Why Ghost Division? What did Rommel do?

Why was Rommel’s 7. Panzerdivision called Gespensterdivsion - “Ghost Division”? From all we know it earned this name during the Battle of France.
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» SOURCES «
Frieser, Karl-Heinz: Blitzkriege-Legende. Der Westfeldzug 1940. 4. Auflage. Oldenbourg Verlag: München, 2012.
Sigg, Marco: Der Unterführer als Feldherr im Taschenformat. Theorie und Praxis der Auftragstaktik im deutschen Heer 1869 bis 1945. Ferdinand Schöningh: Paderborn, 2014.
Pöhlmann, Markus: Der Panzer und die Mechanisierung des Krieges: Eine deutsche Geschichte 1890 bis 1945. Ferdinand Schöningh: Paderborn, 2016.
Groß, Gerhard P.: Mythos und Wirklichkeit. Die Geschichte des operativen Denkens im deutschen Heer von Moltke d. Ä. bis Heusinger (Zeitalter der Weltkriege, Band 9). Ferdinand Schönigh: Paderborn, 2012. (ENGLISH VERSION BELOW)
Groß, Gerhard P.; Zabecki, David T. (Ed.): The Myth and Reality of German Warfare: Operational Thinking from Moltke the Elder to Heusinger (Foreign Military Studies), University Press of Kentucky, 2018.
Citino, Robert M.: The German Way of War. From the Thirty Years’ War to the Third Reich. University Press of Kansas: USA, 2005.
Citino, Robert M.: Blitzkrieg to Desert Storm. The Evolution of Operational Warfare. Kansas University Press: US (2004). (Thank you to Phil for sending me this book from my wish list!)
Nord, Philip: France 1940. Defending the Republic. Yale University Press: New Haven and London, UK, 2015
H. Dv. 470/7: Ausbildungsvorschrift für die Panzertruppe. Heft 7 Die mittlere Panzerkompanie. May 1941. S. 13
» CREDITS & SPECIAL THX «
Song: Ethan Meixsell - Demilitarized Zone
#ghostdivision #ww2 #rommel

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

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[@neithon467]

Will there be a Stuka poster in your shop in the future?

[@randommetalhead4228]

Hey Military History Visualized, can you do an video on the romanian IAR series of fighters? Legendary fighters, but forgoten trough the pages of history. Love your content, keep up the good work ^^

[@RPCProductionsNY]

You need to dive further into his campaign in France. I remember reading “On the Trail of the Fox” and some of the stories were quite astounding

[@gdbalck]

Military History Visualized could you do a video about the other ghost division and how it earned that name. 11. Panzer under Herman Balck during the battles at the Chir river after 6. Armee was encircled. Especially the action around State Farm 79. Thanks as always

[@fkjl4717]

Fuck, man. I cant understand your English.

[@shingshongshamalama]

Rommel basically had Main Character Powers.

[@Top_Weeb]

Anime adaptation when?

[@Guest-lq6vt]

xd

[@eddgrs9193]

He really looks like a Game of Thrones main character that survives anything, only to die in a weird plot twist.

[@kireta21]

He was a seasoned gambler. Anyone can get lucky, but if someone's chips pile keeps rising, it might be more than just being lucky.

[@AlexanderHL1919]

So.. Plot Armor.. Division?

[@autismisuncontrollable4925]

>broken French spirit >picture of a broken baguette My sides

[@boombl443]

Autism is Uncontrollable or white flag in Paris lol

[@ArmaCookie]

topkek

[@carpetclimber4027]

A broken wine bottle and a nose towards the sky and it would've been complete.

[@chicken8664]

I remember a meme saying: “did you know the French have 19 ways of saying ‘surrender?’ “

[@temkin9298]

Crunchy

[@jackray1337]

Rommel sounds like he was the precursor for the 'cowboy cop' heroes of later Hollywood films. A loose cannon who fakes radio communication issues, ignores superiors, breaks the rules, and wins.

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

well, except for the forced to commit suicide ending, I would agree.

[@addaccount9246]

and dies

[@trauko1388]

@Seth Greenberg Meh, Patton was a copycat...

[@trauko1388]

Yep, and all cocky, rogue, womanizing fighter aces come from Jochen Marseille...

[@knutdergroe9757]

No, Patton and Rommel were just made on the same day at the same factory. Patton loved the factory, Rommel loved the foreman.

[@jimmyseaver3647]

“They are the Panzer Elite! Born to compete! Never retreat!”

[@0verkill161]

Living or dead! Always ahead!

[@OliverCovfefe]

LIVING OR DEAD ALWAYS AHEAD FED BY YOUR DREAD

[@user-tq7uk3cl5h]

Luftwaffe 4 ever

[@jinglejangle3287]

SABATOOOOON

[@hstf]

I knew someone would be quicker. *g*

[@theimperialyank]

When the Furhrer expects to get to Paris in 3 months but you get to the coastline in 3 weeks

[@Drache191200]

Stonks

[@sjonnieplayfull5859]

Ten days actualy: may 10th to may 20th. To be honest, the last bit from Abbeville to the coast, they ran out of fuel, so they ran on adrenaline

[@tigeriussvarne177]

@@sjonnieplayfull5859 And Pervitin ;D

[@sushimidnight9539]

@@sjonnieplayfull5859 yea they also jsed methamphetamine

[@Christopher-N]

Lead Germans fatigued, overstretched, and low on supplies, but yes.

[@DiehardMechWarrior]

German High Command: "Rommel, stop! Let the rest of the army catch up!' Rommel: "LALALALALALALALALALALA CAN'T HEAR YOU" GHC: "Rommel, no!" Rommel: "ROMMEL YES!"

[@aneesh2115]

Rommel : what do you meen flanks Never heard that word

[@alberich3099]

@@aneesh2115 Ah, I know it's a joke. But flanks were not a marhos problem with Rommel's France warfare. France had anticipated another stalemate if the Germans ever were to attack again. And with that they created major fortifications, often including their tanks into it becomming sluggish. That meant that once they would have penetrated they became quite harmless. Rommel knew from WWI as a infantry man taht standing still means beeing killed, and he carried taht philosphy on. So while flanking becomes major problem if you have divisions not following the overall plan (and the lost battelion shows that quite well), due to the situation in the early war and France flanking was less a concern to Rommel than standing still in front of the french guns would have been.

