Why did Germany declare war on America during WW2? (Short Animated Documentary)

[@trexxen42i82]

1:15 "and I guess also Italy" damn that's rough

[@WG55]

With a Mussolini who is cock-eyed and drooling. 😆

[@nate9065]

with Mussolini drooling 🤣

[@AS-oz6ep]

@@nate9065 And cross-eyed. That's what gets me.

[@hentehoo27]

​​@@nate9065from _il Duce_ to _il Derp_ 🤌🏻

[@Junket-20]

Germany and Italy were basically you and your friend playing a video game with you carrying and your friend just being there

[@Hibernicus1968]

Nice touch showing the dilapidated White House interior at 0:16. The structure was getting pretty unsafe by WWII, and in 1941 the Army Corps of Engineers issued a report warning that the timber frame was getting close to failure, and there was crumbling masonry in parts of the building. Truman had to move out while the building was gutted in 1949, and the long overdue renovations weren't complete until 1952.

[@AG-yl2iv]

Amazing attention to detail!

[@NameName-oc4cl]

Also covered in the recent B1M video on the White House if anyone's interested.

[@mrquirky3626]

That does make me wonder; how much of the original White House structure still exists to this day and what percentage of it had to be completely replaced over the centuries?

[@jacob4920]

And America thanks him for that. Because trying to imagine Washington DC without the White House is like trying to imagine New York without the Statue of Liberty. lol

[@mybodyisamachine]

​@@mrquirky3626 if I had to guess, very little except whatever few items could be preserved

[@Smirnaffskiy]

1:50 "They thought they were about to win" - the phrase that can explain every war ever

[@Losangelesharvey]

except it doesn't - few countries are winning as convincingly as Germany was in the first three years of war.

[@chrism3784]

including the US at the beginning the Iraq War, and Afghan war

[@VramsGamingChannel]

Stalingrad by Antony Beevor was really illuminating because even as Germany was delusionally throwing soldiers at the meat grinder to win a strategically irrelevant city, Hitler was content with the idea that the Reich reached the Volga River and just the principle of that factual error made him happy

[@NathanS__]

A big thing too was that the US and Germany were already fighting a quasiwar in the Atlantic. Germany's declaration of war allowed for unrestricted submarine warfare immediately and they did enormous damage to Allied shipping.

[@TerminatorHIX]

The U-boat crews referred to that period as the "Second Happy Time". Lots of ships to sink and America needed to git gud at fighting subs.

[@Pikkabuu]

In fact the Kriegsmarine had been asking for a declaration of war against the US for a long time as the US Navy was hindering U-boats from attacking British shipping.

[@yoshirider123]

Yea curious why this was left out. Us ships were being sunk and likewise us ships were depth charging subs

[@bongcloudopening5404]

It's funny because the Brits actually tried to warn the US about the dangers of submarine warfare, it took the loss of countless of ships for the US to finally learn their lesson.

[@DomWeasel]

@@bongcloudopening5404 This was because Admiral Ernst J. King didn't like the British, especially the Royal Navy and refused to take any advice from them. King's ego cost thousands of American lives. He wasn't however responsible for the US not blacking out cities on the East Coast. This was the cities themselves refusing on the basis it would hurt tourism... If you ever question whether the Mayor in Jaws keeping the beaches open despite multiple fatal shark attacks was realistic, consider that cities up and down the US East Coast preferred to see ships sunk than lose a few tourist dollars.

[@thewaterlord27]

1:17 “and I guess Italy” Yeah that perfectly describes Italy in WW2 the commentary and how the leader is shown.

[@algorithmsavior3820]

Italy really thought it was Germany, until it found out it wasn't

[@kaydengoh6290]

italy found out in Greece that it was another Hungary

[@Rasputin443556]

Il Duce was drooling!

[@KurtisC93]

Fascist Italy _was_ a powerful country... until Germany overshadowed them, and they focused their attention on non-military expenditures. Then they went to war woefully unprepared, and now they're remembered as a virtual joke.

[@tylorhobbs8920]

@@kaydengoh6290 In Greece? Hell, they invaded France while Germany was overrunning them in the north and still lost ground.

[@AFGuidesHD]

The final point is probably the primary reason. If the German army wasn't outside Moscow, or the counteroffensive started 2 weeks earlier, then funny moustache man wouldn't have declared war on USA so hastily. He felt kinda bad about declaring war 2 weeks later with the famous shouting match between him and Brauchitsch.

[@anderskorsback4104]

Strictly speaking the Soviet counteroffensive had already started, but at this time, the Red Army was still in the process of git gud, so the offensive was launched in an uncoordinated way between different parts of the front. At the time of the US declaration of war, it still seemed to the Germans like a minor counterattack, of the kind that the Red Army had repeatedly done in the previous months and that had almost always ended in costly failure.

