I'd like to see a Megaprojects episode about the Soviet relocation of their factories out of bomber range. Must have been an immense logistical challenge.
The winter and weather wasn't the only thing that helped out the Soviets. The vast size of Russia was something the Germans didn't anticipate. No matter how far the Germans drove into Russia. It just kept going. And with that vast country also came with almost unlimited man power. The Red Army would lose 25,000 men in one battle. There were 75,000 in reserve to take their place. And more Russians were on their way to the front.
The logistics of the Axis invasions forces during Barbarossa has always been mind blowing to me. You've got almost four million soldiers (the equivalent of the entire population of some of today's biggest cities) who took part. In the book "The Court of the Red Tsar" the author lays out that there were also 3,600 tanks, 600,000 motorized vehicles, 7,000 artillery units, 4,500 airplanes and 625,000 horses in the Axis invasion forces too.
This is definitely one of my new favorite channels, I love the detail and the view of the battle from multiple angles, with background and circumstances for context also included.
I have seen quite a few videos on this topic and this is the first time I've heard of Richard Sorge and his contribution to the nazi's failure. Well done, fact boy.
Hi Simon, really love this channel, seeing you are a Brit with a swirly dry sense of humour, would it be possible for you and your cohort to explore The Battle of Britain?? - I can't help but think of the incredible odds of events as the battle transpired and of course the plethora of Brit-isms that would come from the spectacle of tackling such a topic....
@@nascoca2275 Hi Nas, to answer your question, I am aware that Simon is the presenter but sadly, I didn't know the point of contact but thought well, he's presenting, he must have some input... And so it goes. Best Wishes, Simon.
@@nascoca2275 He’s not just a paid presenter. He owns the channels, he pays writers and editors for help. Watch some of his less formal channels (casual criminalist, brain blaze, etc for more insights into that.
When I was still in nursing, I had an elderly dementia patient who had survived the bombing of Hamburg at the age of 7. With dementia patients, the last memories to go are the ones from childhood. Imagine being trapped in a memory like that? It was very sad.
As someone thats worked in northern Canada during the winter with lows of 45 below 0 I could only imagine what the winter fighting was like for both sides, exposed skin freezes in seconds, metal becomes brittle to the point of shattering and vehicles wont run unless there started every few hours which increases fuel consumption, Just trying to survive would be difficult never mind having to fight the enemy at the same time
Sorge an excellent candidate for a biography video. Should be better known as the east 00 cripple bond. Operation bagartion is a good follow up video to this and one that isn't talked about enough
Simon, I've been a fan since the early days. I have enjoyed every single video from all your channels, filling me with happiness and knowledge every night. Thank you. I am a subscriber to many of your channels and look forward to all new content. Amazing. King of the short documentary. Hail Simon. Keep up the great work. Feed your hungry audience with the most valuable form of human currency. Knowledge. Very greatful.
Both Nazi Germany in 1941 and Napoleon in 1812 began their campaigns in the summer and expected a quick campaign and capitulation of the Russian/Soviet militaries.
Great video Simon and love your channel!Thanks for highlighting the fact that today's media and history lessons always overlook the heroics,bravery and sacrifice of Soviet Red Army who experienced the worst of Nazi attacks
The collapse of the soviet frontlines was shocking, but it needs to be said that the average red army soldier put up stiff resistance whenever he could and it's no surprise that the germans lost nearly four times as many people during barbarossa, then they did during the invasion of Poland and France combined.
Came here to say please make a video about the Czechoslovak Legion in WW1. Such a badass story of an army without a country riding the Trans-Siberian railway the wrong way around the world during the Russian Revolution to make it home. It took around 3 years, via the port of Vladivostok and America! Their activities near Yekaterinburg led to the last Tsar and his family being murdered. Eventually they returned to their new country, formed from the breakup of Austria-Hungary. Would make a great video! Have a great day, love your work! Cheers
Excellent documentary Simon, concise & information packed. Good points made about the re-location of the Western Soviet factories, the crucial supplies from the Allies, the role the weather played, & timely deployment of winter capable soldiers & equipment from Siberia.
The Nazi German forces invading the Soviet Union is like a human fist-fighting with a bear. The human may get some good punches in on the bear's face, but in the end the bear.....is still a bear.
@@robertbruce1887 To be fair, the horrendously poor performance of the Red Army against the Finns in the first part of the Winter War (never mind that that they eventually got their sh*t together and won in the end anyway) convinced the German leadership that bear was really sick and they had to attack *now* while it is still down than wait for it to get better.
I don’t know if you guys are taking ideas from comments yet but I think that the story of the USS Indianapolis would be a cool 2 parter for you part one covering its secret mission bringing the parts for nuclear bombs to strike Japan and part 2 covering its sinking and the military blunder that lead to most of its crew dying
Barbarossa ended in Oct/Nov 1941. Stalingrad campaign was Aug 1942-Feb 43. Also, there are vastly better sources than Beevor, who repeats a lot of long-debunked myths. Try any of Robert Forczyk's or David Glantz's books instead.
Thank you for such a beautiful and concise summary of the Eastern Front. Ironically the outcome on the Eastern Front of WW2 turned out to be the exact opposite of that outcome in WW1. The Russian people are much to be praised for their courage and determination in that war.
Hello Simon, Congratulations with this video. Very good!👍👍 However, there is one small error. The German tanks had NO diesel engines. They were running on petrol. Even the later, more heavier tanks, like the Panther and Tiger 1 and Königstiger, had just petrol engines with just 700 hp, wich was far to weak for such heavy tanks.
