Germany in 1940: Let's prepare for a year long war with France Germany in 1941: Let's prepare for a 4-6 week campaign with the USSR

Hitler: Writes a book where he clearly states that the Russians will be treated like cattle Also Hitler: I don't get why they are resisting so stubbornly

"Move Industry to the Urals" national focus is on the way.

"It looks like the whole operation will be a short one." - Friedrich Paulus OOF.

When you can’t publish a map of your opponent’s country because it would be bad for morale

The Germans advance 60 kilometres, and the map barely moves. That is, fellow humans, how large the USSR was.

Stalin: *The enemy can't Blitz us if we don't have infrastructure*

the fatherland vs the motherland, the most epic custody battle ever.

Someone should do a Downfall parody of Hitler calling Indy Neidell by phone. Edited to correct a typo.

Oooh, I like this tie. The subtle fades in the checkers' pattern and how that plays with the green shirt... This is a nice one. 4.5/5

This week: Germany loses the war, but doesn't know it yet.

German soldiers seeing those 51 Russian Tanks: "They're just sitting there... MENACINGLY"

Erwin Rommel *On Phone* : "What do you mean I can't advance in North Africa? And I can't get reinforcements? What's going on? ....Oh....oh......OOOHHHH!!!!"

With Hötzendorf in the background I have a bad feeling about this one...

Germans: *fires shell at Soviet tank* Shell: *glances off* Germans: *surprised Pikachu face*

Hitler: "March in place" Rommel: "What's that sir? Keep marching? Roger that!" Hitler: "NO...I said marc..." Rommel: *Hangs up*

Lebensraum: Babe come over Germany: I can't the allies are still fighting me Lebensraum: The Soviets aren't prepared Germany:

Indy: "Things are gonna get nasty." Me, looking back at 22 previous months of war & atrocities: "....were they not already?? How much worse can they get??"

A less comedic comment: A couple of months ago I made a comment on an earlier episode stating that I was binge-watching The Great War series, and was briefly flummoxed at how, at this point in WW2, the casualty count was relatively tiny compared to the same amount of time in WW1. By mid-1916 we're looking at casualties in the MILLIONS on all sides, and yet as I recalled WW2 had a far greater casualty count at its end. "How can this be?," I asked myself. And then I remembered that Operation Barbarossa had yet to begin. And now it's here. For all the excitement I've had/am having at this massive invasion, I must temper my emotions with the understanding that the wholesale slaughter of soldiers and civilians on both sides of the newly minted Eastern Front has begun, and will not stop for the next 4 years.

“We have only to kick in the door and whole rotten structure will come down.” Narrator: *”It did not.”*

While everyone (including myself) was looking at Operation Barbarossa and its implications, it would be fair to say that tribute you quoted about Wavell was well said. Very underrated commander who had very few resources over a wide area and managed to a decent job driving off Italian forces in Libya and East Africa, consolidating Iraq and launching the successful invasion of Syria. I hope we see him again for the right reasons.

Nakhman Doushansky, an NKVD officer returning home from vacation by rail, recalls the moment Barbarossa began at Siauliai, in the Baltic Special Military District: We were slowly approaching Siauliai. Suddenly, bombs began falling on the Zhoknya military aerodrome. By the time our train arrived at the station, I had no doubts that war had broken out . . . I rushed to my house. My half-blind father was standing at the gate waiting for me: ‘Nakhman! Take your pistols and run to your comrades! If the Germans come, they’ll kill you!’ - ‘And what about you and Mum?’ - ‘The Germans won’t do us any harm. I was their POW for two years [during the First World War - trans.] and know them well. They’re not gonna kill simple people.’ [This was a Jewish family and they knew something of the Germans’ policy on race - trans.] I’d gone on vacation without firearms, leaving my basic TT pistol in a safe in the department, but I’d hidden two other handguns at home, in a special place. I took the firearms, my leather coat, and some other gear. Then I took my parents to the train station. An evacuation train was already standing on the track, ‘under steam’. There was no wild panic at that moment, and I managed to seat my parents in one of the carriages. I said goodbye, jumped onto the tracks, and scrambled onto the last train from Siauliai to Telsiai, on the border. I would never see my kinfolk again. Only my brother, Yakov, survived. " I was not to reach Telsiai that morning. Our train was bombed to pieces near a place called Trishkiai. After this raid I opened the secret packet - the ‘mobilization plan’ worked out by Morozov for all who worked in my department. Having read it, I understood that our rendezvous point was actually very close to Trishkiai. I walked into town, picked up a horse - minus the saddle - and rode bareback to the supposed meeting place. Artillery rumbled in the west and German planes were permanently overhead. As night fell, NKVD men and border guards began emerging from the forest. Many were wounded, covered in blood, their uniforms filthy and ragged. A few carried trophies captured from the Germans - submachine-guns and rifles. And there I was in a squeaky leather coat without insignia, brand-new blouse and boxcalf boots. The contrast was striking . . . In 1945 I discovered the fate of my relatives. It seemed that no train left Siauliai for the east on 22 June. Some local Russian executives had telephoned their superiors to report a mood of ‘panic’ and ‘defeatism’. A detachment of Army ‘specialists’ arrived and all evacuees were ordered off the train and back to their homes. No one was to leave Siauliai. My parents were later murdered by Lithuanian Polizei [i.e. German-controlled militia - ed.] in a ghetto. My youngest brother, Itshak, never made it out of the pioneer camp [a Communist organization for children under 14 years of age - trans.] at Palanga - the circumstances of his death are not known. My sister Rachel and brother Pesakh died trying to reach Russia via Latvia. Lithuanians shot them dead. Drabkin, Artem; Isaev, Alexei; Summerville, Christopher. Barbarossa Through Soviet Eyes: The First Twenty-Four Hours

