My Grandfather and his brother, from New Zealand fought in Greece, later my Grandfather and his brother fought at El Alamein, my Grandfather's brother, my great Uncle died in that conflict.....RIP Uncle Charlie....
The New Zealanders as well as the Australians fought (sacrificed by the English) together with the Greeks, as in Crete, (again sacrificed by the English, to escape to the Middle East, they had no intention of saving Crete) and in North Africa again they fought alongside the Greeks (how many people know this?) at El Alamein. In the end, the British, after the Nazis had left Athens, entered the city, with Sherman and snipers, and murdered the early allied Greek rebels, as well as innocent protesters in the center of Athens, but also elsewhere. And of course they did massive damage to the Parthenon, and other ancient ones. The New Zealanders, as well as the Australians, were treated by the English as inferior people in the commonwealth. They simply "came out" braver than the English expected. The Greeks owe them eternal gratitude.!
The battle of The Metaxas Line deserves a video of its own. The Greek forces successfully defended against the superior German war machine. It was the first time from the start of WW2 that Germans had a hard time to win a battle. That was the first time for Europe nations to realise that Germans could be stopped.
@@JamboniUk the big fights with the Russians were after the battle of the Metaxas Line and after the invasion in the island of Crete that Hitler lose a lot of people and waste a lot of time before he attack the Russians. All those events gave the Russians the time to prepare for the fights AND made the Germans waste the optimal time of year for their attack having caught in the hard Russian winter later. Check your history.
Great informative video on this particular fight for Greece. The fact the Greek Army refused to give ground or give up. Shows their tenacity and bravery. 💪🏻🙏🏻✨
Im sure if they showed you clips from the field hospitals where Greek (and German) soldiers were dying every minute in agonizing pain, crying and calling for their mothers while some kid "doctor" was sawing off their legs, arms, and other limbs you would be even more impressed with their bravery and the glory of a fierce battle. Oh, also their guts was spilled all over the "hospital" (read= a tent) floor together with their punctured livers and kidneys which made all the spilled blood all nice and dark, extra tenacious!💪🤠
Not enough is said about the bravery and tenacity of the Greeks in ww2. the Greeks suffered a great deal in WW2 and they contributed to the ultimate triumph over Germany.
To those of us who read histroy, the bravery of the Greeks is very well known. You know, I hope, the famous quote by Churchill about Greeks and heroes?
The events of Metaxas Line and the Battle of Crete were both of great importance for the outcome of WW2 because it made Hitler change his plans in favour of the allies. And the battle of the Metaxas Line was the first time that Germans had a difficult time fighting a less powered army with their great war machine. Germans had a great amount of dead and wounded in comparison with the fewer Greeks that was fighting there. Eventually they had to give honours to Greek officers and soldiers for their bravery.
This is one of the best channels on UA-cam. So many amateurs waste so much time talking around and never getting to the point, if they even have one. This guy is awesome and a real pro.
When the Greek frond fell my father was 18 years old ,at his first year of the officers military academy. All first year students of the academy were asked to go home on an infinite leave. ( The 2nd and 3rd classes were already placed in fighting units in the frond).The young students disagreed and all 300 ,decided to form their own fighting unit ,to go and fight at Thermopylae ( in fact to go on to certain death ) in honor of the 300 Spartans who died there fighting the Persians in 480 bc Their officers trying to protect them from certain death ,withdrew the leave ,ordering them to stay in Athens performing police duties. They didn’t quite like the idea and all 300 took up their weapons and as much ammunition and food as they could cary, left the academy’s premises silently at night, confiscated civilian busses and reached Gythion ( a small port of southern Greece) from where they sailed on four fishing boats to Crete ,ultimately taking part in the battle of Crete. Some died there ,others were captured as POW by the Germans and a number made it to Cairo,continuing fighting along with the British and Greek forces established there. Those who couldn’t make it to Cairo were organized in occupied Greece in partisan war, espionage etc They reunited 30 years later in 1973 all carrying the rank of colonel of the Greek army ,but they were 155 in total.The 145 absentees ,had been killed in action.
April 9, 1941 German couriers, knowing that the capitulation had been signed in Thessaloniki, came to Rupel and demanded the surrender of the fort. The commander of the fort, colonel Georgios Douratsos, replied that "the forts are not surrendered, they are occupied". April 10, 1941, a decisive date not only for the fate of the forts but also for Greece, is captured photographically and dominates the entrance of the central tunnel, where the tour begins and ends at Rupel fort. It is the day of the surrender of the forts by their commander, lieutenant colonel Georgios Duratsos, to the German conquerors demanding at the same time that "no German should enter the fort until the last of its fighters leave", as it happened. There had been a three-day hard-fought battle throughout the "Battle of the Forts" along the "Metaxa Line" between the Greeks and the German soldiers, where it may have ended with the Germans winning, but their losses were almost double from those of the Greeks. The German colonel who took over the fort congratulated the commander, expressing his admiration and appreciation for the resistance and heroism of the Greek soldiers. He even emphasized that it was an honor and pride for the Germans to have such a heroic army as their opponent. Outside the fort was lined up a German platoon which rendered honours. Then officers and soldiers left on foot for Sidirokastro and Serres When the Germans entered Rupel, they found the message written in chalk on a wall: "At Thermopylae 300 were killed, here 80 will fall" (as many as were Greeks manning the specific sector). The losses of the Rupel Fort garrison amounted to 44 dead and 152 wounded. German losses were significant and reached (according to German sources) 555 dead, 2,134 wounded and 170 missing!
Before one can "occupy", one must first seize, hold, and defend. This is standard military doctrine. If you want it, you MUST come and take it. And defend it. Otherwise it isnt yours.
Oh how gloriuos! It must had been so romantic when these wonderful Nazis allowed the Greek officers to keep their siderams and congratulated them on their heroism and bravery. And then afterwards they murdered millions of innocent civilains all over Europe (including Greece of course) and pretty much any captured Eastern European POW. Makes me wanna sign up for war immediately so I can get an "honor" like that also. Where is the sign up sheet, Im guessing somewhere where rich and powerful people live because they are always the first to volunteer for war and send their children into frontline battle, right?
@@robertbauer3419 It is obvious that until then there were not many countries that did not put up such a strong resistance, a certain king actually surrendered his crown and his country to Wehrmacht motorcyclists and at that time two countries were fighting the axis organized England and Greece all the others had surrendered in the shortest possible time and yes, it is honorable to recognize something that you did not recognize in others. Greece suffered from the Germans later. The Greek people had paid a very heavy price at the altar of the Occupation from confiscations (vehicles, watercraft, wives), seizures (buildings, houses), thefts (food, animals) and, above all, from causing deaths. About 20,650 were the dead in the battles of the National Resistance, 56,225 were executed throughout Greece, 7,120 were killed by the bombings and almost 60,000 Greek Jews were displaced and murdered in the German camps. At least 800 villages and towns lay in ruins. Many martyred villages suffered with unspeakable consequences from the German reprisals and mass massacres. In total, about 600,000 dead in a country of 7,000,000. Almost all the railway bridges had been blown up, 80% of the rolling stock had been destroyed, 73% of the merchant fleet had been sunk, no less than 200,000 houses had suffered irreparable damage. The looting of the national wealth led the Greek economy to collapse. In addition, the economic bleeding of Greece by the Germans had two other aspects: a) the imposition of trade exchanges with the system of bilateral clearing agreements through the German export trade company DEGRIGES and the Italian SAGIG, which drained Greek production in exchange for the provision of cheap and useless products to the Greeks at prices set by the conquerors, at the expense of course of the Greek products and b) the exploitation of the country's labor force by the compulsory migration of workers to Germany or by the obligation of Greeks to forced labor even and within Greece. During the German occupation there were thefts of archaeological treasures and arbitrary and illegal archaeological excavations took place. All this from Germans, Italians, Bulgarians and Albanians, since Greece was divided
So glad you are honouring the Greeks for their bravery and tenacity. You even remembered to include the Anzac's. World wars are fought by the world, irrespective of who starts them.
