Week 313 - Soviet Victory in Manchuria - WW2 - August 24, 1945

[@WorldWarTwo]

TimeGhost PSA: We’re on the road to 1 million subscribers! To celebrate, when we do, we’re giving away two telephones that have appeared in every weekly episode. That's right! You can own a piece of this channel's history signed by the team. So, tell your friends and let's hit that goal! Check it out here: forms.gle/Zpu1CeSeCLBgfhaM7 And don't forget, we’re doing a live stream on September 2nd right after a special episode of World War Two, see you there!

[@extrahistory8956]

​@@bjorntorlarssonWasn't there an economic crash in 1946?

[@cuddlepoo11]

Should do a week by week series of Chinese Civil War.

[@Raskolnikov70]

@@bjorntorlarsson Everything's relative. Considering the economic mess the US had been in for the previous decade, having full employment and enough food for everyone (even with rationing) was a big improvement. Probably not what we 21st century Americans consider to be our idea of improved living standards, but we're all children of the post-WWII economic boom that saw a massive increase in improved housing and access to consumer goods.

[@Rhubba]

Can I get one of your Ericophons?

[@rdbchase]

[mak-uh-NEY-shuhns] (not "ma-shuh-NEY-shuhns [sic]")

[@jasondouglas6755]

Gentlemen it has been an honor to go through this series with you.

[@0Zolrender0]

agreed my good man. I raise my glass to you.

[@Raskolnikov70]

Sounds like the string quartet up on A deck is warming up to play....

[@firingallcylinders2949]

Nearer Neidell to Theeee

[@user-xt1bz2rs4v]

Yes Sir!

[@T95-FireHawk]

Same here my brother

[@nickmacarius3012]

As we have learned from the First World War: just because the war is "over," doesn't mean that the wars are over.

[@pocketmarcy6990]

Heck, Vietnam won’t see true peace until 1975

[@renevanderwoude4954]

@@pocketmarcy6990And after that even the Sino-Vietnamese war in 1979, which can also be seen as a consequence of the earlier conflicts.

[@kenkahre9262]

I thought the same thing about Viet Nam. It was such a debacle, and filled with such shame, that I thought, "Surely we'll never have another one, will we? That my kids will never have to go?" I should have known better.

[@finchborat]

And that the battlefields are the only places that are peaceful when a war ends. As I learned from Indy's replacement on the Great War channel, the only place in the world that truly had peace and harmony in 1919 was the Western Front.

[@shryggur]

True. The Soviet Union quelled unrest for the next decade or so. Wars for independence across Africa and SEA. India, Bangladesh are born in blood. Israel goes on survival hard mode. Even in Europe, Greece is nearing a civil war. Then, the Cold War picks up the pace. It made me rethink how violence in society works and how hard it is to get rid of it after a big fight. WW2 didn't really end in September 1945 - it just took a different shape.

[@GrantMcgowan-w6c]

Imagine being a Soviet soldier at the top of the Reichstag waving the flag after fighting the nazis for 4 years and then hear "men we are going to japan".

[@heavyartillery-qm5hu]

I can imagine that a lot of the soldiers in Germany were left there so they can start ruling over the local populations before people rebelled.

[@Raskolnikov70]

And it's not like the Soviets have a "points" system where some of them get go to home. No rest for the weary.

[@renatolopes3609]

Stalin: 'What? After four years the US and their incompetent and corrupt puppet Chiang Kai-Shek still could not defeat the Japanese? Let the Red Army shows them how to do it...hold my vodka!' ✊

[@tunganhnguyen909]

I think not a lot of the same soldiers went to Machuria, mostly new troops or the far eastern troops

[@josecano9210]

@@tunganhnguyen909yeah there had to be some veteran seasoned troops from Europe fighting against the Japanese but the majority were fresh troops

[@danielstickney2400]

The big advantage of the Navy is no matter how far you go in a day you're still within walking distance of the mess hall and your bunk. The disadvantage is there is nowhere to hide when the shells start flying in your direction.

[@tomschmidt381]

I was a US vet stationed in ChuLai during the 1968 Tet offensive and was previously TAD in Subic Bay Philippines when the Forrestal Aircraft Carrier came in after the massive conflagration. It is one thing to be on a land air base getting attacked and blown up and quite another to be on a metal box on the ocean on fire and exploding. I'm glad I never had to serve on an aircraft carrier.

[@oldgoat142]

@@tomschmidt381 Because of this event, and what happened to the Oriskany, every sailor is trained in firefighting and safety procedures are strictly adhered to. No more walking around the flight deck shirtless, (unless it's a steel beach day), among other measures taken. I served on the Ike for three years and had a couple of close calls, but I'm standing on the shoulders of those men who paid the price to get those procedures in place, and for that I thank them.

[@tomschmidt381]

@@oldgoat142 I think another lesson learned was not to use old ordnance improperly stored for 20-ish years.

