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To be fair, having fewer losses than entrenched enemy during offensive on ww1's western front while suffering general logistical issues is quite mind-blowing
Not really. Offensives were often successful in terms of casualty counts. They were just expensive in terms of war material and were far more vulnerable to counterattack than established lines.
Am I missing something here? During the 100 days offensive the Germans took 1,172,075 casulties to the allies' roughly 1,070,000 casulties. That's close, but still higher.
But then again you have to know that the status of the German army at that point was not as it was when invading, they had food shortages ammo shortages low morale fresh barely trained soldiers Germany in 1918 was at the point of collapse aswell as the German army
Yes, but the german losses were the finest troops and equipments they had, which could not be replaced easily and quickly (or at all). Meanwhile, the entente had lost simple soldiers. It was a hard blow, but the entente could reinforce. It was its strengh all through the war : incredible endurance and resilience.
The older I become, and the more I read and learn about the Great War, it really plays out as more of a tragedy that sets the stage for much more suffering. Not just for the next war, but for the next century.
Indeed. It was the great tragedy of the Twentieth Century from which much suffering and further tragedy flowed. It’s heartbreaking to think what may have been achieved if it hadn’t occurred.
I sometimes think how WW1, WW2, the Cold War and many conflicts we have today could have been prevented if the stupid Archduke Franz Ferdinand simply followed common logic, and decided to leave Sarrajevo after the initial assassination attempt and didn't just happen to run into one of their assassins. Edit: everybody it’s a just curious alternative history scenario! I am well aware Europe was a powder keg being slowly filled with decades of nationalism, imperialism, militarism and liberalism that everyone was just waiting for a fuse to explode it!
At 6:00, the reason Canadians are chosen for the diversionary attack at Flanders is that the Germans consider the Canadian Corps to be shock troops that are put into action whenever there is a major offensive. Because of this the Germans closely monitor Canadian troop movements, thus making the Canadians the perfect diversionary force.
Well the americans were novices when they entered the war and they said that they gave all the commando work to the canadians because "they got in there and got the job done" or so the veteren in the documentary said. I mean I know what your saying its not a contest but the canadians were simple syrup eating donut warriors who were the best and just getting er done aye@@kelllakell
*Somewhere in purgatory* Bismarck: "Didn't I tell you to be friendly towards the other superpowers so that Germany doesn't have to fight on Multiple fronts and lose?" Wilhelm II: "... yes ..." Bismarck: "And what did you do?" Wilhelm II: "I was aggressive towards the others and lost from war of attrition..." Bismarck: "Damn right you did." Edit: There's a war going on down in the comments about WW1
Many think of Gallipoli when they talk about us aussies in WW1 but we really shined fighting in France. This video does show that Australia did more than fight the ottomans in a failed invasion and i like that. Keep up the good work Armchair Historian.
I love the quote that a General said during WW1 “If I had to invade hell I would use the Aussies to attack and the New Zealand men to hold the ground” The ANZAC played a big part in the war
I like how Aussies gets the main highlight in the empire for what it did in both world wars but you lot act like you don't when other regions of the empire that deserve equal recognition doesn't get it
You should cover the fall of the Byzantine Empire, it has a lot of roots in the Renaissance and is a really remarkable event that gets skipped over often in school. While the city was in shambles and was bound to get snuffed out, the siege really ended the Roman Empire off with a bang.
The after war treaty just goes to show how weakened Germany was. Even though they still occupied much of Belgium and there eastern lands the allies still took land.
Yes exactly, if you are gonna go reading through various battles on the western front, you probably gonna be astonished the crazy amounts of resources put down by the Allies to achieve a breakthrough in the German lines. Its ironic that the germans were even able to hold, sometimes even when outnumbered six folds.
@@Buffalo_Soldier His videos regularly incorporate meme formats in them, such as this one, I think he meant it to be a relatable metaphor for what was happening at the time so the audience could better comprehened it.
@@Buffalo_Soldier these were my thoughts exactly, and I came down to the comments to see if anyone agreed. I didn't like that he included that. If anything, it just wasn't funny--uno reverse card was a meme *seven years ago.* yes, I know.
3:35 this was when my great great grandfather was killed. He'd been in the pre-war army as a reservist and had seen action before in the Boer War, captured there as a POW after a 7 hour long battle, but he'd been wounded and taken to a casualty clearing station that was destroyed by heavy German shelling. He left behind a wife and three daughters. RIP Great-granddad 1880-1918.
According to the North German constitution of 1867, ratified as the german constitution of 1871, the title of german emperor and king of Prussia were bound together. that rule existed because if the house of Hohenzollern failed to produce a male heir, then the German emperor's title could be claimed by the other Royal Houses of Germany such as the von Wittelsbach or the von Wettin. That could bring a revived Holy roman empire and nobody wanted that. In fact in 1918 when Max von Baden discussed the matter of abdication with the Kaiser with if I remember correctly he was related, Wilhelm was enraged when he heard about abdication. He added that the german soldiers have sworn an oath to him and they will not break it. Wilhelm was very surprised when his beloved Kaiserliche Marine mutinied but he resisted any talks on abdication. At the beginning of November, he started suggesting abdicating only the imperial crown. of course, that was impossible but he still hoped. Eventually, on November 9th Max von Baden declared the abdication of the emperor. Wilhelm had no idea. So in the middle of the night, he took the imperial train and crossed into the Netherlands. He was forced to wait as the dutch deliberated on whether or not to allow him to enter. Eventually, he was allowed in and died there. His body is still in holland.
The Russian attack on Ukraine has been going on for 6 whole months and the Russians have sustained (at least) 48.000 casualties. But comparing that to the German army loosing as many men in just one day... the numbers of WWI are insane and beyond human comprehension
Modern war is a war of deception and tech...no comparesion to frontal assaults of WW1. The only thing that preserved some lifes was stormtroops tactic, with gas, flamethrowers, grenades and hand to hand combat inside the trenches...
The British Army lost 57000 men in just a single day during the battle of the Somme. The French lost another 1600 that day and the Germans around 10000. Almost 70.000 casualties on just one battlefield in just one day. Those numbers are truly staggering.