[@AFGuidesHD]

@@anderskorsback4104 Yes it had started but it was early days and there was no way they could tell that it was anything more than the normal counterattacks the Soviets had been doing since June 22nd

[@carlosarmiento926]

hey is the CoD video playthrough guy

[@kaydengoh6290]

@AFGuidesHD I agree. The soviets probably have not completely mobilised troops yet and are still in the process of producing new tanks and bombers so the Germans thought it was another effort to push them back from Moscow, not a future coordinated courerattack which would reach from lucharest, Belgrade, Sofia, and even to Berlin. Don’t forget, Hilter had a lot of ego, proven during the winter period of the Soviet German conflict, which helps the Germans to lose.

[@kaydengoh6290]

@AFGuidesHD I think F graded Austrian artist would have never declared war on USA, if not for the second final reason. Becuase USA had planned to attack gemrnay, that was, in my opinion, the primary reason why Germany wanted to declare war so badly. Pearl harbour was just a given excuse and maybe legitimate reason to declare war on USA. I mean, liek the video said, why wait until your enemy is fully ready to go to the fields when you can take them by utter surprise? If I was an Austrian man who failed art school but somehow got control over the gemrna srmy(totally not history) I would’ve declared war on USA becuase of the plan leaks purely.

[@gyo_500]

Because James Bissonette was an American citizen, and his existence offended Adolf Hitler severely.

[@death_star11]

Ok but seriously this joke is fucking stupid and needs to stop

[@NobleGamer889]

Because he was Jewish?

[@theforcedmeme]

James Bisonette is wanted internationally for illegal arms deals. True story

[@iranimilitantzifu7015]

American Jew 🥶

[@anonymous-hz2un]

You mentioned James Bisonette in a joke, omg, so funny, fr fr ...

[@Theory6517]

R.I.P. Kelly Moneymaker 2019-2024 Her last mention lays in this video, her resting site forever.

[@andreyachimescu9253]

😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

[@LazarusLong10]

This applies to WW1 as well. After the discovery of the Zimmerman telegram MANY Americans thought it was a fake. Britain lied about how they got it because they didn’t want the USA to know its transatlantic communications were being tapped, and Zimmerman just comes out a few days later and is like “Oh yeah thats totally real! We offered Mexico US territory if they declared war.” Very odd decision I’ve never understood.

[@ptorq]

Even the telegram itself is very odd. Why Zimmermann thought that Mexico, which was currently in the middle of a civil war of its own, had the manpower or resources to spare to fight the US (particularly in Texas of all places, where the average civilian probably had more and better arms than the average Mexican soldier) is mystifying, especially since Zimmermann had to know that Mexico would have been very much aware that Germany didn't have any money or materiel to spare either and was most certainly not the month or two from knocking England out of the fight that they claimed to be.

[@LazarusLong10]

@@ptorq 100% Even Britain wasn’t sure the American people would believe it because it was such an outlandish idea and WAY too convenient for Britain. If Germany had just kept quiet about it we would probably still be discussing today if it was real or a clever ploy by the British.

[@nicolasleroux5302]

Maybe Zimmerman was blackmailed.

[@davidjensen1221]

Honestly, I'm not convinced that it wasn't a plot from the British. The Germans were winning, just slowly. They had no reason to expand the war. It's not a super believable thing.

[@Stamboul]

What's odder is that there are still people today who think the telegram was fake. Just one of those things that are worth remembering whenever someone tells you history is written by the winners.

[@Seisachtheia]

0:04 "Franklin Dranklin Roosevelt" made me lose my absolute shit.

[@JackGardner3032]

The last mention of Kelly Moneymaker

[@mutfol]

No more money made by Kelly.

[@butters1273]

Was it a good idea for Hitler to declare war on America? Fun fact, no.

[@andrewklang809]

Was it a good idea for Hitl-- No.

[@butters1273]

@@andrewklang809 😆 i like!

[@acidmana6141]

yeahh even if Mustache man thought US entrance to European pacific. US at that point is supplying EVERYONE including Germany because 'muh capitalism'. Plus they have powerful Nazi sympathizers at home that is ideologically aligned with him. Declaring war with US fumbled all of it.

[@Adi-bl7wj]

He kinda had to

[@jacob4920]

Was Hitler a Good Idea: No. Not for anyone.

[@Donerci_Pikacu_Usta]

2:26 Vertical S P L O O S H is back.

[@lucinae8512]

KA-BOOM!

[@stevemc01]

"Big Wave" -- by HistoryMatters (2024)

[@TetsuShima]

*Fun fact:* After the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, Stalin ordered the recent film "Alexander Nevsky" to be withdrawn from circulation, due to its German-Russian conflict. Once Operation Barbarossa began, Stalin ordered the film to be shown every day in all Russian cinemas

[@ryanhughes6405]

Thats pretty interesting. Withdraw a movie portray conflict to boost realtions. Have it not only come nack but shown every day when war starts to boost support for the war. I do wanna ask...do movies like that actually affect opinions on other nations and relationships? I personally doubt it'd be THAT significant

[@Toonrick12]

Another fun fact: Stalin imported the film version of "The Grapes of Wrath" to show how bad American capitalism was/is during the Dust Bowl. Short time after, it was banned because most Soviet Citizens were amazed that even the poorest Americans could own a car.

