Week 288 - Allied Deception Surrounds Japanese in Burma - WW2 - March 2, 1945

Bill Slim's master plan is near fruition and the Japanese are surrounded at Meiktila in Burma. The Allies have also nearly cleared Manila on Luzon, but the fighting on Iwo Jima is just growing in intensity. In Europe, the Soviets are still on the move in Poland, though attacking now to the north, but in Hungary it's the Germans who are making plans for a new offensive. The big news on the Western Front is the Allies reaching the Rhine, though how they'll cross that mighty river is anyone's guess.
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Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Marek Kamiński
Community Management: Ian Sowden
Written by: Indy Neidell
Research by: Indy Neidell & James Newman
Map animations by: Daniel Weiss
Map research by: Sietse Kenter
Editing and color grading by: Simon J. James
Artwork by: Mikołaj Uchman
Sound design by: Simon J. James & Marek Kamiński
Colorizations by: Mikołaj Uchman
Source literature list: bit.ly/SourcesWW2
Archive footage: Screenocean/Reuters - www.screenocean.com
Soundtracks from Epidemic Sound:
A Pure Force - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
Breathe it in Deep - Hampus Naeselius
Dark Seas - Michael Rothery
Hold on Tight - Hampus Naeselius
It All Ends Now - Hampus Naeselius
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

[@matthewcreelman1347]

I'd love to see a special about those little German port enclaves in France. I gather that they were effectively self-governing POW camps, but I can't imagine it was very comfortable for the non-Germans within. What was the food and water situation? Were the two sides still shooting at each other? Did the Allies let Red Cross packages through? Could civilians move through the lines? So many questions!

[@alexandermcclintick9225]

@@slyasleepme too!!

[@stevekaczynski3793]

They were occasionally bombed. A raid on one such enclave at Royan proved disastrous, but not for the Germans.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Late in 1944 a truce was held at Dunkirk, one of the enclaves, to evacuate several thousand French civilians who were trapped between the besieged Germans and British troops surrounding the port.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:An_die_deutschen_Truppen_in_D%C3%BCnkirchen_!_Eure_letzte_Gelegenheit,_Euch_der_Heeresgruppe_Montgomery_anzuschliessen,_ist_bald_vor%C3%BCber._Zeigt_weisse_Fahnen_%C3%BCber_Euren_Stellungen_!_Zur_besprechung_der_%C3%9Cbergabe_wird_Admiral_Frisius.pdf&page=2 Leaflet in German dropped on German troops in Dunkirk urging them to surrender, spring 1945.

[@paultapner2769]

I remember reading a book about bad movies a long time ago. Think it might have been the Golden Turkey awards by the Medved Brothers. Or one of a couple of others they did on the subject. It had a bit about Kolberg, Goebbels infamous vanity project film. And it said when the film was ready for premiere, one lone german plane flew all the way out to one of these cities - I forget which - just to drop in cans via parachute. Which contained a copy of the film. So troops there could watch it. The troops said they loved it. Naturally. No idea if the plane got back to base though.

[@dominikjanda8832]

Werhmacht : is at a brink of collapse Hitler : yeah let's go on the offensive!

[@Perkelenaattori]

Yup. Hitler is just painting arrows right now like a painter would.

[@alexamerling79]

I mean he still has Steiner's counter attack in his back pocket lol

[@gertvanderstraaten6352]

And let's not even do it in Germany.

[@dicko-200]

Counterattack was a German defensive move

[@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

@@dicko-200 Which made the Germans predictable.

[@mgway4661]

MacArthur is still treating the most devastating war in human history like a massive PR campaign

[@Raskolnikov70]

Here's hoping he retires once Japan is defeated and they don't put him in charge of any more wars.....

[@WorldWarTwo]

Would be probably for the best. Anyway on a totally unrelated note, have we mentioned our new upcoming series about the Korea War? -TimeGhost Ambsaador

[@franciszeklatinik889]

That man is quite a egomaniac, wonder where it will take him?

[@joelellis7035]

@@franciszeklatinik889 To quote a movie, "He wants to be president!"

[@bloodrave9578]

@@franciszeklatinik889 Not like he's going to advocate for China to be nuked

[@Valdagast]

Hitler eyeing the 'load game' button.

[@patrickstephenson1264]

*You cannot reload save when enemies are nearby*

[@poe_slaw]

*Loading saves is not possible in Ironman Mode*

[@morganlloyd6351]

He might rage quit

[@GaldirEonai]

@@morganlloyd6351 The lack of an internet in 1945 unfortunately kept us from ever seeing the sublime perfection of Hitler's "fuck this unbalanced piece of shit" reddit post.

