Week 298 - Germany Surrenders! - WW2 - May 11, 1945
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- Опубліковано 30 тра 2024
- Germany signs not one, but two unconditional surrenders and the war in Europe is officially over... although that does not mean that all the fighting in Europe is, for there is fighting and surrenders all over Europe all week. The Japanese launch a counteroffensive on Okinawa; the Chinese launch one in Western Hunan; the Australians advance on Borneo and New Guinea; and the fight continues on Luzon in the Philippines, so there is still an awful lot of the world war to come, even with the end of the war in Europe.
00:00 INTRO
00:40 THE GERMAN SURRENDER
03:23 FIGHTING AND SURRENDERS IN THE EAST
06:53 THE PRAGUE UPRISING
15:50 THE LAST SURRENDERS IN EUROPE
18:42 THE POLISH SITUATION
20:25 THE WAR IN CHINA AND THE SOUTH SEAS
23:17 SUMMARY
24:44 CONCLUSION
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Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Marek Kamiński
Community Management: Jake McCluskey
Written by: Indy Neidell
Research by: Indy Neidell
Map animations by: Daniel Weiss
Map research by: Sietse Kenter
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Artwork and color grading by: Mikołaj Uchman
Sound design by: Marek Kamiński
Colorizations by:
Mikołaj Uchman
Daniel Weiss
Jaris Almazani (Artistic Man), artistic.man?ig...
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Archive footage: Screenocean/Reuters - www.screenocean.com
Image sources:
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Soundtracks from Epidemic Sound:
Easy Target - Rannar Sillard
Sailing for Gold - Howard Harper-Barnes
Rush of Blood - Reynard Seidel
Break Free - Fabien Tell
Live, Fight, Survive - Anthony Earls
Easy Target - Rannar Sillard
The Inspector 4 - Johannes Bornlöf
Leave It All Here - Fabien Tell
Weapon of Choice - Fabien Tell
Split Decision - Rannar Sillard
United Fronts - Jon Sumner
Underlying Truth - Howard Harper-Barnes
Let Go of Fear - Howard Harper-Barnes
Shrouded in Conspiracy - Jon Bjork
Dragon King - Jo Wandrini
Sense of Betrayal - Experia
Other Sides of Glory - Fabien Tell
Ethos - Johannes Bornlof
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
The war in Europe is over. Hitler’s war of aggression and genocide has reached its end and the Allies stand victorious. But, in the Pacific, fighting continues to rage and all eyes are focused on Japan. Stay with us as the Allies prepare to finish this war. This, and all our work, is possible thanks to the Timeghost Army. Join at Timeghost.tv or Patreon.
Wait, Germany lost the war? I did nazi that comming.
@@thanos_6.0 WOW. That made my morning.
Question this may not be a great place to ask yet but Is this channel maybe going to cover the insurgency of some SS units after World War II? I ask this because I heard there was some tiny SS units still trying to fight a lot war from like a Mark Felton video.
Please tell us if there will be a between two wars after WWII.
"the balls of St. Paul's." Wow, Indy 😮
I was 18 and had just finished my A levels when I started watching this series, 6 years later I’m now 24 and I’m just about to graduate from university. This series has been a constant companion throughout and something I’ve looked forward to tuning into every Saturday. Thank you Indy and the rest of the team for producing the most in depth world war 2 series out there. Been a pleasure!
Congratulations!! May you have success in all your endeavors, and thank you for being with us here on WW2 and the Time ghost army!!
It aint over yet...
That’s a great story.
I remember I was 14 when Indy started with The First World War.
@@leant6487 15 for me. Now 25. Not gonna lie he is the first person I watched in UA-cam who tells history !
That generation never forgot where they were when they heard the balls of St. Paul's ring out!
This is why the west has fallen, they never hear the balls of St. Paul rings for a long time!
😭😭
LMAO
That's Indie for ya, the belle of the ball.
I expect nobody would forget where they were when St. Paul's Balls rang
The Balls of St. Paul swing pendulously!
The balls were so massive, when they swing and hit each other, a loud banging noise can be heard for miles away...
actually the balls of the Roman official Saul of Tarsus were not bronze or large. He was a coward and a traitor who was unable to do what obviously needed to be done for the greater good of humanity.
Christians are still murdering people in the name of their Pacifist lord to this day.
Thanks to the 5th Shark Army.
@@podemosurss8316no wonder the Germans lost, the Soviets had far too many Shark armies
I got a huge laugh out of this.