[@axelmaldonado2642]

GHC "Rommel you've outrun your supply lines! Mein gott he's got airpods in he can't hear us!"

[@theimperialyank]

Rommel seems like he would do this... oh wait

[@northkoreanairforce9529]

Rommel just yells IST BIN SCHNELL, IST BIN SCHNELL! As he drives around in the armored car to stay alive.

[@Electricfox]

Erwin Rommel - Leeroy Jenkins award winner 1940.

[@AutismIsUnstoppable]

ERWIN ROMMMMMMEELL!

[@1Madlycat]

Alright these French guys have given us a lot of trouble in the past. They’ve got some pretty serious fortifications now. We’re going need infantry to penetrate here and the Panzers to not advance. Erwin Rommel: Alright guys I just got back let’s do this. ERWIIIIN ROMMEL!

[@Electricfox]

@@1Madlycat "Oh mein Gott, he just rolled in."

[@Athrun82]

@@Electricfox Followed by Ooh mein Gott where is the Divison! God damnit Rommel!'

[@raptin1595]

Verdammt Rommel why do you always do zis

[@D.Holliday112]

German High Command: "Where the hell is Rommel and his tanks?!" Meanwhile with Rommel: *50 kilometers behind enemy lines, causing panic. Convincing french units that are still in friendly territory that they are stuck behind enemy lines.*

[@Alva_Lombax]

I think my favourite in all of this is that acording to rumor, Rommel came across a french convoy, which surrendered cuz of Rommels commanding voice and officer uniform alone

[@Alva_Lombax]

Rommel, the mad german commander Leroy Jenkins during WWII

[@aliazraei810]

Rommel when radio team from another division called: "Sorry, I can't hear you....bad coverage...call again when I take Paris"

[@heneraldodzz4978]

Or I call you back when I'm in Paris

[@Ludwig_Perpenhente]

@@heneraldodzz4978 What are you doing in Paris? You're supposed to help The Filipinos win the Filipino-American war

[@AVGyerra22]

@@Ludwig_Perpenhente Emilia Aguinaldo: I think not! *betrays Luna*

[@chen_plays4173]

@@AVGyerra22 good, now thats one loose end

[@marxel4444]

I CANT HEAR YOU OVER THE SOUND OF MY TANKS!

[@styge6287]

German High Command, "Rommel! RETREAT Let us catch up to you! " Rommel, "WE ARE THE PANZER ELITE. BORN TO COMPETE. NEVER RETREAT!!".

[@sudyotmansudershan8707]

GHOST DIVISION

[@sannidhyabalkote9536]

LIVING OR DEAD ALWAYS AHEAD FED BY YOUR DREAD

[@sudyotmansudershan8707]

FAST AS THE WIND THE INVASION HAS BEGUN

[@TheCourier006]

I confirmed this

[@casparvoncampenhausen5249]

THEN THE WINGED HUSSARS ARRIVED

[@Jay-ln1co]

"Hands up, Jerry!" "Silly Frencie, you're behind German lines." "Nu-uh, you're the one who's behind French lines." "You think a division commander of the panzer korps would be driving around behind French lines? Drop your weapons and surrender, and I'll promise you'll get a nice warm cell, instead of a cold grave." "It's a fair cop, Jerry." Speech Increased.

[@breadandblack7718]

Oh yeah the French and German soldiers totally spoke to each other in English.

[@clientsname2933]

@@breadandblack7718 r/woosh

[@breadandblack7718]

@@clientsname2933 I obviously get the joke mate, I liked the comment.

[@spacesquirrelthemajestic3973]

... Rommel first gamer to get a nat 20 for a day straight.

[@Zakahia]

"Les mains en l'air, Jerry." "Dumme Franzosen, Sie sind hinter den deutschen Linien." "Mais non, Vous êtes celui qui est derrière les lignes françaises" "Denken Sie ein Divsions Kommandant eines Panzerkorps würde hinter französischen Linien rumfahren? Lassen Sie ihre Waffen sofort fallen und ergeben Sie sich und ich verspreche Ihnen, dass Sie eine warme Zelle statt ein kaltes Grab bekommen." "C'est suffisant, Jerry"

[@rare_kumiko]

Who the heck wrote that Rommel character, his plot armour is ridiculous.

[@eddgrs9193]

You should read the prequel, Rommel's Adventures in WW1, it's even more ridiculous :)

[@looinrims]

At least he’s not a Mary Sue, his arrogance and ego is staggering, but fuck me some Gary Stu shit is in front of us

[@TheCourier006]

*Guten Tag- what the..*

[@witwunsz4740]

The patched that in 1944-ish by the führer were he got vibe checked

[@riomine1984]

God said that man is a legend and fuck France

[@paulbenedict1289]

Rommel only cared about one kind of orders - the ones he was giving.

[@DaveSCameron]

Oder perhaps the primacy of his nation? Perhaps....

[@Charlesputnam-bn9zy]

@@DaveSCameron Oder-Neisse Line

[@radioraptor9110]

'The frontline commander is always right, and the rear echelon is always wrong until proven otherwise' - i forget where I found this

[@marxel4444]

and the one he wanted to hear,or his radio would "not work properly"

[@huy1k995]

@@radioraptor9110 Collin Powell

[@six2make4]

The true story of Rommel... During the French offensive he was unable to hear the radio due to blasting "Ghost Division" by Sabaton from loudspeakers on his tank, this is ACTUALLY also where the name derives from. It instilled both fear in the enemy and increased the morale of his men, helping to lead to a succesful campaign. - Brought to you by The History Channel.

[@crhu319]

Untrue, if HC covered it there'd be aliens also.