There is still a crashed German plane off the coast of Crete, we took a boat out to it and scuba dived around it. There was not much left of the plane as it has been submerged for many years but it was still cool to swim around wild history.
There is a very special memorial in the centre of the New Zealand capital, Wellington. It features a rock from each battle site where we fought in Greece.
The Greeks can rightfully claim that they were a major force in the Allied victory of WWII. By forcing Hitler to divert forces to bail out the Italians, Hitler had to delay operation Barbarossa, thereby giving the Soviets sufficient time to properly prepare their defenses of their homeland. Otherwise, Hitler might well have been successful in overrunning the Soviets.
@@Gliese380 yes it would be a bad thing because then Hitler would be unstoppable. Like it or not Russians where a big force against the Germans. It's funny how you all forget that Germany is responsible for two World Wars and the economical catastrophe of Europe in nowadays. (By the way I'm not Russian).
I was the cadet officer selected to accompany the AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND'S x sholdier from Lamia to Larisa At the 40 years of the battle of Crete at 1980.I remember
In 480 BC, Thermopylae was a narrow little path between the base of a sheer mountain cliff and the Mediterranean Sea. Two thousand years later, in 1941, the sea had receded so far away that the Germans could put an armored Panzer division there (9:44)
@@stevenhoman2253 the ridiculous manmadeglobalwarmingglobalcoolingclimatechangeiceagecarbontax agenda. I figured most would understand if it was written in English. My mistake. Hablo espanol?
There was one instance (the Battle of Crete) where the Nazis tried a parachute landing in Crete. Alongside the Allied military forces present at the time, Cretan civilians fought the Nazis with privately-owned guns, captured Nazi weapons, vintage WW1-era guns museum pieces, makeshift spears, farm tools, kitchen utensils, rocks, sticks, bricks, and chunks of rubble, their bare hands, and whatever else they could weaponize. In one instance a Nazi paratrooper, trapped by his own parachute, was clubbed by a Cretan senior citizen with their walking stick until the paratrooper died. Armed mobs sometimes followed Allied units into combat as reinforcements. Some Nazi parachutists came down in the wrong parts of the island and were never seen again. Reference: The Lost Battle - Crete, by Callum MacDonald, and Antony Beevor's Crete: The Battle and the Resistance.
@@kajamix wow one Google search for British and Germans fighting Greek communist led me to multiple articles from different sources on the Greek civil war that popped off at the end of 1944 meaning it did indeed happen.
reading a book of remembrances of this battle.The teens were confused, as why were they there, among the classic ruins and indeed even worried that priceless history could be destroyed. One noted he felt like yet another group of Barbarians, without any respect for the history of Greece. But most of all, no one knew WHY they were there, as no one explained "Italy messed up and we have to fix this problem". Of note was that the German army already was proving to put feeding and caring for their own troops at a low priority. Only by capturing British food supplies were the young Germans able to eat. They did not want to steal from the locals, we seemed friendly and gave wine and raisins and bread. One note by a teen of the time was that they felt they behaved well to the locals and tried to be friendly and reassuring. He felt they had all been trained in how to be professional and to engender goodwill. Then those that came from Germany to administer the new lands treated the locals so terribly that it turned them against the Germans. So they did the hard work and risked their lives, and the Germans in Berlin issues orders that undid all their hard work. So sad that at age 17, when the soldier wrote this, even he knew the Germans were doing it wrong.
"A farewell To Arms" is a novel by Kingsley Amis, and the BBC also had a show or series about the British aspect of the evacuation. Little reference is made to the Greeks, Italians or the ANZAC's as far as I can recall. It is however a literary classic of its time.
@@jasongb5666 I don't know about you about 40 years or so ago some drunk driver almost took me out there is Heaven and Hell but for some reason the man upstairs wasn't ready for me you'll find out one day
You should do 1 on Eric batchelor from nz Eric Batchelor DCM & Bar (29 August 1920 - 10 July 2010) was a New Zealand soldier who was twice awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous bravery in Italy during World War II. He was the only New Zealand soldier of just nine British Commonwealth soldiers during the World War II to receive the DCM and bar. He was also Mentioned in Despatches, and fought at El Alamein in Egypt.
@@stomper2888 damn man, how bout you tell everyone you're an unhappy pos without telling us you're an unhappy pos. This man make good content. Sometimes there are mistakes but no where near a big as your mother birthing you.
Germany has always been cursed with worthless allies. In WW1 Austro-Hungary, in WW2 Italy. Although Rommel commented that the Italian soldiers were good, but their officers were worthless. But, when I said worthless allies, I was talking about the leadership of those countries, not the rank and file soldiers.
Your making a very big mistaken assumption about Germany having worthless allies. Clearly you have not done any homework whatsoever to make the point valid..
In a Greek documantary about the Greek-Italian war in Albania, one of the veterans of the battle said the same thing about the Italians.He called the soldiers brave but the officers worthless.He said that the Greek soldiers used to call the Italian officers "gala officers"(or is it party?maybe reception?not sure about the correct word in english)".He said the Italians attacked entrenched machine guns head on in huge numbers and they just died.He was having nightmares and was worrying about his soul after death because he killed so many.
I would like it if you made a video about the battle of Narvik. Also known as Hitler's first defeat. The interesting part is that The British had plans to invade before the Germans could because it was such a vital harbour. Norway could easily have been forced on the other side of the war. For about two months early in the war, this was the only place battles were fought.
I should also add that the invasion of Norway destroyed so many German ships that it made it impossible to invade England. Our fjords are littered with German ships.
@@civroger One of those ships was put there by Colonel Birger Eriksen. He was a man of great character, and his sinking of Blücher was a remarkable feat. He was in a dreadul situtation, and I've always admired his bravery that night.
It is worth to mention , that Greece had been attacked by three different enemies at the same period, Italians ,Germans and Bulgarians ! With the help of Germans the Metaxas line collapsed in North Greece and finally occupied by these three nations until the liberation at the end of 1944. I think no other country in WW2 had been occupied By three different armies, please correct me if I'am wrong.
The narrator mentions the Wehrmacht capturing supplies, including "much-needed diesel for the German armor" at about 11:32. But, to the best of my knowledge, all of the German armored vehicles were fitted with gasoline engines at that time. Interesting narrative, otherwise.
The tanks, yes. Most of the half-tracks, etc - yes. Those almost all were gas Maybach engines. *Some* of the transport, e.g. some of the Raupenschlepper Ost vehicles, which used Deutz aircooled diesels - ran Diesel engines.
@@dennisyoung4631 That is true. However, I wrote "fitted with gasoline engines *at that time*". As I'm sure you know, the RSO was not in service at the time of the battle described in this video. I don't believe any other transport in service of the Wehrmacht at that time was diesel-powered, either, unless it was some captured equipment pressed into German service. All the best.
Apparently Freyberg gave the Maori Battalion a motivational speech and the NCOs asked him not to do that again as they were so inspired he inspired a brutal rampage. Did great militarily but it needed to be dialed back to retain more deliberate attacks. 😂
Our PM is a wannabe dictator like hitler, she's taking away our rights, choices, freedoms, speech and access to information that doesn't suit her talking points. She's what the Anzacs were fighting against
Could you please do one about castle litter, where the German army (not the SS) asked the alies for help with stopping the SS from executing the political and VIP prisoners (Castle litter was used as a prison In ww2).
I read that Stalin encouraged the Serbian government to say they were friendly to the Soviet Union. This immediately exposed a thorn in the side of Barbarossa, and I had to be removed. Great presentation! I appreciate the quality of your shows. Kudos. Cheers!
