086 - Yugoslavia Crushed - Battle for Greece Continues - WW2 - April 18, 1941
Вставка
- Опубліковано 17 кві 2020
- The Battles for Yugoslavia and Greece continue as the Soviet-Union and Japan sign a non-aggression pact.
Join us on Patreon: / timeghosthistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: timeghost.tv
Check out our TimeGhost History UA-cam Channel: ua-cam.com/users/timeghost?s...
Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime / world_war_two_realtime
Like us on Facebook: / timeghosthistory
Between 2 Wars: • Between 2 Wars
Source list: bit.ly/SourcesWW2
Written and Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: NN
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Map animations: Eastory ( / eastory )
Colorizations by:
- Norman Stewart - oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/
- Adrien Fillon - / adrien.colorisation
- Julius Jääskeläinen - / jjcolorization
- Carlos Ortega Pereira, / blaucolorizations
- Norman Stewart - oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/
Sources:
- Bundesarchiv, CC-BY-SA 3.0: Bild 101III-Weyer-024-05A/Weyer, Bild 146-1975-036-24/Gofferjé, Leander, Bild 101I-161-0317-26/Bauer, Bild 101I-158-0094-35/Kisselbach, Bild 102-17311
- Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
- fractured arm icon by ProSymbols from the Noun Project
- Imperial War Museum: D 4311
Archive by Screenocean/Reuters www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
![013 - Will the Kriegsmarine Rule the Waves? - WW2 - 24 November, 1939 [IMPROVED]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U48JzvIm45w/mqdefault.jpg)
If you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to our TimeGhost History UA-cam Channel at ua-cam.com/users/timeghost. It features a weekly episode on wide-ranging topics, and we have just started a new 6-part miniseries on the Indonesian War of Independence. The first episode is a prologue about imperialism and Dutch colonialism, which you can watch right here: ua-cam.com/video/IkKJSRaeOik/v-deo.html
Cheers,
Joram
*RULES OF CONDUCT*
STAY CIVIL AND POLITE we will delete any comments with personal insults, or attacks.
AVOID PARTISAN POLITICS AS FAR AS YOU CAN we reserve the right to cut off vitriolic debates.
HATE SPEECH IN ANY DIRECTION will lead to a ban.
RACISM, XENOPHOBIA, OR SLAMMING OF MINORITIES will lead to an immediate ban.
PARTISAN REVISIONISM, ESPECIALLY HOLOCAUST AND HOLODOMOR DENIAL will lead to an immediate ban.
Can you talk more about the city of Pančevo in ww2 about the battles and all that tnx in advance
In your opinion were the Italians, atleast on a strategic level utterly useless?
You guys should do a partnership with War Thunder, if you want WW2 technology of tanks, air craft and naval craft, with extreme detail and authentic historical accuracy then play this game, it is completely free to play, plz check it out so you can be better informed on the vehicles and technology of WW2
A single X means brigade, you call the LSSAH a regiment which would be I I I in the NATO system.
It's a shame you didn't mention the ecstatic greeting of the Germans soldiers in Zagreb.
If I didn't know the ending...
I would have no hope. Hard to imagine what was life back then.
The darkest hour is still to come in next months... But I suspect that war will be decided [not over, just decided] before Christmas. Just one week of December may bring 2 decisive events which establish the result of this war.
The advantage the British have is they can see the as replay of the wars with Napoleon. And because they won that it can really help stabilise moral. Even in defeats.
There was a famous man (whom I always forget the name of) exiled in Brasil who commited suicide thinking that the Nazis would emerge victorious. I feel sorry for him but I understand why he was thinking this way.
@@cosmedelustrac5842 Stefan Zweig, the author of "The World of Yesterday"?
Primo Victoria, my friend. Primo Victoria.
I'm glad you unbuttoned your waistcoat for this tie, Indy. Oh boy. Something the guy working on the 1981 IBM Personal Computer would have proudly worn at the presentation. 3.5/5
Glad you appreciated it ;) As always credit to Astrid for her set design.
i wanted to point out the reichsfahne colors but the last time i did that my comment got eaten
i think he's still losing weight in fact.
LOL
@@QuizmasterLaw The colors reminded me of the Croatian flag. Which is apropos.
And Hoetzendorf is looking down upon all this with serious jealousy.
Some say his ghost can be still met when he is planning 123th battle of Isonzo River...
@@grlt23 No, that's Cadorna. Hotzendorf is busy planning some grandiose plan before running to Falkenhayn's ghost for help.
@@grlt23 that was the Italian chief of staff not the Austrian. The man this comment refers to is the reason it took Austria a year and the aid of Bulgaria to conquer Serbia
Why would I be jealous? I'm planning a new offensive on the East - we're sure to win this time!
@@thegloriouspyrocheems2277 Hindenburg and Ludendorf will await your call.
Come to think about it, I’m not sure I’ve seen a single British advance against German forces yet. I’m also wary that this stand at Thermopylae won’t be quite as dramatic as the original one...
First British Commonwealth defensive victory in Tobruk was downplayed overlooked in this video. On 11-15 April 1941 , Australian and British garrison in Tobruk repulsed no less than four Axis attacks with little loss to their ranks
@@merdiolu eh to be fair, in the big scale of things it wasn´t that importaant compared to yuguslavia falling and british and Greek Forces being beaten back in greece
@@matthiasbindl7085 It was important. Without Tobruk Rommel didn't have a port to supply to attack Egypt. The time he lost enable the British to reinforce. Imagine Egypt under German control and the Suez shut
@@luispt77 i mean yes tobruk certainly Was important. The assaults that occured though as well as the losses that were taken by both sides Was miniscule compared to Events of This Week. Had tobruk actually fallen it would have deserved more than a mention. As it Was it got mentioned and that was it.
Simon Turner The British caused quite some panic at the Battle of Arras in 1940.
How fast can your country be conquered by the Axis powers?
1. Denmark - 6 hours
2. Luxembourg - 1 day
3. Netherlands - 7 days
4. Yugoslavia - 10 days
5. Belgium - 18 days
6. Poland - 35 days
7. France - 46 days
8. Norway - 62 days
9. Coming soon
10. Coming soon
Can you make the leaderboard?
Nice 🤣
Greece 6 weeks
England - canceled
Soviet Union - around 120 days
I know this hasn't happened yet but it's my prediction
I don't think the shitty army from the winter war will be able to resist the mighty Wehrmacht
Pavlov's House - Longer than France.
The logistic issues of the Germans will have concequences, for the future of Greece, and for the future of the German army in the Soviet Union...
dont be a fool germany beat russia in the last season while fighting france on the weast this time they will roll over russia even faster!
@@UCUCUC27 a faint and distant
ᶻᵃ ʳᵒᵈⁱⁿᵃ ᵘʳᵃ can be heard
You commented 2 days ago?
