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When you, an American, need to go to France and fight alongside British, Indian, and other allied soldiers in Belgium against the Germans because some Serb shot an Austrian in Sarajevo.
It’s important to note too, that the Marines were among the few already battle hardened forces the US sent. They had fought in the Battle of Veracruz earlier that year, as well as many parts of the Banana Wars. GySgt Dan Daly was already a two time MOH recipient when he fought the Battle of Belleau Wood. He told his Marines “C’mon you sons of bitches… do you want to live forever?”
If I remember correct arnt there only two marines who got the medal of honor twice? Him, Smedley Butler. Smedley Butler was a real character wrote a book after the military “war is a racket” effectively calling out the whole military industrial complex and all the wars he fought in. “I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.”
My great grandpa had his illiterate Native American mother sign a paper saying he was 18...or as she told them "he was a man now, capable of being warrior." He was only 16...but the Army took him in and sent him to the 336th Field Artillery, then to France from May 1918 to September 1918. When he returned, she always said he saw and did things that the bravest warriors would be changed by. Changed he was, but he always told my grandpa he never let it affect him on the inside. "All the water in the world can't sink a ship, until it gets inside of it." Thanks for this. I will never forget you Great Grandpa Brown...
Your great grandfather was one of the reasons captured Germans would ask to see the semi-automatic howitzers. We didn't have a semi-automatic howitzer, American artillerymen just reloaded their pieces that fast.
I would like to see a video about the American fire and flame regiment, this regiment not only dealt with experimental flamethrowers but was also the main highlight of the American gas research program that made Americas chemical weapons during the war, this regiment also had the nickname of "the hellfire boys", there is a book on them named hellfire boys if you want to check it out
The refusal to retreat has a pleasing after-echo during the Battle of the Bulge in the next war, when the Germans demanded the Americans surrender, only to get the famous "nuts" reply. Fresh to the fight and relatively inexperienced compared to the veteran French and British troops, perhaps, but certainly not short of determination and courage.
They weren't exhausted from war at that point. When it's not your own city they're blasting to pieces courage tends to stay higher. A new belligerent entering a conflict tends to have this advantage while demoralising the enemy, resulting in similar success
My great grandfather volunteered and went to fight in Europe during WW1. He fought during the Meuse-Argonne offensive, and eventually he did come home after 1919 after being stationed within Germany after the end of the war. According to my family, he came back a very different man from what he was before volunteering absolutely refusing to talk about the war unless it was to my great uncle, who fought in WW2. The war really changed people. He survived multiple gas attacks and it is assumed he only survived because he was such a good shot, growing up as a Texas plains settler in the late 1800s to early 1900s.
not to tarnish the grandfather or anyhting but "good shot"? what difference does that make when you're marching into gas clouds, artillery bombardments and machine gun fire? Being last in the column probably serves you better than being able to aim.
@@keegobricks9734 To be honest I'm not sure because I didn't know him personally. To add to your question though, my father recalled him being able to shoot a quarter close to 300 yards away with an open sight rifle back during the early 1970s. If he was able to do that as an 80 plus yr old man, I wonder what he could do in his prime. He had extremely good eyesight from what I was told by my grandfather which was his son, and my father, which was his grandson.
I have a great and personal interest in WWI. My great uncle fought in WWI. A member of the 77th "Liberty" Division, he was a member of the company that was on the right flank of the famous "Lost Battalion" in the Argonne when they were cut off, and as a member of that outfit, finally helped to rescue them. He was killed a couple of weeks later, as his outfit fought it's way through the Argonne. Whenever I visit the National WWI Museum & Memorial here in Kansas City where I live, and I walk over the glass walkway extended over a field of poppies at the entrance, it never fails to hit me, that he is one of them. An entire lifetime not lived, children not had, grandchildren never born, and cousins I never met, all taken away in a woodland in western France, 104 years ago. Oh, and P.S... He and the rest of my family were 3rd generation German Americans.
l also developed an interest in WW1, my great grandfather was a Brig General in the AEF, his brother a Captain, they were Ohio National Gaurd. The old man was also a Major in Cuba, we've got his 30/40 Krag and his .45 Colt from WW1. My dad was stationed in France in the early 60s, we visited a lot of the battlefields, l was young but it left a lasting impression.
My great grandfather also fought in that battle as a volunteer for the US. He was fortunate enough to come home after the war, but many he fought with did not. Recently I visited the Arlington memorial for the WW1 soldiers, and it really hits you with the magnitude and scale of death, even though the US wasn't anywhere close to the losses of the other nations involved.
My great grandfather was a 4th generation German and he fought in ww2 in all fronts except the Japanese theater. Can't imagine going against people you're probably related to.
@@utopiaOKC I know, it makes you wonder, my great grandfathers family came here from Germany in the 1850s, he fought against them in WW1, would have loved to have met him, gotten his thoughts on many things. We've got a lot of his personal belongings, some cool things, we have stationary with AEF letterheads that he used for correspondence with the family back home. His style of writing is a work of art in itself, elegance would come to mind.
My great grandmother's uncle (great great great uncle?) apparently had respiratory issues for the rest of his life after mild exposure to a gas attack he suffered during the war, but unfortunately there'snot much specific info that I have on him.
During Bellau Wood, the Germans thought they had the advantage with Bellau Wood being seen as home turf by them. However, the marines fighting there were mostly composed of boys from Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and West Virginia.
To those who may not understand the original post, the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia are mostly thick woodlands. Most of the common population in those states practically grow up hunting and fishing in the forest.
This is one of the reasons America is just one step above everyone else militarily, it's a very large and naturally diverse in landscape and temperature, no matter where in the world, America has people who've grew up in those conditions.
@@ecrradio7620 Except Asian jungles, and probably Africa desserts, we didn't see them fight in places like that more than in the African campaign of WW-II.
I was a Marine. On our Med. deployment we were in France and visited the Belleau Wood battlefield and cemetery. It was very emotional for some young Marines. The guys who fought in that battle were held on a pedestal and set the example we were expected to live up to.
Look up The Great War video series on UA-cam. They so it week by week, and they started 100 years from the actual time it started. It is a long series, but very detailed.
@@xgcskiman and Indy and Spartacus are doing it again on the channel World War 2, for, well, World War 2. TimeGhost is their main channel, where they branch out into even more
i just want to compliment the animators on the accuracy of the animations. from the green/brown color of the us uniforms, the greener m1917 helmets, khaki gear, and the little details like the collor insignia and sight hoods on the springfield rifles. you dont often see such attention to detail from animations. bravo!
Cool history note, Capt. Lloyd Williams was the Company Commander of the 51st Company, also known as Golf Company, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines. The man who reportedly coined the Battalions motto of "Retreat Hell". I've been blessed with serving in that Battalion and Company. Lot's of rich history.
Well US involvement was finally a burden to France as they didn't helped winning the war and it only meant that France couldn't push Uk to dismantle Germany as it was not a 50/50 but 33/33/33 treaty that had to get american interest in perspective, there involvement is the cause of ww2 as the treaty wasn't harsh enough on Germany.
@@Jo-MM Are you joking ? Germany stoIe land from France after the Franco prussian in 1871, and France paid 5 billions gold marks witch is 779 000 000 000 € today and France paid it in 3 YEARS and France didn't became Nazl because of it, while the treaty of Versailles asked for less than half that cost to Germany for a war that destroyed hundreds of Km of the most fertile lands in Europe still to this day and they refused to repay a fraction of the cost 40 years after what France gave them in 1871 by becoming Nazls.
I remember back in boot camp on Parris Island they taught us about Dan Daly, Smedly Butler, and the 5th Marines. They told us we had to be willing to fight as hard those guys and not give up. In fact during bayonet training they told us to imagine we were in Belleau Wood. Which was kinda funny as we had a guy in my platoon who flew in from Bavaria to join the Corps.