It was only the second time the ANZACs were formed, since WW1. The Greek Government needed at least 6 allied divisions to hold the Macedonian front, and only got the hard fighting 6th Australian and 2nd New Zealand divisions, plus a British armoured brigade. The Greek army had few troops to man the front as it was holding the Italian army in Albania and protecting Thrace from a possible Bulgarian attack. With inadequate air power, the Greeks and Commonwealth forces were no march for the experienced combined arms of the Germans. The allies should’ve held Crete however as they had intel on the size and location of the paratroop landings.
A fine video and a concise story of the events there in April 1941. A small quibble, however: Several shots here show M4 Sherman tanks, of which none were involved. The British 1st Armoured Bde relied heavily on notoriously fragile A9 and A10 cruiser tanks, of which there is not a trace here.
Its because these shots of the Shermans arent from 1941. The video maker, confused shots of British tanks in Athens,in 1944,from the Dekemvriana incident,named after the month December,when it took place. The brits fired upon us Greeks,killing civilians and then the EAM resistance movement got up in arms and there was street fighting for many days ,after our liberation by our "friends" the British Empire. Thats why they have the Shermans
Dr Heinz Migeod (a Stuka veteran) recounted that breaking the Metaxas line was more tiring than dealing with the northern fringes of the Maginot line. (His interview can be viewed here on YT)
Alot of missed information not mentioned in the video;, British Aide to Greece Mussolini was upset Hitler occupied Romania. Not informed this led to Italy attacking Greece. Italy invaded Greece Britsh/Commonwealth force began landing in Greece November 1940. Known as 2nd Gallipoli Force. Britsh Mediterranean fleet transport them. Raf arrived supplying some 11 squadrons. Led by Jon D'Albac.
Britain was bound to assist Greece by the declaration of 1939, which stated that in the event of a threat to Greek or Romanian independence, "His Majesty's Government would feel themselves bound at once to lend the Greek or Romanian Government […] all the support in their power. General Alexandros Papagos, Commander-in-Chief of the Hellenic Army, asked Britain for nine fully-equipped divisions and corresponding air support.
This British/Commonwealth force 2nd Gallipoli force/Expeditionary W force Lustre was intended to stop the Italian invaders, and at the same time NOT provoke the German mobilization/attack to Greece
In November 1940, British infantry brigade group was landed in Crete, and abou t 4,200 anti-aircraft gunners, air force ground staff and depot troops were sent to Athens.
In August 1940 General Metaxis requested Military, financial aide from Britain. And still maintaining Greek Neutrality. Churchill sent Metaxas a personal message, saying that Britain expected shortly to be stronger in the Mediterranean. September Lord Halifax, the Foreign Secretary, reaffirmed the 1939 Anglo-French guarantee, in spite of the fact that France had fallen.
Italian ultimatum given to Greece; At three o'clock on Monday morning, 28 October, he was roused by the Italian ambassador, Count Emmanuel Grazzi, who handed him an ultimatum, properly couched in diplomatic French, which demanded the right of the Italians to occupy certain strategic positions within Greece. The Greeks had anticipated an Italian attack on the Epirus front since 3 October and had been partially mobilized.2 Metaxas dismissed the ambassador, called the king, got into his car, and drove straight to the British legation, where at 3:30 he handed the Italian note to the minister, Sir Michael Palairet. Palairet later wrote of the ultimatum, "It would be difficult to find a better specimen of lying effrontery even among the numerous similar productions of the Axis Powers
6:31 the luftwaffe's "heavy bombers" lol what was the bomb load weight of these "heavies" what was the capacity of soviet American or British bombers at that time look that up and you will realize the luftwaffe never had heavy bombers
"Spearhead General" by Henry Maule is about General Sir Frank Messervy, a great soldier. He fought the Germans, Italians and Japanese in his career. It was at the Battle of Keren, I think, where he encountered the Italian troops whose opposition he rated as the hardest he ever experienced. He later joined Slim's 14th Army.
@@huwzebediahthomas9193 awesome thanks for the reply because looking at the mounting I was like there is no way it could act as fall protection from overhead items that would make sense
Images from the British fighting in Athens and the Parthenon come from the British invasion against the Greek antifascists 4 years later, December 5th 1944. Unfortunately due to this, Greece was the only European country governed by the pro Nazis after their actual defeat. It was these antifascists that inspired Churchill to say that "heroes fight like Greeks". Then he sent his bombers against them.
But for the Greek campaign, the North African campaign would have ended with all axis forces evicted from North Africa, before Japan entered the war (outside of China). Meaning enough airpower would've been available for Malaya & 2 carriers would've been available for Force Z, meaning Singapore wouldn't have been lost.
How brave do you have to be to invade a small poor country and fight an army that is both smaller and technologically inferior to yours? Requires no bravery at all. How professional is it to massacre unarmed villagers?
My Dad, a few Uncles & family friends fought in North Africa and all said that the Italians were the most laughed at army they encountered. My Biological Dad was captured by the Germans at Sidi Rezegh 1941.
You really have to admire the german army for their bravery and professionalism. They fought with honor and loyalty and even honored their enemies if they fought with bravery. Respect and RIP to the german soldiers.
Isn't odd how certain groups of people gain the reputation for heroic and steadfast military action. The Nepali ghurkas are one such... who have thought the humble kiwi would do likewise, innit? The greek has got his kebab, the sihk, their Ruby Murray but all the kiwi has got is the plain old fashioned roast leg of lamb - or shoulder of course which I prefer ! Done in a slow oven - which is funny cos that's what the greek likes too!! Don't know about the Ghurka, mind...
I'm kinda surprised how many of the german tanks in these videos are actually czech tanks LT vz. 38... Makes me wonder about the fate of blitzkrieg without München... Anyone bother to make an analysis whether he would be able to pull it off?
I can't awnser your question, but I do know the whole point of capturing the Czech republic was for there manufacturing capabilities,firearm and munition know how,I believe they say a third of all weopans the Germans used were in chzech Republic that number I believe to be a little high and steadily climbed as 1944 closed in
Does the letter to Mussolini from Hitler actually say “blitzkrieg?” That seems to be as we have learned an allied press term as opposed to what the Germans calked it, “bevanenskrieg”
Lol. That is a weird comment. I am sure that the letter did not say any of the words that were said in the video. Why would he use english words? But the video is in english so blitzkrieg seems correct.
@@4OHz And? My point remains the same. Did hitler use blitzkrieg as a word in the letter? Most probably not. But so what? This is not a german speaking video. What is there to understand in such a basic thing?
"Fallen Greek leader" sounds like it's suggested he died fighting? A bit unfortunate statement to refer to someone who died of tonsillitis. It also sounds as if it was named after the dictator passed away, which I think is incorrect.
You could do a video on the British that were based in Vietnam who rearmed the Japanese to fight against Ho Chi Minh and the commies. Britain’s own “Vietnam war”.
Quite the opposite. The average Italian soldier fought incredibly well given their horrible leadership, vastly outdated equipment, and overall lack of preparation for a long term war. Their sacrifices, especially on the eastern front and north africa which were enormous, are hardly given full recognition mostly due to lies and false narratives continuously pushed by modern academics. The same should be said for other European nationalities such as the French and Romanians who also fought against far superior and better equipped forces, yet still showed incredibly bravery in the face of almost impossible odds.
That is the only complaint I have about these documentaries (apart from the fact that most of the video clips bear no relation to the accompanying audio) is that the titles often don't match the content.
It’s so interesting the the Germans needed to protect the Romanian oil fields from the British so they could conduct their invasion of the Soviet Union which is what wound up breaking the German army’s back. Had the British understood that they would have never dreamed of attacking the Romanian oil fields.