Minor visual inaccuracy but I understand why it was done. After 1916 the slouch hat was not used in combat by the Australians, slowly being replaced by the British Brodie after Gallipoli. It’s very unlikely that it would be seen on Australian front line troops in 1918 but I understand it was done so the viewer can better recognise the Australians with their iconic attire and differentiate them from the British and Canadians
Regarding the American push into the Argonne forest, it's depicted in the 2001 movie 'The Lost Battalion'. Commanded by Major Charles Whittlesey, most of his troops were inexperienced or replacements. Surrounded and with no means of retreat, the Americans put a fierce resistance over the course of several days, aided by artillery support. Less than 300 men returned back to friendly lines, and Major Whittlesey would later be awarded the CMoH
The belligerents were exhausted after 4 years of carnage. the losses were staggering.. When the Russians threw in the towel, the Germans were able to transfer about a million combat troops to the West. Operation Michael gained tactical success early on by employing overwhelming forces, but Ludendorf must have realised that the French would quickly move to support the British *who themselves had some 90 divisions * the advancing Germans overran depots and couldn't believe how well stocked the tommies were ; German troops were astounded that they were still amply supplied with every kind of food stuff as well as things like boot polish , which had disappeared entirely in Germany 2 years before... the Germans also got drunk on looted booze, a whole day was lost because of this. Ludendorf was brilliant but unstable. he had lost his son earlier KIA and kept his body at his headquarters for weeks before finally being persuaded to send it home. once things started to go wrong, as they inevitably would, he suffered a breakdown . he would flee to Sweden wearing a fake beard and glasses as a disguise.. *he would 't be the last, these comical disguises became popular as Germany collapsed
@@alexzero3736 he was, but saving his own skin was more important to him. Ludendorff was never an idealist, he always did what benefited him and his reputation. He came crawling back 1919, when he knew no one would string him up. He then playes a key role in fabricating the "knife in the back" legend, and marches next to hitler in Bavaria during the Hitler-Ludendorff coup attempt in 1923.
@@franzkissel1369 *These WARS: Send in a MASS of Soldiers to be Mass Shot down!!!!* *CiviL War, W.W.I, many More!!!! How StuPud!!!! No One Ever Mentions THAT!!!!* *Just Dig in & LET the Other Side to the Charging!!!! Both Grant & Lee DID that!!!*
The irony is that the forgotten front, the Macedonian Front, is where WW1 was actually won. The Allies on the Western Front started and was making some progress, while Allenby launched his attack in Palestine and demolished two Turkish armies. However, when the Allies in Macedonia launched their attack, the Bulgarian Army collapsed. Bulgaria sued for peace. This blew a huge gap in the Central Powers' lines in the Balkans, and exposed a now completely defenseless Istanbul to the British Army. With the nearest army of any size sitting in Baku, Azerbaijan, Turkey sued for peace. The French and Serbian armies pressed north, and as the Austrian army collapsed in northern Italy, Austria suddenly discovered they had no forces to prevent the French and Serbs from marching into Budapest and Vienna. Austria sued for peace. The Germans now found that they had a single army in southern Austria/northern Serbia, and only a single worn out army to face more than three Allied armies. The only troops they could possibly call on were out in eastern Ukraine and Crimea, over 2 weeks away. Germany was basically defenseless in the south. The Allies had an almost clear path all the way to Bavaria and beyond. This, coupled with the continued offensives on the Western Front, caused Germany to sue for an armistice. It is really sad that the majority of historians neglect this very important offensive that started in September 1918. Perhaps a telegram sent by Kaiser Wilhelm sums up the Central Powers' views on this the best, “Disgraceful! 62,000 Serbs decided the war!"
Mh yes Bulgaria not like the Italian encirclement of 800k troops cutting the whole damn front collapsing Austria also again Italy saving theSerbs in Albania thanks to Prince Luigi that was fired for his actions and those Serbs made a good ammount of the soldiers in the Balkan front.
@@BoretheoryThe Italian victory at Vittorio Venetian doesn’t get enough attention. People love to talk about the grinding attrition of the Isonzo but their final campaign is equally fascinating.
Fun fact, in the Balkan offensive, a french cavalery corps made a breakthrought in central empire lines, a breakthrought of thousand kilometers. The Jouinot Gambetta des litteraly on the way to vienna after having defeated bulgaria
Great show as always and i know it's mainly a cultural thing but shouldn't "the allies" be known as "the Entente" many books refer to the allies and central powers as the same thing, contrary to its WW2 associations.
Not to be a 🤓, but here’s the best answer. Basically every war in history that has had one side made up of a collective, mostly equal partnership of Allies, has been called “the Allies” take for instance the Crimean War. While it’s true that pre-war the Triple Entente was made up of Russia, Britain, and France, this wasn’t actually a military alliance but was basically a loose agreement over various topics including German aggression. When they were joined by Romania, Brazil, the US, and many more, it ceased to be an entente and a cohesive alliance of nations, so basically “the Allies”. Hope that answers your question.
Not really because entente was a pre war alliance that many of the allies weren't part of. It would only really apply to the beginning of the war before italy joined.
@@rayquaza1245 that’s the triple entente, they were still known as the entente, which means an agreement, which is a good way to describe them as they rarely agreed on anything, launched random uncoordinated attacks and rarely fully consulted each other even after the Italians and Americans joined the war.
One slight inaccuracy would be that the armistice itself did not cut down the empire by itself, an armistice only serves to end fighting. The Treaty of Versailles was the one that decided how Germany would be treated and what concessions she would have to make, and that would only be signed on the 28th of June 1919. Otherwise great video, as always.
exactly, the armistice is just a cease fire the treaty of versailles officially ended the war because legally they were still at war even after the armistice there just wasn't any fighting
As usual, great content from you! and the quality is getting better with every video too. Something small and nitpicky though, the Red Ensign displayed for Canada wouldnt be in use until 1957, and they used an earlier version with a much larger coat of arms.
Always funny to see how French tell other people how to pronounce things and then go on to butcher literally every pronunciation in every single language and don't care.
In Flanders fields, the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row That mark our place, and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below We are the dead, short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields In Flanders fields And now we lie In Flanders fields Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch, be yours to hold it high If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields In Flanders fields We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields In Flanders fields
I think a special mention should have gone to Australian general John Monash, the brain behind the new combined arms warfare doctrine involving tanks, artillery, air power and infantry.
He hates France and barelly hide it, when he talks about France it's about a defeat and when France do something he simply ignores (he did a video of the Crimean war without mentionning a French battle)
French were definitely the key player on the western front. If you ever look at maps most of the front is the French. Not to take anything away from other countries but this war gets washed in a weird way where the Brits and Americans are presented as the main 2 which is wild. Britain was a strong #2 they of course had the best navy but USA was in I think less than 10% of the war.
I didn't realize the political situation in Germany was so dire there toward the end. I knew the Kaiser abdicated, but I didn't realize it was in the face of imminent armed revolution. Thank you for another excellent history lesson. Stay well out there everybody, and God bless you, friends. ✝️ :)
@@cruzaider5339 It ended the monarchy, but the soviets still tried to enforce the old Imperial borders on most of the breakaway states. Both in the immediate aftermath under Lenin and in the long term under Stalin
True story: I’m French and my great great grandfather was the personal gardener of Marchal Foch, the latter wrote letters to my ancestor while he was on the front.
@@Halcon_Sierreno You seem to have a nice psychosis, buddy. Ironically, the white flag with the fleur-de-lis corresponds to the hegemonic period of the Bourbons France, especially under Louis XIV.
Marshal Foch (French commander in chief of the allies) about the Treaty of Versaille : "this is not a peace treaty, this is an armistice for 20 years" - 1919...