[@TetsuShima]

@@ryanhughes6405 Cinema is a magnificent propaganda tool. It totally changes our mind through entertainment. Lenin himself said cinema would be a magnificent new type of propaganda machine

[@ryanhughes6405]

@TetsuShima huh interesting. I just never had my feelings on a nation changed massively watching movies. (Or maybe i just dont know it lol. Also possible)

[@tz8785]

@@Toonrick12 A few decades later, Dallas was broadcast in Romania. Similar idea (show the evil of capitalism), similar result.

[@mekasotropstar352]

I notice that you’re talking a little more slowly compared to your other videos. It definitely makes it easier to comprehend. Thanks History Matters. 👍

[@stischer47]

Run the playback at a slower speed.

[@74Pashka]

What was the life like in Papal states? A frequently omitted topic, would be nice to hear about it!

[@foveros1989]

That's a good suggestion. It would be interesting to see if in the rest of Italy, was there a stark contrast?

[@piratapequeno]

People lived in a constant state of papality.

[@74Pashka]

@@foveros1989 I've seen some comments that they were very late to implement railways, because one of the Popes was firmly against them. I am sure there are many more examples like this.

[@cardboardcapeii4286]

@@74Pashkaalso pope Gregory XVI condemned artificial lights in the 1830s

[@cardboardcapeii4286]

It probably wasn’t much different from the rest of Italy.

[@Sermentian1867]

10 minute history video on the 7 years war please

[@maxselcow4180]

He made a video a while ago explaining that he will no longer make 10 Minute History videos anymore. That is why it has been so long since he has made one.

[@vivi_75]

​@maxselcow4180 what if we throw money at him

[@TheAmericanPrometheus]

7 year history video on the 10 minutes war please

[@Zepi827]

@@maxselcow4180 at what cost

[@Rogue_Centurion]

@@vivi_75 that would help since several of his ten minute videos got demonetized

[@nehukybis]

The reason Japan had no interest in fighting the Soviet Union was a momentous military conflict that few people knew anything about at the time and most people have forgotten about since. In 1939 Japan and the Soviet Union fought an undeclared war in Mongolia and Japan lost. The Japanese weren't eager to tell anyone that they lost, and the Soviet Union was obsessed with secrecy. Result: a certain German leader overestimated Japan's willingness to tangle with the Soviets. If he had known how bad Japan got pwned, he might have refrained from declaring war on the US and Germany might have held out far longer than it did. If I remember correctly, the US was the *only* nation Reich part three ever bothered to declare war on- they usually just moved their army across the border and trusted the other guy to take the hint.

[@WhydoIsuddenlyhaveahandle]

Ironically, if Japan followed the Army's plan to take the oil in the USSR when Barbarossa started, instead of the South Pacific later, there is no way would the USSR have survived the two front war. They barely survived as it was. And without the US entrance due to no pearl harbor, that is the USSR and USA out, leaving Britain alone. Very different result if they followed the Army plan imo

[@DomWeasel]

@@WhydoIsuddenlyhaveahandle Japan was already too involved in China to make any serious attempt at attacking the Soviet Far East. They could have done serious damage to Vladivostok but Japanese forces were outgunned and outnumbered by their Soviet counterparts across a border that was heavily fortified because of the earlier border skirmishes. The Japanese already knew that Soviet tanks were superior to their own from those border skirmishes; and the USSR had a lot more of them than Japan did.. The South Pacific meanwhile was virtually unguarded. Japan attacking the USSR would have been very advantageous for Germany, but not for Japan.

[@BNOBLE981]

@@WhydoIsuddenlyhaveahandle The Armies plan was set to start long before operation Babarossa, they were organising the forces for the attack, right up until they got word of Germany's non aggression pact with the USSR right at the start of the war in Europe.

[@jhmcd2]

@@DomWeasel This is untrue. Japan at the time actually outnumbered the Soviets with about 100k troops. The number often given only represents the Japanese troops in the area, but people forget they still controlled the Korean army and Manchurian armies at the time. They also had better equipment. By the end of the war they wouldn't have much in the area, but at the beginning their equipment was superior. It should also be noted at the beginning of the campaign in Russia, Japan was winning, but a combination of factors (mainly Russia's habit of throwing bodies into the meat grinder) and I think the non-aggression pact with Germany but I would have to confirm that, allowed Russia to refocus its efforts on Japan. In the end, Japan didn't really loose, it just got hopelessly bogged down and since the effort was illegal to begin with as it was an undeclared conflict, something the Japanese had a habit of doing, they backed out. By the time we get around to Germany declaring war, Japan's army is bogged down in China, but making some progress, and Japan just struck the USA. Japan knew they couldn't handle both the US and Russia at the same time. That's why they didn't want to touch Russia.

[@grondhero]

I've heard of Japan's & Russia's wars with each other, but haven't read about them. Anyone have any good books they could recommend?

[@honk813]

Also another reason was in part because hitler believed that america was pretty much already at war with germany. As its destroyers were beginning to fire on german submarines, and vice versa. Essentially “let’s make it offical since we both know you’re currently attacking us.”