Frank Joseph, Mussolini’s War, Fascists Italy’s Military Struggles from Africa, and Western Europe to the Mediterranean and Soviet Union 1935 - 1945. “Among the great misconceptions of modern times is the assumption that Benito Mussolini was Hitler's junior partner, who made no significant contributions to the Second World War. That conclusion originated with Allied propagandists determined to boost Anglo-American morale, while undermining Axis cooperation. The Duce's failings, real or imagined, were inflated and ridiculed; his successes pointedly demeaned or ignored. Italy's bungling navy, ineffectual army - as cowardly as it was ill-equipped - and air force of antiquated biplanes were handily dealt with by the Western Allies. So effective was this disinformation campaign that it became post-war history and is still generally taken for granted even by otherwise well-informed scholars and students of World War Two. But a closer examination of recently disclosed, and often neglected, original source materials present an entirely different picture...On 7 June 1942, infantry of the Italian X Corps saved Rommel's XV Brigade near Gazala, in North Africa, from otherwise certain annihilation, while horse-soldiers of the Third Cavalry Division Amedeo Duca d'Aosta defeated Soviet forces on the Don River before Stalingrad the following August in history's last cavalry charge...These and numerous other disclosures combine to debunk lingering propaganda stereotypes of inept, ineffectual Italian armed forces. That dated portrayal is rendered obsolete by a true-to-life account of the men and weapons of Mussolini's War”.
This was a campaign that Hitler did not want, Mussolini started something he could not finish, he then dragged the Wehrmacht into this campaign, diverting sorely needed personell and materials away from the Russian Front.
Well Hitler's fault. He didn't noticed all his attacks while the terms of alliance between Germany and Italy specifically said to do that. So Mussolini decided to not notice this new invasion to Hitler. Also, Mussolini felt humiliated by Hitler and decided to attack Greece to show that he wasn't inferior... But by posing his fascist leadership on the head of the Italian army he vanify every chance to win that little war. You can't put officers and generals that knows only trench warfare on the head of an army that have to push and occupy another country. Keep the ground and wait enemy advance was their biggest mistake. Greeks had all the time to re-organize and strike back. 😑
7:08 is in Serbia, also when you mention Yugoslavs. I am sure you mean Serbs. The Croats and Bosnian Muslims fought with the Nazis, and Yugoslav Royal Army would have been made up of predominantly Serbs and Macedonians. Albanians also fought with the Nazis, as did the Bulgarians and Turks.
My Grandfather and his brother, from New Zealand fought in Greece, later my Grandfather and his brother fought at El Alamein, my Grandfather's brother, my great Uncle died in that conflict.....RIP Uncle Charlie....
The New Zealanders as well as the Australians fought (sacrificed by the English) together with the Greeks, as in Crete, (again sacrificed by the English, to escape to the Middle East, they had no intention of saving Crete) and in North Africa again they fought alongside the Greeks (how many people know this?) at El Alamein. In the end, the British, after the Nazis had left Athens, entered the city, with Sherman and snipers, and murdered the early allied Greek rebels, as well as innocent protesters in the center of Athens, but also elsewhere. And of course they did massive damage to the Parthenon, and other ancient ones. The New Zealanders, as well as the Australians, were treated by the English as inferior people in the commonwealth. They simply "came out" braver than the English expected. The Greeks owe them eternal gratitude.!
@@nas4js Indeed... history has a lot of missed facts and untold truths... appreciate your comment...
@nas4js where do you get this rubbish from? You're spouting utter crappie, Are Irish by any chance.
@nas4js where do you get this rubbish from? You're spouting utter crappie, Are Irish by any chance.
@nas4js where do you get this rubbish from? You're spouting utter crappie, Are Irish by any chance.
The battle of The Metaxas Line deserves a video of its own.
The Greek forces successfully defended against the superior German war machine.
It was the first time from the start of WW2 that Germans had a hard time to win a battle.
That was the first time for Europe nations to realise that Germans could be stopped.
@K true story. 👍
Lol it was because the Nazis were in heavy battles with Russia. That is the only reason. Hitlers hardest battles were with the Russians by far.
@@JamboniUk the big fights with the Russians were after the battle of the Metaxas Line and after the invasion in the island of Crete that Hitler lose a lot of people and waste a lot of time before he attack the Russians.
All those events gave the Russians the time to prepare for the fights AND made the Germans waste the optimal time of year for their attack having caught in the hard Russian winter later.
Check your history.
@K This is very, very true indeed.
Great informative video on this particular fight for Greece. The fact the Greek Army refused to give ground or give up. Shows their tenacity and bravery. 💪🏻🙏🏻✨
Greeks fight like heroes and Hero's fight light like Greeks!
Im sure if they showed you clips from the field hospitals where Greek (and German) soldiers were dying every minute in agonizing pain, crying and calling for their mothers while some kid "doctor" was sawing off their legs, arms, and other limbs you would be even more impressed with their bravery and the glory of a fierce battle. Oh, also their guts was spilled all over the "hospital" (read= a tent) floor together with their punctured livers and kidneys which made all the spilled blood all nice and dark, extra tenacious!💪🤠
My grandfather was in the 2nd NZ division also
@@brennoeustace647 thank you for your info on your Grandfather. 💪🏻🙏🏻✨
Read my post Britsh Aide to Greece
Not enough is said about the bravery and tenacity of the Greeks in ww2. the
Greeks suffered a great deal in WW2 and they contributed to the ultimate triumph over Germany.
Stupid! The greeks were crushed by the Germans despite their history of bravery, which was no where to be seen.
To those of us who read histroy, the bravery of the Greeks is very well known. You know, I hope, the famous quote by Churchill about Greeks and heroes?
Many Greeks collaborated with Berlin. One could argue that they still do today. Not all - but the establishment types definitely do.
@@johnhanson5943ephialtes lives forever as Leonidas cursed him.
The events of Metaxas Line and the Battle of Crete were both of great importance for the outcome of WW2 because it made Hitler change his plans in favour of the allies.
And the battle of the Metaxas Line was the first time that Germans had a difficult time fighting a less powered army with their great war machine.
Germans had a great amount of dead and wounded in comparison with the fewer Greeks that was fighting there.
Eventually they had to give honours to Greek officers and soldiers for their bravery.
This is one of the best channels on UA-cam. So many amateurs waste so much time talking around and never getting to the point, if they even have one. This guy is awesome and a real pro.
When the Greek frond fell my father was 18 years old ,at his first year of the officers military academy. All first year students of the academy were asked to go home on an infinite leave. ( The 2nd and 3rd classes were already placed in fighting units in the frond).The young students disagreed and all 300 ,decided to form their own fighting unit ,to go and fight at Thermopylae ( in fact to go on to certain death ) in honor of the 300 Spartans who died there fighting the Persians in 480 bc
Their officers trying to protect them from certain death ,withdrew the leave ,ordering them to stay in Athens performing police duties. They didn’t quite like the idea and all 300 took up their weapons and as much ammunition and food as they could cary, left the academy’s premises silently at night, confiscated civilian busses and reached Gythion ( a small port of southern Greece) from where they sailed on four fishing boats to Crete ,ultimately taking part in the battle of Crete. Some died there ,others were captured as POW by the Germans and a number made it to Cairo,continuing fighting along with the British and Greek forces established there. Those who couldn’t make it to Cairo were organized in occupied Greece in partisan war, espionage etc
They reunited 30 years later in 1973 all carrying the rank of colonel of the Greek army ,but they were 155 in total.The 145 absentees ,had been killed in action.