[@oldgoat142]

@@tomschmidt381 Yep. The thing with the Oriskany though was that untrained sailors were supposed to disarm flares. Inevitably, one of them screwed up and in a panic, through the flare into a flare locker. As we were taught in school, flares are a Class Delta fire which can only extinguish when it burns itself out, or is smothered, or is sent overboard. Tragic loss of life. Yeah, improperly stored ordnance is a big time health hazard.

[@derekdube7352]

The shortest episode in 3 years, its really coming to an end.....

[@selfworm]

There was a lot more they could have said about Soviet invasion of Manchuria. And about its aftermath. Like how after the Sino-Soviet split, Mao was hesitant to go to war with the Soviet Union because he remembered the quick and decisive Soviet victory over 1,200,000 Japanese soldiers.

[@mateuscumansantos2504]

Let's be honest: if the Nationalists were having trouble time fighting the Chinese communists, imagine the Kuomintang trying to resist the mighty Red Army. So Chiang was kinda forced to sign a treaty with Stalin

[@901Sherman]

@@selfworm Sounds like a topic for a postwar special or something like that.

[@johndbro1]

I became aware of this channel in September of '23. I originally planned to watch one week at a time with my (adult) kids when they came over to visit most Sundays. But it became clear quickly that they weren't really into it, so I started watching it by myself. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here. I have learned so much about WWII. Places that were just names, but now very real (Monte Cassino, Anzio). That Okinawa was a much tougher fight than even Iwo Jima or Guadalcanal. That there was still fighting in Italy to the very end. That Mussolini died only a couple of days before Hitler. This has been an amazing journey. Thank you, Time Ghost, for creating it, and putting so much love, care and attention into it. (and yes, I am a captain in the Timeghost army)

[@chiron14pl]

Being a son of WWII vet, and also having served as a VA psychologist I note what was said about the man honored in the last segment. Most veterans don't talk about what their experience was like, as most people don't go into a lot of detail on their life stories. But particularly for combat veterans who have endured trauma that reticence makes it hard to recover. Getting vets to talk to other vets has helped, that peer to peer context means they feel enough safety and understanding to open up and find the ways of healing

[@jameshudkins2210]

This is fine, but encouraging increasing the level of helplessness for monetary gain can be very destructive. Veterans who have survived a long time and might make it a lot longer will die if given enough prescription medicine and less activity as well as increased helplessness. To the veterans who encourage greater disability against other veterans for having their own job crippling veterans there is a special and venomous curse to them. Oh, they also waste taxpayers money.

[@tkm238-d4r]

Good point that you made. Bad memories of Germany in both WWs and the Soviets doing most of the Allied ground action in WW2 led to significant Soviet-friendly social attitudes in North America and Western Europe for the 20+ years after the end of the war. Favorable viewpoints of Germany in the wider West, from what I knew, only became more prevalent during the 1970s. As late as 1989/1990, some Western Europeans were still known to be wary of German reunification.

[@mrbaab5932]

VA = Virginia

[@chiron14pl]

@@mrbaab5932 VA = Veterans Administration, predecessor to DVA (Dept. Vet. Aff.), sorry for the ambiguity

[@Canofasahi]

To think of it that it will be another 29 years (March 1974) that Hiroo Onoda refused to surrender until he was relieved of duty by his former commanding officer, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi. In this timeline that will be in 2053, I will be almost as old as Hiroo Onoda who died at the age of 91 in January 2014

[@Veylon]

His also wrote a book about his experiences the same year he returned.

[@MartinHutasoit09]

Fun fact, Hiroo is the second confirmed Japanese holdout to surrender. The very last holdout to surrender is Teruo Nakamura, a Taiwanese-Japanese soldier who surrendered in 18 December 1974 in Morotai, and decided to back into Taiwan. His story is much more tragic than Hiroo, though. Basically he is just a foreign private in Japanese Army, so Japan did not take him seriously (not even giving him pension). His arrival at Taiwan also under scrutiny, because he is viewed as a traitor. He is also did not live long enough to tell the tale, dying only 5 years after his surrender

[@Canofasahi]

@@MartinHutasoit09 I later realised that Nakamura was the last one, in december 1974, but as you wrote a rather sad affair because of his treatment in both Japan and Taiwan.

[@Raskolnikov70]

I've always wondered..... when those guys finally surrendered did they get 30+ years of back pay?

[@akfrost]

​@@Raskolnikov70 onoda got money because he was an officer (and a pardon from the Philippines president which Japan probably paid for). Suniuo ended up receiving a bunch of donations, mostly because the Japanese yen hyperinflated after the war, and he, as a private, was only entitled to about $200 backpay (up to 1952). He ended up receiving about $20,000 in total, mostly from Japanese origins.

