Week 245 - Total Chaos on the Chinese Front! - WW2 - May 6, 1944

[@WorldWarTwo]

Exactly one month from now we'll have a very special video coming out. Make D-Day happen by joining the TimeGhost Army: www.patreon.com/join/TimeGhostHistory

[@greenkoopa]

The green shirt was the right choice, the Koopa Troop approves 🐢

[@himoffthequakeroatbox4320]

Nice jacket!

[@brianallen858]

I know that you guys are always trying to raise money, maybe have some dollar raffles for merchandise, 1 winner in 10, that would increase traffic to your site and channel, get your channel over the million subscribers mark before June 6th 1944 in your storyline 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🦾🦾🦾☘️☘️☘️💖💖💖🍍🍍🍍🙏🙏🙏🤑🤑🤑😻😻😻🧞🧞🧞

[@gunman47]

A side note this week on May 6 1944 is that the Mitsubishi A7M Reppū fighter plane, the designated successor to the famous Mitsubishi A6M Zero, will take its first flight in the skies. The first flight showed that it was underpowered although it had excellent handling and manoeuvrability. This led to a change in its engine to the Ha-43 engine, which improved its performance significantly. Ultimately however, only very few prototypes were ever made, and it was not put into production.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for the extra info!

[@jakoverslept3096]

The A7 is my favorite plane in war thunder. 😅

[@icewaterslim7260]

No Carriers. No Reppu. Whatever land based Imperial Navy veteran fighter pilots from Rabaul that have survived are in the 343rd with an N1K2-J inventory. No time for lengthy prototype development in '45. Nakajima made about 80 Ki84 prototypes just to speed the operational deployment of that one up in '43-'44.

[@MsZeeZed]

Ah Clarkus, his list of enemies are still: 1) Allied Theatre Commanders 2) His own Infantry 3) The Nazis In that specific order.

[@rajeshkanungo6627]

And Adolf Hitler?

[@loveroffunnyy]

@@rajeshkanungo6627 that's covered in the nazis.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

One biographer of MacArthur wrote that "he hated an entire continent - Europe".

[@nickhtk6285]

Clarke had 2 congressional investigations launched against him if I recall correctly..

[@aa2339]

He already did Europe in the last war.

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

Indy - "True dat" My immersion - *dead* I also found it just incredibly hilarious that Clark was so fixated and focused on taking Rome and then 2 days later his he's taking of Rome was completely and utterly overshadowed for all time by the invasion of France.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

The more technical nature of modern warfare meant that infantry in WW2 could well be a minority of the soldiers. But the risks they took and the casualties they suffered were disproportionately high. The British slang term from WW1, "PBI" (for "Poor Bloody Infantry") remained in use in WW2.

[@Raskolnikov70]

Artillery was the largest cause of infantry casualties by a long shot (pun intended). Most of them happened because the infantry guys had the misfortune to be the most-often targeted part of the front, while the clerks and mechanics chilled in the rear areas out of range of the enemy's fire.

[@maciejniedzielski7496]

Cough cough ... Sovietskaja artileria

[@maciejniedzielski7496]

For Germans pire nightmare - sudden Katyushas barrage fire

[@mikereger1186]

@@Raskolnikov70does this include mortar rounds? Apparently the biggest killer of German infantry on the Eastern front. EDIT: First time this had the typo of “Herman infantry”. Unintended pun...

[@Raskolnikov70]

@@mikereger1186 I would assume it included all indirect fire. That came out of the Marshall studies the US War Department did after the war, they discovered that around 70% (iirc) of all casualties were the result of artillery. It was one of the factors in the high rate of psych casualties, the front-line guys felt trapped and unable to affect the battle while shells rained down around them.

[@Captaincinquo]

My Uncle Bob was aircrew in the RAAF at this time. He used to say that he was a "biscuit bomber" in PNG. He would stand at the door and push the load out as they passed over the drop zone to resupply the troops on the ground. The noise of the engines and the slipstream eventually ruined his hearing. When I knew him, he was almost completely deaf.

[@jonbaxter2254]

I am still so surprised the Japanese can unleash their biggest land invasion ever in 1944! Crazy how much they had been holding.

[@dragosstanciu9866]

And that is mostly because the Chinese army was passive in fighting the Japanese during 1942-1943, which allowed the Japanese to prepare a big offensive.

[@SampoPaalanen]

Just shows how much of a naval war the Pacific theater was, bulk of the Japanese land forces were at China.

[@scarletcrusade77]

My biggest annoyance in Ichi-go is how they were able to do it in 1944. So they can in theory do it, at a time where they're 1 year away from defeat at the allies, losing on other fronts. So why couldn't they just do this massive offensive in 1940-1943? They could have knocked china out of the war potentially earlier making the rest of the war easier. Or at best they could have done it without invading indo-china and never needed to fight the allies at all since their threat and diplomatic pressure forced French and British supply routes through SEA to stop without war.

[@porksterbob]

​@@dragosstanciu9866the Japanese didn't launch the offensive because the Chinese army had been passive. They launched it because the air war from us planes in China was starting to hurt and they feared that China was soon going to be connected to the allied fire hose of supplies (China has been very effectively blockaded since 1942). The problem is that, despite the higher population numbers, China has a much harder time replacing trained officers and advanced equipment than Japan does. If China had launched an offensive in 1943, for example, the Japanese would have defeated it with much fewer casualties and the Chinese army would be denuded of its offense capable units (which there weren't many). At that point, Japan could counterattack with ease and take more territory. Ichigo was Japan deciding to roll the dice because they were losing in the Pacific. They didn't build up the forces in China, they just used what they had across the whole place and concentrated it for an attack south.

[@bingobongo1615]

Japan did interestingly have no clear war goals in China and the costs of holding large areas in China were immense. This meant that many in the Japanese command did not actually see a need or value into taking more lands in China. Ichi-go was Japan acknowledging the war want going their way and the fear of American bombing from Chinese airfields. They now had a reason to fight again

[@sse_weston4138]

My man really just hit us with a "true dat", I love the intros to the weekly episodes are getting more and more silly.