❤️ 🇬🇷 ❤️
April 9, 1941 German couriers, knowing that the capitulation had been signed in Thessaloniki, came to Rupel and demanded the surrender of the fort. The commander of the fort, colonel Georgios Douratsos, replied that "the forts are not surrendered, they are occupied". April 10, 1941, a decisive date not only for the fate of the forts but also for Greece, is captured photographically and dominates the entrance of the central tunnel, where the tour begins and ends at Rupel fort. It is the day of the surrender of the forts by their commander, lieutenant colonel Georgios Duratsos, to the German conquerors demanding at the same time that "no German should enter the fort until the last of its fighters leave", as it happened. There had been a three-day hard-fought battle throughout the "Battle of the Forts" along the "Metaxa Line" between the Greeks and the German soldiers, where it may have ended with the Germans winning, but their losses were almost double from those of the Greeks.
The German colonel who took over the fort congratulated the commander, expressing his admiration and appreciation for the resistance and heroism of the Greek soldiers. He even emphasized that it was an honor and pride for the Germans to have such a heroic army as their opponent. Outside the fort was lined up a German platoon which rendered honours. Then officers and soldiers left on foot for Sidirokastro and Serres
When the Germans entered Rupel, they found the message written in chalk on a wall: "At Thermopylae 300 were killed, here 80 will fall" (as many as were Greeks manning the specific sector). The losses of the Rupel Fort garrison amounted to 44 dead and 152 wounded.
German losses were significant and reached (according to German sources) 555 dead, 2,134 wounded and 170 missing!
"They are not surrendered they are occupied" 🙄🙄
@@thinkingagain5966 more accurate wording would be "Forts do not surrender. They are conquered."
Before one can "occupy", one must first seize, hold, and defend. This is standard military doctrine. If you want it, you MUST come and take it. And defend it. Otherwise it isnt yours.
Oh how gloriuos! It must had been so romantic when these wonderful Nazis allowed the Greek officers to keep their siderams and congratulated them on their heroism and bravery. And then afterwards they murdered millions of innocent civilains all over Europe (including Greece of course) and pretty much any captured Eastern European POW. Makes me wanna sign up for war immediately so I can get an "honor" like that also. Where is the sign up sheet, Im guessing somewhere where rich and powerful people live because they are always the first to volunteer for war and send their children into frontline battle, right?
@@robertbauer3419 It is obvious that until then there were not many countries that did not put up such a strong resistance, a certain king actually surrendered his crown and his country to Wehrmacht motorcyclists and at that time two countries were fighting the axis organized England and Greece all the others had surrendered in the shortest possible time and yes, it is honorable to recognize something that you did not recognize in others. Greece suffered from the Germans later. The Greek people had paid a very heavy price at the altar of the Occupation from confiscations (vehicles, watercraft, wives), seizures (buildings, houses), thefts (food, animals) and, above all, from causing deaths. About 20,650 were the dead in the battles of the National Resistance, 56,225 were executed throughout Greece, 7,120 were killed by the bombings and almost 60,000 Greek Jews were displaced and murdered in the German camps. At least 800 villages and towns lay in ruins. Many martyred villages suffered with unspeakable consequences from the German reprisals and mass massacres. In total, about 600,000 dead in a country of 7,000,000. Almost all the railway bridges had been blown up, 80% of the rolling stock had been destroyed, 73% of the merchant fleet had been sunk, no less than 200,000 houses had suffered irreparable damage. The looting of the national wealth led the Greek economy to collapse. In addition, the economic bleeding of Greece by the Germans had two other aspects: a) the imposition of trade exchanges with the system of bilateral clearing agreements through the German export trade company DEGRIGES and the Italian SAGIG, which drained Greek production in exchange for the provision of cheap and useless products to the Greeks at prices set by the conquerors, at the expense of course of the Greek products and b) the exploitation of the country's labor force by the compulsory migration of workers to Germany or by the obligation of Greeks to forced labor even and within Greece. During the German occupation there were thefts of archaeological treasures and arbitrary and illegal archaeological excavations took place. All this from Germans, Italians, Bulgarians and Albanians, since Greece was divided
So glad you are honouring the Greeks for their bravery and tenacity. You even remembered to include the Anzac's. World wars are fought by the world, irrespective of who starts them.
There is still a crashed German plane off the coast of Crete, we took a boat out to it and scuba dived around it. There was not much left of the plane as it has been submerged for many years but it was still cool to swim around wild history.
I was there also 400 German aircraft in there TOO>
the western coasts of europe are FULL of ww2 destruyes planes
I used to lead dives in Heraklion in the early 2000's and if it is the same plane, it was a Messerschmidt bf109 just north of Hersonissos.
So, the Anzac Corp fought a battle at Thermopylae too? You learn something new every day.
There is a very special memorial in the centre of the New Zealand capital, Wellington. It features a rock from each battle site where we fought in Greece.
What a wonderful idea!
New Zealand, like Australia, a puppet state who gets used by the idiotic queen and the people behind her who run the country.
The Greeks can rightfully claim that they were a major force in the Allied victory of WWII. By forcing Hitler to divert forces to bail out the Italians, Hitler had to delay operation Barbarossa, thereby giving the Soviets sufficient time to properly prepare their defenses of their homeland. Otherwise, Hitler might well have been successful in overrunning the Soviets.
In retrospect, would Hitler overrunning the Soviets have been such a bad thing?
@@Gliese380 yeah my thoughts exactly. Maybe that wouldn't have been such a bad thing lol.
@@Gliese380 Ruthless despots should never be allowed to violate international law. Period.
Read my post on Britsh Aide to Greece. Your wrongfully making an assumption
@@Gliese380 yes it would be a bad thing because then Hitler would be unstoppable.
Like it or not Russians where a big force against the Germans.
It's funny how you all forget that Germany is responsible for two World Wars and the economical catastrophe of Europe in nowadays.
(By the way I'm not Russian).
I was the cadet officer selected to accompany the AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND'S x sholdier from Lamia to Larisa At the 40 years of the battle of Crete at 1980.I remember
As a New Zealander, my uncle was a cook in the New Zealand forces at Al Elamein
Kia kaha.
Cheers for telling their story. Love from NZ 👍
Yeah man go the Anzacs
Pitty our PM is taking away our rights, choices, freedoms, speech and access to information she doesn't like . She's a wannabe dictator like hitler
My grandfather Walter Drewett was a Aussie 6 th division soldier who fought in Greece and Crete. Prior to that Egypt and Libya.
As a Greek I give my thanks and respect to your grandfather for his efforts. 👏
He should have stayed in Australia.
@@igeunerschnitzel8654 👎👎👎👎
In 480 BC, Thermopylae was a narrow little path between the base of a sheer mountain cliff and the Mediterranean Sea. Two thousand years later, in 1941, the sea had receded so far away that the Germans could put an armored Panzer division there (9:44)
Global cooling.
Manmadeglobalwarmingglobalcoolingclimatechangeiceagecarbontax.
“How dare you”
@@richardcranium3579 Who are you, and what are you replying to? Or is the secret in your name?
@@stevenhoman2253 the ridiculous manmadeglobalwarmingglobalcoolingclimatechangeiceagecarbontax agenda.
I figured most would understand if it was written in English. My mistake. Hablo espanol?
@@richardcranium3579: HeLLo R.C. ;-- WE Cross Paths With One-Another Yet Once Again, My~Friend ! ) 👀 👀 👀
There was one instance (the Battle of Crete) where the Nazis tried a parachute landing in Crete. Alongside the Allied military forces present at the time, Cretan civilians fought the Nazis with privately-owned guns, captured Nazi weapons, vintage WW1-era guns museum pieces, makeshift spears, farm tools, kitchen utensils, rocks, sticks, bricks, and chunks of rubble, their bare hands, and whatever else they could weaponize. In one instance a Nazi paratrooper, trapped by his own parachute, was clubbed by a Cretan senior citizen with their walking stick until the paratrooper died. Armed mobs sometimes followed Allied units into combat as reinforcements. Some Nazi parachutists came down in the wrong parts of the island and were never seen again.