I hope the balls of st paul stays in the archived version.
I second.
Third!!
Fourth!!!!🤣🤣
I can still remember "This week, Germany invades Poland. What did you think I was going to say?"... It's been a journey... Makes you understand how horrible it was for all parties involved. War shouldn't be happening
almost 300 weeks. So so so so long.. Especially for my country, Poland.
@@Warszawski_Modernizmand unfortunately Poland will not be truly free until 1989, when it escaped from the Soviet yoke
Felt like yesterday!
And war....war never changes
@@LiterallyMe05 Poland started fighting for independence in 1915
They won that fight in 1989
I hope you release a special episode on the fate of axis and allied POW's in the comming months, since it is a very interesting and tragic topic.
Especially on the eastern front...
@@alexamerling79
Not only there, the Rheinwiesenlager in the west were also bad.
watch armchair historians video on it
A footnote this week on May 5 1945 is that German submarine U-853 will torpedo and sink the American collier Black Point off Block Island, Rhode Island in the United States, killing 12. 34 crew members would later be rescued. It is noteworthy the Black Point would be the last American merchant ship to be sunk by U-boat in the war.
Three little-ass days before the Germans capitulated. That's absolutely heartbreaking.
That's at the mouth of Long Island Sound! I did not know this fact.
@@damascus21 Not only that, but it's also incredibly idiotic on the part of the U-boat commander, for his vessel was quickly located and sunk with the loss of all 55 crewmen. They could easily have passively waited until the war's inevitable conclusion.
The collier was the Black Prince, not the Black Point.
Having grown up in Newport, RI, that's well remembered.
Or what about that secret german that was sent to Japan w/japanese officers and jet planes to help the japanese w/their defense of the home islands.
40 million people are dead, millions more wounded, but a fragile peace has finally fallen over Europe
Really not that many people when you consider it. I guess it's a lot when considering the worlds population at the time, but still, not really. WW3 will be that many in the first week.
Fragile yet long-lasting. A civil war would not take place in Europe until the early 1990's, and a conventional war between two countries would not occur until 2022
Its sad the war wouldnt happen if treaty of Versailles was enforced as soon as Garmany broke it.
It's over (well, almost), so I think it's time to discuss why we are all here, to understand why the greatest tragedy in human history fascinates us. Some would say that the historical weight of the WWII is enough to explain it. It's that, but not just that. Let me try to put foward another option.
It's aesthetics: the WWII, tragically real as it was, it was also the 20th century's greatest novel. No story in Western literature compares to the complex and profound drama of WWII. Tolstoi and Wagner could only dream to write such epic tragedy. No imagination, however genius, would go so low in such evil and destruction, and so high in its carthartic triumph - after getting so close to total defeat - over the deadliest threat mankind ever faced. Only Napoleon and the Roman Empire came close to fuse history and literary drama as the WWII, but none and nothing surpassed it. If it was the work of a writer, it would have been the greatest book in Western culture since the Iliad. Unfortunately, it was real, and real people were massacre, real countries were devastated, and real suvivors had to deal with the next day (only God knows where they found hope). But in the end, like a good moral tale, the good won (what they did after the victory is another story. Real life is far more complex than moral tales). Like all great literature, lets read it forever, because live through it again will be the worst and most stupid sin mankind could inflicted itself. The message was: fantasy, when put into action, begets a nightmare.
@@Paciat I think the fact is that Britain and France weren’t ready militarily to confront Germany in 1936 (if they’d gone in immediately after Hitler started ramping up the air force and naval construction than Germany would’ve been crushed easily
Eisenhower: "The mission of this Allied Force was fulfilled at 0241, local time, May 7th, 1945." Perfect.
Wow… just wow. Ending monologue is tough
My brother in law was in the Luftwaffe in Chechoslovakia. At this time. He tried to lead his unit North from Prague to the American lines. He told me they were marching down a road between a school with diehard SS shooting at them and 'the whole Russian army' came of the hill on the other side... The Russians turned him over to the Chechs and they started killing the officers. He told me that 'Jesus Christ' told him to remove his rank insignia and he ended up in a POW camp in the Caucauses. Eventualy he made it back to Heidelberg and came to the US. Oh, he had two uncles, one owned the Mauser factory, the other was the Mayor of Spandau and he actualy was at the 1936 Olympics in a box with his uncle and saw Hitler. I wish he had written down his full story. I have more if you are interested. His name was Gerhardt Harrer
Really need stuff! I stayed with a host family when I was in Kassel and they had a photo of what looked what my host father's dad in a Heer uniform. I wanted to learn more but didn't feel comfortable asking them about it.