[@albertseverino5576]

It is joever

[@Machete-o2h]

It's always been Joever 😅

[@WreckingWood]

And barely 4 years ago it was "Jappening" for them.

[@jakobheidenreich5]

Not quite just yet

[@Bandog23]

Yeah no not much of a fight here

[@noanyabizniz4333]

Fuck off with your far right hate speech.

[@pathutchison7688]

Been watching you at least once a week for over a decade. I was there for Gavrilio Princep in Sarajevo. I was there for the entire run of Prèmecil. I was there for every… single… battle of the Isonzo. Thank you Indy, for being the face of both whorls wars, and for never losing your passion. I’m with you again in Korea, and while WW2 is ending, I’m so looking forward to continuing to see you. Each and every week. Thank you (and everyone who made this series possible). Timeghost is an amazing company, and you are all amazing people. 🎉

[@gunman47]

A rather interesting sidenote this week on August 20 1945 is that the final naval engagement of the war will take place along the Chinese coast between Wenzhou and Shanghai between a Japanese-manned junk equipped with a howitzer and two smaller Sino-American junks each equipped with a bazooka (five rounds each) and various small arms. The Allied junks were part of the U.S. Navy Sino-American Special Technical Cooperative Organization (SACO). The Japanese junk would surrender after 44 of its 83-men crew were killed along with 35 wounded. 4 Chinese were killed on the Allied side while 4 Chinese and 1 American were wounded. This would mark the last US Navy engagement in a vessel powered by sail.

[@Bandog23]

What a fight😂

[@prazcuray1388]

That would make an awesome show or something, honestly that’s dope as hell.

[@Raskolnikov70]

If they didn't slap on eyepatches and grab swords for this, they missed a heck of an opportunity.

[@Gothic_Knight3705]

@@Raskolnikov70 they most likely had swords on both sides. Japanese with their gunto and Chinese with their Dao sabers

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for sharing.

[@greenkoopa]

Goodbye friends thank you for this journey. The WAH series left me crushed every single week. Never forget.

[@pnutz_2]

this ho chi minh guy sounds like he's going to be showing up for a while...

[@jordandino417]

Particularly from 1955 to 1975.

[@SuperKurvaszad]

Crazy thing is, he was already present in Versailles during the peace talks in 1919.

[@hebl47]

Might even have a path named after him.

[@AppleBiscuits]

I bet ho chi minh makes killer trail mix.

[@topi85]

One week to go, boy what an ride. Every saturday had to tune in for weekly episode... Nice work and thank you Indy and the A-Team!!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Don't forget to join us on September 2nd for a special episode of World War Two and a live stream!

[@Gbaby204]

I can't imagine there are many more episodes??? THanks for all u do, Indy!!! Much love and gratitude from close to Toronto

[@thomasdevine867]

There is a difference between the legal end of the war and the end of violence directly connected to the war. By some measures, WWII started in 1937 and didn't end until nearly 1950. I assume we might get new episodes until nearly October.

[@WorldWarTwo]

@@thomasdevine867 We will run the weekly real time series till September 2nd, there after there will be some epilogue episodes, chronologically but not in real time like the Nuremberg Trials. We also have another series airing soon. Stay tuned.

[@DruiceBox]

@@WorldWarTwoIt is amazing to have this conflict come to an end but heartbreaking to have my favorite documentary series ever end in realtime. Looking forward for more of the Korean war!! Appreciate you guys

[@aaronkrucoff5181]

​@@WorldWarTwoim so excited! Give us cold war stuff as well, I'll sign up for the army with my dads credit card like 15 times!!!

[@phann860]

Well WW1 allegedly ended on the Western Front on 11/11/1918, but really it wasn't until 1923 that the last embers were quenched in Russia and Greek-Turkish war, never mind other flashpoints. No war ever ends tidily. Mao of course was ready as his forces had husbanded their strength while leaving Chiang and the Kuomintang to fight most of war against Japan.

[@markrook6085]

This episode is actually the first episode of “Vietnam Week By Week”. It will run until 2054….

[@GeorgeSemel]

Gee's, I will not live that long; in 2054, I will be 99 years old!

[@socialistrepublicofvietnam1500]

You're forgetting about the Third Indochina War, which started in 1979 and lasted a decade Some of the people behind the scenes will probably be dead by the time it is over

[@AmeliaNationalHomeFront]

No I think month by month

[@FrowningCatt]

Yes, the war has certainly developed in such a way as to not be in Japan's favor anymore....

[@jojacko1969]

Get them to a million subs!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you!

[@The762nato]

Well if you can't trust your enemy , who can you trust !

[@danendraabyantara2931]

Well as patton said, we defeated the wrong enemy i guest 😂

[@heavyartillery-qm5hu]

@@danendraabyantara2931 Patton should have said that not all enemies were defeated yet.

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the lesson. A short series on the Chinese Civil War would be appreciated.

[@troystaunton254]

This! I know shamefully little about it.