Reference: The Lost Battle - Crete, by Callum MacDonald, and Antony Beevor's Crete: The Battle and the Resistance.
This channel rocks!!
Do a video on the Germans teaming up with the British just after the surrender to fight the Greek communists
Or a video about the Brit-German team up against the Greek anti fascists
this never happened
@@kajamix whatever😂😂😂
@@boris1387 never happened what can we do now ?
@@kajamix wow one Google search for British and Germans fighting Greek communist led me to multiple articles from different sources on the Greek civil war that popped off at the end of 1944 meaning it did indeed happen.
my great grandpa fought the germans in the battle of thesalloniki.I love my country and his history.Thank you and you have love from greece
reading a book of remembrances of this battle.The teens were confused, as why were they there, among the classic ruins and indeed even worried that priceless history could be destroyed. One noted he felt like yet another group of Barbarians, without any respect for the history of Greece. But most of all, no one knew WHY they were there, as no one explained "Italy messed up and we have to fix this problem". Of note was that the German army already was proving to put feeding and caring for their own troops at a low priority. Only by capturing British food supplies were the young Germans able to eat. They did not want to steal from the locals, we seemed friendly and gave wine and raisins and bread. One note by a teen of the time was that they felt they behaved well to the locals and tried to be friendly and reassuring. He felt they had all been trained in how to be professional and to engender goodwill. Then those that came from Germany to administer the new lands treated the locals so terribly that it turned them against the Germans. So they did the hard work and risked their lives, and the Germans in Berlin issues orders that undid all their hard work. So sad that at age 17, when the soldier wrote this, even he knew the Germans were doing it wrong.
Invading an other nation's lands is always wrong.....
The wrong people is dying.
An educated young boy,a 17 years old, can't understand the stupidity and vanity of grown men....
"A farewell To Arms" is a novel by Kingsley Amis, and the BBC also had a show or series about the British aspect of the evacuation. Little reference is made to the Greeks, Italians or the ANZAC's as far as I can recall. It is however a literary classic of its time.
MAN-you ppl never fail to deliver.All your works are fantastic.A genuine pleasure to watch.
Always great content…mistakes are occasionally made, but great content always
They talk about cool stuff but always get stuff wrong. Someone said it's to increase engagement in the comments.
God rest all their souls that fought in that war
Logistics and leadership man made gods have no place in war .Just ask Hitler and Putin
@@jasongb5666 why don't you ask him when you get there
@Donald Hudson Where to Donnie exactly explain your sky daddy .?
@@jasongb5666 I don't know about you about 40 years or so ago some drunk driver almost took me out there is Heaven and Hell but for some reason the man upstairs wasn't ready for me you'll find out one day
@@donaldhudson2235 Your experience is all I needed for total proof .And he the sky daddy is a man .
Hmmm, that's a very interesting story. New Zealanders...just plain crazy to begin with. Keep up the great work!
Love the title. Thank you
I love your videos you just tell history without embellishments 10/10, thank all the team
You should do 1 on Eric batchelor from nz
Eric Batchelor DCM & Bar (29 August 1920 - 10 July 2010) was a New Zealand soldier who was twice awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for conspicuous bravery in Italy during World War II. He was the only New Zealand soldier of just nine British Commonwealth soldiers during the World War II to receive the DCM and bar. He was also Mentioned in Despatches, and fought at El Alamein in Egypt.
very good narration and excellent story and research skills
Another fantastic story, thanks for sharing your work mate ❤
a fiction piece of crap
@@stomper2888 damn man, how bout you tell everyone you're an unhappy pos without telling us you're an unhappy pos. This man make good content. Sometimes there are mistakes but no where near a big as your mother birthing you.
Keep up the great work
Germany has always been cursed with worthless allies. In WW1 Austro-Hungary, in WW2 Italy. Although Rommel commented that the Italian soldiers were good, but their officers were worthless. But, when I said worthless allies, I was talking about the leadership of those countries, not the rank and file soldiers.
Your making a very big mistaken assumption about Germany having worthless allies. Clearly you have not done any homework whatsoever to make the point valid..
In a Greek documantary about the Greek-Italian war in Albania, one of the veterans of the battle said the same thing about the Italians.He called the soldiers brave but the officers worthless.He said that the Greek soldiers used to call the Italian officers "gala officers"(or is it party?maybe reception?not sure about the correct word in english)".He said the Italians attacked entrenched machine guns head on in huge numbers and they just died.He was having nightmares and was worrying about his soul after death because he killed so many.
I would like it if you made a video about the battle of Narvik.
Also known as Hitler's first defeat.
The interesting part is that The British had plans to invade before the Germans could because it was such a vital harbour.
Norway could easily have been forced on the other side of the war.
For about two months early in the war, this was the only place battles were fought.
I should also add that the invasion of Norway destroyed so many German ships that it made it impossible to invade England.
Our fjords are littered with German ships.
@@civroger One of those ships was put there by Colonel Birger Eriksen. He was a man of great character, and his sinking of Blücher was a remarkable feat. He was in a dreadul situtation, and I've always admired his bravery that night.
@@jugbywellington1134
Yes, I know all about it.
The hunt for Tirpitz is another great story.
Plum Garrison Duty for the German?
It is worth to mention , that Greece had been attacked by three different enemies at the same period, Italians ,Germans and Bulgarians ! With the help of Germans the Metaxas line collapsed in North Greece and finally occupied by these three nations until the liberation at the end of 1944. I think no other country in WW2 had been occupied By three different armies, please correct me if I'am wrong.
Italy?
In north: Germany, cossacks.
In south: Americans, British, French, Canadians, Australians.
@@danielefabbro822 Germany and Italy started the war! what are you talking about?
@@vasiliostsagarakis1406 yes but Italy was invaded by both sides. You asked.
@@danielefabbro822 I asked for non axis counrties!
@@vasiliostsagarakis1406 ahhh... great difference... 😏
1:35 Might be the first time someone pulled a d-bag guido flex on camera.
Thanks buddy great content with a morning coffee 😅❤
This phase of the war was the background for the Louis Lamour short story Where There's Fighting. Worth a read.
Thanks for the recommendation! LL is a fine writer
The narrator mentions the Wehrmacht capturing supplies, including "much-needed diesel for the German armor" at about 11:32. But, to the best of my knowledge, all of the German armored vehicles were fitted with gasoline engines at that time. Interesting narrative, otherwise.
The tanks, yes. Most of the half-tracks, etc - yes. Those almost all were gas Maybach engines.
*Some* of the transport, e.g. some of the Raupenschlepper Ost vehicles, which used Deutz aircooled diesels - ran Diesel engines.
@@dennisyoung4631 That is true. However, I wrote "fitted with gasoline engines *at that time*". As I'm sure you know, the RSO was not in service at the time of the battle described in this video. I don't believe any other transport in service of the Wehrmacht at that time was diesel-powered, either, unless it was some captured equipment pressed into German service. All the best.
Apparently Freyberg gave the Maori Battalion a motivational speech and the NCOs asked him not to do that again as they were so inspired he inspired a brutal rampage. Did great militarily but it needed to be dialed back to retain more deliberate attacks. 😂
Yes we have a habit of eating our enemies if we get razzed up too much!! 😎😋
@@fletmok3548 kai tanganta
...least we forget
Kia Kaha ❤
Wrong use of that term.
Our PM is a wannabe dictator like hitler, she's taking away our rights, choices, freedoms, speech and access to information that doesn't suit her talking points. She's what the Anzacs were fighting against
Could you please do one about castle litter, where the German army (not the SS) asked the alies for help with stopping the SS from executing the political and VIP prisoners (Castle litter was used as a prison In ww2).
Mark Felton had a fairly well detailed historical look at this event, which you might check out?
My grandfather fought in this one. Rated it worse behind fighting in Italy during the war. That included Create and all Arifcan campaigns .