[@benroberts2222]

I want to know if there was analogous slang in 1944 that could have been used there

[@Raskolnikov70]

@@benroberts2222 Probably something like "you bet your bottom dollar, pal!", spoken in a crisp, mid-Atlantic American accent.

[@lachienicholson1510]

After starting the Great War series in 2019, I have finally caught up on this series. I can't believe I have to wait an entire week to find out what happens next week in the war

[@WorldWarTwo]

We’re so glad to have you up to speed!

[@caryblack5985]

I hope this satisfies those who would complain about what is happening in Italy or we have not heard about Italy even though Indy indicated there was going to be a pause in that front several weeks ago.

[@merdiolu]

Operation Diadem and Operation Buffolo , breakout from Gustav line and Anzio are mostly ignored by popular historians , maybe because it was mostly planned by British but then forfeited by Clark , a US general. Still Indy and WWII Channel could mention its preperations and deception plan of Allies a few weeks before.

[@Raskolnikov70]

No, they'll still find something to whine about in the comments.....

[@angry_wizard]

My best buddy's great uncle was one of the Poles who helped take Monte Cassino. His Great Uncle Julius led a platoon sized strike group of German speaking Poles wearing captured German uniforms (technically a warcrime but I'll let it slide) up the mountain the night before the assault, disabling mines, cutting barbed wire, sabotaging vehicles and eliminating sentries. Absolutely insane story.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

The German Brandenburger unit often did the same, in reverse. Everybody did it, though to be caught doing it could mean ending up in front of a firing squad.

[@dsch0]

It was actually not forbidden to go behind enemy lines in stolen uniforms-so long as you didn't _fight_ in the stolen uniforms, which would constitute perfidy. The Germans did it using captured American uniforms during the Battle of the Bulge.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@dsch0 In practice soldiers were shot if they were captured dressed in enemy uniform, whether they fought in such uniforms or not. Sometimes soldiers put on items of clothing, boots etc. from POWs or dead soldiers because they liked the items but it could cause problems if they were captured wearing such items.

[@muhammadjordan2833]

@@stevekaczynski3793 The Chieftain's Hatch has an article on that and explains how if anything, the Americans were out of line for executing those captured soldiers.

[@ondrejhajek2338]

One thing that is good to mention is that Keselring knew he would not be able to hold the current line and was building a new line outside of Rome to the Adriatic coast to force the allies to bleed for it. Fortunately the line never finished construction leaving the path empty.

[@merdiolu]

I should mention that several German generals , expecting an Allied offensive in spring summer when campaign weather is suitable , urging a premature retreat from Gustav Line to north of Rome but in a fit of overoptimism Kesselring opted to keep his positions in Gustav Line , Cassino and Anzio , convinced OKW that they copuld defend their defenses south of Rome forever and therefore German Army Group C holding south of Rome was badly trashed by incoming Operation Diadem and Buffolo offensives

[@Raskolnikov70]

Still seems like Kesselring was right to do it. The German strategy in the Italian campaign was to slow the Allies down by tying them down as much as possible and bleeding them dry as they advanced up the peninsula, not to stop them completely because they knew they couldn't do it. If the possibility of stopping the Allies completely existed north of Rome, then yeah, maybe it would have made sense to pull back.

[@xaviersaavedra7442]

I can’t believe it’s going to be over in a year (in Europe) so much has happened in these past 6 years. And now 1 academic probation a changing of majors, a whole gap year, and by the end of it all graduation. Man this is so exciting

[@ambition112]

0:51: 💥 Allied forces face rivalry and self-interest in Italy, while chaos ensues in the Chinese Nationalist Army in China. 4:18: 😔 The infantry units in Italy during World War II are facing challenges with illiterate troops, lack of replacements, and low morale. 9:12: 🔴 The Chinese division led by Tang Enbo is defeated by Japanese forces near Xuchang, prompting Chiang to hesitate in sending more troops. 12:58: 🌧 Despite monsoon rains and difficult terrain, the soldiers continue their mission towards Myitkyina. 17:00: 📰 Japanese attacks and confusion among Chinese forces in China, Allied offensive in Italy, and observations on the Eastern Front. Recap by Tammy AI

[@Lematth88]

This week in French news. The month of May: commissars of the Republic designed by the CFLN takes secretly their place in France, in order to be autonomous for when they will lose communication when actions take place. The FFI organizes themselves in each region with a military staff. The 1st of May, day of Laborers. Vichy by fear of a coup by the Resistance makes it a non-working day and double the ration of sugar this month. They were right, as strikes are organized and sabotages operations too, but no general insurrection. The 4th, Jacques Chaban-Delmas, assistant to the National Military Delegate Bourgès-Maunoury Polygone of the BCRA, is designed by colonel Ely, designated by De Gaulle to replace Bourgès, as a better successor then himself for the post. It is accepted.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for the updates!

[@Cancoillotteman]

That's actually the thing which dooms Germany, no matter how allies landings go. France, Poland, Greece, Tchequoslovakia and especially Yougoslavia are organizing their resistance, and draining ever more German ressources. Operation Neptune will just precipitate an already insured fall.

[@edwardblair4096]

Please remind us what CFLN, FFI, and BCRA stand for. There are so many things going on all over the world now that it is hard to remember them all.

