Week 240 - Goodbye Manstein… Hello Model - WW2 - April 1, 1944

[@WorldWarTwo]

Everyone give a very warm welcome to our latest addition to the editing team, Piotr! It's thanks to the TimeGhost Army that our team can always be expanding: www.patreon.com/join/TimeGhostHistory

[@guillaumedeschamps1087]

Welcome to the team, the Army and the project Piotr! To the End of the War!

[@geranimallapache8165]

there are no official subtitles in this video and video "week 239" accessibility for deaf people is essential.

[@geranimallapache8165]

can you add official subtitles?

[@caryblack5985]

As of April 1, 1944 the Germans have had 1,675,067 deaths on the Eastern front and approximately 5,000,000 wounded. In the month of April they have an additional 73,264 deaths and approximately 211,000 wounded.

[@Rocdog]

I am enjoying the weekly episodes. One of my GrandFathers survived Pearl Harbor and died in 1982. My other Grandfather was a new Lieutenant commanded a platoon landing third wave on Omaha Beach. Promoted and was in command of a company spearheading Pattons drive to Bastogne, and liberated Buchenwald.

[@hallamhal]

Manstein has been replaced by this year's latest Model

[@yes_head]

Ba-dum-TISH!

[@donjones4719]

Oh, the pain, the pain...

[@ScienceChap]

See what you did there...!

[@jonbaxter2254]

Boo!

[@williamdonnelly224]

Ouch.

[@unitedfront2932]

Model : We really cannot afford to send anything to the south Schmundt : You will be transferred to command the south Model : SEND IT!

[@jmiller2032]

Ii😢iz 0:14 i😅😊

[@robertjarman3703]

The war has not necessarily developed to Germany´s advantage.

[@silvoslaf]

Wow, that's such an incredible observation

[@modest_spice6083]

Have been since start.

[@fieldmarshalbaltimore1329]

Lol

[@fieldmarshalbaltimore1329]

​@@silvoslaf it's a reference to the Japanese surrender speech by the emperor

[@silvoslaf]

@@fieldmarshalbaltimore1329 TIL thnx

[@JoJoModding]

Someone commented a few weeks back that the person on the other end of the phone line is getting more and more deranged. Someone should check in on them, the war is not ending any time soon

[@jimplummer4879]

Love it !!

[@jimplummer4879]

😂😂

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Next April, the one at the other end will be wanting to know where Steiner is and want Fegelein brought to him...

[@Raskolnikov70]

Plot twist - the last few weeks of calls in 1945 will be coming from a bunker under the Chancellory in Berlin.

[@wietse1113]

The size of the US fleet is so insane. Just casually sending over 11 carriers in one fleet. Absolutely mental, and entirely unthinkable not very long ago

[@Blazcowitz1943]

One taskforce with more carriers than Japan has left in her entire navy.

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

Wasn't that the size of the entire Pre-War Japanese carrier fleet? Lol

[@zoomertoast3703]

If I had a nickel for every time a commander-in-chief of the Japanese combined fleet died in a plane crash, I'd have two nickles; which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice

[@thanos_6.0]

When the war is over I really hope there is a compilation of all phone oppenings.

[@Shymenyou]

yes to that!

[@DATA-qt3nb]

let it be known, that this should definetly be a thing. they could already do 240 of them xD

[@archstanton6102]

Yes

[@_ArsNova]

Why? They're aren't really funny and I skip them 90% of the time.

[@loveroffunnyy]

@@_ArsNova I disagree.

[@enraikow6109]

the way Indy said "the officers will be purged" so matter-of-factly/nonchalantly is what set the entire situation of the eastern front for me and i think is the true highlight of this episode.

[@rustyshackleford2797]

"Purge" doesn't mean "kill".

[@seneca983]

Presumably that only means that they're removed from their posts or demoted, not that they're imprisoned or killed?

[@Ronald98]

Purge does not mean kill

[@stevekaczynski3793]

More than Romanian officers, many Hungarian officers were German-speaking and some were quite pro-German. The Germans sought to promote them, and remove those who were not trusted.

[@ericcarlson3746]

@@Ronald98 in this particular instance, yes

[@depreseo]

I remember my grandfather telling me about how he saw Vesuvius erupt in 44 whilst serving as a quartermaster sgt. Major in the British yeomanry.

[@AnimatedStoriesWorldwide]

I remember your grandfather lying about having a grandkid who's even 16 in 2020.... unless your grandpa had your dad in his 60's....

[@depreseo]

@@AnimatedStoriesWorldwide father was born in the 50s. I was born in the 80s.

[@depreseo]

Yeomanry is a light cavelrey. at the outset of the war in '39 they were still mounted, but by 1940 had switched to a mechanised cavelrey.

[@nathanweitzman9531]

My grandfather was in the infantry in Africa, drove trucks for road transport in Italy. He had a little piece of what looks like bitumen from this eruption.