R.I.P.
@@gratefulguy4130 Cheers.
I read that Stalin encouraged the Serbian government to say they were friendly to the Soviet Union. This immediately exposed a thorn in the side of Barbarossa, and I had to be removed.
Great presentation! I appreciate the quality of your shows. Kudos.
Cheers!
The Japanese teamed with french and British troops against Ho Chi Min rebels.
And Ho Chi Min's forces had been trained and supplied by the American O.S.S.
@@thomasswafford250 that's ironic talk about biting the hand that feeds
Love your videos, I like to learn about wwII keep it up
then go learn it. the internet loves to lie go actually learn the real history
Check out Mark Felton
It was only the second time the ANZACs were formed, since WW1. The Greek Government needed at least 6 allied divisions to hold the Macedonian front, and only got the hard fighting 6th Australian and 2nd New Zealand divisions, plus a British armoured brigade. The Greek army had few troops to man the front as it was holding the Italian army in Albania and protecting Thrace from a possible Bulgarian attack. With inadequate air power, the Greeks and Commonwealth forces were no march for the experienced combined arms of the Germans. The allies should’ve held Crete however as they had intel on the size and location of the paratroop landings.
It is incorrect to refer to these forces as the United Kingdom Forces. They are more accurately referred to as Empire or Commonwealth forces.
I like that you mention the Anzacs as they usually get little mention
A fine video and a concise story of the events there in April 1941. A small quibble, however: Several shots here show M4 Sherman tanks, of which none were involved. The British 1st Armoured Bde relied heavily on notoriously fragile A9 and A10 cruiser tanks, of which there is not a trace here.
Its because these shots of the Shermans arent from 1941. The video maker, confused shots of British tanks in Athens,in 1944,from the Dekemvriana incident,named after the month December,when it took place. The brits fired upon us Greeks,killing civilians and then the EAM resistance movement got up in arms and there was street fighting for many days ,after our liberation by our "friends" the British Empire. Thats why they have the Shermans
Fair warning. Very little if any of the video ever matches with the event or the story line. Often it may in error, but that is speculation
Hats off to the Greeks. Glad they were spared from communism.
Dr Heinz Migeod (a Stuka veteran) recounted that breaking the Metaxas line was more tiring than dealing with the northern fringes of the Maginot line.
(His interview can be viewed here on YT)
Alot of missed information not mentioned in the video;, British Aide to Greece
Mussolini was upset Hitler occupied Romania. Not informed this led to Italy attacking Greece.
Italy invaded Greece Britsh/Commonwealth force began landing in Greece November 1940. Known as 2nd Gallipoli Force. Britsh Mediterranean fleet transport them. Raf arrived supplying some 11 squadrons. Led by Jon D'Albac.
Britain was bound to assist Greece by the declaration of 1939, which stated that in the event of a threat to Greek or Romanian independence, "His Majesty's Government would feel themselves bound at once to lend the Greek or Romanian Government […] all the support in their power.
General Alexandros Papagos, Commander-in-Chief of the Hellenic Army, asked Britain for nine fully-equipped divisions and corresponding air support.
This British/Commonwealth force 2nd Gallipoli force/Expeditionary W force Lustre was intended to stop the Italian invaders, and at the same time NOT provoke the German mobilization/attack to Greece
In November 1940, British infantry brigade group was landed in Crete, and abou t
4,200 anti-aircraft gunners, air force ground staff and depot troops were
sent to Athens.
In August 1940 General Metaxis requested Military, financial aide from Britain. And still maintaining Greek Neutrality. Churchill sent Metaxas a personal message, saying that
Britain expected shortly to be stronger in the Mediterranean.
September Lord Halifax, the Foreign Secretary, reaffirmed the 1939 Anglo-French guarantee, in spite of the fact that France had fallen.
Italian ultimatum given to Greece;
At three o'clock on
Monday morning, 28 October, he was roused by the Italian ambassador,
Count Emmanuel Grazzi, who handed him an ultimatum, properly
couched in diplomatic French, which demanded the right of the Italians
to occupy certain strategic positions within Greece.
The Greeks had anticipated an Italian attack on the Epirus front since 3 October and had been
partially mobilized.2 Metaxas dismissed the ambassador, called the king,
got into his car, and drove straight to the British legation, where at 3:30 he
handed the Italian note to the minister, Sir Michael Palairet. Palairet later
wrote of the ultimatum, "It would be difficult to find a better specimen of
lying effrontery even among the numerous similar productions of the
Axis Powers
I like the background music you used 2:00 - 3:34. What is the name of it?
The truth is so difficult that it only is in participle, that it is welcome. The final highlight is that it is perfect and all inclusive.
6:31 the luftwaffe's "heavy bombers" lol what was the bomb load weight of these "heavies" what was the capacity of soviet American or British bombers at that time look that up and you will realize the luftwaffe never had heavy bombers
Thermopylae is actually pronounced Thermopylee.
You should mention that the Greek soldier who took down the Greek flag, he wraped himself in it and jumped from Acropolis to his death......
Konstantinos Koukidis
The Italian army was the only army that had white reverse lights on their tanks .
"Spearhead General" by Henry Maule is about General Sir Frank Messervy, a great soldier. He fought the Germans, Italians and Japanese in his career. It was at the Battle of Keren, I think, where he encountered the Italian troops whose opposition he rated as the hardest he ever experienced. He later joined Slim's 14th Army.
@5:19 the armor has a an cage built around it. does anyone know why or what it served as?
It's just a frame to put a camoflauge net over it when parked up, that is all, to not be spotted on ground nor from air.
@@huwzebediahthomas9193 awesome thanks for the reply because looking at the mounting I was like there is no way it could act as fall protection from overhead items that would make sense
@@huwzebediahthomas9193 It's actually a specialized vehicle antenna, that armor car has a larger radio setup than a standard armor car.
German Sd.Kfz.232 armored car. The cage is a radio antenna.
Images from the British fighting in Athens and the Parthenon come from the British invasion against the Greek antifascists 4 years later, December 5th 1944. Unfortunately due to this, Greece was the only European country governed by the pro Nazis after their actual defeat. It was these antifascists that inspired Churchill to say that "heroes fight like Greeks". Then he sent his bombers against them.
0:18 "...until *no* a single bullet was left"
sticking a little too close to the script there lmao
Hell yeah brother, always love a shout out to the kiwis
But for the Greek campaign, the North African campaign would have ended with all axis forces evicted from North Africa, before Japan entered the war (outside of China). Meaning enough airpower would've been available for Malaya & 2 carriers would've been available for Force Z, meaning Singapore wouldn't have been lost.
Left, left, left,right, left
🎶 My boots are heavy my belt is tight my balls are swinging from left to right…
Left, left,….
My great grandfather was in the Maori battalion and fought in crete where he also died.
You really have to admire the german army for their bravery and professionalism. Respect and RIP.
How brave do you have to be to invade a small poor country and fight an army that is both smaller and technologically inferior to yours? Requires no bravery at all. How professional is it to massacre unarmed villagers?
@@cartesian_doubt6230 Sorry that you got so brainwashed by the fake media and fake news and Hollyweird.
I’d never want to fight a bunch of angry New Zealander’s,,,,,, yeah,nope.
Kiwis can be eaten without peeling the skin off
@@cramirez3855 ouch!
That's why the Germans ran away from us they thought we were going to eat them ,the Allie's played it up to freak out the Germans
FREEDOM OR DEATH 🇬🇷 ⚔️
My Dad, a few Uncles & family friends fought in North Africa and all said that the Italians were the most laughed at army they encountered. My Biological Dad was captured by the Germans at Sidi Rezegh 1941.
Germans didn't have heavy bombers. They launched medium bombers.
It never ceases to amaze me how seemingly & utterly inept the Italian army was!