[@shawnr771]

@@troystaunton254 My own knowledge is next to nothing other than a quick mention in a history book.

[@faenethlorhalien]

Started watching your content in early 2015, recommended by chance by KZbin after finding one of your videos on It's History. And the rest truly is history. On so many levels! You awakened in me the interest and love in the history of the last 200 years. All the puns above are intended. I intend my puns.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you!

[@Starkada]

I started this series 5 years ago and haven't missed an episode. Honestly, it has been truly exhausting to get to better understand what a nightmare war this was, and to feel the time slowly going by with so much death and destruction. I wish everyone got to have this experience to keep us all reminded of how great us Americans have it during the (relatively) peaceful time that we enjoy right now.

[@johnmayfield7662]

Man as this war ends I like to remember some random stuff that stuck in my mind: The germans and soviets fighting over an oil field in the polish occupied zones. The british sending all their planes from the middle of UK to fight the luftwaffe in a gamble. Bletchly park becoming a thing, the U boat sinking a ship in the Nova scotia, millions dead in India by famine, the 50 cal bullet that tumbled and didnt hurt the admiral at pearl harbour, the motis in finland and that one bunker the soviets tried to crack for so long until they secretly brought in a 155 howitzer piece by piece, the French colonies in africa siding with the free french, a quote by indy about a bust of mussolini standing disappointed in africa, that german colonel who died in a plane after getting awarded a medal by hitler for commanding a return to the german lines (the amoeba ), the mosquito bomber bombing berlin,argentina and chile duking it out. The chinese sacking their top general for corruption , oh and the germans having to frontaly push to el alamein because of a cliff, that one french commander enjoying an ommlete while looking at a photo of him accepting the german surrender of ww1, and that turkish spy cecero ofc. And much much more.

[@christerprestberg3973]

It's kinda funny that of the Axis powers, Japan is mostly remembered as a nation that fought to the bitter end. They where the only one of the Axis who surrendered before their homeland proper where invaded and occypied . Now I know that this is a very one-sided way to view this, but I find it kinda funny anyway ^^ .

[@Fallout3131]

That’s very true! I’ve never thought about it like that before 😂

[@bingobongo1615]

Which makes the "Japan would never surrender" talking points all the more ridiculous…

[@ChaptermasterPedroKantor-kv5yw]

Japan didn't so much fight to the bitter end, they were the last Axis guy standing when Germany had born the brunt of Allied military and industrial might. And even with 7/10th of US military might deployed against Germany, the remainder was still strong enough to kick their asses back to Japan. They were on the defeat when Germany collapsed and surrendered, and many in Tokyo knew that when the Allies shifted their forces from Europe to the Pacific their time was up. The only question was surrender or fight to the literal death of every Japanese. In that sense Japan surprisingly more realistic then Germany where its leaders were hellbent on the fight to death and entertained flights of fancy where through some miracle they could still turn things around.

[@DouglaszillaAweome]

Funny and Ridiculous indeed. It's quite strange the phrase "One-sided" is common in arguments, competition and wars all put together even today. Majority over Minority. As well as a secret tactic to have all the things( power, influence, bargaining chips, swaying, cards to play, upper hand, pressures, you name it they all have it) in your own side and leave nothing on the other (yup, nothing).

[@jacksons1010]

@@bingobongo1615 Only when speaking with the benefit of hindsight. Knowing the course of the war and the outcome doesn’t justify criticism of the people who had to make decisions based on what they knew and what they believed at the time.

[@massiarmy751]

Wow I finally watched all 313 episodes finally

[@leobatard]

Soviet General Vasilevsky and Malinovsky grossly underrated as one of the best tactician ever

[@heavyartillery-qm5hu]

The problem is that by the time the tide of war turned in favor of the allies the war was basically over. Too much manpower, intelligence and supplies. It's a lot more interesting to analyze axis victories early in the war.

[@901Sherman]

Right up there with Bagramian, Yeremenko, and Tolbukhin in how criminally underrated they were in spite of the massive success. I'd add Konev and (especially) Rokossovsky but at least they're getting the attention they deserve.

[@leobatard]

Rossokovsky and Konev are the best among all of them? Zhukov kind of overrated in my opinion. He had to sacrificed too many men to win battle.

[@phann860]

No they are rightly underrated as far as the Manchurian campaign is concerned, apart from the size of the front, the terrain and weather the Kwantung army was both a shadow of its self and woefully equipped. I doubt they had anything to cope with the T34.

[@lucianraphael9527]

@@phann860the Kwantung army was definitely a shadow of its peak self but still was a force to be reckoned with. They were an army group of 700,000+ men pre invasion that had well over a decade to fortify and adjust to the terrain which itself made any assault by an attacker difficult. If the generals weren’t properly experienced or high quality here it would’ve turned into a slug fest fairly quickly that the soviets would’ve won but with much higher casualties

[@MatsLM]

It was a pleasant, informative, entertaining and damn-well time watching this series after you all. I started watching this channel after the first episode of the invasion of my home country (Norway) and have been trying to watch (although unsuccessfully at times) every weekend. Indy and the team have done a damn good job covering the war in its entirety and I can't wait for the coverage of the Korean War. Godspeed you magnificent bastards.