[@konstantinriumin2657]

​@@morganlloyd6351 NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN NEIN

[@gunterthekaiser6190]

This week, my great-grandfather, a combat engineer tasked in the Canadian army working in de-mining, was wounded by a mine losing a large chunk of the skin and muscle on his left leg. Somehow, the medics managed to save it, albeit barely. He would apparently often joke about never having missed a mine and keeping a 100% success rate at his job.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Well he certainly didn't lose his sense of humour either! Thanks for sharing.

[@thanos_6.0]

Guys, call me crazy, but I am starting to believe, that the Germans might lose this war.

[@alanlawson4180]

Are they....are they the baddies?

[@thanos_6.0]

@@alanlawson4180 Whaaaaaaaaaat?

[@alanlawson4180]

@@thanos_6.0Do a search for "are we the baddies?" - very funny indeed :)

[@yes_head]

Nonsense. Everything will be fine once Steiner gets through...

[@rwarren58]

The Gestapo would like you to drop by. They want to have scones and a chat.

[@JustSomeCanuck]

Germans: Launch Spring Awakening. Slim: Launch Rude Awakening.

[@aaronrowell6943]

If the Japanese think that things are bad now.... Imagine when Godzilla shows up

[@patrickstephenson1264]

Godzilla is their last hope now

[@paultapner2769]

@@patrickstephenson1264 And Godzooky.

[@michaelfodor6280]

@@patrickstephenson1264 Godzilla isn't around yet. He was triggered by the atomic testing by the US at Bikini Atoll in 1946 onward. (namely the Castle Bravo test in 1954.)

[@stephengrinkley9889]

Queen Mothra will save them.

[@BleedingUranium]

Minus One has become the only film I've ever seen in theatres four times, it really is that good. :D

[@extrahistory8956]

Extremely bizarre just how many offensives the Germans have launched since the Battle of the Bulge: Nordwind, Solstice, Southwind, and now Spring Awakening. They were standing on their last legs and yet still launching failed offensives, most of which just delayed the inevitable.

[@EkiToji]

I guess it's not surprising, but it's still something that years of his many strategic blunders seemed to do nothing to faze Hitler's ego that got stoked once upon a time when he happened to make one decent tactical decision.

[@Materialist39]

In a strange irony, some credit is due to him for depleting the last of the German mobile reserves and shortening the war

[@stevekaczynski3793]

It may even have shortened the war as the offensives sometimes achieved local success but at the cost of using up troops and resources. Successes were temporary in any case, but the troops and armour used up were no longer there when the Allies started attacking again.

[@DocBolle]

I would rather say those offensives accelerated the inevitable.

[@patavinity1262]

@@DocBolle Exactly. A competent defence would have delayed the inevitable. Pretending that it's 1939 again just hastened the defeat.

[@thenoblegnuwildebeest3625]

Slim is one of the most underrated Allied commanders. Would highly recommend John Latimer's book on the war in Burma to anyone interested.

[@ihicccup9446]

Adding this to read after I finish “The Guns at Last Light”

[@natethenoble909]

Cannot convince me that Slim wasnt the best British Army commander of WW2. Yes, including you Monty.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

No argument there.

[@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

The greatest generals of their respective theaters in the British Army.

[@GregWampler-xm8hv]

Ooooooooooo a little hasty on Monty methinks who I'd place at the low end. I'd say his performances at Caan and Market-Garden are not those of a top ranked General or Field Marshall, of course you may disagree. 😎

[@diederiksantema]

"So, he says: they can build defenses along the Rhine River?" But can they destroy EVERY bridge over the Rhine? EVERY bridge? Even that rather insignificant bridge at Remagen?

[@korbell1089]

Bill Slim: "I need you to fly me into Meiktila." British pilot: "You couldn't pay me enough to do it!" American pilot: "I'll do it for a beer and a pack of cigarettes." 😁😉

[@theeyehead3437]

I think they meant the danger to Slim, not to the pilot.

[@franciszeklatinik889]

What a madlad

[@briantitchener4829]

Slim was a genius tactician. I had an uncle in the British army who fought the Japs in the jungles of Burma under Slim's leadership. It was a hellhole. Sadly, he was killed there and is buried in a British Commonwealth War Grave near Rangoon.

[@henrybostick5167]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@jonbaxter2254]

Gozilla: Minus One is genuinely one of the best war films from Japan's perspective.

