Been to Warsaw and Krakow as well as Auschwitz- Birkenau and the Resistance Memorial. The Polish people are amazing and proud people, the history of the country is engrossing and complex. They were also very important in helping the Allies defeat Nazi Germany in many ways- cracking the Enigma code ( as stated), enlisting in the British military and the Resistance. Amazing people.
The forgotten soldiers of WWII! Salute and extremely grateful for bringing the history back. I took a part in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 myself. I think everyone should watch this., Lets not forget the Nazis refer to Germans who started the war. Not some other people. Germans. .
"We don't beg for freedom - we fight for it" - Witold Urbanowicz: , the legendary polish 303 squadron leader and ace pilot during the Battle of Brattain. Poles are tough, resilient, and intelligent - enemies can conquer their flat land, but they will never be able to conquer their minds and souls even using the most oppressive means including concentration camps and mass killings. Be assured, Poles will fight back and destroy the enemy at the end. Greetings from a Polish-American.
Beautifully presented....and accurately !!! The Poles took part at Normandy and in closing the Falaise Pocket. Polish pilots played a big role in the Battle of Britain. They were in Narvik, Norway in defense of that country. They helped liberate Belgian, Dutch , French and Italian towns. It is my understanding that they accepted the surrender of the German navy at Wilhelmshaven. They also took part in the assault and capture of Berlin. They captured the abbey at Monte Cassino outside of Rome.
During the engagement of the sinking of the Bismarck I believe I remember a tale about a destroyer lobbing it’s little shells at the huge behemoth of a ship while flashing lights in Morse saying “I am a pole!” Gotta love that spirit!
Yes, I think that was at the battle of North Cape, in which Scharnorst was sunk. Magnificent courage under fire. The Poles contribution to victory in the Battle of Britain, too, showed their fighting spirit.
ORP Piorun destroyer, its commander was Commander Eugeniusz Pławski Thanks to skillful maneuvering, ORP "Piorun" managed to avoid subsequent salvos of the battleship, tying it up for another hour. After joining the rest of the British destroyers and conducting a torpedo attack, being on fuel reserves, on the orders of the command, ORP "Piorun" withdrew from the fight.
Poland is the unsung hero of WW2. History is still alive in Poland. Prof. Richie's book Warsaw 1944 is an amazing work that shows the amazing courage of the Polish people. Love Poland, love the Polish people ❤
@@Wesker10000 Like how quickly they helped root out the Jews ! Most of the worst concentration camps were in Poland . I can’t think of any other country that suffers more from the War than Poland
@@Wesker10000Let's talk about everything, i.e. Polish szmalcowniks and about Jewish cooperation with the Germans in the extermination of their own nation, people like Rumkowski. Let's talk about Jews cooperating with the NKVD after 1939, let's talk about who compiled the lists of Poles for deportation to Siberia in 1940 - 1941. Finally, answer me the question whether if Germany and the USSR had not liquidated the Polish state, there would have been an extermination of Poles and Jews or deportations Poles to the east? Find the cause and effect relationship of genius ;)
Nasi wielcy przyjaciele Anglicy w podziękowaniu za polską walkę dla Angli nie zaprosili żadnego Polaków! Mało tego zarekwirowali Polskie złoto za Samoloty, paliwo i amunicję! Samoloty które broniły z polskimi pilotami Londynu! Dziękujemy wam Zachodni sojusznicy!
I read of an instance that I have always liked. The STEN gun was developed so that resistance workers could replicate it in simple machine shops. There was one part that was necessary, the spring inside the barrel. Springs require better manufacturing techniques than stamped steel, plus better steel. One of the Home Army agents was a manager under the Germans at a particular factory. The Germans thought him to be under their control, “safe”. He orders a couple of hundred of high quality springs from Sweden which gets approved. After the shipment arrives, the truck bearing it is attacked and all goods aboard it taken by the Home Army. Even while the streets of Warsaw were burning during the 1944 Uprising, a workshop beneath one of the streets was churning out new STENs. The ammunition used was the 9mm Parabellum which was a standard German ammunition for pistols and submachine guns.
In general, this story is not true. "Byłsakwica," the weapon you call "sten" drew heavily from the MP40 because the Home Army had infiltrated almost all factories in Poland. Therefore, many components were produced in the same factories as the MP40.
Very good, professional, realistic account of Polish and Warsaw struggle during WW2. A relief from the ocean of flashy&bold rambling, stuffed with plenty of errors by many youtubers trying to speak about Polish history... Thank you!!!
@@Wesker10000 Tylko żydzi nie pozwalają przeprowadzić badań archeologicznych . Zajmij się więc trolowaniem na stronach niemieckich, ruskich lub żydowskich.
@@adamcichocki7302 Oh wow, a Pole making nazi talking points. Funny you're parroting the very people who sought to destroy you. Your existence is a mark of shame on Poland.
Just amazing stories about a part of history I didn't know much about. I had heard of Witold Pilecky and the Warsaw Ghetto and Warsaw Uprisings, of course. But the rest was brand new to me. The world owes a huge debt to these nameless Poles who fought the Nazis and the Soviets.
The western world sold the Poles down the river both at the beginning and the end of WWII. This can be symbolically illustrated that - when they held a victory parade in London they excluded the Poles because they knew it was no victory for them. The allies lost WWII in Europe and we all suffered the expense and fears of the con they called the cold war.
