynes: "Can you find a French textbook in someone's house? I really need it... When I come back, I'll tell you about my friend. He has a lot of experience, he traveled the world before coming to us. Now he is fighting with us against the Germans, but in the past he was fighting against them in France. I am very good friend with him. In our spare time we teach eachothers to read and write: him in French, me in Russian". In the old family dresser, there was another letter, written by 7 pilots from "Normandie" and in which they described the circumstances of the accident. For her part, Ms De Seynes also treasured the only letter received from Russia, delivered by an unknown person. It is in this letter that Ms De Seynes reads the name of Vladimir Belozube for the first time: "I call him the philosopher. Vladimir is a little older than me. After each mission, he looks forward to my return, just like you, my mother. But I get back to him more often than you, even in my dreams of returning at home. And that's my happiness for the moment. When I sleep and I see Claude (Maurice-Phillipe's sister) and you, I don't know if I'm dreaming or if it's reality. Meanwhile he takes care of everything, so that I may come back again. What a master he is, what a boy he is! You will see, my mother. My philosopher, like me, is sure, that we will win very soon, and then I'll introduce you to Belozube. We can easily translate his name into French: la dent blanche, white tooth. But we can't translate De Seynes to the Russian language...".

[@Ronald98]

An amazing story, thanks for sharing!

[@unkledak]

Thank you for pass that story along.

[@golden_smaug]

Thanks for sharing, I liked this story

[@pagodebregaeforro2803]

Nice story. But I have to disagree with the guys mother, if he had jumped he wouldn't have had "ruined" the family's name, it was a situation he didnt had control nor did caused, it would be totally understandable and I bet it would be difficult and haunt him but I wouldn't judge him at all, it was his life after all and he wasn't murdering he guy. In the end he believed in the good outcome and tried it to save him while risking and losing his own, thats a big credit and humanity indeed, may them be remembered. Another sad war story.. lets advocate for peace whenever possible.

[@icantthinkofaname940b2]

On July 12, 1944 American Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. died from a heart attack at the age of 56. At the time, he was serving as the Deputy Divisional Commander of the 4th US Infantry Division. On D-Day, he joined the first wave of soldiers landing at Utah Beach, becoming the only general to land with the first wave. He was also the oldest man in the invasion and the only one who had a son to land as well. Theodore was originally buried at Sainte-Mère-Église, but was later exhumed and moved to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-Mer. In 1955 his younger brother Quentin who had been killed in the First World War was exhumed and reburied next to him.

[@stc3145]

And both him and his father got a Medal of Honor. The only other father and son to do so is Douglas and Arthur McArthur

[@ericcarlson3746]

at the time of his death, his promotion to 2 ✪✪ general was in the pipeline

[@Ramzi1944]

I don't think he was the only one who had a son to land, there must have been others who had sons, right?

[@johnburns9634]

Yup, I know a Canadian did: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3LYfIt3m9l8qtU

[@richardmalcolm1457]

After the war, Omar Bradley was asked to name the single most heroic action he had ever seen in combat. He replied, "Ted Roosevelt on Utah Beach."

[@BGBG617]

My uncle Bill McLane was a marine was wounded on Saipan and later got a battlefield commission at Iwo. Out of the blue, in 1975, I asked him why his legs were all scarred up. He told me and described fighting the Japanese. He got his commission because there was nobody left on the battlefield above his rank of corporal. They had to burn all the Japanese at Iwo. They never surrendered. You stayed away from the flamethrowers. He had great respect for the Japanese soldier. He was such a gentleman and I miss him very much.

[@neilreynolds3858]

Nobody left above Corporal: You have to wonder why we bother to train officers sometimes when enlisted men can do the job. I had a friend in the South Pacific who really a sergeant who ended up as a brevet Colonel. He had the worst looking scar I've ever seen from meatball surgery. They had to remove an unexploded 20mm round from his groin. He flew his fighter back to Darwin with it in there. After he healed up, he went back to being a squadron commander. He once tried to talk me into seeing if his dynamite was still good by poking it with a stick. Those old guys were great fun. Oh, yeah, he was a Mick too.

[@bolivar2153]

@@neilreynolds3858 Germany was being led by a Corporal, and look how that worked out :)

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@bolivar2153 Strictly speaking he was not even a corporal. He was a Gefreiter, which literally means "freed man" - they were really privates with some time in service or good performance who were as a result "freed" from some menial tasks required of ordinary privates. If Hitler had been promoted to Unteroffizier, which is closer to a corporal, he might have been in charge of a squad or section, but a Gefreiter would not be. It is possible that Hitler's superiors thought he was a good soldier but not someone to be trusted in charge of other soldiers. Hence the lack of promotion. But he ended up in charge of a whole country...

[@bolivar2153]

@@stevekaczynski3793 The label was applied to him by the German's themselves("Dieser böhmische Gefreiter" - seemingly originating from Paul von Hindenburg). It really was not meant as a compliment, and if you're attempting to demean or be derogatory about someone, accuracy is probably not so important. That said, I do get your point. Thanks for the info, it was something I did not know until today. However ... I'll probably still refer to him as "the Corporal" , it just seems apt and it was their term.

[@patwiggins6969]

The Cuban missile crisis is what got me into this channel. Watched everything you put out since then and have not regretted a single moment

[@mariosvourliotakis]

You can go wayyy back to 2014 when Indy was coverning the Great War week by week if you ever run out of things to watch, its also very interesting stuff!

[@harlleygurrola8394]

For me, it was the great war

[@mariosvourliotakis]

@@harlleygurrola8394 I found him in 2017 researching for a school project, and thus began my fascination with both world wars, which of course I had some prior knowledge, but not the in depth look at them we get with this amazing team

[@Ramzi1944]

I think I remember the first video I watched, it was about japan during ww1

[@TrickiVicBB71]

It was that BF1 review being recommended to me on YT that got me into anything with Indy

[@patrickstephenson1264]

'Hitler Says No' should be on a mug at this point!

[@petergray7576]

7:25 Ironically, the Panzer Lehr were no more effective at attacking in the Bocage than the Americans. Experienced US Army units use the same flanking tactics utilized by the Germans to cut off the Lehr unsupported columns, and inflict heavy losses.

[@merdiolu]

Panzer Lehr was reduced to 60 effective tanks and 6500 or so men in effective fighting force anyway by the time it was switched to 1st US Army sector at Cotentin - Countaces - St Lo line on 8-10 July 1944. That is because between 7 June and 8th July 1944 , they were fighting tooth and nail and suffering very heavy losses at Bayeux - Lingreves - Tilly - Villers Bocage sector against Second British Army (mainly against 50th Northumbrian Division and 7th British Armored Division which were old adversaries of General Fritz Bayerlein , Panzer Lehr Division commander from North African Campaign)

[@stevekaczynski3793]

The bocage terrain seems to have been a problem for any armoured vehicles.

[@ScooterWeibels]

I notice that the Soviet army is now working quite independently of Stalin, as the opposite in Hitler's relation with the Wermacht.

[@alexamerling79]

Stalin learned to be more flexible whereas Hitler asserted more and more control.

[@matteoorlandi856]

That's what a leader should do, fix the objective of the war, and let the professionals do theyr job. It's the same thing Lincoln did during the civil war, and It worked. Now Stalin learned the hard way but, at least he learned.

[@Thevc3podcast]

Great observation. I think the shift for Hitler was after the winter of 1941 where his stand fast orders saved the Wehrmacht from destruction during the Soviet counter offensive at the gates of Moscow. This along with the Arden Offensive into France during 1940, in my eyes, led to Hitlers overestimation of his abilities. I think the shift for Stalin was a during/after Stalingrad. I think his Generals earned his respect and trust after grinding out that W and launching a successful counter attack (operation Urans and lil Saturn).

