WHY the Germans FAILED at Stalingrad? BATTLESTORM STALINGRAD E28

The traditional explanation says that Paulus's 6th Army stalled in Stalingrad during October 1942 because of the lack of manpower. But is this really the case? It turns out that the manpower crisis was a symptom of a much larger problem inherent within the German war machine. Let's find out what that is.
Also, if you haven't seen it, you may find my video on German logistics during WW2 interesting. Link: • Why the German Army co...
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The MAPs for this series were created by Terri Young, and the thumbnail was created by her too. Need graphics? Check out her website www.terriyoungdesigns.co.uk/
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📚 BIBLIOGRAPHY / SOURCES 📚
The specific Battlestorm Stalingrad bibliography docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Full list of all my sources docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
⚔️ If you like Stalingrad, you may also enjoy historian Anton Joly's KZbin channel "Stalingrad Battle Data". Link: / @armageddon4145
If you'd like to learn more about the 64th Army, check out Dann Falk's book on the 64th Army, and his website here: falkenbooks.com/
Historian Jason D. Mark also has a website where you can purchase his books from : www.leapinghorseman.com/
Check out Egor Kobyakov's Stalingrad articles here - warspot.net/users/201-egor-ko...
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📽️ RELATED VIDEO LINKS 📽️
BATTLESTORM STALINGRAD PLAYLIST • BATTLESTORM STALINGRAD...
BATTLESTORM STALINGRAD S1/E1 - The 6th Army Strikes! • BATTLESTORM STALINGRAD...
History Theory 101 • [Out of Date, see desc...
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ABOUT TIK 📝
History isn’t as boring as some people think, and my goal is to get people talking about it. I also want to dispel the myths and distortions that ruin our perception of the past by asking a simple question - “But is this really the case?”. I have a 2:1 Degree in History and a passion for early 20th Century conflicts (mainly WW2). I’m therefore approaching this like I would an academic essay. Lots of sources, quotes, references and so on. Only the truth will do.
This video is discussing events or concepts that are academic, educational and historical in nature. This video is for informational purposes and was created so we may better understand the past and learn from the mistakes others have made.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

A few graphical errors again (thank you Premiere Pro) and I also messed up the bit where I quoted Fritz (showing the Official German History). Sorry about that. Hope you enjoy the video though!

[@robert_trumpeteer]

I am so happy with all your work and a new episode of this! :D

[@QuizmasterLaw]

Well the nazis lost at Stalingrad because they regularly violated international law: everyone knows when you commit grave systematic violations of international law the result is always defeat in war.

[@robert_trumpeteer]

I am for the individual, not fascist or communist groups.

[@robert_trumpeteer]

@National Fascist Party being a fascist or communist is? Hell no. That's worse.

[@robert_trumpeteer]

@National Fascist Party You are rude, I am not rude. I am against tiranny of those political groupings.

[@hansschonig2472]

the logistics part of this is the best i have ever seen. only surpassed by the oil video

[@agentorange6085]

Definitely one of TIK's best. The graphics, the sourcing, the styling and production, all first class.

[@ricardokowalski1579]

“Amateurs talk about strategy and tactics. Professionals talk about logistics and sustainability in warfare” - General Robert Hilliard Barrow. Of course Napoleon, also knew this. TIK is making sure everybody that wants to learn knows this.👍

[@BernardoFrau]

Full agreement

[@Ph33NIXx]

Agreed

[@Intreductor]

The Battle of Stalingrad is now especially interesting because not only is TIK covering it, but also TimeGhost's week by week coverage is now in October 1942, covering the same time period. Watching both channels back to back really gives detailed insight as well as an overall situation of the war. In parallel to this, the Battle of Guadacanal is also happening.

[@nairpic7360]

@@FelixBat To be fair, it was not the logistical system which failed in Afghanistan and Vietnam. Both the Talibans and the communist Vietnamese got truckloads of supplies from what the US left behind for its allies.

[@neilwilson5785]

The overlap is fun.

[@MarkVrem]

Yeah I also noticed that to, they are just about in the same exact spot, lol

[@nicholasconder4703]

@@FelixBat The real issue wasn't logistics. The Americans had logistics galore. The issues lay in 1) not studying what the political situation was before getting involved (including learning from that nation's history, 2) knowing how to fight their opponents and 3) not thinking about what they would do to win over the populace and win the peace after their opponents had been pushed back.

[@Dustz92]

The overlap has been great, but now TIK's version stops unless he makes 40 videos in four months which isn't going to happen :(

[@sparkyfromel]

" We need trains load to make sure we can send more train loads " " you cannot have train loads we don't have enough train loads already " " until we get more trainloads there will be no more trainloads " interestingly Halder replacement , Zeitzler , was a logistic specialist , maybe Hitler had a clue where the problem was

[@BelleDividends]

Zeitzler is sometimes also described as a yes-men, and that this was the reason he was picked to replace Halder. Pointing out where it hurts - the logistics - and proposing a withdrawal don't seem the things a typical yes-man would do.

[@genericpersonx333]

Didn't solve the bigger problem: not enough stuff coming out of the factories in the first place thanks to quirky Prussian notions of how to run a war. The generals kept thinking in terms of campaigning seasons with long downtimes between to rest, refit, and refurbish. Their weapons thus were made to run very well for a short period of time before being carefully refurbished over weeks for the next campaign. The idea of panzers, trucks, and planes having to fight continuously for months on end without a chance for a factory to refurbish them just didn't occur to them. This is most of the reason for the lack of spare parts: campaigns weren't supposed to last long enough for the field repair shops to need to use that many parts themselves. The Panzer III really exemplifies this best. Hard to find a better balanced and more efficient combat tank in 1940 or even 1941, where despite its weak protection and barely adequate firepower, its mobility, reliability, and other factors helped knock out opponents left and right. However, to repair common failing parts, like the transmission, you basically disassembled the entire 20-ton tank, lifting off the turret and top half of the hull. This can be done in the field with the right tools, but it is slow and unpleasant. Much easier to send it back to Germany where it can not only repaired but even upgraded. In 1940, this was not an issue when no Panzer III had to run more than couple of months before it had months to refit for the 1941 campaigns. In 1942, this proved a bane as the ability to ship back to Germany simply became impractical and no one really could figure out that they needed to force more spares to the front so the field shops could do the work themselves.