[@LawrenceMiles1972]

When this war / war coverage started six years ago, the very first fighting we saw (even before the invasion of Poland) was the Soviets defeating the Japanese in Manchuria. And now here we are again...

[@davidherrmann44]

My every Saturday routine for years I get excited for these 😭

[@WorldWarTwo]

We have plans for Saturdays, stay tuned!

[@edwardblair4096]

"WW2 was the biggest eye-opener the world ever saw." Unfortunately, not all eyes saw the same thing upon opening.

[@chrismorris6865]

I cannot thank you guys enough for all of this... what a masterpiece this has been!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Much appreciated, and thank you for watching!

[@peteranderson037]

When Stalin offers something to you that seems to be in your favor, be very worried. When Stalin readily agrees to your offer, you should also be very worried.

[@petergray2712]

Stalin actually respected Chang Kai-Shek. They had been allies as early as 1940, when the USSR supplied significant amounts of arms to the Nationalists to fight the Japanese. But Mao and the Chinese Communists were simply better poised to take over China and provide more security to Russia's eastern territories. We tend to exaggerate Stalin's perfidy while also minimizing his strategic interests and calculations. He didn't discard Chang out of spite or hatred.

[@gdbalck]

Russia hasn't changed much since.

[@dvnk6971]

Yeah, the Soviets were convinced that the nationalists were going to win, so they preemptively established relations

[@tkm238-d4r]

It is sometimes said that in Western diplomatic circles that if Russia or USSR makes an apparently good offer, accept the offer on condition that no extra goodies will be granted by the West. Similar situation if Russia or USSR accepts a Western offer. Contrary to revisionist claim, the WAs did not give away 1/2 of Europe to Stalin. The Soviet Russians simply advanced faster than expected. It was Stalin, not the WAs, that grumbled about the apparent slow opening of the so-called 2nd Front from mid-1942 to the Tehran conference. The idea that the Soviets could reach Warsaw 1st before the WAs only became probable in Mar/Apr 1944. Army Group Center was still holding out in Belarus. As late as Sep 1944, it was expected that the WAs, not the Soviets, would reach Berlin 1st.

[@nicholasconder4703]

@@tkm238-d4r The real issue is that the Soviet Union did not abide by their agreements to allow democratic governments to be set up in those countries they liberated. Instead, the put Communist puppets in place. That is what created the distrust with the USSR - their inability to abide by their agreements. And I agree, the Allies could do nothing because all those countries were occupied by the Red Army. What could one do to ensure free and fair elections? Start another war?

[@chanhjohnnguyen1867]

Boy I hope this situation in Vietnam doesn’t escalate

[@Rom3_29]

It’ll be over before Christmas. (1975)

[@AndrewTranBaseball]

Haha. As a Vietnamese, let just say we suffered a lot from the occupation of the Japanese, French and the American!

[@alexamerling79]

Ultimate Soviet revenge for the Russo Japanese war. It's been an honor following this channel with all of you!

[@dQwgbutter]

Archimedes Patti is one helluva name

[@tremendousbaguette9680]

I remember the scene in Bertolucci's The Last Emperor, when Pu Yi's plane is about to start engines and suddenly soviet paratroopers land in front of them.

[@672Kevin]

If this series were extended to cover the Chinese civil war I would stay glued to it while watching the Korean War as well.

[@Raskolnikov70]

Here's hoping for a dedicated mini-series on the Chinese Civil War. Probably not enough material for a weekly, but enough people seem to be interested in the gap in the region between now and the kickoff of Korea.

[@ChrisCrossClash]

@@Raskolnikov70 I think that is exactly what they are going to do, I heard them talk about it recently in one of their live streams.

[@tkm238-d4r]

@@Raskolnikov70 Interesting idea. Perhaps, instead of a direct step-by-step narration of a gradual Red military advance, the series could present a wider overview of the various regions of China during this time, including Tibet and Xinjiang.

[@naveenraj2008eee]

Hi Indy Interesting episode Sad to see this series going to finish But good thing, i learned lot about this World war. Thanks to Time Ghost team

[@djohnson2499]

I started watching this series a few months ago and have binged it ever since. I was perplexed to not see the next episode. I only just realized i have caught up. What a great series.

[@damiencaillault2039]

Ive been following you since 1917, so to speak. Cant beleive it’s about to be over. Your work will stay for all to learn for years to come. Congratulations ladies and gentlemen!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for being with us all these years!

[@guavaguy4397]

Only about one more week and this journey has reached its destination. What a journey and what a privilege.