I was in Germany in the 1970s and switched on a TV programme - at the time my knowledge of German was limited, but I could tell they were seeking information on German military personnel who had gone missing on the Eastern Front in particular, or who were known to have been captured there and whose subsequent fate was unknown.
That is a cool story
What a great family history. Please tell more.
I dunno how you could stand by your sister knowing who she married. Living with a real life monster in her bed.
In the British Channel Islands we celebrate our liberation from Nazi occupation on the 9th of May. My grandad lived through the occupation in Jersey and told me that liberation day was a bitter-sweet moment for him. Whilst most people were in joyous celebration with the end of fascist control, he could only remember the starvation and seeing Soviet POW slave labourers being marched across the island. One night he watched the battle of Normandy from his bedroom window at night, the horizon alight with flame and destruction; he lived in constant fear of those bombs landing on Jersey as well as France. I happily celebrate Liberation Day every 9th of May with everyone else, but I can never forget the solemn stories my grandad told me about the cost of occupation.
Even though we were liberation nearly 80 years ago now, there are still so many unanswered questions. How many slave workers actually died on Alderney? What was the local government's role in collaboration? How far did London go in covering up war crimes here? Why were resistance heroes shamed and purposefully forgotten after the war? Thankfully we have Liberation Day to remind ourselves of these questions.
I still can't believe that I have been watching and supporting the Time Ghost team for almost a decade now. This World War Two project has been so useful, insightful and fascinating to watch. Can't wait to see future projects!
Thank you for that, i had no idea
There is a photo of a British policeman on one of the Channel Islands saluting German officers during the occupation. There was some harassment post-war of women for having relations with German soldiers - they were nicknamed "Jerrybags". As in France, they might have been an easy target, perhaps shielding others who were more culpable.
@@davidw.2791 In both world wars, potato peels were something of a last resort food. Making pie would have implied there was some flour. Chances are if it was available they would have just made bread, or something like it.
I know why resistance heroes here purposefully forgotten: They weren't governmental forces. They were rebels, thieves, murderers, torturers, sadists, butchers and spies. And they were everything the governments and military needed them to be at the time, but in peace, they represent a failure of the military to do those jobs themselves, they represent men who CAN and DID take down a government through force of action, and if the NEW government should fail the people like the occupation governments did... well, these men aren't loyal to the flag and the state like the army is, they might not look the other way. If they are heroes, then the people might follow, and the armies are so war weary, they might not protect the new government quite as vigorously as they might hope...
I saw a movie about Channel Islanders trying to save an escaped Soviet POW. Can't recall the name, but it was a good movie.
Impossible not feeling nostalgic now:
- WW2 is over.
- A few weeks from today: Great War channel will be a decade old.
(sigh)
Congrats again, Indy.
WW2 very much not over
So so nostalgic
@@MattMeskill You're right! Let me say as Indy at 26:42: "The war in Europe is over."
Now just think, what were you doing when this series started in 2018? Now imagine since then you were in the worst conflict of all time. That's what these people experienced.
WW2 not over just yet.
My grandpa was born on May 14th, 1933 in a small village in Southern Germany. He was almost 12 years old when those events were happening, and we cannot imagine, what he must felt on his 12th birthday. Both brothers were in war, the family did not know what happened to them. His father, a WW1 veteran and socialist, was almost arrested and brought to a Concentration Camp. A big portion of the village was destroyed. I cannot imagine how they felt back in the day when they heard the war is over. Very strong concluding words. We shall never forget, and learn. No more war and dictatorship! Thank you for your job. I started to watch this series regularly in 2020 (or 1941), and now, it's over. Time flies
My grandmother was born in December 1934 in (or near to) Berlin. She's told me many stories but the important part is that she, her mother, and her sister evacuated to the Netherlands in March or April 1945. Her grandmother was Jewish by birth but converted in the late 1800s (for marriage I assume). If she hasn't lost them, she has letters attesting to the fact that her mother was an anti-nazi starting around 1942. I won't know for sure until I can get my hands on them if she hasn't lost them in the last 5 years along with much of her mind. She's still alive.