Nowadays, that extolling of Marine deeds is probably cancelled because Marine heroes are insufficiently diverse and do not recognize the contribution of LGBT+ soldiers
@@bkboy8259 Maybe the rock you live under does not have access to TV but the US produced recruiting ads that put more emphasis on the hypothetical recruit having two mommies and with efforts to have every statue to anyone torn down because everyone is less than perfect and not in alignment with the Woke movement, extoling early Marines (all white guys) is not allowed
This was a traumatizing experience for us, my great grand father Joseph Albert Volz, born in Coldwater, Ohio, decided to fight in WW1, he was somewhere in Germany at the time and was fighting against his cousins himself, when the german army charged his trenches with his whole battalion, the whole battalion was wiped out, with a result of Joseph being shot in the leg, as a pile of his comrades dead, he decided to hide in the bodies of his dead battalion. However, when he returned to Ohio, as one asked "where's the rest of the battalion..?" during a parade of a costing victory. I don't have any records of a battle he was in, but his stories lived on till my great aunt died last year at Indian Lake. The 78th Infantry Division was known as "Lightning."
If anyone wants to learn about the Statue of Liberty Division being trapped in the Argonne, there’s actually a movie about it called The Lost Battalion. Really cool movie.
@@WatchmyPlaylist. Some movies actually shed light on historical events and have encouraged people to research said event. So if anything they kind of do.
@@zirofastable So is the way of war; however, the Marines refusal to retreat helped to halt the Germans renewed offensive. A defensive action will ALWAYS take less casualties than a routed unit.
Sure that's war, but also fighting while having high moral vs low moral makes a huge difference in survival rates and success. I'd say that statement boosted moral heavily which resulted in less deaths than there would have been. Especially in a retreat getting shot in the backs.
Nice video. I am reading an encyclopedia about WW1 and something interesting which I never heard before were the last words of Erzberger the german signer of the armistice " A nation of 70 million suffers, but it does not die"
15:18 There's a pretty good interview from an American WW1 vet. He noticed that there were actually Spanish Flu cases on the boat to France. But the main focus at that time was the war effort. And medicine back then wasn't as knowledgeable about the flu as it is today.
Studies dating back to the 90s have tracked the spread and mutation of the "Spanish" flu, an interesting factor is that when the virus finally made its way back to China the persons had already been inoculated against a weaker variant and the effects on the Chinese were far less severe. I'm anti-"West", you're just wrong.
@@secretname4190 Lol, if only you knew how dumb this sounded. American history in school is practically all about "why america actually bad, evil! you should hate america!" But I guess we can't all be jealous losers from insignificant countries like belgium. Some of us have to actually write history instead of just surrendering :)
Another famous quote during the Battle of Belleau Wood is said by two Medal of Honor recipient, Dan Daly, “C’mon you sons of b!tches! Do you want to live forever?!” As well of the famous Harlem Hellfighters motto, "Don't tread on me! Goddamn! Let's go!"
@@OP5redsolocup Friedrich II said something similar 150 years prior during the battle of Kolin "Hunde wollt ihr ewig leben", or in English "Dogs, do you want to live forever?
So many untold parts of ww1 history , well done. My mother's father my grandpa . Was 1 of 6 engineers who made way for the troops at the battle of the Argonne forrest. He an 1 other solider . Surrived there for 2 weeks before being relieved. Both injured they tended to their own wounds. Grandfather died with a tank shell still in his leg .salute to all the dough boys .
Sadly, in America, it's all that's taught. In US schools they just teach about why the war started, why we joined, and Versailles. Everything else is either ignored outright or extremely Anglocentric with barely any mention to our French allies and the Russian collapses. It's a very interesting thing to learn about from various perspectives, I love seeing this in depth type stuff too :)
@@arfyego0682 that's because everything else about it is irrelevant to US history classes. If the kid wants to learn more about it, the kid should sign up for the world history class instead.
@@arfyego0682 That’s literally not true at all. If you actually went to school in the US you’d know. Europeans act like we don’t learn anything but US history it’s a weird bias I’ve never understood.
My great great great uncle Bernhard Herman Bolt, was born in Prussia and moved to America with his entire family when he was 4 years old and his father was naturalized (it doesn't say if Bernhard did or not but I would assume so). After Graduating from high school he joined the Army (he was in Company k, 28th infantry) and fought in the defense of France. Bernhard died of wounds received from a mine while taking a enemy trench where "Privat Bolt on May 18, 1918 was a member of a patrol consisting of an officer and four men, who with great daring entered a dangerous portion of the enemy trenches. (news paper clipping cuts it off for a bit) off the enemy rescuing party and made their way back to our lines with four prisoners, from whom valuable information was obtained. He died of wounds received in this expedition" he was only 19 when he died. Bernhard was latter awarded posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. (which was latter stolen by my grandpa's baby sitter along with the other medals Bernhard had earned)
1) Thank you for your service & sacrifice, Private Bernhard Herman Bolt. 2) Once a parent is naturalized, their children (so long as they are still minors), automatically become citizens.
Great video as always. Here in America we learn little about The Great War. So often a subnote or asterisk between learning about the American Civil War and time spent on WWII and the Holocaust.
7:58 My friend and I both have German-American heritage. His family was one of the few in our area who didn't Anglicanise their last name. As for my family, they just removed the lone asterisk in our name. And called it good. -Also: I think this is why the "Immigrant Paradox" exists. It was a defense mechanism from xenophobia. That had unintentional added benefits.
@@j.b.3502 yes. I can’t argue with you on that but they still sunk a neutral ship with no actual proof there were any munitions on it. Also the Zimmermann telegram existed, which… you know… was pretty much an unofficial declaration of war
@@j.b.3502 the Lusitania had nothing to do with what Eks is talking about. Ecks is talking about xenophobia. You're talking about something else entirely
@@M1chael42O1 Nah I'm just pointing out a fact that the armchair dude left out of the video. It was allied propaganda that implied the Lusitania was a civilian liner. Not many people know this so I'm pointing it out.
Something that gets kinda overlooked is that JP Morgan was basically the broker between the US government and the Allies because their central bank wasn't as equipped to handle the large and numerous wartime transactions and receipts. He was probably the most powerful American who ever lived during this time, overseeing more money than anyone other than Napoleon in recent times, and positioning the US's global financial interests as the head of a private company. If you wanna understand modern finance as it pertains to the US, look at one of the mostly quietly powerful humans to ever live.
I had no idea about the backroom dealings of the neutral trade with Germany getting blocked by the British nor about the atrocities done to Germans in America. This was enlightening.
Lusitania wasnt fully under law,They carried ton of amunition sicretly smugeling it in to Brittania,british did this to lots of it ships and germamy had justification to sink that ship. Also Lusitania carried lot of amunition during its years while passanger ship
I always thought the most interesting part about America in WW1 is that it could have easily joined the Central Powers had Americans had more of an issue with the British blockade and had the American government protested it more. Many Americans were still somewhat unfriendly towards Britain, but not France, Russia, or Germany. All it would have taken were a few changes and we could have seen America joining Germany and Austria-Hungary instead of Britain and France.
Wilson collaborated with The British to drag us into the War while claiming neutrality, backroom deals of arms and equipment and funds while excluding Germany from economic potential, then “armed neutrality” to Germany’s response to America and British bs and it was a cascading set of dominos set to align and fall. The Zimmerman telegraph is incredibly suspect as well and how it was handled and portrayed, all so convenient. Wilson was a little pompous rat and one of the worst Presidents to date. Neutrality my ass, more like plausible deniability while doing everything you say your against, zero integrity and honor.
Having America join the Central Powers means that Britain has done something really bad for the US Government to consider an alliance with Germany. The most realistic scenario for a anti-British US is total neutrality...
@@Anthony-jo7up It would have been a lot harder for America. Remember Germany had a weak navy and mainly used subs to hit and run on merchants. Britain at the time was THE navy power of the world. Any American assault on Britain would have had to fight through the Royal Navy at its zenith. France also wasn't a pushover navally. Its questionable whether American troops would have even been able to arrive in Europe. The most likely outcome would be American economic support to Germany and a conventional invasion of Canada, due to non-viability of European invasion.
While President Wilson did do some decent things, it is important to remember that he was a horrible individual even by the standards of his time. He was a racist who brought back segregation and imprisoned and deported his political opposition.
But at that point, it would be better to do a WW2 video from the perspective of the entire British Empire (minus the UK). The Empire and the Royal Navy guarding it are the real unsung heroes; from the Indian subcontinent to the Carribeans.
I love your videos Griff. As a history aficionado there’s always something new to learn from this channel. You and Professor Felton make UA-cam a much better place.
Seeing all these comments about their schools not teaching WW1 makes me appreciate my favorite high school teacher even more. I remember his morning lectures would inspire everyone just with his enthusiasm alone. He would explain entire battles in full detail, and even read chapters from “All quiet on the western front” so we would get a better perspective of a soldier’s point of view. Shoutout to you Mr Frank.