[@Alva_Lombax]

Rommel: and remember to install the speakers in the panzers Sir ? ..... why ? Rommel: Trust me Hanz, itll be worth it

[@RainShadow-yi3xr]

They would've if they could've

[@podemosurss8316]

So he did in 1940 the same kind of actions he did in 1914... but now he had a Panzerdivision instead of a light infantry platoon...

[@marxel4444]

and everybody was like WHAT IS HE DOING!? guys....already done that kind of stuff in italy but...italy...is our ally? yeah,but they werent in the first great war everyone: =O

[@seanmac1793]

Yeah it was a huge downside to his command style. It seems like he was just lucky enough to not learn his lesson.

[@marxel4444]

@@seanmac1793 that is true, that could have ended with a complete defeate of germany in so many ways that it is pure luck they managed to pull this off at all.

[@ghostdivision6877]

@@marxel4444 true but maybe Rommel knew his troops enough to think they would've prevaled under his command

[@marxel4444]

@@ghostdivision6877 battle of sedan,1940 14 May they could have crushed the beachhead over the maas (Meuse) and could have prevented guderian from moving forward

[@v4enthusiast541]

Gotta love Rommel’s origin story: Bullying Italians in WW1

[@yasarekin]

and then bullying them in north africa in 1941-1943

[@xmaniac99]

Pretty sure the Germans lost in Italy during WWI.

[@yasarekin]

@@xmaniac99 in 1917 off the top of my head german's supported the austrian's in a massive offensive which if they continued into 1918 could've pushed italy out of the war but they decided on kaiserschlacht instead

[@xmaniac99]

@@yasarekin The German offensive of 1917 was very successful and almost broke the front, but it was stopped. In 1918 the Germans tried again but they where stopped, the Italian counter offensive ended the war in the middle of a collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The Italian army ignored the calls for a ceasefire and ended its advance in Innsbruck.

[@11mousa]

@@xmaniac99 The only people losing to Italy since ... well, since the fall of Rome were some bushmen in todays Ethiopia. In WW 1, the Italians tried to attack Austria-Hungary (basically themselves not really the best military of that time, to put it mildly), won a few Kilometers up to the Isonzo valley. After that they tried 11 offensives where they severely outnumbered Austro-Hungarian troups and did pretty much nothing. Then the Germans sent some slight reinforcements for a counter offensive (12th Isonzo battle) which was so effective that they threw back the Italians to river Piave (and they probably could have advanced further, if it was not for the weather and high water of the river). After that the Entente high command decided that they needed to support Italy, because they were already pretty close to get out of the war, which would have opened Austrian troups for the western front. With that support they were able to hold river Piave. So no, Germans didn't really lose in Italy (especially not to Italians)

[@ralphduck9415]

German OKW: How far behind enemy lines do you want to go? Rommel: Yes.

[@temkin9298]

Rommel: What lines? All i see is my land taken my me!

[@mychaeldark1007]

@@temkin9298 It's free real-estate!

[@ericmyrs]

The more I learn about Rommel, the more I realize he must have been quite insane. An absolute mad lad, really.

[@knutdergroe9757]

Those that dare !

[@paulbenedict1289]

Ericmyrs You should read 'Infantry Attacks'. It's a field manual that reads like an adventure book.

[@Hunterkiller869]

r/madlad

[@phantomkrieger2744]

Rommel was an og r/madlad

[@sevenproxies4255]

And sometimes, a madman is just what the situation calls for.

[@giulioaprati338]

This deserves a movie on his own

[@rikpien2925]

There are some documanteries But they are more about his last days than that of his prime

[@konradvonschnitzeldorf6506]

would be pretty expensive

[@knutdergroe9757]

If not made in Europe, Hollywood would make a mess of it.

[@mav8535]

No big production company ever would finance a movie about the German Wehrmacht. XD

[@ARandomUsernameForMe]

Marv 1236 The 90s German film Stalingrad is a brilliant film about the Wehrmacht. Also, check out the German miniseries ‘Generation War’.

[@sevenproxies4255]

Erwin Rommel. Taking the term "balls deep" to a whole new level.

[@Realkeepa-et9vo]

_German troops advancing without proper defended flanks._ *Georgy Zhukov wants to know your location*

[@aneesh2115]

German food has left the server

[@comradetachanka8872]

*Stalingrad intensifies*

[@podemosurss8316]

And Kostantin Rokossovski too

[@TedSCSI]

At the time they would have friendly meeting cheering German success.

[@robertfisher8359]

Zhukov can get in line. Clearly everyone else wants to know too.

[@sudasuda5529]

2:57 Erwin "drive by" Rommel

[@IPFreelly604]

OG gang banger of the 20th century

[@meyriaenlaymon8489]

that made me laugh harder than it should have xD

[@ozzkar7852]

Thats what happens when you consume too much Panzerschokolade

[@alexbeau348]

pervitin work miracles

[@mandernachluca3774]

Lol, how it feels to chew Panzerschokolade XD.

[@Anolaana]

Gegner panzer ausgeschaltet!

[@DonVigaDeFierro]

Schokolade? Schokolade!! *SCHOKOLADE!!!* *SCHOKOLAAAAAADEEEEE!!*

[@stacystables117]

You are playing too much WOT... 🤪

[@JRyan-lu5im]

His bluffing troops into surrendering seems to be a favored tactic of his - given that he had also done this move in WWI when he had found himself outnumbered by a patrol of disoriented foot soldiers. If his enemy has been a bit more skeptical in numerous situations, his history could easily have been wildly different. Kudos for someone who had the natural bearing and charisma to convince the enemy that they're not only surrounded but to entirely surrender to a inferior force without using force.

[@billwilson7841]

Rommel took advantage of his Charisma and the fact that he spoke several languages fluently

[@andrewp8284]

Joshua Ryan reminds me of “Quaker guns” (beams/pipes made to seem like cannon barrels) historically. I was reading about one of the Confederate ships in the American Civil War last night, that apparently started out using “Quaker guns” to threaten commerce vessels. Definitely a similar case of having little to no power over the opponent, but faking them into thinking they’re done for!

[@MrAUSSENGELAENDER]

Sounds like he read Sun tzus "Art of War"

[@thundersoul6795]

Or at least a lot shorter. As well as the history of the Third Reich entirely, it seems.