Wait. That's illegal.
nah germans will win by december
And their logic issues too, though tactically brilliant, Germany was strategically inconsistent.
Be seeing you.
When will you finally admit that you're not wearing any pants during the recording?
See you again, Number 6.
@@seeyouchump Who cares about the pants, look at the TIE he's wearing
Fake, sock puppet channel ✌
Love the material...how about being able to talk about Italian competence in a battle.....I wish yall the best STAY SAFE
Sarajevo, Thermopylae, Tobruk, Basra... Some places are just fated to be a battlefield.
Sarajevo has been battleground for the centuries, the specific geographic location made it very hard to conquer (surrounded by the mountains). In the last war, Serbs had artillery, tanks, air support but still couldn't take the city for the 3 years from the just armed civilians. Farewell from Sarajevo.
Camberwell, Edmonton, Wood Green, all 2020 battlefields of our colonials, home and roosting.
@@sull5307 the goal was never to take it, but to pocket 140 000 soldiers that they did do, plus Sarajevo had a lot of help with food, equipment and weapons from U.N, Brits had an operation to get firewood in the city
Just like the joint muslim and croat forces with NATO support didn't manage to take Banja Luka in '95
Greetings from Republika Srpska 🤗
@@aleksabijeljac4436 Неће они никад заузети наше јунаке из Српске!! Поздрав из Београда!!
As a Greek i am also proud for my country's resilience but also sad for the suffering that it has gone through
yeah, war is a fascinating piece of shit.
Hello Dingo! I used to play the videogame Crusader Kings II and the Byzantine Empire was always really beautifull. How do Greeks feels about the condition of Constantinopla ( a.k.a. Istambul)? I feel nowadays it remember the Persian Empire ages. I have only curiosity here.
@@juliosalgado956 For half of us, Greeks, Constantinople and Minor Asia is our fatherland
was not your war. greece was just used by the brits.
@@zarni000 wasn't our war? The Italians and so the Axis powers invaded our homeland how was it not our war?
My Father’s Uncle is under siege in Tobruk, we just got word. He is ok currently. My father’s Cousin is patching up Spitfires as fast as he can during the blitz. He is amazed with the pilots as he watches them drink tea without so much as a shaking hand after non-stop sorties.
My mums brother was a tank commander around there his tank was attacked by a ju87 the bomb missed and went under it blowing him up and out turning the rest to jam
He was MIA for six months.
I am glad I recently discovered this series. Your coverage of the non-European theaters of operations is a welcome change from the endless repetition of battles in Europe, and Pacific found on other channels. The biographical sketches of the "lesser" figures involved in the conflict are welcome relief of the endless repetition of big names found on other channels.
It always amazes me how standalone these episodes are. You can pretty much hop into watching these at any point. I really appreciate that. If you aren't able to watch an episode, you can watch the next one the following week and still understand what you missed. I love it.
_"A German plane is forced down near Rivne"_
*Me, an intellectual who watched Soviet Storm:* "And so it begins."
Shit is getting real.
@GhostOfTomJoad Several times. Ended up buying it on Amazon
Currently watching it in Russian now.
УРА!
@@ZachValkyrie It is fairly well balanced. Probably the most honest depiction of the Soviet War with Germany. Made before well...you know...things got weird in Russia.
I too, recall the superb series known as Soviet Storm
"Germans would have to carry the brunt of the fighting" - why does this sound familiar? Like I have heard it somewhere before *big think*
I'm sure you'll do much better in the coming battles to the East, Feldmarshal!
@@KnightofAges Bulgarians demanded the the operational control was to be done by Germans and not Austrians.bulgarians witch bulgarians? buddy? georgi todorov? bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Георги_Тодоров high general of Commander of the 2 Bulgarian Army., or general Stefan toshev high commander of the 3rd bulgarian army bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Стефан_Тошев (honestly he is the one ho hated the germens calling the shots the most of all the other generals, and was the one pissed of all hell from there shttiy commanding) or was it the general Kliment Boyadzhiev
commander of the 1rd bulgarian army bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Климент_Бояджиев , ho was pissed of ass hell when the germans stoped his army from chasing the serbs in albania?or was it Nikola Jekov the overall bulgarian high general commander in chief of the active all bulgarian armys bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Никола_Жеков (if you dont get it he is basically the bulgarians virsion equals the german field marshal "august von mackensen""(ho was ofc the the main commander of the combined operations(german,AH and ofc bulgarian). even if Jekov did like the germans military power army structure,exa he wasent blind or stuped :D he was against joining the central powers(just like all the of the generals commanding the 3 bulgarian main armies and ofc they were nobady none of our generals were that stuped unllike our politics ho did bellive the germans wil win the war in 1915), sense he knows the germans will losse(like 3/4 generals staff :D), they dont have the material resorsios,man power and exc to fight a long war,especially a 3 years one :D just like bulgaria, but sadly ferdinand asked him to take the command of the armies in ww1 and Jekov had to do the best of a bad allince(and im not counting the ottomans sense the bulgarian generals know best in 1912 how dying there army and empire was). weird last time i checked the memories of my ancestors, they hated the german high command at the very beginning, for the incompetence,mistakes that cost the bulgarians a lot (even the war in 1918).+ the bulgarians still dident like the germans for for supporting the ottoman empire that the bulgarians had to fight in 1 balkan war(the germans build there defense like lozengrad and Odrin also trainened and modernize their military away before ww1 hit :D. but dont let me tell you that let General Toshev words speak for that = ""Before we became allies, we Bulgarians were generally ill-tempered against the Germans for their help to the Turks during the war of 1912, we had the opinion that they were arrogant and greatly selfish people who looked down on us as Slavs. When in 1915 we became allies under the spell of their victories and expected through them our national unification. We managed to crush the warnings and our bad feelings towards them and went to war with respect and trust for the new comrades-in-arms, however. This was not the case with the higher command posts, the relations between which soon turned in the most undesirable direction. The intervention of the Germans in the Bulgarian command began at the beginning of the war. After the defeat of Serbia,a thick ice formed which never melted throughout the war"" if i have to write how manny dumb mistakes the germans made in the balkans battle operations(Morava Offensive
1915 when we raped serbia) for 1915-1918 its a long list :D. best part is afther the war the germans like Paul von Hindenburg blamed bulgarians for everting gone wrong on the macedonian front. especially that one ungrateful incompetent piece of S, General Ludendorff en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Ludendorff . but like Stefan Toshev wrote best in his memories =""Thus, by diplomatic whims and violation of the principles of modern warfare, we lost the war with a clear prospect of victory. Our Diplomats were not up to the role they had fallen(given) in 1912-1913. Our military leaders did not stand in the way of their demands to play politics in the army. They forgot that waiting kills the spirit, and half-measures of action always brings devastation. Either a quick blow or abandonment of the decision to fight.with the powerful impulse of the innate to attack, with insignificant means, "" with nothing, "we marched confidently west and south. We won and died consciously until, finally, in favor of the ally, we were forced to stop for two and a half years. To starve, to be torn, to freeze like wanderers of the Cope tribe. The strong spirit of a Bulgarian cannot wait, he must go forward to fight and fight a quick war, otherwise he is lost. Take off your hats, gentlemen, and let those responsible for the catastrophe
be silenced. ""Bulgaria above all""
On 18th, Greek Prime Minister Alexandros Koryzis commits suicide. He still had a better week than Mussolini
Katerini and Platamon - two resorts I have visited with my family. These days you can't really imagine that war was raging there...