[@Cancoillotteman]

@@edwardblair4096 CFLN is Comité du Front de Libération Nationale (Front for the National Liberation Comity), FFI is Forces Françaises de l'Intérieure (the unification of resistance movements) and the BCRA is the Bureau Central du Renseignement et de l'Action (Central Bureau for Intelligence and Action)

[@oOkenzoOo]

At the end of March 1944 in Italy, General Alexander was planning a powerful breakthrough effort in the Liri Valley. This effort was to be entrusted to the British 8th Army, which the US 5th Army would support by acting between the Liri and the sea. The two actions were to be linked in time, but no very clear maneuver appeared. It was a question of pushing the two enemy positions head-on to open up the road to Rome and Anzio. These two initial actions were not to exceed, to the north, the Cairo massif. On April 1, the head of the 3rd Bureau of the 5th Army came to the French Expeditionary Corps (CEF) HQ, in Sessa-Aurunca, to provide General Carpentier, Chief of Staff, with some details on the action planned for the 5th Army. The Allied Command started from the following postulate: The Petrella massif is impassable; - no progress is possible on the coastal road; - the 5th Army will therefore have to pass entirely by the single road of Ausonia - Esperia - Pico. The CEF, in the lead, will clear this road by seizing Mount Majo and clearing the Ausente valley, then it will push on Pico by Esperia. There, probably exhausted, it will be relieved by the 2nd US Army Corps. However this narrow Allied plan does not satisfy the general commanding the CEF. Objections were raised immediately concerning the impossibility of engulfing an entire army on a mountain road and proceeding with the relief of an army corps in the midst of combat on this single axis. Indeed, the capture of Mount Majo will open the entrance to the road but, they will come up against very strong resistance on this route as far as Pico (gullets of Ausonia, Esperia, San Oliva, etc.), resistances that will no doubt be difficult to reduce head-on. On the other hand why give up to advance on the coastal strip and to use the road n° 7 which can allow the 5th army to supply its offensive beyond the mountains ? General Juin therefore devised a much larger maneuver. It is the Itri - Pico road that must be reached in order to come out on the rear of the second enemy position and "roll up" all the German defenses of the Liri valley. However, to reach the road, it is in the heart of the Aurunca mountains, by the Petrella massif, that you have to pass. Only a mountain corps can do that. This advance by the ridges will make it possible to clear, to the north by outflanking maneuvers, the Ausonia - Pico road, the possession of which is essential for tanks, artillery and supplies. To the south, it must also allow the 2nd US Army Corps to progress by maneuvering through the southern foothills of Petrella and free the coastal road, which is no less essential. The maneuver devised by General Juin can be summed up as follows: attack in the middle of the mountains by bursting the narrow bridgehead of Mount Ornito ; - introduce by surprise, and before occupying the "Dora Stellung", a large group of forces in the Petrella - Fammera massif ; - occupy the Itri - Pico road and swing across to the north to roll up the enemy defences. During April, American and English visitors flocked to General Juin's command post in Sessa Aurunca, who came in disbelief to have the maneuver explained to them. Such as General Alexander who, after having listened to General Carpentier's plan of maneuver, asked this question: “Do you have confidence?" “We wouldn't embark on such an adventure if we didn't have confidence,” replied the chief of staff of the CEF. At the beginning of April, General Clark, commanding the 5th Army, was made aware of the French plan. Having great personal esteem for General Juin, and remembering the French exploits during the winter, he was immediately seduced by this plan and decided to adopt it. For his maneuver, General Juin has his four infantry divisions and the group of tabors, his two artillery regiments, his two Tank Destroyers regiments, two American tank battalions and a mortar battalion. Taking into account the American reinforcement groups, the artillery of the CEF will have 365 guns to support the attack.

[@oOkenzoOo]

In the distribution of his resources, General Juin starts from the following principle: the speed factor is essential. To save time, there will be no relief or overtaking of large units. The units in charge of pushing on the real position of resistance, the “Dora Stellung”, will be engaged from the first day on their axis, but in secondary effort. If there will be no "relief", General Juin indeed foresees a succession in the main effort. This will be ensured first, in the rupture phase on Mount Majo, by the 2nd DIM, flanked to the north by the 1st DMI and to the south by the 4th DMM, then, in the exploitation phase , by the mountain corps and the 3rd DIA which will take on their account the forcing of the "Dora" and "Hitler" lines and the effort on the Pico bypass. The 3rd DIA, however, on the south wing, will only start its movement when the rupture is assured. General Juin gives the units the following missions: 1st: In the center, the 2nd DIM, in charge of the initial main effort, will start from Mount Ornito, seize the Faito and the Majo and from there push north, on the axis of the two piers of the Castellone and the Cantaluppo. It will be covered, to the south, by the 4th DMM attacking on the direction of Hill 715 - Col de Crisano and, to the north, by the 1st DMI (4th brigade). The division will have an American mortar company. 2nd: To the north, the 1st DMI will clear the Garigliano loop. It has the 3rd RSM, the 8th RCA, the 757th American "Medium" tank battalion and a mortar battalion company. 3rd: To the south, a mountain corps made up of the 4th DMM and General Guillaume's group of tabors, will first participate in the breakthrough by seizing the Feuci - Ceschito ridge, in conjunction with the 2nd DIM. It will then push on to the Petrella - Fammera through the Ausente valley which it will block, facing north, at Ausonia, then will go through the mountains on the Itri - Pico road and fall back to the north, on Pico, to cut enemy communications from the right bank of the Liri. Alternatively, as it progresses, it will threaten Esperia's rear to facilitate the capture of this narrow pass by the 3rd DIA. Another part further south (Goums), will emerge from the left bank of the Garigliano, either behind the 3rd DIA or behind the Americans, to reach the Ausente valley where the forces will be united for the penetration into the Petrella massif. 4th: To the south of the 4th DMM, the 3rd DIA, initially in reserve and having important armored elements (the 4th RSM, the 7th RCA, the 755th battalion of American Shermans) and a company of US mortars, will intervene as soon as the Ceschito and hill 355 (north of Caslelforte) are captured by the 4th DMM and the Cianelli (south of Castelforte) by the Americans. It will then seize Castelforte to open the road of exploitation (Castelforte - Coreno) which it will clear with its armored vehicles, covered on the heights to the north by the 4th DMM. It will push as soon as possible on Ausonia, where it will relieve the elements of the 4th DMM which, normally, must arrive there first. It will lock the northern outlets. From Ausonia it will be held ready to exploit as quickly as possible in the direction of Pico, forcing the gully of Esperia, in connection with the mountain corps which will flanked it by the heights to the south. To the south, it was agreed with the US 5th Army that the 2nd US Army Coprs would seize the heights west of Castelforte, which would facilitate the maneuver of the 3rd DIA. It will then clear the Ausente valley as far as Spigno, giving the Goums access to Petrella. These are the elements of the “Preparatory decision” that General Juin addresses to his division commanders on April 24 1944, even before the 5th Army operations order arrives. This one arrives the next day, in accordance with the idea of maneuver proposed. Once the maneuver has been designed, all that remains is to decide on the execution measures and to prepare it materially. The constitution of supply depots is undertaken from April 25th. From April 27 to May 5 all the supplies went up to the bridgehead, at the rate of 500 to 1,000 trucks per night. On the evening of May 5, the placement in the bridgehead of the artillery and 1st level troops began, beeing : 5 regimental elements, 20 battalions, 5 artillery groups (the other groups remaining deployed at the east of the river), 1 anti-aircraft battery, 2 division HQ, 1 medical formation. After the relief of the British forces by the 4th DMM, the French troops to the front in the bridgehead were equipped with English helmets as to keep their deployment and the offensive preparations a secret.