@@will-i-am-not Those few that were shown are in Poland, and are certainly not international. Here is a list of Holocaust memorials just in the Untied States. Six million is six million.
Bo zabili ich niemcy a oni nie lubia sie przyznawać do takich zbrodni w dzisiejszych czasach !!! To nie ładnie wygląda na ich europejskim wizerunku !!!
Come on guys get your act together. Professor Richie, despite her being well known, is wrong with regard to Jan Nowak Jezioranski - who incidentally was my Godfather. Jan Nowak did NOT fly back to London with the V2 . He actually flew from Brindisi with the plane to Poland to provide instructions/orders from the Polish Government in exile to the resistance movement in Warsaw about the uprising. The story about the plane being stuck is accurate. He made his way to Warsaw. Later on - after the uprising was defeated he went back to London to provide information about Soviet complicity/duplicity in helping the Germans defeat the uprising (by not helping the AK). You’d want to think Professor Richie had done her research - but getting this detail wrong is not excusable for someone who is a well known Professor. The whole episode is ruined by getting important facts wrong. It also ruins her credibility and that of Channel. If you want to know who actually flew back to London with the V2 and information it was a person called Jerzy Chmielewski. Also on the plane back to Brindisi was Tadeusz Chiuk-Celt who was also an emissary and part of the chichociemny group. I know this because Tadeussz Chiuk-Celt’s family were our neighbors in Munich working for RFE. My father was the godfather of his son John Celt and we used to play together. Also the Soviets were on the water bank of the Vistula during the uprising and there is documentary evidence that Stalin indeed purposefully wanted the uprising to fail. The German counter offensive was not a major factor in the Soviet behavior as advanced elements of the Red Army were already on the other side of the bank early August as the battle raged and refused to help and denied landing rights to US and British airplanes as well as keeping airdropped supplies intended for the Poles for themselves. In fact you can easily find Soviet film recordings from the east bank showing Germans bombarding Warsaw during the uprising. This information was smuggled out by Jan Nowak.
@@janjasiewicz9851 especially where she is a "Poland WW2" specialist. Like how do you claim that and make such glaring errors. I'm astonished as Professor Ritchie is usually way more professional than shown here.
Wolverhampton UK. I was in uniform on way to see my Great Aunts - all 3 never married after their fiancé's died on the Somme. On the way Got invited into the Polish military club - they flew Hurricanes and Spitfires and fought at Arhnem, got me very very drunk. I was so worried about seeing my Aunts whilst drunk. I got a pint of stout from my Aunts and they smiled and was put in their father's chair. My2 older brothers who turned up later got cups of tea 😂
The liberation of Poland by Soviet forces in May (not January)1945 is a complex historical issue. While it did mark the end of Nazi German occupation, it also led to a new period of Soviet occupation over Poland.This period of Soviet control lasted until the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989
The Nazi spirit is actually 1000 years old.. It's a history of german hostility towards Poles and other Slavs.. Not every german is a Nazi but every Nazi is a german.. And I am not talking about bald headed bomber jacket and leather boots wearing primitives..
@@Occident. Germany attacked 1st September and we capitulated on 6th October.. We actually never capitulated but fought from Exil and underground.. Now go and get your mother from the pub
@@Occident. The most famous Austrian painter doesn't even have a grave. Sooner or later Historical Justice will come for all of you. God will not forget how you "thanked" His Winged Hussars.
Fascinating and informative presentation, Thank you. Would love to see more information about the countries involved in the war other than the usual ones.
Another story my father told me was after escaping his capture in Warsaw in 1939 he eventually made it to Northern France and joined the Polish Army in early 1940. He told me when the Germans invaded France in May of 1940 the Poles were going to the front lines to fight and he saw French troops running the other way. He said a French General in a staff car that was also retreating stopped and got out and saluted the Poles and said something like we are retreating but you Poles and going o fight for us. Then he got in his car and took off.
Poland fought the invading Russians and Germans in 1939 while US watched from far away instead of helping, Pulaski and Kościuszko made a huge mistake fighting and dying for US independence. After the war US took in Germans while giving Poland to Russia. No movies from Hollywood about Polish heroes, but a lot of movies about Germans and Russians.
Always enjoy listening to foreigners mispronounce every Polish name. Just kidding, great video! Glad there're quite a few people interested in my country's effort during World War Two. Our history books always paint us in a very flattering light, so listening to an outsider's take is quite reaffirming.
One of the biggest mistakes of the Poles, next to the Monte Cassino and the general fight on the side of the Allies, i.e. 303 Squadron, for the First Independent Parachute Brigade, etc. After the "September betrayal", we should not have fought at all, especially when Stalin became the "Ally", but suffered as little as possible. The politicians were stupid and chose a completely senseless strategy.
What she doesn’t mention is that the actions of the Polish resistance has resulted in 100’s of thousands of innocent civilians were being executed as retaliation by the nazis. Usually for every German soldier killed by the partisans 100 of random innocent Poles were executed. For the Nazis actions of the Polish resistance was annoying for sure but for the Polish civilian population the consequences were devastating
@@robertomeneghetti6215 No, just the opposite. Read the history of the event. The regular Polish Underground refused to help. They were completely on their own
Ah yes those brave agents parachuted into Europe by the British that were sold out because they didn't want the Germans to know they had broken the enigma codes. Very well documented. Might have saved a lot of lives if Poland would have just made a deal about Danzig.
Gdańsk was ours from the very beginning. If the Germans were wise, they would not even lay a finger on the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 18th century.