Sounds like a great teacher. I’ve always felt that WW1 is too often overshadowed by its successor. WW2 was more clear cut morally, which is why we see it in media more, but WW1 was the seminal catastrophe
The Sinking of the Lusitania, as it turns out, was entirely avoidable. The Germans issued a warning in advance before the ship even made it's way to Europe, as it had been public knowledge that the Lusitania would carry ammunitions for the Entente. Then the German U-Boats contacted the ship, demanding it to avoid British waters or be attacked. The captain of the Lusitania opted to be attacked... Now the Zimmerman Telegram, at the time of Congress' decision it was not actually entirely decoded. The Zimmerman Telegram was requesting a military alliance in case of a US entry into the way, and that Mexico's participation would be rewarded by territorial gains of former lost lands. In effect you could call this an invasion. It would be tied however, to the US already being a party to the war.
the U.S. wasn't neutral, a side was already picked, Zimmerman Telegram and Lusitania were just the catalysts to sending troops themselves overseas, not just supplies and equipment just my take on your comment is all
My great great uncle fought in the Meuse Argonne offensive, he sadly died in the fight. what is interesting though is that we still have his uniform from WW1.
@@LanMandragon1720 it's not that they weren't that strong. They had a larger army, larger navy, and they still maintained a sizeable empire. Not to mention their army came standard issued with Mauser bolt action rifles while ours had Springfield trapdoor rifles, Krags and muskets. What gave us an edge was the political divide in Cuba, PR and the Philippines which we exploited.
I'm surprised you didn't mention that the battle of Belleau woods is also where the US Marines got the moniker "Devil Dogs" cause of the Germans referring to them as "Tuefel Hunden" which roughly translates to Devil Hounds.
That doesn’t seem to be true. Around six weeks before the battle of belleau woods articles, which mentioned that the germans called the marines « Teufel Hunden» (devil dogs) started to appear in american newspapers. And there is no evidence that the germans ever used this term for the marines or any other part of the us armed forces, which is supported by the fact that « Teufel Hunden » is actually grammatically incorrect it should be « Teufel Hunde ». So it seems very likely that american journalists and not the germans gave the marines their nickname.
@@karlfriedmann5320 agreed, only that Teufel Hunde is still not correct. We use "Teufelshund"for singular and "Teufelshunde" for plural. The other two sound weird af for native Germans :D
16:56 I decided to check on that one out of curiosity. It’s the one where the Central Powers renounce Eastern Front claims, and allow them to determine their own fate.
As an American who’s pretty well read up on history it was my favorite class in school and I love historical documentaries and all that I can’t help but still but feel biases against the countries who took part against us in WW2
As always a great video from one of the greatest history channels on UA-cam. This video is extra interesting for me since my maternal grandmother's uncle fought for United States in World War I. He had emigrated to America from Sweden before he got drafted, and he survived the war. Me and my mum is doing some genealogy.
GEN Pershing is also responsible for the creation of the U.S. Army Band in Washington, D.C. While in Europe during the war, he noticed that the European military bands were better than the American ones, so he ordered the creation of a premier Army band. The U.S. Army Band is nicknamed “Pershing’s Own” in his honor.
Can you do a video that explains how Oliver Cromwell rose through the ranks during the English Civil Wars and how he reigned as a Military Dictator as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth?
Well US involvement was finally a burden to France as they didn't helped winning the war and it only meant that France couldn't push Uk to dismantle Germany as it was not a 50/50 but 33/33/33 treaty that had to get american interest in perspective, there involvement is the cause of ww2 as the treaty wasn't harsh enough on Germany.
@@ommsterlitz1805 the treaty was the direct cause of ww2 not the US also the soviets helped germany get around the treaty to build its military back. ww1 wasnt like ww2, it wasnt a complete victory it was a ceasefire.
@@chaosacsend9653 Are you joking ? Germany stoIe land from France after the Franco prussian in 1871, and France paid 5 billions gold marks witch is 779 000 000 000 € today and France paid it in 3 YEARS and France didn't became Nazl because of it, while the treaty of Versailles asked for less than half that cost to Germany for a war that destroyed hundreds of Km of the most fertile lands in Europe still to this day and they refused to repay a fraction of the cost 40 years after what France gave them in 1871 by becoming Nazls. And with no US involvement in ww1 preventing France from making Germany into many small nations under French and british influences there would have been no Germany to fight in ww2
@@gabriel.b9036 Yes because they tried to print more to pay debt but since France and Uk asked for gold it had no effect and only made their situation worse, like I said Germany destroyed France economy by asking such war reparations, it was only fair for France to ask at least for the return yet they only asked half of it which they still didn't managed to repay, this economic situation indeed made people think that someone must have stolen all that money France gave and they accused the jews, so no Germany economic problems have nothing in common with the war as they were supposed to have much more than what France and Uk asked from them, the question should were all of the gold they got went and wasn't it made so France would never get it back, many historians also wonder where all the gold they stole in ww2 went, and i can think of a vault called Switzerland that was one of the poorest countries in Europe before ww1 and now have one of the highest wealth per capita in the world strangely.
@@SStupendous It's not that inaccurate. Almost all the kit in the game was either historical or limited production. Only a few guns were entirely experimental.
@@pax6833 You didn't get the point, did you? Who cares if only a "few guns were experimental"? Plenty of the guns in general in the game are far from common, regardless of how tested they were... Come on. People were definitely not walking around with half of the guns in the game.
i had to do a study on the paintings by otto dix, a ww1 veteran. the things i saw on those paintings were beyond disturbing, and what makes it even worse is knowing that he saw all of those things in real life. the things those poor soldiers must have witnessed.
@@AverageWagie2024considering the bravery they showed for a country who considered them sub-human, I'd say they exceeded. You are true to your name though.
@@escomape5390 They weren't considered subhuman, that's just an outright lie. And compared to many other far more effective and generally braver and more impressive units they get more of a highlight solely because they're black.
@@shadowyshadow6498 very interesting, take but nope since the very beginning Africans were sold and taken to the u.s they were considering not human, you simply cannot justify slavery without making the victim seem not human or lesser. Also this did happen to be one of the greatest eras for eugenics an inheritly flawed and wrong practice (at this time) And you are sitting in your grandma's couch eating patatichips probably weighing in at 300 pounds. you don't determine who is braver, also braver? What do you mean by that, if you are brave you are brave, these people went miles away from their towns to fight for a country that treated them lesser than human and fought for people like you to have the right to have this discussion on your phone. The get recognition for their bravery which both the French and Germans did recognize. After looking through your comment history I no longer wish to have a respectful conversation with you. Hopefully in some years you will grow out of this rather pathetic phase but until then remember those folks fought for more than your existence is worth.
Wilson pushed for a "fourteen points" that effectively ended colonial Europe and argued for self determination in Europe and worldwide. Point #6 was Wilson's perogative to get Europeans out of Russia and allow Russia to develop independently as an equal nation. This was one of the points that was largely accepted and set the backdrop for the current state of affairs. The hope was to get the Allies back out of Russia and to have a free Russia run by Kolchak. Kolchak was unfortunately the wrong horse to back and proved fairly socially unpopular and to lean autocratic. One big mistake was not fighting for the self-determination of the western territories from Russia itself as well, but the US did manage to reform Poland which had been run over. Even with the threat of bolshevism and betrayal in early WWII, the US fought arduously in the 20th century for the safety and independence of Russia, viewing it as an oppressed peoples by central Europe. Rather than an opponent of Russians, the US always opposed the "red movement" and supported the Russian people underneath it, even against European allies... not that you will hear any of this from Russians today. Most are simply unaware, and Americans and Europeans aren't keen to remember either given how bitter it all turned out. Europe gave up her empires while Russia dreams up a new one.
My great great grandfather was in the marine corps during the war, and I never met him, but my mother told me that had a very rough voice and couldn’t breathe well because of exposure to mustard gas, and he also had extreme ptsd
I am almost sixty, now. My father fought in the South Pacific in WWII. I was born late ('66) When I was a lad, there was a gentleman who lived just up the hill, who had fought in the Bellou Wood in WWI. He was one of the sweetest persons I've ever met. He wouldn't talk about the war. But then, my dad wouldn't either. Respect.