[@aleksazunjic9672]

Transportation was not the core problem, nor was "soldiers not paying for their bullets" . Germans already started feeling manpower shortage, especially as Soviets fully rebuilt their army at kept it at the level of 6-7 million people. In contrast, Germans only had around 2.5 million with maximum one million of unreliable Axis allies (Finns, Romanians, Hungarians, Italians, Croats etc ...) Therefore, Soviets could achieve local maximum at certain places and attack practically any time. Germans would need to weaken other sectors, and they could not afford to do that.

[@ShamanKish]

@@aleksazunjic9672 It was a genial idea to send men in their best age to fight a war and bring slaves to replace them in factories! 🤦‍♂️

[@bundeswehr7676]

…doesn’t Zeitzler mean time counter..?

[@Elmarby]

My German great-uncle was at Stalingrad serving as a butcher. Him being flown out before it got really bad now makes more sense. They had already cut into the stock of horses before they even got there! There wasn't all that much to do. I still vividly recall him expressing his gratitude to his CO that made that call. You could tell, more than 50 years later, that that officer was fondly remembered.

[@user-wi4xc5sm2k]

For reference only. I'm from Kazakhstan. My grandpa was in stalingrad too. Lucky ur relative left. My grandpa would've clipped him. ...don't take this too serious, just kidding. But seriously though, they might've met on the battlefield.

[@Elmarby]

@@user-wi4xc5sm2k Hi! And no offence taken. And he was a German soldier, even if a non combatant, in someone else's country. As a Dutchman, I would have sided with your grandfather if they had met. Even his brother, my granddad, probably would have sided with your grandfather. He spend the last two years of the war in a concentration camp for being opposed to Hitler. After the war, he left Germany and hated the Germans with a passion to his dying day.

[@user-wi4xc5sm2k]

@@Elmarby well then ur grandpa is a real hero. Imagine a world where everyone is on side and ur grandpa understanding how wrong that belief is stood against it. That requires some VERY BIG BALLS.... seriously.

[@maxmusterman9262]

@@Elmarby If he was german why would he hate germans? It is not good to hate yourself

[@elviadarkgrape2859]

@@maxmusterman9262 Hes a liar. A self hater commie leftist. Dont you see it.

[@YadraVoat]

Your work is a voice of reason and sanity.

[@johnmn3500]

This guy is great at examining the details often overlooked by others.

[@MrCarpelan]

None of it matters though. I mean, can you say one reason why this is important?

[@darthcalanil5333]

@@MrCarpelan if this doesn't matter for history, then what does? Germany goes brrrrr then then they go sad east/west. Is that the history that you want? Why are you even following a single battle documentary that is longer than all documentaries of the whole war?

[@bergstrom716]

International falls checking in

[@dreamcrusher112]

@@MrCarpelan History for history's sake is never a waste

[@johnmn3500]

@@MrCarpelan why does anything matter? We will all eventually die without having made any lasting impact on earth. Like Bill Hicks said, "its just a ride".

[@Malandirix]

This video paints a fantastic picture of the unmitigated, catastrophic, (sometimes literal) trainwreck that the German logistics had become by this point in the war. I feel that I properly understand this historical event so much better because of this series. It feels truly real now rather than a legend or fable.

[@nicholasconder4703]

Overy's book "Why the Allies Won" covers this quite well.

[@Conn30Mtenor]

When Napoleon entered Smolensk he had already lost 160,000 horses. Apparently nobody in Germany bothered to read military history.

[@nicholasconder4703]

@@Conn30Mtenor I suspect the Germans wanted to do it on a grander scale. After all, bigger is better, right?

[@bsaintnyc]

@@Conn30Mtenor the three spearhead invasion rather than an all out drive to Moscow in one thrust was ordered by Hitler specifically to avoid Wehrmacht forces failing for the same reasons as Napoleons grand army.

[@flyingpiggie979]

I really could keep watching this indefinitely. It’s an absolute masterpiece. Even once it’s complete, I hope another Battlestorm series follows swiftly after.

[@michaelkovacic2608]

Critical German ammo shortages certainly give Hitler's dislike for the Stg44 a new facette.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

That's a good point! Hadn't thought of that before, but that could be a factor

[@michaelkovacic2608]

@@TheImperatorKnight may i ask a question? Do you think you will cover manstein's planned attack on leningrad in 1942, just go over the planning and so on?

[@QuizmasterLaw]

Stg44 being produced in 1944 was unavailable in Stalingrad. Though yeah, automatic weapons burn up ammunition and btw the troops really would prefer not to be carrying all that weight (ammunition is heavy).

[@miguelangelcifuentescruz689]

@@QuizmasterLaw They had semi auto, no? plus they could just carry a magazine and reload it with bullets as needed

[@yulusleonard985]

@@miguelangelcifuentescruz689 That kurtz cartridge are not shared with other weapon in the system. Also loading a 30 rounds magazine every time are pain.

[@igory3789]

It’s interesting, in USSR history courses from school to universities the crucial impact of economy on the success or failure of military campaigns was always highlighted as a big thing. I remember it very well when I studied at school and later at university.

[@alanpennie8013]

Marxism - Leninism has its advantages.

[@igory3789]

@@alanpennie8013 And disadvantages too, humans couldn’t create the ideal system yet.

[@alanpennie8013]

@@igory3789 I think ML is mostly false, but partly true.

[@igory3789]

@@alanpennie8013 ML is true in capitalism analysis, but solutions to capitalism problems worked only partly. That’s why I think that capitalism long term is not the future, but there is no better system created yet.

[@alanpennie8013]

@@igory3789 I agree.

[@360Nomad]

"find its food supplies locally" Fancy way of saying "stealing from Soviet civilians at gunpoint"

[@jesperFrost]

It’s basically tax!

[@paulgdunsford7469]

You can only steal all the food once after that it’s gone, not like today when you might pop down to the shops and knick all of that stuff

[@neilwilson5785]

That was the plan. Murdering civilians in various ways.

[@neilwilson5785]

@@Edax_Royeaux The British army in the Penninsular War were careful to pay civilans for food. The French army starved civilans without a thought.