There was a time when Berlin was ... a Slavic village. Over the centuries, Germans have conducted expansionist policies, primarily using wars as a tool. West/East/North/South. Regarding Gdansk, the city has belonged to the Crown of Poland for centuries. During the period of about 200 years when Poland was partitioned between Prussia/Austro-Hungary/Russia, the area was systematically germanised ... by different means. Look at the genomic makeup of "Germans". A significant portion of them curry R1a markup. Check yours :)
nie powtarzaj niemieckiej wybielającej neimców narracji , Polacy walczyli z niemcami i to niemcy napadły na Polskę i to niemcy wymordowali 6 mln. Polaków NIE jacyś naziści ! , kraju naziści nie ma
It's great to here some Polish history during WWII. There's always overblown coverage of the French underground, when in fact the Polish Home Army did so mch more.
French resistance deserves respect too but they were celebrated and rewarded by the French state and made famous while the Polish resistance... was crushed by the soviets, actively erased from the memory and slandered.
Generally Polish history is... hidden in the shadows, and you won't hear much about it unless you're interted in history. History is written by the victors. Occupying powers were able to make their version the popular one.
@@05KAR He probably deserves respect, but comparing the Polish and French underground makes no sense. It's not that scale. The national army in Poland numbered up to 250,000 people. Moreover, the hostility and hatred of the Germans towards the Poles was incomparable to that of the French. The risk in Poland was 100 times greater. You could have lost your life because you looked hostile at the German. Poles did not write their history after the war, because it was written by Stalin and the Soviets. However, the English and Americans willingly concealed inconvenient facts.
@@AdamsTysu OP compared them. I'm Polish so I know and that's what I've said: France cared for its veterans and heroes, and that's what they should do. Soviet occupied Poland did the opposite.
My grandfather never said he fought the Nazis, he said he fought against the Germans. Germans also didn’t call themselves Nazis, they called themselves Germans. Signs said „only for Germans” not „only for Nazis”. Poland was occupied by Germany not a „Nazi regime”.
@@454FatJackHans, no matter how hard you try to lie, in Poland people will remind you what murderers the Germans were during WW2. The fact that you attacked Poland together with the Russians does not change anything
Maly Powstaniec ("Little Insurrectionist") Monument erected just outside Warsaw's medieval city walls in 1981, commemorates the children who fought in the Warsaw Uprising, against the German occupation.
@@Wesker10000Poland's Stare did NOT collaborate with Germans! Some people did but collaborationbespecially regarding Jews was punisha le by death. armia Krajowa) was the biggest Underground
Stwierdzenie że powstanie w getcie i powstanie warszawskie były jednakowo ważne jest błędne. Powstanie w getcie było aktem desperacji. Powstanie warszawskie miało jasno określony cel militarny. Walczyli w nim żołnierze Armii Krajowej (Home Army)
Poland!! First to Fight!! My father was in the Polish Army fighting the Germans in Warsaw in 1939, then Northern France in May 1940 then joined the Polish First Armored Division in England known as the Black Devils. He hated the Germans all his life and who could blame him or anyone else that lived through that period of history.
Poland pushed for war against Germany. Polish militias murdered 60.000 Ethnic Germans in the summer of 1939. Poland was not the innocent victim it likes to portray itself as.
@@454FatJack The Poles hated the Russian too. They invaded Poland on September 17th 1939 and occupied Poland until the love affair between Russia and Germany ended when Germany invaded Russia in June of 1941.
It's rare for the westerners to talk about the occupation and resistance of Poland. It's not surprising that the Holocaust gets most of the attention, it is extremely important in Poland too but that's not the whole history. Thank you for this documentary.
You know what is even discussed even more rarely? The collaboration with the Nazis. Poland, like most of Europe, has a shameful history of cooperating with the very occupiers who slaughtered citizens within their boarders. Mine's no different, by the way.
@@05KARI've tried answering you three times, but I for some reason it's not going showing up. Can you see my answer to you? (I will retype it if you can't)
@@05KAR Damn it. Sorry about that. I'll try again: So, Poland (like most places the Nazis occupied) saw a lot of local support for killing jews. Often times the actual killing of Jewish civilians was carried out by Polish civilians. The Nazis promised the poles that they would face no repercussions for killing their neighbors, and then the citizens gleefully engaged in murder. One example of this is the Jedwabne massacre, during which non-Jewish poles killed anywhere from 300 - 1000 polish Jews by burning them alive. If you don't believe me, former Polish prime minister Bronisław Komorowski believed this enough to actually apologized for this massacre in 2001. The current Polish government has since walked back that apology. These facts about Polish collaboration have been largely accepted by holocaust historians, and is only really disputed in Poland itself. The Polish narrative of WWII is portraying themselves as victims - and ONLY victims - of Nazism. Polish historians and institutions are often very reluctant to admit this shameful part of its history, just like basically every other country that collaborated with the Nazis. This article talks more about this: www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-historians-under-attack-for-exploring-polands-role-in-the-holocaust As does the book 'Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland"
Today is the 1st of August 2024 - 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. I pay homage to hundred of thousands of Polish soldiers and civilians who fought for the freedom of my beloved homeland. Thank you for this great documentary and best greetings from my home hero city of Warsaw.