[@dangdongitbongee9501]

Thanks Time Ghost for going in depth about the battle of Manila. My grandmother was born in the jungles in 1943 as they hid from Japanese occupation. My grandfather was only 6 years old when Japanese invaded in 1942 and were forced to hide in the jungles with his sister and mother to survive their brutality until the US came. He did a lot of unspeakable things even being tricked into eating his own dog because they had been starving for 4 days. He never talks in depth about it and watching the war against humanity and the week by week episodes leading up to the end of the battle. He lost a lot of family members the horrible ways sparty or Indy explained how the Japanese treated the Filipinos It's understandable why he won't. Even one of his uncles were a mayor a village near by Manila. When he was asked to meet with the Japanese at the beginning of occupation he left town on his horse and never came back. ( I feel and so does most of my family think he was one of the politicians in 1942 to be executed by them when they took over) Most of what I heard my grandfather told my father. Even with all the atrocities and death and torture. My grandfather has always been grateful and always had a spark of hope in his eyes. Never let the actions of the past keep his mind bitter towards the Japanese. A very respectable character trait of him. This whole series has been a great help in understanding the past. My Filipino side has dealt with the war first hand. And the Mexican side of my family had members serve in every branch of the US military. Two in the navy in the Pacific. One army air corps. A marine flamethrower operator One in the army who was killed a month after D Day in France July 6th 1944. Even an army engineer who helped make railroads in Burma and India from what he told me. Every week watching makes me feel closer to all of them even if they aren't on this world anymore. Thank you for your effort and please keep doing so

[@goranmrdakovic1298]

I see that Yugoslav forces got recognition on strategic map.Thank you guys!

[@Blazo_Djurovic]

We must have been liberated by Bulgarians or something, since last we heard of that part was that Bulgarians and only Bulgarians were liberating Yugoslavia. /s

[@jonbaxter2254]

Tito supremacy once again.

[@nicolaso.8666]

23:30 Not gonna lie, I was half expecting him to use Sparty's "Never Forget Catchphrase." Indy sent up that monologue pretty well.

[@nathanieldavis1671]

The new Japanese Godzilla movie does a good job of trying to explain the way Japanese viewed Japanese lives.

[@evelyngravatt3198]

Interesting. They are pretty close to Duesseldorf.... They may have an opportunity to Liberate Stalag 13! But thats just a proposal, I know nothing!!!

[@Raskolnikov70]

You really think those heroes WANT to rejoin the US Army at this point when they've got it so good?

[@jayfrank1913]

@@Raskolnikov70It would mean no more romantic evenings in Paris for the heroes. How they get there and are back at the camp in time for roll call, I'll never understand. Bob Crain was murdered to protect their secrets.

[@stonedtowel]

To be a fly on the wall of a Japanese or German bunker in these final days. What the fuck were they thinking and discussing? Did most even have a full understanding or grasp of their situations? The final notes by Indy really set my mind ablaze with thoughts about where the average Japanese foot soldier was at as a person.

[@mikespangler98]

This is as close as you can get to the German bunker. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traudl_Junge I don't know about the Japanese equivalent.

[@grahvis]

I would recommend the film "Letters from Iwo Jima".

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Hard to know what they were thinking, as postwar accounts might be filtered, and neither political system encouraged "defeatism". Indeed suspected defeatism was punished.

[@ahorsewithnoname773]

After the war some surviving Japanese generals and admirals stated they knew the war was lost after the battle of the Philippine Sea and the loss of Saipan. On the other side of the world some of the German leadership also knew the jig was up. Back in June of 1944 as Allied forces were in Normandy and on the verge of a breakout, Gerd von Rundstedt was asked over the phone by Wilhelm Keitel at OKW what should be done, as the two discussed the deteoriating situation, and von Rundstedt supposedly shouted angrily, "End the war, you idiots!" Desperation and fanatacism among the high leadership of both countries kept them in the war, even though many of the generals or admirals were fully aware of the military situation their countries were in and that there was little to no chance of victory. The fanatics at the top were desperately hoping for some miracle victory that would turn things around, or in the case of the Imperial Japanese, that they could delay the American advance long enough to prepare the home islands for invasion, from which they'd fight a defense so that was costly for the invader that they'd drop the unconditional surrender demand and offer peace on generous terms. Even among the fanatics though there was sometimes moments of clarity, even if fleeting. Late in the summer of 1944 the Luftwaffe ace Erich Hartmann met with Hitler to discuss problems with the Luftwaffe's training program, and during that conversation supposedly Hitler admitted to Hartmann that, "militarily, the war is lost."

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@ahorsewithnoname773 Wilhelm Johnen, a German fighter ace who fought in defence of the Reich as a night fighter pilot, wrote that by 1943 he and his colleagues thought the war was lost and that Hitler was out for the best deal he could get. He and his comrades still went out night after night and shot down British bombers, he downed his 34th and last enemy plane, a Lancaster, on the night of March 15/16, 1945. He spent a short time as a POW at war's end and died in 2002, aged 80.

[@erikgranqvist3680]

My 76 years old father worked with a German gentleman in the 70's, who was around 13 years old when the war ended. The guy grew up in a small rural town. He described his experience of the war, that one day a bunch of German soldiers passed thru on their way east. A couple of days later a bunch of American soldiers passed thru on their way east. Only later, after the war when he was a couple of years older, and when he saw the enormity of destruction in the cities did he realise how bad it was.