"Both brothers were in war"
Euphemistic way of saying they were Nazis raping and murdering for their fuhrer
"Both brothers were in war" Euphemistic way of saying they fought on the side of evil
@@selfworm almost all german men at the time went to war. You don't know what they did and didn't do. They are victims of the regime, different victims for sure, bit still part of the hundred thousands of men whi will never be buried, never have a plaque to remember their names and be noted under "missing" in the national archives.
@@selfwormThey fought in the German army, yes. But they had no choice, otherwise they would have been arrested or worse
What a solemn way to end the episode. Despite the celebration all around, the war continues for some.
indeed. Some american troops in Europe will already be prepared to travel to Asia....
_"FINALLY it has begun! Hopefully I'll get to live at least 6 more years to see it through."_ - I wrote this on my social media as I shared the first episode of this series back on September 9, 2018. It's truly been an honor to be a part of the journey of this series since then. I have seen so many documentaries in my short life, and I doubt if there will be one better than this in terms of scale and quality. Salute to everyone in the production team and the TimeGhost army.
As for today's episode, seeing the people celebrate as the surrender announcement plays, I couldn't help but shed some tears. So much devastation, so much carnage, so much tragedy - is finally over, in Europe at least.
(Looks at Borneo) 4 months to go.
@@Deridus My bad. Edited to correct the last sentence.
@@piarpeggio No worries. I only mentioned it because while the European theatre is closed, there js plenty of fighting for Europeans ahead. Africa, Asia, Indonesia... The World War may be over, over there, but there's plenty of fighting left!
I can say with confidence that Indy, and later Spartacus and Astrid, have been part of my life this last 10 years.
Since I found the Great War channel I fell in love with history, it introduced me to some great books and has made Saturday this last 6 years my most anticipated day.
Thank you WW2 crew, I hope to meet you one day!
As do I!
Its not over yet, we still have the pacific until august and they are doing the Korean war next so we get them for another three years at least
they're propagandists, if you haven't realised that after 10 years then wow, never ever consider yourself intelligent
You should make a special episode to reflect on the almost 10 years of making these WWI+II videos.
I started watching this series in 2020 and my english was terrible. I did not understand much, but i loved the topic, it was all about the war in Europe.
Now i'm 4 years older and i can confidently say that Indy Neidell was my English teacher
How this channel doesn't have a million plus followers, is beyond me. These videos are brilliant.
Thanks a lot, mate! -TimeGhost Ambassador
Side fact: In Germany, the 8th of May 1945 was, for decades, mostly seen as a day of downfall and defeat. Until in 1985, when the end of the war was celebrated as a ceremony in the parliament, german president Richard von Weizsäcker held a speech in which he declared this day as a day of liberation rather than defeat, and thus the way this day is remembered changed.
The war in Burma is far from over. About 14,000 Japanese troops are hiding in the Pegu Yomas and as food runs out they will try to cross the Pegu to Tounghoo road and the Sittang River to get to the east side and then south to Tennasserim and Malaya where the Japanese are hanging on. This is called the Battle of the Sittang Bend, and it is estimated 8000 Japanese were killed trying to escape. Wiki has a section on this.
It'll get covered, don't worry- it's not for a while yet. The fight in Burma is of course not over, but the Burma Campaign is for the Allies.
As lovers of history My girlfriend and I started watching you guys in the WW1 series and have followed you guys all through this war. Sadly she passed away in October and did not get to see it to the end. I wanted to thank the time ghost army for doing such an amazing job covering everything, and giving me hundreds of hours of memories of time we spent together watching and learning. Thank you guys can’t wait for the next series !!
My grandmother’s brother died this week in 1945 while POW on Rabaul. A thing that struck me when looking through old letters and newspaper clippings is that he was shot down and declared MIA back in 1943 when my grandmother was 16 and a high schooler. His funeral wouldn’t be until early 1949, by which time my grandmother was married and weeks away from giving birth to my father. Even as this war is finally winding down, it won’t be over, to the extent it can be over, for years to come.
I've been following this series from day 1, and it's remarkable to see it start to end. I don't think I have ever seen such a dedicated or thorough documentary series, and it's a project that everyone involved should be deeply proud of
Amen. This is an absolutely incredible documentary. It's the best content I've ever seen in my entire life, in any medium
My mom had just died when I started watching this series in 2018. As my dad was a huge history buff, and it helped me connect with him better. Unfortunately my dad also passed away in 2021, so I've continued to watch this series, while thinking of both him and my mom often. I'm sure my dad would have loved your work on this as the project nears completion. You have done a wonderful job with it all. Thank you. ❤
Grandfather was in the 65th Div. We recently received a message from a Frenchman about a month ago. Granddad came home with only one of his dog tags- lost it at Camp Luckystrike in Normandy. 80 years later the Frenchman dug it up, and sent it back to us.