After Katyń, after the gulag there was also an element of fear, no, well incredible bravery also, the Soviet soldiers were sometimes just as bad as the Nazis, truth be told even after the war the AK was being killed by the Soviet regime, or the people who fought overseas if they didn't all out swear aliegance to the Soviet flag, right anyway in my thinking, I don't know if I am right or not it was a case of either being massacred by one or the other so they anyway knew it would be suicide, so the bravery which has throughout history been with the Poles kicked in, always against superior forces from the Kosciuszko inseruection, all the way to then if not now, anyway they decided to fight hoping against hope that if they fought their allies would notice and help or march east (where there were countless other nations waiting), anyway it nearly didn't happen till the very end and Poland continued or stopped (depends on the perspective), the war as they started it off, alone. (I know, I'm sorry but Yalta, Potsdam, etc. if you just read a bit outside you realise what I mean), anyway, that's my hypothesis, sorry if it's harsh or anything else but that's just a hypothesis, plus for me to really understand you have to look beyond the history in the country itself, beyond the forgotten front (numerous times over the war there were cases), of Central and Eastern Europe, look at how they treated their allies, how they fought elsewhere etc. so a look at everything, but for a 32 minute video I think it's one of the best, I mean explaining everything else would take hours, I understand that, anyway super job, I just thought well, I just had/have a hypothesis or a suspicion, no ale też jeśli ktoś wie czy to prawda czy nie, czy wy byście mogli mi odpowiedzieć? Może też jeśli ktoś kto przezył jeszcze żyje? Bym był zainteresowanym.
France was occupied, Belgium was occupied, Poland was undergoing extermination. Do not compare these two things that are completely different things...
Love for Poland. Stay Strong Forever.
Been to Warsaw and Krakow as well as Auschwitz- Birkenau and the Resistance Memorial. The Polish people are amazing and proud people, the history of the country is engrossing and complex. They were also very important in helping the Allies defeat Nazi Germany in many ways- cracking the Enigma code ( as stated), enlisting in the British military and the Resistance. Amazing people.
The forgotten soldiers of WWII! Salute and extremely grateful for bringing the history back. I took a part in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 myself. I think everyone should watch this., Lets not forget the Nazis refer to Germans who started the war. Not some other people. Germans. .
Germans not nazis.
Chwała Polskim Bohaterom
Bardzo Panu dziękuję. Jest Pan bohaterem tego kraju!!!!
"We don't beg for freedom - we fight for it" - Witold Urbanowicz: , the legendary polish 303 squadron leader and ace pilot during the Battle of Brattain. Poles are tough, resilient, and intelligent - enemies can conquer their flat land, but they will never be able to conquer their minds and souls even using the most oppressive means including concentration camps and mass killings. Be assured, Poles will fight back and destroy the enemy at the end. Greetings from a Polish-American.
Beautifully presented....and accurately !!! The Poles took part at Normandy and in closing the Falaise Pocket. Polish pilots played a big role in the Battle of Britain. They were in Narvik, Norway in defense of that country. They helped liberate Belgian, Dutch , French and Italian towns. It is my understanding that they accepted the surrender of the German navy at Wilhelmshaven. They also took part in the assault and capture of Berlin. They captured the abbey at Monte Cassino outside of Rome.
Yes and to our shame we sold them out, our allies to the communist Soviets. I never understood that.
@@AniaJasiulaniec Correct. I added it to the list of accomplishments.
During the engagement of the sinking of the Bismarck I believe I remember a tale about a destroyer lobbing it’s little shells at the huge behemoth of a ship while flashing lights in Morse saying “I am a pole!” Gotta love that spirit!
ORP Piorun
Yes, I think that was at the battle of North Cape, in which Scharnorst was sunk. Magnificent courage under fire. The Poles contribution to victory in the Battle of Britain, too, showed their fighting spirit.
ORP Piorun destroyer, its commander was Commander Eugeniusz Pławski
Thanks to skillful maneuvering, ORP "Piorun" managed to avoid subsequent salvos of the battleship, tying it up for another hour. After joining the rest of the British destroyers and conducting a torpedo attack, being on fuel reserves, on the orders of the command, ORP "Piorun" withdrew from the fight.
"I am a Pole" The Legend of Piorun
th-cam.com/video/hLVmqzL-Qyc/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Ek2P7yoQS5F2n6C2
Poland is the unsung hero of WW2. History is still alive in Poland. Prof. Richie's book Warsaw 1944 is an amazing work that shows the amazing courage of the Polish people. Love Poland, love the Polish people ❤
Great video,
Thank you for talking about our history 🇵🇱
It's easy to talk about history when you're being the obvious good guy. Do you ever talk about polish collaboration with the Nazis?
@@Wesker10000
Like how quickly they helped root out the Jews ! Most of the worst concentration camps were in Poland . I can’t think of any other country that suffers more from the War than Poland
@@Wesker10000 Well... Yes, but we don't worry about such statistically insignificant details.
That's why it's easy for us to talk about history.
@@Wesker10000Let's talk about everything, i.e. Polish szmalcowniks and about Jewish cooperation with the Germans in the extermination of their own nation, people like Rumkowski. Let's talk about Jews cooperating with the NKVD after 1939, let's talk about who compiled the lists of Poles for deportation to Siberia in 1940 - 1941. Finally, answer me the question whether if Germany and the USSR had not liquidated the Polish state, there would have been an extermination of Poles and Jews or deportations Poles to the east? Find the cause and effect relationship of genius ;)
Kudos to the Polish Resistance....the bravery of the Resistance blows me away...just amazing...