Great Video!!! I’d like to see something on the First Italo Ethiopian War or the Egyptian Ottoman War. It’s crazy how close Egypt came to conquering the Ottomans
Loved the video. It would be cool if you could do a video on the Paraguayan War. I feel like that is a super interesting conflict that doesn’t get much attention in the West
So, are we going to get a biographics about Richard Sorges? Also I, along with probably everyone else, don't mind if these videos are 30 minutes long to cover every bit of each battle
The German tanks used Petrol, not diesel, it doesn't work as well in the cold but it's easier to make synthetic Benzine as they correctly guessed they would run out of normal fuel supplies.
I don’t think people realize -40 almost never happens anymore in western russia this isnt siberia we are talking about where higher elevation and arctic fronts produce low temps like that consistently
One of the mistakes Hitler made was losing his temper and turning north to Stalingrad and Moscow instead of continuing south to the oilfields. That kept Nazi oil supplies coming from Europe using long, poorly defended supply lines, instead of the nearby Soviet oil, weakening the mechanized parts of the army. Things might have gone differently had he not overridden his generals on the matter. Not attacking the forces at Dunkirk. Switching from military targets to population centers in the UK. Not seizing the Soviet oilfields. All Hitler's decisions which his generals opposed, but Hitler pushed through anyway.
Stalingrad was a valid target as taking it would block the Volga river which would cut off soviet oil to the north, starving the soviet war machine. They had already split army group south into two, one going south to the oil fields and one covering their flanks heading for stalingrad. It was not possible for the entire army group to go for the oil fields. However, the result was the the army was stretched and the supplies were too low. Not prioritizing stalingrad supplies though was fatal though. The german army did reach the oil fields. When they arrived they saw it burning. They repaired it eventually and started to transport oil to the north but they had to retreat after stalingrad was retaken. The amount of oil they got was not nearly enough to mount an effective offense. Another note. It was in fact Hitler who always had his mind on the oil fields in caucasus. He understood from the start that this was a war for resources and wanted the main push in barbarossa to be in the south. But some generals strongly disagreed and thought that taking Moscow would make the soviets surrender like France, so as a compromise Hitler presented the massive operation barbarossa with three targets, north center and south. The main reason why Hitler attacked the USSR before he had defeated his enemies was so they could continue waging war. They were running out of oil you see. The reason why they planned to defeat the soviets in just a few months was because that was the only time they had left before they ran out of oil.
@@Grivian And realistically, their chances were close to zero anyway, which Stalin understood, and since he figured Hitler was a cynical pragmatist like him, he thought Hitler understood it, thus he ignored the warnings from his spies. When Hitler attacked anyway, Stalin believed that Germany had a secret stash of supplies that they'd kept secret from everybody, but it turns out they didn't. Hitler went for broke, with no real grand strategy and no contingency plan in the event of failure, because he was a lunatic who'd become enchanted by his own propaganda.
@@pyromania1018 Yeah their plan was basically to invade until an arbitrary offensive line in the soviet union and hope that the USSR would surrender by then. However if they would have taken Stalingrad and thus secured the oil fields they would both starve the soviets of oil and get much needed oil themselves, get the planes back up, mount offensives. It is not out of reason that if Stalingrad had been taken Stalin would be open to signing a separate peace, where Germany annexes part of of the union as well as creating some puppet states, perhaps. The USSR were already suffering because of food shortage because Ukraine was taken, a loss of their oil would have been catastrophic. Especially since they relied on the mass production of the excellent T-34. It appears that Hitler knew that the war was over in 1942 while fall blau was ongoing. He talks too Mannerheim and regrets not invading France in 1939. If he did that he could invade the USSR in 1940 when the USSR was weaker and change the world. In his own opinion though as making the USSR surrender was probably near impossible.
@@Grivian Hitler wasn't ready to fight France in 1939. Then again, he was rambling. He also bitched a lot about the failure to get Britain on his side (which was entirely his own fault), cursing them for not "seeing the light". They weren't going to be able to take Stalingrad, though. Even when it seemed like they might, their own methods screwed them over, coupled with ignoring the Romanians' warning about the Soviet counterattack building up (Hitler blamed them for the defeat in a 1944 speech).
True story: after the fall of France, Stalin instructed Molotov to draw out negotiations with Germany over the division of Europe, he wanted to wait and see how things played out. Shortly after the RAF launched its first air raid on German, Molotov met with Ribbentrop in a bomb shelter to negotiate. Ribbentrop flirted “England is finished!” Molotov replied “ So why are we in this place?”
Evacuation of the factories and loss of the strategic food reserve would be an interesting contribution as well as lend lease. Which while it wasn't that significant until 1943 did eventually play a major role in supporting the Soviet war effort over 19 billion dollars given by the usa and uk.
@@JDDC-tq7qm Finland wasn't part of Operation Barbarossa in any ways shape or form, and while Russia did manage to grab a little land they paid so dearly for it in blood that only a whacko like Stalin would consider it a success.
I have a question: It is said that Hitler made a mistake not taking Moscow. And I don't understand that. Knowing what happened to Napoleon, I don't see what was the point of taking Moscow. I think taking the rich area of Ukraine and the oil field of the Caucasus was way more important. Taking Leningrad was OK because at least it was a port, but Moscow? Can someone explain that to me?
It wasn't a mistake, and the Germans didn't have the means to take Moscow. Hitler's generals stupidly thought that taking it would magically make the "Russians" give up, but Hitler knew it wouldn't and insisted on taking the oil fields. The generals ignored him, but even if he had approved, the assault was doomed to fail, regardless. Germany was just too undersupplied, and the Soviets would have kept fighting with or without their capital.
Yes you're right. Many are blaming Hitler for the loss of WW2 because he insisted on taking the oil and the riches in the south before going back to Moscow, he even described Guderian as a fool to not understand the economy aspect of war in that sense. Indeed Napoleon took Moscow instead of St. Petersburg where the Tzar Alexander was installed back then, it was a gamble and he lost during retreat. So we can say Hitler kind learned from history to not repeating Napoleon's mistake, but still also lost. I think Nazi Germany lost the WW2 even before Barbarossa. Opening a multiple front war is just a doomed act especially when you're fighting a enemy with insane, infinite funds as USA combined with UK and allied then USSR with its infinite army supply via its people. Anyone could have lost the war fighting against these whole odds.