[@Alex_Meadows]

@@AnimatedStoriesWorldwide Many of us have (or, increasingly, had) grandfathers who fought in WWII. My own paternal grandfather's memoir of the war contains the following introduction: "As I was born in 1908 I was old enough to know about World War I, 4th August 1914 to 13th July 1919, and I gathered, from my younger uncles, and my elder cousins, as well as from my older sister's male friends, that war is not only very dangerous, but dirty, and to be avoided. My views were confirmed by the pessimistic post-war novels, which soon began to appear. "I did not hear our Prime Minister, Lloyd George, say on 11th November 1918, announcing the Armistice with Germany, 'We may say that thus, this fateful morning, comes an end to all wars', but I had already learned enough history to believe that his statement was vastly improbable."

[@linlenny1392]

Model raiding is own command is funny as hell😂

[@pax6833]

"I can only send 2 divisions south" Well you'll be going with them mr. Model "Did I say 2? I meant 6."

[@neokonline_]

"Ok guys, lets get out of here we have 30 minutes"

[@steveford8999]

That thing about the amoeba is now stuck in my head. My daughter once called me "a fount of useless information." And she took after me. So proud.

[@kirbyculp3449]

There is an Avalon Hill game, out-of-print, called Amoeba Wars. It is actually a science fiction game.

[@samlosco8441]

Love all the comedic moments in this episode. Amoeba lesson, April Fools, Model raiding his own command, that ridiculous German name, and never trust a volcano

[@markreetz1001]

"Never trust a volcano." Truer words have never been spoken!

[@howardbrandon11]

16:12 There's a bit of audio cutout for me. Anybody else experience that?

[@brettd2308]

Yes, for me as well.

[@21bugger]

I did but the subtitles helped 😉

[@21bugger]

Thanks for making the Kohima - Imphal battles make a hell lot more sense. I’ve read the book Slim - master of war by Dr Lyman and a few other sources. It was one of the most confusing battle that I’ve read and the ONLY one I never figured out what the hell is going on. Thanks for making the complicated simple - a sign of true intelligence 😉

[@mgway4661]

Basically terrain dictates how armies will fight and maneuver

[@Ronald98]

Why did the Japanese aim for Kohima and not Dimapur?

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

The most confusing battle has to remain Operation Crusader though.

[@SUPA720]

​@@Ronald98 road to guwahati was the reason

[@Ronald98]

@@SUPA720 The road to where? is that near Imphal?

[@oldesertguy9616]

You guys don't realize how much I look forward to these videos every week. I have a lot going on but I always make time to watch them.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for your support and your viewership!

[@Adam_Lenin]

Hello Indy. Good channel. But I need to correct you here. Manstein has already received his Knight's Cross back in 1940. But after his dismissal in 1944, he received Swords to his Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. Keep up the good work.

[@christiant4596]

Mount Vesuvio, one of the best aces in the Italian AirForce.

[@PhillyPhanVinny]

Very good and interesting episode guys! I'm kind of surprised nothing at all was happening in Italy though I guess, "nothing at all" in WW2 terms that is. The fighting that happened in Italy this week would be kind of considered like a "normal" week during WW1 when no offensives are happening. I'm also glad you guys again gave the Filipino soldiers/guerrillas credit when they did something major in WW2. As Douglas MacArthur said constantly throughout his life the Filipino people were far and away the most loyal and hard fighting "colony" of WW2. And as MacArthur also often tried to correct, the Filipino people were never given the credit they deserve for being a major factor in the Japanese ultimate defeat. From the start of the war, to the hard fought fighting retreat and defense at Bataan, to their guerrilla campaign against the Japanese occupiers and then to the Philippines ultimate liberation from the Japanese, the Filipino people played a very significant role in the defeat of the Japanese Empire in WW2. If the channel decides to double back after the end of the war to cover individual areas of the war that we were not able to focus enough on during the weekly episodes (it's impossible to cover everything on WW2 even with the insane amount of content you have created) I'd love to see an episode on the Filipino guerilla campaign against the Japanese and the Philippines overall contribution to the largest war in human history.

[@extrahistory8956]

After the disaster thay was the 3rd Battle of Monte Cassino, the Allies choose to halt all major operations until they could get their act together. As a result they will not launch any major military actions until May.

[@mariopineda4774]

Thank you Vinny! As a Filipino myself it does often bother me and my fellow Filipinos on the lack of coverage the Filipino soldiers get during all books, tv shows, documentaries, movies, etc. One of the major reasons the Philippines loves MacArthur so much was because even before WW2 he talked so much about how much he trusted and believed in the Filipino army (that he played the most important role in creating). And then during the war and after it MacArthur would very often put in his comments about how loyal the Philippines was to the United States and how the Philippines showed that former colonies can become free and create a military of their own to defend their land.