One of my ancestors fought in the great war in France along with his French & British brothers against the Germans and Austria-Hungarians, it’s been passed throughout generations and what hit me the most is that he basically passed it to his son and daughter that quote “All wars are civil wars as all humans are brothers and sisters” and this aswell: “The French and British have been instrumental in our history, good and bad. France fought for our independence and for our revolution, we own them a debt which we can never repay them and we paid in blood!” this is something he truly believed in and was a Franco-phile for his whole life, back in his day history of foreign powers meddling in America was still reported on a lot and focus was a lot about British imperialism then it is now. He saw the British as brothers and as honourable fighters, but saw the London Establishment as corrupt and evil throughout his life. A thought he also kept having till his passing which was way too soon, and was tragically common for the time.
Hi! you did start this Video off with economics, could you please do a follow-up on the profound impact this war had on the American Economy? The Browning Company switching from Sewing-machines to weapons production is just the most prominent example. The inter-war Time still did have some of the Production lines running to utilize the lessons learned, but it was in and especially after WW2 that construction of war materiel really took off. The possibility of Exporting these goods as well as the the developing cold-war played a major part in this development! I´m from Austria and always find it fascinating to speculate how history might have evolved it WW1 never did happen!
Please do a video about the French perspective in WW1! That war is one of the most heroic pyrrhic victories in history for them, and by the end of the war the French Army specifically is a prototype for how things will look in WW2- a la combined arms attack using Tanks, Aircraft, and Infantry.
@@whisperingchild5389 Oh yeah? I guess that's why they have won the most wars in recorded history? Read up on WW1 and come back and tell me they were not heroic. Start with the battle of the Marne.
@@seanlander9321 Do you really believe that Australia did more in WW1 than France or British soldiers on the Entente side? Are you this much brainwashed?
I love these videos. I've been a massive fan for years! So much so that I actually made my own channel (it focuses on History as well) thank you for the inspiration! I wish I had the same cartoon style you have but... I'm just a small UA-camr
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Why was this video re-uploaded?
@@iamantrometik Joining question
So when you gonna make the ww2 from China perspective?
Why was this video taken down and re-uploaded? I noticed that it doesn't have the opening song of Over There
@@koneal2000 maybe copyright?
When you, an American, need to go to France and fight alongside British, Indian, and other allied soldiers in Belgium against the Germans because some Serb shot an Austrian in Sarajevo.
Don’t you hate it when that happens.
@@joshuamattingly1232 Shiet[German Ww 2 refference] happens(idk), mate[gallipoli refference].
And then some jackass overreacted and decided to start conquering the world at the expense of lives of thousands.
You forgot Australian and New Zealand
Truly a world war
It’s important to note too, that the Marines were among the few already battle hardened forces the US sent. They had fought in the Battle of Veracruz earlier that year, as well as many parts of the Banana Wars. GySgt Dan Daly was already a two time MOH recipient when he fought the Battle of Belleau Wood. He told his Marines “C’mon you sons of bitches… do you want to live forever?”
He really should have gotten his third MOH for that battle.
Strange he didn't get shot by one of thous soldiers for calling their mothers bitches?
If I remember correct arnt there only two marines who got the medal of honor twice? Him, Smedley Butler. Smedley Butler was a real character wrote a book after the military “war is a racket” effectively calling out the whole military industrial complex and all the wars he fought in. “I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.”
Marines, 1st Cav Division, and a couple infantry regiments were the only battle tested troops we had, and the Cav was mostly skirmishes.
Semper fi
My great grandpa had his illiterate Native American mother sign a paper saying he was 18...or as she told them "he was a man now, capable of being warrior." He was only 16...but the Army took him in and sent him to the 336th Field Artillery, then to France from May 1918 to September 1918. When he returned, she always said he saw and did things that the bravest warriors would be changed by. Changed he was, but he always told my grandpa he never let it affect him on the inside. "All the water in the world can't sink a ship, until it gets inside of it." Thanks for this. I will never forget you Great Grandpa Brown...
Great warrior he was indeed, respect to your great grandfather.
That’s one hell of a saying
Your great grandfather was one of the reasons captured Germans would ask to see the semi-automatic howitzers.
We didn't have a semi-automatic howitzer, American artillerymen just reloaded their pieces that fast.
@@t.m.1502 that never happened
I had two relatives. One was fourteen and the other was fifty-one. The former lived and the latter died. Both stormed Vimy.
I would like to see a video about the American fire and flame regiment, this regiment not only dealt with experimental flamethrowers but was also the main highlight of the American gas research program that made Americas chemical weapons during the war, this regiment also had the nickname of "the hellfire boys", there is a book on them named hellfire boys if you want to check it out
Agreed 👍🏻
@@sunnycat69 lol
Flamethrowers are such a underrated weapon.
@@itsblitz4437 yes
see when the Germans do it its not okay but when america does it its suddenly acceptable? You are susceptible to propaganda.
The refusal to retreat has a pleasing after-echo during the Battle of the Bulge in the next war, when the Germans demanded the Americans surrender, only to get the famous "nuts" reply. Fresh to the fight and relatively inexperienced compared to the veteran French and British troops, perhaps, but certainly not short of determination and courage.
That is the Battle of Bastogne of 101 Airborne.
McClaude Auliffe, yeah
Proof american troops can get the job done as long as they got courage and comrades
They weren't exhausted from war at that point. When it's not your own city they're blasting to pieces courage tends to stay higher. A new belligerent entering a conflict tends to have this advantage while demoralising the enemy, resulting in similar success
@@rockstar450 alright if I throw you to a meat grinder regardless of how long you or the opponent has been fighting I fully expect you to win
My great grandfather volunteered and went to fight in Europe during WW1. He fought during the Meuse-Argonne offensive, and eventually he did come home after 1919 after being stationed within Germany after the end of the war. According to my family, he came back a very different man from what he was before volunteering absolutely refusing to talk about the war unless it was to my great uncle, who fought in WW2. The war really changed people. He survived multiple gas attacks and it is assumed he only survived because he was such a good shot, growing up as a Texas plains settler in the late 1800s to early 1900s.
I often wish they would talk about it more.
Maybe it would help us stop making the same mistakes.
My Great Grandfather was in the British Army during WW1 ( family hadn’t immigrated yet ). Glad he survived, trench warfare must have been miserable.
@@MostlyPennyCatdude if compartmentalization is how they function, let it be.
not to tarnish the grandfather or anyhting but "good shot"? what difference does that make when you're marching into gas clouds, artillery bombardments and machine gun fire? Being last in the column probably serves you better than being able to aim.
@@keegobricks9734 To be honest I'm not sure because I didn't know him personally. To add to your question though, my father recalled him being able to shoot a quarter close to 300 yards away with an open sight rifle back during the early 1970s. If he was able to do that as an 80 plus yr old man, I wonder what he could do in his prime. He had extremely good eyesight from what I was told by my grandfather which was his son, and my father, which was his grandson.
I have a great and personal interest in WWI. My great uncle fought in WWI. A member of the 77th "Liberty" Division, he was a member of the company that was on the right flank of the famous "Lost Battalion" in the Argonne when they were cut off, and as a member of that outfit, finally helped to rescue them. He was killed a couple of weeks later, as his outfit fought it's way through the Argonne. Whenever I visit the National WWI Museum & Memorial here in Kansas City where I live, and I walk over the glass walkway extended over a field of poppies at the entrance, it never fails to hit me, that he is one of them. An entire lifetime not lived, children not had, grandchildren never born, and cousins I never met, all taken away in a woodland in western France, 104 years ago.
Oh, and P.S... He and the rest of my family were 3rd generation German Americans.
l also developed an interest in WW1, my great grandfather was a Brig General in the AEF, his brother a Captain, they were Ohio National Gaurd. The old man was also a Major in Cuba, we've got his 30/40 Krag and his .45 Colt from WW1. My dad was stationed in France in the early 60s, we visited a lot of the battlefields, l was young but it left a lasting impression.
My great grandfather also fought in that battle as a volunteer for the US. He was fortunate enough to come home after the war, but many he fought with did not. Recently I visited the Arlington memorial for the WW1 soldiers, and it really hits you with the magnitude and scale of death, even though the US wasn't anywhere close to the losses of the other nations involved.
My great grandfather was a 4th generation German and he fought in ww2 in all fronts except the Japanese theater. Can't imagine going against people you're probably related to.