Hitler was fighting against time the whole WWII, he was buying time during the whole war until he shoot himself in the head. On paper it was just impossible to win such a war, while opening multiple fronts, lacking necessary means which is also justifying blitzkrieg to act fast, buy time and pass to next step and so on. Germany wasn't fully, realistically prepared to such a large scale world War to begin with, but it was necessary for Germany to prevail. Versailles treaty was such a stupid, nonsensical thing with the whole harsh consequences on the German nation, it was necessary to go to war, it was a "be or not to be" situation for the Germans back then, to be fair and not biased like those "double standard" western historians
Much of the talking points about weather being a main factor in barbarossa is largely wrong. Its part of cold war era myth that the german army is so amazing. They were stopped by the red army, not the mud or winter
yeah, Germany overran weak countries like Poland and France early in 39-40, and the Red Army was in disarray when Barbarossa started, but by the mid point of the war they were outclassed by the Allied military
I see people talk about the Mongols and Imperial Germany, but here's the thing: they were not fighting a UNITED Russia. The Mongols, aided by a very efficient supply and movement system (and experience in cold climates), locked horns with a gang of petty, stupid princes who stubbornly refused to unite against a common foe, no matter how bloodthirsty that foe was; Imperial Germany had the good fortune to face a Russia that was in the midst of revolution (which they helped stoke the fires of) AND was horribly backward in, well, EVERYTHING, and pragmatically accepted a (massive) bribe from Lenin rather than risk trying to eat the whole cake. Charles XII and Napoleon faced a united Russia that worshiped its czar like a god, had competent generals, and military allies; Hitler faced a psychotically Motherland-worshipping Soviet Union that had badass generals, allies whom were actually useful to it, an incredibly calculating leader who knew how to be pragmatic (usually), and since he was trying to shove the whole thing in his mouth AND exterminate the entire populace, they had no reason to surrender.
@@mrsir2254 Thanks. The "psychotically Motherland-worshipping" line was something I got from Potential History, I think. Watch his videos on Barbarossa for more on why it was a stupid move.
9:13 Additionally, the lack of spare parts and declining numbers of operational panzers meant the tanks that were still in service were in dire need of maintenance and servicing.
The eastern front was his true downfall. How he thought Germany could defeat the Soviet’s is crazy…. Not sure he really understood the size of that place. Great vid!
After Stalin's Great Purge and the failed Soviet invasion of Finland, there probably wasn't a better time to destroy their ideological rival. In hindsight, we know the gamble didn't pay off. The Germans could have also done better if Hitler would stop ignoring his Generals.
Not just the size: the decision to act like cartoonish supervillains, the fact that Britain had not been defeated yet, not gathering more intel on Soviet reserves, not considering Soviet roads, not considering that the Soviet people did not like the idea of being systematically exterminated down to the last child (for some reason)... It was, as said by Potential History, a plan that lacked planning.
No. The Invasion wasnt a suprise for almost everyone. Maybe that it happened that early, but besides that - most knew how those 2 ideologies would end up.
I (like a couple million other people) love the shit out of Simon Whistler and crew but, damn is this suprisingly short...at least for the content covered.
If you're taking suggestions on these older but still enjoyable videos, please consider Biographics or Wargraphics vids on important US pilots from WW2: Dusty Kliese and Dick Best, the two SBD pilots who each put bombs into two different carriers on the same day Chuck Yeager, sound barrier breaker and Ace in a day in Europe (including two without firing a shot) Butch O'Hare, namesake of the Chicago airport There are many more who, combined, could make an entertaining and informative video if there's not enough for a solo for anyone. Oh, and what about the Akatan Zero? Or other critical intelligence coups of the war?
Stalin’s Law: For every video about the Eastern Front, there has to be mention of the T-34. Addendum: In most cases, there will be some mention of the sloped armor of the T-34.
All hail Whistler's Sentient Beard. Think you guys could do some videos on the Indian Wars in America during the 18th and/or 19th centuries. The scale of the majority of these battles were comparatively small, but still quite interesting. And often tragic. I'd like to see the O'Graphics family take on them.
The allies really don't like mentioning Russia's contribution to the war but they were instrumental in defeating both Germany and Japan and suffered so much. As bad as political tensions may be now I am still very grateful for their sacrifice.
The Soviet Union didn't contribute to the war against Japan because Japan and the USSR had a non-aggression pact that both side honored. Stalin told Roosevelt that once Germany is defeated. He would declare war on Japan. But Stalin told Roosevelt he would need three months to move the Red Army to the Far East to fight Japan. The Soviet Union declare and invaded Japan the day after America dropped the atomic bomb Hiroshima. The Soviets didn't do much against Japan. Now when I comes against fighting Germany. The USSR doesn't get enough credit for their contributions. From the June 1941 to July 1943. The Red Army were the only Army fighting the Germans in Europe. And it cost dearly. Look at home many Russians lost their lives fighting the German onslaught. Eastern Europe was devastated.
@@fatdaddyeddiejr Well, they did kick the Japanese out of Manchuria/Manchukuo, which they then proceeded to return to China later. They also invaded Korea from the north and installed a Chinese-speaking guerilla fighter who supposedly didn't have to ever use the bathroom.
@@pyromania1018 once the bomb was dropped. The Russians were trying to grab as much territory as they could get their hands on. When Japan surrounded on the USS Missouri. American planes were flying American troops to northern Japan to provent the Soviets from landing in northern Japan.
could you do a biographics on richard sorge? sounds like that would be an interesting episode. the seige of leningrad would also be an interesting episode for this channel.