[@rayferrone4518]

@@extrahistory8956 Yeah I agree with the OP, I thought that what you just said would be something worth mentioning what happened in Italy during WW2 this week. The lack of even going there this week kind of makes it feel like it was skipped/forgotten about (I know that isn't actually the case). I think it is important that people understand that Italy in WW2 becomes more like WW1 then at any other time or location during WW2. The way the fighting in Italy develops into a meat grinder type of conflict with not many major movements plays a significant factor in the decisions that Mark Clark and other high ranking officers in Italy make during WW2. For example the famous taking of Rome that Mark Clark is so often unfairly criticized for was influenced by his experience during WW1 and what he saw as a repeat of that (Clark was ordered by the highest ranking US military officer, George Marshall and Clark's immediate superior as the time, British Field Marshal Harold Alexander to take Rome). The campaign in Italy never had the goal of pushing through the Alps into Germany/Austria. The whole goal of fighting in Italy was to take away divisions that could be used on the Eastern or Western fronts. So that is the way that Clark and other American, British and other nations officers played the fighting in Italy during WW2. If Germany tried to take troops away from Italy to use elsewhere then the 2 Allied armies in Italy had to push to make Germany send divisions back or stop taking away other troops. This is because the attacker in Italy would lose any attritional fighting in Italy because of the terrain they were fighting on.

[@Raskolnikov70]

I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about the Phillipines this autumn...

[@derrickthewhite1]

MacArthur was a self-promoting media hound. The stuff he says should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, everything I've ever heard about the Phillippines in WWII is that they were firmly on the side of the allies. They don't seem to have ever really believed the Japanese propaganda. And today's story is proof: you'd think landing in territory your forces control and being found by civilians would get you back home...

[@timl.b.2095]

Cool map effects with the crashing planes at 5:47.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you ❤️

[@jimmypenrose1401]

15:25 I seem to remember hearing stories about Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester from the original "Addams Family" as well as "the Kid" from Charlie Chaplin's movie fame) being heavily involved in the airlift activity in the Burma-India theater at this time.

[@ahorsewithnoname773]

He was involved in this campaign but not that particular airlift. What he was involved in was actually quite a bit more dangerous. He flew gliders with the 1st Air Commando Group & was among those ferrying Chindits behind Japanese lines back in the first week of March.

[@HootOwl513]

Ex-Singing Cowboy, Gene Autry, was an Army Air Force pilot officer, flying C-109s [cargo Liberators] over the Hump in the CBI.

[@briceoka5623]

Just a very polite correction, Manstein and Kleist both already had the Knight's cross of the iron cross, they both received the swords decoration to their knight's cross after dismissal which is a higher level of that particular medal.

[@khornedmaple]

People remember Operation Bagration the most, but the writing really is on the wall with these spring offensives, especially in Ukraine.

[@Ronald98]

They are inside of Romania now.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

Bagration really was the star of Soviet offensives, together with the Balkan offensive that came after it. It gained a LOT of strategic real estate and destroyed a German army group. It was where it finally came together though. The Ukraine winter offensive is the one that seems to be the forgotten stepchild, even in Soviet historiography. Probably because it didn't produce the stunning victories that seemed so promising, the encirclement of the Khorsun Cherkassy pocket, now 1st Panzer Army, with both times the Germans managing to snatch breakout from the jaws of defeat. Stalin was probably not very impressed, even though the offensive did regain the Ukraine and inflicted massive damage to the German Ostheer, which set up the stage for the success of Bagration.

[@alektech7436]

You may wanna read “Lost in the Mud tye forgotten collapse of german army” it is about the impact of the offensive in the Ukraine in Spring 44. Fantastic read!

[@Yora21]

This has been going even through the whole winter. Nothing but large scale retreats every week.

[@ReichLife]

@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 Overall Bagration is among most overrated events of WW2, child of recent revisionism after entire Cold War period of sources based solely on Allies and Germans which prioritized coverage of Western Front and had biased perception of Eastern One. Bagration fame is mostly to over-coverage of Operation Overlord. This fame though utterly ignores that it was exactly thanks to Overlord that Bagration didn't end up as all those offensives in Ukraine, as entire army worth of mobile and well equipped German forces, was now instead in Normandy rather than on Eastern Front.

[@williamdonnelly224]

Thanks!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you William!

[@johnscott107]

Just started watching through your videos, I have to say although i am a military and history enthusiast, i have never found anyone who makes it so interesting as you do, you have a fantastic style of telling the stories, and i am really enjoying wtching through the whole series, thank you.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you John! We're so happy you enjoy what we're making here :) We owe it all to the TimeGhost Army!

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Spartacus might cover it but March 31, 1944 was a disastrous night for RAF Bomber Command, with 95 bombers lost in a raid on Nuremberg. Freak atmospheric conditions meant many bombers were trailing contrails which made them quite visible even at night. Many German fighters also used "Schraege Musik", upward-firing cannons. They would approach unnoticed below bombers and fire upwards, at close range that made missing difficult. Nuremberg was hardly touched though some bombers did hit ball-bearing factories in nearby Schweinfurt. A wing commander on the raid who survived told the briefing officers on his return that it was "the biggest chop night ever". He was told not to exaggerate.

[@MikhailZabaluev]

15:20 I like how unit icons get thrown out of planes and sort of flop onto the ground.

[@michaelvaughn1496]

Thank you again, Indy and team for highlighting more the Indo-Pacific Arena of War. I know things are picking up at this point of WWII as to action in the Pacific historically, but discussing this arena at the start and middle of your great videos and giving as much time as you have over the past 2 months (or so) is, for me, very welcome. All arenas of this great conflict are/were important but....I'm just grateful in general for your fantastic and detailed channel; and selfishly as a West Coast guy whose male relatives and friends fought mostly in Asia and the Pacific, I am specifically grateful for the informed and detailed time spent on that region of the war. THANKS!