@@secretname4190 With how things *could've turned out* (if Nazi germany won, or more reasonably negotiated to keep france) There's some backing to his words
@@secretname4190 While a horrible idea can you really blame the French for feeling that way? The Germans made a point on humiliating the French during the Franco-Prussian war and since the German Empire’s formation they’ve been flexing their military might constantly. Germany as a nation even today holds an insane amount of might in its military, economy, and people. The French feared if they were too lenient the Germans would be back in a decade or two for revenge (they were indeed back for revenge). Foch’s intentions however weren’t entirely pure, he was French and ultimately put his nation before anyone else, he wanted Germany’s industrial heartland carved into satellite states controlled by France to permanently cripple Germany.
As a canadian i'm glad ya mentioned us and that we were the spear head, but lil sad to mention how this was one of the defining moments of canada as well, it's up there with vimy ridge for canadians
As I had feared, the French army was reduced to merely a supporting element, with basically Foch ordering the British forward. We don't even know why Foch can do that since it's never mentioned that he became the allied supreme commander. Between 18 July and 11 November, the French lost 143,000 killed. That's more than the British and inexperienced Americans combined. The French army was by far the biggest allied army and was in charge of most of the front. They had by far the most and best tanks, by far the most and best planes, by far the most and best artillery pieces. They had by far the most trucks and with the use of their roads, as well as several Verdun style "sacred roads", they managed to become by far the most mobile army in the world. Ludendorff himself called 1918 the victory of the French truck over the German railway. A French artillery piece was on average able to fire twice more shells than a German artillery piece. Since the overwhelming majority of casualties was caused by artillery, it also seems pretty obvious that most German casualties were caused by the French. Their artillery was so mobile that it could virtually not only support their own offensives, but also most of the British and American offensives in the Hundred Days. Most of the British and American offensives were also supported by French infantry. For instance, at Saint-Mihiel, not only the entire American artillery force was French (like every artillery piece the AEF used in WW1), but half of it was manned by Frenchmen. At Amiens, supposedly a mostly British offensive, half the allied losses were French. Why is the French army in this video portrayed as a secondary element?
It's just a lazy re-telling of the Anglo-Saxon view of history. A MacDonald's version with flashy presentation for easy consumption. There's no real attempt at historical research on this channel, only a 'script team'. If there is a popular myth or misconception about a historical event, this channel will simply perpetuate it, rather than challenge it. Oh well, it is what it is.
You are generalizing so much lol. They had a good tank, not the best overall. Arguably the best artillery etc Look, I hate the modern day mentality of the cowardly frenchmen as much as the next guy, but counter jerking and downplaying the efforts of other nations fighting in and for your country is extremely cringe. Also, there are very detailed accounts of the battle, in which its very clear most of the ground gained and casualties inflicted were done by commonwealth forces
@@theepicguy13 The Renault FT was obviously the best tank, by far, and the French had more than 3000 of them. There are very detailed (British) accounts of the battle indeed. No sorry, there is no source about who inflicted the most casualties, it's impossible to know because many operations were multinational. However we do know the French lost the most men. Anyway, you're missing the point. Watching a video, you'd think France barely contributed lol. But it's a trend on this channel, they did the same for the Crimean War, which is worse.
The revolution in Munich (Bavaria) started almost at chance after a morning demonstration for peace on the Theresien-Wiese (where the famous October-Fest is held). King Ludwig iii learned about the revolution in the afternoon during his daily walk through the English Garden park. He was told friendly by a former soldier: »Go home, your majesty, it's revolution.« When Ludwig got to the Munich Residence, it was nearly emptied and the king was forced to flee to the Chiemsee lake are during the night.
@@crocrox2273 Remember, the British Empire had sizable non-Christian nonwhite subjects in the Indian subcontinent, Malayan peninsula, south Arabian Peninsula, Northwest Africa, West Africa, and South Africa. Heck India alone dwarfs the British Home Islands in every metric except GDP and Standard of Living...
French General Ferdinand Foch was also the one who stated after the signing o the Treaty of versailles that : "This treaty isnt peace, it is an armistice for about 20 years".
The Canadian Red Ensign used here is NOT the World War I ensign but the one installed by a WWI veteran nonetheless, G. John Diefenbaker in 1957 who was Canadian PM from 1957-1963. This Red Ensign was replaced by the current Red Maple Leaf in 1965.
I genuinely cannot imagine such massive political change as the Kaiser abdicating essentially overnight. Imagine reading that newspaper headline. I don’t thing I can imagine it
Hey your videos are getting better and better in every video keep up the good work, also by any chance can you and your team make a video on the Turkish War of Independence since August 30th which is the victory day for Türkiye is coming?
British and Commonwealth troops are vastly overrepresented on your maps it looks like they were holding most of the Western front. In reality British and Commonwealth troops were holding 25% of the front from January 1918 to March then 20% until October when they held 15% of the line. The French army which was the main allied force on the Western front during the war held 70% of the front from January to March 1918, then 75% until May, then 73% at the end of July, then 65% until the day of the armistice. The Belgians always held about 5% of the front line. As for the Americans, they only held 1.5% of the line in May 1918, then at the end of July they reached about 5% of the front line, 10% at the end of August , 15% in October, and around 20% on Armistice Day.
Yet the British and commonwealth forces retook the most land, captured the most prisoners, captured the most artillery pieces. Those are the numbers that actually matter
That Bismarck guy pretty much prepared the stage, choosing Austria- Hungary as ally, and putting Germany into colonial affairs. And giving France much time to rearm...
@@alexzero3736 Wilhelm's biggest mistake was putting the British Empire against Germany, the man was crazy to think Germany could have won a war of attrition against Britain.
@@alexzero3736 Bismarck didn't choose Austria Hungary he chose Russia but the treaty he made with Russia wasn't renewed after his death also when he was alive Germany and Britain were on very good terms but the Kaiser and Tirpitz built the German navy which threatened Britain, it was Bismarck who managed to politically isolate France but it came crashing down when he died
@@architech02 thats not correct. Russo-German treaty was merely a treaty of neutrality, while with Austria-Hungary Bismarck signed the Dual Alliance as alliance against Russia and France. Also Bismarck chosen Austro-Hungarian side in Berlin congress about Balkans (1878).
@@architech02 Alex is correct: the Russians had already been pressing Germany to choose between Austria-Hungary and Russia even when all three were still under the same treaty, and Germany's insistence on maintaining a balance of power drove Russia to seek allies elsewhere. It was the inevitable result of Germany's prior humiliation of Austria-Hungary, which had convinced Russia that it could go all the way to Istanbul with the right preparation. Germany had simply underestimated how quickly the French economy would recover from the war payments to Prussia, overestimated how useful Austria-Hungary would actually be in a war, and badly misjudged how much its neighbors (and even former allies,) had come to fear it. To Germany, the worst case was that it would get Belgium and chunks of Eastern Europe, and it was shocked when it was put into a position where it could get neither.
at 13:25 allied artillery is said to have fired 30.000 rounds of mustard gas at German positions. This is what tasting your own medicine means, I think. It is not surprising that Germans did not resort to chemical warfare in WW2.