[@joshuafrimpong244]

Also, as he mentioned in an earlier video, Japan and the soviets had fought earlier, and yet the Japanese didn't declare war until much later

[@royale7620]

Thank you! finally someone with a brain, , the US was already involved in unrestricted illegal naval warfare in the Atlantic as early as 1940.

[@danke1150]

You're correct, but if you read the comments here people have a cartoonish view of Hitler that he just went around declaring war on everyone for no reason at all.

[@royale7620]

@@danke1150 Literally what I said but looks like my comment got removed byCensor Tube

[@alexander1055]

​@@danke1150it's kind of annoying when he and his country are made out to be cortoonishly evil. They were bad enough as is, no need to make it ridiculous. "They wanted to conquer the world!" Yeah right. 🙄

[@CArchivist]

You forgot an important point. As far as Hitler was concerned, he was already at war for the USA, not just lend lease, but the numerous shooting incidents between German subs and American destroyers in the Atlantic. Pearl Harbor gave him the legal justification. Also, he wasn’t impressed by America as a fighting power.

[@JarrodFrates]

Best Fez-Wearing Italian Man ever at 1:14. :D I haven't laughed that hard at an HM video since the rotating portrait of Genayev in the Soviet coup video. Edit: Thank you for the reminders.

[@ElbiAdajew]

I googled it but still don't get the Genayev rotating joke

[@TheDom822]

I assume you mean "The Fez-Wearing Italian Man".

[@wittylibrarian]

We don't say the M-name. We say "Fez Wearing Italian Man".

[@JarrodFrates]

@@ElbiAdajew Look up the HM video on the August 1991 coup attempt. Genayev was one of the leaders, and his portrait replaces Gorbachev's about halfway through. As the coup progresses and things get worse (for the coup plotters), Genayev's portrait changes.

[@ElbiAdajew]

@@JarrodFrates Thanks ^^

[@NovikNikolovic]

"And Germany's..." Mussolini: *derp* "...and I guess also Italy's help, will prove valuable..." G E N I U S

[@jacob4920]

Italy was that "Third Wheel" of the Axis Powers that nobody likes to talk about, on either side, because their role in the war was just embarrassing.

[@VramsGamingChannel]

The Wehrmacht had many Italian, Romanian, Austrian and other annexed country soldiers fighting with them in Russia. Needless to say, their morale wasn't very high when the Germans treated them as dogs

[@Red_Planet]

The Tripartite Pact focus makes them all guarantee each other and if Germany declined it they get a stability debuff which is annoying to get back up since the decision to stabilize only appears like once every year. Plus it eats up civilian factories.

[@BlazingCyclone1337]

The HOI4 lore lmao

[@The_whales]

if you were willing to stomach stability loss, don’t forget they can also do war plan sliver(Italy) or black(Germany) making it all for nothing

[@royale7620]

Brainrot hoi4 comment

[@willevensen7130]

@@royale7620yeah that garbage game poisoned the mind of many children

[@taiga7276]

I hate you it took me until “civilian factories” to realize what you were doing 😭😭😂😂😂😂

[@r8rgtrs]

Big shoutout for the new outro paintwork and particularly the vertical "Sploosh" sign 😂

[@arnold3768]

It's not new, it was used in another Japan-related video like over a year ago.

[@andrewrogers3067]

Germany up to 1940: We are SO here! 41: We’re still here! 42: We’re fucked 43: We’re fucked… 44: Oh God we’re going to die! 45: (Dies)

[@SamFromItalia]

1939: "Come on come on..." 1940: "WOOOOH YEAHHHH LETS GOOO" 1941: "WE ARE GODS ON EARTH HOLLLLLY" 1942: "...this is not going well..."

[@steffen6987]

They weren't fucked before 1943

[@evanmoore3114]

@@steffen6987 Yes they were

[@edwinhuang9244]

@@steffen6987 I'd say 1942 is more like "Ok things might be be going to plan, but it's salvageable" from Germany's perspective. In hindsight things were not salvageable, but hindsight is something afforded by lots of time.

[@White90ice]

not even close to accurate. Read David irvings 800 page long "hitlers war". Do it, you will find out things were a little bit different than you imagined

[@norCali36]

2:07 I love this animation of troops from one country to others. First time seeing this and this is nice work on the animation. 👍

[@poptart2nd]

Fun fact: the major soviet counteroffensive around Moscow, turning the tide of the battle there, happened _the very same week_ as the attack on Pearl Harbor. Up until that point, germany had seen a nearly unbroken streak of victories

[@yourannoyingness]

Love your videos, man. Cheers.

[@lewisroach8723]

Prost!

[@Mrhalligan39]

“Franklin Dranklin Roosevelt” LOL

[@sskuk1095]

German-Japanese cooperation against mutual enemies (or lack thereof) is a very underrated topic in WW2 historiography!

[@TheAdmirableAdmiral]

there was more cooperation than you would think. The japanese jet kamikazes were based off of Italian jet research. And there was a submarine that fought for the Italians Germans and Japanese as the countries began dropping out of the war.