That's true. I am from Katerini and it does fill strange that the Germans occupied it and actually held it all the way until 1944/45
@@KnightofAges yeah but in my region in Katerini and the prefecture of Pieria weren't really of a battlefield
@@KnightofAges They say Greece is the cradle of the European civilization, down to the very name of the continent. No wonder the whole Europe has been ravaged by war and bloodshed endlessly throughout the centuries if the cradle is like that.
@@herrakaarme Well,you can't have meat without bones,you know...
Your pronunciation of Yugoslav words (Slovene, Serbo-Croatian,...) is actually pretty good
Time living in Prag well spent.
35 years ago i got excited on saturday mornings for the cartoons, now I get excited for WW2 episodes
Indy, you are such a great narrator. I know exactly what's coming, but you keep me in tension every week.
The way river crossing are represented on the maps is a terrific addition
6:06 AS DARKNESS FALLS AND ARABIA CALLS ONE MAN SPREADS HIS WINGS AS THE BATTLE BEGI- whoops wrong war
Bowie's "The secrets nights of Arabia" as the backsound and wrongness increases.
May the land lay claim on to Lawrence name
Seven pillars of wisdom lights the flame
This week in the Greek Campaign:
On Sunday, Αpril 13, 1941, the two-day 'Battle of the Klisura Pass' (not to be confused with Klisura, Albania) opened.
SS-Sturmbannführer Kurt Meyer's Aufklärungs-Abteilung (Reconnaissance Battalion) of Leibstandarte-SS 'Adolf Hitler' (SS-Obergruppenführer Josef 'Sepp' Dietrich), attacked the entrenched positions of the Greek I/87 battalion, organic element of 80th Infantry Regiment (Col. Vassilios Mandzouranis), of XX Infantry Division (Col. Miltiades Papaconstantinou) from T.S.K.M ('Central Macedonia Army Section', a corps-sized formation, hastily assembled on April 6 under the overall command of Maj. Gen. Christos Karatassos). The Greek battalion occupied hills 1386 and 1623 at the formidable Klisura pass near the Greek town of Kastoria, close to the Triple-Frontier (Albania-Greece-Yugoslavia).
Meyer faced the Greek battalion which was reinforced with battle-hardened troops withdrawing from Albania across the Pindus area, and for a whole day in the face of stiff resistance the attack stalled. According to the Greek historian Georgios Karavitis: 'CO of the SS Reconnaissance Battalion was Kurt Meyer, who organized it into three assault sections, led by him and officers Hugo Kraas and Max Wünsche; the two officers hesitated to assault frontally the Greek fortified positions, so Meyer, madden by their idleness, hurled a live grenade at them! Only with intense effort and the necessary support from the German artillery, the SS Reconnaissance Battalion, under the orders of Kurt Meyer, managed to push back the Greek infantry.'
At 2100 hours, the Greeks, who by then had suffered serious casualties, began a full retreat. The Greek divisional commander ordered III/80 battalion which until then was in reserve, to rush and support the endangered Greek unit, but Meyer performed an outflanking manoeuver and captured the whole advancing battalion (1,100-strong) for the loss of just 8 KIA, 17 WIA. The sudden German success came as a blow to Greek morale and fighting spirit. Col. Gregorios Hondros, CO of the Greek 88th Infantry Regiment from XXI Infantry Brigade (Col. Christos Dedes), ordered his men to fix bayonets and charge the Waffen SS, but his men did not obey. Col. Hondros fixed bayonet, charged alone and was killed.
Οn the same day, at Pissoderi, the Greek cavalry continued to resist tenaciously and deny the Waffen SS from crossing the pass. The 1st (Col. S. Papathanassiou) and 3rd (Col. Ioannis Nomikos) cavalry regiments, held Pissoderi until April 14, when they were ordered by Maj. Gen. Georgios Stanotas (overall commander 'The Cavalry Division') to regroup 11 km (7 mi) E of the town of Kastoria, at the Fotini defile. At Fotini, again, the German armour and infantry attacks were foiled before the Greek troopers who displayed exceptional self-sacrifice and courage, suffering serious losses.
Heavy fighting began at 0700 hours on Monday, April 14, at Klisura Pass. By 1030 hours though, Greek ammunition had been depleted, and the Greek forces surrendered.
Greek casualties were heavy, the Greek 80th Infantry Rgt was effectively destroyed.
For his actions in the Battle of the Klisura Pass, Meyer would receive his second Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on May 18, 1941.
For the remainder of the war the Greek XX Infantry Division would cease to exist as a combat-worthy formation.
On the same day, forward elements from 9. Panzer-Division (Maj. Gen. Alfred Ritter von Hubicki) attempting to cross the Yangovo bridge, and drive across the Haliacmon river, received fire from British AT arty batteries, of the British 1st Armoured Brigade (Brig. Harold Vincent Spence Charrington) and their advance was stalled.
On April 14, in Albania, a major Italian offensive opened against the retreating Greek A' Corps (Lt. Gen. Panaghiotis Demestichas). The Italian attacks on the eastern bank of the Black Drin river, near lake Ohrid, coincided with heavy artillery bombardment, which upset the Greek II Infantry Division (Maj. Gen. Georgios Lavdas). More specifically its 3rd Infantry Regiment (Lt. Col. Ioannis Leivaras) and 39th Evzone Regiment (Maj. (Reservist) Pausanias Katsotas) were forced to redeploy further to the SE. A massive Greek counter-attack launched by the aforementioned regiments in mid-afternoon however, drove back the Italians. The intense fighting would carry on to April 15, with both sides accepting severe casualties.
The demoralized formations of the Greek XII Infantry Division (Col. Georgios Karambatos), registered already high levels of desertion, but during the night of April 14-15, when Brig. Charrington ordered his artillery to regroup further to the S, panic hit their ranks. By midnight the Greek division was a non-combat-worthy formation. Thousands had deserted or had been captured by the Germans.
On Tuesday, April 15, the 'Battle of Argos-Horestikon' opened. It is the last pitched battle fought between Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Greece in the Greek mainland in WWII.