[@joe6167]

I remember a story from his first book where him and a few other guys stumbled upon perhaps a couple hundred or a thousand enemy troops (I think they were Italians), and as soon as Rommel and his group appeared, the bolts on the enemies rifles all instantly fell out of their rifles, while their offices weeped at their cowardice...

[@AndrewJ9673]

“where is Rommel” “He’s just gone, nobody knows”

[@xeraphyx7903]

lol

[@erwinrommel9294]

Im right here

[@ADRay1999]

Patton: *Rommel you magnificent bastard I read your BOOK!*

[@TheHerrUlf]

Except that Rommel hade left Tunisia when the battle to place

[@johnnypopulus5521]

Patton & Rommel would've been friends had they ever met.

[@TheHerrUlf]

Most likely ;-)

[@danieldunlap4077]

If Rommel had fucked up, he would have been forgotten like a 1911 Steyr Hahn trials pistol

[@phil6715]

@@danieldunlap4077 ahhh

[@StrohmaniasFlyingCircus]

Rommel was screening his calls. :- |

[@garysarratt1]

Strohmann He had call waiting.

[@heckinmemes6430]

"Rommel, god damnit, pick up your radio I know you're there, the lights of your panzer are on!"

[@ww2fanatic123]

Been there, done that.

[@randomnepali7772]

Hello panzer daddy

[@doomcreeps2159]

Legendary!

[@glamosky]

Rockstar

[@TheCourier006]

@Adolf Hitler Nein he'rr Führer I'm not here

[@mountainpass4255]

My favorite example of if Rommel’s luck is in north Africa. He was using a captured British command vehicle as his own. Only having changed the paint and adding Iron crosses to it. During a night battle, he was overrun by the British who couldn’t see the Iron cross painted on, so they ignored him the entire night.

[@floris2971]

*panzerlied intensifies*

[@timklepper9224]

3:22 "Im Schaf überrollt" - "rolled over during sheep"?

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

mähhhhhhh 🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑🐑😍

[@timklepper9224]

Time for dinner... or Döner?

[@MadCDeeJay]

Määählitär

[@gerritg8486]

Das arme Schaf (und natürlich die armen Franzosen).

[@jroch41]

I didn't notice but it must be a typo if they meant to say "Im Schlaf überrollt" (rolled over during sleep)

[@lianfirenze6506]

The title sounds like a worried question by high command lol: “Ghost Division? What did Rommel do?”

[@QemeH]

What did he do THIS TIME?

[@trollege9618]

Who would win? An extended fortifications with bunkers and trenches Vs One speedy boi

[@Shadow-sq2yj]

The 7th Panzer division

[@j-aaxch9658]

Speedy speed boy

[@Gregorovitch144]

Nelson infamously raised his telescope to his blind eye when advised his admiral was signalling announcing he couldn't make out the orders. Sir Francis Drake also did this sort of thing regularly. You might say we only know about them because they got away with it and plenty of if not most others that tried just ended up as casualty statistics. On the other hand you could say these dudes won spectacular victories with these sort of heroics and more importantly established a reputation that put the fear of God into their enemy's hearts thereafter. Worth a roll of the dice perhaps.

[@knutdergroe9757]

Those that Dare...

[@maximebeernaert5845]

I recently bought Rommel's diary (?) he kept from the invasion of France to the end of the fights in Africa. Not sure if you've made it intentionally, but it's definitively not about rolling dice ;) ! Rommel himself says the difference between good daring generals and bad/risky ones is that the lasts ones assume "being daring" is all about dice luck ... I hope I didnt make it too rude :)

[@maximebeernaert5845]

Didn't realize but what I'm talking about refers to the african campaign, not the night the video is about. In that case, there's a tint of luck indeed :D sorry bout that

[@davidbriggs264]

However, to be fair to Nelson, he could see that the enemy was about to break, and they were about to win the battle, and his commander could not, thus his raising his telescope to his blind eye.

[@Jorvard]

Well, it's the survivors fallacy, atleast I think that's what it's called. If you only research the survivors you end up with heroic stories and not with all the unlucky ones. That's the kind of thinking that got the allied bombers added armor in their least vulnerable spots - because that was where the returning planes had holes.

[@NegiTaiMetal011]

This may be obvious coming from the band Sabaton, but we got to know things thanks to them. "They are the Panzer elite Born to compete, never retreat, ghost division Living or dead, always ahead, fed by your dread"

[@tigara1290]

200 miles at nightfall, taken within in a day, thus earning their name

[@falco5476]

earning the fame

[@boombl443]

Ghost Division

[@alexbeau348]

@@tigara1290 200 miles?

[@tigara1290]

@@alexbeau348 That's the lyrics, look em up

[@vvvppp6021]

French soldiers: STOP RIGHT THERE!!! Rommel: Wololoo!!! French soldiers: WE SURRENDER!!!

[@crhu319]

Only a few Char tanks were actually converted. Wololoo!

[@JosiahJS976]

Bruh imagine making france surrender memes

[@DefinitelyNotJoshHutcherson]

@@JosiahJS976 Bruh imagine being so scared to fight that you surrender.

[@elkingoh4543]

Guderian after taking Sedan:"Nice town, I'll take it"

[@edi9892]

Just imagine driving into a McDonald's drive in with your Panzer IV...

[@thelvadam2884]

Hmmm 🤔

[@phantomkrieger2744]

I'd prefer Panzer 4 F2 cant have 75m without an elongated barrel.

[@hothoploink1509]

There was a story that this happened at the british training ground at Aldershot, a Challenger (or Challenger 2, don't know) tried driving through the mcdonalds drive in but accidentally tore down the wall on one side of the building. There is now a sign at the drive through that forbids tanks from using the drive-in :D

[@edi9892]

@@hothoploink1509 It was actually a reference to such an event, but I wasn´t sure if it was only a movie, or real life...

[@gungdezz]

Rock and roll McDonalds!!