I find it baffling that people don't really bring up the mental breakdown Stalin had after hearing of the invasion. He locked himself away in his quarters for almost a day and didn't communicate with anyone. I've seen some historians suggest if he had done even just for another day, Russia would have fallen. Germany was THE A list military in 1939. It's not that "it's crazy to think Germany thought they could win". It's really "its crazy that Germany didn't win". They absolutely could have won all of Europe with slightly tweaked calculations.
It's not really known if that happened at all. The source is Khuschev. He obiously had a rather huge axe to grind. Other historians have disputed the 'breakdown'.
The most stupid and destructive decision Germany ever made. At the End of everything my Ancestors lost their home in Prussia and as a whole a entire Country until 1990
Been a history buff since I was a kid! My old auntie Barbara used to babysit us...I called her "operation barbarossa "! Cause she was nazi-like...karen 10X over
There was virtually NO impact on Barbarossa due to Lend lease supplies, which hadn't yet materialized. The massive shipments from the west really didn't get going till 1943.
My understanding is that it wasn’t just winter, the winter of ‘41 was epically bad. Winter ‘41 was never going to be great for the underprepared Germans, but the fact of that winter just being so bad made things a lot worse.
Not to split hairs but Operation Barbarossa and Operation Typhoon (the last ditch effort to capture Moscow before the winter) are two different operations.
What bothers me about the current conflict in Ukraine, Russia starred out the war unprepared and ill commanded in a manner similar to the way it was at the start of operation Barbarossa and the Winter War with Finland. But the Soviet Union was able to get its act together after about a year. And my major concern now, is that Russia still having a vast supply of weapons and troops even if they are new will be able to get its logistics and command structure functioning properly with a year of practice. This could lead to the defeat of Ukraine In enough battles that they are forced to the negotiating table. The Russians may not be fighting well because of corruption and a whole bunch of other problems but they aren't stupid nore are they incapable of learning.
I'd like to see a Megaprojects episode about the Soviet relocation of their factories out of bomber range. Must have been an immense logistical challenge.
Not really, just throw a lot of people at it and threaten them with death
Found the Vichy French.
It would be incredible.
@@bigcncguy Ok Mr. Wehraboo.
Already filmed it. Coming soon :)
0:45 - Chapter 1 - Justification
3:30 - Chapter 2 - The invasion
8:15 - Chapter 3 - The battle of moscow
11:55 - Chapter 4 - Soviet counterattack
15:15 - Chapter 5 - Aftermath
In the words of Oversimplified "Russia with some help from their faithful ally..The Winter.."
It got cold….STUPID COLD
Their "faithful ally" kicked them right in the balls during their invasion of Finland. General Winter only fights for one side - his own.
General Winter
The winter and weather wasn't the only thing that helped out the Soviets. The vast size of Russia was something the Germans didn't anticipate. No matter how far the Germans drove into Russia. It just kept going. And with that vast country also came with almost unlimited man power. The Red Army would lose 25,000 men in one battle. There were 75,000 in reserve to take their place. And more Russians were on their way to the front.
You guys are so obsessed with the NAZIs that it’s really creepy.
Just now finding this new channel, and as usual.....top notch work from Simon as always. Well done, mate.
Thank you.
The logistics of the Axis invasions forces during Barbarossa has always been mind blowing to me. You've got almost four million soldiers (the equivalent of the entire population of some of today's biggest cities) who took part. In the book "The Court of the Red Tsar" the author lays out that there were also 3,600 tanks, 600,000 motorized vehicles, 7,000 artillery units, 4,500 airplanes and 625,000 horses in the Axis invasion forces too.
The 625,000 horses is especially interesting. Despite properganda the German army realied heavily on horses.
Allied (American) logistics are more impressive during WWII even if the numbers weren't so vast. Eastern front was pretty primitive.
And in the end, logistics was impossible.
How many TH-cam channels can Simon run?
Simon: yes
Keep up the good work
This is definitely one of my new favorite channels, I love the detail and the view of the battle from multiple angles, with background and circumstances for context also included.
I have seen quite a few videos on this topic and this is the first time I've heard of Richard Sorge and his contribution to the nazi's failure. Well done, fact boy.
Simon covered him once briefly on top tenz i think. Top ten snipers or something similar. I want a bio though lol
Oops lol I meant spy not sniper lol
10:18 fun fact - 40⁰ Celsius is -40⁰ Fahrenheit. Which means it's brutally cold.
Never try to Blitzkrieg a country larger than Pluto
Almost as cold, too. :)
Also Cold as Pluto
Hi Simon, really love this channel, seeing you are a Brit with a swirly dry sense of humour, would it be possible for you and your cohort to explore The Battle of Britain?? - I can't help but think of the incredible odds of events as the battle transpired and of course the plethora of Brit-isms that would come from the spectacle of tackling such a topic....
You know Simon doesn't actually run the channels he appears on. He's just a paid presenter,.
I'm sure we will, yes :)
@@nascoca2275 Hi Nas, to answer your question, I am aware that Simon is the presenter but sadly, I didn't know the point of contact but thought well, he's presenting, he must have some input... And so it goes.
Best Wishes,
Simon.
@@warographics643 Thank you so much, I look forward to it! (-;
@@nascoca2275 He’s not just a paid presenter. He owns the channels, he pays writers and editors for help. Watch some of his less formal channels (casual criminalist, brain blaze, etc for more insights into that.
When I was still in nursing, I had an elderly dementia patient who had survived the bombing of Hamburg at the age of 7. With dementia patients, the last memories to go are the ones from childhood. Imagine being trapped in a memory like that? It was very sad.