[@ivanthemadvandal8435]

or as Soviet civilians call it, Tuesday

[@Activated_Complex]

“What has been accomplished here is simply incredible!” Some lies really never go out of style. Thanks for the video, TIK. Very well-researched and informative as always.

[@ImperativeGames]

Even more, such lies are expected by populus. Some kind of ritual ^^

[@parabot2]

At lest we won , now we get to pass on all our cool modern values onto our children and grand children ( like LGBTQI and CRT ) we are winners .

[@luispt77]

The vast steppe of nothingness before Stalingrad and the impossibility of German forces to live of the land like before, thus resulting in a major food crisis is really a fresh and important reason to the failure of the 6th army. Even if OKW had realized it would take more troops to take Stalingrad it really shows they would not be able to just send reinforcements (like the 11th army). This is going down as one of your best videos (so far) TIK.

[@ImperativeGames]

One of the reasons why Soviet/Russian High Command made the term "глубина обороны' one of they main ones since then. And why Russian leaders don't like NATO advance towards East. Also, modern rockets' flight time.

[@eighthelement]

This could indeed be one of the best TIK videos. The litany of logistics problems explains so much of what happened before, and why.

[@henrikg1388]

That's just BS. Without the massive lend-lease (which they never paid back) their economy would have been in shambles by then. They wouldn't have been able to put up a fight due to starvation.

[@tihomirrasperic]

@@henrikg1388 both sides were starving but the land lease brought that tab on the scales for superiority for the Allies the whole south of Russia was poorly developed, and only one railroad that could not feed a group of armies

[@christobalcolon6601]

Why didn't Germany (at least temporarily) make fast-friends with the Ukrainians (exchange 2021 for 1941) and then enjoy localised food support and numerous auxiliaries seeking revenge for the Holodomor? A field marshall Hernan Cortez would have initiated such action without even seeking approval. If Germany liberated Ukraine from the Bolsheviks, then Germany might even use intrigue to liberate India from the British: the necessary link for Germany and Japan.

[@Snipeyou1]

Stalin’s comments on Eremenko’s performance sent chills down my spine. That’s scary stuff man!

[@GreatDevourer]

The Germans dropped scrap metal and bombs from airplanes because they were forced to do so by the principles of physics. It is about evenly distributing the load. This is especially true for small aircraft like the Ju-87. This plane has a flying cow aerodynamics. You cannot hang a 500 kg bomb under one wing and four 50 kg bombs under the other wing. When you are short of bombs, you need to add some weight to the plane so that it keeps balance during the flight. In wartime conditions, the planes were loaded with whatever was at hand.

[@pax6833]

maybe just fly one less aircraft and take the bomb from it and put it on another plane. Seems like a waste of fuel to be flying aircraft without enough bombs to equip them all.

[@dogsnads5634]

You're ignoring the effect of aerodynamics and asymmetric loads....it would cause just as much of a problem. And how are these pieces of scrap metal attached to the bomb release gear and released....released safely as well.... It doesn't stack up at all...

[@Ailasher]

@@pax6833 "maybe just fly one less aircraft and take the bomb from it and put it on another plane" Yean, good choice.. For Soviet air defence.

[@whutdatytopsy9651]

Well?? shoulda drop paratroopers instead on the other side of the Volga?? Therefore, history woulda been changed?

[@GreatDevourer]

@@whutdatytopsy9651 The Germans had serious problems with supplying their army in Stalingrad. How were they supposed to assemble the airborne forces? Even assuming that by some miracle they will accomplish the impossible and manage to drop the necessary forces behind the Volga. How would they supply them with just ammunition? The Germans did not capture their own crossing or a bridge over the Volga. They had neither boats nor enough transport planes. The British at Arnhem proved how easy it was to screw up such an operation.

[@notbotheredable]

Just a minor thing to add in terms of the parts shortages: One of the ways to repair damaged tanks if you don't have parts is to cannibalise them from other damaged tanks. This effectively swaps a couple of easily repairable tanks (if you had parts) for a single total write-off. Whilst this practice can maintain a higher level of capability in the short term it comes at the cost of long term weakening of forces.

[@oddballsok]

i am sure the german technicians were aware of that and were practicing this..thus..this has been incorporated in the numbers of useless spent unrepairable tanks...

[@eighthelement]

This was common practice indeed. In 1941 home workshops complained that tanks damaged in Russia - sent to Germany for repairs - are often just empty hulls with every useful part removed.

[@MauriceLeviejr]

@@oddballsok a vehicle that looks functional can still be taken along an advance, or even driven around in a defensive position. In “generation kill” there are several damaged tanks where only the mounted machine guns are still functional yet in battle it goes because of its armor protection

[@brentsutherland6385]

Cannibalization can't help you much with wear parts like spark plugs. Then there are things you cannot reuse like gaskets.

[@cwolf8841]

There are levels of repair which are based on the tools/equipment needed to do them. So the organic repair in unit is limited. Shipping the tank back to depot creates other challenges.

[@FANNYclNADYN]

General Batov written in his memoirs as well, that the Germans planes often drop wheels, barrels and metal on soviet troops instead of bombs during Manstien’s assault on Crimea in 1941, but it was assumed to be a bombing training.

[@t5ruxlee210]

The amateurs discuss tactics: the professionals discuss logistics." - Napoleon This is a fascinating outline on how a series of "least worst decisions" just postponed a total disaster. Stopping everything first to swallow the bitter medicine needed to create order out of chaos is a really hard sell to leaders on all sides in all wars...

[@aleksazunjic9672]

Well, Soviet logistic was actually worse (they had food shortage even before the war, and now lost lot of arable land) . I guess by TIK logic, Soviets won because they were used to starve and Germans were not :D

[@andrewallen9993]

@@aleksazunjic9672 And of course the Nazis didn't have lend lease and American designed production lines and production machinery.

[@Observer29830]

Ooooh, Napoleon talking about logistics. I wonder if this quote came before or after his campaign in Russia xD

[@EarlPiller]

The German logistics and their allied cohesiveness were terrible!

[@cdcdrr]

@@Edax_Royeaux I don't doubt it's in the spirit of Napoleon at least. He put together a massive effort to supply his army during his invasion of Russia. And as we know, it still wasn't enough. Compare that to Madman Hitler and his claim "You don't need to pack your winter coat, the war will be over by Christmas, the whole rotten structure will fall down by then."

