The 29th Division in Brittany - August '44
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- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- The 29th Division in Brittany - August '44
With Joseph Balkoski
Part of our Brittany Campaign series
• The Brittany Campaign ...
Also part of our 80th Anniversary Series
• 80th Anniversary Special
After a harrowing Normandy campaign, the 29th Division took part in the Brittany offensive, notable the port city of Saint Malo.
From Beachhead to Brittany: The 29th Infantry Division at Brest, August-September 1944
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Beyond the Beachhead: The 29th Infantry Division in Normandy by Joseph Balkoski
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Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944 by Joseph Balkoski
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Joseph Balkoski is Command Historian of the Maryland National Guard and is regarded as one of the best scholars of the American Infantry experience in the ETO. He is author of Omaha Beach, Utah Beach and the classic Beyond the Beachhead. He has appeared as a D-Day expert on MSNBC, and his work has been praised by Joe Scarborough, the New York Post, the Washington Times, World War II magazine, and others. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Joe's last appearance on WW2TV
Build up to DDay - The 29th Infantry Division in England
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Other 29th Division videos - original footage
29th in Brest • 29th in Brest
Surrender of Brest • Surrender Of Brest (1944)
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My uncle was wounded in the vicinity of Brest as a replacement in the 29th
Thank goodness for his willingness to serve.
Fantastic show highlighting the underrepresented Brittany campaign, its influences moving forward, and the tragic loss of life, and in vain ( with the benefit of hindsight) regarding the Port of Brest. I guess all the lessons learnt were put to good use, so their loss was not pointless.
Respect to the fallen.
Thanks Joe and Woody. Always great to hear from Joe who addresses the human cost too. Also - the picture that is hanging behind Joe is Admiral Adam Duncan of the Royal Navy, the victor of the Battle of Camperdown in 1797. Joe says he supposedly was a distant relative on his wife's side.
Great side story about Gerhardt (and Ramcke). Great insights on the replacement system. The chat was distracting today, I had to close it. One of my compatriots was rather embarrassing, he seemed to be straight out trolling. It has been a very (scarily) warm winter down here this year. He's either been out in the sun too long, or maybe he's just a flog. You were too nice to him, but I admire your patience and diplomacy. 👍
Great mixture of coverage of the campaign and talking abour wider issues in the theatre.
Great show on my (second ) favorite region in France
That was great. Goes some way to explaining why so much effort and lives were expended in Brittany when with hindsight it seems like a total waste of time and lives. Great episode.
Great presentation, guys! Thanks!!!
Having been to the cemetery at St James - the scale of it makes sense. As ever, context is all. Another great show Paul. As with all of your shows my knowledge pool got just a smidge deeper.
Thanks Guy
Thank you. so important what you are all doing to fill in the gaps in my (our) knowledge and understanding.
Great show. Balkoski very informed.
It's been his professional life for 40 years studying the 29th, so he has a lifetime of experience
Awesome!! Thanks Joe & Paul!
Brilliant from Joe as usual
Because of Joseph I am developing a crush on the 29th. Helped by the fact my nephew is now living in Annapolis. I have been thinking of the irony that the 29th were lodged in SW England before Overlord. Then on landing in France it would seem they fought from a Somerset like country into a Cornwall like area. Cracking show.
thank you.
The efforts, or lack thereof to take Brest in a timely manner seemed to suffer from Eisenhower's concept of the "Broad Front Strategy." Everyone want's to blame Bradley, but the idea of taking everything at once when logistics couldn't support it comes directly from the overall planning of Overlord and as Joe has written of "Beyond the Beachhead." It reminded me of Hitler's intransigence during Operation Blau in 1942. Dividing his forces to take the oil fields in the Caucasus while attempting to capture Stalingrad. One, or the other must take priority. Although on a smaller scale, this was Eisenhower's blunder. The indecision led to the allied inability to support it's drive in the autumn of 1944.
Just starting to watch this episode again....brilliant
Great show on a much neglected aspect of the campaign.
The eventual pointlessness of the Brittany campaign was matched by the pointlessness of the Hurtgen forest.
Indeed
Indeed it did not put the Supreme Allied Commander in the best of lights, nor his subordinates. Somewhat unimaginative in their WW1 influenced thinking.
Fantastic presentation highlighting the Brittany campaign by Joseph as always a master class. Many thanks to you both
Joe is fantastic yet again😊
Wow, Joe Balkoski is not pulling his punches regarding, particularly, Patton and USAAF in this presentation. Interesting and well argued perspective!
Well presented and enjoyable discussion on the Brittany campaign with Joe and yourself, thanks to you both.
Very good
wonderful presentation.
Patton knew the plan needed to change and Brest would not be used. The All Father of American Armor was way ahead of some grunts stuck in linear thinking.
Interesting take
With respect, I disagree with your conclusion of Patton’s superior thinking vs. “some grunts stuck in linear thinking.” That’s an interesting acquittal of Patton’s blinkered, monomaniacal thinking. Given the strategic (logistical) value of Brest, it’s particularly ironic that 3rd Army fell victim to significant logistical deficiencies given the lack of port facilities. Simply positing an alternative POV.
I saw a comment here that said “thank goodness these men were willing to serve”. They didn’t volunteer; they were drafted. Imagine if any ethnic group besides White men had been forcibly conscripted and thrown into a meat grinder like this. We’d still be hearing about it daily. The calls for reparations would be unceasing. Before you think I’m some troll, my grandfather was in the 29th Infantry Division in World War II and I served as an officer in the 29th Infantry Division (Light) in the 1990s. I knew one 29th ID veteran of World War II (I won’t name him but I’m sure Joe Balkoski knew him too) who frequently stated that if he knew what would become of the United States in his lifetime, he would have thrown down his arms and fought for the Germans. My own grandfather said he wishes he had jumped off the troop ship when it sailed for Europe and swam back to Virginia. If these men fought for anything, it wasn’t so their great grandsons would be made second class citizens in their own countries.
Some volunteered, others were drafted.
PS: It’s infuriating that after the Butcher Gerhardt sent tens of thousands of young men to their deaths, the thing that brought him down was allowing a few of them to lose their virginity before they died.
What are you on about? Tens of thousands didn't die in the 29th! Plus, defeating the Third Reich was a thoroughly necessary cause
All ethnic groups were drafted, some not even having the rights of full citizenship.
At least 50% of all effort in war is wasted.
The only monument (and quite a small one, I have to say) honouring the memory of US soldiers who died in Brest is dedicated to the 2nd division. The 8th and 29th aren't mentioned. Any idea why?
I don't know
@@WW2TV Nevermind! Thanks for the show, I learned a lot about the fight for my city
Sunak fing off from the celebration of the big, big team to do a TV interview ... the Tories should have fired him on the spot. The failure do to so showed an utter lack of moral fiber.