@@utopiaOKC I know, it makes you wonder, my great grandfathers family came here from Germany in the 1850s, he fought against them in WW1, would have loved to have met him, gotten his thoughts on many things. We've got a lot of his personal belongings, some cool things, we have stationary with AEF letterheads that he used for correspondence with the family back home. His style of writing is a work of art in itself, elegance would come to mind.
My great grandmother's uncle (great great great uncle?) apparently had respiratory issues for the rest of his life after mild exposure to a gas attack he suffered during the war, but unfortunately there'snot much specific info that I have on him.
During Bellau Wood, the Germans thought they had the advantage with Bellau Wood being seen as home turf by them. However, the marines fighting there were mostly composed of boys from Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas and West Virginia.
To those who may not understand the original post, the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia are mostly thick woodlands. Most of the common population in those states practically grow up hunting and fishing in the forest.
This is one of the reasons America is just one step above everyone else militarily, it's a very large and naturally diverse in landscape and temperature, no matter where in the world, America has people who've grew up in those conditions.
@@ecrradio7620 except jungles
@@ecrradio7620 Except Asian jungles, and probably Africa desserts, we didn't see them fight in places like that more than in the African campaign of WW-II.
@@DarthFhenix55 Does Arizona, Texas, California, etc count?
I was a Marine. On our Med. deployment we were in France and visited the Belleau Wood battlefield and cemetery. It was very emotional for some young Marines. The guys who fought in that battle were held on a pedestal and set the example we were expected to live up to.
Just finished watching "They Shall Not Grow Old " two days ago. Been researching a bunch about WW1 so this released just in time.
Look up The Great War video series on UA-cam. They so it week by week, and they started 100 years from the actual time it started. It is a long series, but very detailed.
@@xgcskiman One of the best series on UA-cam, especially all their special episodes and “who did what in ww1”
Movie was kinda overrated
@@xgcskiman and Indy and Spartacus are doing it again on the channel World War 2, for, well, World War 2. TimeGhost is their main channel, where they branch out into even more
Me too. The British and Germans look the same people. That was a pointless brother war
Massive respect to the Harlem Hellfighters, those boys never got the praise they deserved in that era
Not a word about them in the American education system (among other unsung heroes)
@@EnigmaEnginseer Well tbf my high school never even mentioned WW1
@@EnigmaEnginseer I mean we learned about them.
"Hear the toll of the bell. Over 6 months in hell. Hellfighters earning their name"
@@EnigmaEnginseer are you in Highschool? We talked about them here with lots of respect
i just want to compliment the animators on the accuracy of the animations. from the green/brown color of the us uniforms, the greener m1917 helmets, khaki gear, and the little details like the collor insignia and sight hoods on the springfield rifles. you dont often see such attention to detail from animations. bravo!
I really like the Spy Vs. Spy references you use to portray the German spies as. I’d really like to see more of him in future episodes.
Cool history note,
Capt. Lloyd Williams was the Company Commander of the 51st Company, also known as Golf Company, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines. The man who reportedly coined the Battalions motto of "Retreat Hell".
I've been blessed with serving in that Battalion and Company. Lot's of rich history.
I served in the Navy on a ship named the Belleau Wood(LHA-3)from 1987-89. It was the 2nd ship named after the WW1 battle.
So glad you made a video on WW1 but America's viewpoint and involvement on it. Thank you Griffin 😊 and your team!
Peter Griffin (lol)
@@JLL_29 You’re so funny dude
Well US involvement was finally a burden to France as they didn't helped winning the war and it only meant that France couldn't push Uk to dismantle Germany as it was not a 50/50 but 33/33/33 treaty that had to get american interest in perspective, there involvement is the cause of ww2 as the treaty wasn't harsh enough on Germany.
@@ommsterlitz1805 The treaty was too harsh on Germany.
@@Jo-MM Are you joking ? Germany stoIe land from France after the Franco prussian in 1871, and France paid 5 billions gold marks witch is 779 000 000 000 € today and France paid it in 3 YEARS and France didn't became Nazl because of it, while the treaty of Versailles asked for less than half that cost to Germany for a war that destroyed hundreds of Km of the most fertile lands in Europe still to this day and they refused to repay a fraction of the cost 40 years after what France gave them in 1871 by becoming Nazls.
Always look forward to these. The animation has gotten really good over the past couple years.
I agree. I love to see the evolution of this channel.
As a USMC vet I love who you did this and love our history! The proud history we carry is insane and will stand the test of time
Did you ever train with the Royal Marines?
Always been curious about the differences between the two arms.
Kool-aid drinker.
@@soisaidtogod4248
Nah, we're just smarter than nobodies like you
I remember back in boot camp on Parris Island they taught us about Dan Daly, Smedly Butler, and the 5th Marines. They told us we had to be willing to fight as hard those guys and not give up. In fact during bayonet training they told us to imagine we were in Belleau Wood. Which was kinda funny as we had a guy in my platoon who flew in from Bavaria to join the Corps.
Nowadays, that extolling of Marine deeds is probably cancelled because Marine heroes are insufficiently diverse and do not recognize the contribution of LGBT+ soldiers
@@johnhannibal5108 tf are you talking about?
@@bkboy8259 Maybe the rock you live under does not have access to TV but the US produced recruiting ads that put more emphasis on the hypothetical recruit having two mommies and with efforts to have every statue to anyone torn down because everyone is less than perfect and not in alignment with the Woke movement, extoling early Marines (all white guys) is not allowed
@@johnhannibal5108 Y'know what needs cancelation? Toxic LGBT+ people too.
Did they teach you how to run your bayonet through an enemy combatants chest before blasting him point-blank in the face with your rifle ala 14:35 😳💀
“Retreat?! Hell, we just got here.” I’ll admit that got me chuckling a bit
This was a traumatizing experience for us, my great grand father Joseph Albert Volz, born in Coldwater, Ohio, decided to fight in WW1, he was somewhere in Germany at the time and was fighting against his cousins himself, when the german army charged his trenches with his whole battalion, the whole battalion was wiped out, with a result of Joseph being shot in the leg, as a pile of his comrades dead, he decided to hide in the bodies of his dead battalion. However, when he returned to Ohio, as one asked "where's the rest of the battalion..?" during a parade of a costing victory. I don't have any records of a battle he was in, but his stories lived on till my great aunt died last year at Indian Lake. The 78th Infantry Division was known as "Lightning."
How is that traumatizing for you?
@@victorsaenz9452inclusive us, he means America
If anyone wants to learn about the Statue of Liberty Division being trapped in the Argonne, there’s actually a movie about it called The Lost Battalion. Really cool movie.
theres also a really good song about the lost battalion made by sabaton. its called the lost battalion
There’s also a battalion that got lost in the Argonne as well. They were call The Lost Battalion.
@@Cairo40000 you win lol
i dont watch movies to learn history. are you a child or something?
@@WatchmyPlaylist. Some movies actually shed light on historical events and have encouraged people to research said event. So if anything they kind of do.
Just an idea but a video about the Regia Marina in the Second World War would be an interesting video! It’s talked about very little
It got smacked up by the allies that’s probably why
Be a short video they were a threat at the start and then italy ran out of oil and the RM sat in port for the rest of the war basically.
The story of Sergeant Alvin C. York is so unique. The movie and his diary give an insight into the war from the eyes of a Tennessee man.
"Retreat? Hell! We just got here"
*Instantly earns my respect*
A lot of men were killed because of someone's ego that day, saddening
@@zirofastable So is the way of war; however, the Marines refusal to retreat helped to halt the Germans renewed offensive. A defensive action will ALWAYS take less casualties than a routed unit.
"Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?!?" is also a banger quote from the same battle
Sure that's war, but also fighting while having high moral vs low moral makes a huge difference in survival rates and success. I'd say that statement boosted moral heavily which resulted in less deaths than there would have been. Especially in a retreat getting shot in the backs.
M to
Nice video. I am reading an encyclopedia about WW1 and something interesting which I never heard before were the last words of Erzberger the german signer of the armistice " A nation of 70 million suffers, but it does not die"
He was ultimately murdered for signing the treaty.
"Retreat Hell, we just got here" is a Classic, but my favorite comes from WW2 and Bastogne... "Nuts".
15:18
There's a pretty good interview from an American WW1 vet. He noticed that there were actually Spanish Flu cases on the boat to France.