[@trajan75]

@@oOkenzoOo Excellent moment. but see my above comment. Juin is to be blamed for not intervening to prevent the rape of Italian women in the Monte Cassino area.

[@yes_head]

Indy is looking very spring-y in that ensemble. I like it! And it's great to finally get an Italy update. I guess everything's just been in a holding pattern until the spring rains ended and the ground dried up. Also, I didn't realize what a problem Mark Clark was in Italy. Besides the Marcus Aurelius Clarkus epithet, he sounds like he had earned another one closer to our time: Biggus Dickus. 😀

[@indianajones4321]

Well done as always WW2 team, your hard work can definitely be seen in this episode

[@johnmcmickle5685]

talking about the 4 to 1 force used in the landings in New Guinea we were taught in the 1970's to attempt to have a 6 to 1 superiority of force when attacking a defended position.

[@Significantpower]

There was a contemporary quote after Clark's decision to drive on Rome. I can't remember it exactly, but it basically said that if Clark had been in the German Army, Hitler would have had him shot.

[@JackTobias-lg7ic]

probably not.

[@t.a.ackerman4098]

I like how in the last quote, he counted the German forces down to the last man! 2,242,649! Damn if they hadn't lost the one guy, it would be a nice round number of '650'. 😀

[@PhillyPhanVinny]

My main issue when people are talking about Mark Clark and taking Rome instead of going for the possible encirclement is they never mention that George Marshall the highest ranking US Army officer directly orders Clark to take Rome and Clark's direct superior British General Harold Alexander tells Clark "to take Rome if possible" as well. People now like to make it out that Clark could have encircled multiple German divisions if he didn't go for Rome which isn't correct. Maybe the US 5th army surrounds 5-15k German troops if they went for the encirclement but doing so would have risked the Germans again creating a new defensive line in front of Rome. Taking Rome was a bigger goal and moral effect towards the end of the war then surrounding 5-15k German troops would be. Rome was the first capital to fall of the Axis powers and one of the big 3 Axis powers at that. Additionally people forget that the goal of the Italian campaign was NEVER to push all the way up through Italy and the Alps into Germany. Fighting in the Alps would have resulted in far to high casualties. The goal in fighting in Italy was to occupy German divisions so that then could not be used on the Eastern or Western fronts. Whenever the Germans would try to take divisions away from the Italian front to use elsewhere is when Alexander and then later Clark would order further offensives against the German line in Italy.

[@901Sherman]

1. Marshall's and Alexander's statements don't mean they rule out cutting off or encircling German forces. As Indy has shown with Alexander's planning of Truscott's breakout from Anzio, he actually seems to prioritize this rather than just taking Rome. 2. Given Marcus A. Clarkus's well documented ego-driven megalomania, it's assured that the guy was always gonna make capturing Rome the main objective regardless of what his boss's wanted from him. 3. The Allies had every oppurtunity to surround multiple Axis divisions and 5-15k of them is a serious lowball. Even 'just' that amount is a significant amount of highly experienced, battlehardened troops from top notch divisions that Germany's ever dwindling manpower for the overall European Front can hardly affored to lose. 4. Related to the above, such an encirclement would've definitey benefited the goal of occupying German divisions there. The loss of such men would've brought a serious dilema to the Germans: either divert badly needed forces from Normandy or Russia to save the Italian front, or leave them there and risk the Allies having an easier path through the back door. After all, bad weather and big mountains wouldn't be nearly as effective at slowing or stopping an advance without enough troopes to man the positions.

[@jliller]

Given how quarrelsome Mark Clark was with...everyone, how did he stay in command so long? Lots of other generals got cycled back to the states. And it's not like his tactics seem to have justified keeping him around despite his attitude and personality. Unlike say Patton who kept getting chances despite his behavior. Patton got results.

[@andrewtaylor940]

The appointment of Toyoda to command what was left of the Japanese Combined Fleet was perhaps the greatest gift to Nimitz and the US Navy of the war. Koga was arguably a superb admiral. And Yamamoto while his rep was overblown, was a capable and independent thinker. But Toyoda was pure Tokyo Toady. He was a political operative, not a war fighter.

[@Arashmickey]

Deserting in Italy during springtime doesn't sound so out of the ordinary, until you mention the self-inflicted wounds and 70% casualty rate.

[@danielgreen3715]

Good one Indy ...That Quote at the end should have said something to the effect that The Whermacht Had Little Idea of the Storm that was going to break onto Army Group Centre in a few weeks time!

[@Pirusiandres]

The final quote was spot on! The Germans will definitely end this before Christmas. China won't last long againts the Japanese. Itlaly's campaing is understrength.

[@devendrabaskey1]

May be

[@JackTobias-lg7ic]

they said that about the last war too.

[@pedrolopez8057]

@@JackTobias-lg7ic throw the new wonder weapons into the mix and this time the Germans will win for sure!

[@Pirusiandres]

@@pedrolopez8057 Yeah! I forgort the new rocket technology. The U.K is condemned.

[@EziooAuditore]

Crazy that exactly a year from now, Hitler will kill himself as the USSR enters Berlin.

[@roderickcampbell2105]

Thanks!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks to you!