[@sarah_757]

Another excellent episode! Thanks!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you!

[@larrygarrett724]

Great coverage of WWII. I saw every episode of WWI several times. That was an amazing job of making us feel like we were there without the video coverage like this war. There is great coverage of WWII I'm a series called Five came back. It is the story of the 5 Hollywood movie directors who went to was with the troops to video at the front and how that affected them. They came back with PTSD like the troops. It wasn't called that then.

[@NigelDeForrest-Pearce-cv6ek]

Brilliant Episode!!!

[@alexplotkin3368]

The Soviet army that invaded Manchuria in August 1945 was a very battle tested army. Senior officers (army, Corp, divisional commanders) were very experienced amd battle tested and new how to concentrate artillery, Armor and air power. Soviet NCOs and enlisted men were veterans who had defeated the Wehrmacht. They were experienced at the tactical level. And they has first rate weapon systems for that time: Tanks; artillery; air power. They would conduct a lightning campaign against the Kwantung army.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

The Japanese were largely helpless against Soviet tanks, especially T-34/85s and IS-2s, though they occasionally resorted to suicide tactics in an attempt to stop them, much as they sometimes did to American tanks in the Pacific.

[@jliller]

Is Time Ghost going to do a special epilogue episode or three part (year-by-year) miniseries about the Chinese Civil War 1946-1949? It's something I know very little about, and I doubt I'm the only one.

[@matthewkistler9133]

Thank you.

[@jukebox5600]

See yall on the rotation home, godspeed.

[@randallpickering9944]

I knew very little of this aspect of the war. Great series.

[@bobularbob]

thank you for this series

[@WorldWarTwo]

And thank you for watching.

[@parsifal6094]

We all know what we want after the WWII series come to end: The 100 years war - week by week!

[@bradenprice9516]

I caught up!!! Started the series 3 months or so ago, what an incredible project!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Wow, that’s an impressive watch rate! Thank you.

[@FacloFormerFavorite]

Goodbye deep battle doctrine. You were the best.

[@jonbaxter2254]

Well that was a quick little war...

[@karoltakisobie6638]

I wonder how did Kingdom of Thailand wiggle out of the war and how did Laos and Cambodia came to be.

[@weswhite6058]

Week 313, exactly 6 years later…

[@SteelyBud]

I was just reading about the China issue yesterday in John Toland's "The Rising Sun." I highly recommend it!

[@jontanner2690]

Started watching The Great War in 2017, whilst recovering from surgery. Have watched this series throughout. Can now proudly say I've watched every single episode of both series (specials and all). Thanks for everything ❤️

[@robertgoldstein155]

This was a very personal segment for me. I was born in Mukden in 1944 and my family was there after the Russians took over Manchuria. We finally left Shanghai in 1948 for freedom in America.

[@NeichoKijimura]

Godspeed to everyone who was involved in this part of timeghost, o7. The internet's finest documentary series

[@nickman0421]

One more guarantied weekly episode and a special episode on Monday September 2, 2024 to cover the signing of the instrument of Japanese surrender. This series has been a blast - Thanks for all your hard work Indy, Spartacus, and team!

[@empathicspade8637]

What happened to Puyi, the Puppet ruler of Manchuria?

[@evocorporation6537]

Kept in Soviet captivity for a while until he was handed to Mao as a gesture of goodwill. He went to Tokyo tho to testify in the Tokyo trials. Mao wanted to spare him to show how much better Chinese commies were to Russian commies, so instead send him to an indoctrination camp, and Puti became an ardent Maoist commie, so Mao set him free as a normal citizen, where he became street sweeper and later worked at a pressing print. Mao paraded him around every now and then tho for diplomacy sake.

[@Canofasahi]

"The last emperor" is is decent film about him! However his ''reeducation" is in reality much bleaker and hardly touched in the movie, something that pleased the Chinese Communist Party. It is good drama, but bad history.

[@Mantis42]

Communism managed to turn a cloistered fascist monarch into a functioning human being and it's still demonized.

[@hilariousname6826]

@@Canofasahi Might be nit-picking, but I would be more inclined to call it "inaccurate" rather than "bad" - meaning, that it gives a good general outline of the man's life and times, though with many inaccuracies for "dramatic" or just plain inexplicable purposes. I think it stays closer to the history than do most Hollywood "based on a true story" movies ... which isn't saying much, of course .... Btw, there is a very good (AFAIK!) biography entitled The Last Emperor, which anticipated the movie, by an American journalist who was "an old China hand"; I forget his name.

[@Raskolnikov70]

@@Mantis42 Probably something to do with the famines that wipe out tens of millions of people every time communism is tried.