As someone thats worked in northern Canada during the winter with lows of 45 below 0 I could only imagine what the winter fighting was like for both sides, exposed skin freezes in seconds, metal becomes brittle to the point of shattering and vehicles wont run unless there started every few hours which increases fuel consumption, Just trying to survive would be difficult never mind having to fight the enemy at the same time
Sorge an excellent candidate for a biography video. Should be better known as the east 00 cripple bond. Operation bagartion is a good follow up video to this and one that isn't talked about enough
I wrote a paper on Sorge when I was at university. I don't think there was any spy like him during WW2. The man was incredible.
Excellent suggestion.
I’d really like to hear this!
Sir Simon, you should make this video longer? It's too brief, An hour would suffice. This is one of the most interesting topics in military history
Simon, I've been a fan since the early days. I have enjoyed every single video from all your channels, filling me with happiness and knowledge every night. Thank you. I am a subscriber to many of your channels and look forward to all new content. Amazing. King of the short documentary. Hail Simon. Keep up the great work. Feed your hungry audience with the most valuable form of human currency. Knowledge. Very greatful.
Doing one of these profiles on the Crimean War, would be cool.
Both Nazi Germany in 1941 and Napoleon in 1812 began their campaigns in the summer and expected a quick campaign and capitulation of the Russian/Soviet militaries.
Yes. And the Grand Armee moved on Moscow faster than the Wehrmacht did, beginning from virtually the same location. .
@@executivedirector7467And they were beaten back *before* winter came.
Hitler never expected the Eastern front to be swift. He was swinging for the fences before stalin could amass more troops to invade the Eastern bloc
Great video Simon and love your channel!Thanks for highlighting the fact that today's media and history lessons always overlook the heroics,bravery and sacrifice of Soviet Red Army who experienced the worst of Nazi attacks
“Oil is literally freezing inside our tanks.”
“That’s fine, keep going.”
The collapse of the soviet frontlines was shocking, but it needs to be said that the average red army soldier put up stiff resistance whenever he could and it's no surprise that the germans lost nearly four times as many people during barbarossa, then they did during the invasion of Poland and France combined.
To be honest it isn’t that shocking since it was a surprise attack.
Barbarossa lasted 6 months. The invasion of France lasted 6 weeks.
@@Sam-jq3efit shouldn’t have been a surprise Stalin should have seen it coming lol it was obvious hitler would attack Russia
@@Anomaly-uz9pr To Stalin it was a shock because he was ignorant
Came here to say please make a video about the Czechoslovak Legion in WW1. Such a badass story of an army without a country riding the Trans-Siberian railway the wrong way around the world during the Russian Revolution to make it home. It took around 3 years, via the port of Vladivostok and America! Their activities near Yekaterinburg led to the last Tsar and his family being murdered. Eventually they returned to their new country, formed from the breakup of Austria-Hungary. Would make a great video! Have a great day, love your work! Cheers
Excellent documentary Simon, concise & information packed. Good points made about the re-location of the Western Soviet factories, the crucial supplies from the Allies, the role the weather played, & timely deployment of winter capable soldiers & equipment from Siberia.
The Nazi German forces invading the Soviet Union is like a human fist-fighting with a bear. The human may get some good punches in on the bear's face, but in the end the bear.....is still a bear.
@@robertbruce1887 To be fair, the horrendously poor performance of the Red Army against the Finns in the first part of the Winter War (never mind that that they eventually got their sh*t together and won in the end anyway) convinced the German leadership that bear was really sick and they had to attack *now* while it is still down than wait for it to get better.
I swear this guy owns like 10 other history channels
Ah the winter… yeah
I don’t know if you guys are taking ideas from comments yet but I think that the story of the USS Indianapolis would be a cool 2 parter for you part one covering its secret mission bringing the parts for nuclear bombs to strike Japan and part 2 covering its sinking and the military blunder that lead to most of its crew dying
Yep, taking suggestions :). I'll check it out.
I know nothing about this & sounds very interesting.
I agree that it deserves Simon's attention, but I don't think it needs two videos.
The Lend-Lease program would make a good Megaproject.
A recommendation, I always found this conflict fascinating and would be a good warographics I am sure; The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905
seeing the "warographics" channel made my heart so warm. Thanks for the content!
For a deeper read into Barbarossa, read Antony Beevor's Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege
Barbarossa ended in Oct/Nov 1941. Stalingrad campaign was Aug 1942-Feb 43. Also, there are vastly better sources than Beevor, who repeats a lot of long-debunked myths.
Try any of Robert Forczyk's or David Glantz's books instead.
Thank you for such a beautiful and concise summary of the Eastern Front.
Ironically the outcome on the Eastern Front of WW2 turned out to be the exact opposite of that outcome in WW1.
The Russian people are much to be praised for their courage and determination in that war.
They didn’t have any other option tbh
Please do a vid on Richard Sorge, seems like a very intriguing biograpics topic
Hello Simon, Congratulations with this video. Very good!👍👍
However, there is one small error.
The German tanks had NO diesel engines. They were running on petrol. Even the later, more heavier tanks, like the Panther and Tiger 1 and Königstiger, had just petrol engines with just 700 hp, wich was far to weak for such heavy tanks.
Great Video!!! I’d like to see something on the First Italo Ethiopian War or the Egyptian Ottoman War. It’s crazy how close Egypt came to conquering the Ottomans
#true #republicans #unitednationsundergod
The best generals of the soviets were January and February.
I've been to Russia. And November and December are just as brutal as January and February. Even late October can be rough.
March has its moments too
But so were Rokkosovsky and Valisveksy
@@Paultarco nobody remembers those nobodies
@@xeagaort The fuck we don't. Read a book
*This enraged Stalin who punished him severely*
found this channel a week ago ive been binge watching it since fantastic stuff i love it
Could we get a vid on Richard Sorge? This vid was good too btw. Love your new channel!