[@midsue]

Looking forward to seeing if the Atlantic wall 🧱 can hold on D-day, and if Germany can through the allies back into the sea 🌊

[@stefanbobia4241]

At 16:26 it says that the Soviets attack at Targu Frumos (beautiful market), but the map shows Targu Neamt (German market). Which is another town 50 kilometers west of Targu Frumos. P.S. I like how Indy pronounces Romanian names. Pretty good for someone who doesn't know the language

[@stefanpuiu]

The Battle of Târgu... Something :)

[@albertmisic3876]

That Japanese successful attack weakened very much Chinese Nationalist. And helped Chinese Comunist on North. In the future after WW2 that will be very important. Indi, if you have time you should do video about Soviet pilots who helped Chinese nationalist against Japan from 1937 to 1941.

[@horacio0206]

I am happy because of the full return of the cover of the Italian campaign. Numerically speaking is ten times bigger than Mc Arthur's micro movements in New Guinea. Very interesting the fight in Chine where I supose there are a lot of men fighting. Thanks for this excelent episode, greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina!!

[@Bagster321]

I know it's not relevant to the current events of the war but...I love that shirt and vest combo Indy. Zesty lime green. Bold. I love it.

[@andrewgrandfield7214]

15:30 Allies take part of Generative Pre-trained Transformer ridge and Full Self Driving ridge.

[@OnionChoppingNinja]

it's too bad that 2024 will be a leap year. Otherwise episode 297 would coincide with Dutch liberation day (May 5th). Instead it will coincide with memorial day (May 4th) instead.

[@OnionChoppingNinja]

@@slyasleep It's just 245 + 52.

[@joegatt2306]

16:25 The successful defense of Targu Frumos (it was a tactical defeat for Soviet armor where JS-2s were soundly defeated by Tiger 1s), is still being used by officer tactical education in the United States Military as a case study where a mobile defense can beat an armored spearhead, (PAM 20-233).

[@bobbybroadway9513]

Indy...I simply must say this, and I bet I speak for more than myself: My knowledge of the Pacific War was unworthy of the word knowledge before this show, but now I can say I at least know something beyond Pearl Harbor, Midway, and the Atomic Bomb. AND YET, BEST OF ALL, as I learn more and more, the knowledge is coming WEEK BY WEEK!!!!!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for your contribution to our channel, Bobby. We are glad to hear that you enjoy it.

[@SadSlav]

I was mentally unprepared to hear Indy say "true dat"

[@recoil53]

That needed a record scratch.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Many of us were pleasantly surprised as well -Will

[@inferioraim]

Another outstanding episode. Good to learn about the quarrels in high command also

[@thcdreams654]

Another great video. Amazing work. Thank you for all the information and insight.

[@LLopes]

Great episode. I love these large-scale advances.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you!

[@Marsubleu]

Oh ! Plenty of news from Italy! Thank you

[@Southsideindy]

When there's news it gets covered, so you're welcome (but it's the offensive planners you oughta thank).

[@PACABear]

Perhaps I missed it, but might I cast a vote for a mention of Wojtek, the Syrian brown bear who fought with the Poles at Monte Casino? I know there is a mountain of details to cover, but he has a fascinating story. Thank you for all you do!

[@Zen-sx5io]

Thank you Indy and team.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for your support!

[@stefanebert7171]

The end of this episode is very chilling. Best from Hamburg

[@DylanStahl]

Unexpected true dat. Mr Neidell is an international treasure, and I hope he never stops.

[@Southsideindy]

I never will!

[@caryblack5985]

As of May 1, 1944 the Germans have had 1,811,628 deaths on the eastern front and approximately 5,400,000 wounded. They will have another 48,363 deaths and 150,000 wounded in the month of May.

[@danielainger]

Absurd numbers I dread too think how many casualties the Russians had at the same point.

[@DaHogWeed]

Mistakes were made

[@joshc1394]

I love Indys sassiness about the quote 😂

[@TheEvilMrJeb]

Never heard the word “picayune” before, and I’m a voracious reader. Thanks for expanding my vocabulary, even if by a little. As always, excellent episode.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you, appreciate your comment! -TimeGhost Ambassador

[@Grondorn]

That small offensive in Romania has cost the Red Army around 150 000 casualties. Glantz reports in the Clash Of Titans that the Stavka and Kremlin were deeply shooked by this defeat.

[@cp1cupcake]

I recently reread a memoir written by a US paratrooper who was in Anzio. He states that it viewed as preferable to be on the front than behind it, since the Germans would be more willing to bomb further away. He also talks about how they would let certain German patrols probing the defences go past, since they would go back and say that area was undefended, which would in turn let the paratroopers prepare an ambush.

[@royalmason1539]

Indy, I am in awe of your rhetorical skills. That was one heck of a breathlessly long narration and you nailed it! I must ask... do you use a monitor? If so, it's not obvious. it's hard to imagine that you've memorized all these stats and names (The names--Oh my God! How do you manage that?) so well. And when do you come up for air and actually take a breaht? I was expecting you to collapse from oxygen deficiency but you never did. Great performance!

[@Southsideindy]

I do use a teleprompter, yes, but I write the scripts, so I know the material pretty cold, and I write them for my own voice- and yes, I read them out loud ahead of time to see how the drama is. But we can film an episode in under half an hour since I rarely stumble over my tongue, so most everything is just one take.

[@WorldWarTwo]

This is my favorite kind of compliment! I do use a monitor, but I write the scripts for my own voice and do go over them out loud before they're shot.

[@ЯрославКундышев-р2в]

Indy, bravo! Balanced and thorough position admires us!

[@kstxevolution9642]

Not too terribly balanced when he mainly uses western historiography and not so much the soviet historiography, especially for events concerning the eastern front

[@finscreenname]

If this war has shown anything it has shown that who makes the least mistakes or blunders wins.

[@Medytacjusz]

Here it comes, the fight for Monte Casino that my grandparents' neighbour and friend fought in (in the Polish Corps). Died before I got interested in history enough to ask him any questions, unfortunately.

[@cfoofnyhs]

Hi. I wonder what item is at the 5th minute and 38th second. Is it a map in that computer... or a map on a carton board?

[@marklaurenzi1609]

Nice job with the background music volume Time Ghost Team. Timing is also excellent!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you so much!