[@rationalbasis2172]

@@Thevc3podcast There was no "shift." Hitler was an extraordinarily rigid and narrow thinker, who never reversed his positions, never changed his opinion after receiving decisive conflicting information, and full of absolutely absurd ideas. The only reason that Germany succeeded in the early years was because of a succession of surprise attacks in violation of every treaty and every notion of the pursuit of rational interests by the German nation. Once no person and no nation could be surprised by any of Hitler's disregard of every shred of human reason - the success of German arms came to a quick end. In Hitler's final political testament, he actually brags about never having changed his positions or ideas, and shows no indication that he had the capability of assessing himself critically. The "no retreat" order in 1941 wasn't an insight, it was a reflex. There's no evidence that this order "saved" the Wehrmacht. The German army was forced to retreat in other winter battles (such as the 1943 Manstein counter-offensive), and came off relatively well when given the freedom to maneuver.

[@obsidianjane4413]

That is not really true. Stalin was the head of Stavka, and he had a set of officers that were (by process of elimination) competent and "in tune" with his strategic thought. But he still dictated, because that is what dictators do. You see an example of this @11:20 where Bagramyan disagreed with Stavka (Stalin) on the Courland campaign. The biggest difference between Hitler and Stalin was that the Soviets had the resources to carry out his will, where as Hitler was still acting like he did even though reality and his generals were telling him otherwise. That's why it stands out as a difference.

[@Mr110074]

I remember as a teenager watching WWII in HD on the History channel, and one of the episodes ending with the mass suicide at Saipan. That truly exposed to me the true horror of WWII like I already knew about the mass killings before but the Saipan thing was just something on a different level.

[@bingobongo1615]

Two thirds of the civilians were already killed in the fighting btw. It made it all the more believable for the civilians that they would not survive

[@patwiggins6969]

This is one of the things that convinced me, and possibly allied planners at the time, that Japan would never surrender. The atomic bomb may have saved a million American lives but I also believe it saved the Japanese people as well. They would not have surrendered otherwise and the ones not killed in combat would more than likely kill themselves. Just my opinion

[@modest_spice6083]

@@patwiggins6969 They were training Japanese schoolchildren to wield bamboo sticks against the Allies. The Japanese Volunteer Fighting Corps, equivalent of the Volkssturm that the Nazi Germans desperately threw to the Red Army in the final stages of the war, numbered in the millions in 1945. Imagine the bloodbath and the resulting mass suicide over that.

[@tigertank06]

@@patwiggins6969It was more Iwa Jima and Okiniwa that convinced the Allies that the Japanese would not surrender via invasion of the home islands.

[@Yamato-tp2kf]

This was the result of years and years of Japanese propaganda saying that the US soldiers would do atrocities to them if they got captured by them... They were brainwashed by the propaganda

[@stucar7677]

My great uncle died at Hill 112 ( cornishmen Hill) on 10th and he was in DCLI a part of 43 wessex division

[@merdiolu]

My respects , that piece of ground was one of hardest fought in Normandy campaign

[@evancrum6811]

Having 28k troops sitting in the channel islands doing nothing is insane.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Something like 200,000 troops in Norway doing not very much...

[@neilreynolds3858]

Not if you were one of the troops...

[@scientiaaclabore3362]

​@@stevekaczynski3793 The German strength in Norway can vary tremendously, depending on the strength criteria and the type of units involved. There's plenty of data available on that. Germans had a prodigious and pedantic military terminology to define unit strength. Thus, as of 30 June 1944, the Germans had over 400,000 personnel in Norway, large part of which was not German. This number is reached by: 1. Counting a vast array of combat and non-combat personnel, large parts of which are in the hinterland and have little or nothing to do with the actual combat, but in widest terms they still make contributions in maintaining or improving the combat capabilities, ensuring the smooth occupation and exploitation of occupied territory. It consists of A.O.K. Norwegen, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe, Waffen-SS and Polizei, _Wehrmacht Gefolge_ (Wehrmacht Entourage- civilian and paramilitary organizations attached to the Wehrmacht), Norwegian auxiliaries, foreign volunteers (Freiwillige), Osttruppen and POW's (engaged in various construction works and thus had to be provided with rations from the resources of the High Command). 2. The strength measurement used for all these units is 'Ration Strength' (Verpflegungsstärke), which is by no means an indicator of the unit's actual combat capabilities. It is simply a logistical measurement of strength, indicating how many personnel in total, combat and non-combat, had to be provided with rations in the unit. So it is the upper limit. Thus, in Norway, as of 30 June 1944, the total combined German ration strength of all the units listed above was 405,509 personnel. Of them, 64,708 were POW's (mostly Soviet), 51,315 were Wehrmacht Entourage, Waffen-SS and Polizei, Norwegian auxiliaries, foreign volunteers. The rest, 289,486 men in total, were Wehrmacht (A.O.K. Norwegen, Kriegsmarine, Luftwaffe). To add further, the 'Actual Strength' (Iststärke) of Army of Norway on 1 June 1944 was 169,000 personnel, the 'Combat Strength' (Gefechtsstärke) of all combat units (infantry, reckon, engineers, artillery, tank, anti-tank, AA) was 96,846 men in total, while the 'Frontline Strength' (Kampfstärke) was 61,835 men.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@scientiaaclabore3362 A lot of the ones in Normandy exhibit similar characteristics but are actually doing some fighting. Anyway, a six-figure number of troops are in Norway and it is arguable they are wasted to the Third Reich war effort. In a way that makes the waste of troops in the Channel Islands seem trivial.

[@ericcarlson3746]

@@stevekaczynski3793 add in "Army Group North"- permission to withdraw denied by AH

[@Professor_sckinnctn]

Great episode, as always What was fun was how many "wait, one more thing!" kept interrupting the ending. I feel like a lot more of those will show up in future episodes. :)

[@joewilson5631]

Indie "Columbo" Neidell

[@mgway4661]

It’s getting busy

[@theodoros9428]

One of the marines who fought in Saipan was the actor Lee Marvin Reseived a 🥇 for his bravery and a trauma

[@tigertank06]

Wasn’t he with Captain Kangaroo during that campaign?

[@oldesertguy9616]

@@tigertank06 Bob Keeshan, "Captain Kangaroo," enlisted in the US Marine Corps too late to see action in WWII. That is an urban legend that he served with Lee Marvin, and Marvin never stated that. I wonder how these things get started? Btw, Mr. Rogers also never served in the armed forces, which is another urban legend.

[@stc3145]

Many Hollywood actors are seing action this war. James Stewart would see combat over the skies this year. Retiring as a Brigader General, he is still the highest military ranking American actor

[@neilreynolds3858]

He was great in The Big Red One. Best depiction of what war does psychologically that I've seen but the director Sam Fuller was also a combat veteran. There must have been some great stories told on that set.

[@GRANOLA77]

@@tigertank06 *received*

[@hannahskipper2764]

Another staggering episode. Thank you all for the hard work you do to bring it to us week after week.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for your support!

[@stevekaczynski3793]

At about this time some US troops, notably in the 30th Division, were issued camouflage uniform. These uniforms were soon withdrawn as US soldiers were being mistaken for Waffen-SS troops in camouflage.

[@Ramzi1944]

What a shame

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

Didn't 3rd Armored also wear the uniforms for a while?

[@mgway4661]

Oof

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 Might have done. It certainly went to some infantry units, like the 30th.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@mgway4661 Friendly fire has been a problem in WW2. In the timeline, there will be a spectacular example of friendly fire next week...

[@stoffls]

My grandpa used to fight in Army group North, he told horror stories of the retreat in the winter of 1944/45 and how he escaped the Soviets to Germany.

[@alexamerling79]

What was his rank?

[@rationalbasis2172]

How many civilians did he kill?

[@dorianleclair7390]

A good friend of mine is from Saipan and told me those cliffs are haunted. He was dared to camp near there but did not make it through the night. He said he started hearing screams and got out of there.

[@Ramzi1944]

Spooky

[@rockgod6180]

I'd believe it

[@alexamerling79]

The Hitler Jugend soldiers were so young they were often given sweets instead of cigarettes. Baby soldiers indeed.

[@robviousobviously5757]

yes.. from baby bottle to baby battle... ridiculous

[@nickyfield137]

Perhaps those little cigarette sweets we used to get !!