Happy VE Day! I can’t imagine the relief allied soldiers felt when fighting ended. All eyes on Japan now, who shows no signs of letting up. Thank you and congratulations for reaching this milestone in the war TimeGhost. We’re in the homestretch now.
"In 1945, peace broke out. It was the end of the Joke. Joke warfare was banned at a special session of the Geneva Convention, and in 1950 the last remaining copy of the joke was laid to rest here in the Berkshire countryside, never to be told again."
No more cabbage crates coming over the briney.
Just hearing a portion of the joke could cause intestinal bleeding
😄
is this a monty python reference?
@@jewiesnew3786 bingo! 😎👍
What was the Japanese reaction to the surrender of Germany?
This has been and is a Master Class in WWII History. I cannot thank you enough. You folks are the best.
Thank you, mate! -TimeGhost Ambassador
The tears in your eyes when you say "war is hell" are devastating.
Dividing french indochina definitely won't cause issues
On this day I was a toddler, living in a small Pennsylvania town with my grandparents, mom, and aunt. I had never seen my Dad who on this day was in Garmisch Parten Kirchen. All but two of my uncles were in active service, and of course I had no way of knowing how the horrors of this war would be part of my life thanks to the PTSD my poor Dad brought home with him. Even after they left European battlefields, those horrors lived rent-free in their lives, and my Dad still had nightmares into his late 80's. True, Hell swept over many lands and seas. Let's just hope there's a heaven for all those whose lives here were cut short.
My paternal granddad never spoke of the war and I never asked. I could see the terrifying darkness and grief in his eyes and I didn't want to reopen old wounds. He died in 2015 with 46 pieces of shrapnel still in his body.
Thanks for sharing your story, even if it is a bit sad. Every one of them counts, the Second World War was experienced by so many people no one book or series, even this one, can capture it in its totality. It is my hope that people on the internet will share their own memories of relatives who lived through the Second World War, to remember those who had to endure such a terrible time.
And so begins the final step of Japan's transition from military power to making lots and lots of anime.
Well, some of the creators of landmark anime are children living in wartorn Japan right now. And those experiences will deeply influence their creations. Like Gundam Yoshiyuki Tomino's Mobile Suit Gundam.
"But they make such bloody good cameras..."
@@lausenteternidad Or Hayao Miyazaki, of Studio Ghibli fame. He's famous for films like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso or The Grave of the Butterflies.
From military great power to anime superpower.
It really worked to their favor, thanks to the US it indirectly created one the best futuristic country in the world. Everyone loves Japan today.
Hello from Prague. Vlasov's Army has liberated most of the city. By people who remebered them they were not looting, they were polite to civilians, and when asking for food, they were paying for it.
And, in the end, they were let down by everyone - Allies, Czech, Soviets, Germans. Poor boys.
One mayor of a Prague district which was liberated by RLA has raised them a statue in his district, as a symbol of gratitude.
Not surprising, erecting monuments dedicated to nazi colaborators is quite trendy these days
Vlasov's b*tch*s were racial traitors to the superior Slavic race, if it wasn't for the racially conscious red army Prague would be a German hellhole by now. Vlasov's weaklings could only turn on the G*rmans as a result of the communists crushing the nazi dogs on all fronts. If you are a racially conscious Slav you must be a communist, especially at the time. Collaborationist weaklings have no reason to be respected. Inferior Germans neither. Total terror upon them and their weak men. The red army was far too merciful to the inferior rabble that surrendered to it.
Congratulations time ghost!!! Now to the east we go
And Bomber Command dropping food there.
For my grandfather three years of captivity in the Soviet special camp of Buchenwald began. I guess his celebration of the end of the war really started in the Fifties after he and his family had managed to flee from the Soviet occupation zone into West-Germany.
The dividing of Vietnam into north and south seems like foreshadowing.
Actually, I wonder how many kids are born 9 months from today. In Paris, London, Moscow, and elsewhere that’s got to be a hell of a spike.
It would be an explosive rise in births. A sort of "birth explosion" I would dare to say.