[@jmi5969]

10:10 it's amazing to hear that the area was once "agriculturally uproductive". There are some salt deserts and the rocky Donskoy reserve, but apart from these, almost every bit of flat land is used for crops. Enough natural water, no need for forced irrigation.

[@Dustz92]

I'm also surprised that horses had trouble eating the steppe grass, historically this area had been the center of several horse-grazing nomad empires (for instance Sarai, the Golden Horde capital, was very close to Volgograd).

[@jmi5969]

@@Dustz92 September maybe, but by October the grass is gone, anyway. And then a work horse won't live long on grass alone, even if it's fresh and tasty. They needed grain.

[@nikitosnu]

@@Dustz92 That depends on the horse breed. Russian or mongol horses are well-adapted to the steppe, so they can live off the steppe grass. In contrast, the german horses were bred for maximal strength and they required highly nutritious diet, which the steppe grass simply could not provide

[@duncanhamilton5841]

@@nikitosnu /\ This. A horse isn't just a horse - indigenous small steppe breeds can happily exist on grass alone, and wouldn't have stayed in the same spot for so long in high numbers. Heavy draught horses can survive on grass, but only for short periods, and not while working, and certainly not staying on the same degraded pasture with 100,000 other horses

[@JoeMun]

Loving the videos TIK, best series keeps on chugging along! You’re doing very important work here

[@georgewilliams8448]

Another excellent video! I especially like the even handedness of your videos; you tell us if you disagree with the information that is promoted by various sources and explain why you may disagree which I really appreciate. I am always impressed by the thoroughness of the videos and the efforts that you take to tell the whole story as well as listing your sources so I can check them out myself to find more information that you cannot include in your videos; though you do include quite a bit of information in the videos which definitely makes the videos much better!

[@AnthonyEvelyn]

TIK. Your Battlestorm Stalingrad Series deserves an award for breaking down and explaining the Stalingrad campaign.

[@sniperboom1202]

The luftwaffe running out of bombs is totally believable. When my grandfather was in Vietnam as an air force dog handler, they would make napalm in the fuel barrels because there weren't enough bomb shells to fill with the napalm.

[@MauriceLeviejr]

The original napalm bombs were empty fuel tanks. Since these are very expensive (flight testing), this was a temporary supply issue, as fuel tanks are the first thing dropped in dog fights

[@sniperboom1202]

@@MauriceLeviejr I'm not talking about the jettison tanks I'm talking about the 55 gallon drums that most oil and jet fuel came in at the time.

[@MakeSomeNoiseAgencyPlaylists]

believable? fact....anyway

[@Dilley_G45]

Germany was short of bombs in 1939 when the war started. Hitler had an idea to use gas bottles and make bombs out of them, GFM Milch from the Luftwaffe wanted to make concrete bombs...it somehow got solved before the May 1940 offensive I guess... Sources Alfred Price and Len Deighton

[@dogcalledholden]

In regards to the Luftwaffe shortage of bombs reminds me of a humorous photo taken during the early stage of the American involvement in Vietnam. The image was of a Skyraider with a toilet pan attached to the hardpoint on one wing due to shortage of bombs, and the NEED to stabilise the aircraft in flight. It is possible that the luftwaffe had done something similar.

[@williamcollins4082]

My thoughts exactly !!!

[@alansewell7810]

Thank you for bringing fresh perspectives to bear and making them interesting. This is not easy to do with a battle so intensively analyzed for decades.

[@ErikHare]

I was greatly disappointed that the Chuikov near-death counter did not increase at 32:00 or so. Perhaps you thought that running through a burning oil field in the middle of the night was simply routine for the man at this point.

[@steeltrap3800]

He has asbestos underneath his outer teflon coating ;-D

[@LysergicAcidDerivate]

At this time, it was just warm up for Chuikov, get it???🙃

[@fiddlersgreen2433]

Interesting fact: that cotluban and north of the city area is now filled with apple and pear gardens belonging to one of the major russian juice producers

[@robertalaverdov8147]

Thanks to global warming food producing regions in Russia are set to quadruple.

[@fiddlersgreen2433]

@@robertalaverdov8147 I'm afraid due to global warming those areas can became deserts actually.

[@robertalaverdov8147]

@@fiddlersgreen2433 Most of the equatorial regions, probably so. But the tundra and artic are likely to benefit. The Russian steppe is bitterly cold most of the year. It even snows in Kalmykia, the closest nearby semi-desert climate. The reason for most deserts isn't temperature but lack of rainfall.

[@fiddlersgreen2433]

@@robertalaverdov8147 I know, but to benefit from agriculture you need a proper amount of rain. Those areas are getting less and less amount of it during the summer time unfortunately. I know since I myself was born in penza region which is slightly to the north and is on a steppe/forest boundary and could see the trend for many years.

[@robertalaverdov8147]

@@fiddlersgreen2433 I hear you, a few of my uncle's own farms in Kuban and Samara. Keep in mind irrigation is more important for farming than rain. And a lot of rivers cross Russian interiors along with a large amount of present aquafers. There may be impacts from global warming like St Petersburg needing a sea wall. But overall Russia is going to benefit immensely along with Canada and the Nordic countries. What happens to much of the world isn't going to be pretty that I won't argue with. Global warming is a process that will take a long time to slow down and or reverse. Meantime count your blessings and thank God that they'll be food on the table. Maybe it was meant to be as a way to correct the Russian peoples past suffering and the immense loss of life from 1914 until 1946.

[@juliantheapostate8295]

Hitting new levels of information density and multiple cross-referenced sources with this one. I'm a Subscribestar backer and I encourage everyone else to consider backing TIK as he continues his crusade of true WW2 knowledge

[@eli_7295]

Thumbs up for you nickname :)

[@DalekSec4]

Currently working my way through all the videos. I can honestly say I get more and more impressed with every video. Quite frankly you blow all the main stream historians out the water.

[@morningstar9233]

Not alone in thanking you i'm sure for a logistics heavy episode Tik. Like no other episode in a truly great series this really illustrates the overall situation and answers a lot of questions concerning the predicament of both sides. Sterling work!

[@zxbzxbzxb1]

Have to say that, although as I am not in line with you on some economic bits, you are one of the finest historians out there without a doubt :)

[@lordbonney9779]

Brings a whole new meaning to 99% male.