[@extrafreshhh]

Personally I’d rather have sweets than cigs😅

[@paultapner2769]

@@nickyfield137 I used to love those. I would put them in my mouth and pretend I was Humphrey Bogart. I am that old. They would never have encouraged me to smoke for real because my parents had told me how bad that was.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

They were also considered too young to drink alcohol, though wartime beer tended to be rather low-alcohol. There were some restrictions on what kind of films they could see, based on their age, which annoyed them, as they were considered old enough to risk death. The same complaints were made by equally young Flakhelfer in anti-aircraft crews back in Germany.

[@GamePlayer553]

Unless I'm mistaken, one of the escapees from Auschwitz is Witold Pilecki; cavalry officer during the invasion of Poland in '39, Pilecki volunteered to investigate what as happening to Poles and Jews in Warsaw and spend time in Auschwiz from 1940 - 1943 and had written and sent numerous intelligence reports to the western allies about what was happening. (Spoilers for the next few months) he also participated in the Warsaw Uprising of August-October 1944. If he hasn't been mentioned already, I really hope he is. Man was a bloody hero and was forgotten thanks to post-war Soviet influence on the Polish government. He needs way more light shone on him

[@gordybing1727]

suggested reading, "The Password is Courage", by Sgt. Major John Castle.

[@ellsworth1956]

My Name sake, My Father's older cousin serving in the 2nd Division, Was Mortally wounded in The Battle of St. Lo. He died 10 months later in the USA.

[@pocketmarcy6990]

Last year in July, Germany was only capable of launching a limited offensive against the Soviets in Kursk. A year later, the Soviets have launch an offensive across almost the entire front

[@recoil53]

Yeah, that's why every Axis plan from here on is just grasping. Why would the V-1 & V-2 stop anything? The logic for Case Yellow was that the Germans could miraculously get to Antwerp and that would split the West so badly that peace would be made quickly, then the Germans could shift all their soldiers to the Russian front. Like, how? Just take a rational look at the situation, realize you need like 20 miracles to win, and surrender before you lose more.

[@mgway4661]

Their version of Barbarossa

[@leothecat9609]

Been here since the first weeks of ww1, will be there until the last days of ww3! Love your work!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for sticking around for so long, but hopefully for all of our sakes this doesn’t turn into a trilogy!

[@mikek3979]

Great episode, Indy! Also wanted to take a minute to thank you and the team for the absolutely fabulous 24 hour D-Day production - bravo,!

[@myyou2b]

I'm glad to see the inset overview map - it's very helpful. Your analysis and communication of this very interesting topic is nothing short of masterful. Keep up the good work!

[@bradleymayberry9060]

Thanks!

[@Kurtownia]

Every time I watch a video from this channel, I hear Clint Eastwood in the back of my head say "I've never seen so many men wasted so badly".

[@CHAR0N_19]

'Hitler says "NO"' might be quite a dangerous drinking game.

[@ericcarlson3746]

along with "No barrage, screw it!"

[@DeltaDarbyLiberator]

Another great episode, thanks for all of the work TG!

[@rayeisenstein4245]

Glad to have you all back

[@Lematth88]

This week in French news. The 9th, 4 ministers of Vichy and Charles Platon, ex-minister of Colonies, call with a proclamation to Pétain to take actions against the disintegration of the government. They want the government to go back to Paris and take a real side with Germany. This demand is signed by a lot of collaborationists from Paris. Platon proposes himself as Prime Minister but none of the ministers who signed the letter are resigning. The objective is to stop the position of "neutralism" of Laval (and of Pétain, but Platon doesn't know that). Pétain dismisses him and tells him to leave Paris and stay out of this. The 10th, De Gaulle in a press conference says that France’s reconstruction will be decided by the French. He says that the fate of Germany must be settle with France, as it is his neighbor. For the colonies, he calls to elevate these territories to administer themselves and be with France with a Federal system. It is in essence what the Brazzaville Conference stated last year. The same day, Pétain wants to nominate De Gaulle, who served under him and who was his mentor until 1932, as the chief of a government of national union. He meets Admiral Auphan, ex-secretary of State of the Marine to discuss the matter. The 11th, De Gaulle, in Canada, learns of the advancement of the atomic weapon by French atomists. In Ain and Jura departments, 25 000 Germans attack the FFI, only 85 maquisards are killed. This show how much men are used against FFI while they could be used on the Front. The 12th, Laval convokes a Ministerial Council in Vichy, all Ministers are presents (except Déat). Laval question loyalty of the signatory on the demand of the 9th. He obtains a confidence of all to proclaim a communication where he reaffirms his stance of the 6th June (France is under the Armistice and so not in the war). The Coup of the Ultra has failed but only politically as they have more and more influence on the Milice. These events are happening at the same time as the administration is dissolving and chaos is erupting. In Meudon, policemen take 3 tons of arms and ammunitions that were for collaborationist paramilitaries. The same day, the USA send a declaration at Algiers where they, finally, recognize that the CFLN is qualified to administrate France. It is to note that the US still does not recognize it at the Government of France, which is why they do not use the official denomination of GPRF (Gouvernement provisoire de la République française). The 13th, the last Tabors are withdrawn from the front to join Dragoon. The rest of the CEF will leave Italy the 22nd. The 14th, National Day, in Paris, lots of manifestation are organized with maybe 100 000 men. In all of France, on the call from the BBC, public manifestations, sabotages and attacks on trains takes place. The 15th, Doriot, says in a press conference that Germany will win in Normandy. He does have the support of the Gauleiter Josef Burckel to replace Laval as Prime Minister of France. On the BBC, the SHAEF tells again that the FFI are part of the army and that the Germans must respect law of war. It will be a reality administratively the 17th.

[@SlideRulePirate]

"Fine with us!" - The German troops on the channel islands.

[@merdiolu]

Those troops isolated at Channel islands nicknamed as "Canada Division" by their comrades in the continent because their eventual fate was seen nothing else other than being Prisoner of War camp inmates in Canada.

[@pocketmarcy6990]

*proceed to sit on the islands and do nothing the entire rest of the war*

[@risikocontrollingmr.1833]

It was not so funny as it sounds. The food rations were very low at the end.

[@ericcarlson3746]

@@mattep74 i think there is a Mark Felton episode on a raid they launched on a French port and some ships. Interesting, as always with him

[@Ramzi1944]

​@@ericcarlson3746I will look it up thanks

[@thcdreams654]

Great work as usual. Thanks for all the fantastic content.

[@rayeisenstein4245]

Glad you are all back

[@WorldWarTwo]

It’s good to be back!

[@Dostwyn]

The motto of the German Army since Stalingrad might as well have been "Hitler says no".

[@ahorsewithnoname773]

Or [insert city here] is to be defended to the last man. Meanwhile, the Allies..."Never interrupt the enemy when he is making mistakes."

[@TheDethBringer666]

intresting how churchil was already keen on punishing anyone who'd make a 'just following orders' excuse

[@indianajones4321]

Although it does not as much attention, these past two WAH episodes have been really good. The episodes are hard to watch, and sometimes I don’t watch some due to that reason. But these past two I think deserve a special shout out

[@StephenLuke]

RIP To the 13,150 US Marines and navy men, 25,144+ Imperial Japanese troops and officers (5,000 committed suicide), and 8,000-10,000 Imperial Japanese civilians who were killed in the Battle of Saipan

[@mkl62]

Thanks for posting.

[@mikaelcrews7232]

The mass suicide on Saipan is one horrible instances in the war in the Pacific! But a Japanese company refuses to surrender.... I forget the man's name but they nicknamed him the fox! Know this company holds out threw the rest of the war! They are mainly helped by civilians who were put into intermittent camps but they have somewhere between fifty to a hundred civilians in there custody at one given time. When the war is over all but one surrenders and he stays in hiding on the island but I'm not really sure what happens to him? But it's an interesting story...... Two of the Marianas islands that never will be invaded are trying to beef up there defenses with roughly the same size force that was on Saipan have decided to hold up in the hills on these islands and send radio messages daily wanting more troops and more supplies but little or if any are shipped by submarines. There is something else even more jaw dropping on the island of Guam! A navy sailor who has been evading capture sense December of 41 is trying to find away to get off the island. He managed to contact a destroyer with a mirror manges to get off the Guam and gives them some great intelligence on Japanese gun in placements as well troop staging areas !