The Greek XIII Infantry Division (Maj. Gen. Sotirios Moutoussis), a reduced strength infantry division, was ordered to provide credible defence in a desperate attempt to check the advance of the German Leibstandarte-SS 'Adolf Hitler' following the collapse of T.S.K.M. ('Central Macedonia Army Section', a corps-sized formation, hastily assembled on April 6, under the overall command of Maj. Gen. Christos Karatassos). After the battle of Klisura Pass, the units comprising the Greek T.S.K.M. Army Section, dissolved in front of the rapid German advance. The Germans were now free to take the Greek town of Kastoria and perform a pincer movement on the Greek armies retreating from Albania.
The Greek XIII Infantry Division comprised of the following elements on April 15, 1941:
- Division HQ Battalion
- 23rd Infantry Rgt (Col. Aristotle Barbakos) with three infantry battalions (I/23, II/23 and III/23)
- Two MG platoons (equipped with 13.2 mm Hotchkiss HMG)
- 3rd Cavalry Sq. (Cpt. Cleitus Hadzeliades)
- XIIIb Mountain Arty Btn with 75 mm mle.1919 Schneider guns (Maj. Ioannis Paparrhodou).
As a result of the fierce battle that began at 0515 hours on April 15, the Greek III/23 Battalion became disorganized suffering dozens of casualties mostly by intense and effective German artillery fire, while II/23 Battalion was routed at noon. Cpt. Hadzeliades was killed. The German artillery managed to neutralize the Greek artillery batallion at 1330 hours. Its CO Maj. Paparrhodou when asked to surrender surrounded by several German troops, refused, his exact last words were 'my country's and my family's honour, compel me to stay here.' He was killed, his body falling on his guns. The Germans buried him as a hero and his death became a legend.
Although XIII Iinfantry Division was defeated, I/23 battalion's heroic and desperate stance must be noted. Its men held the might of the German force for further 14 hours, with the remnants of the cavalry squadron, after II/23 and III/23 battalions were routed. I/23 Infantry Battalion (Col. Efstathios Liossis) suffered 160 casualties in the battle. The exact German casualties are unknown. At least ten German Sturmgeschütz III tanks or SdKfz 231 armoured cars, were crippled or destroyed. For his actions in the battle, Col. Liossis received the Gold Cross of Valour.
On the same day, all available fighter planes in the Royal Hellenic Air Force service (five Gloster Gladiator Mk.II of 21 Fighter Squadron, five PZL P.24 of 22 & 23 Fighter Squadron, and two Bloch MB 151 of 24 Fighter Squadron) scrambled to intercept German Junkers Ju 87 over Trikala, Thessaly. The twelve Greek fighters engaged in a deadly dogfight with more than twenty Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109E (a plane far superior to its Greek rivals) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (Fighter-Wing 27) escorting the bombers. The Greeks claimed one Ju 87 shot down by Flight Sgt. Georgios Mokkas on a Bloch MB 151. One Greek PZL P.24 was downed and her pilot was killed. Mokkas' plane was also shot down by the German ace Gustav Rödel, and he was killed. Mokkas is the last RHAF fatal casualty over Greek soil in WWII.
Severely wounded Flight Sgt. Leonidas Kotsarelis crash-landed his Δ107 PZL P.24 and miraculously survived. The battle which lasted for just 10', remained in history as the swan song of PZL P.24 in Greek service.
Flying Officer Ioannis Kellas barely managed to crash-land his mangled Gloster Gladiator Mk.II unharmed.
Flying Officer Kellas, was a RHAF veteran. He opened his score in November 1940, when he shot down an Italian CANT Z.1007 medium bomber. In January 1941, he claimed a shared victory against an Italian Fiat BR.20 medium bomber, and in February he downed two more Italian fighters. He would escape to British-controlled Egypt in late April, and as CO of No. 335 (Greek) Sq. RAF, that would be constituted on October 7, 1941 flying the Hurricane Mk I aircraft, he would lead the squadron in the 2nd Battle of El-Alamein. The squadron is the oldest one that has done continuous service in HAF. Redesignated as 335 Moira (Squadron), today (2020) it operates the F-16 Block 52+ Advanced.
[Maj. Ioannis Paparrhodou. A former alpine ski Greek champion, he was ordered by the Greek General HQ to help in the forming and training of the first Greek Army's Alpine Battalion, composed of former ski athletes. The Greek 1st Skier Battalion with 330 all ranks, was formed on December 18, 1940 with Maj. Paparrhodou as its first CO] imgur.com/yusRF5e
(End of Part1)
(Part 2)
The two Greek cavalry units and horse artillery that were fighting at Fotini, maintained a high combat morale for two days. On Wednesday, April 16, they were ordered by the Greek C-in-C General Alexandros Papagos to deploy to the S, and dig-in at the Skalochori valley.
The extraordinary courage of the Greek troopers could not avail against the fire-power of modern weapons, it did however helped to give the allied line time to swing round to meet the thrust.
Meanwhile, in Albania, the Greek I Infantry Division (Maj. Gen. Vassilios Vrachnos) received orders to occupy Qafa e Qarrit near Korçë. Its regiments were to fold into the 'Borovë Detachment', a hastily formed battle group in order to defend the line Borovë - Leskovik and cover the Greek armies pulling out of Albania.
However, the division's 5th Infantry Regiment registered high levels of desertion, reaching 50%-60% of its initial force on April 16.
Col. Nikolaos Gheorgoulas, CO of 5th Regiment became aware of the issue involving troop desertion, and organized patrol squads, ordered to execute deserters on the spot, while officers took up arms and replaced the deserted rank and file. Col. Gheorgoulas' extreme measures immediately stabilized the situation.
Col. Gheorgoulas was among the officers arrested by the Italian occupation authorities suspected of participation in the Greek Resistance in late 1942. The officers were to be shipped to POW camps in Italy on the 'Citta di Genoa' liner, but the ship was torpedoed and sank off Vlorë, Albania in January 1943. Col. Gheorgoulas was 47 yo when he died, and his body was never recovered.
On Wednesday, April 16, an Italian advanced echelon occupied Hills 1015 and 1060 and attempted to force the area defended by the Greek 5th infantry regiment of I Infantry.
At Qafa e Qarrit, a hill near Korçë, the 150 remaining fighters of II/5 Battalion under the Gold Cross of Valour recipient, Maj. Dimitrios Kasslas, demonstrated an exceptional last feat of gallantry and defeated a superior Italian force.
Major Kasslas during the triple, German-Italian-Bulgarian occupation of Greece, did not want to serve the collaborationist government. Initially he joined the Republican anti-Communist resistance group of EDES, but during an armed confrontation with the Communists of ELAS, he was captured. He was invited to join ELAS, he accepted the offer and was appointed commander of the ELAS 52nd Infantry Regiment. After the end of the Greek Civil War, accused of collaborating with the Communists, suffered persecution, was stripped of his medals, was dishonourably discharged from the armed forces, and was exiled for three years to some remote Aegean island. He died in 1966, at the age of 61, forgotten by all. In 1985 he was reinstated to his previous military rank, was posthumously promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, and decades after he was stripped of his Gold Cross of Valour, it was restored.