Loved the video. It would be cool if you could do a video on the Paraguayan War. I feel like that is a super interesting conflict that doesn’t get much attention in the West
So, are we going to get a biographics about Richard Sorges?
Also I, along with probably everyone else, don't mind if these videos are 30 minutes long to cover every bit of each battle
Except doing 30 minutes is hard when you have 13 channels to run
Hell yes, a new channel by Simon and Co
The German tanks used Petrol, not diesel, it doesn't work as well in the cold but it's easier to make synthetic Benzine as they correctly guessed they would run out of normal fuel supplies.
Thanks
Regarding the great Middle Ages battles, the Battle of Kosovo of 1389 between the Serbs and the Turks wolud be a epic story. Keep up the good work!
Great video guys!! Video suggestion Operation Totalized
Are you kidding me? Yet ANOTHER Simon Whistler channel? Gawd dayum son. Gotta respect the hustle.
"We have only to kick in the door" must have been the going through H1t1er 🧠 before the bullet.
In ww1 shitler was a corporal. That should give you some idea of his military planning ability.
Rest In Peace to those that passed away.
German tanks didn't have diesel engines.
I don’t think people realize -40 almost never happens anymore in western russia this isnt siberia we are talking about where higher elevation and arctic fronts produce low temps like that consistently
Especially not near Moscow
"Never invade Russia in the winter... unless you are... wait for it... the Mongols..." John Green
One of the mistakes Hitler made was losing his temper and turning north to Stalingrad and Moscow instead of continuing south to the oilfields. That kept Nazi oil supplies coming from Europe using long, poorly defended supply lines, instead of the nearby Soviet oil, weakening the mechanized parts of the army. Things might have gone differently had he not overridden his generals on the matter.
Not attacking the forces at Dunkirk. Switching from military targets to population centers in the UK. Not seizing the Soviet oilfields. All Hitler's decisions which his generals opposed, but Hitler pushed through anyway.
Stalingrad is south of Moscow.
Stalingrad was a valid target as taking it would block the Volga river which would cut off soviet oil to the north, starving the soviet war machine. They had already split army group south into two, one going south to the oil fields and one covering their flanks heading for stalingrad. It was not possible for the entire army group to go for the oil fields. However, the result was the the army was stretched and the supplies were too low. Not prioritizing stalingrad supplies though was fatal though.
The german army did reach the oil fields. When they arrived they saw it burning. They repaired it eventually and started to transport oil to the north but they had to retreat after stalingrad was retaken. The amount of oil they got was not nearly enough to mount an effective offense. Another note. It was in fact Hitler who always had his mind on the oil fields in caucasus. He understood from the start that this was a war for resources and wanted the main push in barbarossa to be in the south. But some generals strongly disagreed and thought that taking Moscow would make the soviets surrender like France, so as a compromise Hitler presented the massive operation barbarossa with three targets, north center and south. The main reason why Hitler attacked the USSR before he had defeated his enemies was so they could continue waging war. They were running out of oil you see. The reason why they planned to defeat the soviets in just a few months was because that was the only time they had left before they ran out of oil.
@@Grivian And realistically, their chances were close to zero anyway, which Stalin understood, and since he figured Hitler was a cynical pragmatist like him, he thought Hitler understood it, thus he ignored the warnings from his spies. When Hitler attacked anyway, Stalin believed that Germany had a secret stash of supplies that they'd kept secret from everybody, but it turns out they didn't. Hitler went for broke, with no real grand strategy and no contingency plan in the event of failure, because he was a lunatic who'd become enchanted by his own propaganda.
@@pyromania1018 Yeah their plan was basically to invade until an arbitrary offensive line in the soviet union and hope that the USSR would surrender by then. However if they would have taken Stalingrad and thus secured the oil fields they would both starve the soviets of oil and get much needed oil themselves, get the planes back up, mount offensives. It is not out of reason that if Stalingrad had been taken Stalin would be open to signing a separate peace, where Germany annexes part of of the union as well as creating some puppet states, perhaps. The USSR were already suffering because of food shortage because Ukraine was taken, a loss of their oil would have been catastrophic. Especially since they relied on the mass production of the excellent T-34.
It appears that Hitler knew that the war was over in 1942 while fall blau was ongoing. He talks too Mannerheim and regrets not invading France in 1939. If he did that he could invade the USSR in 1940 when the USSR was weaker and change the world. In his own opinion though as making the USSR surrender was probably near impossible.
@@Grivian Hitler wasn't ready to fight France in 1939. Then again, he was rambling. He also bitched a lot about the failure to get Britain on his side (which was entirely his own fault), cursing them for not "seeing the light".
They weren't going to be able to take Stalingrad, though. Even when it seemed like they might, their own methods screwed them over, coupled with ignoring the Romanians' warning about the Soviet counterattack building up (Hitler blamed them for the defeat in a 1944 speech).
Can you do the Battle of Singapore next?
The blitzkrieg on bicycles.
You will find German Tanks had Petrol engines not Diesel as Simon said.
True story: after the fall of France, Stalin instructed Molotov to draw out negotiations with Germany over the division of Europe, he wanted to wait and see how things played out. Shortly after the RAF launched its first air raid on German, Molotov met with Ribbentrop in a bomb shelter to negotiate. Ribbentrop flirted “England is finished!” Molotov replied “ So why are we in this place?”
Hope you guys do a follow up on this with Operation Bagration. Three thumbs up.
Would love a follow up episode on the Battle of Stalingrad!
th-cam.com/video/P_NAzpLkVB8/w-d-xo.html. His other channel, megaprojects
Armchair Historian also made an amazing video on this. Highly recommended it!
th-cam.com/video/pZW4Y/w-d-xo.html
Please do a video on the battle of Stalingrad.