[@modest_spice6083]

Now imagine THAT happening on Downfall. One of the positive perks of dropping the nukes is that it eliminated any potential landing that would've killed millions on both sides.

[@mikaelcrews7232]

@@modest_spice6083 dropping of fatman and little boy is controversial as the role of the emperor in getting America into the second world war! If you look at it another way what cost more lives? The two atomic bombs or the fire bombing of Tokyo Kobe, Nagoya and Yokohama?

[@modest_spice6083]

​@@mikaelcrews7232 Yep. Leahy and the other admirals wanted to strategically bomb and starve Japan instead, which would kill more millions. The atom bombs, who killed less than the total death toll of US bombings in Japan yet successfully scared their asses to accepting the Potsdam declaration, is always the better option.

[@Ramzi1944]

What was the name of the Navy sailor of guam?

[@mikaelcrews7232]

@@Ramzi1944 George Tweed!

[@mranderson5668]

I really enjoy seeing vdeo I've never seen before! The people involved seem to become more real to me! Thanks guys!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for your support!

[@johndbro1]

it continues to astonish me that the Germans lasted another year after the utter dismantling of the last few weeks. I know the high points (Bulge, Market Garden, etc), but I've never realized just how badly they were losing at this point.

[@jamesgillen2339]

7:00 you know you're in a different era when you duck walk through the fields to avoid fire and are able to take a smoke midway through the process.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

I have seen a photo of a slightly wounded Canadian soldier. One arm is in a sling - he has been to an aid station and in the other he clutches his rifle. He is moving along while crouching but he also has a cigarette in his mouth.

Another interesting Week and Video. Thank you

[@WorldWarTwo]

We’re happy you enjoyed!

[@1969Risky]

What a lot of people tend to forget in regards with the British Commonwealth forces in Normandy was that they faced the brunt of the SS divisions around Caen. It's hard to crack such experienced & fanatical Nazis.

[@lawrencesmeaton6930]

Indeed. Not to mention the UK had a very different perspective to war than the US. The Great War was still in living memory and that slaughter permemently scarred the whole country. Their approach to going on the offensive was extremely concious of casulties. I think that's reflected in the 'ponderous' attacks of British units in europe in ''44 amd '45 and the casualty total as a whole. 880,000 millitary deaths in WW1, 382,000 in WW2.

[@1969Risky]

@@lawrencesmeaton6930 The Australians had a similar mentality to the British. In 1939 the population of Australia was 6,968,000 (which is the population of Sydney today) & the death total from '39-'45 is 39,700. 993,000 served in all services in WWII. In WWI the military death toll was 62,149 so in WWII we still had Gallipoli in our minds.

[@mgway4661]

It was the hitler youth. Kids.

[@1969Risky]

@@mgway4661 Do you actually think that 12th SS were just a bunch of kids? The British Commonwealth faced the 1st SS Panzer Corps which had 12th SS, 1st SS, 10th SS & 9th SS. The Americans were facing retreating static troops at this time. I would suggest that you read up on SS formations outside Wikipedia that took part in the Normandy campaign.

[@Gastogh]

I'm a bit let down that the battle of Tali-Ihantala as a whole didn't get more attention, in contrast to other, much more minor engagements.

[@CeeCeeOy]

Like am I. That battle was the key factor in our Independence. First how Finns stopped Soviets at Tienhaara and the at Ihantala. How one Soviet tank drove way back to Finns rear and turned back without firing. Was destroied before reaching own lines. By antitank gun other side of the large field.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

Maybe because the whole Finnish campaign was a minor engagement by this time of the war? They can't focus extensively on every engagement of the war. Already Imphal and Kohima have fallen by the wayside, Ichi Go gets criminally neglected and the battle of the Atlantic barely if ever gets mentioned.

[@mgway4661]

There’s so much going on… that has huge implications for the workd for the rest of the 20th century as well as the 21st

[@natethenoble909]

Honestly kinda disappointed in the coverage of the siege of Hengyang. I hope it gets more attention next week, the defence there is incredible.

[@oldesertguy9616]

I agree that the 13 days in October series was awesome.

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

Fantastic explained armies mobilizing ....thank you for sharing

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for your support!

[@Reddy_Santhosh_]

"Army Group Centre was Sacrificed in a game of chance". They Sacrificed many things during the war in a game of chance....

[@welcometonebalia]

Thank you.

[@20alphabet]

Was a Navy cook on Saipan in 1944. Nothing to revisit.

[@glockparaastra]

You guys do such good work. Never stop! Never Forget! God bless!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you so much! Never Forget.

[@markwalshopoulos]

A few years ago Moe Berg was talked about in a Spies and Ties episode and there was a mention of a special, I know that this will probably be a very Indy specific topic but it would be wonderful to see such a special

[@vincentlefebvre9255]

A movie was made about Moe Berg.

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the lesson.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for watching!

[@Sakai070]

One of the stories I remember most poignantly that my grandfather told me of his time in service what's up Dad suicides of the civilians on Saipan.

[@sealove79able]

A great video.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you!

[@brokenbridge6316]

I remember hearing when the Allies finally broke out of Normandy they unknowingly employed a little Sun Tzu strategic thinking.

[@iamnolegend2519]

17:42 Churchill anticipates the “Nuremberg Defense”.

[@CARL_093]

thanks indy and crew

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for watching!

[@Leopardipzg]

No mention of the correction converter being used in Tali-Ihantala? This new invention was kept a secret even from germans and was a key in stopping the overwhelming soviet advance. And is today used by modern militaries around the world.

[@colinmerritt7645]

A small group of war criminals suiciding rather than surrender to a potentially vengeful foe is one thing. An entire village of non-coms killing themselves is the stuff of horror.

[@SnoppysWingman]

I'm not sure if you folks have plans to visit anywhere in the Pacific theater, but if you do I have to recommend that you visit Guam and Saipan. It's a very disquieting experience to see just how small the beaches, fields, and ridges were that claimed so many lives.

[@CrazyYurie]

I'd heard about that mass suicide stuff at Saipan before... horrible stuff. x_x

[@StephenLuke]

It was all because of Tojo. 😖

[@arifahmedkhan9999]

​@@StephenLuke USA in late 1800s showed upto Japanese shores with warships and threatened to bombard Japan if they didn't open up their country, you know like how China was forced to and then destroyed? Yea So I'd argue it was because of this humiliation that Japan attacked America. So USA is responsible for it

[@tomhenry897]

A public school grad

[@ahorsewithnoname773]

@@arifahmedkhan9999 Utter nonsense, and Axis apologia to boot. These events are seperated by a great deal of time and space. The attack on Pearl Harbor was not a retaliation for grievances from the distant past, but rather an effort to preemptively deal a crippling blow to the U.S. Navy prior to a Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies (modern day Indonesia) to secure oil for the ongoing war of conquest in China. Japan was not in any respect a victim in the Second World War.

[@StephenLuke]

@@ahorsewithnoname773 You’re 100% right! Thank you so much!

[@hardanheavy]

Yet, not nearly all who were involved in the industrial destruction of human lives, also those who used slaves for the war effort, were put to death. Or punished. Hell, most of them got to go home, the factory bosses kept their lives, their wealth, their jobs and their political influence. To me, this remains one of the absolute blunders by the allies after the war. It clearly sent the message that even this behaviour can be forgiven, if the tactical aim is served by it (in this case keeping the communists in check). We say 'never forget', where 'never forgive' should have been part of that. Pour encourager les autres.