[@i-etranger]

Indeed, also think TIK is overselling his freemarket views, but those Battlestorm series are amazing. Also love that he emphesises crucial importance of logistics.

[@sonnyjim5268]

Another use for the "Mad Man Hitler" card is that those who play it don't have to do historical research and present a cogent argument. Well done again Tik.

[@frederickbays405]

Ya that mad man Hitler and Crazy Stalin got old 50 yr ago

[@DaveSCameron]

I love you're uploads and this is my evening of debunkture set out perfectly, best wishes Tiky 👌🙏

[@MAACotton]

YES! another episode! One of my absolute favorite channels these days.

[@alex123castro]

Great video tik! As always when a video of yours comes out, the rest of the day is put on hold until it’s completed!

[@ewok40k]

Watching World War Two week by week and this back to back.... love both series! One is great for global picture, another for microscopic focus on Stalingrad.

[@the_clawing_chaos]

They caught up to TIK this week... I am worried about spoilers!

[@angels2online]

@@the_clawing_chaos Frau Rossi, Paulus... (I know what you mean though, I have no knowledge of more detailed events either)

[@kenm.3761]

An incredible episode the detailed logistics information and the continuing battle in the city-well done sir.

[@garmonplays]

lovely work again TIK, very insightful

[@MrMicronano]

TIK have to say your contribution to WWII history is tremendous. Thanks for the time and effort these videos required very well done.

[@Gotterdammerung99]

Please make this series into a Stalingrad computer war game. Love the graphics too.

[@AndreLuis-gw5ox]

Great timing, now I can experience the gruesome horrors of my work while listening to this new video! Thanks TIK

[@geordie1032]

incredible amount of detailed research gone into making this excellent vid. Hats off to you for a great job. Thank you.

[@zulubeatz1]

Fantastic series. Ive always wanted to know more about this battle. These episodes have given me a completely new appreciation of the events. Much thanks TIK great work

[@benwalker8447]

I love your videos man keep them up you are doing such a bloody hard job by being so thorough and I just want you to know that we appreciate it!

[@davidplowman6149]

Yikes! We can’t know how efficient German logistics were, but we can know they were inefficient to a high degree. All you have to do is look at the end of the supply chain. I actually prefer a rating of adequate versus inadequate instead of efficient versus inefficient. Supply to the Don was adequate, kindof. Supply to the Volga was not. Neither was efficient, but the first was a problem and the second was an imminent danger that could lead to disaster.

[@lordbonney9779]

Same. It doesn’t matter if 100% of the cargo arrives if you only send enough supplies for half the men.

[@LukeTheDuke55]

i wait for these videos to come out more than anything else on youtube right now. i love the depth of analysis and wealth of knowledge. I never learned about WW2 in high school due to some weird flukes in the schooling structures when i was graduating. this video format and long form high detailed analysis helps me so much. learning so much about this war and the soviet part is really glossed over here in america. no one knows this kinda details that i have met. so please keep this coming. :D

[@bryangrote8781]

All the logistical details on this campaign is more informative than anything else I’ve ever read on the topic. Many questions are answered on the “why?” the campaign went as it did seeing the logistical issues that existed. Thanks as always for the great work!

[@jamesbeeching4341]

As an example of German "efficiency " or pack of in 1945 they still had hundreds of retired PNZIII waiting to be converted to Stugs or Flak panzers etc...The German war machine (even after Spiers improvements) was still massively inadequate...

[@MangoIM2]

Hey TIK this is a bit of a weird compliment but I really appreciate that you always pronounce Russian & German names correctly, a lot of people would just brush it off by saying 'sorry if I am butchering that word' so thanks for actually putting in the work to learn them.

[@topcat8804]

Any Russian- or German-speakers care to comment? Even with my schoolboy German I'm aware that some of the German names are mispronounced, but that's not a criticism of the series, to which I'm addicted.

[@michaelsage4599]

Tik, I love your channel immensely and as a Patron I’ve recommended your channel to many of my coworkers. I’m in the middle of creating my own Eastern Front board game. Stay tuned in 2022. I promise you that it will not disappoint you. Thousands of hours of research.

[@suzannakoizumi8605]

An exciting episode! Thank you!

[@hshgf3410]

Wow. Never seen zero views on a video before. Looking forward to watching :)

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Early club is best club

[@hansschonig2472]

same here :)

[@vedranb87]

Facebook crashed. Thank you so much for the new episode, I was just about to start playing Hearts of Iron IV, but decided to check youtube for entertainment while being cut off from most of my friends and family (Croat living in Finland)

[@frederickbays405]

Hay how is it in Suomi I have nothing but good things about it & dont tell me winter is bad I live in Upstate NY

[@vedranb87]

@@frederickbays405 Nah, global warming saw to the winter problem. It was only bad around WW2. :D I actually love winter. Other than that, Suomi is really cool. Love it here. Been here 4 years. Started studying IT but soon after got a job in a startup due to prior experience, then after 3 years of that I'm now working in a bigger company. I still don't speak FInnish, but I can follow some conversations.

[@jjp0707]

Amazing video. 👏 Keep up the outstanding work.

[@stevecoscia]

Informative and well-paced. Really enjoyed this. I was unaware of the supply, munitions and manpower shortages.Thank you.

[@jordanwagner89]

I even love the animation Tik uses for these videos. Some of my favorite ww2 videos. Tik and Mark Felton are legends.

[@namu43]

It's one thing to know that the Germans were trying to advance well beyond their potential operational depth, it's another level of depth for you to show exactly how this impacted them precisely. Well made as always and thanks, I've been enjoying this series particularly.

[@jacktaylor5762]

hey Tik, just wanted to say i've been watching your series as I've moved into Uni and has helped me while hungover to feel productive. Only just caught up today on ep27, so It's a great feeling seeing a new upload and a continuation of your great historical episodes. Keep up the good work!

[@komarb1]

watch from the begining

[@jacktaylor5762]

@@komarb1 I have, only just finished 27 when this uploaded

[@fredrockz1071]

Your videoes are held to such a high standard, it is amazing. Keep it up!

[@gardreropa]

So, the situation of the tanks in the 6th army was somewhat similar to the situation of the Soviet tanks during the battle of Brody, huh? Lots of tanks lost not directly to the enemy, but to inability to properly repair and service the tanks... Well, the shoe is on the other foot now Nazis, innit? Thanks for another great episode!