Also on April 16, an emergency Anglo-Greek war meeting was held in Lamia, Central Greece, between Gen. Alexandros Papagos (Greek C-in-C of the Land Army and Director of Operations Staff) and Gen. Sir Henry Maitland Wilson (British GOC Commonwealth expeditionary force to Greece). The two generals met at 0600 hours and agreed to set up defensive positions at the pass at Thermopylae, famous for the Spartan last stance against the invading Persian Army, some 25 centuries before.
On Thursday, April 17, an Italian advanced echelon attacked Hill 1959 (Strakavec) in the district of Gjirokastër, in S. Albania, held by the Evzones of 39th Regiment from II Infantry Division (Maj. Gen. Georgios Lavdas). The attack was launched during the night of April 16-17 under cover of a dense fog. The Greek line at Shën Gjergj almost collapsed but the arrival of HQ Company from the Evzone 39th Rgt with its CO Maj. (Reservist) Pausanias Katsotas at the head, reversed the situation.
At the same time, Italian troops boarded assault boats and started paddling across the Black Drin river, while other elements assaulted the positions of the Greek 36th Infantry Regiment (Lt. Col. Ioannis Dimokostoulas) of II division, by land. That attack failed, the Italian effort was badly shattered. Despite the severe Italian casualties however, the fighting continued with fierce intensity in this district for three days.
An emergency Anglo-Greek war council was held at the Royal Palace in the Greek capital Athens, on Friday, April 18, 1941. The meeting was presided over by the Greek King George II, and was attended by Gen. Alexandros Papagos (Greek C-in-C of the Land Army and Director of Operations Staff), Gen. Sir Henry Maitland Wilson (British GOC Commonwealth expeditionary force to Greece), Alexandros Koryzis (Greek Premier), and Sir Michael Palairet (British ambassador to Athens).
During the dramatic meeting, Gen. Wilson said that the Commonwealth forces would hold at Thermopylae only if the Greeks continued to fight in Epirus.
But the Greek Army had begun withdrawing, troop morale declined, and the units were disintegrating.
The Greek Deputy-Minister of War, Nikolaos Papadimas, pleeded with the King and Premier Koryzis to seriously consider depart for Crete.
The Greek Premier after the dramatic meeting committed suicide by shooting himself.
The King appointed Emmanuel Tsouderos as Premier.
On the same day, at Tempe, a gorge in Northern Thessaly, 10 km (6.2 mi) long and as narrow as 25 metres (82 ft) in places, the 'ANZAC Force' (Brig. Arthur Samuel Allen) composed of the 16th Australian Bde under Brig. Arthur Samuel Allen (with the 2/2nd Battalion under Lt. Col. Frederick Chilton, given the task of support Allen's HQ), 21st New Zealand Battalion (Lt. Col. N. L. Macky), 26th New Zealand Field Arty Battery (with four 25-pounder arty pieces, under Maj. G. J. Oliphant Stewart), and 'L Troop' (1st Lt. C. S. Pepper) of 33rd Battery/7th New Zealand Anti-Tank Regiment, engaged the German 6. Gebirgs-Division (Maj. Gen. Ferdinand Schörner).
The German mountain division was ordered to attack the choke point, where the main body of ANZAC were funnelling through, and cut off their retreat.
Brig. Allen's objective was the opposite, to hold the area and allow his force to protect the main force's withdrawal.
In the ensuing Battle of Tempe Gorge, German units led by 1st Lt. Hermann Balck attacked the 21st NZ Btn which routed, leaving the Australian 2/2nd Battalion as the lone infantry battalion capable of continuing the battle.
Despite desperate actions, by 1730 hours on April 18, the battle had turned to chaos and the 2/2nd disintegrated under the German attacks.
An emergency Anglo-Greek meeting was held at the Greek General HQ in the Greek capital, on Saturday, April 19, attended by Gen. Sir Archibald Wavell (British GOC Commonwealth Expeditionary Force to Greece), and Gen. Alexandros Papagos (Greek C-in-C of the Land Army and Director of the Operations Staff). General Wavell declared that Commonwealth forces would defend, provided Greek Army continued to resist. General Papagos declared that the Greeks would resist until British and ANZAC troops were evacuated to Crete.
thanks for this weekly additions, may I ask form were do you get all this info?
Really appreciate you doing this, provides a lot of nice insight and detail and helps enrich the episode further knowing so much more is happening in the movements on the map.
@@apokos8871 Crete comes next 😉
39th Evzone Regiment under Katsotas was an awesome force. Each battle they fought was under desperate conditions, and somehow they either managed to win or have a major impact.
Greetings from the Belgrade! I wish you all the best, keep up the good content :)
@ 9:17 Japan signs a five-year neutrality pact with Stalin.
-Poland: We had one of those too; good luck with that Tojo.
Kingdom of Yugoslavia was soon partitioned between Germany, Italy, Hungary and Bulgaria.Hitler offered the region of Banat to Romania but Antonescu refused, saying that such act will ruin the great Serbian-Romanian relations dating back to middle ages.
Not really, because Banat was populated mostly by Hungarians and Bulgarians, that would ruin the German-Hungarian and German-Bulgarian relations. Romania gained nowadays Moldova and parts of Ussr though.
@@awesomemike-4411 Hungary already took region of Backa.And still to this day more Hungarians live in Backa than in Banat.
So after the Romanian refusal, Germany took control of Banat and rest of Serbia.
During the occupation, Serbia was the only part of the country under direct German supervision/control.They thought an uprising in Serbia was imminent.They were right.
@@awesomemike-4411 learn some history and geography first before posting. There are no Bulgarians living in Banat region, which is northern Serbia, they were claiming serbian land of their promised "Greater Bulgaria" from San Stefano, which included parts of eastern and South Serbia. Romania did not gained but lost Moldova to USSR as part of Molotov-Ribbentrop deal. They also have to give up Transylvania to Hungary and Southern Dobruja to Bulgaria. That was a price of signing Tripartite pact for them.
@@carlosramos-yf8ns ok lets recap then.
Romania after huge defeats at ww1, happened to be on the winning side of the war, although it capitulated since it lost on all fronts (Bulgarians and Germans south, Austrohungarians west). But being in the winning side, gained lots of territory mostly inhabitited by Hungarians and Bulgarians. Hitler did justice to them by returning Transylvania (not whole although) to Hungary, and south Dobruja ( not north strangely) to Bulgaria. But Romania gained Bessarabia (nowadays Moldova), Bukovina (nowadays Ukraine, then USSR) and Transistria ( nowadays Ukraine, then USSR), huge territories that made up to the losses. Also, Romania became a strong power under Antonescu.
awesomemike Romania was a strong power - absolutely never
Lol I am starting to suspect that most of budget for this show is spent on Indy's outrageous ties. I love it.