Mind you Australia was only made it’s own nation 18 years prior, the fact that we served well (under competent WW1 commanders, looking at you Churchill)
Funfact I served in the franco-german brigade in Donaueschingen, in southwestern germany,one of the barracks is called FochKaserne (Foch-barracks) They are going to rename it tho, kinda weird to name it after a WW1 general. A war not having a clear bad or good side other than WW2
great video and will you ever make another who has superior infantry squads video i was thinking maybe something to do with fire and maneuver's time period like Prussian vs French or for another WWII one you could do British vs Italian in 1941.
The German army of this time was acc pretty good. This army fought pretty much the entire world for 4 years (and was pretty close to beating them) along with having the two weakest powers in Europe on their side, who not only couldn't give help but needed it a lot of the time too.
the ottomans were even weaker than the austro-hungarians and the bulgarians. Yet, the Bulgarians did amazingly well for their country size and manpower, so much Augustus von Mackensen called Bulgaria "The Prussia of the Balkans" Not a title you give to anyone so lightly
@@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014 That's true but the Ottomans won some major victories at Gallipoli and Kut El Amara. The Austrians couldn't launch a single successful offensive
I mean,Germany was the largest nation in Western Europe with the biggest economy and population.Plus they were very well prepared for the war oh unlike WW2.So it's pretty much expected.But yeah that's still very impressive.
@@hasanakbar957 Gallipoli was useless because in the end the British and French beat them and the Ottoman Empire collapsed, Gallipoli was only one battle. And the Turkish were very lucky that the Allied didn't support the Greeks after that, they could have taken back Constantinople and much more.
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Do something Sri Lankan
Boi
@Armchair Historian video ideas:
-Ww2 from the perspective of the Japanese empire
-Surrender of Japan on September 2nd 1945
Add to video françois ingold, françois sevez in videos ww2
This Dude went back in time to make this comment.
To be fair, having fewer losses than entrenched enemy during offensive on ww1's western front while suffering general logistical issues is quite mind-blowing
Not really. Offensives were often successful in terms of casualty counts. They were just expensive in terms of war material and were far more vulnerable to counterattack than established lines.
Am I missing something here?
During the 100 days offensive the Germans took 1,172,075 casulties to the allies' roughly 1,070,000 casulties. That's close, but still higher.
But then again you have to know that the status of the German army at that point was not as it was when invading, they had food shortages ammo shortages low morale fresh barely trained soldiers Germany in 1918 was at the point of collapse aswell as the German army
Well, if you wanted to blow through all your experienced soldiers, sure. It was a one-time move that Germany gave it its all as a Hail Mary.
Yes, but the german losses were the finest troops and equipments they had, which could not be replaced easily and quickly (or at all). Meanwhile, the entente had lost simple soldiers. It was a hard blow, but the entente could reinforce. It was its strengh all through the war : incredible endurance and resilience.
The older I become, and the more I read and learn about the Great War, it really plays out as more of a tragedy that sets the stage for much more suffering. Not just for the next war, but for the next century.
All war plays out as a tragedy unfortunately. Such is the nature of war.
@@a.nonimus6705 all of those dead boys we had to trade in for our victories, I'm sure would scoff at the idea of war being necessary
Indeed. It was the great tragedy of the Twentieth Century from which much suffering and further tragedy flowed. It’s heartbreaking to think what may have been achieved if it hadn’t occurred.
I sometimes think how WW1, WW2, the Cold War and many conflicts we have today could have been prevented if the stupid Archduke Franz Ferdinand simply followed common logic, and decided to leave Sarrajevo after the initial assassination attempt and didn't just happen to run into one of their assassins.
Edit: everybody it’s a just curious alternative history scenario! I am well aware Europe was a powder keg being slowly filled with decades of nationalism, imperialism, militarism and liberalism that everyone was just waiting for a fuse to explode it!
@@lucinae8512 Yeah. Oversimplified explained that very clearly.
At 6:00, the reason Canadians are chosen for the diversionary attack at Flanders is that the Germans consider the Canadian Corps to be shock troops that are put into action whenever there is a major offensive. Because of this the Germans closely monitor Canadian troop movements, thus making the Canadians the perfect diversionary force.
Canadians normally: Oh, sorry!
Canadians in warfare:
I have heard canadians were then best in ww2
@@planes3333calm down lol. They were good and contributed a lot but far from "best"
Well the americans were novices when they entered the war and they said that they gave all the commando work to the canadians because "they got in there and got the job done" or so the veteren in the documentary said. I mean I know what your saying its not a contest but the canadians were simple syrup eating donut warriors who were the best and just getting er done aye@@kelllakell
exactly
I didn't know Professor Hulk fought for the German Empire
I can’t tell if that was just a random funny thing put there, or a word-play joke that flew over my head
He also served later, but we dont talk about his service from 33-45 anymore
@@someguy7723 Yeah he prefers not to talk about it either. Every time it comes up things get really awkward between him and Captain America.
@@yucol5661 it's the "I see this as an absolute win" meme
The Great War and the Not bad but decent War
*Somewhere in purgatory*
Bismarck: "Didn't I tell you to be friendly towards the other superpowers so that Germany doesn't have to fight on Multiple fronts and lose?"
Wilhelm II: "... yes ..."
Bismarck: "And what did you do?"
Wilhelm II: "I was aggressive towards the others and lost from war of attrition..."
Bismarck: "Damn right you did."
Edit: There's a war going on down in the comments about WW1
asutria startet the war th
@@gamerdrache6076 yeo
Basically
As far as I remember Bismarck specifically wanted at least a French or Russian alliance in any future major war
@@gamerdrache6076 And Germany declared war by itself to Russia, Belgium and France in a single week. Germany is reponsible for the war.
Even better video quality + topic = Armchair Historian truly cementing his spot at the best history youtuber!
Amen! Would love to see you collab with him tho
Would love to see Armchair Historian style for China Before World War III
Bro, try EpicHistory, Kings&Generals, The Cold War TIK History
@@Warszawski_Modernizm don't forget bazbattles
Well Indy Neidell and timeghost are also up there
A little bit can go a long ways, thanks for putting the best content out there !
Many think of Gallipoli when they talk about us aussies in WW1 but we really shined fighting in France. This video does show that Australia did more than fight the ottomans in a failed invasion and i like that. Keep up the good work Armchair Historian.
I love the quote that a General said during WW1 “If I had to invade hell I would use the Aussies to attack and the New Zealand men to hold the ground” The ANZAC played a big part in the war
Then WW2 happened and the aussies really half assed their way through an entire war.
I like how Aussies gets the main highlight in the empire for what it did in both world wars but you lot act like you don't when other regions of the empire that deserve equal recognition doesn't get it
Jesse, from a Brit. John Monash was the best general on the Entente
And even than, there was way more Brit’s at Gallipoli than ANZACs.
You should cover the fall of the Byzantine Empire, it has a lot of roots in the Renaissance and is a really remarkable event that gets skipped over often in school. While the city was in shambles and was bound to get snuffed out, the siege really ended the Roman Empire off with a bang.