[@frederickbays405]

When I lived In CA i had house mate who was into WW2 in big way He had the largest collection of 1/245 modal tanks I have ever seen over 3000 of them all had panted down unit # on bumpers We had one room with 6 sheets of plywood used for gaming We set up our own rules and part of them was vehicle recovery and repair. Have never seen any game roles with them in it but then our battles moved across 100's of miles and could take weeks to play with 8 or 9 of us Ya we had General Col and Cas some times we had rules as to how u could communicated with each other It was a fun 3 yr living with him

[@neilwilson5785]

And so many trains back West being used to take civlians to the gas chambers. I like to think that it made a difference by denying the Nazis supplies further East.

[@090giver090]

@@neilwilson5785 Western trains were ill fitted for eastern front anyways as they were using a different track gauge (unable to deliver cargo past Brest unless either all trains and cars get regauged that is a quite labour consuming work) or tracks on occupied territory get regauged (even more labour and resource consuming task)) and couldn't work on relative low-quality coal that was extracted in occupied territories.

[@Habdabi]

Its crazy watching this on the 5th of October, makes you think what men on both sides went though fighting it out for weeks on end

[@linnharamis1496]

An excellent discussion / commentary about these events. Thank you!👍

[@shibre9543]

Great video as always , keep it up !

[@Splodge542]

So why is "stodgy" old Monty always going on about his "administration"? This is why. It was vital for victory. The "historians" are wrong. Monty. the professional staff officer from WW1 knew this stuff was essential. He didn't interfere with it. He just appointed capable officers to command it whom he could rely upon.

[@nicholasconder4703]

Agreed. And it is always how "historians" sneer at Montgomery's "set piece battles". Really, all he was doing was making sure he had sufficient supplies and equipment to get the job done. His few failures stem primarily from trying to get the jump on the Germans and not having everything in place beforehand.

[@johnnydavis5896]

@@nicholasconder4703 When you can take the time to fully get your army in order when facing a brilliant foe like Rommell but with Rommell in a strategic and operational that he cannot fix his logistics problem unless he wins another battle and takes the Suez and Egypt - Montgomery would have been a fool not to take his time. At that point, Rommell's only hope was the Brtish attacking too soon allowing one of his great defense stands that turns into a great counteroffensive taking supplies from the British enabling him to continue and take the Suez - the one thing that would change the strategic picture in favor of the Germans.

[@nicholasconder4703]

@@johnnydavis5896 However, you need to remember Montgomery was under a lot of political pressure to attack. He wasn't just building up supplies during this time, he was training his army how to fight properly by coordinating all three arms - infantry, armour and artillery. He was also changing his plans based on what he saw, realizing his infantry were the better arm of his forces. It also ignores the deception tactics he had put into place to fool Rommel as to where the main blow would fall. Montgomery had about the same manpower and armour advantage over the Germans that Auchinleck had at El Gazala, but will use it effectively. I also think Rommel is a bit overrated as a general, if for no other reason than he faced opponents who didn't know how to coordinate an army. He is now, although he will be saved in part due to errors committed by some British unit commanders.

[@t5ruxlee210]

Monty's great advantage was Churchill had committed his own prestige by selecting him and choosing to dispense with some others who were far from blameworthy for past events. Once Churchill had cast his lot with Monty, there was no plausible answer beyond Churchill himself for any future failure. So Monty had to deliver, but on his own terms and in his own time.

[@adamjaquay4279]

@@nicholasconder4703 the American high command always looked at Monty warily mostly do the the fact the US wanted to end the European War asap to shift desperately needed forces to the Pacific theater. Hence why the "Hair on fire" method was used causing very heavy casualties and supply hiccups that bit us in the ass in winter '44. The US wanted to ground Japan into powder directly effecting their actions, Monty on the other hand seemed to far more methodical. Hard to say which method was more pertinent for the situation.

[@paulmurray3459]

Tik. This is great. Could you also do one on Soviet logistics for Stalingrad, please.

[@stephanelegrand8181]

Has always great video ! I Just stumbled on yhis one but still hve to watch the complete serie.

[@MichaelT199]

Thanks TIK. Glad to know that honest historians are still among us and that a dedicated one can produce such stunningly effective narratives like this important series.

[@360Nomad]

Fun Fact: The 1,000,000th American bomb dropped in Vietnam from an A-1 Skyraider was a toilet seat. A literal toilet seat. That's it.

[@Paciat]

Dosnt that make it a humanitarian supply drop?

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Wrong it was a toilet, not the seat. Operation Sani-flush.

[@frederickbays405]

some may ask why was USA still flying a piston driven bird in 1960's Three words TIME OVER TARGET. Jets great at drooping napalm or just bombs but the A-1 could fly much slower and its gun pods could put a lot of rounds into a firing line where a jet just flew to fast Yes the gun pods are what the Ground pounder waned to see in his sky

[@Bigrago1]

24:11 Hitler would have been some comedian with that jab at Rommel

[@TheImperatorKnight]

He was referring to the British, but yes, Rommel did a similar thing

[@danny_strange2105]

Awesome analysis! Second time watching.

[@TyProductionsfull]

Idk why u don’t have a million subs already your videos are such high quality it’s honestly the videos you create are so amazing and objective thank you!

[@EL20078]

The Brilliant series ! Greetings from down under !!

[@MultiChris777]

This is one of my favourite episodes from this series TIK.

[@TheImperatorKnight]

I'm glad to hear that! This is also the longest Stalingrad episode so far, with the largest script too.

[@MultiChris777]

@@TheImperatorKnight I could definitely tell haha.

[@eze8970]

Thanks TIK, more great work!

[@liamobrien4767]

Kudos ! Top class as per usual.Thank you.

[@sebastiengarnier6664]

Incredible, the 6th was already a dying army at the end of an insuficent logistical line. How not to weaken to the point of failure with such a poor supply? how could germans leader be so blind. That's a rather untold history we discover here, far from the preconceived ideas on WWII . Thank you TIK.

[@alanpennie8013]

Nightmarish. The Wehrmacht's fearsome operational skill was negated by it's logistical incompetence. Fortunately for the the world.