Yes, they are called baby boomers.
In 1918 when the Armistice was announced, it is reported that quite a few people had spontaneous sex in doorways and public places in London and other places, in particular Paris. Perhaps some 1919 births arose from this.
I was born in Dorset, England in March 1946 so I guess I'm definitely a 'baby boomer'.
As I look back on my life, I thank God I was born at a time when so many things have resulted from this war: the jet engine on aircraft that have taken me to places all over the world, the advent of radio, TV and the internet that allows us to explore things that would be almost impossible to enjoy and experience otherwise but, above all, the freedom I've enjoyed due to democracy which could have so easily have been snuffed out by misguided meglomaniacs!
@@belbrighton6479 I'm tracking that generation being referred to as baby boomers, but I was thinking specifically about children conceived on V-E day
A sort of chill conflict might be brewing in Europe.
Between the US and France, perhaps?
And the only people who lost were Eastern Europeans.
Some kind of icy altercation?
That last bit. I cried. I’ve been here since 1914. Thank you Indy and team.
24:54 All I can think of is the meme of William Defoe looking upwards in this case at St Paul's Balls
I was a college freshman when this series started. I’m now almost two years since finishing college, and I can’t believe I’ve watched most weekly episodes. I don’t really have the words for how important this series has been for our studies and knowledge of the war. I’ve been watching this crew do insane work since the Great War series, and I cannot thank them enough for it.
Thank you Indy and crew for everything you've done in these past years.
I can't really put into words how important these series have been to me. Come on now, we have a war in the east to end!
Thank you very much, we are glad that you think so! Hope to see you at Korea.
The most professional well delivered series, enthralling in its daily tradegy. Educational beyond belief. You guys deserve some sort of award for this coverage. Quality beyond expectations.
Sadly, my Father is still fighting in Burma at this time.
Thank you for those kind words! Best of luck to him from this time -TimeGhost Ambassador
it's really been so long since this series started: most of us are in completely different phases of our lives than six years ago. really made me awe at the length of the conflict and the magnitude of its continuous suffering. thank you!
Such a big event this series was, it may deserve a series of its own. My proposed title: "This Week in This Week in World War II."
Could we maybe get a special on the Courland pocket? Like the video we got on Rzhev?
I've been following this series for such a long time, it's almost surreal to hear that the war in Europe is actually over.
Two World Wars later but we're finally here. Immensely grateful for this series as it's been with me through all the highs and lows, such a priceless historical record. The war in the far East rages on but the defeat of the Third Reich makes the rest a foregone conclusion.
I was in Middle School when this series started now I’m in college. Crazy how it has been 6 years
Thank you for this powerful series. We live in a time where facts and history are being twisted for political agendas and are being replaced by self-serving narratives. We can see this in real time with the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Series like yours help to keep the facts straight, overcoming rumors, half truths and outright lies.
I started to watch this series when i was 13, now I am 19 and it just feels surreal that the war which raged in europe, which was so all-consuming is now over.
When the war started I had a different job, and am about to finish school to get a different job, thank you guys for the series I never really thought about how long the war was
Tears spontaniously reached my eyes as I saw the image of people celebrating after this horrific war. The feeling of joy and relief in whole Europe must have been overwhelming
Eisenhower’s report on the armistice is one of my favourite statements in history. No statement could be grand or momentous enough to encapsulate the situation. He went the other way. “The mission of this Allied Force was fulfilled at 0241, local time, May 7th, 1945.”
We finally made it to victory week in Europe
June 25th couldn't come any sooner for me
Thank you guys again
Can't believe I started watching this series in high school and now I am about to get my history degree, thank you for this amazing series.
On this day, in 1945, my Dad was in the Pacific. He had taken part in the North Atlantic patrols, and had made convoy escort to Murmansk. He had also found himself in the Amphibs, on LSTs, and his last action was Okinawa.
Thanks for sharing this with us, let's not forget their service -TimeGhost Ambassador
Thank you for the 298 Weeks, I have seen every episode and they were all great. From the fall of France, Battle of Britain to the battle of Alamein, Operation Barbarossa, Battle of Stalingrad and D-Day to the Fall of Berlin. Simply a wonderful series. Fair and accurate telling of WW2. Thank you thank you thank you. I will continue to watch to the VJ Day and your new Korean War series.
"We now turn to our reporter in the street in Algiers to cover the victory celebrations there. Jacques can you hear us?"