Author mentioned Comissars Order in the video. But, in my opinion, ""Decree on the Jurisdiction of Martial Law and on Special Measures of the Troops" or "Barbarossa decree" of 13 May 1941 is more clearly showing, what type of war germans were going to lead . For example, this order specified, that german soldiers who commit crimes against humanity, the USSR and prisoners of war are to be exempted from criminal responsibility, even if they commit acts punishable according to German law. Russians and other soviet citizens quickly realized , that it will be not just war for power and lands between two regimes, but battle for surviving of their nation itself. .

''I'm playing both sides, that way I always come out on top'' -Zhou fohai

"The germans have been forced to face the reality that the newest soviet armor, the KV-1 and T-34 tanks is clearly superior to their own" War Thunder players: "Wow ... that's literally me!"

"Of Wavell, Auchinleck wrote: "In no sense do I wish to infer that I found an unsatisfactory situation on my arrival - far from it. Not only was I greatly impressed by the solid foundations laid by my predecessor, but I was also able the better to appreciate the vastness of the problems with which he had been confronted and the greatness of his achievements, in a command in which some 40 different languages are spoken by the British and Allied Forces."

"End of the Nazi-Sovjet alliance" is probably the biggest euphemism in world history...

My great grandfather fought in both World War 1 and Russian Civil War, and then went to Poland with Tukhachevsky. By all accounts, he was a complete badass (14 combat injuries, many medals) and was a competent commander. Somebody reported him as a traitor (he always spoke highly of Tukhachevksy), so in 1938 he was arrested and jailed, and died 2 years later in some god-forsaken prison. I wonder how many more good commanders perished in those purges, and how many lives we needlessly lost in these early german offensives. And there are millions of people in Russia now who will defend these purges as necessary or justified. P.S. I`m so lucky that I found this channel, The Great War and TimeGhost. You guys are amazing!

As the Germans advanced through the former Eastern Poland territories, as well as the Baltic states countless of political prisoners were massacred by the NKVD. In Lviv (Lemberg/Lwow, now in Ukraine) I visited one of these former prisons that is now a museum. It's an eerie place, knowing what happened in those cells back in 1941.

Hitler: "This war will be over in 6 months. Hey, what's that sound?" Stalin: "Napoleon turning over in his grave."

Germany : Friendship ended with Soviet Union now Japan is my best friend

German generals be like "this one will be over by Christmas." I swear I heard that before.

This is very different than what I learned 50+ years ago in high school. Thanks for the update.

I take it Molotov's Cocktails is cancelled then. Now where will Russians go for their evening entertainment?

On the bottom left of the screen the skeletons, "See no evil" "Hear no evil" "Say no evil"

Congrats Indy and Joram and your respective crews in TimeGhost and Eastory because you succeeded to simplify the complex mechanisms unfolding during the widest and wildest of all invasions in history, and you equally successfully brought to my awareness the feeling of anxiety and worry of the contemporary people when they faced this unprecedented grave situations, and more... Cheers !