Thank you, madam, for this incredible presentation.
“Women men and children fight they were dying side by side, but the blood they shed upon the streets was a sacrifice willingly paid”
Warsaw, city at war
Voices from underground, whispers of freedom
"Warszawo walcz!!!"
Poland such courage! This historian does a wonderful job, thank you!
Poland forever
🥲 A brutal but fantastic piece of history. And wonderfully presented, too.
Thank you, History Hit.
Many Polish pilots fought in the Battle of Britain, but were never given the credit they deserved. Wonderful, brave people!
Nasi wielcy przyjaciele Anglicy w podziękowaniu za polską walkę dla Angli nie zaprosili żadnego Polaków! Mało tego zarekwirowali Polskie złoto za Samoloty, paliwo i amunicję! Samoloty które broniły z polskimi pilotami Londynu! Dziękujemy wam Zachodni sojusznicy!
I read of an instance that I have always liked. The STEN gun was developed so that resistance workers could replicate it in simple machine shops. There was one part that was necessary, the spring inside the barrel. Springs require better manufacturing techniques than stamped steel, plus better steel. One of the Home Army agents was a manager under the Germans at a particular factory. The Germans thought him to be under their control, “safe”. He orders a couple of hundred of high quality springs from Sweden which gets approved. After the shipment arrives, the truck bearing it is attacked and all goods aboard it taken by the Home Army.
Even while the streets of Warsaw were burning during the 1944 Uprising, a workshop beneath one of the streets was churning out new STENs. The ammunition used was the 9mm Parabellum which was a standard German ammunition for pistols and submachine guns.
In general, this story is not true. "Byłsakwica," the weapon you call "sten" drew heavily from the MP40 because the Home Army had infiltrated almost all factories in Poland. Therefore, many components were produced in the same factories as the MP40.
jaki sten w powstanieu ? kto go widział - brednie kolego
@@joteres4583były zrzutowe"
steny ale można je na palcach jednej ręki policzyc
Very good, professional, realistic account of Polish and Warsaw struggle during WW2. A relief from the ocean of flashy&bold rambling, stuffed with plenty of errors by many youtubers trying to speak about Polish history... Thank you!!!
As a Pole I have to admitt, this video is extraordinary. Full of informations, details, background. Perfect job. Thank You profesor Richie.
This was fantastic. I don't know nearly enough about the history of where half of my ancestors came from.
If that's true you should look up what happened in Jedwabne.
Oh my gods, that is completely horrifying.
@@Wesker10000 Tylko żydzi nie pozwalają przeprowadzić badań archeologicznych . Zajmij się więc trolowaniem na stronach niemieckich, ruskich lub żydowskich.
@@adamcichocki7302 Oh wow, a Pole making nazi talking points. Funny you're parroting the very people who sought to destroy you.
Your existence is a mark of shame on Poland.
Thank you for your time and consideration for the Poles and your American English
Just amazing stories about a part of history I didn't know much about. I had heard of Witold Pilecky and the Warsaw Ghetto and Warsaw Uprisings, of course. But the rest was brand new to me. The world owes a huge debt to these nameless Poles who fought the Nazis and the Soviets.
The western world sold the Poles down the river both at the beginning and the end of WWII. This can be symbolically illustrated that - when they held a victory parade in London they excluded the Poles because they knew it was no victory for them. The allies lost WWII in Europe and we all suffered the expense and fears of the con they called the cold war.
yep
Its amazing the Poles accomplished this much with the little they have.
Why are here no grand international memorials for the 6 million Polish people who died in World War 2?
There are she just showed you the memorials for the resistance, there are memorials to those taken to the camps
@@will-i-am-not Those few that were shown are in Poland, and are certainly not international. Here is a list of Holocaust memorials just in the Untied States. Six million is six million.
Bo zabili ich niemcy a oni nie lubia sie przyznawać do takich zbrodni w dzisiejszych czasach !!! To nie ładnie wygląda na ich europejskim wizerunku !!!
@@will-i-am-not Those few are In Poland. Nowhere else in the world. Why??????
Very enjoyable and informative slice of ww2 history
Always interesting. Thank you for keeping history alive and fresh in our memories at this important time.
Thank you for this video.
Yes I agree the people of Poland are brave and courageous and in 2024 they are still prooving how brave and courageous they are.
Come on guys get your act together. Professor Richie, despite her being well known, is wrong with regard to Jan Nowak Jezioranski - who incidentally was my Godfather. Jan Nowak did NOT fly back to London with the V2 . He actually flew from Brindisi with the plane to Poland to provide instructions/orders from the Polish Government in exile to the resistance movement in Warsaw about the uprising.
The story about the plane being stuck is accurate. He made his way to Warsaw. Later on - after the uprising was defeated he went back to London to provide information about Soviet complicity/duplicity in helping the Germans defeat the uprising (by not helping the AK). You’d want to think Professor Richie had done her research - but getting this detail wrong is not excusable for someone who is a well known Professor. The whole episode is ruined by getting important facts wrong. It also ruins her credibility and that of Channel. If you want to know who actually flew back to London with the V2 and information it was a person called Jerzy Chmielewski. Also on the plane back to Brindisi was Tadeusz Chiuk-Celt who was also an emissary and part of the chichociemny group. I know this because Tadeussz Chiuk-Celt’s family were our neighbors in Munich working for RFE. My father was the godfather of his son John Celt and we used to play together. Also the Soviets were on the water bank of the Vistula during the uprising and there is documentary evidence that Stalin indeed purposefully wanted the uprising to fail. The German counter offensive was not a major factor in the Soviet behavior as advanced elements of the Red Army were already on the other side of the bank early August as the battle raged and refused to help and denied landing rights to US and British airplanes as well as keeping airdropped supplies intended for the Poles for themselves. In fact you can easily find Soviet film recordings from the east bank showing Germans bombarding Warsaw during the uprising. This information was smuggled out by Jan Nowak.