[@dhowe5180]

@@TheAdmirableAdmiral even that assistance was almost negligible. Hungary and Romania did a lot more to further the Nazi cause than japan did

[@TheAdmirableAdmiral]

@@dhowe5180 I mean I don't dissagree with you. But I would argue that was more due to geographic location than industry or power. Japan still sunk like 8 US carriers through the war and made a lot of great advancements in torpedo technology, naval aviation and carrier operations. But ultimately there was nothing Japan could have done to defeat America, They would have had to be near invincible on the seas if they ever hoped to get America to want to sue for peace.

[@zaleost]

@@TheAdmirableAdmiralIt’s true that ultimately they were just too far apart to directly help each other very much. But in a sense both of them regarded the other’s strategic interests as secondary to their own, both picking fights later on that the other really didn’t want. Specifically Germany with the USSR and Japan with the US.

[@mappingshaman5280]

​@dhowe5180 well no shit that countries right next to Germany did more to help Germany than a country on the opposite side of the world. I mean shit I guess we should have expected australia to save France in 1940 too.

[@AreaEightyNine]

Judging from what I’ve learned about Mr. Moustache’s habits: Because cocaine is a helluva drug.

[@stephkent2736]

More amphetamines, but that's a minor point

[@SheerDexterity]

Yep, and so is fascism.

[@addemup8645]

Great seeing you here! Didn't think you were a history guy.

[@NobleGamer889]

Hello I know you

[@thebohemian814]

@@thymicere3911 Must I remind you who lost the war

[@MrJohansen]

Technically they never actually declared war, in the declaration of war ribbentrop details how American ships had been ordered to fire upon any German ships they see, and that america had been blowing up german vessels for months now. So germany never actually declared war, they just confirmed that there was a state of war between the two nations Not that it changes much but worth mentioning

[@tobykornreich2719]

It starts ripples.

[@muhammadhabibieamiro3639]

Another amazing video

[@piyavisapukotanage7610]

0:36 "Italy can come also" 😂

[@tankaddict9147]

Germany 1941: *Mr Incredible smile* Germany 1945: *Mr Incredible Traumatized*

[@WoodsToLiveBy]

2:11 I LOL'ed at Mussolini being a literal blockhead

[@dhruvgirgenti8268]

Wait til you see him at 1:15 💀💀💀

[@LoneWolf343]

America: *currently seething over being attacked.* Germany: Yo, I got the chance to do the funniest thing ever.

[@JoseMedina-ob4mf]

It's the US not America.. America is a Continent not a Country.

[@maninredhelm]

@@JoseMedina-ob4mf Not in the vast majority of the world. Only the southern European Catholic nations and their former colonies promote the idea of "America" being a single continent, because it was politically advantageous to their territorial claims decreed by the Pope. Of the 5 continents connected by land, North America and South America are in fact the most separate, so it's nonsense to call them a single continent unless you're also going to call Europe, Asia and Africa a single continent.

[@krashd]

@@JoseMedina-ob4mf There is no such continent as America, there are however two continents called North America and South America. America is a country. You numpties can keep prattling that "America is a continent" ignorance but it just makes you look more and more stupid every time.

[@gabriel.b9036]

@@JoseMedina-ob4mf In most nations there is no single continent named America on continental map models, but rather North and South America. As the US was the first fully independent nation in the new world, America/American is the accepted demonym for referring to the United States and its inhabitants, so you're not really correcting him on anything.

[@LoneWolf343]

@@JoseMedina-ob4mf We Americans tend to use the terms interchangeably, specifically by dropping the "United States of" part of "United States of America." Yeah, it's a bit pretentious, but none of the other American countries refer to themselves as "of America" so it stuck with us.

[@henkdevries7573]

There needs to be a new "I hope you enjoyed this episode" audio track, the quality difference wakes me up when I try to sleep

[@bizmen81]

Can you do a video on Vatican City embassies? They were literally the same ones for Italy so when Italy kicked out the Allied ambassadors to Italy during WW2, they stayed since they were also the ambassador to the Vatican.

[@iglide]

Somehow I was watching Oversimplified wondering this exact question. I see this video uploaded 3 minutes ago. I click

[@XDrang93]

I like how HM did foreshadowing.

[@Immortal..]

Map at 1:59 is incorrect. Germany only went into the Caucasus/Stalingrad in 1942, more than half a year after the declaration of war

[@wittylibrarian]

Admiral Yamamoto had no illusions about going to war against the U.S. "I can run wild for a year, after that no promises," he told the Japanese military leaders. He didn't even get six months, by June 1942 they suffered heavy losses at Midway and were in a losing defensive battle against more manpower, more machinery, more fuel, more focus.

[@slyasleep]

I initially read Axis Chummery as Aix-en-Chambery, and for a nanosecond wondered whether that was a historical spa town I had never heard of.

[@Navifaerie64]

0:49 I like how the American supplies spell it as "tyre" chains instead of "tire" chains.