75% outfits, 25% booze. Stay happy :)
Editing $200
Production equipment $150
Archive $300
Indy's outrageous ties $5,000
Wages $150
someone who is good at the economy please help us budget this. our company is dying
@@WorldWarTwo spend less on outrageous ties
My god - that's a happy looking sadist you found for the thumbnail there...
I read a biography of Hermann Balck recently in English and the book goes to great detail of Balcks role in the battles of Greece, he was an excellent strategist and one of the factors why the battle for Greece ended so switfly and with less casualties than anticipated.
Thanks for these, it's fascinating and fills lots of gaps for me. My dad Kiwi) was manning the OP (Observation Post) near Servia Pass and observed the German forces lining up by Kozani, in the distance across the Aliakmon River. He later made a sketch of the view, having been commissioned to paint the Greek Campaign before being taken Prisoner of War in Crete.
Indy, few thinhgs i want to point:
1) altough Yugoslav resistance was generaly weak from many reasons, there are examples of resistance:
a) defence of Belgrade by 6th Fighter Regiment
b) river monitor Drava was constnantly attacked for days,
c) scutling of destroyer (or light cruiser) Zagreb as act of defiance after capitulation was signed
d) yugoslav air force even attacked german bases in hungary, i think (but generally it doesn't mather, it didn't change outcome)
2) i think you made small mistake: yugoslav goverment in exile didn't come in London in April. They fled first for Greece, then for Jerusalem/Cairo and came in London in summer.
3) town Jajce is pronounced with E as in word EGG. The city will be again mentioned in november 1943.
he said "Organised resistance" which is very different from isolated units fighting here and there.
The main reason for weak resistance in Yugoslavia is the fact that Yugoslavia was unstable. Croatians and Macedonians felt that Serbians were unfair to them and lot of them were happy to see Germans "liberate" them from Serbian rule.
I believe Jajce actually means "egg" or "eggs" in Serbian.
@@stevekaczynski3793 It is actually another word for testicles.
@sshauser1 Even before that Yugoslavia was defeated. Two days before that day German army captured Skoplje, which means Yugoslavia was completely surrounded. There was no ww1 scenario as there was Italian army in Albania.
With the pandemic going on, I've been rewatching the episodes of the Great War I lived for back in 2014 and 2015. It's amazing to see how much the production quality has blossomed over the years and I'm glad you're still able to do this format even though UA-cam has been an increasingly cruel mistress. Keep up the good work Indy and crew!
I love how much detail is put into each event, great job Indi and Crew !
After a heavy Luftwaffe air raid over Tobruk , on 13th April , both Rommel and General Streitch launched their second attempt to break through the defences along the El Adem road again using Oberst Gustav Ponath 8th Machine Gun Battalion and 5th Panzer Regiment. Swirling dust had enveloped the whole area during the morning, a leftover from the storm of the previous day. Though visibility had been poor it was sufficient to enable both the Luftwaffe and Regia Aeronautica to launch attacks against the southern perimeter all morning. But it was the heavy artillery bombardment late in the afternoon which was to give away German intentions. Manning the anti-aircraft guns at Fort Solaro, Gunner Hankinson recorded in his diary, ‘We can now see our own field artillery firing on the horizon. We can also see quite a few air bursts close to the ground about four miles south of our site. We assume these are made by German 88s in action against our ground troops.’
As the Germans reached the wire, the young Australian soldiers of the 2/17th Battalion, with a calm precision belying the fact that most of them had been civilians only months before, opened fire with machine guns and rifles. If the German tanks did manage to get through the wire and cross the ditch, the Australian infantry were instructed to allow them to pass through. They were not to panic or run but remain where they were and engage the enemy infantry following behind.
Though the perimeter was relatively well protected with mines and newly strung wire, it had not been possible to remove the tons of drifting sand which daily filled up more of the Italian-built anti-tank trench. Following reconnaissance conducted by his divisional engineers on the night of 11/12 April Streich now knew that the ditch presented no significant obstacle to the panzers. Nevertheless Ponath’s infantry was finding it difficult - if not impossible - to penetrate the Australian defences unaided. Unsupported by tanks the first infantry attack had failed. It was during this attack on the afternoon of 13 April that Corporal Jack Edmondson won a posthumous Victoria Cross, the first awarded to the 2nd AIF. A sergeant in R33 recalled that a party of Germans had made it into the anti-tank ditch. The Australians had difficulty engaging the group with fire . . .
“So our patrol commander Lieutenant Mackell led a fighting patrol which drove them back at the bayonet. He took with him Corporal Edmondson and five others. They charged the enemy in the face of heavy machine-gun fire and Edmondson was mortally wounded but he kept on and bayoneted two Germans and then saved Mr Mackell’s life by bayoneting two more who had Mr Mackell at their mercy.”
A bloody hand-to-hand stabbing contest ensued, in which the Australians demonstrated a fighting fury that took the Germans entirely by surprise.
Imagine assaulting what you think is a british position and getting into a knife-fight with australians instead :P.
Australians with bayonets? That sounds scary.
Shame this post wasn't part of the episode, great job merdiolu81
@Paul McEwen especially when they tell cook some eggs
Mopping-up by Australian and British continued between King’s Cross and the perimeter all morning. Major Robert Daniell recalled the ease with which the few remaining German tanks and infantry inside the perimeter now gave themselves up:
“One of their new Mark IV tanks had meandered across the waste land inside the perimeter early in the afternoon. As it approached our regimental headquarters, one of the driving tracks just broke. The young crew jumped out, dismayed beyond words, for they were all alone; there was no fight left in them. I walked over to them, directing them towards the rear, where no doubt someone would pick them up.”
Forward of the perimeter the remaining German infantry in the anti-tank ditch were being dealt with. Rea Leakey dispatched a light tank under the command of Corporal Hulme to assist the Australians in clearing a long section of the ditch in which a number of men from Ponath’s machine-gun battalion had taken shelter. Hulme positioned his tank so that he could fire down the length of the ditch. One long burst was sufficient to persuade the Germans to surrender. Bayonets fixed, Australian infantry advanced in a line to marshal the prisoners to the rear and Hulme judged it safe to open the turret of his tank. When he did so a German shot him in the chest with a sub-machine gun. Leakey noted that the ‘soldier paid the penalty for his treachery’: ‘He had evidently not noticed the Australians coming up; they saw his action, and they saw red. "The German let out a squeal like a pig as three long Australian bayonets squelched into his stomach.’