[@extrahistory8956]

Then, I bet that the April and May videos are going to thrill you. Action in both the Eastern and Italian fronts is going to be very slow during these months, while the Asia-Pacific war is going to see a lot of action in Burma, China and Papua New Guinea.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for your support Michael! And we appreciate your family’s service! We pride ourselves on covering every facet of the war, in every theater, until the end. I also dedicated some coverage to China and Burma over on our Twitter if you want to take a read. -Will

[@paulcocks7299]

I believe this week is the one where my late father-in-law was killed by friendly artillery fire in Burma as part of the relief force sent south from Imphal. At least an unnamed Gurkha officer is, along with 4 other ranks, is described as killed in the books that mention it. However, he actually survived and went on to a ripe old age passing away only a few years ago. I suspect he was listed as a fatality on a 'he'll never make it to hospital' basis in the records and then everyone had more important things on their minds than correcting an old log entry when he recovered. He did occasionally reminisce about this event and his unlucky subordinates, which gives me confidence that the books are actually referring to him and not a similar event in the same small battle.

[@johnstanczyk4030]

I half-expected the entire video would just be the introductory phone call.

[@dirtcop11]

I laughed when Indy said he was not going to repeat the name of the German officer.

[@nicholasconder4703]

Indy, nice start with the episode, and introducing the TimeGhost Army to the wonderful world of taxonomy and scientific nomenclature. Nice introduction to part of the work I do.

[@HootOwl513]

''Never trust a Volcano,'' [20:14]. That sounds like something Joseph Heller might have written. Heller wrote ''Catch-22,'' from his experiences as a B-25 navigator [just like his character, Yossarian]...

[@Commanderziff]

Awww... I was hoping for another April Fools episode. There's a book series I love by Harry Turtledove called 'Worldwar' about aliens invading the Earth at the height of WWII. It would have been cool to hear you talk about Fleetlord Atvar's invasion of the British Isles, determined to knock at least one of the human nations out of the war.

[@LukeBunyip]

Nicely done, re: time The biology lesson was an unexpected bonus

[@Eaglehawk458]

5:20 Very hard to get through this video and not replay this name at least 3 times

[@obsidianjane4413]

@3:30 The tank in that picture gave me vehicle recognition fits! At first I thought it was a French Beutepanzer like an FMC, but no thats wrong, then a Stridsvagn L-60, but those are Swedish, The Danes only had a few, but ah.... The Hungarians built a copy, so its probably a "Toldi". Strange how it seems to be missing its main gun.

[@samtownend6744]

My grandfather fought in Italy, serving through the whole war as an anti aircraft commander in the british army, and they flew over Vesuvius to have a look at it when they were on a break from the fighting. The ash choked up the engine and they were in quite a bit of danger, and when they got back to the airfield the pilot got a bollocking from his superior

[@Spiderfisch]

Goodbye guy who lost at kursk Hello other guy who lost at kursk

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

Model was smarter at Kursk though. When he noticed he could not break through he halted his offensive to spare his panzer divisions for later use. Which was why the Soviet Orel offensive was so bloody for them. Whereas Manstein kept going on way too long, which exhausted his panzer divisions to the point that when the Red Army went to the offensive they could not muster enough strength to counter them.

[@caryblack5985]

As of April 1, 1944 the Germans have had 1,675,067 deaths on the Eastern front and approximately 5,000,000 wounded. In the month of April they have an additional 73,264 deaths and approximately 211,000 wounded.

[@UrosKovacevic91]

And how many captured?

[@clicheguevara9917]

is there a breakdown over the Overall numbers? thanks for sharing!

[@caryblack5985]

@@UrosKovacevic91 Don't have numbers on captured.

[@caryblack5985]

@@clicheguevara9917 Yes there is a month by month on deaths but not by unit or any other breakdown.

[@clicheguevara9917]

​@@caryblack5985would you mind sharing? would love to see how those numbers developed and if there are noticeable spikes around the big battles. thank you a lot!

[@CFITOMAHAWK2]

Great show every episode. 71 years old WW2 buff is learning extra. Joining the TG Army now.

[@GrassesOn97]

I was honestly expecting half of the video to be Andy talking on the phones about amoeba for April fools day.

[@Steven-p4j]

By God, I had forgotten how good this series is. Glad to have returned.

[@WorldWarTwo]

@Steven Welcome back!

[@Steven-p4j]

@@WorldWarTwo Thank you, my laptop was replaced, so I have been gathering my favourites.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Glad to hear you’ve got a new one! We’re happy to have you watching again!

[@djquinn11]

These episodes are really good, love the maps showing the troop concentrations. Well done Sir.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for your support, Dale.