[@gandhithegreat328]

“If we declare war on another super power their trading partners will join our side!” Is a really dumb line of thinking

[@jabber1990]

look who's idea it was....

[@atoucangirl]

2 years ago someone else decided this tactic needed a second attempt

[@smalltime0]

Not really, escalating wars draw in other powers and Germany really did look like they were winning from the outside. They weren't exactly advertising that everything keeps being stuck in mud, their labour shortage in key industries or that the partisans are really good at destroying train tracks.

[@jabber1990]

@@atoucangirl and how's that working out for them? pretty well

[@MH-jg6vk]

This isnt WW1 yk..? America had already been firing on German submarines as well as supplying Germany's enemies before it was even attacked by Japan. You should listen to AH speech on yt under 'German Speeches' to understand why declaring war was the only option left for Germany, thus letting go off any war effort reins which may hamper their operations

[@amk4956]

0:04 starting off with an absolute gem, between this and the newspaper headlines… That’s what I’m here for

[@71kimg]

A weird take - When Hitler didn’t officially declared war - but stated (in the famous speak) that they were already at war due to the US-UK Atlantic pact where US directly defended UK trade/transport.

[@edm2822]

Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and John J. Pershing (both of German ancestry) were the General of the Army (highest rank) respectively of WW2 and WW1 for the United States. I always found it interesting that German Americans led US Armies in both World Wars.

[@Pats0c]

That and the US Navy was basically already fighting a war of its own against Germany months before Pearl Harbor. The first "boat to be touched" was by Germany in the Atlantic, not by Japan in Hawaii.

[@SauceyMan76]

My favorite history channel

[@Krachbumm-Ente]

It's just jwish post war propaganda bro. Time to snap out of it

[@souschefsean2007]

Minor map correction at 2:00 - the Axis hadn't pushed into the Caucuses until Summer-Fall of 1942 when the Germans initiated Case Blue. When Germany declared war, they were right outside Moscow during Operation Typhoon (and, in fact, a Japanese declaration of war on the Soviets would've been rather helpful since Typhoon failed in no small part because the Soviets felt safe pulling in reinforcements from far eastern Siberia).

[@Losangelesharvey]

Yep, Japan definitely failed Germany.

[@Blanco8x8]

Little Adolpho wasn't exactly known for being cautious and considerate when it comes to choosing his enemies and when to fight them.

[@EricNapoli-z3d]

Actually, no. A.H. was known for being pragmatic when it came to choosing his enemies and when to fight them. Being pragmatic, he also didn't do a lot of choosing. People would either make themselves enemies (the Czechs) or make themselves friends (the Italians). Unfortunately, sometimes this doesn't work in your favor (the Italians).

[@Dialetheia]

Whenever I ruminate over a bad decision I made, I console myself with the fact that at least I didn't pick a fight with the British Empire, Soviet Union, and the United States of America --- at the same time.

[@jarnodatema]

0:32 you know it's bad when even von ribbentrop thinks it's a bad idea

[@docvideo93]

1:25 IE the Battle of Khalkhin Gol

[@keelseaemsaguilar7013]

That was in 1939

[@imabitmid]

@@keelseaemsaguilar7013that still happened and made Japan sign a ceasefire with the Soviets

[@keelseaemsaguilar7013]

@@imabitmid yea

[@Anonsense-w5g]

Japan: LOL. What kind of idiot would try to fight the Americans and the Russians at the same time? Hitler: … Japan: Oh uhh, but thank you though.

[@andreyachimescu9253]

I want everyone to know this was the last time Kelly MONEYMAKER has been mentioned... 😢

[@XiasIV]

I took a break from watching this channel and I'm very glad to see the iconic James Bisonette is still going strong

[@StevenRyan-d1w]

@2:00 a map is shown of the German lines in the Soviet Union as of Pearl Harbour. In fact, the map shows them around October 1942. I.e. it shows the Germans at Stalingrad and in the Caucasus, areas they didn’t each until September/October 1942.

[@In_Our_Timeline]

how people think austrian painter react to bombing of pearl harbor: how dare you!! his real reaction: ypieeeeee

[@Kalah_]

It's also worth mentioning that Hitler thought Japan was an invincible power in the Pacific. He thought the U.S. would have its hands full over there and that the danger of the war escalating in the Atlantic was negligible. Add to this the fact that he also saw the U.S. as decadent and culturally corrupt, and that German intelligence pointed to U.S. military production being extremely low compared to Germany (because of course it would be, as the U.S. weren't at war yet), Hitler actually didn't see the U.S. as much of a threat for the foreseeable future.

[@nicholaslewis8594]

2:12 Who is the leader on the left and what country?

[@Karl-nv5ok]

Mussolini

[@GamerBob123]

Also King Victor Emmanuel

[@adenz_0]

most likely king victor emanuel III of italy, even though it looks like victor emanuel II

[@Captainflake99]

I liked the little touch you added of the white house wall falling apart before it's renovation a few years later 😂

[@The_Hagseed]

They probably just didn't properly repair it after Canada burned it to the ground. If there's one thing about America: They don't make things that last very long. Just look at the way their democracy is falling apart by having a fascist be in a top slot for president.