But the main focus at that time was the war effort. And medicine back then wasn't as knowledgeable about the flu as it is today.
@@secretname4190 Spain wasn't blame because it was neutral, but because they were the only ones without censorship of the flu.
@@secretname4190 It literally started in China you duplicitous seven.
Studies dating back to the 90s have tracked the spread and mutation of the "Spanish" flu, an interesting factor is that when the virus finally made its way back to China the persons had already been inoculated against a weaker variant and the effects on the Chinese were far less severe.
I'm anti-"West", you're just wrong.
@@secretname4190 Lol, if only you knew how dumb this sounded. American history in school is practically all about "why america actually bad, evil! you should hate america!"
But I guess we can't all be jealous losers from insignificant countries like belgium. Some of us have to actually write history instead of just surrendering :)
Virologists skilled in genomics trced the disease to its ACTUAL roots. Call it the Kansas Flu.
Another famous quote during the Battle of Belleau Wood is said by two Medal of Honor recipient, Dan Daly, “C’mon you sons of b!tches! Do you want to live forever?!”
As well of the famous Harlem Hellfighters motto, "Don't tread on me! Goddamn! Let's go!"
I think that was said well before that tho
@@spiffygonzales5899 no, that was during the battle
I love how that one line makes Sabaton’s song Devil Dogs “explicit”.
@@OP5redsolocup Friedrich II said something similar 150 years prior during the battle of Kolin "Hunde wollt ihr ewig leben", or in English "Dogs, do you want to live forever?
Who was treading on a Harlem dude?
So many untold parts of ww1 history , well done. My mother's father my grandpa . Was 1 of 6 engineers who made way for the troops at the battle of the Argonne forrest. He an 1 other solider . Surrived there for 2 weeks before being relieved. Both injured they tended to their own wounds. Grandfather died with a tank shell still in his leg .salute to all the dough boys .
Ive never seen a WW1 from the American Perspective before, this is awesome!
It's a rather short history.
@Graf von Losinj - I Post Info Alright
Sadly, in America, it's all that's taught. In US schools they just teach about why the war started, why we joined, and Versailles. Everything else is either ignored outright or extremely Anglocentric with barely any mention to our French allies and the Russian collapses. It's a very interesting thing to learn about from various perspectives, I love seeing this in depth type stuff too :)
@@arfyego0682 that's because everything else about it is irrelevant to US history classes. If the kid wants to learn more about it, the kid should sign up for the world history class instead.
@@arfyego0682 That’s literally not true at all. If you actually went to school in the US you’d know. Europeans act like we don’t learn anything but US history it’s a weird bias I’ve never understood.
My great great great uncle Bernhard Herman Bolt, was born in Prussia and moved to America with his entire family when he was 4 years old and his father was naturalized (it doesn't say if Bernhard did or not but I would assume so). After Graduating from high school he joined the Army (he was in Company k, 28th infantry) and fought in the defense of France. Bernhard died of wounds received from a mine while taking a enemy trench where "Privat Bolt on May 18, 1918 was a member of a patrol consisting of an officer and four men, who with great daring entered a dangerous portion of the enemy trenches. (news paper clipping cuts it off for a bit) off the enemy rescuing party and made their way back to our lines with four prisoners, from whom valuable information was obtained. He died of wounds received in this expedition" he was only 19 when he died. Bernhard was latter awarded posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. (which was latter stolen by my grandpa's baby sitter along with the other medals Bernhard had earned)
Did you catch the baby sitter?
@@barricadedpurifier His grandfather's? Something tells me he wasn't able to.
Honestly if I could go back in time to watch the baby sitter I would
1) Thank you for your service & sacrifice, Private Bernhard Herman Bolt.
2) Once a parent is naturalized, their children (so long as they are still minors), automatically become citizens.
@@kingace6186 that’s what I thought but I wasn’t sure
Great video as always. Here in America we learn little about The Great War. So often a subnote or asterisk between learning about the American Civil War and time spent on WWII and the Holocaust.
7:58
My friend and I both have German-American heritage. His family was one of the few in our area who didn't Anglicanise their last name.
As for my family, they just removed the lone asterisk in our name. And called it good.
-Also: I think this is why the "Immigrant Paradox" exists. It was a defense mechanism from xenophobia. That had unintentional added benefits.
Lusitania was carrying arms and ammo when the Germans sunk it
@@j.b.3502 yes. I can’t argue with you on that but they still sunk a neutral ship with no actual proof there were any munitions on it.
Also the Zimmermann telegram existed, which… you know… was pretty much an unofficial declaration of war
@@j.b.3502 ???? Okay
@@j.b.3502 the Lusitania had nothing to do with what Eks is talking about. Ecks is talking about xenophobia. You're talking about something else entirely
@@M1chael42O1 Nah I'm just pointing out a fact that the armchair dude left out of the video. It was allied propaganda that implied the Lusitania was a civilian liner. Not many people know this so I'm pointing it out.
Something that gets kinda overlooked is that JP Morgan was basically the broker between the US government and the Allies because their central bank wasn't as equipped to handle the large and numerous wartime transactions and receipts. He was probably the most powerful American who ever lived during this time, overseeing more money than anyone other than Napoleon in recent times, and positioning the US's global financial interests as the head of a private company. If you wanna understand modern finance as it pertains to the US, look at one of the mostly quietly powerful humans to ever live.
I had no idea about the backroom dealings of the neutral trade with Germany getting blocked by the British nor about the atrocities done to Germans in America. This was enlightening.
ofc you didn't...history is written and propagaded by the winners.
@@GenessyssFacts, however the entente was the defensive side in this war. That’s a simple fact
@@williamsherman1942 yes, so? being on the defensive means you get to do attrocities or what? the 2 facts are not correlated.
Lusitania wasnt fully under law,They carried ton of amunition sicretly smugeling it in to Brittania,british did this to lots of it ships and germamy had justification to sink that ship.
Also Lusitania carried lot of amunition during its years while passanger ship
Still doesn’t take away the fact that it killed many American citizens, innocent citizens
the british really used americans as shields🤦🏽♂️fake allies
I always thought the most interesting part about America in WW1 is that it could have easily joined the Central Powers had Americans had more of an issue with the British blockade and had the American government protested it more. Many Americans were still somewhat unfriendly towards Britain, but not France, Russia, or Germany. All it would have taken were a few changes and we could have seen America joining Germany and Austria-Hungary instead of Britain and France.
Indeed. Many people talk about the U.S. joining the Entente as a no brainer but without hindsight the situation was far from certain
Wilson collaborated with The British to drag us into the War while claiming neutrality, backroom deals of arms and equipment and funds while excluding Germany from economic potential, then “armed neutrality” to Germany’s response to America and British bs and it was a cascading set of dominos set to align and fall. The Zimmerman telegraph is incredibly suspect as well and how it was handled and portrayed, all so convenient. Wilson was a little pompous rat and one of the worst Presidents to date. Neutrality my ass, more like plausible deniability while doing everything you say your against, zero integrity and honor.
That would be one very interesting alt-history scenario. The morale changes alone would probably drastically alter the outcome of the war.
Having America join the Central Powers means that Britain has done something really bad for the US Government to consider an alliance with Germany. The most realistic scenario for a anti-British US is total neutrality...
@@Anthony-jo7up It would have been a lot harder for America. Remember Germany had a weak navy and mainly used subs to hit and run on merchants. Britain at the time was THE navy power of the world. Any American assault on Britain would have had to fight through the Royal Navy at its zenith. France also wasn't a pushover navally. Its questionable whether American troops would have even been able to arrive in Europe.
The most likely outcome would be American economic support to Germany and a conventional invasion of Canada, due to non-viability of European invasion.
Some Video Idea Recommendations:
-Mesopotamia Campaign WW1
-Salonika Front WW1
-Hungarian Perspective WW2
-Gulf War
-Taiping Rebellion
What about the Dardanell campaign ?
Taiping rebellion
There's also the Chinese perspective video that are voted on a few weeks ago
mesopatamia was literally Ottomans ambushing the British Infantry in their caves. while the Arabs ambushed the Ottomans lol
Portuguese participation in WW1 could also be good
Semper Fi! Marine Corps veteran of Desert Shield/ Desert Storm here.
Amen brother, may god bless you and the United States. 🙏🏻
While President Wilson did do some decent things, it is important to remember that he was a horrible individual even by the standards of his time. He was a racist who brought back segregation and imprisoned and deported his political opposition.