[@danabendu7294]

I love this channel so much

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you! We love you so much too! ♥️

[@ahorsewithnoname773]

The commander of the Japanese 12th army, Eitarō Uchiyama, has quite the mustache. (Seen at 10:20 ). That thing is right out of the 1st World War.

[@Raskolnikov70]

Finally, a WWII commander that appreciates the capabilities of weaponized facial hair.

[@Dustz92]

This would be a good time to watch the movie "Patton" (1970) by Franklin J. Schaffner, as the famous speech that opens the movie is based in the ones that was giving around this time to the 3rd Army. The film deals with the life of the famous American general George Patton during the war. Period covered: Early 1943-Late 1945 Historical accuracy: 4/5 - Generally accurate but with wrong stuff here and there (like Patton using Patton tanks...) IMDB grade: 7.9/10 Other: 7 Academy Awards

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[@pnutz_2]

also famously used by Dennis Leary for a music video in 1992

[@Raskolnikov70]

If you've never read Patton's speech in its entirety, please do so. You'll be happy you did, they only quote a few truncated lines of it out in the movie. They used to sell booklet copies of it at the Armor Museum in Ft. Knox when it was still open.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@Raskolnikov70 "The Nazis are the enemy! Spill their blood! Shoot them in the belly!" Then you get people on the Internet quoting him as saying in 1945 that the wrong enemy had been fought...

[@Arashmickey]

I had no idea the Gurkha's cookery was so unpalatable.

[@bookaufman9643]

China was the "Sick man of Asia." It makes me wonder how well Japan would have succeeded if they had stuck to China alone. I'm not sure if all of the resources they needed for expansion would have been available in just China but they could have avoided fighting the Allies for the most part. Obviously we would have given aid to China but that would have probably been the limit of it.

[@JackTobias-lg7ic]

I don't think they could have won if they just struck to china.

[@porksterbob]

Japan fought only China from 1937 to the end of 1941. They attacked the western allies because they could not defeat China alone. They needed to cut off China's connections to the outside world first. And those connections were owned by the French and British. Similarly, the us stopped selling japan oil which the Japanese needed to attack China.

[@bookaufman9643]

@@porksterbob I'm not sure how attacking the allied forces is supposed to help you cut off their help to China. Instead it makes the Allies join in with the Chinese so that the Chinese have the help they need and the Japanese have to fight the other countries. Not a good plan.

[@porksterbob]

@@bookaufman9643 it was not a good plan. The Japanese thought they could nab the Asian colonies for resources and isolate China at the same time. When it was planned in 1941 it seemed like Germany was going to win so Japan also wanted to strike while the iron was hot. The second step was to then fortify so much that it would be too costly for the western allies to take back their colonies.

[@lemon_j]

Best channel ever!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you ❤️

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Not every US soldier called up and sent overseas spoke English well, and there were also literacy problems, as was mentioned. Some comic book-style guides were published, explaining things like the functioning of equipment, how the pay system operated and so on. The Germans did the same thing - it was useful for training and many of their "Volksdeutsch" personnel did not know German all that well.

[@paultapner2769]

I love big words, but Picayune was a new one on me. So I learned something today. Having googled it, I can see why he was referred to as such.

[@nozecone]

I hope you have better luck than me - I don't know how many times in my life I've looked up that word - even 'way back in honest-to-goodness paper dictionaries - and I still never know what it means when I come across it ... !

[@oldesertguy9616]

You have to wonder how the war would have fared if, instead of worrying about who got credit, the generals worried about actually winning the war.

[@Raskolnikov70]

Clark seemed pretty eager to bring the fight to his fellow generals. Kinda wish he had that same energy when it came to bringing the fight to the Germans, but what do I know?

[@markfryer9880]

You don't become a General by being modest

[@oldesertguy9616]

@@markfryer9880there is a fine line between confidence and basically putting your own ego before actually getting the job done. I've worked with a lot of type A people and they lose sight of the actual mission. It becomes a contest of who gets credit/blame rather than working toward the goal.

[@divarachelenvy]

yet another rivetting show Indy, cheers..

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you!

[@alansewell7810]

Per quote at the end, by mid 1944 the Germans had increased their raw numbers in several categories, but had lost most of their best trained men in their primes who went into the war at the beginning. In May 1944 the Russians were decoying the Germans into thinking their next great offensive would come south of the Pripyet marshes in North Ukraine, which is where the Germans concentrated their tank armies. Instead, the Russian offensive was to come in Byelorussia, destroying most of the the Germans' Army Group Center. The Germans were in a more precarious state than the raw numbers would suggest.

[@caryblack5985]

Absolutely and manpower was their biggest problem. The Soviet Army grew in numbers while the German Army declined. Remember you can buld a plane or atank in a few days but it takes 17 years to grow a soldier.

[@Raskolnikov70]

Those raw numbers are misleading. Germany gutted its civilian economy in order to focus more on military production. They're essentially eating their seed corn at this point trying to save themselves.

[@georgesakellaropoulos8162]

An excellent source for the battle of Kohima and Imphal is the book 'Not Ordinary Men.'

[@himoffthequakeroatbox4320]

Clark went for Palermo, which had no strategic significance, and let the Germans escape via Messina to fight another day. He's not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice. The US is a meritocracy, that just couldn't happen.

[@Spiderfisch]

Patton went for palermo

[@drewstar412]

@17:48...And do not write in and say 'Hey man, you know it's the Soviets not the Russians; they're not the same thing!"... "Yeah I know, but the it's a quote, I not gonna change the words of a quote!" ~ Indy Neidell. Pure Indy Comedy Gold! LOL

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for watching!

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the lesson.

[@Capt_OscarMike]

Indie throwing down a 40s version of, "TRUE DAT"!!! TRULY MASTERFUL 🙂

[@RubberToeYT]

Finding the inter-commander social politics really interesting

[@iDeathMaximuMII]

Never knew that Germany in 1944 was still pretty much IN the fight & ready for round 6 with the Soviets. There was a big possibility of D-Day failing & while I doubt they could ever pull a 1941 ever again. Stabilizing & even advancing back into Ukraine was maybe possible if you exclude the western landings & the Operation Bagration. Who knows how long the Eastern front would’ve went on for if D-Day failed

[@dragosstanciu9866]

Not quite, the Axis conquering Ukraine again would have been possible only if a constant supply of fuel and weapons was assured. Also,the Soviets would not allow the Axis to take Ukraine. The German army is suffering from fuel shortages and Allied bombings on major industrial areas.