[@mgway4661]

Reminds me of Jojo Rabbit

[@alexamerling79]

I spent the summer of 2013 in Cologne and remember seeing the cathedral and marveling at how beautiful it is. I keep thinking about how despite receiving heavy bomb damage it still remained standing and actually served as a navigation beacon for allied planes.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

It was hit by bombs but did not collapse, and did serve as a useful navigation guide as it was possible to see it even at night. Bomber navigators in WW2 often had their work cut out for them, and pinpoints from recognizable landmarks were welcome. Bends in major rivers like the Rhine, as well as outlines of the coast were also useful.

[@alexamerling79]

Beautiful building@@stevekaczynski3793

[@alexamerling79]

​@@stevekaczynski3793its a beautiful cathedral.

[@Rasta8889]

It was very close to partially collapsing though, a bomb hit a main pillar: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral_Seal

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@alexamerling79 Visible from quite a distance. I have travelled to Cologne by train from Düsseldorf and the cathedral is visible well before arriving in the city.

[@Superlegend56]

The fact there's even full on offensives that actually manage to push more than a full kilometres this close to the finish is just mind boggling

[@pa1adin111]

I've been watching this series since nearly the beginning. It is the most comprehensive video coverage of the Second World War that I've ever seen and probably that has ever been made. I congratulate you all for your phenomenal work. Personally I sincerely hope you cover the upcoming Battle of Castle Itter, an event so singularly bizarre and interesting that I think it warrants some special attention.

[@54DonaldB]

Did you see Indy's WW1 in real time, just as good if not better.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you, comments like yours make this whole thing worth while. -TimeGhost Ambassador

[@pa1adin111]

@@54DonaldB I did. I actually just started watching it again from the beginning.

[@a84c1]

This week on march 1 Marines Harlon Block and Michael Strank are both KIA 6 days after raising the US flag on the top of suribachi.

[@belbrighton6479]

I never knew that, 😢

[@j.4332]

Since that event,research has proven that at least two of the Marines raising the flag,have been misidentified.What for 70 years was thought to be Corpsman John Bradley,was shown to be PFC Schultz.One other also,i think Block has been also misidentified.The other four are still Hayes,Gagnon,Sousley(kia),and Strank(kia).

[@j.4332]

Also Sousley.

[@jackmoorehead2036]

Remember on this little Island one out of every 3 Marines killed in WW 2 were killed on this Island.

[@mgway4661]

There they battled up Iwo Jima hill Two hundred and fifty men But only twenty-seven lived To walk back down again And when the fight was over And Old Glory raised Among the men who held it high Was the Indian, Ira Hayes Call him drunken Ira Hayes He won't answer anymore Not the whiskey drinking Indian Or the marine that went to war

[@gunman47]

I believe this was already covered in the Day by Day series, but anyway, an interesting sidenote this week on February 25 1945 is that the *M26 Pershing* tank will see combat for the first time by the US 3rd Armored Division near the Roer River in the Belgian-German border region. The first shipment of M26 Pershing tanks actually arrived in Antwerp, Belgium in January 1945 after numerous delays but did not influence the outcome of the then raging Battle of the Bulge.

[@WorldWarTwo]

It was covered by our Day by Day series you are correct, but regardless of that thank you for sharing!

[@saltzkruber732]

The British Comet will also see combat this month. And will even encounter some Tigers

[@pnutz_2]

FINALLY, thought the war would be over before these got to the front

[@stephenconroy5908]

To the Philippines and all descended from that nation, I grieve with you in the horrendous suffering that history has largely overlooked until the good work of this channel and others in recent years. I've tried typing further words, but frankly they fail me... xoxo

[@BBJBS]

"We did it, Douglas! We saved Manila!"

[@dariuszgaat5771]

Well, maybe it was better to pass these islands?

[@mgway4661]

@@dariuszgaat5771 and face humiliation? Never!!

[@porksterbob]

​@@dariuszgaat5771Right now, March of 1945, Indonesia and what's now Vietnam/Cambodia/Laos are entering into a massive famine that will kill millions. Japanese soldiers always ate first over locals. A bypassed Philippines would probably have seen an extra few million dead civilians from starvation.

[@senpainoticeme9675]

​@@porksterbob this. I am always grateful that Mac Arthur decided to liberate the Philippines. Also I am thankful for the US soldiers who paid the ultimate price to liberate us. Also bypassing the Philippines meant invading Taiwan (Formosa) and compared to the Philippines, the civilian populace there would likely be more hostile to the Americans than the Filipinos.

[@mrb3nz]

it is really fascinating to me what fanaticism does to a person. We focus a lot on japanese suicide tactics but truthfully the same is going on in germany. There is no hope of winning the war but fanatics would rather die than accept defeat and surrender. It's horrifying but fascinating

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

You have to take the stab from behind myth from WW1 into account. The German army was obsessed with that myth. They also had that weird obsession with personal honor and their oath of loyalty to Hitler going on. But also the whole unconditional surrender demand by the Allies did not offer in their mind any other alternative then to fight on.