[@HanhweKim]

I at only at 3 minutes and this is already an eye-opening masterpiece!

[@komarb1]

OMG i waited so long for this, you have no idea how much i love this series...........

[@archonmagosaugustus]

Thank you TIK, this was a very useful nd informative video, as usual! Excellent work. I learn immensely with your research and your videos. On an unrelated thought: Damn, that's a long list of supporters! ^^

[@hq3473]

Stalingrad? Damn! I was looking forward to the 4th Keelhaul video. (Only part joking, I like both!)

[@TheImperatorKnight]

I'm not sure there will be another Keelhaul video. I think that series has run its course, unless something comes up.

[@juanpaz5124]

Battlestorm Keelhaul! Start with the pirates.

[@markyoung950]

You are making some very interesting points. On line I was watching Geoffrey Megargee give a lecture to the US Army Heritage and Education Centre about the history of the German High Command. The Prussians learned that they did not have the resources to fight a long and protracted war. The best option was a very short war with decisive victory(s). Highly aggressive fighting with an emphasis on pincer movements. The British High Command had 200 years of experience with the logistics of a global empire. The American military high command drew upon its experience and lessons learned in the American Civil War. If the American military were executing operation case blue, there would be much more logistical support. You have stated the the Wehrmacht had the reserves to replace the losses of the 6th Army, but could not support them in the field due to Nazi Germany's lack of logistic strength. The German High Command looked back upon its experiences in WWI and drew the correct conclusions in terms of the new technology of the 20th century and how to integrate it. Perhaps because WWI was a static war the German High Command did not learn what it should have about the necessity of logistics in industrial age warfare. Be as it may, the German High Command came out swinging in 1939 with the aim to win a short war, won by decisive campaign(s).The recipe for defeat of Nazi German lay in its lack of planning for operation Barbarossa. They knew that they could only supply their armed forces 1000k into the Soviet Union, the world's largest country. They ran out of fuel and lacked proper clothing in December 1941. They could not get all of the supplies they had to the 6th Army. Which would have had a favorable outcome for the German side of the fighting. They were not prepared. The American Army would have been laying track and building bridges much faster. Hitler's Autarky was also poorly planned. The idea is self sufficiency, not rationing. Germany was the world leader in science and technology and yet before the war Hitler did not fully apply these social institutions into solving these problems. Where was the great push and investment in agricultural science and mechanization to increase food production before the war? Hitler's idea was to storm into the Soviet Union and replace the poorly run Bolshevik collective farms with Nazi 'collective farms' of dubious efficiency. The leadership of the Nazi regime was unprofessional and their experience before 1933 illustrates their lack of preparation and education. Churchill and Roosevelt just happened to each have been the ministers of each of their nation's navy during WWI and had first hand knowledge of how to convert a peacetime economy into a war time engine of production.

[@yangold2007]

Why not say bluntly the Soviet army was much better than the German one. The Soviets had better soldiers, better weapons, better generals. All this was supported by the Soviet industrial might, the German industry could not match.

[@markyoung950]

@@yangold2007 the 5 year plans did pay off the Soviet Union had much greater industerial capacity in 1941 than the Russian Empire did in 1917. The soldiers faught hard, brave and savage on both sides. Western aid made a difference in 1942 and helped keep the S U from the brink The OKH belived that the S U could field 150 divisions, the heer faced 850 in 1941 Following TIK battle of Stalingrad, the army of the S U was not the Army of 41 They were resisting all the way to Stalingrad. Nazi Germany lacked the industerial capacity and the logistical support to wage a successful war over 800 k from Grrmany The US Army would have figured out how an automated way to lay railroad track at breakneck speed

[@yangold2007]

@@markyoung950 Do you imply that without Lend-lease the Soviets would not have won the war? Do you have the numbers to support this? Or it's another WWII myth?

[@markyoung950]

@@yangold2007 jag-U-war stop with the drawing abslout conclusions/ rhetoric If you follow TIK channel, he has noted that Lend-lease played an important part in the Soviet campaign against the Axis. 'we' can only know for sure how history unfolded. What would have happened if Lend-lease was greater or less than what happened, is speculation. Even computer simulation/ modelling operates upon assumptions Yes the Soviet Union could have economically collapsed in 1942. But how far were they from this in reality? Is speculation, educated opinions by economists would be the best

[@yangold2007]

@@markyoung950 TIK said that TIK said this... This is all propaganda. A historical fact would be a table with reliable numbers that would show the USSR's domestic production and war material delivered through Lend-Lease. No, Russia would not have collapsed in 1942 because of the fact which is probably not known to you. During 1941-42, the Russians moved thousands of factories and millions of workers from Central Russia and especially, from Eastern Ukraine to the East, to the Volga regions, the Urals, Siberia, and Soviet Central Asia. Some factories were evacuated to Stalingrad, only to be re-evacuated again when the Germans came close. 1941 was tough as the newly transferred factories had not started working. But by mid-1942 the output had drastically increased. So many tanks, aircraft, and artillery systems were produced that the Russians were able to form their first Tank Army (May 1942), artillery divisions, and air force divisions and armies. By summer 1943 six tank armies not counting numerous tank corps were on the front line. Yes, there was one tank corps equipped with American and British tanks. ONE of the many. I am fluent in both English and Russian, so I can use sources from both sides. So my perspective is more balanced.

[@JosephLupoli]

Geez! I'm learning more about the Eastern Front via TIK's hard work and his highly detailed analysis than I have from years of studying all of my thorough WW2 DVD documentaries and military books combined! And on top of that, TIK is incredibly prolific. Keep up the great work! Yes, I am officially a TIK war documentary addict.👏

[@katiushastroya3291]

Keep up the good work ! It’s fantastic

[@MakeAllThingsBeautiful]

when bicycle battalions start showing up in October you know the chain is coming off

[@fiddlersgreen2433]

so that 10% of HQ stuff sent to the frontline is okay?

[@MakeAllThingsBeautiful]

@@fiddlersgreen2433 TIK mentioned the retreating Russians scorched earth policy but i reckon in 1941 the german army besides murdering millions of Russian pows, torched 1000's of villages including barns, materials and feed and ate all the animals, now that is how to lose a war, the 'reap what you sow' principle springs to mind

[@fiddlersgreen2433]

@@MakeAllThingsBeautiful you probably replied to a wrong comment

[@MakeAllThingsBeautiful]

@@fiddlersgreen2433 Why the Germans failed at Stalingrad? I think it was the disappointment of expecting 50 Tigers to come round the corner and instead 50 cyclists, i mean, c'mon, how would you of felt after seeing a stuka dropping a toaster on the russian positions?