"The savage wars of peace" - Kipling...
That ending was movingly bittersweet. I cannot begin to imagine the unbridled joy felt in Europe when the nightmare finally ended. And yet, and yet. There is much suffering, and many deaths, still to come on the other side of the world. In another masterstroke, TG captured that emotional dichotomy perfectly. I'm proud to support your work
I have been following from Operation Barbarossa and now to the Battle of Berlin.....What a journey....Thanks to Timeghost,many normies like me got interested in history....What a journey...
This is incredible, the fact that you guys covered the entire European war is just insane. Thank you so much for all the hard work, this channel is a masterpiece
Thanks!
I remember just starting my senior year of high school when the first episode came out 6 years ago. Tuning in every Saturday for the last 6 years to watch a new episode and learn more. This documentary was a part of my life from school, to previous jobs, and to finally now the end of the European war. It seems like so much has happened in not only this series but also my life. Thank you Indy and the time ghost army for making this possible, and to continue to deliver great content like this.
When World War Two started, I was living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Since then, Chicago, Illinois; Omaha, Nebraska; Chicago, Illinois; and now I am back in Santa Fe, New Mexico. My travels were due in large part to the Pandemic. But I am back where I was when it all started. Thank You!
I'm watching this series ever since Greco-Italian war. This war is darkest stain in our humanity. Thanks for covering it. May God bless all innocent people who died in this war.
Started watching in early 1916 when the Germans were preparing an offensive on Verdun. Following the ww2 series from the start has been such a blast! I'm excited to see not only the final days and weeks for Japan, but the beginning of a new adventure in Korea. Your dedication to these topics is truly inspiring!
You started watching in *1916*?! How old are you?! 😜
@@davidbuckley2435 I'm an ethereal being lay of me 👀
"The balls of St. Paul's ring out...." At least they didn't hang out! Eye-watering stuff! Epic! Thanks for a genuine ROFL amongst the horrors that were and are. GJ and thanks for the great series
The ending of this episode was moving, still can’t wrap my head around it’s been six years. The comments are even more moving
Indeed they are -TimeGhost Ambassador
Watching this in the RAF museum in London right now. Thank you time ghost for an incredible story from the European front! Now to see if the Japanese will lose the war or not 🤔
Rumors say Steiner escaped in a U-boat for Japan and will fight for the emperor. He will single-handedly turn the tide of the war-no worries!
@@Gszarco94 Wauw. I had expected the Steiner story be ended, but no :D
@@edopronk1303 Steiner will retake Rangoon, Okinawa and the Philippines with just a battalion of Panzers. What could go wrong 🤔
I started watching regularly from the fall of France in 1940
That was when I was 18, just a newbie in college
Now i am in a different country ( Germany) and I am going to finish my post graduation.
This is the best series if all time about World war 2, my opinion about political events largely changed for the good due to the series. It was a great ride.
I’d been anticipating this episode since week one. For my Dad and all my uncles who served in the ETO, thank you.
And so it ends.......What a brilliant production Indy and the team! Honestly should be shown at every school every week
From someone who loves history, I can't thank you enough for covering this war. There are still so many lessons from this war that humanity has forgotten, that unfortunately will likely have to be relearned the hard way. Thanks again!
The 16 parallel line dividing Vietnam is a nice foreshadowing of another future war. .
I've been following this war since Barbarossa. To finally see one half of this World War finally come to its conclusion reminds me how far we've all come as viewers of this truly awesome and significant documentary series. May the sacrifices of the last World War not be in vain.
God bless Indy and team. Thank you for all of you hard work thus far and for what shall come!
I remember starting to watch this series when the first troops crossed the Polish border, I was grade 8 at the time. A few days after the war in Europe ends, I start my teaching degree, which I have chosen history as a subject. I want to thank the team and fans, who have made this all possible. And have inspired me to become an educator myself so I can try and teach future generations, the horrors that aren't meant to be repeated.
Can I just say, I really hope there is more about the post war years in Europe. The great migration. The post war atrocities. Nuremburg trials. The foundation of the Warsaw Pact, NATO, and the Cold War (which I know has its own channel). I think the missing element not taught to many is what happened after the war to the people and those that survived. What was society like and how did these changes form the foundation for the future. It seems what's taught in schools is that the war ended, and that was it. There were trials, but otherwise we don't hear what life was like in a devastated and destroyed Europe. I hope there is much more. This channel has been amazing!