[@modest_spice6083]

Most of them even wrote memoirs after the war that pushed the blame on to Hitler and portraying the army as "noble soldiers who fought commies" when they were explicitly complicit in the crimes and barbarism of the Nazi regime. Hadler, Guderian, Manstein, even mfking Kurt Waldheim all got high posts in the government, the army and even the UN in the post war world. And all of this is sanctioned by both the Allies and the Soviet Union, to help "ease" war criminals back into German society and as their prospective allies. Damn them all. And damn those too who let Nazi and Wehrmacht war criminals back into society with no strings attached. It's only a good thing that the Germans in the 60s-70s had a social revolution that largely ousted fascism and instilled the ills of that ideology into their education.

[@Raskolnikov70]

Somewhat to their credit, the Allies (including the USSR) had a policy of de-not-see-fication (YT doesn't like that word) when they first occupied Germany. The plan was to push them out of positions of authority and public life. But the reality was too many people were involved in the crimes to ever truly find justice for the victims, and practical considerations took over. If you throw all your railroad workers in prison for what they did, how do you run the railroads? What modest_spice said is right, and it only got worse once the Cold War heated up. The US/UK/France were more than willing to let bygones be bygones when it came time to re-build and re-arm West Germany as a bulwark against Soviet expansion.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@Raskolnikov70 SPOILER Postwar, a controversial British Army detention centre at Bad Nenndorf in Germany will start off detaining suspected die-hard Nazis, but gradually will begin holding suspected Communists.

[@henriyoung3895]

You guys ROCK

[@WorldWarTwo]

You rock! 🪨

[@markreetz1001]

That Adolph is quite the leader. He really is quite determined to kill off his whole military establishment!

[@geranimallapache8165]

Is it possible to add official subtitles for week 252, 253, 254 and this week?

[@joegatt2306]

4:45 There were actually three armored brigades in support, the 27th, the 33rd and the 2nd. Canadian with about 700 tanks. They were (according to Simon Trew in his book 'Battle for Caen' (2004) faced by 24 Panthers and 37 PzKw IVs.

[@Battleship009]

After Caen's liberation, allied troops will find the following letter among other notes next to a dead person in the rubble of a building. It's terrible to know that I'm going to die because I have been expecting the liberation for so long, but since I know because of my death other people will be liberated. Long live France! Long live the Allies!

[@stevekaczynski3793]

I would be a bit sceptical of the genuineness of such a letter. I remember reading a children's history of WW2 which asserted that the French (and others) suffered grievously from Allied bombing but shrugged it off as it brought liberation nearer. Really? German and pro-Axis propaganda depicted Allied air raids as a blind juggernaut of destruction - I don't know how effective such propaganda was but they clearly thought there was a constituency out there that could be reached.

[@Ramzi1944]

I swear I had read something like that before, do you know who was that man by any chance? I don't know if I just had a deja vu but I feel like I had already read that, it feels so surreal

[@recoil53]

The definition of bitter sweet.

[@paulconrad6220]

This vest/tie combo is superb

[@jasonmussett2129]

Still the quickest greatest twenty minutes in my week. It's been a great journey😀👍

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you! We’re happy to have you along for the ride!

[@Spiderfisch]

If the war ends on a sunday will we still get a weekly epidode for that one day?

[@Plaprad]

Still got the drawdowns, Japanese holdouts, Operation Magic Carpet, occupations, rebuilding, etc... They could probably carry this into 1946 with no issues.

[@archstanton6102]

Well technically the last Japanese fighter did not surrender until about 19 years after VJ day, so...

[@Raskolnikov70]

There is a LOT to cover during the post war period, even before getting into the Allied-Soviet conflict phase. This series isn't going to end suddenly in September next year.

[@williamcabrol1222]

What's a good source to read about a detailed account of the civilian suicides on Saipan?

[@UrbanKovac]

I’ve now caught up with you guys 🎉😀 finally. This years history lesson by Indie and’yall has made my hay harvest filled with emotions and profound acceptance of the wide spectrum of the 2.ww. Thank ya Hello from Slovenia to all 👋🏼

[@WorldWarTwo]

Glad you’ve gotten up to date, we’re happy to have you here! 😁 Thanks for your dedicated watching!

[@pawelek83bdh]

For those who do not follow Instagram, Vilnius was retaken with AK (Polish Home Army), but fighters were betrayed by russians.

[@111doomer]

Really wasn't looking forward to this week. The end in Saipan was horrific on a human scale. Also without getting into a discussion about it, (my mind is made up on the subject and I don't presume to convince anyone else so please don't reply because I will not respond), but Saipan and the way the Japanese acted at the end convinced me that an invasion of Japan itself would have been an absolute blood bath for all concerned convinced me that using the A bombs was on balance the right decision.

[@paultapner2769]

JG Ballard said in his memoirs that all the Japanese armies in mainland Asia were prepared to fight to the bitter end. And you only had to see what happened in the fight for Manila to see what that would have resulted in. So he was in favour of the bombings. And he was in the middle of it, So I bow to his opinion.

[@Plaprad]

Sorry, when someone says "Don't reply" I kinda have too. But I agree 100%. Met several guys who were in the occupation. Kindergarten classes were teaching the kids how to use bamboo spears. Once you get to that level it's over. I'm convinced if the US, or worse yet, the Soviets, invaded there would be no Japan today. The people, culture and history would for all intents and purposes only be found in history books.

[@josephstewart516]

That and Soviets invaded them

[@Raskolnikov70]

@@Plaprad Yeah, I don't think OP is going to get much pushback these days on a forum like this. Knowledge of Operation Downfall and how it probably would have gone is pretty common and I haven't seen many rational arguments for it that hold up. People railing against "revisionist history" about Truman's use of atomic weapons was kind of a cultural thing back in the 1980's and 90's when the cold war was winding down and people were questioning whether or not using them back in '45 would have made any kind of difference in how things went over the following decades. You don't hear much about it anymore.

[@neilreynolds3858]

If you think Saipan and what's coming up soon were bad, think about being attacked by women and children with sharpened bamboo lances would have done to our troops - even if you live, your soul dies. The atom bomb saved both American and Japanese lives. More people were killed in the fire bombings but that didn't convince them to surrender. It took the atomic bomb and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria to finally do the trick.

[@TheCynicalPhilosopher]

My grandfather was at Omaha Beach on D-Day. He survived without being wounded, but was shot by what he called a "German burp gun" (MP40 I believe) in the approach to St. Lo (or "san low" as he called it). After few months recovering, he spent the rest of the war as an MP in Paris.

[@haitolawrence5986]

As a boy years before the History Channel or the internet my father borrowed some 8mm WW2 reels from the local library. It was amazing to see kamikaze attacks and the battle of the pacific in something other than still pictures. The moments showing the suicides in Saipan and the sight of dead women and children floating lifeless in the rough water at the bottom of the cliffs has stayed with me to this day. Haunting...

[@rogerwilcojr]

Yeah, I saw all of this 50 years ago as a child in the middle of the day broadcast on TV. It was a different time when we still had freedoms to be exposed to the truth. Today everything must be censored for our protection.

[@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883]

​@@rogerwilcojr You talking about the time when people couldn't say "damn" and "ass" on tv and married couples couldn't share a bed on a TV show? Are you talking about those times?

[@rogerwilcojr]

@@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883 Well since you asked, no. That was a time 70 to 80 years ago, and further back with the movie codes. You really think around 1973 was a time of repression? You could certainly show a lot more on TV in those days, and without an age rating or content warnings.

[@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883]

@@rogerwilcojr Give Carlin's seven dirty words bit a watch. The 70's weren't a time of total limitless artistic expression. Everything was heavily censored.

[@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883]

@@rogerwilcojr I remember people burning Black Sabbath albums because the devil, dude.

[@williamschlenger1518]

I find it amazing that Germany could fight on so many fronts & hold out.Russia,Western front , Holland, Scandinavia Nort Africa, Italy.Amazing.

[@redaug4212]

But Germany didn't hold out...