[@terokoskinen3036]

"As always, keep your grain of salt ready. Ideally from the mines of you favourite Gnome Overlord." Just had to pause to this. :D

[@generalbandege1184]

Ahhh I see you a man of culture as well.

[@TheShowdown16]

Rommel has plot armor...

[@PirateCat822]

Very powerful plot armour.

[@peterdicak9133]

He had strong plot panzer

[@A-Clear_View]

50th like

[@jfarrar19]

"If I don't know what I'm doing, how can the enemy?"

[@kingofpoland88]

As an Army tanker Rommel is just the ideal commander you wish you had. He was wreckless but he lead from the front and kept up morale with the men. The allies were pretty lucky to have no had to deal with him at the Normandy landings.

[@LukeBunyip]

7:51 "...favourite gnome overlord" LOL. Goes well with some Portuguese swearing, a feline chorus, and some barking from the Mighty Boo.

[@mrnice81]

That casual Jingles-reference made my day ... so did this comment above. Glad i am not the only one who escapes the salt mines from time to time.

[@tigeriussvarne177]

I was looking way to long for this comment. Greetings fellow salt miners.

[@vishnuvardhan9372]

This video is one of the many proofs that luck favors the brave.

[@Skylifter1000]

No. it only proves that only those amongst the brave who were favoured by luck, are also known. The brave who weren't lucky are simply the unknown dead.

[@sese182]

Great generals make their own luck.

[@eddgrs9193]

Just imagine the balls, to stop your armored car, order the French troops to surrender, then drive away.

[@anderskorsback4104]

Survivorship bias. Those who were equally brave who gambled and lost didn't become famous.

[@fahadalmathkour325]

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BOLD

[@ostlandr]

Reminds me of a story of Rommel in North Africa. While scouting the front lines, he came upon a German tank company sitting still. They had been ordered to advance to X. They did so, and were simply sitting at X awaiting further orders. Needless to say, this did NOT make Rommel happy. The story is that Rommel then issued a standing order to the entire Afrika Korps: "In absence of orders, find something and kill it."

[@partya11night20]

In my experience with a genius, the difference between a genius and the rest of us is they see things we don't. You can't judge their decisions based on your point of view of the situation. It's infuriating, but most of the time they will be right you will be wrong. So this is sort of 14 mins of I don't understand Rommel. PS : Love your vids!

[@rikpien2925]

Rommel clearly thought he could use shock and surprise tactics to cause chaos amongst the enemy, then he could try to make them surrender or move through the gaps Surprise rarely works against entrenched positions, so he used shock to break them just enough for him to pass them by and find more exploitable weaknesses The genius here is that he once he saw the chance to get himself into a position where he could exploit weaknesses he woukd do it And the fact that and commanded a division, not just a company gave him some real advantages over anybody

[@jacobkonick8889]

I've greatly enjoyed many of your videos, but I think this is one of the best. I've read Rommel's "Infanterie Greift An" (please forgive me if the spelling is incorrect) and it sounds like he was doing in France with tanks what he accomplished with infantry in Northern Italy during the First World War. Still, your point is well-taken and well-made -- had this operation miscarried it seems doubtful either he or his reputation would have survived. Best Wishes --

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

Yeah, some authors pointed out that he basically acted like a Stoßtruppführer. Thank you.

[@TurkishRepublicanX]

Rommel was a gambler, he didn't play it safe like some generals. He was more like Caesar on that front.

[@eddgrs9193]

@@TurkishRepublicanX the whole war was based on a gamble, and Rommel understood that from the beginning. He knew Germany can't fight a long war, and the majority of the Nazi leaders were incompetent. What he did wasn't something particular to him. He and other commanders took the initiative when opportunity presented itself, not because they were crazy, but because it was something that was taught to them in military school. It was something the Prussian military had encouraged since the middle of the 19th century. The premise was that the officers are trained well enough to understand what their job is, properly asses a situation, and immediately take advantage, without wasting time to report and wait for orders from superiors, and risk losing the opportunity.

[@cgross82]

Well done! It should be noted that there was a U.S. commander during the invasion of Grenada during the early 80s who had a record and a reputation for losing contact with and failing to report his current position to his superiors. In that instance it caused his unit to take unnecessary casualties due to friendly fire. You are correct; Rommel was reckless but lucky.

[@averylividmoose3599]

Its hard to suffer from friendly fire when you're 50km behind baguette lines.

[@cgross82]

@@averylividmoose3599 But you have to admit, Rommel could very easily have been captured or killed. Also, those forward elements of the 7th Panzer Division could easily have been cut off. I suppose that the German leaders sensed how demoralized and leaderless the French Army was at that moment.

[@purplefood1]

@@cgross82 I think Rommel just decided to see how far he could take it.

[@cgross82]

@@purplefood1 I would agree; perhaps that was part of his genius as a general. He could sense when to be audacious and bold, seizing the initiative. To his credit, he was part of the plot to assassinate Hitler, but it was too little too late.

[@cgross82]

@G E T R E K T 905 The first one who comes to mind is General George S. Patton, of course.

[@Jan_372]

Now: Tom Clancy's Ghost Division Then: Erwin Rommel's Gespensterdivision

[@saltyyf1802]

"Noooo! you can't just rush the enemy's heavily fortified front!!" "Haha panzer go vroom vroom"

[@stephescobar575]

German High Command: Yo, wya? ... Your message failed to deliver, would you like to resend?

[@alberich3099]

Wait no, Knowing what we do. it's like the 2 checkmarks in Whatsapp never turning blue. The message was recived but just ignored. Rommel was known to ignore highcommand. He thought them to be to sluggish and to dangerous to let them interfere with his movement. he knew from WWI that standing still means death, and exactly taht was now ordered by highcommand. HE must have thought they were fuckign with him.

[@stephescobar575]

@@alberich3099 GHC: wya? Rommel: [seen at 10:05]

[@isiaharellano3789]

Frenchie woman : " Come Rommel please, my parents arent here " Rommel : " I cant im talking to the fuhrer right now " Frenchie Woman : " But im wet " Rommel : *Rushes La Cateau*

[@TheCourier006]

dude Rommel is married lmao but this make laugh

[@KlaustheViking]

Why? Because they were: 1)The Panzer Elite 2)Born to Compete 3)Never Retreat

[@draug7966]

GHOST DIVISION!