I would love to see the perspective of the South Africans during ww2
Good idea bro
Yes the African side of WW1 was also a major part of it. It’s because so many European powers owned large amounts of African land at this time.
@@JustarLad They have a video (albeit an old one) about the war in Africa
But at that point, it would be better to do a WW2 video from the perspective of the entire British Empire (minus the UK). The Empire and the Royal Navy guarding it are the real unsung heroes; from the Indian subcontinent to the Carribeans.
Yes I would definitely want to see that because I am South African.
You guys are the best, constantly filling in info where others tell the same story , over and over and over again🙏🏼
Dang, some savage editing at 14:35. Bayonet and then shot. Woah
Not once, but twice in a row! What a combo 💀
I love your videos Griff. As a history aficionado there’s always something new to learn from this channel. You and Professor Felton make UA-cam a much better place.
Seeing all these comments about their schools not teaching WW1 makes me appreciate my favorite high school teacher even more. I remember his morning lectures would inspire everyone just with his enthusiasm alone. He would explain entire battles in full detail, and even read chapters from “All quiet on the western front” so we would get a better perspective of a soldier’s point of view. Shoutout to you Mr Frank.
Sounds like a great teacher. I’ve always felt that WW1 is too often overshadowed by its successor. WW2 was more clear cut morally, which is why we see it in media more, but WW1 was the seminal catastrophe
Very nice attention to detail. In those days, there was a period after the words "The New York Times", and you guys nailed it!
And they were a propaganda rag then too. All the news that's fit to print (for Democrats).
The Sinking of the Lusitania, as it turns out, was entirely avoidable.
The Germans issued a warning in advance before the ship even made it's way to Europe, as it had been public knowledge that the Lusitania would carry ammunitions for the Entente.
Then the German U-Boats contacted the ship, demanding it to avoid British waters or be attacked. The captain of the Lusitania opted to be attacked...
Now the Zimmerman Telegram, at the time of Congress' decision it was not actually entirely decoded. The Zimmerman Telegram was requesting a military alliance in case of a US entry into the way, and that Mexico's participation would be rewarded by territorial gains of former lost lands. In effect you could call this an invasion. It would be tied however, to the US already being a party to the war.
the U.S. wasn't neutral, a side was already picked, Zimmerman Telegram and Lusitania were just the catalysts to sending troops themselves overseas, not just supplies and equipment
just my take on your comment is all
There’s no way the British, who intercepted the telegram spying on us, would let us know anything that wouldn’t help them.
all of us in america know that ship was packed with weapons😂😂
IF the Lusitania lit all its 24 boilers and went full speed ahead as she swept by Ireland, she would have never been hit
The point of the Zimmermann telegram was to distract the US, however, since realistically Mexico couldn't afford invading the US.
My great great uncle fought in the Meuse Argonne offensive, he sadly died in the fight. what is interesting though is that we still have his uniform from WW1.
I’m seeing a sad theme here in the comments. A lot of great or great great uncles perished on this battlefield.
I would be glad to see an episode of the 1898 war between spain and US, this was the end of an empire and the born of a new one
The Spanish Empire was already on its last legs. They got bodied.
@@benn454 last leg yet still held more power than the United States.
@@DirtyMikeandTheBoys69 And still lost.
@@DirtyMikeandTheBoys69 On paper maybe but clearly they weren't a actually that strong.
@@LanMandragon1720 it's not that they weren't that strong. They had a larger army, larger navy, and they still maintained a sizeable empire. Not to mention their army came standard issued with Mauser bolt action rifles while ours had Springfield trapdoor rifles, Krags and muskets. What gave us an edge was the political divide in Cuba, PR and the Philippines which we exploited.
If this video is how I stumble upon your channel and subscribe, then I’m glad I opened UA-cam this morning.
Two ads a minute in? Hell, I just got here!
lel
That opening line has to be some of the coldest delivered in military history
I'm surprised you didn't mention that the battle of Belleau woods is also where the US Marines got the moniker "Devil Dogs" cause of the Germans referring to them as "Tuefel Hunden" which roughly translates to Devil Hounds.
That doesn’t seem to be true. Around six weeks before the battle of belleau woods articles, which mentioned that the germans called the marines « Teufel Hunden» (devil dogs) started to appear in american newspapers. And there is no evidence that the germans ever used this term for the marines or any other part of the us armed forces, which is supported by the fact that « Teufel Hunden » is actually grammatically incorrect it should be « Teufel Hunde ». So it seems very likely that american journalists and not the germans gave the marines their nickname.
@@karlfriedmann5320 thank you, someone finally said it
@@karlfriedmann5320 agreed, only that Teufel Hunde is still not correct. We use "Teufelshund"for singular and "Teufelshunde" for plural. The other two sound weird af for native Germans :D
Great content and production values. Hugely informative. I never knew about the big explosion in NY
That Twitter segment was perfect
16:56 I decided to check on that one out of curiosity.
It’s the one where the Central Powers renounce Eastern Front claims, and allow them to determine their own fate.
As an American who’s pretty well read up on history it was my favorite class in school and I love historical documentaries and all that I can’t help but still but feel biases against the countries who took part against us in WW2
5:27 Greenland does a disappearing act
As always a great video from one of the greatest history channels on UA-cam. This video is extra interesting for me since my maternal grandmother's uncle fought for United States in World War I. He had emigrated to America from Sweden before he got drafted, and he survived the war. Me and my mum is doing some genealogy.
The amount of information presented in this short is staggering it’s you give basically all the bullet points of the full video
GEN Pershing is also responsible for the creation of the U.S. Army Band in Washington, D.C. While in Europe during the war, he noticed that the European military bands were better than the American ones, so he ordered the creation of a premier Army band. The U.S. Army Band is nicknamed “Pershing’s Own” in his honor.
Pershing was a war criminal
Can you do a video that explains how Oliver Cromwell rose through the ranks during the English Civil Wars and how he reigned as a Military Dictator as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth?
the subtle "Over There" reference was pretty fire ngl
Can you do the evolution of Italian uniforms?
No
@@taxfraud5673 nobody asked for your opinion
I wonder why you want a Italian uniform video
@@Betto_333 nether did he though 🤔
@@Betto_333 i mean he can express his opinion
Britain and France: “ we can’t pay you back if we are dead “
America: “ damn. Well fellas it’s time to go to war.”
Well US involvement was finally a burden to France as they didn't helped winning the war and it only meant that France couldn't push Uk to dismantle Germany as it was not a 50/50 but 33/33/33 treaty that had to get american interest in perspective, there involvement is the cause of ww2 as the treaty wasn't harsh enough on Germany.
@@ommsterlitz1805 the treaty was the direct cause of ww2 not the US also the soviets helped germany get around the treaty to build its military back. ww1 wasnt like ww2, it wasnt a complete victory it was a ceasefire.
@@chaosacsend9653 Are you joking ? Germany stoIe land from France after the Franco prussian in 1871, and France paid 5 billions gold marks witch is 779 000 000 000 € today and France paid it in 3 YEARS and France didn't became Nazl because of it, while the treaty of Versailles asked for less than half that cost to Germany for a war that destroyed hundreds of Km of the most fertile lands in Europe still to this day and they refused to repay a fraction of the cost 40 years after what France gave them in 1871 by becoming Nazls. And with no US involvement in ww1 preventing France from making Germany into many small nations under French and british influences there would have been no Germany to fight in ww2
@@ommsterlitz1805 Not harsh enough? They had to use their money to keep warm in the winter.
@@gabriel.b9036 Yes because they tried to print more to pay debt but since France and Uk asked for gold it had no effect and only made their situation worse, like I said Germany destroyed France economy by asking such war reparations, it was only fair for France to ask at least for the return yet they only asked half of it which they still didn't managed to repay, this economic situation indeed made people think that someone must have stolen all that money France gave and they accused the jews, so no Germany economic problems have nothing in common with the war as they were supposed to have much more than what France and Uk asked from them, the question should were all of the gold they got went and wasn't it made so France would never get it back, many historians also wonder where all the gold they stole in ww2 went, and i can think of a vault called Switzerland that was one of the poorest countries in Europe before ww1 and now have one of the highest wealth per capita in the world strangely.
“Man, this slamfire thing is neat!”
Reminds me of BF1 when describing the horrors of battles the American army was in. Especially the Meuse-Argonne offensive; chaotic and bloody.