[@FilmSkylar]

Because that's what friends do of course.

[@joshuafrimpong244]

Because Japan would naturally do the same

[@crimson6397]

Even today, Germany and Japan still have very close cultural relations.

[@JonnyCrash]

One interesting fact about the Axis powers was that none of them ever developed a long-range four-engine bomber aircraft like that of the allies (B-17, B25, B-29, Lancaster, etc.) By the time the US entered the war, the U-boat threat in the Atlantic was greatly diminished and the Imperial Japanese Navy was put on a perpetual retreat footing after the decisive battle of Midway in mid-1942. In effect, none of the Axis powers had any capability of damaging American industrial capacity. It was a losing proposition for them from the very beginning.

[@sergioescobar1391]

In other words, it became a chain reaction of countries saying "Nah, I'd win."

[@paulstandaert5709]

Isoroku Yamamoto supposedly told his superiors that poking at the bear was an incredibly bad idea. This is advice that Germany could have used as well. The USA picked up a baseball bat and ate some spinach and proceeded to kick ass in literally every aspect of the war.

[@tanaka5395]

Joachim Von Rippentrop sounds like a name that was conjured from the James Bisonette verse.

[@mabunsen]

The facial expressions in this one might be my fave so far 😂

[@Cornan1980]

1:04 This shouldn't have made me laugh as much as it did. The gunshot sound effect was the cherry on top.

[@LammasuRex]

Remember the wisdom of Pat. Overconfidence is a swift and straightforward killer.

[@KYDONSHADOW]

1:01 I bet it was on a war thunder forum

[@davidrobertnewman]

0:35 says von Ribbentrop opposed Germany’s declaration of war against the USA. The entry for von Ribbentrop in Wikipedia (which is *never* wrong /s) says “On 7 December 1941, Ribbentrop was jubilant at the news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and did his utmost to support a declaration of war on the United States.” Which is correct?

[@davidgil6485]

At 2:00 the map shows what I assume was the maximum extension of german-occupied USSR, not the situation by the end of 1941

[@ohger1]

I watch most YT videos at 1.25X speed because they drag unnecessarily, but I have to slow these down so as not to miss the sight gags and puns (like that wonderful letter Roosevelt wrote to Japan after Pearl Harbor!)

[@Riastrad-hq6ds]

Germany’s assumption that Japan would take some US attention off Europe was correct as it took the US almost three years before finally committing the agreed amount of resources and men to Europe as agreed in the Europe First policy. However, considering how much Lend-Lease the Soviets got in 1944 and the amount of effort put into Overlord it’s no wonder this is when the rapid collapse of German war effort began

[@TheGM-20XX]

Gonna have to grade that an -F

[@royale7620]

There is no assumption, it was just out of formality, the US was attacking German ships as early as 1940, look it up maybe instead of this BS propaganda

[@BigZ92-p9n]

@@TheGM-20XX My thick skull doesn't understand your magic

[@Anthony-jo7up]

The US did not pursue a Europe-first policy. The first US offensive campaign was on Guadalcanal. The US ultimately fought Germany, Italy, and Japan simultaneously on 5 different fronts, while also dominating the ocean, sky, and supplying all of the other allies with their needed war material. It's actually remarkable how fast the US was able to intervene, given that the US military was the 17th in the world before the war began.

[@markstott6689]

​@SichoTech The US committed to the European theatre first in early 1942. It took a while to build a citizen army and transfer it to Britain. Same with the USAAF. Some in the US wanted to invade northwest Europe in 1943. That was long before it was feasible. Churchill et al. convinced them to go for North Africa, Sicily and Italy, first whilst getting ready for Normandy in 1944.

[@justinsullivan1285]

These "History Matters" videos are always informative and entertaining.😀

[@marcusaetius9309]

Well, the fact that US warships had been escorting British convoys in the Atlantic for some time prior to the declaration of war might have been an issue also…🙄

[@dwarow2508]

Small Correction: The Germans declared war prior to Fall Blau and in the middle of Operation Typhoon and the Soviet counteroffensive. They assumed they would capture Moscow in the next weeks which would in their mind lead to a collapce of the USSR. They had not advaned past the Don yet

[@capncake8837]

James Bissonette told Adi that it would be better to present a united front.

[@raymondpaller6475]

First rate subtle touch with the president's name in his "Dear Japan" letter.

[@BlackDT]

Franklin Dranklin Roosevelt is a joke that shouldn’t be ignored

[@kubus0024]

Oh, new outro painting rework. Nice!

[@_0______00__________0_______0]

0:50 As an American, I'm irrationally angry at some of the supplies being labeled "tyre chains".

[@belbrighton6479]

As a throw back to an earlier video I loved it. 😂❤

[@piratapequeno]

It's actually a box full of ancient chains used in the Greek city of Tyre. For display in a museum or something. It's a bit of a weird exhibit.