[@fiddlersgreen2433]

@@MakeAllThingsBeautiful what I meant is that sending hq stuff into action is even worse than sending the cyclists. It is actually not the first time (and not the last). I've read about the multiple accounts that they had send HQ and support stuff (cooks, for example) during rzhev battle already in summer 42. Soviets on the other had were often in even more desperate situation - sending cadets or militia with no training and with only light equipment into action cause there was nothing to send. But looking overall at the entire city assault I see that 6-th army was in a much more favorable position and they could afford themselves to smash almost all resistance with concentrated artillery barrages and close air support with minimal infantry involvement. Sure they were on their last legs but soviets could only constantly distill manpower into the city with minimal ammo, no tanks support (common, t-70?), no proper artillery or almost nonexistent air support (compared to germans).

[@ryanmurray7941]

will you ever a review of the combat statistics of different units again? I really enjoyed your political unit video where you looked at the NVKD and SS. Haven’t seen a good video on the Scots in world war 2, which is a minor topic compared to what you usually cover, but interesting none the less.

[@DaveSCameron]

I'm guessing that he won't respond to you seeing as he's blanked me on the four occasions I've begged him to cover Tranmere Rovers 1999,League Cup Final squad, he's a quilt, I suggest you absorb the remarkable fare he already has for us and whatever the lad chooses, it's all Bisto *

[@ryanmurray7941]

@@DaveSCameron I’ve already had a response on other videos and he’s been responding to others, don’t see why He can’t just say no if that’s the case.

[@ryanmurray7941]

@@DaveSCameron also isn’t that football, why the fuck would he be doing football videos on a channel that has a focus on world war 2

[@DaveSCameron]

@@ryanmurray7941 Ah well I'm pleased that you have had a few moments of his time and if so I'm pretty certain he'll get around to you again here... Even if it's just a short one 🙏

[@TheImperatorKnight]

@@ryanmurray7941 That's not a bad idea! I need to do more videos on the Western Powers again so it makes sense to compare and contrast the troops. I'll make a note

[@GeographyCzar]

So rich, so packed with information… I think I would break these episodes into thirds and publish them weekly.

[@danny_strange2105]

Fantastic series on Stalingrad! It really makes me think about the complex nature of the situation with many factors resulting in German defeat.

[@paduapeted49]

Set out to conquer "living space" - discovered there was little left to live on. :)

[@macoooos9204]

Great work TIK. When Stalingrad finishes (a long time away) have you thought about your next project? Battle of Britain day by day?

[@TheImperatorKnight]

That would be a good series to do. Might want to return to the North African Campaign first though

[@mralexlex]

@@TheImperatorKnight Liberation of France?

[@ShamanKish]

@@ricardorao2012 Not sure there would be such detailed info from Kursk?

[@gotem2219]

@@TheImperatorKnight would you ever do videos in the war between Japan and the allies, especially its invasion of China? Theres not much information detailed online about their conquest of the pacific

[@brunolegendre1322]

Great Job ! i learn a lot. thanks

[@BernardoFrau]

Love your depth. Even in subjects I have beeb reading about for years, you add one detail I ignored.

[@lotus95t]

What this never ending series does show - there is no shortage of server space at KZbin.....

[@TheImperatorKnight]

Never before have I had to buy so many external hard drives. I back everything up twice just in case, in addition to having videos uploaded on KZbin too.

[@thelastdruidofscotland]

@@TheImperatorKnight get yourself an lto tape drive, top end machines can store 90TB on each tape, and its the only logical way to archive massive data sets.

[@frederickbays405]

@@TheImperatorKnight yes if u want to make sur ur work is safe u must store it someplace out side of the net b/c big crops run net (not the way it was meant to run but...) and they dont care about ur stuff just ur money

[@chubbymoth5810]

@@thelastdruidofscotland Oof,.. unless you have business critical data, I'd steer away from that. A HDD will be at price par as well these days and using a hot swappable server array will make things a bit more manageable. A second hand professional server is fairly cheap to obtain as well, but you need an experienced admin to get it to work.

[@manco828]

@@TheImperatorKnight I'd also keep an off site backup, like a safe deposit box.

[@360Nomad]

"I love My Little Pony." -6th Army's war diary

[@MrGeek1111]

Correction. "Loved my little pony"

[@MarioMario-vn3fx]

More like "My Little Pony was delicious."

[@joolyun]

Goes well with pea soup.

[@Dustz92]

Equestria at war

[@Ailasher]

All Wehrmacht war diary, actually. There were so many horses used in Operation Barbarossa that Genghis Khan himself would have been jealous. Each infantry division of the Wehrmacht had a couple of thousand horses.

[@luisdefrance9041]

You are amazing mate. I am learning a lot with your videos . Congratulations. On your fantástic work

[@daverose8082]

Another engaging video Tik, thank you.

[@adamismail3246]

Just a thought. While the landbound forces were busy working out ways to supply the 6th Army, did anyone ever consider untilising the Luftwaffe to try and make several herculean efforts to do the same (like it did when the 6th Army was encircled)? If withdrawing wasn't an option and advancing was crucial, why wasn't the inventory of Luftwaffe aircraft used to deliver supplies instead of dropping tyres on the Russians? Sure, the volume of delivery may not match landbound transportation means, but at least there would be a temporary increase in supply for the 6th Army to try and finish the job.

[@gotem2219]

Good question, I know they were short on fuel but doing huge chunks of airdrops of supplies would have had to be better than using this system

[@scottw5315]

@@gotem2219 They still had airfields so dropping supplies wasn't necessary yet. Good points...

[@Aiffam1]

I remember it being mentioned they tried to airdrop supplies, but these efforts proved unsuccesful and the supplies ended up in the hands of red army. Oopsie.

[@nailes1745]

Where can I get a "Madman Hitler; get out of jail free" card? They seem very popular and effective

[@k.c.8658]

Great, as always.

[@darthcalanil5333]

This has been an absolute banger!