[@Lematth88]

This week in French news. The 27th of March, at Algiers, during a debate at the Assembly, De Gaulle reaffirms that no exterior forces can choose the way France wants to choose and that the provisional government has always been for democracy. The same day after 3 days of debate, the project of ordinance for the reestablishment of public power in France is adopted. It says that the people of France will be asked to pronounce on a new Constitution after the war and that women will have the right to vote and be eligible. Furthermore, its gives instructions for the reestablishment of municipalities and general council. It creates Councils of the Resistance in departments to supervise the purging of the political personal and collaborators. It prepares for elections three months after the liberation of a department in order to elect a new General Council and a Municipal Council and delegates to go to the newly established Provisional Representative Assembly in Paris made of theses elected members. This assembly have globally the same power of the Assembly in Algiers but will choose dates and modalities for the constituent election. However, breaking the timeline, because of the situation in France at the Liberation. This last part will not be executed. They will be no elections before the beginning of 1945 with municipalities in May and then departments in September. The Consultative Assembly will not be transformed into the Representative Assembly too and will not be transferred at the same time as the Government (it will arrive three months later) in Paris as required by the ordinance. At the end of the month: Soustelle, director of the secret service warns the Giraudist secret services that they will need to finance themselves. Giraud threaten to dissolve it (with all their contacts, network and all) and proposes a restructuration with two branches, one political and one military, just as the CFLN’s presidency before. Soustelle can't accept. During the month of April: the COMIDAC will send directives to resistance cells for the landing to come. It organizes the transition of power from Vichy and the Germans to France. The CNR adopts status for coordination organizations, insurrections, and the representatives of the population toward the new authority. The 1st of April: the EMDN (Etat Major de la défense national) is created. It is directly under De Gaulle with chief general Béthouart as commander.

[@AnimatedStoriesWorldwide]

Finally a comment that his historically accurate, in depth, and not about "my grandfather serving in [that tiny Pilipino village]" for cheap upvotes. Respect to you my good sir.

[@molcat_doma]

Mfw the comments are the opposite side of the war

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thanks for the extra info!

[@lawsonj39]

@@molcat_doma What are you talking about?

[@levgoldiner3098]

My hometown mentioned again WW1 and now WW2. Great job love the videos

[@ThePinkus]

5:22 there are sure things You can count on, like hyacinth being a sweet sounding word... until Your sureties get shattered...

[@nigelhamilton815]

Week on week the tension is building. Love it!

[@yes_head]

ANOTHER meaty week of action. Whew! I do appreciate the coverage of the Burma theater, a part of the war I -- like many -- knew little about. I'm also enjoying learning about how the Pacific campaign unfolded. Not just "Then they attacked that island. And then that island." But the smaller moves and details between all the island-hopping. And holy smokes the Soviets had a LOT of soldiers! The Germans really could have used a Bakhmut or two (or ten) to reduce those numbers.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

By then the Soviets were running out of soldiers too. Not a single Soviet unit, not even the elite tank armies was ever at full strength again in the 2nd half of the war. The losses of the 1st half of the war were too great to be sustained. But the Soviets skillfully shifted forces around to achieve local superiority so it seemed like they did have endless amounts of soldiers. whereas the truth was that the quiet sectors were being thinly held. Usually by fortified units, low in manpower, but with lots of machineguns to compensate. And of course, every town, city or village the Red Army 'liberated' they immediately rounded up every abled bodied man, put him into uniform, gave him a gun and sent him off to fight.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

​@@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623 Photos of Red Army soldiers in 1944 suggest many were either boys under 18, or grizzled types well into their forties or even fifties. Admittedly the latter mostly seem to be in behind-the-lines situations, like escorting supply convoys or guarding Axis POWs. Even concentration or labour camp inmates, freed from the Germans or in at least one camp the Romanians, would be given a quick health check and if they were Soviet citizens or even understood Russian, they were enrolled in the Red Army.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

@@stevekaczynski3793 I am not surprised if that were the case.

[@maciejkamil]

"Germany was quitting a period of adversity and entering one of desperation" - this quote perfectly describes late 1943 and early 1944.

[@bernardoconnor1502]

I'm finally caught up with the weekly episodes. With the goings on at Casino it made me think of 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the Nisei. Is there any chance of maybe getting a special on them? Their story is quite remarkable.

[@Raskolnikov70]

I'm sure they'll at least get a mention when the time comes. Sparty might also cover them in his WAH series since it directly relates to Japanese internment camps in the US.

[@thelastprussian6491]

Hyacinth Graf Strachwitz von Gross-Zauche und Camminetz (1910-1968) is really a difficult name He was a German aristocrat and military officer who served during World War II. He is best known for his service as a tank commander in the German army, where he became known for his tactical skills and bravery. Strachwitz was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords for his military achievements, and was also recognized for his humanitarian efforts towards both German and Soviet civilians during the war. After the war, Strachwitz faced difficulties adjusting to civilian life and struggled with alcoholism, but eventually became involved in politics and was elected to the Bundestag in 1965.

[@donjones4719]

When Indy came out with that improbable name I thought it was part of an April Fool's joke he was leading up to. Thanks for making this guy real.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@donjones4719 SPOILER After the Stauffenburg bomb plot, which involved quite a few German aristocrats, Nazi Labour Front leader Robert Ley ranted about "blue-blooded swine whose entire families must be wiped out". Whether someone like Strachwitz would have escaped just because of his military record will never be known.