[@gugafilho18]

Gentlemen, I’m from Recife, in the state of Pernambuco, in northeastern Brazil. I have been following your work since 2014, when I was 13 years old, watching "The Week 100 Years Ago." Now, in 2024, at 23 years old, having gone through so many phases with the common thread of following this channel, I can confidently say that you at TimeGhost have profoundly influenced me, my personality in general, and my passion for history. I will never forget following you every week and cheering (even though I knew what was going to happen). I’m crying so much as I write this. Overall, a huge and heartfelt thank you to you, Indy, Spartacus, and all the members of TimeGhost and the TimeGhost Army. See you in Korea!

[@danield831]

Speaking of looming communist civil wars. I wonder if there will be any coverage on this series about the looming Greek Civil War starting in 1945?

[@Lematth88]

This week in French news. The 19th, the Vietminh takes power in Hanoi with a revolutionary government, the Japanese letting them do it and surrender to them. The Emperor Bao Dai calls De Gaulle "as a friend" to let his country be independent. The 22th, first French commissioners are dropped in Indochina. Pierre Messmer is sent to Tonkin, he is taken prisoner by the Vietminh. He will evade in October, he will be a partisan of negociation with Ho Chi Minh (he's going to be a hardliner anti-colonialist in Africa and First Minister in the 1970's). Jean Cédile is dropped near Saigon but he is taken prisoner by the Japanese after stripping him from his clothes. He will be the main negotiator with Ho Chi Minh before the arrival of Leclerc. The same day, it is decided that all overseas French lands will have representatives in the new Assembly (Citizen and non-citizen voting separately however)

[@danendraabyantara2931]

Looks like this is the beginning of vietnam proxy struggles for the next 30 years

[@tkm238-d4r]

Good point about the Japanese non-reaction. When it became clear Japan lost the war, IJA troops were quite happy to allow the Reds to take over so as to prevent the re-establishment of colonial rule.

[@robertgoldstein155]

This last episode has had a special significance for me. My parents were refugees in Manchuria and I was born in Muken in 1944. We left Shanghai in 1948 just before the communist took over the city and we’re so glad to get to America and become citizens.

[@abcde_5949]

I'm starting to think that the axis powers aren't making a comeback.

[@Slaeowulf]

Give it 70 years or so

[@jakobheidenreich5]

August 24th would have been my grandfather’s 84th birthday (he sadly passed away a few months ago just after victory in Europe). He always loved learning about World war 2 and would have loved this great series. Looking forward to September 2nd!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for sharing that with us, and a happy birthday to him from the team. Thoughts and prayers.

[@nightfeather9409]

My word. And as the grain falls, so go the changing of the times.

[@jliller]

I hope the Japanese are made to sign their official surrender documents aboard one of the Pearl Harbor battleships. Preferably the West Virginia, since that one was sunk and raised. It would really hammer how the scale of their failure to the Japanese. USS Enterprise would be a good alternative. However, it wouldn't surprise me if Truman plays favorites and has them sign on the Missouri because that's his home state.

[@DouglaszillaAweome]

Those are all true points for the US Navy ships. Yes, the battleships were there that day except the most famous carrier. USS New Jersey and USS Wisconsin and the rest of the US Pacific fleet were on the Philippines under the command of Admiral Raymond Spruance in case if the Japanese tried anything funny , they still got the rest of the bulk of the fleet ready to respond. USS Iowa and USS Missouri were on Tokyo Bay under the command of William Halsey. There were other battleships on Tokyo Bay too such as USS South Dakota(which also help sank IJN Kirishima) and HMS Duke of York(which also sank Scharnhorst). Sadly these 3 including USS Virginia had smaller hulls and superstructures. Aircraft Carriers only had their straight flight decks. That left only USS Iowa and USS Missouri, Iowa was Roosevelt's ship but he passed away as well as saw many action and engagements and then there's MIssouri, The last battleship commissioned, the newest, the one ship which saw little action on all 4 Iowa class ships put together, and Truman's Battleship christened by his daughter. If USS West Virginia was the ship for signing for surrender then it would have been the museum ship instead.

[@lewiswestfall2687]

Thanks TG

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you.

[@Ashfielder]

It has been a long and illuminating series, I will miss it. Perhaps in 2029 I will rewatch, as I am now with The Great War series. Thank you for everything!

[@BearsEnjoyer]

I didnt get into this series until mid 2022 around the time of Kursk, and Im feeling super nostalgic. I cant even imagine how the people who have been here since 2018 feel. Its mind boggling how long this war lasted

[@WorldWarTwo]

Hope to see you at Korea too!

[@lynnwood7205]

@2:45 Track maintenance photograph. the back story to this photo would be very interesting.

[@CARL_093]

thanks indy and crew

[@stevestoll3124]

That dedication person reminds me of my grandfather. Its truly sad that the greatest generation is almost gone in total. What a sad day that will be when the last living historical person of the conflict passes away.

[@Shellshock1918]

"The biggest eye-opener the world ever saw." Quiet the understatement. RIP.