Thank you I thought she had him, Nowak, going in the wrong direction with that flight.
@@JuleyC I’m astonished with her sloppiness .. the information is on Wikipedia and other public sources . She would have failed history 101.
@@janjasiewicz9851 especially where she is a "Poland WW2" specialist. Like how do you claim that and make such glaring errors. I'm astonished as Professor Ritchie is usually way more professional than shown here.
Great upload, thanks for sharing.
Wolverhampton UK.
I was in uniform on way to see my Great Aunts - all 3 never married after their fiancé's died on the Somme.
On the way
Got invited into the Polish military club - they flew Hurricanes and Spitfires and fought at Arhnem, got me very very drunk.
I was so worried about seeing my Aunts whilst drunk.
I got a pint of stout from my Aunts and they smiled and was put in their father's chair.
My2 older brothers who turned up later got cups of tea 😂
The liberation of Poland by Soviet forces in May (not January)1945 is a complex historical issue. While it did mark the end of Nazi German occupation, it also led to a new period of Soviet occupation over Poland.This period of Soviet control lasted until the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989
słowo wyzwolenie jest tu zupełnie nie na miejscu, kolego
Do not lie! Poland fought against German aggression - not nazist!
Welcome Soviet’s
Where is she lying? She *literally* says Poland did fight against the German aggressions straight up in the beginning of the video.
Do not lie! Poland fought against German aggression.
What language did the nazi speak?????
Against germans not nazis. There wasn't any nazi nation, speaking nazi language. They were germans
👎👎👇👇🤔🤔🙄🙄
The Nazi spirit is actually 1000 years old.. It's a history of german hostility towards Poles and other Slavs.. Not every german is a Nazi but every Nazi is a german.. And I am not talking about bald headed bomber jacket and leather boots wearing primitives..
Yeah and they thrashed Poland in 17 days. 😂
@@Occident. Germany attacked 1st September and we capitulated on 6th October.. We actually never capitulated but fought from Exil and underground.. Now go and get your mother from the pub
@@Occident. The most famous Austrian painter doesn't even have a grave.
Sooner or later Historical Justice will come for all of you.
God will not forget how you "thanked" His Winged Hussars.
Fascinating and informative presentation, Thank you. Would love to see more information about the countries involved in the war other than the usual ones.
"History can say what it want but rarely does it remember anything correctly"-Lawkeeper Equity Mlp Ace Attorney EOJ
The Soviets throw the poles to the wolves twice
Another story my father told me was after escaping his capture in Warsaw in 1939 he eventually made it to Northern France and joined the Polish Army in early 1940. He told me when the Germans invaded France in May of 1940 the Poles were going to the front lines to fight and he saw French troops running the other way. He said a French General in a staff car that was also retreating stopped and got out and saluted the Poles and said something like we are retreating but you Poles and going o fight for us. Then he got in his car and took off.
"But the thing about betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies"-Lawkeeper Equity MLP Ace attorney EOJ
And all the underground schooling. That's worth of mentioning as well.
Really interesting video
Poland did not fought back against The Nazis. Poland did fought back again The Germans and Russians.
Not Nazis - the Germans!!!
WAR IS EVIL
Red Army waited other side of river Veiksel…
I'm so gonna love if someone gives a dicionary of "nazi" language
Poland fought the invading Russians and Germans in 1939 while US watched from far away instead of helping, Pulaski and Kościuszko made a huge mistake fighting and dying for US independence. After the war US took in Germans while giving Poland to Russia. No movies from Hollywood about Polish heroes, but a lot of movies about Germans and Russians.
General Sikorski was murdered. To get 🚩🧌+🇺🇸
That was so much information from her right off the bat - absolute barrage 😂
Nice
Warszao walcz!
Very interesting
God bless the Polish people ,they were given a bad hand in the war and faught like lions.
Always enjoy listening to foreigners mispronounce every Polish name. Just kidding, great video! Glad there're quite a few people interested in my country's effort during World War Two. Our history books always paint us in a very flattering light, so listening to an outsider's take is quite reaffirming.
Warszawa city whose War Saw. Only this and another more. You have answer.
Bless the Poles, helping us 🇺🇦 with Russia
One of the biggest mistakes of the Poles, next to the Monte Cassino and the general fight on the side of the Allies, i.e. 303 Squadron, for the First Independent Parachute Brigade, etc. After the "September betrayal", we should not have fought at all, especially when Stalin became the "Ally", but suffered as little as possible. The politicians were stupid and chose a completely senseless strategy.
Pitty about the loud music
They aren't Ukrainians. They fight for their country.
January 1945? more like 1989
What she doesn’t mention is that the actions of the Polish resistance has resulted in 100’s of thousands of innocent civilians were being executed as retaliation by the nazis. Usually for every German soldier killed by the partisans 100 of random innocent Poles were executed. For the Nazis actions of the Polish resistance was annoying for sure but for the Polish civilian population the consequences were devastating
The Jewish Ghetto did it a year earlier.