This would be interesting! The Roman Empire was truly remarkable.
The after war treaty just goes to show how weakened Germany was. Even though they still occupied much of Belgium and there eastern lands the allies still took land.
Yes exactly, if you are gonna go reading through various battles on the western front, you probably gonna be astonished the crazy amounts of resources put down by the Allies to achieve a breakthrough in the German lines. Its ironic that the germans were even able to hold, sometimes even when outnumbered six folds.
@@HarshPandey-is2ei where is the irony in that?
@@HarshPandey-is2ei Able to hold? Their lines were in utter collapse
@@rayquaza1245 verdun and early WW1 thats when they were Able to hold that long
@@ae3464 Yes but this is a video about the end of the war, and the comment was talking about how weakened they were during that time.
I did not expect Griff to unironically say 'Uno reverse card' in a history documentary lol
5:00 the way he said it with such a straight face too 💀
@@Buffalo_Soldier His videos regularly incorporate meme formats in them, such as this one, I think he meant it to be a relatable metaphor for what was happening at the time so the audience could better comprehened it.
@@Buffalo_Soldier these were my thoughts exactly, and I came down to the comments to see if anyone agreed. I didn't like that he included that. If anything, it just wasn't funny--uno reverse card was a meme *seven years ago.* yes, I know.
@@DoctorX149: Uno Reverse Card is a dead meme.
Griff: *UNO REVERSE CARD*
The Vincent Vega pin pull at 14:03 was an excellent rework of the format, full marks to whoever thought of that.
3:35 this was when my great great grandfather was killed. He'd been in the pre-war army as a reservist and had seen action before in the Boer War, captured there as a POW after a 7 hour long battle, but he'd been wounded and taken to a casualty clearing station that was destroyed by heavy German shelling. He left behind a wife and three daughters. RIP Great-granddad 1880-1918.
Wow,he died really young. Rest in peace to your grandfather, 48 years is a pretty young age to die. War is brutal.
@@EmbeddedWithin dude like millons of people died at 18 in the World Wars
According to the North German constitution of 1867, ratified as the german constitution of 1871, the title of german emperor and king of Prussia were bound together. that rule existed because if the house of Hohenzollern failed to produce a male heir, then the German emperor's title could be claimed by the other Royal Houses of Germany such as the von Wittelsbach or the von Wettin. That could bring a revived Holy roman empire and nobody wanted that. In fact in 1918 when Max von Baden discussed the matter of abdication with the Kaiser with if I remember correctly he was related, Wilhelm was enraged when he heard about abdication. He added that the german soldiers have sworn an oath to him and they will not break it. Wilhelm was very surprised when his beloved Kaiserliche Marine mutinied but he resisted any talks on abdication. At the beginning of November, he started suggesting abdicating only the imperial crown. of course, that was impossible but he still hoped. Eventually, on November 9th Max von Baden declared the abdication of the emperor. Wilhelm had no idea. So in the middle of the night, he took the imperial train and crossed into the Netherlands. He was forced to wait as the dutch deliberated on whether or not to allow him to enter. Eventually, he was allowed in and died there. His body is still in holland.
Wow, not even the kaizer's own men respected his will and authority anymore. He was done.
The Russian attack on Ukraine has been going on for 6 whole months and the Russians have sustained (at least) 48.000 casualties. But comparing that to the German army loosing as many men in just one day... the numbers of WWI are insane and beyond human comprehension
Modern war is a war of deception and tech...no comparesion to frontal assaults of WW1. The only thing that preserved some lifes was stormtroops tactic, with gas, flamethrowers, grenades and hand to hand combat inside the trenches...
dumbass ukraine loosing 240 000 men in 6 months
тхатс жуст украина нумберс брух
The British Army lost 57000 men in just a single day during the battle of the Somme. The French lost another 1600 that day and the Germans around 10000. Almost 70.000 casualties on just one battlefield in just one day. Those numbers are truly staggering.
Truly the most hellish war. Lest we ever forget what our grandfathers went through
Minor visual inaccuracy but I understand why it was done. After 1916 the slouch hat was not used in combat by the Australians, slowly being replaced by the British Brodie after Gallipoli. It’s very unlikely that it would be seen on Australian front line troops in 1918 but I understand it was done so the viewer can better recognise the Australians with their iconic attire and differentiate them from the British and Canadians
Also that Canadian flag depicted is the post-1921 version.
Regarding the American push into the Argonne forest, it's depicted in the 2001 movie 'The Lost Battalion'. Commanded by Major Charles Whittlesey, most of his troops were inexperienced or replacements. Surrounded and with no means of retreat, the Americans put a fierce resistance over the course of several days, aided by artillery support. Less than 300 men returned back to friendly lines, and Major Whittlesey would later be awarded the CMoH
77th ID, They later fought in the Pacific theatre of WW2 one notable member was Desmond Doss who saved 75 men on Okinawa
Thanks
Fascinating how this set the stage for all of the events that followed and still has effects to this day. Great work armchair historian team.
The belligerents were exhausted after 4 years of carnage. the losses were staggering.. When the Russians threw in the towel, the Germans were able to transfer about a million combat troops to the West. Operation Michael gained tactical success early on by employing overwhelming forces, but Ludendorf must have realised that the French would quickly move to support the British *who themselves had some 90 divisions * the advancing Germans overran depots and couldn't believe how well stocked the tommies were ; German troops were astounded that they were still amply supplied with every kind of food stuff as well as things like boot polish , which had disappeared entirely in Germany 2 years before... the Germans also got drunk on looted booze, a whole day was lost because of this. Ludendorf was brilliant but unstable. he had lost his son earlier KIA and kept his body at his headquarters for weeks before finally being persuaded to send it home. once things started to go wrong, as they inevitably would, he suffered a breakdown . he would flee to Sweden wearing a fake beard and glasses as a disguise.. *he would 't be the last, these comical disguises became popular as Germany collapsed
Wait, he fleed? Was not Ludendorff like one of nationalistic party( pre Nazi) and tried to be elected as president? (Lost to Hindenburg)
@@alexzero3736 he was, but saving his own skin was more important to him. Ludendorff was never an idealist, he always did what benefited him and his reputation. He came crawling back 1919, when he knew no one would string him up. He then playes a key role in fabricating the "knife in the back" legend, and marches next to hitler in Bavaria during the Hitler-Ludendorff coup attempt in 1923.