The young Australians were in no mood for German recalcitrance. David Boe witnessed the death of a German officer. In the fury, fear and adrenalin of the battlefield a young lieutenant was shouting in perfect English, ‘I am an officer of the great German Reich - you will never win this war.’ This was too much for his captor who, having survived the battle and witnessed the death of Corporal Hulme, required simple acquiescence. He promptly shot the German dead. There were more incidents that day. Robert Daniell went forward with the chaplain to give succour to the German wounded in the anti-tank ditch.
“We found that the anti-tank ditch, which was about nine feet deep, was absolutely crammed with German wounded who had crawled in there from the vehicles that our shells had set on fire. They were lying in the ditch. We started giving them water but while the doctor was attending one of the soldiers who was badly wounded, I saw a German rise up on his feet and have a shot at him with a revolver. I shouted to the doctor and the Reverend Parry to withdraw.” Australians shot the German on the spot.
When Rommel returned to Streich’s HQ at noon on 14 April to examine plans for a further attack, he discovered that nothing had been done due to continuing heavy British artillery fire. With the greatest reluctance he called off the assault. Inside the wire the whole area had been scoured of German stragglers and work begun to restore the perimeter defences. It was a devastating defeat for what in truth had been an over-optimistic and overconfident assault made by severe misjudgement of Rommel. Olbrich complained that faulty information had caused the reverse, recording that he had been told that ‘the enemy was about to withdraw, his artillery was weak and his morale had become low’. In addition to the loss of 45 per cent of Olbrich’s panzers Lieutenant Colonel Ponath had been killed in the infantry melee (his body was never identified or recovered). Of the 1,450 men of the 8th Machine-Gun Battalion who had begun the operation, only 300 remained. At least 150 had been killed. Many of the wounded found themselves in British hands, as did at least 250 other prisoners of war, who were unceremoniously bundled into the POW cage at King’s Cross. One German survivor was surprised to escape the ambush inside the perimeter, considering the battle to have been ‘the most severely fought of the war. The survivors call this day “Hell of Tobruk” . . . Thirty-eight tanks went into action; eighteen were knocked out and many more were put temporarily out of action.’ By nightfall German artillery and aerial attacks had petered out, signalling the end of Rommel’s first serious attempt to break into Tobruk. The defenders lost 26 killed and 74 wounded.
German casualties in Yugoslavia less then 200? Italian casualties on the thousands? Some things just keep repeating themselves, huh?
The Germans perhaps benefitted at this point, and for some time to come, from the psychological inferiority of their opponents - Italian and Hungarian troops faced tougher resistance in Yugoslavia.
@Chadwicked B you joke but indeed that was abig advantage for the blitzkrieg tactic. essentially the germans could continue on when the opponent was spent physically.
It was most a war betwin serbia and Germany croatians didnt whant to fight germans because of our past
13:13 "that's the only thing certain in this war. Killing, and killing by the thousands"
Excuse me. There's a gentleman behind me dressed in grey. He appears to have a scythe in hand and claims you are short changing him by tens of millions!
Ann Onymous add “ on a weekly basis” he should be satisfied and leave....
DISCLAIMER: Scale might change later this year.
@@nomobobby i'm sorry he seems to be ever hungry, hence the reaping scythe.
spoiler: around November 1941 the Harvest will be particular bountiful!
GRAD school!
After the checks of his failed probes on 11th and 12th April (5th Panzer Regiment couldn't even pass anti tank ditch and tuened back under Australian and British artillery) , Rommel still couldn't comprehend the strength of Tobruk defences , ordered Oberst Olbricht's 8th Machine Gun Battalion and 5th Panzer Regiment commanded by Oberst Ponath to advance , cut through wire on east of El Adem and advance to the port. Despite Rommel's assurances were not convincing , both Ponath and Olbricht went to to work on 13th April. At 15:00 , German infantry cut the wire between two Australian fortifications on El Adem road and frantically filled the anti tank ditch barely for panzers while German engineers cleaned lanes on minefields , all of them under heavy fire from defenders. While darkness setting in 5th Panzer Regiment tanks began to gather up on anti tank ditch but couldn't cross it because it was not sufficiently filled and German tanks withdrew again exposing German infantry on teeth of Australian defences under heavy fire. General Morsehead garrison commander realised the focus point of enemy attack , brought all of this tank reserves (a hedgehod armored brigade called Tobruk tanks made up 40 or so heavy and medium infantry support and cavalry tanks mostly made up from 1st Royal Tank Regiment and cruisers tanks of 3rd Armored Brigade , remants of 2nd Armored Division) to full readiness and brought them to El Adem sector in evening in hull down position behind Red Line. With support of 10th Field Artillery Regiment and 2/26 Australian Anti Tank Battalion plus infantry of 20th Australian Brigade , they would have a real fight next day.
Meanwhile furious at Olbrich’s failure to penetrate the Australian positions, Rommel turned on General Streich commander of 5th Light Infantry Division. ‘Your panzers did not give of their best and left the infantry in the lurch!’ he bellowed. Streich blamed the anti-tank ditch, but Rommel was having none of it, accusing Olbrich and Streich of ‘irresolution’. (he would almost blame him cowardism) That evening he confided, ‘Tobruk’s defences stretched much farther in all directions, west, east and south, than we had imagined.’
Hi, thank you for all the info you provided. I suggest, if I may, that you should reply to your own post to continue, rather than making new posts. It's hard to collect them if they are separate.
3:16 German foyces? Indy went a bit Brooklyn for a moment there!
I like to mix it up!
Thanks on another great video, Indy. The way Klingenberg walked into Belgrade and his bluff payed off , a really incredible feat.
I suppose in the light of much bigger campaign it is understandble that Rommel and Afrikakorps first defeats in Tobruk during North African campaign are overlooked by Indy and Timeghost. While German 15th Motorised Regiment captured Sollum and Halfaya Pass on 16th and 17th April they were halted because Afrikakorps attacks on Tobruk perimeter were repulsed by Allied garison led by 9th Australian Division. German-Italian Panzer Army needed at least 70.000 tons of supplies per month while nearest Axis held deep water port was capable of handling 60.000 tons and it was 1.100 miles away on a single coastal road. The aritmetics was simple. To be able to resume their operations in Africa further Rommel and Panzer Army had to capture Tobruk and its port facilities to increase unload , embark and logistical supply facilities.
After the brief check on 10th April in Tobruk (which led death of General Prittwitz Von Gaffron) , Rommel still overoptimistically thinking Allies were evacuating the port and it is a mere matter of marching to the port (and still no idea how tough Tobruk defences and fortifications were which were strengthened by Australian and British engineers with additional minefields , fortifications extra deep trench lines , artillery and deepening anti tank ditch etc) He still has not requested any maps from Italians - nor Italians provided one. So he blindly ordered a series of probes first on 11th and 12th April by 5th Panzer Regt. and Oberst Ponath's 8th Machine Gun Battalion to force defensive perimeter. However Australian defenders led by General Leslie "Ming the Merciless" Morshead were alert and opened heavy artillery fire on approaching German formations and scouting units beyond anti tank ditch and then halted German units with further small arms fire and forcing them to position out of defensive perimeter. Rommel unfazed , claimed that on 11th April not all arms and Luftwaffe and artillery supported the offensive as the cause of this check. Next day though when on his own initiative (without consulting his officer in chain of commsnd of 5th Light Infantry) he put a four tank panzer company on an literally insane advance on Fort Pilestrino defences held by 20th Australian Brigade , it ended with a total failure. As panzers advanced through minefields , all four of tanks were knocked out by Australian anti tank guns and all panzer crews were killed.