[@merdiolu]

Operation Jupiter , Odon Bridgehead , Normandy ( 10 - 11 July 1944) Operation Jupiter was an offensive by VIII Corps of the British Second Army from 10 to 11 July 1944. The operation took place during the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. The objective of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division (Major-General Ivor Thomas) was to capture the villages of Baron-sur-Odon and Fontaine-Étoupefour and Chateau de Fontaine-Étoupefour, and to recapture Hill 112. An attached brigade of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division would take Éterville, Maltot and the ground up to the River Orne and then the tanks of the 4th Armoured Brigade, supported by infantry, would advance through the captured ground and secure several villages to the west of the River Orne. It was hoped that the initial objectives could be captured by 9:00 a.m., after which the 4th Armoured Brigade would exploit the success. The British advance went well at first but fighting for Hill 112 took all day and Maltot changed hands several times. On 11 July, counter-attacks by the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen, 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg and the schwere-SS Panzer Bataillon 102 (102nd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion) in the afternoon, forced the British off the top of Hill 112 to positions on the north-facing slope. The operation was a tactical failure for VIII Corps but a strategic success for the Allies, attrition having reduced the II SS Panzer Corps to a condition from which it never recovered. British operations of the Second Battle of the Odon conducted in the Odon valley continued in July and the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division occupied Hill 112 almost unopposed on 4 August, after the Germans withdrew during Operation Cobra and Operation Bluecoat further west. A stone memorial to the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division was built on the hill in the late 1940s. The intent of the operation was to capture the bridges over the Orne near Feuguerolles to provide a bridgehead for the Second Army to attack over the open ground to Bretteville-sur-Laize and Falaise. The 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division (Major-General Ivor Thomas) which had arrived in Normandy in time to play a supporting role in Operation Epsom, would capture the spur running eastwards from Hill 112 to the confluence of the Odon and Orne rivers. The 129th Infantry Brigade would capture the top of the hill and establish observation posts as the 130th Infantry Brigade took the lower ground to the south-east of Hill 112. The infantry brigades were to be supported by Churchill tanks of the 31st Tank Brigade and flame-throwing Churchill Crocodiles of the 141st Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (141st RAC) from the 79th Armoured Division. The 4th Armoured Brigade with the 214th Infantry Brigade would exploit success by forming a bridgehead on the east side of the Orne but the use of troop-carriers was cancelled. The 46th (Highland) Infantry Brigade of the 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division was placed under the command of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division to capture Verson and Éterville and the land between the confluence of the Odon and Orne. The Highland Brigade would then advance either side of the Odon to the Orne as a flank guard s the 129th Infantry Brigade guarded the right flank on Hill 112. The attacking brigades were to be supported by the divisional artilleries of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, 11th Armoured Division, 15th (Scottish) Infantry Division and the 53rd (Welsh) Infantry Division. The medium and heavy guns of the 3rd Army Group Royal Artillery (AGRA), 8th AGRA and part of the 5th AGRA, the corps artillery of XXX Corps, to the west. Thirteen field regiments, ten medium regiments and 2 1/2 heavy regiments were to participate with three hundred and twelve 25-pounder field guns, a hundred and sixty 4.5-inch and 5.5-inch medium guns, twenty-four 155 mm and sixteen 7.2-inch heavy guns. HMS Rodney with nine 16-inch guns, Roberts with two 15-inch guns and HMS Belfast with twelve 6-inch guns in the Bay of the Seine were to contribute their firepower. The army artillery amounted to 512 pieces and the Naval contribution was 23 medium and super-heavy guns. The heavy 4.2-inch mortars of the 8th Middlesex and the 3-inch mortars of the infantry were to participate and Hawker Typhoon Fighter-bombers were to operate over the German-occupied roads leading to the area. Hill 112 was held by the 10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg with SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 21 on the hill, SS-Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 22 between the hill and the Orne and SS-Panzer-Regiment 10 in reserve with the Tiger tanks of schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 102 (SS Heavy Panzer Battalion). The German defences comprised a line of outposts down the north slope of Hill 112 with a main line of resistance along the Caen-Évrecy road. A second line ran from Feuguerolles westwards from the Orne to Bully, Avenay and Évrecy and another outpost line ran through St Martin; another main line of resistance from Bully to Amayé sur Orne to Évrecy. The Orne crossings were held by the pioneer and reconnaissance battalions and artillery support was provided by the 10th SS Artillery Regiment and the 8th Werfer Brigade. Operation Jupiter began from the Odon bridgehead, which ran from Verson to Baron, after the 214th Brigade crossed the river during the night of 8/9 July. After a preliminary bombardment the first battalions of the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division reached Éterville and the north slope of Hill 112 by 8:00 a.m. and the advance to Maltot began. The village was entered but determined German defenders, mortar-fire and armoured counter-attacks made the British position in the village untenable, without control of Hill 112. The German defenders on the hill were dug into cornfields and tanks were hidden in copses. The Germans stopped the British advance at the Caen-Évrecy road and below the crest on the flanks. In the evening the 5th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (5th DCLI) of 214th Brigade and the 7th Royal Tank Regiment (7th RTR) attacked the hill and reached the hilltop and woods nearby, which brought the four 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division brigades onto the ridge. To the north of Éterville, troops of the 3rd Canadian Division had crossed the Odon and extended the salient to the east. German counter-attacks began around midnight and got into Éterville several times; on the hill, the 5th DCLI was forced back to the Caen-Évrecy road, after all its anti-tanks guns were destroyed and it suffered 240 casualties. During the battle, General Heinrich Eberbach, the commander of Panzergruppe West had made the defence of Hill 112 the priority (Schwerpunkt) of the II SS Panzer Corps but the British advance had taken the north slope and got half-way across the hilltop. The German defenders had been subject to naval bombardment, air attack and artillery fire but held much of their ground, with the support of Tiger tanks of schwere SS-Panzer Abteilung 102, which had arrived in Normandy two days previous.

[@merdiolu]

ANALYSIS Exploitation of a German retirement from Caen after Operation Charnwood had not been possible, since the Germans only withdrew to the south bank of the Orne. The British had attacked up open slopes to reach the top of Hill 112, commanded by dug in German units and tanks on the reverse slope. Narrow front attacks were tactically unwise but lack of troops and circumstances had made them unavoidable, despite congestion behind the British front line and the delays this caused in delivering supplies and reinforcements. Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor, the VIII Corps commander, recommended that more account be taken of topography in the selection of objectives and that the occupation of high ground be favoured over attacks on villages. The British and Canadians had used their increasing experience and kept the initiative but the Germans had not withdrawn despite the cost of such defensive operations. The commanding views from Hill 112 were of great tactical importance but the highest point of the hill was relinquished by the British and left as a no-man's-land, with the opponents dug in on either side. Several villages ( Baron-sur-Odon, Fontaine-Étoupefour, Château de Fontaine , Eterville , Maltot) in the vicinity had been taken by British and the Germans had been provoked into counter-attacking British penetrations. The 9th SS Panzer Division, which had been moving out of the line to form an operational reserve, was brought back to contain the attack and the Germans were exposed to Allied naval and ground artillery and attack from the air, which inflicted severe casualties and deprived the German defence of the ability to conduct a counter-offensive. Tank-versus-tank engagements continued to take place at less than 1,000 yd (910 m), at which the 150 mm (5.9 in) frontal armour of Churchill tanks, was insufficient to resist hand-held hollow-charge weapons or the German high-velocity 75 mm and 88 mm anti-tank guns. British tank-mounted, medium-velocity 75 mm guns could not penetrate the frontal armour of a Panther or the armour of a Tiger from any direction. On 14 July, General Bernard Montgomery sent his Military Assistant to London to brief the Director of Military Operations that "The real object is to muck up and write off enemy troops. On the eastern flank he [Montgomery] is aiming to do the greatest damage to enemy armour. All the activities on the eastern flank are designed to help the [American] forces in the west while ensuring that a firm bastion is kept in the east. At the same time all is ready to take advantage of any situation which gives reason to think that the enemy is disintegrating." the First US Army had attacked down the west coast of the Cotentin Peninsula but made little progress there or further inland in early July. The discovery that infantry reinforcements and the Panzer-Lehr Division had reached the American front, made it important that British operations at the east end of the front be continued, to prevent more transfers before the First US Army resumed its offensive on 19 July. The 43rd (Wessex) Division suffered 2,000 casualties in the operation and 7,000 casualties from 10 to 22 July. The 31st Tank Brigade lost 39 tanks, some 25 percent of its establishment. These could be replaced but German casaulties were another matter. The 9th SS Panzer Division suffered 746 casualties from 2 to 18 July; had 19 operational Panzer IV, 50 Panthers and 25 StuG III on 9 July, 20 Panzer IV, 50 Panthers and 27 StuG III on 10 July and 13 Panzer IV, 35 Panthers and twelve StuG III on 12 July. The 10th SS Panzer Division suffered 403 men killed, 1,263 men wounded and 470 missing in July; had 27 Panzer IV and 25 StuG III operational on 9 July; 17 Panzer IV and eight StuGs on 12 July. schwere-SS Panzer Battailon 102 had 25 operational Tiger tanks when it went into action on 9 July, 14 on 11 July and ten a day later.