[@mgway4661]

I’m sure you’re fully aware that Hitler intended for the German people to commit national suicide as the only means for atonement to losing the war to the untermensch

[@CrazyYurie]

Things really do feel like they are approaching a tipping point. I don't think the Germans can hold out for much longer.

[@TheGentlemanGamer]

A bold guess!

[@WorldWarTwo]

It seems so, thanks for watching!

[@tgn2446]

Thanks Indie and crew. Yet another fine episode.

[@alexamerling79]

They always produce top notch videos :)

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!

[@ewok40k]

Can Japanese hold Mandalay? I would say their chances are... Slim. 😂😂😂😂

[@pnutz_2]

6:40 I have to give Arthur Percival credit for feeding moustachio some ideas on how to defend

[@indianajones4321]

Another excellent video WW2! I’ve been researching Polish covert and Clandestine operations in the interwar years and how it played into Poland’s foreign policy of Prometheism. Since this is a military history channel I figured you might find that interesting.

[@WorldWarTwo]

If you'd like to share anything with us please send it to our community email! We all love reading about history be it WW2 or other. Thanks for watching.

[@ewok40k]

Speaking of Japanese mainland. I feel something big might happen soon. US airfields on Marianas are buzzing with activity of B-29 ground crews.

[@Arashmickey]

Twenty Minuters, here are your orders: 1. The first man pilots the plane, the second man heckles the foe. 2. When the first man gets shot, the second man grabs the yoke and continues heckling the foe.

[@WorldWarTwo]

They call Burma the “Forgotten Theatre". Have you got a favourite forgotten conflict or military leader? By the way, they also call Korea the “Forgotten War… Well we certainly haven’t forgotten it. The Korean War with Indy Neidell, starting soon: www.youtube.com/@KoreanWarbyIndyNeidell Join the Timeghost Army as we ship out to Korea: www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory

[@peteranderson037]

Even this week we can already see signs the type of political maneuvering that will lead to a perpetually divided Korea.

[@Isylon]

Yay, finally fixed the spelling of Nagykanizsa on the map! 👍

[@pattygman4675]

Things must have been really quiet for Australian forces, it has been months since they were last mentioned.

[@warmachinesdrawn4310]

Well, two not very known fronts, are The Soviet Invasion of Manchuria and the Abyssinian Campaign, which you already covered.

[@davidkinsey8657]

This series has done an amazing job in covering the forgotten theaters of the war, Syria, Ethiopia, India-Burma, Iran etc. Not theaters, but I would like to see specials on the various POW camps of the major powers and the American submarine war in the Pacific. Perhaps they can be reviewed in the months between V-E Day and V-J Day.

[@UncleJoeLITE]

Beautifully delivered ending Indy btw. Poetic words by the writer.

[@Southsideindy]

I am not just the host of these episodes. I’m also the writer, so thanks!

[@UncleJoeLITE]

👍@@Southsideindy

[@topi85]

8 episodes and funny mustache guy gets it.

[@janiceduke1205]

IMHO best British general WW2: William Slim 💎✨

[@Yoghurtslinger]

Burma 44 James Holland is a fantastic read

[@williamwallacedebruce9221]

Absolute brilliant summing up. To sacrifice your life for an end that can neve be won. unbelievable.

[@pnutz_2]

welcoming all new TimeGhost officers for the rest of the war

[@robertjarman3703]

It feels so much like when Indy was covering the 100 Days Offensive. We know we are so close to the end, Hitler is dead in 60 days, but we don't get the satiation of having it be over just yet, that orgy, of destruction that is, has yet to erupt and conclude. Okay that was a bad sex joke.

[@mgway4661]

I imagine that’s how it felt for all involved. Try telling guys fighting on Iwo Jima .. or crossing the Irrawaddy .. or marching to their work detail at Buchenwald the wars almost over

[@Raskolnikov70]

Still funny though. I mean, the whole 100-days-campaign felt like edging the entire time it was going on until the Great War finally, finally climaxed.......

[@KomradeLeonski]

The Finance Building, Legislative Building and Tourism Building are now the National Museum Complex. The Manila Post Office was rebuilt and becomes head office of the Philippine Postal Postal Corporation but is left a torched hulk again by a fire last year.

[@RubberToeYT]

Have found the recent building by building coverage of Manila fascinating

[@Rasta8889]

I live near Koblenz. Considering other cities on the Rhine (like Bonn) its rather small. It is however an extremely old military city with a stronghold overlooking it on the eastern side of the river, several barracks and army office buildings. The Bundeswehr procurement department is still situated there.