[@jamesgroccia644]

@QyUffY Always ahead, as the blitzkrieg rages on! Breaking morale, with the sound of blazing guns! First in the line of fire, fast into hostile land, tanks leading the way! LEADING THE WAAAYYYYYY Leaving a trail of destruction through a foreign land! (Wa-ging war! With conviction!) Amassing assault, is assumed the Nazi plaaan! (Wehr-macht pride! Ghost Division!) Communications broken, phantoms are far away! Thus earning their naaaaame! Earning their faaaaame!

[@jamesgroccia644]

@@lnmaxgal Living or dead! Always ahead! Fed by your dread!

[@jamesgroccia644]

@@lnmaxgal I already did that part

[@A-Clear_View]

120th like 5th reply

[@bagameribalazs7350]

Germans at 7:00: WHERE THE PANZER IS ROMMEL, WE NEED HIS TANKS? You know what, let's just do it without him. Germans arriving at 20:00: Rommel: Hello, forgot your breakfast?

[@HeroHoundoom]

Who's going to win? The French Army Or Some *Speedy Panzer Bois*

[@alberich3099]

Your critisim of Rommels actions due to his actions beeing kind of reckless is fair, I however want to point out one thing with regards to that point. A leader - especially a military one - is trained to a) take initiative not be reactive meaning anticipation of a situation reading it and acting cordign to it. b) take calclutated risks which may result in loses, which every teacher at the OSH-Dresden made very clear. In combat we have to accept that we'll lose men and we have to maje a jugdement call whether those loses are reasonable for the gain. Of cause there is more to it but I want ot keep it short. Rommels "luck" was more a combination of his ability to read the situation quickly and to get momentum going. He as a former infantry leader knew (from first world war) that standing still means beeing killed, especially facing heavy fortifications. Once you broke through those fotifications often became useless because their whole firepower was directed one way and thus becoming fairly harmless once penetrated. Had he given the french more time to reorganise the fortifications, situation may had turned out very differently. He kept that philosophy throughout France and it worked. It worked not because he was lucky(of cause he had Kriegsglück on his side as well) but more because he made teh right calls accordign to the situation. Yea I know hindsight is 20/20, but still. And I'd argue he made those calls because he knew about the french situation amongst their leadership and their philosophy from WWI. Which could be seen with the heavy fortifications. They anticipated another stalemate and hence a fast moving Panzerforce would counter that the best. Although I'd argue that Rommel was reckless from time to time there is one reason why he may could act like that. And not only because he was very well percived in Highcommand, but also because his leadership stlye was quite modern compared to the rest of the Wehrmacht. He didn't lead by command but by assignment. He made sure his following command was thinking his level and so on - a system which is now found in every army. He made sure that any section leader thought in terms of the plattoon every plattoon leader in terms of the company and so on. That made him quite confortable to take those personal risks as he was sure his men were able to hold their own because they were not simply follwoing given orders but followed his set out plan. Now call me out on points, and say I may be retrospectivly reading something into his actions we have no evidence for, and that would be fair game. But knowing that some of the basic rulebooks withn the german army today are based on Rommel's "Infanterie greift an" and he some of the ideas he used during France and later Africa are still seen as valid, showes how good of a CO he was, even with beeing considered reckless or "lucky".

[@Pete292323]

This should be higher up.

[@ROBLOXKING99]

Yes this is the foundation to what makes Rommel so great and unique, he was literally germanys trump card.

[@thatsaverygoodquestion856]

If this was a COH2 Match: German superiors: "Rommel we will use infantry to break defenses." Rommel: *clicks on Panzer IV* GHC: "Oh god thank God for Panzer spam"

[@crazymonkey19071907]

I'm a simple man. I see a video of Military History Visualized, I like it

[@otavioaugusto9856]

TIK History's excellent Operation Crusader series also mention another Rommel's "ride" in a single, unescorted truck through the desert into enemy territory in 1941, to search for supplies. And it was a close call.

[@erwinrommel8620]

My handle may give it away, but I've ALWAYS admired this man.

[@henrikhilskov]

You mention the topic of where Rommel got his Pzkmpf III's from. Arcording a source I read years ago (sorry I had forgot where) Rommel had "stolen" them from another division. The commander of this division complained about this following the command line however because of Rommels successes nobody really cared at the end. I had been in the army for 13 years and in a situation of confusion and lack of comminication with your "own" command struckture this could be the case.

[@MilitaryHistoryVisualized]

ah yeah, I think I read/heard something similar.

[@commander31able60]

this scenario needs to be a movie, with both sad and comedic tones.

[@tomservo5347]

Rommel was exercising the old German Army concept of 'Truppenführung' of trained officers taking the initiative with command flexibility and if being in an advantageous position, exploiting it. The field manual of 1933 section 15 stated: "Every man, from the youngest soldier upward, must be required at all times and in all situations to commit his whole mental, spiritual and physical strength. Only in this way will the full force of a unit be brought to bear in decisive action. Only thus will men develop, who will in the hour of danger maintain their courage and decisiveness and carry their weaker comrades with them to achieve deeds of daring." Rommel took this martial spirit to '11'. Rommel was about making a name for himself and his superiors knew this also-his Pour Le Merite he proudly wore was a constant source of friction between him and his superiors.

[@deathcallscall3438]

I'm so going to turn this into a one shot WW2 tabletop RPG campaign...

[@Lorian667]

I will steal this idea. Maybe combine it with Cthulhu, so that its not luck, but evil magic that saves Rommel^^. Might even be an evil campaign, where the players are unknown participatns and realice whats really up when its too late... Mh. I think about it.

[@deathcallscall3438]

@@Lorian667 you could certainly do this campaign with World of Darkness rules, but i want to try Shadowrun 5e as well, should be easy without magic and tech rules.