Well I should talk about Finnish-German plans in Finland at this point. In the Lapland Germans had massed 4 divisions for the very soon starting Operation Silverfox (which itself was spilt into 3 parts). 2nd and 3rd Gebigsjäger would form the Norwegian Mountain Corps and these woul take most direct road towards Murmansk in the very tip of Finland and these same troops would maintain control over Petsamo at all cost. South of them would be the main focus for the operation in the 36. Army Corps which was composed of 169th Division, 6th-SS Division "Nord" (which will gain very different kind of reputation compared to its counterparts) and Finnish 6th Division. There was also 211. Panzer-Abteilung in support, mainly with French Somua and Hotckiss tanks. 36th Corps main objective would had been been taking the formerly Finnish Salla and then advancing to Kantalahti (Kandalaksha), cutting Murmanks off from Soviet Union and its railway. Then swing north agaisnt Murmansk. In addition there was the Finnish 3rd Army Corp with 3rd Division and German Panzer-Abteilung 40 (mainly with Panzer Is and IIs) further south of 36th Corps. Offensive would start in 29.6. But Finland would not launch its own offensives into Karelian Ishtmus (with the big prize of Viipuri no less) until 1.9.1941 which would surprise many but it will start major offensive into Karelian Ladoga on 1.7. as it was much more weakly held then in Karelian Isthmus. With no less then 5 infantry divisions agaisnt 3 understrenght divisions which gave Finns in some places 3-to-1 advantage in men. So what about the Soviet army on Finnish-Soviet border? Well in total there is roughly 350.000 Soviet troops, 200.000 in Karelian Ishtmus and 150.000 north of lake Ladoga with concentration in Murmanks. In addition there was the Soviet corp in Hanko peninsula stationed after the winter war which had 15.000 men with very limited supplies. However these troops were more or less ordered hold their ground as main effort and reinforcements was focused on Byelorussia and Ukraine. Many units (particularly mechanized units) were also relocated, particularly when Leningrad was under threat. To compare, Finland is fielding no less then 500.000 troops in arms (ground, air and navy combined) which for nation less then 4 million is staggering.

**SPOILER ALERT** Many of the British commanders we've seen in Africa will be relevant for the war in Asia starting six months from now.

Damn Eastory is doing an amazing job with the maps

It's incredible how the Germans lucked out with the sheer gargantuan incompetence of first the French's high command and now the Soviet's as well

13:28 would definitely make a great Turret Toss Championship entry.

I love how Indy dismantles wehraboos throughout the video.

Indy - this is real history that we can't get on TV. Keep em coming - I've enjoyed every volume!

I love how epic this show is being presented. So much experience with ww1 has been put to tremendous use. The way the dialogue flows, the music. The intensity. The crescendo, the pauses, everything. What a tremendous sense of drama and storytelling.

Indie is a very educated man , his pronunciation of Chinese names and German names is spot on ! Such a big fan of this show !

Thanks for the amazing content as usual! By doing the greatest documentary on WW2 ever made by far, you are truly making history yourselves. And I'm proud to be part of that by donating a little bit of my money :)

Thank you so much TimeGhost!!!! You have no idea how long I've been waiting this. For a capable and prepared western historian to study and describe the eastern front of World War II. The german-soviet war was the most brutal, fiercest, destructive and most deadly , and no main media has given it its place in history. Up until now I had to make due with russian documentaries translated to english to grab and catch some understanding of this conflict.

On the night of 21/ 22 June, the 1st and 6th Panzer Divisions of XXXXI Corps crossed the Nieman, hitting the border by 3 a.m. Soviet intelligence - judging from local reconnaissance reports - had failed to reveal the presence of the German mechanized group: a typical scenario in the early stages of Barbarossa. Time and again, German mechanized forces foiled Soviet intelligence by executing a forced march to concentrate in a new sector, before delivering a surprise blow. Indeed, the dress rehearsal for future breakthroughs was performed on the first day of the war. Two German Panzer divisions attacked straight off the march after a 5-minute artillery barrage. According to Oberst Ritgen, a veteran of 6th Panzer : "Enemy resistance in our sector turned out to be much stronger than expected. Our path was obstructed by six anti-tank ditches, covered by infantry and snipers hiding in trees. Fortunately for us, they had no anti-tank artillery or mines. Since none would surrender, we took no prisoners. Nevertheless, our tanks soon ran out of ammo - something that never happened in the Polish and French campaigns. Replenishment of ammo depended on trucks stuck in a jam somewhere in the rear. " Near Erzvilkas, 6th Panzer destroyed marching columns of the 48th Rifle Division. This division, en route from Riga to the border, was badly mauled by powerful air strikes and then assaulted by tanks, sustaining 70 per cent casualties in a single day. But 6th Panzer’s immediate task was to reach the River Dubissa and this was not achieved. In the evening, 6th Panzer was attacked by two Soviet bombers - quickly felled by the division’s anti-aircraft guns. The division would not reach the Dubissa until 23/ 24 June. Drabkin, Artem; Isaev, Alexei; Summerville, Christopher. Barbarossa Through Soviet Eyes: The First Twenty-Four Hours

Well it looks the Stalinium effect of the T-34 and KV-1 tanks seemed to have held many of the German Panzer advances somewhat with many German PAK anti-tank guns having little effect and merely "door knocking" on them despite mechanical issues and poor training. Still, with such huge Red Army losses, it seems a matter of time before the Nazi armies will reach Moscow soon before the harsh Russian winter comes in. Surely the Red Army won't be able to bring in fresh reinforcements so soon....