@@franzkissel1369
*These WARS: Send in a MASS of Soldiers to be Mass Shot down!!!!*
*CiviL War, W.W.I, many More!!!! How StuPud!!!! No One Ever Mentions THAT!!!!*
*Just Dig in & LET the Other Side to the Charging!!!! Both Grant & Lee DID that!!!*
The irony is that the forgotten front, the Macedonian Front, is where WW1 was actually won. The Allies on the Western Front started and was making some progress, while Allenby launched his attack in Palestine and demolished two Turkish armies. However, when the Allies in Macedonia launched their attack, the Bulgarian Army collapsed. Bulgaria sued for peace. This blew a huge gap in the Central Powers' lines in the Balkans, and exposed a now completely defenseless Istanbul to the British Army. With the nearest army of any size sitting in Baku, Azerbaijan, Turkey sued for peace. The French and Serbian armies pressed north, and as the Austrian army collapsed in northern Italy, Austria suddenly discovered they had no forces to prevent the French and Serbs from marching into Budapest and Vienna. Austria sued for peace. The Germans now found that they had a single army in southern Austria/northern Serbia, and only a single worn out army to face more than three Allied armies. The only troops they could possibly call on were out in eastern Ukraine and Crimea, over 2 weeks away. Germany was basically defenseless in the south. The Allies had an almost clear path all the way to Bavaria and beyond. This, coupled with the continued offensives on the Western Front, caused Germany to sue for an armistice. It is really sad that the majority of historians neglect this very important offensive that started in September 1918.
Perhaps a telegram sent by Kaiser Wilhelm sums up the Central Powers' views on this the best, “Disgraceful! 62,000 Serbs decided the war!"
Mh yes Bulgaria not like the Italian encirclement of 800k troops cutting the whole damn front collapsing Austria also again Italy saving theSerbs in Albania thanks to Prince Luigi that was fired for his actions and those Serbs made a good ammount of the soldiers in the Balkan front.
@@BoretheoryThe Italian victory at Vittorio Venetian doesn’t get enough attention. People love to talk about the grinding attrition of the Isonzo but their final campaign is equally fascinating.
Great video and loved the “Pulp Fiction” reference at 14:00.
Fun fact, in the Balkan offensive, a french cavalery corps made a breakthrought in central empire lines, a breakthrought of thousand kilometers. The Jouinot Gambetta des litteraly on the way to vienna after having defeated bulgaria
Serbian infantry at macedonian front was faster than french cavalry,french cavarly at some.point failed to catch up with serbian infantry
Great show as always and i know it's mainly a cultural thing but shouldn't "the allies" be known as "the Entente" many books refer to the allies and central powers as the same thing, contrary to its WW2 associations.
Not to be a 🤓, but here’s the best answer. Basically every war in history that has had one side made up of a collective, mostly equal partnership of Allies, has been called “the Allies” take for instance the Crimean War. While it’s true that pre-war the Triple Entente was made up of Russia, Britain, and France, this wasn’t actually a military alliance but was basically a loose agreement over various topics including German aggression. When they were joined by Romania, Brazil, the US, and many more, it ceased to be an entente and a cohesive alliance of nations, so basically “the Allies”. Hope that answers your question.
Not really because entente was a pre war alliance that many of the allies weren't part of. It would only really apply to the beginning of the war before italy joined.
Entente is France, Russia and Britain, allies include the Americans.
@@RealFifeCarJourneys Italians, Serbians, and Romanians too
@@rayquaza1245 that’s the triple entente, they were still known as the entente, which means an agreement, which is a good way to describe them as they rarely agreed on anything, launched random uncoordinated attacks and rarely fully consulted each other even after the Italians and Americans joined the war.
Very Amazingly made. I will always love your work, thank you for your efforts of making history an interesting thing
One slight inaccuracy would be that the armistice itself did not cut down the empire by itself, an armistice only serves to end fighting. The Treaty of Versailles was the one that decided how Germany would be treated and what concessions she would have to make, and that would only be signed on the 28th of June 1919. Otherwise great video, as always.
exactly, the armistice is just a cease fire the treaty of versailles officially ended the war because legally they were still at war even after the armistice there just wasn't any fighting
One of my grandfathers fought in East Africa with Paul Von Lettow Vorbeck
As usual, great content from you! and the quality is getting better with every video too. Something small and nitpicky though, the Red Ensign displayed for Canada wouldnt be in use until 1957, and they used an earlier version with a much larger coat of arms.
They used all version of it. I'm surprised there wasn't a scene where it was the current flag, lol
I have been really interested in germanys/prussias/holy roman empired history lately and this couldn’t have come out at a better time
A well-made, interesting, and informative video as always, Griffin!
Great job. Just a little remark : General "Foch" is pronounced "Fosh". Thank you
I like general Fok better, it's more... robust.
I was about to comment that but you did it before.
Always funny to see how French tell other people how to pronounce things and then go on to butcher literally every pronunciation in every single language and don't care.
@@BuurmanDirk69 Bro calm down we're not insulting anyone.
@@BuurmanDirk69 Foch was literally a Frenchman. It's not a good look to complain here.
The animations keep getting better and better.
In Flanders fields, the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place, and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below
We are the dead, short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields In Flanders fields
And now we lie In Flanders fields
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields In Flanders fields
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields In Flanders fields
I think a special mention should have gone to Australian general John Monash, the brain behind the new combined arms warfare doctrine involving tanks, artillery, air power and infantry.
I already have Iron Order 1919 and it's one of my favourite apps along with Call of War and Supremacy 1914
France had the biggest army and held most of the front but you leave them as just one of four armies on the map
French bashing 🇫🇷
He hates France and barelly hide it, when he talks about France it's about a defeat and when France do something he simply ignores (he did a video of the Crimean war without mentionning a French battle)
French were definitely the key player on the western front. If you ever look at maps most of the front is the French. Not to take anything away from other countries but this war gets washed in a weird way where the Brits and Americans are presented as the main 2 which is wild. Britain was a strong #2 they of course had the best navy but USA was in I think less than 10% of the war.
16:13 Since when was the battleship Richelieu in the German Navy?
Nice catch
yh, true
You know it's a french battleship if the guns have 4 gun barrels each
Also the map positions are wrong the germans got to the marne but in the video we never see it
That is a French battleship because there are 4 guns in the turret
I didn't realize the political situation in Germany was so dire there toward the end. I knew the Kaiser abdicated, but I didn't realize it was in the face of imminent armed revolution. Thank you for another excellent history lesson.
Stay well out there everybody, and God bless you, friends. ✝️ :)
I'm tired that people still use the cliche "The war ended nothing"
It ended Empires, the lives of millions, and the old ways of war
It ended Austria Hungary, but the Russian Empire was just rebranded
@@sebe2255 German empire too but still it ended Russia
@@cruzaider5339 It ended the monarchy, but the soviets still tried to enforce the old Imperial borders on most of the breakaway states.
Both in the immediate aftermath under Lenin and in the long term under Stalin
@@sebe2255 Imperial borders, Soviet government
@@cruzaider5339 In other words Empire under a different name. Not a lot changed geopolitically
Bismarck: “My gains! Nooooo!!1!”
True story: I’m French and my great great grandfather was the personal gardener of Marchal Foch, the latter wrote letters to my ancestor while he was on the front.
🏳
@@Halcon_Sierreno Nice, but I think the French collected enough of those from your country already. Let's not get greedy.
@@Itachi951000 I'm Mexican, all I have to day to that is "Cinco de Mayo". 😒
@@Halcon_Sierreno France Beat the Mexicans twice,the only reason you won was because the Union Gave your Banditos thousands of Armaments,
@@Halcon_Sierreno You seem to have a nice psychosis, buddy.