[@Lorian667]

@@deathcallscall3438 Its even possible to convert it to DnD or something, but with "heavy Cavalry" instead, and dear Sir Pommel (intended) needs your help during his attack. Could be funny^^

[@radonelement4334]

@@deathcallscall3438 I love the idea of this - I've been considering making a V:tM chronicle based around the Spanish Civil War too

[@avalonangeloflight]

"oh no our modern radio is having issues" comander of rommel "do not move any further than you are" Rommel " alright understand advance past the baguettes I got you" rommel over intercom "we got the go ahead men"

[@gunnerr8476]

"Halloween came early" -The Desert Fox

[@hansvonmannschaft9062]

If only History at school would've been 1% of the fun this video was. I couldn't stop laughing all along. Dankeschön und prosit Neujahr!

[@Luca-vk8zt]

Ghost Division Sabaton Fast as the wind, the invasion has begun Shaking the ground with the force of thousand guns First in the line of fire, first into hostile land Tanks leading the way, leading the way Charging the lines with the force of a furious storm Fast as the lighting phantoms swarm 200 miles at nightfall, taken within a day Thus earning their name, earning the fame They are the panzer elite, born to compete, never retreat (ghost division) Leaving or dead, always ahead, fed by your dread Always ahead, as the blitzkrieg rages on Breaking morale the with the sound of blazing guns First in the line of fire, first into hostile land Tanks leading the way, leading the way Leaving a trail of destruction to a foreign land (Waging war with conviction) Massive assault made to serve the Nazi plan (Wehrmacht's pride, ghost division) Communication's broken, phantom's are far away Thus earning their name, earning the fame They are the panzer elite, born to compete, never retreat (ghost division) Leaving or dead, always ahead, fed by your dread Pushing the frontline forth with a tremendous force (Far ahead, breaks resistance) Reaching the way for panzer corps (Shows no fear, self-subsistent) First in the line of fire, first into hostile land Thus earning the name, claiming the fame They are the panzer elite, born to compete, never retreat (ghost division) Leaving or dead, always ahead, fed by your dread Panzer elite, born to compete, never retreat (ghost division) Leaving or dead, always ahead, fed by your dread Songwriter: Joakim Broden / Par Sundstrom Songtext von Ghost Division © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

[@TheStugbit]

I don't know if MHV has a video talking about this yet, but I would like so much to see a video about the psychological aspects of war and psychological tactics as well.

[@alexbeau348]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_wave_attack

[@TheStugbit]

@@alexbeau348 that's more closer to the field of psychiatry than psychology, I guess.. xD

[@violentscorl697]

Stugbit Fz A good idea! He could talk about the „Jericho Trumpets“, also known as Stuka sirens. They were feared, and the Germans knew how to incite panic In Their enemies.

[@alexbeau348]

@@violentscorl697 Finns erected frosen corses of Red Army soldiers on roads

[@TheStugbit]

@@violentscorl697 yeah! I thought about that too. And talking about Stukas, another interesting thing is tactical bombers targeting enemy's HQs and things like that to cause confusion and disrupt the organization of the enemy. I don't know for sure if it would fit on the "psychology category" but it certainly would be an interesting matter.

[@mohabatkhanmalak1161]

Rommels tactics reflected his experiences in WW1 where he preferred being bold and taking "calculated risks". Even on his first landing in North Afrika, he immediately ordered his division to go on the attack - and was succesfull. Panzer doctrine dictates pressing on especially when a major defensive barrier has been penetrated and remember the bridges on the forward rivers had to be taken for maximum advantage for the panzers. His close air support and the other Luftwaffe units would have located Rommel in no time anyway. In the annals, there was a point when Rommel crossed the limit of the WW1 Hindenburg line, and that must have been his moment of victory.

[@christopherg2347]

As for "Ghost Division", I remember a Movie about Rommel. It started with a UK raid on his Headquarters to kill him. Rommel was not even there. Trying to kill the guy was like trying to free princess peach: He was always in another castle.

[@manubishe]

I like the small notes of humor here and there , great job with the videos!

[@leemon2677]

Rommel: Goes 50km behind enemy lines. Also Rommel: *forces French Divisions to surrender because they think they are behind enemy lines*

[@redacted3557]

Rommel was perhaps one of the best Tank commander of ww2, among Guderian and Patton.

[@noobster4779]

What "great" thing did Patton do? Except winning with absolut material superiority

[@redacted3557]

Noobster read about his achievements, you got google for a reason.

[@danielhalachev4714]

And Zhukov and Erich von Manstein.

[@shweatypalms4423]

@@danielhalachev4714 I think the ZHUK is very underrated but to my knowledge anyway he was working more on a large scale strategic level and not really small operations.

[@noobster4779]

@@triggerme6144 Your arguments lack context. Driving across france? sure, easy if the germans lack fuel and can only move by night. THere is a reason the germans tried to close the gap, not catch patton. It was there only option. Driving to Berlin. What??? at least at the rhine patton would be stopped, if not before that. the germans still had a military you know. and the moment the allies reached western germany the resistance stiffened to new hights. also the germans still had reserves in hungary. The units for the ardennen offensive didnt came from nothing. Alsos sure leave the entire northern flank of your army open to counterattack while advancing into germany.............. Patton fucking the soviets`? good luck. In the battle of Berlin alone the soviets used 2.5 million men with a 10:1 advantage in every material catagory against the germans. Good luck driving to moscow. The soviet army was by far better then in 41 and you want attack with infirior forces then the germans had in 41..... Patton became famous because the americans needed there "heroes" during the war. For the germans it was Rommel, for the us patton. They were totally blown out of there ability by propaganda.

[@mcfontaine]

Yet another brilliantly detailed video. Thank you.

[@YetiMama]

Great video. Thanks for your evaluation of the material.

[@GavinTheFifer]

Man I love Rommel, he’s my favorite general from the entire war.

[@Lowlandlord]

I have an image of Rommel going "Oh shit, I forgot the kids back in Landrecies" when he decided he needed to let part of his unit catch up. Dude reminds me of Captain Ronald Speirs from Easy Company, literally running through enemy lines at Foy as the Germans just stared at him, too surprised to think of shooting at him.