Evacuation of the factories and loss of the strategic food reserve would be an interesting contribution as well as lend lease. Which while it wasn't that significant until 1943 did eventually play a major role in supporting the Soviet war effort over 19 billion dollars given by the usa and uk.
Soviets produce more for their war effort then the allies lend lesse program
Simon whistler has got to be one of the most consistent youtubers on planet earth.
A channel about wars...basically infinite content.
In light of recent events, this video seems to be an appropriate information source
Awesome video
There is only one war strategy worse than attacking Russia in the winter... attacking Finland in the winter...
Finland lost.to Russia in operation Barborossa and continuation war also winter war 😂😂
@@JDDC-tq7qm Finland wasn't part of Operation Barbarossa in any ways shape or form, and while Russia did manage to grab a little land they paid so dearly for it in blood that only a whacko like Stalin would consider it a success.
The further distance we get between WWII and present day the more insane the War comes across.
Oh nice gained a new subscriber 😄
Biographics needs an episode on Richard Sorge.
I think a story on the life of Richard Sorge would make for fascinating viewing on Biographics.
World War Two channel has a wonderful biography on Sorge.
@@SyndicateSuperman I'll have to look that up. Thanks.
I have a question: It is said that Hitler made a mistake not taking Moscow. And I don't understand that. Knowing what happened to Napoleon, I don't see what was the point of taking Moscow. I think taking the rich area of Ukraine and the oil field of the Caucasus was way more important. Taking Leningrad was OK because at least it was a port, but Moscow? Can someone explain that to me?
It wasn't a mistake, and the Germans didn't have the means to take Moscow. Hitler's generals stupidly thought that taking it would magically make the "Russians" give up, but Hitler knew it wouldn't and insisted on taking the oil fields. The generals ignored him, but even if he had approved, the assault was doomed to fail, regardless. Germany was just too undersupplied, and the Soviets would have kept fighting with or without their capital.
Yes you're right. Many are blaming Hitler for the loss of WW2 because he insisted on taking the oil and the riches in the south before going back to Moscow, he even described Guderian as a fool to not understand the economy aspect of war in that sense. Indeed Napoleon took Moscow instead of St. Petersburg where the Tzar Alexander was installed back then, it was a gamble and he lost during retreat. So we can say Hitler kind learned from history to not repeating Napoleon's mistake, but still also lost. I think Nazi Germany lost the WW2 even before Barbarossa. Opening a multiple front war is just a doomed act especially when you're fighting a enemy with insane, infinite funds as USA combined with UK and allied then USSR with its infinite army supply via its people. Anyone could have lost the war fighting against these whole odds.
Hitler was fighting against time the whole WWII, he was buying time during the whole war until he shoot himself in the head. On paper it was just impossible to win such a war, while opening multiple fronts, lacking necessary means which is also justifying blitzkrieg to act fast, buy time and pass to next step and so on. Germany wasn't fully, realistically prepared to such a large scale world War to begin with, but it was necessary for Germany to prevail. Versailles treaty was such a stupid, nonsensical thing with the whole harsh consequences on the German nation, it was necessary to go to war, it was a "be or not to be" situation for the Germans back then, to be fair and not biased like those "double standard" western historians
@@mohamedelsaad4247 not destroying the British at Dunkirk was Hitler fatal mistake.
Much of the talking points about weather being a main factor in barbarossa is largely wrong. Its part of cold war era myth that the german army is so amazing. They were stopped by the red army, not the mud or winter
Correct
yeah, Germany overran weak countries like Poland and France early in 39-40, and the Red Army was in disarray when Barbarossa started, but by the mid point of the war they were outclassed by the Allied military
I see people talk about the Mongols and Imperial Germany, but here's the thing: they were not fighting a UNITED Russia. The Mongols, aided by a very efficient supply and movement system (and experience in cold climates), locked horns with a gang of petty, stupid princes who stubbornly refused to unite against a common foe, no matter how bloodthirsty that foe was; Imperial Germany had the good fortune to face a Russia that was in the midst of revolution (which they helped stoke the fires of) AND was horribly backward in, well, EVERYTHING, and pragmatically accepted a (massive) bribe from Lenin rather than risk trying to eat the whole cake. Charles XII and Napoleon faced a united Russia that worshiped its czar like a god, had competent generals, and military allies; Hitler faced a psychotically Motherland-worshipping Soviet Union that had badass generals, allies whom were actually useful to it, an incredibly calculating leader who knew how to be pragmatic (usually), and since he was trying to shove the whole thing in his mouth AND exterminate the entire populace, they had no reason to surrender.
The internet needs more of this.
@@mrsir2254 Thanks. The "psychotically Motherland-worshipping" line was something I got from Potential History, I think. Watch his videos on Barbarossa for more on why it was a stupid move.
9:13 Additionally, the lack of spare parts and declining numbers of operational panzers meant the tanks that were still in service were in dire need of maintenance and servicing.
The eastern front was his true downfall. How he thought Germany could defeat the Soviet’s is crazy…. Not sure he really understood the size of that place. Great vid!
After Stalin's Great Purge and the failed Soviet invasion of Finland, there probably wasn't a better time to destroy their ideological rival. In hindsight, we know the gamble didn't pay off.
The Germans could have also done better if Hitler would stop ignoring his Generals.
Not just the size: the decision to act like cartoonish supervillains, the fact that Britain had not been defeated yet, not gathering more intel on Soviet reserves, not considering Soviet roads, not considering that the Soviet people did not like the idea of being systematically exterminated down to the last child (for some reason)...
It was, as said by Potential History, a plan that lacked planning.
The Western Front was Tiddlywinks compared to the Eastern Front.
@@Primal-Weed I mean yeah.. almost 50% of all fatalities of the entire war occurred in the eastern front alone...