I started college when this series began, and I just graduated yesterday.
What a ride its been
The war in Europe is over, but for the civilians in the ruins of the cities all over Europe and the survivors from the concentration camps there are more black years ahead. As Marcel Reich-Ranicki, a survivor of the Warsaw ghetto, put it: "When the war was nearing it´s end, the german people had just one goal, one instinct: to live through this. (...) For the people set free from the concentration camps, the moment of joy was a very brief one. Because instantly they had to strive to get a job, to make money, to feed their kids and wife." It took nine years, until 1954, that Germany regained some self-respect when the BRD won the soccer world championships. When Bundespräsident Richard von Weizsäcker in his speech on 8 May 1985 (!), commemorating the forty years end of the war, named the 8 May 1945 as "day of liberation", it was the first time that a leading german politician called the 8 May "day of liberation" (instead of day of defeat and/or surrender). - I wish we had more politicians like von Weizsäcker in Europe, to heal the wounds, to tend the scars - and not let another war happen.
It probably took until 1985 because for decades after the war the Germans did not see themselves as liberated, nor as having done anything wrong. Both of the Germany's paid lip service to denazification, but neither really did it. In East Germany the communists just took over the Nazi state and appointed themselves as its head. In West Germany a new state was created, it just had former Nazis all over the place running it. They just played it smart by pretending to be sorry. True regret probably came decades later when post-war generations took over, culturally and politically. And then went completely overboard in accepting German guilt. No need to do so, guys, you didn't do it, you've created a good country. Feel pride at what it has become.
How bizarre of you to mention a soccer game in a comment about concentration camps
I started watching this series during the Winter War, and to now see the war in europe end, 5 years later is a surreal experience
Man I’m gonna miss this series . Awesome job as always
I hope you will also cover the last few military engagements in Europe. As even though the war in Europe is formally over, Nazis still continued to resist in some areas until the end of May. Namely in Prague, as well as in Odžak, in Yugoslavia, where the last engagement of the European theatre has been fought, all the way until May 25th
“All over Europe the lights came back on again”- The Guns at Last Light
Enormous amount of work behind this series. Kudos!
Not all were celebrating. My Grandmother around this time (and for many more days) was hiding from the Russian soldiers, together with other girls.
The war was over, but the hardship continued on.
Thank you for the amazing detailed report on WW2.
When this series is concluded I demand a real-time, week by week coverage of the Cold War, 1945-1991.
Wow. Just wow! Such a profoundly visual presentation and documentation of WWII. Long after these living generations have passed away, this history presentation will itselself become one of the great historic cornerstones depicting this War. I doff my hat!
Thankyou so much for all your hard work and amazing series. History is greatly enhanced by your efforts.
I had never before heard that substantial fighting continued after Germany's formal surrender. I guess these things take on a life of their own. Thank you so much for not just continuing, but continuing to improve, your coverage of the War. We are with you until the end!
Indy, Spartacus and the whole team, this series is as important as the seminal World At War series. If there is any justice, it will be widely recognised as such. Your work is in the same league as the giants of WWII history such as Glantz, Beevor, Hastings, House, and many more. A work such as this, with its breathtaking detail, scope and magnitude, must surely be acknowledged as being as equally valid as any book on this subject.
My special congratulations to Spartacus for having reached the end of the holocaust! Some years ago, it was clear that this was a huge burden on him, and occasionally we heard details demonstrating it was a burden on others on the team as well.
But that document has now been completed. The work has been done. The most comprehensive and accessible document of the worst man has ever done is available to all.
My hat is off to you, Sir.
Sadly it's not over as now the horrors of the east start to be revealed. Unit 731 and the like were not learned of until the end of the war although Sparty has spoken of them in WAH but the liberations are only now going to begin for many of the Pacific P.O.W.s
Totally agreed . The emotional burden must have been immense.
@@anthonyforbes9657 I have struggled to watch I can't even begin to imagine the toll of researching and writing.
I started this series at the very beginning back with Between two wars. It has been a gruelling journey. I am very glad I got to experience like this instead of first hand. Thank you for all your hard work.
Best World War series on the internet. I have been around since the beginning. I wish it never ended. 😢
When this series started I was still in high school. In the runtime I’ve lived in 3 countries worked 4 jobs and stared Uni. Thank you so much for this wonderful series.
Thanks a lot for still watching! -TimeGhost Ambassador
thanks indy and crew