[@aztec0112]

The absolutely brutal denouement to this episode was masterful. Been listening to a lot of Japanese accounts of the war recently. None of them have had the clarity of insight that your final comments provided. Well said.

[@mgway4661]

They peddle their victim mentality all too commonly. The rest of the world talks about WW2, and Japan cannot

[@flatoutt1]

gee you people are doing an amazing job.hope you're making it pay . as an aussie ,was rather surprised to learn that bill slim was generally regarded as the poms best general [even by churchill] and even more surprised to learn the fighting in the far east here ,with slim was considered the hardest and most vicious of WW2. slim must have been quite a man and an outstanding leader. he was good mates with his Gurkhas.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for your kind words mate ;) and greetings to the other side of the world! -TimeGhost Ambassador

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the lesson. I knew very little about the fighting in India, Burma and China before this series. These were very difficult campaigns under extreme conditions. Thank you for expanding my knowledge. My grandfather would have been near Bastonge after the end of the Battle of the Bulge.He was an engineer installing fuel and water lines. In a month or so his unit will board a transport ship in Marseilles bound for the Philippines. They arrive in mid July.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for sharing that with us and helping to keep history alive.

[@j.4332]

Interesting to see at 1.37 a battery of Archer British SPGs.A 17 lb gun mounted in reverse on a Valentine chassis.Who says only the Germans thought of crazy combinations?

[@mrmykids05]

one of your best summaries

[@rrice1705]

I enjoyed Indy's speech at the end, it encapsulated the wastefulness, futility, and madness of the Japanese leadership very well. Also, where did the Luftwaffe get 850 planes for that operation in Hungary? In the west they've been fairly well blasted from the sky at this point.

[@caryblack5985]

They still had lots of planes available. What they did not have much of is fuel and experienced pilots.

[@mgway4661]

Where did they get the planes? Slave labor mostly

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@mgway4661 Technical glitches in planes, tanks and other equipment, occasionally fatal, were sometimes the result of sabotage by slave labour or disaffected foreign workers who built them. Sabotage was ruthlessly punished if caught or even suspected, but still happened.

[@gordybing1727]

Suggested reading, "Inside the Third Reich" by Albert Speer. Published in 1969, but "from the horse's mouth".

[@NigelDeForrest-Pearce-cv6ek]

Brilliant Bill Slim, So Much Better Than Monty!!!!

[@kantemirovskaya1lightninga30]

So glad you covered the deception!

[@Zorn27]

I wonder if the German Garrisons in Norway are breathing a sigh of relief they get to avoid combat.

[@mgway4661]

Many of them have been rotated in and out of the eastern front

[@Blazcowitz1943]

The Germans stationed in the channel islands are probably breathing much easier.

[@scientiaaclabore3362]

Although a large part of the German forces in Norway quietly sat out till the end of the war (especially supply units), a significant number of the German combat-worthy units in Norway was transferred during the last months of war to active fronts, especially the Eastern Front, where they were fed into a meatgrinder. For example, in March 1945, the 169. and 199. Infanterie-Divisionen were transfered from Norway to the Eastern Front in Berlin area, just in time to be crushed during the Soviet Berlin Offensive. Remnants of both divisions, or those who were not killed, were taken prisoner by the Soviets, parts of the 199. broke out west and surrendered to the U.S. forces.

[@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

@@scientiaaclabore3362 They wouldn't have been much use anyway, most of those units sat around in Norway were static divisions with poor equipment and no combat experience. The best most experienced units were the Panzer divisions and Panzer Grenadiers and most of those had been killed or wounded in the fighting in Normandy and the Ukraine.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@Bullet-Tooth-Tony- They were not the cream of the German armed forces. Some were Order Police, who were only used in front-line combat in emergencies (though from late 1943 onwards such emergencies happened). Others were Luftwaffe Field Division troops, whose combat performance was at best mixed. The best garrison troops in Norway tended to be sent to fight anyway, mostly on the Eastern Front.

[@brettbosley779]

"The Japanese weren't fighting on planet Earth," a professor of military history I had in college.

[@dragosstanciu9866]

Petru Groza was a small Romanian bourgeois , but he pragmatically joined the communists and in return he became Stalin's puppet as prime minister of Romania.

[@franciszeklatinik889]

A sign for things to come in Eastern Europe

[@bluebadger8811]

My grandad was a rsm in slims burma army at the end of the war, his regiment was folded so many times his little box was packed with different beret badges and when he eventually got back, he had one friend from his enlistment, he was one of Monty's men on the costal defence and he guarded an airfeild for a bit at the start of the battle of Britain. Flirted with some wraaf ladies who then had their shelter shattered in a raid and had to clear it up after, then sailed to burma, marched out and stood at the tenis court after, after the tenis court he said they gave him some medals promoted all of them and put them incharge of some indian units as they were veteran NCO's then he kept going, not sure if its happened yet but he remembered a 20 mile withdrawal through jungle to stretch the enemies supply lines and a 50 mile route march to route the Japanese army but that might be later than now, he died at 99 in 2022, 5 weeks before his hundreth birthday. We think it was to snub charles who had been rude about his signal tie at a burma meet up.