[@malkent3199]

My Dad was off Anzio in HMS Orion when Vesuvius erupted. He was also in Seattle when Mt St Helens erupted. Coincidence?

[@anothermax420]

They're the same person 😮

[@odysseusrex5908]

11:37 I'm curious, those 11 carriers sent to attack Palau, were those all fleet carriers, or did that include some number of light carriers? Either way, good grief, what a difference two years makes.

[@korbell1089]

Model: "They want me to send units to Army Group South, I might be able to give up 2 divisions." Hitler: "Hey Walter, I putting you in charge of Army Group South!" Model: "Looking at it closer, I think I can give up 5 divisions instead!"😆😆

[@tiguan1964]

kleist and manstein were awarded the oak leaves and swords to the knights cross both having been holders of the knights cross since 1940

[@firstcynic92]

Sound drops out for a couple of seconds at 16:13

[@SonnyBurnett02]

Fun fact: the most lethal kind of canoes are volcanoes. I will see myself out...

[@darvennej4495]

Always good to hear a Model story. 6 divisions ! He and Schorner the 2 were at Kursk ? and now Army Group Commanders in another precarious walk the tightrope time. Model was his own man ,and even Hitler didn't push him around . Good coverage on Burma once again Indy Thanks!

[@colinjohnston5734]

Wow look at those sewers boil over at 19:21 to 19:25. The heat required to penetrate the ground like 5 feet that quickly is terrifying.

[@jtgd]

I literally had to look up the facts in the beginning to figure out if you were trying to fool me

[@gunman47]

Another side note this week on April 1 1944 is that Allied bombers will attack Schaffhausen in Switzerland, mistaking it for the German city of Ludwigshafen am Rhein. This resulted in the killing of 40 people. What was interesting to note was that a group of small factories producing munitions and aircraft parts to be sold to Germany was destroyed in this accidental raid. This incident would lead to official protests and reparation payments as compensation.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Bailed-out Allied aircrew in southern Germany were told to make for Schaffhausen as it projects a little way into Germany and was the nearest Swiss and neutral territory. It was however bombed several times, not just this once. Internment in Switzerland was not necessarily an easy option - a camp at Wauwilermoos for internees, considered a punishment camp, was particularly notorious. Post-war, servicemen who had been interned in Switzerland were sometimes considered suspect as it was surmised they had tried to escape further participation in WW2 by fleeing to Switzerland. This was especially the case with aircrew who had landed in Switzerland.

[@Raskolnikov70]

@@stevekaczynski3793 It still sounds better than being in one of the German POW camps, especially during the last few months of the war where even Allied prisoners barely got fed.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@Raskolnikov70 Especially at Wauwilermoos, conditions were hardly better, though food there improved in the last months of the war as it became clear the Allies would win the war and there could be consequences for abusing Allied internees.

[@stenkarasin2091]

Another great episode and one that had a lot of information I was unaware of, not to mention the fascinating data about Amoebae.

[@yes_head]

Amoebae 😉

[@WorldWarTwo]

@stenka Thank you!

[@bigjoe805]

Excellent report. Thank You

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you Big Joe!

[@oOkenzoOo]

In late March 1944, the Allies began to reorganize their troops in Italy. The 5th Army then included several British divisions. These units were returned to the 8th British Army, whose northern limit was brought back to the course of the Liri. The Liri valley, north of the river, therefore passed to the 8th army. The French expeditionary corps, being maintained under American command and remaining the right-wing corps of the 5th Army, had to therefore leave the Abruzzo massif to take the Garigliano sector, between the Liri and Castelforte. It will be in liaison to the north with the 8th Army (13th army corps) and to the south with the 2nd US army corps which, constituting the left corps of the army, will extend to the sea. The relief of the CEF in the Abruzzo sector began in March 26 1944. The 2nd DIM was relieved by the 5th Polish division and the 3rd DIA, from the 20th, by the 78th British division. On April 4, the shifts were completed. The two French divisions were sent to a well-deserved rest in the region of Salerno and Roccamonfina. As for the tabors, they were gathered in the region of Gallucio. The 4th DMM of General Sevez, which arrived in Italy in February, relieved, on March 25, the British 10th corps on the Garigliano and in the bridgehead of Mount Ornito. It will hold this sector alone, with the 3rd RSM (Moroccan Spahi Regiment), until the return of the other attack divisions at the end of April. On March 29, General Juin, who had set up his HQ at the castle of Sessa-Aurunca, took command of the new French sector and immediately started to study the future offensive. In the meantime, the importance of the CEF kept growing. Reinforced already by the 4th DMM, it awaited for April the arrival of the 1st DMI (still called 1st Free French Division by its members) of General Brosset, and of the 1st group of tabors. From a modest army corps of two infantry divisions, the CEF was to become a “square corps” with 4 divisions, plus a group of tabors worth one infantry division. The prestige of the CEF and its leader had also increased considerably because it did break through the Gustave line and the Allies had seen the value of the French leaders and troops. General Carpentier, chief of staff of the CEF, wrote "We were no longer at the time when we only listened to the French out of politeness. Without knowing it, the fighters of the Pantano, the Costa San Pietro, the Monna Casale, the Croce, the Belvedere were finally going to receive the reward for the valor they had shown during the winter". It could therefore be counted on that the French offensive plan would not be discarded, but would be thoroughly examined and studied.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

The Poles got the glory for taking the monastery, and considering what fate befell these soldiers after the war they deserve their time under the sun. But it was the French Expeditionary Corps which achieved what the previous 3 battles and the landing at Anzio had failed to do and and finally break the Gustav line. .