[@caryblack5985]

@@dragosstanciu9866 The Germaqns also had a severe manpower problem. In 1944 and 1945 the Soviet Army grew while the German Army declined.

[@dragosstanciu9866]

@@caryblack5985 Exactly.

[@iDeathMaximuMII]

@@dragosstanciu9866 Maybe I was too generous with the “retaking Ukraine” bit. But still it is impressive how the Germans were still producing way more stuff than what they lost for a time. The manpower issue I always knew, cause yeah you can have all the weapons in the world but if there isn’t anyone to operate them. Then yeah, but I do think that they could’ve maybe held the Soviet’s June offensive off more better than having Army Group Centre get annihilated like it did in reality. I’m just a fan of alternate scenarios. Also regardless of the Allied bombing, from what Indy has said for months through the sources, the bombings haven’t really done much aside from killing thousands & making Germans homeless. Industrial production hasn’t shrunk (yet)

[@dragosstanciu9866]

@@iDeathMaximuMII I understand.

[@haroldbeck4351]

An episode on the naval situation in the Black Sea would be interesting. I keep wondering why at this point in the war't Soviet naval and air power unable to effectively interdict axis ships heading into or out of Sevasopol.

[@Raskolnikov70]

I thought they would have done one by now. Although I've noticed the numbers of special episodes has dwindled in recent months to barely any - putting all of their extra effort into the D-Day specials, I'd imagine.

[@recoil53]

Was there ever a time to build up the Soviet navy in the area? I've never focused on the Soviet front, so most of what I've known is the convoys to Russia. However, I've never seen mention of the Soviet Navy playing a part in the war. Some of that can be written off as history written by the west, but even in the Cold War the Soviet navy wasn't much of a factor outside of submarines.

[@Raskolnikov70]

@@recoil53 IIRC Turkey closed the Bosporus straits to all combatant nations, so the Soviets were stuck with what they already had stationed there in 1941 even if their ships could make it past the Axis navies in the Mediterranean. Romania had a fairly sizeable navy which is what the Axis is using to supply Crimea, and the Germans were able to move a few U-Boats into the Black Sea by dismantling them and sending them overland by rail. But the major threat to ships of both sides was air attack from land-based planes, not other warships.

[@auguststorm2037]

According to the Day by Day episode of this channel Axis forces managed to evacuate only 38 000 of 121 000 men trapped in Crimea ( mostly Germans) due to many ships sank by Soviet Air and Naval forces.

[@muhammadjordan2833]

The Soviet naval and air forces did make multiple attacks on German evacuation convoys from the Crimea. And while they weren't able to isolate it completely, they contributed to the very heavy losses

[@edmundcowan9131]

Good job time ghost army. Your making the complex understandable

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you! We do our very best!

[@jjeherrera]

4:50 That's probably because they weren't under Patton's command.

[@danielnavarro537]

The Axis forces had suffered numerous losses during the months building up. They had lose souther Italy, Ukraine, Leningrad, Solomon Islands, Hollandia, and the central Pacific. Yet they are still determined to fight to the end and try to achieve victory. The Axis forces have been amassing, creating, and building new formations for future attacks. In the Asiatic Pacific Theater the Japanese has launch their grand offensives into Bruma and China. While in Europe, the Germans are awaiting for the Allied landings while they will defend bitterly in Italy and on the Eastern Front. The only question remains: Do the Allies really have the Axis at their end? Can the Axis supply all of their forces; only time can tell and time is not on the Axis’s side. Godspeed to those who perished.

[@jaakkosaha5787]

I wonder if Stalin has any plans for Finland. It looks like he might just forget about Finland and focus his full strength on defeating the Germans. That would certainly be a favourable outcome for the Finns.

[@tomcolley9008]

Wow, so much resistance and struggle everywhere. I certainly can’t see this war, at least not in Europe, ending anytime soon. Especially not within the next year.

[@1101millie97]

I wonder if Võ Nguyên Giáp studied the 1944 battle of Imphal to learn from Japanese mistakes in preparation for his Dien Bien Phu campaign a decade later? I can see echoes between the two battles.

[@johnfleet235]

Your reports on the Pacific Front really are good at showing the battles being fought in the Pacific Theater. A noted Historian of the Pacific War stated that after Midway, the Japanese Army/Navy went into a world of make believe of thinking they were winning even if losing. I see that in the Indian and Chinese campaigns seem to fit since I am not sure what the Japanese hope to achieve when the US Navy is about to blow Japan's defense perimeter to shreds. Please do an update this summer on the American subs campaign against Japan's Marus.

[@theblondesiouxsiesioux]

I saw Total Chaos play a show in S.L.C. once. I didn't know the Imperial Japanese were into that kind of music... 🤣🤣🤣

[@thagrifster594]

Indy had me at “tru dat.” 😂

[@skyden24195]

The mentioning of the losses of the mules in the crossing of the Kumon Range put to mind another semantic perspective of why the designation(s) of "World War(s)" is so defining; that being of the extent of involvement of animal species, during the war(s), other than humans. True, these were not the first wars to involve domesticated (or sometimes not) animals, but these wars, WWII in particular, (since like all other aspects, it was scaled up from WWI,) saw the animal diversity and activity as well scaled up. From the historically ever-present horses and mules to pigeons and falcons, dogs and cats, even a bear (Polish Army in exile I believe had the bear.) And then you have the "incidental" but actively influential animal participants such as crocodiles and sharks. Of course, too, something could be added as well to the "War against Animality" whereas how much wildlife was disturbed/destroyed due to the war. Marine environments desolated, especially in areas such as "Iron Bottom Sound," and everywhere that a "scorched Earth" policy was implemented. "World War" indeed.

[@WorldWarTwo]

What a fantastic perspective to consider! Thank you for sharing!