That game was a damn masterpiece in story, especially the Harlem intro
Bf1 was so good
The game is extremely innacurate, though it's among my favorite games of all time.
@@SStupendous It's not that inaccurate. Almost all the kit in the game was either historical or limited production. Only a few guns were entirely experimental.
@@pax6833 You didn't get the point, did you? Who cares if only a "few guns were experimental"? Plenty of the guns in general in the game are far from common, regardless of how tested they were... Come on. People were definitely not walking around with half of the guns in the game.
@4:15 "one can not fight with an empty war chest" ahahah printing machine goes burrrr
I've always enjoyed history, just wanted to thank you for taking the time to make these incredibly accurate, and informative videos.
Thanks for another great video Griffin. You don’t hear too much about WWI.
1:06 I thought my phone died 💀
i had to do a study on the paintings by otto dix, a ww1 veteran. the things i saw on those paintings were beyond disturbing, and what makes it even worse is knowing that he saw all of those things in real life. the things those poor soldiers must have witnessed.
This video was amazing! Keep up the great work!
You're words say one thing, but the flag in your pfp says another.
I am now legitimately confused.
@@kingace6186 Oh, well, uh, hehe.
Many countries often underestimate the grit of the American soldier.
Let’s all agree Wilson is one of the worst presidents and a terrible evil man.
He was, but probably better then some other candidates who could’ve been president at the time
@@williamsherman1942Nah, Teddy Roosevelt was definitely the better choice
We really need more documentary about the Harlem Hellfighters.
There are already good documentary’s about them, and this UA-camrs videos are on larger scale history
@@AverageWagie2024considering the bravery they showed for a country who considered them sub-human, I'd say they exceeded. You are true to your name though.
@@escomape5390 They weren't considered subhuman, that's just an outright lie. And compared to many other far more effective and generally braver and more impressive units they get more of a highlight solely because they're black.
@@shadowyshadow6498 very interesting, take but nope since the very beginning Africans were sold and taken to the u.s they were considering not human, you simply cannot justify slavery without making the victim seem not human or lesser.
Also this did happen to be one of the greatest eras for eugenics an inheritly flawed and wrong practice (at this time)
And you are sitting in your grandma's couch eating patatichips probably weighing in at 300 pounds.
you don't determine who is braver, also braver? What do you mean by that, if you are brave you are brave, these people went miles away from their towns to fight for a country that treated them lesser than human and fought for people like you to have the right to have this discussion on your phone.
The get recognition for their bravery which both the French and Germans did recognize.
After looking through your comment history I no longer wish to have a respectful conversation with you.
Hopefully in some years you will grow out of this rather pathetic phase but until then remember those folks fought for more than your existence is worth.
Can you talk about the 14 points, especially how number 6 will blow your mind?
Wilson pushed for a "fourteen points" that effectively ended colonial Europe and argued for self determination in Europe and worldwide.
Point #6 was Wilson's perogative to get Europeans out of Russia and allow Russia to develop independently as an equal nation. This was one of the points that was largely accepted and set the backdrop for the current state of affairs. The hope was to get the Allies back out of Russia and to have a free Russia run by Kolchak. Kolchak was unfortunately the wrong horse to back and proved fairly socially unpopular and to lean autocratic.
One big mistake was not fighting for the self-determination of the western territories from Russia itself as well, but the US did manage to reform Poland which had been run over.
Even with the threat of bolshevism and betrayal in early WWII, the US fought arduously in the 20th century for the safety and independence of Russia, viewing it as an oppressed peoples by central Europe. Rather than an opponent of Russians, the US always opposed the "red movement" and supported the Russian people underneath it, even against European allies... not that you will hear any of this from Russians today. Most are simply unaware, and Americans and Europeans aren't keen to remember either given how bitter it all turned out. Europe gave up her empires while Russia dreams up a new one.
*Cough* Ukraine *Cough Cough*
@@Bingo_Bango_ They do seem to forget the Russian Empire and the United States of America were on pretty good terms for a while
" Retreat?! Hell we just got here." Best line in American military history and shows true American grit. Proud to be an American.
My great great grandfather was in the marine corps during the war, and I never met him, but my mother told me that had a very rough voice and couldn’t breathe well because of exposure to mustard gas, and he also had extreme ptsd
I love the fact that these show in widescreen, so the aspect ratio or something.. not many channels do this and its so amazing!
“Oh s*** World War too soon? Well Teddy’s droppin bombs so you best go hide in your tuuube!” Theodore Roosevelt
ERB FAN SPOTTED
I’ve been to war… but this is WAR… those times were fierce.
I am almost sixty, now. My father fought in the South Pacific in WWII. I was born late ('66) When I was a lad, there was a gentleman who lived just up the hill, who had fought in the Bellou Wood in WWI. He was one of the sweetest persons I've ever met. He wouldn't talk about the war. But then, my dad wouldn't either. Respect.
I'd like to see an evolution of french aircrafts
Love to see you do the lost battalion.
One of my ancestors fought in the great war in France along with his French & British brothers against the Germans and Austria-Hungarians, it’s been passed throughout generations and what hit me the most is that he basically passed it to his son and daughter that quote “All wars are civil wars as all humans are brothers and sisters” and this aswell: “The French and British have been instrumental in our history, good and bad. France fought for our independence and for our revolution, we own them a debt which we can never repay them and we paid in blood!” this is something he truly believed in and was a Franco-phile for his whole life, back in his day history of foreign powers meddling in America was still reported on a lot and focus was a lot about British imperialism then it is now. He saw the British as brothers and as honourable fighters, but saw the London Establishment as corrupt and evil throughout his life. A thought he also kept having till his passing which was way too soon, and was tragically common for the time.
Merci de partager avec nous une page de ton histoire familiale. Très intéressant. Respect à ton ancêtre.
A video on the Soviet-Afghan War would be so awesome
The Soviet Afghan War
The war started 1979
The war ended 1989
Results : Afghan mujahideen victory
Yes
Keep spamming these comments gimp 😆
@@christianvincentcostanilla8428 usa 2001-2021 another Mujahideen victory 😆
@@josefmengele181 >USSR/Russia simp
>Joseph Mengele
"It hurt itself in its confusion!"
Hi! you did start this Video off with economics, could you please do a follow-up on the profound impact this war had on the American Economy?
The Browning Company switching from Sewing-machines to weapons production is just the most prominent example. The inter-war Time still did have some of the Production lines running to utilize the lessons learned, but it was in and especially after WW2 that construction of war materiel really took off. The possibility of Exporting these goods as well as the the developing cold-war played a major part in this development!
I´m from Austria and always find it fascinating to speculate how history might have evolved it WW1 never did happen!
I love the "from Perspective" Videos, thank you! 👍
Love that he referenced over there twice. Quite the popular song at the time not many devout historians know about it.
Please do a video about the French perspective in WW1! That war is one of the most heroic pyrrhic victories in history for them, and by the end of the war the French Army specifically is a prototype for how things will look in WW2- a la combined arms attack using Tanks, Aircraft, and Infantry.
The words French and heroic don’t mix
@@whisperingchild5389 For idiotic COD kids like you.
@@whisperingchild5389 Oh yeah? I guess that's why they have won the most wars in recorded history? Read up on WW1 and come back and tell me they were not heroic. Start with the battle of the Marne.
Huh?
Combined arms was successfully developed by the Australian Army, who captured more ground and artillery than any allied army in WW1.
@@seanlander9321 Do you really believe that Australia did more in WW1 than France or British soldiers on the Entente side? Are you this much brainwashed?
2:48 all I can hear in my head while you're talking is: "LORD RATHBONE NAILED ARTY WITH A SISSY GUN!" XD
I love these videos. I've been a massive fan for years! So much so that I actually made my own channel (it focuses on History as well) thank you for the inspiration! I wish I had the same cartoon style you have but... I'm just a small UA-camr
My family actually hid our German ancestry from WWI all the way to 1995 when my grandmother died.
That's lame
Same, mine had to stress that they were Dutch, instead of the Dutch-German .
"Neutrality had ended, and it was time to go. *Over there*" GOD THAT GOES HARD
WW1 Twitter gotta be one of funniest ideas I've seen from this channel
omg i’m so happy i been waiting so long for more ww1 combat
Finally someone mentions the Black Tom Explosion. I didn't even learn about it until this year.