[@extrahistory8956]

The 20-mile withdrawal might have actually been the battles of Imphal and Kohima, which were covered last year. As for the 50-mile route march, I not sure of it...

[@bluebadger8811]

@extrahistory8956 he said the Japanese were scattered dead and dying of dysentery on the road as they marched. He said he still couldn't understand what kind of a person could leave their men like that when he told me when I was 10

[@JustAManFromThePast]

Seems the war is not necessarily developing to Japan's advantage.

[@PratzStrike]

whew. So I started watching this series back when it started, and then around the August '43 section I drifted away, watching other stuff and generally being distracted. I recently decided I wanted to come back and catch up, and for the past two weeks I've been plowing my way through the three main sets and the specials, including the 24 hours of D-Day. I am FINALLY, finally, caught up. And man, it was exhausting, but it was worth it. I want to say two things. One, it is a service to humanity you're all doing here reminding us of what happened during this war, of documenting it day by day, week by week, and telling the story, now that we appear to be in the closing months of combat. I hope there'll be time enough to see the denouement after Hitler's removal and the end of the Japanese forces. I'm already looking forward to starting the Korean War soon. Two: Anna is cute. That is all. Thank you, Timeghost et all, for creating this series and all your others.

[@lewiswestfall2687]

Thanks TG

[@WorldWarTwo]

And thank you for watching.

[@stevenveltrie1868]

Great coverage on the CBI area !!!

[@pika87]

Thanks for fixing Nagykanizsa's name on the map :)

[@j.4332]

Interesting to see in the US 1st army sector,many of the German divisions opposing them are the same that fought in the "Bulge",like the 12th,18th,26th,62nd,277th etc.They must have been no more than a few battered battalions of weary old guys just crying for the end.

[@FranceKilledThomasSankara]

Idk guys I think it can still either way. The Wonder Weapons are coming soon, right? Right?

[@Ronald98]

Of course!

[@vincen4228]

Damnit Indy there you go again with a brilliant commentary on the human cost of war. Maybe we'll learn someday...

[@stephengrinkley9889]

I was waiting for a "Never Forget" after that final monolog. Great job as always 👏🏿

[@ewok40k]

When Ive heard about distilleries on Iwojima, my first thought was Marines making own booze under Japanese fire...😂

[@kevinstrand4596]

Same lol, reminded me of the ice cream barge

[@LouisAmateurArt]

Excellent as always, Indy and team. Congratulations!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you!

[@Airdaman1]

My grandfather was in the 3rd marine division made it to the third airfield before he was hit with a grenade. He had to use his dead friend to lay over himself when the Japanese came and were bayoneting wounded, bodies etc. I miss him so much. RIP Jesse Johnston. He used to pick out shrapnel and drop it on the table even in the 90s.

[@CARL_093]

Thanks indy and crew i m your solid fan

[@WorldWarTwo]

Just had a look at your comments, what a support. Thank you so much, it is greatly appreciated! -TimeGhost Ambassador

[@thcdreams654]

Thank you for all the amazing content. You and the rest of the Time Ghost teams are heroes for what you do.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Much appreciated by the whole team, thanks for watching!

[@JustAManFromThePast]

Crazy how WWII is going to end, in Europe, in "just" 2 months. Waiting for each realize helps you realize how long 2 months, even without being shot and shelled.

[@backyardheritage6504]

really good video as always!

[@gladbags23]

This series is such a treasure to me. I hope you have hard copies of every episode so you can make a DVD box set once it’s all finished.

[@naveenraj2008eee]

Hi Indy Another interesting and wonderful week. Lots of advance and seems war is going to end soon Thanks for the video.

[@WorldWarTwo]

You are very welcome, thank you for your comment. -TimeGhost Ambassador

[@alancrews2066]

I thought I new something of Ww11. Until you all showed up. Great job. Thank you.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Nice to hear you are learning something new from this series, thanks for watching!

[@kylereichenbach4475]

My Great-Granduncle Corporal Joseph Murphy was an artilleryman with 20th Corps. He was shipped off to England in February of '44 before landing in France July of that year and took part in its liberation. Today on March 2nd of '45, Joseph was killed in action aged 22, a year younger than me as I'm writing this. He left behind a wife and child along with several other family members. Much of this I only learned recently through Genealogy research and some members of my family sharing stories. Rest in Peace.

[@barrygray3615]

0:45 That makes up for last February, when you had to cover eight days in a week (cue The Beatles music).