[@chaoscriminal]

where can i read this at? i would like to study.

[@oOkenzoOo]

@@chaoscriminal The source is a book in French named "Le Corps Expéditionnaire Français dans la campagne d'Italie (1943 - 1944)" (The French Expeditionary Corps in the Italian campaign (1943-1944) written by colonel Goutard.

[@chaoscriminal]

@@oOkenzoOo noooo i cant read french 😭 can i read in english anywhere

[@oOkenzoOo]

@@chaoscriminal I don't think there is an english version of this particular book but there are english sources talking about the Italian campaign. Unfortunately i fear most sources talking in detail about the actions of the CEF will be in french.

[@ltdowney]

It's been a little while since your last biography special. Any chance you'll be making more any time soon? In particular I'd love to hear about Alan Brooke, the British Chief of Staff, especially concerning his war diaries and his personal assessments of allied commanders within them, how biased or close they were to "objectively" true, and so on. I haven't read them, but apparently he regarded Harold Alexander as stupid and Douglas MacArthur as a genius. (Both probably deserve their own specials.) He also had a very interesting and tumultuous relationship with Churchill, and must've also had some level of relationship with the royal family. (Don't know if he ever opined on Edward VIII / the Duke of Windsor and his relationships with the Axis powers, but if he did then that'd be a hot take to hear about.) As an American, MacArthur has sort of a complicated legacy, as his image in WW2 was clearly driven at least in part by his colossal ego and incessant self-promotion, though he may well have been the right man in the right place at the right time. However, later in the Korean War and in civil life / public discourse, he seems to have deteriorated in capacity, or gone off the proverbial deep end. He was born in the late 19th century and smoked a corncob pipe, definitely falling into that category of Theodore Roosevelt-esque American frontier- / cowboy-generals. At the same time, he was also valedictorian of his class at West Point, so clearly he had some competency and personal drive.

[@WorldWarTwo]

@Luke Downey We know it’s been longer than we would’ve liked, but we have some plans in the works…

[@14Rocket]

I came here to learn about WW2... now I'm going down a wikipedia hole about amebas, Indy... Thanks...

[@michaelroland201]

Cool new map effects guys!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you!

[@FREDOGISFUUN]

I do miss having only phones with cords attached to them to the wall :) You always knew where the damn thing was all the time to make a call or to answer it. Take a photo, we all knew where the camera was stored! lol

[@gordybing1727]

Suggested movie "The President's Analyst" with James Coburn.

[@jeremy8189]

Showed up for history and got a brief explanation on the naming origin of microscopic organisms.... love it here. Lol

[@WorldWarTwo]

Education in all fields!!

[@KriegsmarineGrossadmiral]

7:35 this is incorrect. Manstein received the Knight's Cross on 19 July 1940. On 30 March 1944 he received the Swords to his Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves (Oak Leaves previously awarded on 14 March 1943). Kleist received the Knight's Cross on 15 May 1940, Oak Leaves on 17 February 1942 and then the Swords on 30 March 1944 (same day as Manstein).

[@dirkbonesteel]

@2:57 First look at guy on left I would have sworn it was Cliff Clavan

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for the history lesson.

[@brammo1991]

Well done!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you!

[@Sequoia204]

I take it Indy was on the phone with Wikipedia there?

[@Go4Corvette]

Be careful this could be a April fool's history video 😂🤣 Have fun, Mike

[@andmos1001]

Last year, they had Marvel Scorpion and what they wanted to do

[@welcometonebalia]

Thank you.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you!

[@SoloChinchilla]

Awesome episode as always

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you @SockGiant! You’re awesome!

[@naveenraj2008eee]

Hi Indy Interesting week. Changing commanders will do nothing or germany. It looks like they are in dire situation. Im still awaiting for your between two war episodes. That's a good series. Please don't stop it. Thanks for weekly video.

[@echo_9835]

0:04 I'm sure that it will all turn around with Steiner's counterattack.

[@1415J]

14:50 Correction - The modern borders of Assam are highlighted. Back then it was much larger.

[@WorldWarTwo]

@Junaid thanks for catching this, I’ll pass it along 👍🏻

[@billd2635]

At 18:18... Convoy JW-58 turned around and struck at the Germans like a badger backed into a cactus. This has to be a first for the area, isnt it? A merchant convoy winning so completely?

[@barrygray3615]

7:26 Isn’t the army group boundary shown here between AG North and Center, not North and South?

[@Eric-om9dw]

Each week here, a 2WW gasm. Your work, my respect.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you Eric! You make us blush!