@@badluck5647 true, but a 2 front war while Russia being one of them is always a risky plan
No. The Invasion wasnt a suprise for almost everyone. Maybe that it happened that early, but besides that - most knew how those 2 ideologies would end up.
Any thoughts to do a Biographics on Richard Sorge?
I (like a couple million other people) love the shit out of Simon Whistler and crew but, damn is this suprisingly short...at least for the content covered.
If you're taking suggestions on these older but still enjoyable videos, please consider Biographics or Wargraphics vids on important US pilots from WW2:
Dusty Kliese and Dick Best, the two SBD pilots who each put bombs into two different carriers on the same day
Chuck Yeager, sound barrier breaker and Ace in a day in Europe (including two without firing a shot)
Butch O'Hare, namesake of the Chicago airport
There are many more who, combined, could make an entertaining and informative video if there's not enough for a solo for anyone.
Oh, and what about the Akatan Zero? Or other critical intelligence coups of the war?
I got a good one for you Simon. The Modoc Indian War. It's pretty interesting.
Sweet thank you so much love this channel it's my favorite
Loving this channel, really interesting content in every video
Stalin’s Law: For every video about the Eastern Front, there has to be mention of the T-34.
Addendum: In most cases, there will be some mention of the sloped armor of the T-34.
You should do an episode about the war of the roses
American Steel, British Intelligence, and Soviet Blood
are what ground fascism into the mud.
All hail Whistler's Sentient Beard. Think you guys could do some videos on the Indian Wars in America during the 18th and/or 19th centuries. The scale of the majority of these battles were comparatively small, but still quite interesting. And often tragic. I'd like to see the O'Graphics family take on them.
10:24 AFAIK most German engines used gasoline rather than diesel.
Yes, 100 percent of them burned gasoline. They had no diesel tanks.
The allies really don't like mentioning Russia's contribution to the war but they were instrumental in defeating both Germany and Japan and suffered so much. As bad as political tensions may be now I am still very grateful for their sacrifice.
They also unjustly took half of Poland, 9% of Finland, and committed genocide of the Ukrainian people.
Yes, it’s why Ukraine got western territories from Poland…
The Soviet Union didn't contribute to the war against Japan because Japan and the USSR had a non-aggression pact that both side honored.
Stalin told Roosevelt that once Germany is defeated. He would declare war on Japan. But Stalin told Roosevelt he would need three months to move the Red Army to the Far East to fight Japan. The Soviet Union declare and invaded Japan the day after America dropped the atomic bomb Hiroshima. The Soviets didn't do much against Japan.
Now when I comes against fighting Germany. The USSR doesn't get enough credit for their contributions. From the June 1941 to July 1943. The Red Army were the only Army fighting the Germans in Europe. And it cost dearly. Look at home many Russians lost their lives fighting the German onslaught. Eastern Europe was devastated.
@@fatdaddyeddiejr Well, they did kick the Japanese out of Manchuria/Manchukuo, which they then proceeded to return to China later. They also invaded Korea from the north and installed a Chinese-speaking guerilla fighter who supposedly didn't have to ever use the bathroom.
@@pyromania1018 once the bomb was dropped. The Russians were trying to grab as much territory as they could get their hands on. When Japan surrounded on the USS Missouri. American planes were flying American troops to northern Japan to provent the Soviets from landing in northern Japan.
could you do a biographics on richard sorge? sounds like that would be an interesting episode. the seige of leningrad would also be an interesting episode for this channel.
Brutal is an understatement.
I find it baffling that people don't really bring up the mental breakdown Stalin had after hearing of the invasion. He locked himself away in his quarters for almost a day and didn't communicate with anyone. I've seen some historians suggest if he had done even just for another day, Russia would have fallen. Germany was THE A list military in 1939. It's not that "it's crazy to think Germany thought they could win". It's really "its crazy that Germany didn't win". They absolutely could have won all of Europe with slightly tweaked calculations.
It's not really known if that happened at all. The source is Khuschev. He obiously had a rather huge axe to grind. Other historians have disputed the 'breakdown'.
The most stupid and destructive decision Germany ever made.
At the End of everything my Ancestors lost their home in Prussia and as a whole a entire Country until 1990
Been a history buff since I was a kid! My old auntie Barbara used to babysit us...I called her "operation barbarossa "! Cause she was nazi-like...karen 10X over
Could you do a video on the battle for Iwo Jima? Apologies if you already have on another channel
Literally the DJ Khaled of TH-cam channels…
Anotha One ☝️
“Hitler and Stalin were growing more and more suspicious.”
Simon, the only thing more suspicious is that photo of Stalin and hitler.
There was virtually NO impact on Barbarossa due to Lend lease supplies, which hadn't yet materialized. The massive shipments from the west really didn't get going till 1943.
By then the war was already settled
My understanding is that it wasn’t just winter, the winter of ‘41 was epically bad. Winter ‘41 was never going to be great for the underprepared Germans, but the fact of that winter just being so bad made things a lot worse.
I would say the allies helped a lot by tying down the luftwaffa. Especially in 43 and 44.
But Operation Barbarossa ended in 1941.
Not to split hairs but Operation Barbarossa and Operation Typhoon (the last ditch effort to capture Moscow before the winter) are two different operations.
German tanks used petrol engines, not diesel.
What bothers me about the current conflict in Ukraine, Russia starred out the war unprepared and ill commanded in a manner similar to the way it was at the start of operation Barbarossa and the Winter War with Finland. But the Soviet Union was able to get its act together after about a year. And my major concern now, is that Russia still having a vast supply of weapons and troops even if they are new will be able to get its logistics and command structure functioning properly with a year of practice.
This could lead to the defeat of Ukraine In enough battles that they are forced to the negotiating table.
The Russians may not be fighting well because of corruption and a whole bunch of other problems but they aren't stupid nore are they incapable of learning.
Russians are people of war they learn from their mistakes