[@Raskolnikov70]

I love the footage at 4:00 or so. Are those assault boats or pontoon bridge sections? Looks like the latter but can't be sure. You don't often see those in any WWII docs or movies.

[@jasonmussett2129]

Brilliant narration as always. I need a lay down😅😅😅

[@gordybing1727]

Suggested reading, "Enemy Coast Ahead" by Guy Gibson, "Nobody Loves a Drunken Indian" by Clair Huffaker, and "Baja Oklahoma" by Dan Jenkins. The last two aren't about the war, more about how people after the war dealt with it.

[@memoirhistoryai]

good video! Thanks

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for watching!

08:03 That must be the Week my Grandmother Ursula was forced to flee Belgard in Pomerania when the Peopel there were told Russian Tanks were coming. The fled to Kolberg and were able to bord a ship there. On the way and in the city she saw many dead people and the soviets were already shooting on some of the roads into town. Her father had to stay back to fight, but managed to get a place on one of the harbour tugs when those made for safty some time later. They were reunited much later in East Frisia in west Germany. What happend this week is the reason why I am alive. Because otherwise my Grandmother and Grandfather could not have met in my hometown Emden.

[@thelastprussian6491]

2:00 You spell Düsseldorf perfectly. Well done

[@dane9695]

I was just reading about this in Quartered Safe Out Here: Fraser said Slim confused the heck out of him and his section too.

[@UncleJoeLITE]

Damn! I'm missing the premieres because Queensland doesn't do daylight saving. This 1200km move & 'work' means I'm usually not quite home for these. Bugger. _Ofc, Qld is 1 hour behind by the clock, 40 years behind when you move here lol._ _Special hi to TGA Member Inge P!_

[@WorldWarTwo]

Maybe next time! Thanks for watching.

[@iamnolegend2519]

21:40 what?! Stalin not keeping a promise to let people decide how to be governed? I’m shocked ! Shocked I tell you.

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

Nice introduction of military units mobilized..

[@thomasheaney2087]

Excellent thank you 😊

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks you for the comment and thanks for watching!

[@MagicScientist]

Indy was channeling Sparty a bit at the end there

[@welcometonebalia]

Thank you.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for the comment, and thanks for watching!

[@TheEvertw]

I am amazed the Rhine isn't yet crossed. I never realized there is only such short time between the crossing the river, and the German capitulation.

[@mikespangler98]

Patton's dash across the Palatinate is this month.

[@caryblack5985]

The Germans exhaustedtheir defensive capabilities in the Bulge and the fighting prior to the Allies crossing the Rhine. After the crossing the Germans had very little left to stop the Allies.

[@mgway4661]

The collapse of the Ruhr pocket (forming this week and the previous weeks) results in nearly 400,000 POWs taken and nearly all of Germanys remaining industrial capability

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@mikespangler98 Trier (where I studied German) fell to Patton's troops on March 1, 1945. In the 1980s, I still saw traces of bullet strikes on some structures, notably a bridge over the Moselle.

[@marktaylor6491]

It's the age old question. How would things have fared had it been Slim in the West and not Monty?

[@twotone3471]

If Monty had been in Burma, the folks in India would be speaking Japanese today.

[@richardsinger01]

​@@twotone3471 why would you think that?

[@twotone3471]

@@richardsinger01 Market Garden, butting heads with Patton, generally (pun) putting his self image over defeating the enemy.

[@porksterbob]

​@@richardsinger01Monty did not have an appreciation for non Brits. Most of 14th army wasn't British.

[@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

@@twotone3471 Did you forget El Alamein, Alam Halfa, Medinine, the Mareth Line?

[@dtaylor10chuckufarle]

Crossing the Ruhr is where dear old dad earned a Purple Heart and almost drowned. Dad would have loved this series, Indy and team.

[@paolotsorri8607]

Since in 2 months we will see 2 axis leader's dead,maybe you should do a special episode or reference about them as what made this authoritarian leaders leave a mark in history,why people followed them and in general to humanize them as in the end they well human and anybody can become a human monster

[@gordybing1727]

FDR will die as well, but the system he led will go on.

[@user-cm4ml7ju7d]

Thanks!

[@WorldWarTwo]

And thank you for watching!

[@user-cm4ml7ju7d]

@@WorldWarTwo Thank YOU for making these high quality videos.

[@mannyfernandez1713]

Brits: No you can’t go it’s too dangerous and might be costly Americans: Say where and when

[@jasonmussett2129]

It always amazes me how the Germans could still counter attack in force even when they're in retreat.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Robert Citino once said something along the lines of: "There are three certain things in life: death, taxes and the Wehrmacht committing to a counterattack". -TimeGhost Ambassador

[@jasonmussett2129]

@@WorldWarTwo yes he could be right👍

[@Bullet-Tooth-Tony-]

@@jasonmussett2129 It also was predictable