[@Gilgwathir]

6:50 Model raiding his own command like that just shows what a madhouse Nazi command was. I wonder if the allies had similar shenanigans going on and we just never heard about it? To me it seems that the allied commanders limit themselves to at the the doubled ammount of stubbornness in their own intereste, but once overriden by a higher up, at least act in good faith.

[@ahorsewithnoname773]

As a somewhat interesting aside the the submarine that picked up the documents for Operation Z - the USS Crevalle - also evacuated 40 American refugees that had been stranded in the Philippines during it's fall. Most were women & children but 4 of the men were survivors of the Bataan Death March. Among the refugees was a missionary who after seeing his family safely aboard opted to stay to minister to the Filipino partisans. This evacuation was itself part of a cover story to conceal the submarine's real purpose from the Japanese, which was to retrieve the plans for Operation Z. Crevalle also transferred supplies to the partisans. In May while the USS Crevalle was under way for Darwin, Australia and with both the plans & refugees aboard it was spotted by a Japanese convoy and was depth-charged twice, which knocked out the periscope & radar. Otherwise the ship survived the ordeal and escaped with no casualties. One of the refugees was also pregnant and gave birth to a boy while on the submarine. I wonder if that may have been a first? In any event I'd wager most people would be skeptical if that boy later told people, "Hey, you know I was born on a WW2 submarine & survived being depth-charged?"

[@georgefoster8133]

Bill Slim's name has been written out of history but he was a very able commander. One of the Allies best.

[@mononoke721]

"Never trust a volcano" - those are some words to live by.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

I won't go into details here but Ferdinand Schoerner, the new German commander in the south, was a real piece of work.

[@ahorsewithnoname773]

Hated even by his own. Interestingly Model also tended to be thoroughly disliked by both staff officers & the men that served under him. When he left Army Group North to replace Manstein as commander of Army Group South, the chief of staff of Army Group North remarked, "the swine is gone."

[@stevekaczynski3793]

@@ahorsewithnoname773 Rommel seems to have been popular among his rank and file but not necessarily his subordinate officers. In North Africa he once carried out a visit to a battalion at about 6 in the morning and found the major in command still asleep. He said to the major, "You damned lazy fox! Were you waiting for me to bring your breakfast?"

[@ПавелИванов-ь8р]

Thank you, it was incredible, as usual! The success of the Red Army in Ukraine in March 1944 was largely due to the fact it managed to go forward in so-called "rasputitsa" - a period of off-road during the spring flood. Earlier any maneuverable combat operations on both sides during this period were considered impossible. To imagine the conditions of the Russians advances you could remember the well-known footage of the German offensive on Moscow in October 1941, in which trucks with supplies and artillery helplessly get stuck in whole seas of mud, where any movement was possible only on tracked vehicles. That time the Germans lost several weeks, now the Russians were advancing. So It is not surprising that Hube would eventually be able to break to the west through the weak barriers of Russian vanguard, which left ammunition and artillery far behind.

[@stevekaczynski3793]

The T-34's wide tracks meant it was less handicapped in muddy conditions than tanks with narrower tracks, though it did not mean it was immune to mud. On both sides, pieces of wood from trees, wrecked houses etc. would be stuck under tracks in an attempt to give them some grip in muddy conditions.

[@HereBeDragonsYT]

The perfect opening for this episode. Bravo.

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you!

[@scottydog1313]

Love that intro. Im a huge biology nerd as well, and Im sad to admit, I already knew most of that.

[@malikcagatay7923]

I was expecting a full joke episode like you guys have done for hydra I dont know something like secret invasion of skrulls

[@pax6833]

April 1 came on an inconvenient day of the week it seems.

[@mattsw104]

After Indy's last april first video which had me for way too long, I have to be ready for the next still not convinced this isnt a movie I haven't seen

[@Adiscretefirm]

It was considerate of Mt Vesuvius to hold off erupting until after Operation Husky was complete. An eruption a year earlier could have really complicated things.

[@brokenbridge6316]

I heard about Vesuvius erupting in WWII. But didn't know the extent of the damage it caused. I suspected it was substantial. But not to this extent. Great video.

[@Palpatine001]

Despite all else for what happened that week in 1944 can we give Indy a big high five at 5:26 for pronouncing the German Commander's name Hyazinth Graf Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche und Camminetz (yes I googled that one to copy paste) pretty darn well (proceeds to find blooper reel)

[@I_Am_Monad]

"Goodbye Manstein, Hello Model." Isn't that a song by Supertramp? Goodbye Stranger? IT WAS EARLY MORNING YESTERDAY / I WAS UP BEFORE THE DAWN // AND I REALLY HAVE ENJOYED MY STAY / BUT I MUST BE MOVING ON... GOODBYE MANSTEIN, IT'S BEEN NICE // WELCOME, MODEL,TO PARADISE!

[@WorldWarTwo]

Welp, I went and listened to the whole song 🤣 Feeling a bit rick rolled but I’ll recover

[@mrmeowmeow710]

I love this channel it is my history fix

[@WorldWarTwo]

Thank you for your support!