Ironically, the white flag with the fleur-de-lis corresponds to the hegemonic period of the Bourbons France, especially under Louis XIV.
Marshal Foch (French commander in chief of the allies) about the Treaty of Versaille : "this is not a peace treaty, this is an armistice for 20 years" - 1919...
Also, his name is pronounced "Fosh", not "FoK". :)
@@secretname4190 With how things *could've turned out* (if Nazi germany won, or more reasonably negotiated to keep france)
There's some backing to his words
Should have divided France after the defeat of Napoleon.
Europe would have been a better place.
@@akronym4439 You should look at French history and realize any such attempt isn’t going to happen
@@secretname4190 While a horrible idea can you really blame the French for feeling that way? The Germans made a point on humiliating the French during the Franco-Prussian war and since the German Empire’s formation they’ve been flexing their military might constantly. Germany as a nation even today holds an insane amount of might in its military, economy, and people. The French feared if they were too lenient the Germans would be back in a decade or two for revenge (they were indeed back for revenge). Foch’s intentions however weren’t entirely pure, he was French and ultimately put his nation before anyone else, he wanted Germany’s industrial heartland carved into satellite states controlled by France to permanently cripple Germany.
3:52 The Canadian flag seen here was the nation flag from 1957 to 1965 so its the wrong flag at this time.
Nice to see the rarely mentioned, but ever crucial Kommissar Hulk making an appearance
Can I just say how amazing fire and menuvier is. Me and my house mate just spent all day battling each other
Who won?
@@flareknuckles me son!
As a canadian i'm glad ya mentioned us and that we were the spear head, but lil sad to mention how this was one of the defining moments of canada as well, it's up there with vimy ridge for canadians
And now canada is "post nationalist" and our next war will be on our soil
@@canadianmmaguy7511 depends on where you live in canada
As I had feared, the French army was reduced to merely a supporting element, with basically Foch ordering the British forward. We don't even know why Foch can do that since it's never mentioned that he became the allied supreme commander.
Between 18 July and 11 November, the French lost 143,000 killed. That's more than the British and inexperienced Americans combined.
The French army was by far the biggest allied army and was in charge of most of the front.
They had by far the most and best tanks, by far the most and best planes, by far the most and best artillery pieces. They had by far the most trucks and with the use of their roads, as well as several Verdun style "sacred roads", they managed to become by far the most mobile army in the world. Ludendorff himself called 1918 the victory of the French truck over the German railway.
A French artillery piece was on average able to fire twice more shells than a German artillery piece. Since the overwhelming majority of casualties was caused by artillery, it also seems pretty obvious that most German casualties were caused by the French.
Their artillery was so mobile that it could virtually not only support their own offensives, but also most of the British and American offensives in the Hundred Days. Most of the British and American offensives were also supported by French infantry.
For instance, at Saint-Mihiel, not only the entire American artillery force was French (like every artillery piece the AEF used in WW1), but half of it was manned by Frenchmen.
At Amiens, supposedly a mostly British offensive, half the allied losses were French.
Why is the French army in this video portrayed as a secondary element?
That's what i thought too, during this video, i had the impression to be in France, without any french
It's just a lazy re-telling of the Anglo-Saxon view of history. A MacDonald's version with flashy presentation for easy consumption. There's no real attempt at historical research on this channel, only a 'script team'. If there is a popular myth or misconception about a historical event, this channel will simply perpetuate it, rather than challenge it. Oh well, it is what it is.
You are generalizing so much lol. They had a good tank, not the best overall. Arguably the best artillery etc
Look, I hate the modern day mentality of the cowardly frenchmen as much as the next guy, but counter jerking and downplaying the efforts of other nations fighting in and for your country is extremely cringe.
Also, there are very detailed accounts of the battle, in which its very clear most of the ground gained and casualties inflicted were done by commonwealth forces
@@theepicguy13 The Renault FT was obviously the best tank, by far, and the French had more than 3000 of them.
There are very detailed (British) accounts of the battle indeed. No sorry, there is no source about who inflicted the most casualties, it's impossible to know because many operations were multinational. However we do know the French lost the most men. Anyway, you're missing the point. Watching a video, you'd think France barely contributed lol. But it's a trend on this channel, they did the same for the Crimean War, which is worse.
@@alexmas9086 Like in "Battlefield 1".
I will always love how Armchair Historian just casually inserts pop-culture or meme references in their history lessons.
Wouldn’t it be cool to have a video about life in German occupied Belgium in ww1
Bad, real bad
Great vid. You should definitely do a video about the breakthrough of the Salonika front.
Thumbs up for that awesome quality of the animations, historical facts and including memes!
2:42 never thought I would see the hulk in a German imperial uniform
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, WW1 ended.
The revolution in Munich (Bavaria) started almost at chance after a morning demonstration for peace on the Theresien-Wiese (where the famous October-Fest is held). King Ludwig iii learned about the revolution in the afternoon during his daily walk through the English Garden park. He was told friendly by a former soldier: »Go home, your majesty, it's revolution.« When Ludwig got to the Munich Residence, it was nearly emptied and the king was forced to flee to the Chiemsee lake are during the night.
Idea: you can cover all of the battles featured in the game Battlefield 1 and inform us of who won/lost and total casualties.
Only if he gets sponsored by EA.
Therapist: "Kommandant Hulk is not real. He can't hurt you."
Kommandant Hulk: 2:41
Great video! Useful reminder too of why British people instinctively like and trust Americans and even more so Canadians and Australians!
Well we speak the same language and share a culture.
@@joeywheelerii9136 unlike the New "British people"
@@crocrox2273 Remember, the British Empire had sizable non-Christian nonwhite subjects in the Indian subcontinent, Malayan peninsula, south Arabian Peninsula, Northwest Africa, West Africa, and South Africa. Heck India alone dwarfs the British Home Islands in every metric except GDP and Standard of Living...
@@theotherohlourdespadua1131 hes just racist let him discredit himself
@@theotherohlourdespadua1131 those were the subjects of the british empire,not the british people
5:01 i dont know why but the way he said uno reverse card is golden
2:38 wtf, Professor hulk
8:55 "Friede?" kinda works, but you would say "Frieden?"
great video again :)
French General Ferdinand Foch was also the one who stated after the signing o the Treaty of versailles that : "This treaty isnt peace, it is an armistice for about 20 years".
Because the treaty was too lenient, he was right
@@SaintJust1214 He was wrong, like every Frenchman.
@@falleronpreussius9650 No he was right, I recommend actually reading up on the treaties of ww1 before commenting racism
@@SaintJust1214
Hereditary enmity not racism.
PS: Alsace and Lorraine belong to Germany! 😘
@@falleronpreussius9650 Alsace- Moselle is French and has been since the 1600s, cope and seethe kaiserboo.
7:00 Actually, the major tanks permitting the victory was the well named "Victory tank" Relault FT2, a lot smaller than these ones ^^
"aCtUaLly"
13:30 why is the belt going down and creating more ammo?