Britian never stood alone, Canada was with them so was Australia.
Exactly not all countries can have a trading partner the size of the United States. To fund their wars, money, etc.
They had the commonwealth countries it's far from alone
Interesting stuff .
7:34 ->
Athens December ‘44
The tanks are British Shermans fighting the ELAS red terrorists
its Leibstandarte not Liebstandarte, that would be something different
The 'love guard'! 🤣
You really have to admire the german army for their bravery and professionalism. They fought with honor and loyalty and even honored their enemies if they fought with bravery. Respect and RIP to the german soldiers.
yeah it was -30 celsius cold winter temperature that stopped them
Isn't odd how certain groups of people gain the reputation for heroic and steadfast military action. The Nepali ghurkas are one such... who have thought the humble kiwi would do likewise, innit? The greek has got his kebab, the sihk, their Ruby Murray but all the kiwi has got is the plain old fashioned roast leg of lamb - or shoulder of course which I prefer ! Done in a slow oven - which is funny cos that's what the greek likes too!! Don't know about the Ghurka, mind...
HOW do you let valuable diesel fuel to be captured by the enemy!???
Sabotage it when capture/overrun is imminent…. YIKES.
I'm kinda surprised how many of the german tanks in these videos are actually czech tanks LT vz. 38... Makes me wonder about the fate of blitzkrieg without München... Anyone bother to make an analysis whether he would be able to pull it off?
I can't awnser your question, but I do know the whole point of capturing the Czech republic was for there manufacturing capabilities,firearm and munition know how,I believe they say a third of all weopans the Germans used were in chzech Republic that number I believe to be a little high and steadily climbed as 1944 closed in
Simple answer, the video clips often bear no relation to the actual events being talked about, they are just stock videos.
@@lotuselansteve bravo exactly
Crazy how many individual soldiers Hitler personally fought according to WWII historians. Dude was everywhere apparently.
The "dude" was a crazy sick psychopath.
@@hariszark7396 way to get offended at a joke.
I mean dude must be tough to fight all these soldiers himself.
@@gratefulguy4130 who said I was offended?
You made a joke I made a true statement.
That's all.
Does the letter to Mussolini from Hitler actually say “blitzkrieg?” That seems to be as we have learned an allied press term as opposed to what the Germans calked it, “bevanenskrieg”
Lol. That is a weird comment. I am sure that the letter did not say any of the words that were said in the video. Why would he use english words? But the video is in english so blitzkrieg seems correct.
@@estranhokonsta of course it wouldn’t be in English you dolt but the commentary says,” in a letter to Mussolini…”
@@4OHz And? My point remains the same.
Did hitler use blitzkrieg as a word in the letter? Most probably not.
But so what? This is not a german speaking video. What is there to understand in such a basic thing?
@@estranhokonsta point taken - let’s tell the historians!
"Fallen Greek leader" sounds like it's suggested he died fighting? A bit unfortunate statement to refer to someone who died of tonsillitis.
It also sounds as if it was named after the dictator passed away, which I think is incorrect.
You could do a video on the British that were based in Vietnam who rearmed the Japanese to fight against Ho Chi Minh and the commies. Britain’s own “Vietnam war”.
The ANZACs are tough bastards. I know since my great Uncle was one. Rommel had immense respect for the Aussies and Kiwis in North Africa.
Nazis: "New Zealanders! Lay down your weapons."
New Zealanders: "Nazis! Come and get them!"
Δοξα και τιμη στους Ελληνες
interesting sight at point.
NZ 1st Scots Armoured here!! The Kiwis (New Zealanders!) were amazing!!!! 🙂😘😇
Amazing drinkers!
The Italians hearts just weren't in it, when they changed sides and fought against the Nazis they fought bravely.
There's no truth behind what you are saying
Quite the opposite. The average Italian soldier fought incredibly well given their horrible leadership, vastly outdated equipment, and overall lack of preparation for a long term war. Their sacrifices, especially on the eastern front and north africa which were enormous, are hardly given full recognition mostly due to lies and false narratives continuously pushed by modern academics. The same should be said for other European nationalities such as the French and Romanians who also fought against far superior and better equipped forces, yet still showed incredibly bravery in the face of almost impossible odds.
Greeks fight like heroes NO Heroes fight like Greek's.1940 we will never forget and never forgive.
Did you put the wrong title on this?
DID ANYONE CATCH WHO THE INSANE ONES WERE?
That is the only complaint I have about these documentaries (apart from the fact that most of the video clips bear no relation to the accompanying audio) is that the titles often don't match the content.
@@lotuselansteve That's two (2) complaints.
@@dudeonyoutube Yes but, as I said "apart from the fact etc" I knew it was two.
@@lotuselansteve Yes but, you said "That is the **only complaint**I have about these documentaries ...." CHECKMATE!
leave it to the Anzacs to hold the line 👊👍💪
Why would the allies photograph themselves next to the Acropolis? Would they risk it being bombed ?
It’s so interesting the the Germans needed to protect the Romanian oil fields from the British so they could conduct their invasion of the Soviet Union which is what wound up breaking the German army’s back. Had the British understood that they would have never dreamed of attacking the Romanian oil fields.
Frank Joseph, Mussolini’s War, Fascists Italy’s Military Struggles from Africa, and Western Europe to the Mediterranean and Soviet Union 1935 - 1945.
“Among the great misconceptions of modern times is the assumption that Benito Mussolini was Hitler's junior partner, who made no significant contributions to the Second World War. That conclusion originated with Allied propagandists determined to boost Anglo-American morale, while undermining Axis cooperation. The Duce's failings, real or imagined, were inflated and ridiculed; his successes pointedly demeaned or ignored. Italy's bungling navy, ineffectual army - as cowardly as it was ill-equipped - and air force of antiquated biplanes were handily dealt with by the Western Allies. So effective was this disinformation campaign that it became post-war history and is still generally taken for granted even by otherwise well-informed scholars and students of World War Two. But a closer examination of recently disclosed, and often neglected, original source materials present an entirely different picture...On 7 June 1942, infantry of the Italian X Corps saved Rommel's XV Brigade near Gazala, in North Africa, from otherwise certain annihilation, while horse-soldiers of the Third Cavalry Division Amedeo Duca d'Aosta defeated Soviet forces on the Don River before Stalingrad the following August in history's last cavalry charge...These and numerous other disclosures combine to debunk lingering propaganda stereotypes of inept, ineffectual Italian armed forces. That dated portrayal is rendered obsolete by a true-to-life account of the men and weapons of Mussolini's War”.
well said I see this ignorance almost everywhere. We need to purge this 100y old propaganda out and keep history accurate.
This was a campaign that Hitler did not want, Mussolini started something he could not finish, he then dragged the Wehrmacht into this campaign, diverting sorely needed personell and materials away from the Russian Front.
Read my post about Britains aide to Greece 1940
Well Hitler's fault. He didn't noticed all his attacks while the terms of alliance between Germany and Italy specifically said to do that.
So Mussolini decided to not notice this new invasion to Hitler. Also, Mussolini felt humiliated by Hitler and decided to attack Greece to show that he wasn't inferior... But by posing his fascist leadership on the head of the Italian army he vanify every chance to win that little war.
You can't put officers and generals that knows only trench warfare on the head of an army that have to push and occupy another country.
Keep the ground and wait enemy advance was their biggest mistake. Greeks had all the time to re-organize and strike back. 😑
The German luftwaffe didn't have "heavy" bombers at this time. Of The War.
7:08 is in Serbia, also when you mention Yugoslavs. I am sure you mean Serbs. The Croats and Bosnian Muslims fought with the Nazis, and Yugoslav Royal Army would have been made up of predominantly Serbs and Macedonians. Albanians also fought with the Nazis, as did the Bulgarians and Turks.