[@oldesertguy9616]

@@merdiolu I realize you have more knowledge of history than I, but I think your statement that the British 75mm couldn't penetrate a Tiger from any direction is wrong. I understand that, at close range such as this battle, the side and rear armor of the Tiger could be penetrated by a 75mm, and the 76.2mm or the 17 pounder could penetrate the frontal armor at close range.

[@janiceduke1205]

Meet the HERO 💯✨: Guy Gabaldon. Guy was born to a Mexican family on July 2, 1941 in East Los Angeles, California. At age 12, he moved out of his home to live with the Nakano family, who were of Japanese heritage and whom he considered his extended family. He attended language school every day with their children and learned to speak Japanese. He also learned about their customs and culture. Lyle and Lane Nakano enlisted in the Army and served in the 442d Regimental Combat Team, a regiment of U.S.-born Japanese, and were sent to the European front. With World War II continuing to unfold, Guy joined the United States Marine Corps. He was sent to help capture Saipan from Japan in order to facilitate a future Allied invasion. Guy used his multicultural background to bolster his role as a scout and observer. Superior officers would tell Guy to stay at his post, but he deliberately disobeyed. Guy would sneak out at night and search caves. When he found Japanese soldiers, he would speak to them in Japanese, telling them they were surrounded and should surrender so they would not be mistreated. At a sea cliff where many Japanese men and women chose to jump to their deaths rather than surrender to the Americans, Guy tried to calm them down and coax them not to jump. His actions earned him the nickname “The Pied Piper of Saipan.” Guy saved over 1,300 lives. He earned the Navy Cross, the Marines' highest award for valor after the Medal of Honor. It was presented to him as an upgrade from his wartime Silver Star after his exploits became widely known through the television program "This Is Your Life" and the Hollywood movie "Hell to Eternity" (1960).

[@Nmax]

18:09 President Roosevelt, Admiral Nimitz and Admiral Leahy their faces while listening to General Douglass MacArthur 😂😂😂😂

[@jackmoorehead2036]

Rommel is saying the Germans in Normandy are about to break, Monty is still trying to get Caen which was D +1 objective, Pattinson 3rd army is just waiting for an opening, the Russians are in Poland , Lithuania, and stomping through Ukraine, I think Gemany might need to start to worry.

[@mgway4661]

Hitler says no. Didn’t see that coming. 😂😂😂

[@doctornope]

10 bucks says KZbins gonna flag the title

[@ahorsewithnoname773]

KZbin's endless pursuit of advertiser dollars sometimes overrides good sense.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

1:30 this is the stuff of nightmares

[@Fidellito93]

Is it just me or is it missed that 101 & 82 divisons is not mapped out in normandy ? ( Or did they not participate after June ? ) And also I get confused, I know that 9 th & 10 SS joined the fight later, but in other vidoes like battle for Caen they are no where to be seen ? Its just from the right 21 Panzer, Hitlerjugend & Lehr to the left. I am just wondering guys ? Cheers

[@captainyossarian388]

Saipan would be but a taste of the horror that was to come over the next year. 😢

[@swedihgame]

I just realised it's almost 5 years ago this channel started and for me 5 years since I graduated high school

[@merdiolu]

10th Indian Division in Italian Campaign (June - July 1944) The division returned to the front line on 28 June relieving the 8th Indian Division, which had pursued the German Army since the Allied breakthrough in May at Cassino, near Perugia. The terrain north of Perugia was dominated by the Northern Apennines which the divisional history describes as: The Apennines, ribbed for two hundred and fifty miles by an interminable succession of ridges and rivers. The high hills commanded the countryside for miles. Rivers and mountain torrents, bereft of their bridges, became grievous obstacles, while the towns and villages had been transformed by extensive fortification into fortresses. The training the division had been conducting in mountain warfare served them well in its advance up the Tiber Valley, allowing them to exert maximum pressure on the enemy forces stationed there. The nature of the terrain meant that to capture the towns and villages stationed in the valley required the seizure of the heights on both sides of the river. Their recent training in mountain warfare was put to good use in this environment, as the division made full use of infiltration tactics to penetrate deep into enemy positions and attack the enemy from the flank or rear. With 10th Brigade operating west of the Tiber and 20th and 25th Brigades east, the division advanced up the valley. By 2 July the division occupied the town of Umbertide, but it was not secure until the capture of Montone on 7 July by the 1st King's Own. The capture of Citta di Castello on 22 July allowed the division entrance to the Tiber Basin where it was able to operate with tank support, by 1 August the leading elements of the division had reached the north of the basin. In a month all three brigades had been in constant fighting and had advanced forty miles over difficult terrain. Indian Army history book "The Tiger Triumphs" records that during this advance (Reid) : "Had a penchant for slogans, rightly believing that a significant phrase can mean more than a tome. As Tenth Division prepared for the critical work ahead, the instruction “Always lean forward” became its watchword. Interpreted, this slogan demanded deeper penetration, more intimate exploration of the enemy’s rear, speedier infiltration." The 20th Brigade produced a review of its operations in the Tiber Valley on 16 July, which served a similar purpose to the training instruction it had produced previously when stationed in the Adriatic. Brigadier MacDonald ,the brigade commander also adopted a meaningful phrase to characterise operations: I would like them to realise that by “going wide” in this difficult country they have surprised the enemy, and have in many cases split units and sub-units into small parties acting on their own without direction; hungry; thirsty; and ripe to be killed or “put in the bag”. MacDonald was pleased with the performance of his troops believing that, on all but two occasions, the operations the brigade had conducted had caused the maximum damage to the enemy at the minimum cost to themselves, against an enemy the equal of any in Italy. MacDonald detailed what he believed were the mistakes from the two battles that had caused heavy casualties, the first being the 8th Manchesters advance to Piccione and the second the 3/5th Mahrattas at Pt 624 6625 on 9 July. With regard to the Manchesters he believed that the battalion’s line of advance was the cause of casualties, with it selected because it offered the fastest route to its objective. MacDonald believed the Mahrattas high casualties were caused by the battalion undertaking hasty counterattacks without adequate artillery support. However, MacDonald believed that the brigade’s success during its operations was because it had, for the most part, conducted operations which were well planned and timed that utilised the full range of supporting arms, such as artillery and machine guns. One of the most notable qualities that the troops were commended on was their field craft, with the 2/3rd Gurkhas in particular, praised for their skilful use of ground and cover, often during night operations. With the onset of cold weather approaching he also studied the rations and equipment that troops should carry with them whilst on extended marches. The 10th Brigade produced a wide-ranging review of its operations from 28 June to 9 August, detailing the tactical difficulties encountered in pursuit over mountainous terrain and how the responsibility for operations fell largely on the infantry battalion commanders. In this review it was noted that the patrol master and special patrol units, formed in Training Instruction No. 4, were no longer required. The patrol master system could not cope with the demands of mobile operations, whilst the huge improvement by all ranks in patrolling had meant the special patrol units had been abolished in all but one of the brigade’s infantry battalions. The revoking of methods laid down in a previous training instruction does not mean they were wrong in the first place, rather that as the enemy changed its tactics so did the division. Training Instruction No. 4 had been issued whilst the division was to be deployed in a static, defensive position, whilst the 10th Brigade’s review assessed the tactical lessons of having conducted an advance through mountainous terrain. This demonstrates an awareness within the 10th Indian Division of the need to keep its training relevant, so they constantly assessed their recent operations to see what tactical lessons could be learnt.