4:53
"French Units under General Ferdinand F*ck"
Otto Von Bismarck (watching all this from the afterlife and face palming): “Those idiots. I warned them this would happen.”
The Canadian Red Ensign used here is NOT the World War I ensign but the one installed by a WWI veteran nonetheless, G. John Diefenbaker in 1957 who was Canadian PM from 1957-1963. This Red Ensign was replaced by the current Red Maple Leaf in 1965.
Will you please make a life about how life was in the German Empire?
Normal
I genuinely cannot imagine such massive political change as the Kaiser abdicating essentially overnight. Imagine reading that newspaper headline. I don’t thing I can imagine it
17:14 He was the Emperor of Germany, not King of Germany.
Actually, sire, he was the King of Prussia and Emperor of Germany
lmao, hulk, the guy behind the tree rubbing his hands. Giga chad griff moment.
Can you make Chechen wars of Soviet-Afghan war ?
the thumbnails are good but the videos are even better
9:22 general what?
Lol
I’ve been asking for something like this! Thank you so much I don’t know if you saw it but this, perfect
Hey your videos are getting better and better in every video keep up the good work, also by any chance can you and your team make a video on the Turkish War of Independence since August 30th which is the victory day for Türkiye is coming?
3:50 This map is so wrong. Eupen-Malmedy still belonged to Germany at this time. Why do people seem to ignore this all the time?
2:30 why is the hulk here
The Allies lit Willie and his Deustche bois at 4:20. *clicks tongue* noice.
“If the saying third times a charm is true then the world is fucked.”
-A nationalist German probably
Aussie John Monash and his tactical brilliance was the key to the overall success of the final campaign 🇦🇺
Logistics and Strategy win wars, not tactics.
Always happy to help our brothers across the sea! -From Canada
Ludendorff:I think it's time we seek peace.
Wilhelm II: What do you think I've been doing for the past FOUR YEARS!?
This was definitely my favorite part of the week by week Great War series
British and Commonwealth troops are vastly overrepresented on your maps it looks like they were holding most of the Western front. In reality British and Commonwealth troops were holding 25% of the front from January 1918 to March then 20% until October when they held 15% of the line.
The French army which was the main allied force on the Western front during the war held 70% of the front from January to March 1918, then 75% until May, then 73% at the end of July, then 65% until the day of the armistice.
The Belgians always held about 5% of the front line.
As for the Americans, they only held 1.5% of the line in May 1918, then at the end of July they reached about 5% of the front line, 10% at the end of August , 15% in October, and around 20% on Armistice Day.
But in the German Spring Offensive the biggest attack also fell on the British
Why focus on land area? What about the enemy line? how much % of germans were the british holding?
Yet the British and commonwealth forces retook the most land, captured the most prisoners, captured the most artillery pieces.
Those are the numbers that actually matter
Bravo, You're videos are getting better
2:30 why is Hulk giving the briefing??
Imagine how pissed Bismarck would have been if he saw what Wilhelm and Hitler did to Germany.
That Bismarck guy pretty much prepared the stage, choosing Austria- Hungary as ally, and putting Germany into colonial affairs. And giving France much time to rearm...
@@alexzero3736 Wilhelm's biggest mistake was putting the British Empire against Germany, the man was crazy to think Germany could have won a war of attrition against Britain.
@@alexzero3736 Bismarck didn't choose Austria Hungary he chose Russia but the treaty he made with Russia wasn't renewed after his death also when he was alive Germany and Britain were on very good terms but the Kaiser and Tirpitz built the German navy which threatened Britain, it was Bismarck who managed to politically isolate France but it came crashing down when he died
@@architech02 thats not correct. Russo-German treaty was merely a treaty of neutrality, while with Austria-Hungary Bismarck signed the Dual Alliance as alliance against Russia and France. Also Bismarck chosen Austro-Hungarian side in Berlin congress about Balkans (1878).
@@architech02 Alex is correct: the Russians had already been pressing Germany to choose between Austria-Hungary and Russia even when all three were still under the same treaty, and Germany's insistence on maintaining a balance of power drove Russia to seek allies elsewhere. It was the inevitable result of Germany's prior humiliation of Austria-Hungary, which had convinced Russia that it could go all the way to Istanbul with the right preparation.
Germany had simply underestimated how quickly the French economy would recover from the war payments to Prussia, overestimated how useful Austria-Hungary would actually be in a war, and badly misjudged how much its neighbors (and even former allies,) had come to fear it. To Germany, the worst case was that it would get Belgium and chunks of Eastern Europe, and it was shocked when it was put into a position where it could get neither.
at 13:25 allied artillery is said to have fired 30.000 rounds of mustard gas at German positions. This is what tasting your own medicine means, I think. It is not surprising that Germans did not resort to chemical warfare in WW2.
Mind you Australia was only made it’s own nation 18 years prior, the fact that we served well (under competent WW1 commanders, looking at you Churchill)
Really leaning into the memes with this one, LOVE IT!
Can you do a WWII from the dutch perspective?
That would be boring
That’s fucking boring
cat@@CatnamedMittens
Allowed supplies to enter Germany?
Funfact
I served in the franco-german brigade in Donaueschingen, in southwestern germany,one of the barracks is called FochKaserne (Foch-barracks)
They are going to rename it tho, kinda weird to name it after a WW1 general. A war not having a clear bad or good side other than WW2
what was your job
@@smoothjazz2143 Serving in the "Stab" the administrative part, strictly under the bataillon-commander
great video and will you ever make another who has superior infantry squads video i was thinking maybe something to do with fire and maneuver's time period like Prussian vs French or for another WWII one you could do British vs Italian in 1941.
2:31 I’m stoned but is that hulk, YES had to go back.
14:22 Adolf Hitler! Nice Easter egg!
I love your content! Please continue!
ah yes my favorite ww1 general.... Ferdinant Fock
You know niggas in trouble when you hear this music 4:10
The German army of this time was acc pretty good. This army fought pretty much the entire world for 4 years (and was pretty close to beating them) along with having the two weakest powers in Europe on their side, who not only couldn't give help but needed it a lot of the time too.
the ottomans were even weaker than the austro-hungarians and the bulgarians.
Yet, the Bulgarians did amazingly well for their country size and manpower, so much Augustus von Mackensen called Bulgaria "The Prussia of the Balkans"
Not a title you give to anyone so lightly
@@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014 That's true but the Ottomans won some major victories at Gallipoli and Kut El Amara. The Austrians couldn't launch a single successful offensive
I mean,Germany was the largest nation in Western Europe with the biggest economy and population.Plus they were very well prepared for the war oh unlike WW2.So it's pretty much expected.But yeah that's still very impressive.
@@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014 ottomons were still better then austria the ottomans won at galipolli gaza in Ctesiphon and in iraq
@@hasanakbar957 Gallipoli was useless because in the end the British and French beat them and the Ottoman Empire collapsed, Gallipoli was only one battle. And the Turkish were very lucky that the Allied didn't support the Greeks after that, they could have taken back Constantinople and much more.