[@hfar_in_the_sky]

I like to think they were chains meant to go to the armed forces in Lebanon and instead got sent to the Pacific due to a clerical error

[@WaterShowsProd]

Your anger ought to be focussed toward Noah Webster who determined that American people weren't educated well enough to use Samuel Johnson's standardisation of English spelling, and created a simplified version which today gets regularly butchered beyond even his wildest fears.

[@isramubashar1227]

I like your rendition of the great wave of kanagawa

[@breaderikthegreat3224]

Because James Bisonette lobbied Hitler to do so

[@vincedibona4687]

You tried to blow him but he refused you.

[@BluegrassGeek]

0:50 Spelling it "tyre chains" is hilarious on more than one level.

[@Someoneprobably101]

1:36 Kamel Ataturk is dead at this moment of time

[@ItalianoVII]

Video Idea: Why didn't The Russian Empire not join in the Greek Wars of Independence? (Specifically the Wallachian Revolt of 1821-22).

[@gustavocarvalholoboleite3526]

Sugestion to video: Did people on China know about the crusades?

[@WaterShowsProd]

The Mongols knew about The Crusades and their control stretched from Syria to Northern and Western China. There was trade via India with Egypt and Persia, so information would certainly have spread, especially when there was any impact on goods shipped from the region, or an economic impact on purchasing. It would be interesting to see more about what The Chinese Court itself thought about them.

[@araaraste]

The caliph in Baghdad did not know about it!

[@frostnova8300]

Idea for a video: Why didn't NATO disband after the fall of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact?

[@rotmistrzjanm8776]

One omitted fact is also that it was just admiting reality - US was openly supporting Allies and US Navy was openly engaging Kriegsmarine since September 1942

[@royale7620]

You mean 1940, the US was involved in illegal naval warfare as early as 1940 under FDR orders, papers exist to prove it.

[@markstott6689]

I assume that you meant before September 1942, considering the US and Germany were actually at war by September 1942. Did you mean 1941 or earlier? 😂❤😂

[@willevensen7130]

1942 a year after the Germans and Americans were at war?

[@rafaelyamano2661]

US was also doing some stuff, like giving dozens of destroyers to the UK in trade with "temporarily" taking over bases in the Caribbean. I wonder if they'd have sold destroyers to the Germans as well? It was very clear the US favored one side.

[@rotmistrzjanm8776]

@@markstott6689 yes, of course that was a typo xD

[@anderskorsback4104]

All true, and to add, the US had spent the last year gradually moving towards more and more active support of the UK, and public opinion was shifting towards entering the war. So it was hardly unwarranted to expect it to join the war in Europe soon anyway. Declaring war first enabled Germany to start raiding US shipping, which it was well positioned to do as much of the US Navy was expected to have to deal with Japan.

[@nottodayimsleeping]

Because the small mustachio'd Austrian man was a silly goose.

[@ImMarkusandIlovegrammar]

Indeed. Heydrich, Speer, Himmler, Mengele and Bohrmann were all a lot more smarter than him.

[@billyosullivan3192]

His foreign minister Von Ribbentrop supported declaring war on the USA saying a great power doesn't wait for war to be declared upon them. Germany prior similarly decided to declare war on France and Russia in 1914 rather than wait and also similarly dragged the USA into ww1. So Hitler isn't exactly uniquely stupid he just became a scapegoat for all of Germanies stupid decisions in ww2

[@billyosullivan3192]

@@ImMarkusandIlovegrammar if they were so smart they wouldn't have followed Hitler into national suicide

[@royale7620]

Instead of just taking history at meme values maybe take it seriously, u kids with these short clips that barely explain everything are subpar IQ

[@aminadabbrulle8252]

His name is Toothbrush Mustache Having Austrian Man

[@familygash7500]

*VIDEO SUGGESTION:* Why did Italy loose to Greece, during World War II?

[@rewriting-history]

Make Bulgaria Great Again!

[@gerwaltspodnovigradu5508]

Again? You're saying that like your country isnt at its peak already

[@julianshepherd2038]

Shan't

[@colindaniels945]

It's interesting that the Rome-Berliin-Tokyo Axis treaty stated that the only way one part would declare war was only if any one part was the victim of aggression. The way I figured it was it was like Article 5 of the NATO treaty in that a declaration of war on one was a declaration of war on all

[@SantaFe19484]

The next video should be: "Why didn't the US declare on Germany and Italy in WW2?"

[@mingfanzhang4600]

😊😊😊

[@mingfanzhang8927]

😊

[@charliebasar9068]

They actually did, but it was more a formality than anything. Germany and Italy declare war on the US, so the US puts that to congress to confirm on the books that they are in fact at war.

[@nehukybis]

@@charliebasar9068 and they would have gotten round to it eventually in any case. As others have pointed out, we basically were at war already in the North Atlantic.

[@johnrossford7927]

As the son and nephew of World War II veterans on both theatres, this was amusing and about in line with what has been told in our History classes in the US.

[@Aragorn-87]

It was due to James Bissonette

[@NickFromDetroit]

Thank you! For using “it raised the question” instead of the egregious “it begs the question” so many ignorant people use today.