This is an outstanding channel. Thank you for your time putting these together. SHOUT OUT TO ALL CHANNEL DONORS

*Thank you for another amazing show my brother. I'm sad that I did not find this channel sooner then I did but at the same time I am happy because I can now binge watch all these amazing episodes without having to wait a week for a new one😅*

The immense scale of Operation Barbarossa and the long front line is evident in those maps being zoomed out much further than most other maps in the past episodes! It's truly mind-boggling.

Robin Hood Men in Tights: Hitler: I challenge you to a duel! _slaps Stalin with a leather glove_ Stalin: _picks up iron gauntlet and proceeds to bash Hitlers face so hard his mustache is fused to the metal knuckles and ripped clean off hitlers lip_ I accept.

Best KZfaq series. Always look forward to your well presented videos. Thanks!

One of the best channels on KZfaq! Thanks for the great work!

Hitler: “lets go, in and out, 3 months adventure” 4 YEARS LATER

Supplies? Logistics? Who needs those when you have I D E O L O G Y.

I look forward to time these videos every week. 100% best content on KZfaq

Finally! I have been waiting for this all day, all week, all month, all year!

Been waiting for this since 1939.

There is a good old russian saying: "There are only two problems in Russia: fools and roads". I think it has never been more relevant.

You should also metion Barbarossa Decree. Really puts things into perspective on how civilians on occupied land were treated by the Wehrmacht.

This needs to be on a podcast! Great work, I really enjoy this channel!

It’s a pleasure to support your channel where history is presented w/o a spin! Thank you and please keep the videos coming.

Germany: Invades Soviet Union Oil Supplies: Ight imma head out

Crazy how I just now found this channel. Great content

Keep up the good work Indy Neidell. I feel that you teach us history better than our own teachers and that just amazing

"... they have their mech units here..." Damn Soviets and their Gundams!

Interesting to see that the the factors that would ultimately be Germany's undoing were already hampering them from week one.

I finally caught up with this series at a perfect time

This episode has been the best they’ve completed to date!

Something tells me this is not the last we will hear of Archibald Wavell.

We're off to moscow guys! *one year later* aaaany day now *two years later* almost there *three years later* Why do i hear boss music?

I look forward to these all week.

Excellent episode, keep up the great work.

Where can i buy that sick "See no evil, Hear no evil, Say no evil" thingy?

I like how their is a picture of Conrad von Hotzendorf in the background.

Had to comment because of the destruction of Baiłystok. It is where my wife's father's family and maternal grandfather come from. So much lost. Thank you for an insightful episode, World War Two :)

This is excellent. Thank you

"Soon the Russians will get to hear about the countless corpses lying along the routes taken by our soldiers. The result will be that the enemy will hide in the woods and fields and continue to fight - and we shall lose countless comrades" - Joachim Lemelsen

I believe in the episode Barbarossa there was a mistake. Most likely General Pavlov attended concert not in Kiev but in Minsk. He was a commander of a Belorussian military district and Minsk was his headquarter.

Every time I watch, I get more engaged. This show is an integral part of my WWII studies.👍

This channel is really awesome. Great channel, we appreciate it.

8:18 *bounced off!* - world of tanks announcer

Imagine being a Nazi with a ton of racial/ideological distain for Slavs and communists, and then you try and invade and get dunked on lmao.

A love this guy and his presentations. I'm a WWII history addict and he's my main hookup!

Very interesting 'See no Evil, Hear no Evil, Speak no Evil' skeletons there Indy! Encapsulates the whole wartime mood very well!

Thankfully, the Martians stayed neutral in this one. Otherwise it would have been Interplanetary War One: The War Across the Final Frontier.

It should be noted that while Joachim Lemelsen had qualms about the mass slaughter of civilians he seems to have had no problem with shooting PoWs out of hand if i'm reading his involvement in the Ciepielów massacre in Poland correctly.

Well, here I am. Getting ready to start back on watching these episodes. I stopped right before Barbarossa and never resumed for some reason. So time to play catch up. Unfortunately, I'm working a different job this time around so I won't be able to bulldoze through these like I used to. But damnit, I'll give it a shot. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up to current events by the end of the week.

Indy, I liked Liszt's piece you added last episode. I hope you keep doing that, it makes the episodes more epic

15:29 There are no 《Martians》, there are 《alien commrades from the red planet》.

Njet Molotoff, njet Molotoff, Valehtelit enemmän kuin itse Bobrikoff.

Is that Conrad von Hotzendorf I see in the portrait behind Indy? If so, it brings back memories of The Great War!

The day i’ve been waiting for since September 1st of 2018!

The most brutal battle in world history begins. Finishing in the Reichstag 1945

Oh boy it's happening. The mighty German army looks unstoppable, there's no way the Soviets can fight this out. :)

82 years and we are doing this again,huh? History repeats itself.

Brilliant work as always guys!