And with the help of Poles? 🤔🤔🤔
@@robertomeneghetti6215 No, just the opposite. Read the history of the event. The regular Polish Underground refused to help. They were completely on their own
@@marianparoo1544Yes,
unfortunately!
@@robertomeneghetti6215 Thank you. And the Jewish fighters were sometimes actually betrayed by antisemitic members of the Polish underground.
Yes
Ah yes those brave agents parachuted into Europe by the British that were sold out because they didn't want the Germans to know they had broken the enigma codes. Very well documented. Might have saved a lot of lives if Poland would have just made a deal about Danzig.
Gdańsk was ours from the very beginning.
If the Germans were wise, they would not even lay a finger on the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 18th century.
Posh historians really annoy me
Danzig was 96% German in 1939. If the Poles had of handed it back to Germany, there would have been no war with Germany.
Change your history teacher - Poland didnt own Gdansk in 1939, it was Free City governed by German nazi party...
There was a time when Berlin was ... a Slavic village. Over the centuries, Germans have conducted expansionist policies, primarily using wars as a tool. West/East/North/South.
Regarding Gdansk, the city has belonged to the Crown of Poland for centuries. During the period of about 200 years when Poland was partitioned between Prussia/Austro-Hungary/Russia, the area was systematically germanised ... by different means. Look at the genomic makeup of "Germans". A significant portion of them curry R1a markup.
Check yours :)
Sure xddd wtf
🤡🤣😂🤦🏻♂️
Have you ever heard about Free City of Danzig? How exactly Poland could hand it back to Germany?
Those were russians and germans, not some nazis from nazia and soviets from sovietsia.
nie powtarzaj niemieckiej wybielającej neimców narracji , Polacy walczyli z niemcami i to niemcy napadły na Polskę i to niemcy wymordowali 6 mln. Polaków NIE jacyś naziści ! , kraju naziści nie ma
Nigdy nie zrozumiecie Polaków! To inny naród niż wszystkie! To naród waleczny i śmiały! Polacy zawsze będą Polakami a nie jakimiś Ruskami! 😮
The Polish people have proven throughout history that they are a brave and heroic people. God Bless Poland!!
Tell that to the Jews of Jedwabne.
@@Wesker10000 Watch the video first, then comment
@@smugas Do you have a problem with what I said?
@@Wesker10000 I'll tell them that without a problem. Where can I find them?
Niech Szwaby to żydom powiedzą , a nie Polacy.sic.!.@@Wesker10000
It's great to here some Polish history during WWII. There's always overblown coverage of the French underground, when in fact the Polish Home Army did so mch more.
100%
French resistance deserves respect too but they were celebrated and rewarded by the French state and made famous while the Polish resistance... was crushed by the soviets, actively erased from the memory and slandered.
Generally Polish history is... hidden in the shadows, and you won't hear much about it unless you're interted in history. History is written by the victors. Occupying powers were able to make their version the popular one.
@@05KAR He probably deserves respect, but comparing the Polish and French underground makes no sense. It's not that scale. The national army in Poland numbered up to 250,000 people. Moreover, the hostility and hatred of the Germans towards the Poles was incomparable to that of the French. The risk in Poland was 100 times greater. You could have lost your life because you looked hostile at the German.
Poles did not write their history after the war, because it was written by Stalin and the Soviets. However, the English and Americans willingly concealed inconvenient facts.
@@AdamsTysu OP compared them. I'm Polish so I know and that's what I've said: France cared for its veterans and heroes, and that's what they should do. Soviet occupied Poland did the opposite.
My grandfather never said he fought the Nazis, he said he fought against the Germans.
Germans also didn’t call themselves Nazis, they called themselves Germans. Signs said „only for Germans” not „only for Nazis”.
Poland was occupied by Germany not a „Nazi regime”.
Soviet’s took east part of Poland . Katyn etc..
Exactly
Someone voted Hitler
Conviniet attempt to blurry the responsibility with Nazi rethoric.
@@454FatJackHans, no matter how hard you try to lie, in Poland people will remind you what murderers the Germans were during WW2. The fact that you attacked Poland together with the Russians does not change anything
Against the Nazis? What kind of nonsense is this! Poland and Polish people fought against the GERMANS, for Christ sake.
Maly Powstaniec ("Little Insurrectionist") Monument erected just outside Warsaw's medieval city walls in 1981, commemorates the children who fought in the Warsaw Uprising, against the German occupation.
No shortage of courage from Poland. May we all have such courage in the face of insurmountable odds.
And collaboration. Don't forget that.
@@Wesker10000Poland's Stare did NOT collaborate with Germans! Some people did but collaborationbespecially regarding Jews was punisha le by death. armia Krajowa) was the biggest Underground
@@Wesker10000Collaboration, also regarding catching Jews was punisha le by death. The military court sentencje were carried by the A
Ona nic nie powiedziała o Rzezi Woli. Niemcy wymordowali 200 tysięcy warszawiaków, w tym kobiet i dzieci.
Stwierdzenie że powstanie w getcie i powstanie warszawskie były jednakowo ważne jest błędne. Powstanie w getcie było aktem desperacji. Powstanie warszawskie miało jasno określony cel militarny. Walczyli w nim żołnierze Armii Krajowej (Home Army)
Poland!! First to Fight!! My father was in the Polish Army fighting the Germans in Warsaw in 1939, then Northern France in May 1940 then joined the Polish First Armored Division in England known as the Black Devils. He hated the Germans all his life and who could blame him or anyone else that lived through that period of history.