[@YIIMM]

18:38 Hey, man, ...

[@xza9662]

An aviation blunder. There were no A6M Zero fighters in Burma for the Imphal offensive. No matter what the allied pilots combat report say or any other source about that. The Zero was a IJ Navy plane and the northern Burma front was a IJ Army affair and the didn't use the Zero. Their main fighter was the Ki-43 Hayabusa code name Oscar.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

The Hayabusa was sometimes called the "Army Zero" by the Allies.

[@xza9662]

@@stevekaczynski3793 But Indy didn't say "Army Zeros" just "Zeros" so that implies A6M.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@xza9662 The Zero legend tended to mean any single-engine Japanese fighter could be called one, and the Oscar superficially resembled it. Panzer IVs were also often called Tigers by Allied tank crewmen, despite being quite a bit smaller. This showed the fear the Tiger could inspire.

[@douglasturner6153]

All these smacks at Gen Clark. Originally Patton was considered for Anzio. But Clark raged. Don't want him. Results might have been different.

[@markfryer9880]

Yeah, Patton might have slapped a few more shocked soldiers or Anzio Annie might have dropped a shell on his head?

[@douglasturner6153]

@@markfryer9880 Patton had looked at the plan's beforehand. He identified the need to very quickly advance inland to the heights beyond. Clark and Lucas didn't even believe in the operation.

[@parallelworldsguy]

I had thought that D-Day and Bagration were not really decisive in that Germany had really lost the war before that. Indy's closing today disabused me of that view.

[@caryblack5985]

I would disagre. The German Army was outnumbered 2 to1 in the east and theSoviet Army continued to grow and the German Army shrank throughout 1944/45. The fuel situation got wiorse and worse and the Luftwaffe was in a fatal decline.

[@porksterbob]

Germany had lost the war. Indy is giving us the the thin reed that the Germans are clinging to.

[@xaviersaavedra7442]

This week’s episode was filmed on march 17th it seems.

That "positive" german outlook is very interesting. Goes to show how something that looks so clear in retrospect often is in no way clear to those in the moment. Just like in every book about the attack on Kiew in 2022 it will probably say that the failure was inevitable.

[@caryblack5985]

. The German Army was outnumbered 2 to1 in the east and theSoviet Army continued to grow and the German Army shrank throughout 1944/45. The fuel situation got wiorse and worse and the Luftwaffe was in a fatal decline.

[@Uncle_Roadkill]

Damn, Indy's got that Grove Street style going on!

[@RobFox-d4j]

Are you making any preparations to cover the Korean, and Vietnam wars?

[@zerogravy7446]

Glory hounds have no place commanding a garbage truck, much less entire divisions.

[@icewaterslim7260]

I'm surprised that the Imperial Japanese Navy were lending Aircrews and aircraft to Army operation Ichigo for the Bishenpur raid as stated @14:50 of the video. The declassified Air interdiction report on the 14th AAF, "IAW EO12958" only describes what aircraft we were using for what and not what types the minimal Japanese Air opposition were fielding nor in what branch of service they were operating..There was a Navy base on Formosa though. I've still got to wonder if the reports sourced weren't possibly misidentifying Nakajimas of any of three types: Ki43, Ki44 or Ki84, all of which were common in the few Imperial Army bases in China at the time.. It was also quite common for our pilots and ground soldiers to misidentify Japanese Aircraft at a brief look at something that looks pretty indistinguishable from a distance anyway. They see a meatball and it's a "Zeke" like a generic reference.. I've heard an Ace pilot of the prestigious 475th fighter group call the Ki 61 a "Messerschmidt" as late as the 1990s. Like a machinist that doesn't care what he's making as long as it's to print, I don't think some of them have time to care what the hell they're shooting down as long as it sports a meatball on the wing or fuselage. . . Did Clark feud with other Allied commanders over slights real and imagined more so than General Stilwell ? That would seem to leave virtually no allies. Stilwell at least had "Wild Bill" Donovan. I'm assuming that moniker was to do with his "intelligence" assessments pertaining to China which were on the same "low confidence" page as Stilwell's. Probably his sole source. . .

[@andrewsanford]

That quote at the end adds a lot of facts I’d never heard before. It makes the Nazi’s defeat not look inevitable and the world in a more precarious position.

[@caryblack5985]

I would disagre. The German Army was outnumbered 2 to1 in the east and theSoviet Army continued to grow and the German Army shrank throughout 1944/45. The fuel situation got wiorse and worse and the Luftwaffe was in a fatal decline.

[@mikedeck8381]

I read a book a long time ago by William Shirer. He spent years going through the German archives after the war. He found a number of documents regarding a series of presentations made by OKW to senior officers in early 1944. Think Jodl himself was behind these presentations that were based on top secret information that Hitler was aware of. According to Shirer many were labeled as coming from the Fuehrers HQ. They dealt with the impending invasion of France in the West. They concluded that such an invasion was almost certain to occur and that the German forces in the West would almost certainly fail to stop it. Not only are they in big trouble in the South, the East and the North, not only are allies and neutral countries turning on them but they also have an invasion coming from the West that they'd need a miracle to stop.

[@ronaldfinkelstein6335]

My crystal ball gave a cryptic message...1 year 1 day...Victor Easy Dog Able Yoke Wait a minute...there's another message..." Make that 1 year and 2 days..."

[@eldorados_lost_searcher]

That's a head scratcher. Wonder what it means?

[@iDeathMaximuMII]

I thought it was May 8th?

[@JLAvey]

Wasn't Bob Dole one of those casualties in Italy? And considering new units there, when are the Brazilians going to arrive?

[@albiagioni100]

They will take a few more weeks

[@ericcarlson3746]

"In April 1945, while engaged in combat near Castel d'Aiano in the Apennine mountains southwest of Bologna, Italy, Dole was seriously wounded by a German shell that struck his upper back and right arm, shattering his collarbone and part of his spine. "I lay face down in the dirt," Dole said. "I could not see or move my arms. I thought they were missing." "

[@extrahistory8956]

The Brazilians will burst into the scene in November, during the Gothic Line offensives.