[@pocketmarcy6990]

Something tells me the Viet Minh aren’t going to be too happy about the French coming back. It’s not like they could actually stop them. Right?

[@archlich4489]

...nah

[@P_RO_]

Can you say "Dien Bien Phu"? I knew you could!

[@mikehillas]

I've always been surprised that the Japanese didn't station more forces on the Kuril Islands--at least the southern ones near Hokkaido--in an effort to defeat any Soviet invasion. I can understand them giving up southern Sakhalin, but why not fight harder to hold on to territory so close to the Japanese homeland? The Russians are still occupying all the islands, despite Japan's requests that the southern islands be returned to Japanese sovereignty. Probably not going to happen soon.

[@bingobongo1615]

Japan simply did not have more forces / could not redeploy from other areas and no chance to supply them.

[@10.huynhphathuy8]

Soon? It’s not gonna happen lol

[@ChrisCrossClash]

I mean in any possible future war between the two however unlikely, that the Russians are so close to the Japanese Islands is pretty wild, and can see why the Japs want that land back.

[@DouglaszillaAweome]

Yup and surprisingly on the invasion of the Kurile Islands, Japanese Commander Fusaki Tsutsumi and the rest of his 91st Infantry Division surrendered and were taken prisoner rather than face annihilation. The Soviets and Japanese just can't find a settle agreement because when the terms were laid down when The Soviet goes to war with Japan, they would take all the Kurile Islands and not specifying which ones, they just TAKE IT ALL!

[@finscreenname]

Just a FYI, The US car makers didn't want cheap surplus jeeps coming into the US market so they lobbied and won the US Gov to have them destroyed in the country they were in. So after they made a ton of money on making war products (including Jeeps) and then wanted the car market cornered after the war to make more money.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

Another good video. And the tie makes a simple shirt and vest into a great combination. Great clothing choice. 👍

[@nelsonchereta816]

With the Japanese surrendering I'm sure things in Vietnam will work themselves out without too much trouble.

[@hannahskipper2764]

That's an awesome dedication story. My dad's side of the family grew up in Florida too. That being said... Week in Review: Victors: Now that the war is over, it's time to get out the scissors and carve up the map! Vanquished: Here we go again... Occupied places: What...?

[@EdwardGatey]

Go, Indy! Let's have a Viet Nam war documentary, too. I need a terrabyte documentary of WWI, II, and Korea. Then Viet Nam.

[@billl.2441]

Never in my years would I thought I enjoy a weekly series of war coverage. First ww1 and now ww2. Big thanks. These series are great. Can't wait for the Cold War.

[@Mr110074]

Can’t believe next week will be the last Saturday episode, on my birthday nonetheless.😮

[@WorldWarTwo]

Happy birthday!

[@jakevelasco4072]

Just a thing I wanted to mention concerning some ancestry related to WW2, but my great grandfather may have served in the more later years of the war (1944-1945), or maybe it was in Korea. He never really shared details has to what that experience was, though based on the details of his room (which is still kept tightly) alongside the decorations, he may have flew in a Boeing 29 bomber, or at least worked around those craft. He passed away a very long time ago when I was young, so it’s pretty difficult to get first hand knowledge from him, but perhaps I’ll eventually get to his story.

[@samdumaquis2033]

Very interesting

[@storkythepunk]

One thing that has long puzzled me is that if Scottish sportsmen wear Jock Strap's, do Chinese sportsmen wear Mao Straps?

[@alexanderakh4955]

Thanks for your efforts. It was a fascinating series and a great work. Unfortunately, history comes back..

[@sittingbull22322]

To pick up on the late war and after diplomacy, I'd highly recommend the book "To Run the World" by Sergey Radchenko. Interesting stuff.

[@Geoff31818]

Been watching since 1941 and I can’t believe it’s actually over now

[@keithscott1957]

Listen out for the fat lady singing.

[@prazcuray1388]

It is sad to see the greatest generation slowly die out, my grandparents told me many stories about the Great Depression and how it molded them and me, I miss them and am happy to have hear about their lives and the lives of other grandparents from this era, gone but never forgotten. I pass on what they taught me to my kids.

[@jonm2438]

Insane to think I started week 1 of this show in 2018 with my newborn in our apartment. He’s now 6 and we have a daughter now too and house . Crazy

[@lloydzufelt7514]

Can you believe 6 years

[@kidmohair8151]

"...a lot of people are going to die." has there been a time in the modern industrial era, where that conclusion has not been true?

[@LizzyMeyer-g1d]

Just as a curious fan… did any of you fight in any wars?

[@Rom3_29]

Roll of toilet paper is more valuable than Chang & Stalin signed agreement.

[@troystaunton254]

And here it is, the end. I might have to start at the beginning of the Great War and through the between 2 wars series and back up to here…. I might end up catching up to Korea, just in time for Vietnam.