Poland pushed for war against Germany. Polish militias murdered 60.000 Ethnic Germans in the summer of 1939. Poland was not the innocent victim it likes to portray itself as.
@@Occident.Where? Facts! please.
Dude 😎 what 60.000 thousands Germans !!!!??
Loved Soviet’s?
@@454FatJack The Poles hated the Russian too. They invaded Poland on September 17th 1939 and occupied Poland until the love affair between Russia and Germany ended when Germany invaded Russia in June of 1941.
“Liberation from red army” LMAO - yeah they “liberated” us all right.
Great presentation of v.important piece of Polish struggle with Germans juts to fall under Moscow control afterwards..😕
Alexandra Richie is a great historian. I've watched her over the years and love her insightful and intriguing information.
Fascinating, thank you for uploading.
Until 1989, we were subject 5o the most brutal occupations
Thank you. Very well made.
Świetny film. Może da do myślenia.... Mamy zarówno bardzo smutną i wesołą historię
It's rare for the westerners to talk about the occupation and resistance of Poland. It's not surprising that the Holocaust gets most of the attention, it is extremely important in Poland too but that's not the whole history. Thank you for this documentary.
You know what is even discussed even more rarely? The collaboration with the Nazis. Poland, like most of Europe, has a shameful history of cooperating with the very occupiers who slaughtered citizens within their boarders. Mine's no different, by the way.
@@Wesker10000 Interesting. Who was the leader of that collaborating government in Poland?
@@05KARI've tried answering you three times, but I for some reason it's not going showing up. Can you see my answer to you?
(I will retype it if you can't)
@@Wesker10000 No, youtube today is like that.
@@05KAR Damn it. Sorry about that. I'll try again:
So, Poland (like most places the Nazis occupied) saw a lot of local support for killing jews. Often times the actual killing of Jewish civilians was carried out by Polish civilians. The Nazis promised the poles that they would face no repercussions for killing their neighbors, and then the citizens gleefully engaged in murder.
One example of this is the Jedwabne massacre, during which non-Jewish poles killed anywhere from 300 - 1000 polish Jews by burning them alive. If you don't believe me, former Polish prime minister Bronisław Komorowski believed this enough to actually apologized for this massacre in 2001. The current Polish government has since walked back that apology.
These facts about Polish collaboration have been largely accepted by holocaust historians, and is only really disputed in Poland itself. The Polish narrative of WWII is portraying themselves as victims - and ONLY victims - of Nazism. Polish historians and institutions are often very reluctant to admit this shameful part of its history, just like basically every other country that collaborated with the Nazis.
This article talks more about this: www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-historians-under-attack-for-exploring-polands-role-in-the-holocaust
As does the book 'Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland"
Thank you , I really like your work and appreciate it.
As a Boy Scout in the 1970s, we learned to handle guns and read maps also.
That was before confused people and fools went to "college".
@@ckh2815 Killllll meeeee
As a Girl Scout in the 80s we had been doing the same.
Today is the 1st of August 2024 - 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. I pay homage to hundred of thousands of Polish soldiers and civilians who fought for the freedom of my beloved homeland. Thank you for this great documentary and best greetings from my home hero city of Warsaw.
After Katyń, after the gulag there was also an element of fear, no, well incredible bravery also, the Soviet soldiers were sometimes just as bad as the Nazis, truth be told even after the war the AK was being killed by the Soviet regime, or the people who fought overseas if they didn't all out swear aliegance to the Soviet flag, right anyway in my thinking, I don't know if I am right or not it was a case of either being massacred by one or the other so they anyway knew it would be suicide, so the bravery which has throughout history been with the Poles kicked in, always against superior forces from the Kosciuszko inseruection, all the way to then if not now, anyway they decided to fight hoping against hope that if they fought their allies would notice and help or march east (where there were countless other nations waiting), anyway it nearly didn't happen till the very end and Poland continued or stopped (depends on the perspective), the war as they started it off, alone. (I know, I'm sorry but Yalta, Potsdam, etc. if you just read a bit outside you realise what I mean), anyway, that's my hypothesis, sorry if it's harsh or anything else but that's just a hypothesis, plus for me to really understand you have to look beyond the history in the country itself, beyond the forgotten front (numerous times over the war there were cases), of Central and Eastern Europe, look at how they treated their allies, how they fought elsewhere etc. so a look at everything, but for a 32 minute video I think it's one of the best, I mean explaining everything else would take hours, I understand that, anyway super job, I just thought well, I just had/have a hypothesis or a suspicion, no ale też jeśli ktoś wie czy to prawda czy nie, czy wy byście mogli mi odpowiedzieć? Może też jeśli ktoś kto przezył jeszcze żyje? Bym był zainteresowanym.
France was occupied, Belgium was occupied, Poland was undergoing extermination. Do not compare these two things that are completely different things...
Piękna i zakochałem się w Tobie
thanks for that video
3:02
Okay, can someone, please, tell me what that name is? Generał Sikorski appoints generał... Who? I don't understand the name prof. Richie says 🙈
The Polish are very organized. It only takes three Poles to change a lightbulb!
Aj waj.
Och funny nashist jokes.
Good one.
sehr lustig, was kannst du noch?! Wahrscheinlich nur was dummes?!