[@oldesertguy9616]

It's nice to hear of armies learning to adapt, rather than keep butting their heads against a wall.

[@misterbaker9728]

What are you reading?? Combined Fleet Decoded. I finally got my hands on a copy.

[@himoffthequakeroatbox4320]

A bonsai charge? I wouldn't have thought miniature trees would be a particularly good weapon.

[@federicoactite678]

Germany lost not valuable territory for its war effort in the last 6 weeks, the war production reached its peak in July 1944.

[@caryblack5985]

The territory was valuable to the Germans. It brought the Soviets much closer to the German Reich.

[@NathanDav42]

With the Democratic Convention happening between this and the next episode and FDR’s obviously failing health a MAJOR issue there (it is why choosing who will be FDR’s VP on the ticket is such a big deal and why the decision is made to dump incumbent VP Henry Wallace for Senator Harry Truman), I hope it is covered and that there will perhaps be a special at some point on the fact that starting with the Tehran Conference, FDR’s been dying of congestive heart failure and other ailments. He and his doctors were just able to fight and delay the end until April 12th, 1945.

[@ericcarlson3746]

I have often thought about this and wonder who decided these changes had to be made, FDR or others

[@NathanDav42]

@@ericcarlson3746 It was the big city Party bosses. They hated Wallace and thought he was too enamored with the Soviet Union. They heavily backed Truman. FDR was no longer physically able to exert influence as he had in the past and gave the impression to both Wallace and to Director of Office of War Mobilization James Byrnes* that he supported them for VP. But when told the Bosses backed neither, Roosevelt did not protest. He no longer had the will or the energy to fight such political battles and was just trying to will himself to stay alive to see the end of the War in the White House and the start of the United Nations; he believed, if he survived, he would retire from Office after the UN began. When Truman met with him for photos later in the summer of 1944 after he was named to the ticket, he said FDR was clearly dying, “going to pieces,” were his words, and that when he tried to pour cream into his and Truman’s tea, his hands shook so badly he spilled more than he got in the cup. *Interesting side note: the South Carolinian Byrnes would become Truman’s first Secretary of State and was a massive racist who Truman quickly grew to despise and would eventually get rid of, but who actually inspired the change to presidential succession laws. Because Truman succeeded FDR he came in with no Vice President and at the time, 2nd in line of succession was the Secretary of State, not the Speaker of the House like now. Truman pushed for the change to make sure if anything happened to him, Byrnes would not succeed him.

[@merdiolu]

U-Boat Warfare and loss in North American waters ( 11 July 1944) The last two U-boats to enter Canadian waters in the spring of 1944 both had snorts (schnoerkels): the venerable Type IXB U-107 and the new Type IXC40 U-1222. They were commanded by the new skipper Volker von Simmermacher, age twenty-three, and by Heinz Bielfeld, age twenty-seven, respectively. Bielfeld in U-1222 came upon the eastbound fast convoy Halifax 292 on May 22. He shot two torpedoes at the big American tanker Bulkoil but missed. On June 8, Bielfeld fired a three-fan at a 12,000-ton “troopship” and two Liberty ships in the westbound convoy UC 24, but the torpedoes missed. Near Cape Sable, von Simmermacher in U-107 attacked a large American fishing schooner, Lark, on June 13. After missing with two torpedoes, he riddled her with his 4.1” deck gun. The crew abandoned ship but re-boarded and limped on to Boston. A massive Allied task group, comprised of the “jeep” carrier USS Wake Island hunter-killer group and several Canadian ships and numerous land-based aircraft, mounted an intense hunt for U-107, but von Simmermacher escaped and returned to France on July 22. Bielfeld did not reach France. While he was inbound in the Bay of Biscay on July 11, a Sunderland flying boat of RAF Coastal Command Squadron 201, piloted by the veteran U-boat hunter I.F.B. (Wally) Walters, spotted U-1222’s snort, attacked with depth charges, and sank her with the loss of all hands. Walters received a second DFC for this success, the first kill of a snort boat in daylight. U-BOATS DEPLOYED FROM FRANCE IN JULY Overlord ground forces in Normandy consolidated the beachhead in June but were unable to “break out” as planned, owing to the fierce resistance of the Germans in the bocage (hedgerow) country. This intense ground warfare and the relentless Allied air attacks on French railroads, highways, and bridges crippled the logistical pipeline between Germany and the U-boat bases on the French Atlantic coast. During that same time, the surviving U-boats of the defensive group in France, Landwirt, were unable to interdict significantly the massive flow of Allied men and materiel across the English Channel. Owing to the effectiveness of Allied air and surface ASW forces-especially Coastal Command aircraft-even the “Sunday Punch” snort boats continued to fail. The experience of June had demonstrated anew that submarines were useless against alert invasion forces. Indeed, as Herbert Werner in U-415 wrote, these U-boat sorties from French bases were virtually “suicide” missions with no prospect of success, despite the repeated exhortations from Dönitz and Godt. Moreover, the continuing loss of battle-experienced submarine personnel needed to cadre the new electro boats could not be tolerated much longer. U-415 herself struck a mine in a newly laid British minefield just one mile off Brest and sank on 14 July. Two of her crew killed , the rest managed to bail out off sinking submarine , rescued and returned to Brest. Nevertheless, under the circumstances, the U-boat arm could not simply quit. Despite losses, an effort to assist the ground forces had to be made for as long as possible. Herbert Werner notwithstanding, there were many U-boat skippers and crews who actually demanded the authority to sail against the Allies. In the North Sea on July 15, a B-24 Liberator bomber of RAF Coastal Command Squadron 206, piloted by D. W. Thynne , located , bombed with depth charges and sank Minelayer Type VIIC U-319, commanded by Johannes Clemens, age thirty-three. There were no German survivors. Apparently Clemens shot down the B-24 during this attack. Near that place on July 16, a British launch recovered the body of one crew member of the B-24 from a dinghy. The production of “small battle” fleet units (“chariots,” “midget” submarines, explosive-filled motor boats, and so on) had also lagged badly. The most important of these vehicles, the Biber and Molch, were far from ready on D day. However, the Germans launched one-man Neger and Marder “chariots” against Overlord forces from the French channel port Villers-sur-Mer on the nights of July 5-6, July 7-8, July 20-21, and August 3, and perhaps other nights. These craft completely wrecked the old Polish-manned Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Dragon; sank Royal Navy destroyer HMS Quorn; Royal Navy minesweepers HMS Cato, HMS Magic, and HMS Pylades; the British ASW trawlers HMS Gairsay and HMS Colsay; and the 800-ton British auxiliary Fratton. Neger and Marder losses were very high.

[@tomhenry897]

Wonder if he slave labor messed with the torpedoes

[@Ramzi1944]

What is a "chariot"?

[@merdiolu]

@@Ramzi1944 A type of two man or one made piloted minisubmarine or live torpedo

[@Ramzi1944]

@@merdiolu Could the crew survive or ir was a suicide weapon?

[@FalseNomen]

@@Ramzi1944 According to wikipedia, the crew could in theory survive (not designed as a suicide weapon). However, in practice the weapons were practically a suicide mission.

[@kepanoid]

Indy and team, It's been a long time since the last home front episode. How about one on Finland during the stagnated period of the Continuation War, with Germans mingling with civilians, Russian prisoners working on farms, etc.? And now that the situation has turned dire, the Finnish Karelians are evacuating en masse, and have to go somewhere. Maybe worth two episodes even.

[@rogerevans9666]

beautiful tie