[@douglasstrother6584]

... and then he came back. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z2XMkGSurZmoaas

[@jroch41]

Very revealing overview, thanks. Sehr aufdeckender Bericht, Danke.

[@rafaelfigueira4913]

This video was amazing, thank you !

[@ilejovcevski79]

So he screwed up and won them the battle while doing so.....wait...... just kidding, what we often ignore when we look back on historical events (and great battles more so) is that hindsight always has 20/20 vision. Hannibal, Caesar, Rommel.......they "gambled". Are their successes a result of their opponents mistakes? Possible......but i would advise you sometimes enter a boxing for a friendly sparring match against someone who's better then you.....and then try and come up with all the mistakes he made (while kicking the hell out of you) and how easily you could have beaten him if you only did the right thing at the time.

[@thelvadam2884]

good point tbh

[@alberich3099]

Gamble may be the wrong word - but only because its so negativly conontated. They took a risk, sometiems more than they should have, but you also need to acknowlage that those leaders did not fall from the skies, but gained their position due to their knowlage of warefare. Rommel who was a very succesfull infantry officer from WWI knew that standing still infront of fortifications is a greater risk than piercing them. As the French anticipated another stalemate their defenses were build strong but sluggish, and Rommel knew that, from experiance. And most fortifications become quite harmless once you penetrate them, so that is what Rommel did. He thought that him penetrating fortifications and wreak havoc behind them was less of a risk than standing still waiting for slow parts of the troops to catch up. That is why I'd argue his gamble was less gambeling but more beeing able to read the situation to an extent many could not or did not. I like your comparison, that pointing out all his flaws and risks is like you criticising a persons fighting style who just majorly kicked your ass. And I'd like to add that his idea of always try to be on the move is now so engrained in the german army that most combat vehicles have to meet the criteria to keep up with the tanks. That there would be no major waiting time required for slower parts to keep up.

[@ilejovcevski79]

@@alberich3099 quite eloquently put. I could not agree more.

[@matheusbee3441]

@@alberich3099 Let the man talk for himself. "A risk is a chance you take; if it fails you can recover. A gamble is a chance taken; if it fails, recovery is impossible." - Erwin Rommel (Probably, am not very confident at the sources, but still :p)

[@meanP90]

Love Sabaton. Watched solely because of the song.

[@pilotmanpaul]

Corp Command: Where's Rommel? Rommel: *Deep within enemy lines with his Panzers*

[@kiankok84]

I just realized that I'm an addict to your videos. The moment the load your video the first thing I did was clicking the like button. Then I start watching your video.

[@florianlindenberger4185]

200 miles at nightfall Getting there in a day Thus earning their name Earning their fame....

[@cumaproto9466]

They're the panzer elite, born to compete, never retreat (ghost division) Living or dead, always ahead, fed by your dread

[@NinjaGhostWarrior123]

Very professional channel.

[@floris2971]

Great video mah dude

[@Bota367]

Nice video :) keep up the good work. It would be nice to see Battle of Smolensk map and with all the problems Guderian and Hoth experienced with overextended lines. Just a "small" suggestion :)

[@kyleclark4449]

Classic Rommel

[@louisswanepoel1614]

The German company commanders were encouraged in taking the initiative and setting the example for their troops, excellent doctrine when you want to be aggressive. In the case of Rommel he seemed to always have been a "go-getter", remember he was not your typical commander who went to university and stuff. What is shocking to me is how slow the French were at reacting and reporting that something is going on. Yes, sure it is night but its no excuse to not have someone stand guard and holding a radio nearby. This just show how bad the troop morale and leadership was.

[@knutdergroe9757]

You forget, Radios were not common in 1939-1940, even at company level(French). The U.S. had some of the best radios. Even that, they were large. My Uncle Bruce was U.S.ARMY artillery in the Pacific in WWII. When he was forward observer in the Philippines. It was a three man team. Cause of the size of the equipment. And that was 1945. The other point, The French moral was very low. The common French Soldier did not highly of his command or politicians. SEMPER FI

[@viorelviorel2324]

reminds me of that one battalion commander that died charging a machinegun nest in Falklands brave sure but he was not supposed to be there and do that Rommel in North Africa got stuck behind the British lines in a captured British staff car mind you he is comanding an entire army at this point imagine if he got shot or captured

[@a.e.9821]

They didn't even have radios...

[@tavish4699]

@@a.e.9821 they did,

[@grumpyoldman2380]

Great video!

[@allstife2]

Hello, your channel is sensational! I'm a big fan of World War II and lately I've been studying English. I'm watching your videos daily. Congratulations on the great work !!! See you.

[@robertfisher8359]

Books were used but not harmed in the making of this video. :D :D :D

[@SantiFiore]

7:45 "As always, keep your grain of salt ready, idly from the mines of your favourite gnome overlord" MHV trying so hard to not gain a free passage to the salt mines by praising the wheezing ol' skive Captain.

[@rfletch62]

Rommel crinkling paper next to the microphone: " Teri- bull static- Under--stood--continue-- ad--vance..."

[@julienvautrin9817]

Très bonne vidéo. Très instructive

[@j3v167]

What you need to do is to view Rommel's actions based on his deeds in World War 1 as recounted in his book "Infantry attacks". He had summed up correctly that is you use Storm Troop tactics (the US basically called the same thing "Shock and Awe" in their Gulf War), then you can quickly break the morale of the enemy. Some of the French would have heard reports of German troops having reached the Sambre river. Such news would spread like wildfire leading French troops to think that they are actually surrounded. Had ALL the French troops known that this was a single push by a single commander and not a concerted push, then the French would have rallied and could have taken Rommel's invaders our very quickly. All Rommel basically had done was to adapt his battle tested tactics from World War 1 to include Panzers and then went all out for it..

[@jorgschroeder7511]

Rommel Was a visionary he knew exactly what he was doing, - Thats why they called him the FOX .

[@Ogidamanisha]

that jingles ref made me smile

[@jonsmitt9769]

Charging the lines with the force of a furious storm