Source?
@@st3gosaurus Longest Siege , Tobruk - Robert Lyman , Tobruk - Peter Fitzsimmons
Keep it going merdiolu81 I love it
You know things are murky when even Indy Neidell says "Don't quote me on that".
Germany is like the veteran player trying to get his friends to learn the game
But the friends rarely do their home work ;)
shut up,dont compare world war 2 to video games
then comes the real pro player- Soviet Union/Russia to show em how it's done
Yugoslavia never had a chance to begin with yet still decided to resist. Now it's paying the price. Prince Paul saw it coming. I wonder how many lives would have been saved, had his efforts not been in vain.
And now its up to the greeks to fall beneath the hammer of the Wehrmacht. In a conflict, neither the greeks, nor the germans wanted...
Video 8 of demanding the return of cats on vacuums.
@Гавран I still doubt that would be enough to outhold the german onslaught however it could help to give more time for the greeks. The Yugoslavians should have like you said just retreat to a better defensive position until defeat giving even more time for the greeks.
Thank you for covering our fight against Germany! We did our part for freedom and our home. Μεχρι τελους.
@@gamotheos 🤧
@Παναγιώτης Παπαδόπουλος έσβησε το κομμεντ λολ
If you talk about resistance in Greece , please mention the two heroes who climbed up the Acropolis and lowered the German flag , both of whom died recently
Manolis Glezos, one of them, died on March 30 at the age of 97.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manolis_Glezos
I was in the audience at a conference in Athens where he was one of the speakers a few years ago.
@@stevekaczynski3793 Are you Greek?
Lol, flags arε lowered during the night. Stop believing in lies.
@@motocount No, but I am there at the moment.
@@stevekaczynski3793 Hope you have a good time!!!
On 16 April, Rommel led an attack from the west of Tobruk defensive perimeter, with the 132nd Armoured Division Ariete reinforced by the 62nd Infantry Regiment of the 102nd Motorised Division Trento. The 2/48th Australian Battalion counter-attacked and took 883 prisoners from Italian Trento motorised division and drove rest away without suffering any casaulties. (when one of Rommel's aides saw Italian Trento troops were running away from Australian positions in panic he ordered one Italian soldier not to escape British. In response Italian babbled "Mamma Mia , they are not British , THEY ARE AUSTRALIANS") In the morning, the 132nd Armoured Division Ariete attacked again and some tanks reached the most advanced Australian posts, found that their infantry had not followed and retired after five Italian tanks were knocked out. Rest retreated
Australian general Morshead ordered the garrison to exploit Axis disorganisation and their inability to quickly dig in on stony ground, through conducting patrols and small sorties. On 22 April, a company of the 2/48th Australian Battalion, three infantry tanks and a troop of 25-pounders, raided a hillock held by the Fabris Detachment of Italian Arierte Division at south-west of Ras el Medauar; the raiders destroyed two guns and took 370 Italian prisoners without suffering any casaulties. At the same time a company of the 2/23rd Battalion advanced across the Derna road and in a costly attack, took about 100 prisoners from the 27th Infantry Division Brescia and killed and wounded 80 more Italians at cost of 26 Australian casaulties, which led the Germans to hurry on the 15th Panzer Division from Tripoli.
As usual the typical British BAISED AND stupid jokes Would be interesting tô know he source of mamma mia story JUST a normal bull shit tô justif three years of continuou
Defeats by GermanITALIAN ARMY
I like the writing style. Where can I read more from this author?
@@josefoglio9250 OK , I admit that I read that joke in two sources "The Life And Death of Afrikakorps" by Roland Lewin and "Desert Fox" by Paul Carell (who is German and and actually Nazi propagandist in Goebels payroll during the war) , maybe true probably not true but Trento division indeed foiled up their attack on 16th April (Rommel himself in Rommel Papers and Lt. Schmidt his aide both witnessed it. Even Italian general Gariboldi questioned effectiveness of Trento at this stage)
fantastic video, quality in depth videos that keep getting better!
They rushed for Sarajevo to take it before Fürher's birthday. He would receive plate that marks the place where Princip shot Ferdinand in 1914.
It's fascinating how Germany's other Axis partners armies, (read 'Italy') were unable to achieve victory unless lead by German commanders. So, the troops were proficient yet their leadership was lacking; a problem which you would think that the Axis would have addressed, they clearly didn't.
@W M In Greek mythology Sisyphus or Sisyphos (/ˈsɪsɪfəs/; Ancient Greek: Σίσυφος Sísuphos) was the king of Ephyra (now known as Corinth). He was punished for his self-aggrandizing craftiness and deceitfulness by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll down every time it neared the top, repeating this action for eternity. Through the classical influence on modern culture, tasks that are both laborious and futile are therefore described as Sisyphean. Very clever!
I hope you'll find time to cover partisan movement in Yugoslavia when times come.
I'm assuming he will, since he's at least mentioned other resistance efforts in the past. Leaving out the Partisans and the Chetniks would be major omissions to say the least. I also wouldn't be surprised if Josip Broz Tito gets a biographical special.
Chetniks as formal military of Yugoslavia deserve more mention as they’ve saved 500 allied pilots during the war. Also Draza Mihailovic should get biography
Lets show serbian fighters instead
This deserves its own detailed episode!
We definitely will!
Excellent. Hope we get a good episode on the Battle for Crete.
Loving this quarantine rate of productions. So many new videos to watch! 😍
Thanks! It's the same rate as non-quarantine times (except for the occasional Pandemic-series episode on the TimeGhost channel).
such a busy week!
Yugoslavia was artificial state which was formed in 1918 after World War and whoose existance had no sense what so ever because of the cultural, political and historical differences between nations that it included.
It reminds me something currently existing in Europe, but I can't find what exactly...
If you look at modern France (the French republic) at the time when it was formed, it wouldn't make much sense at all. What is now French language was spoken only in large cities, with regions having their own dialects and identity.
Belgium as well. Heck, even the Germany was bunch of smaller states and often people from those states hated eacother. But nowadays they are superpowers and Yugoslavia is a colony.
@@askar9367I understand the point you try to make, but there are some facts you should consider. France has a population of over 70 million people, is a largest contry in Europe (if we take out European part of Russia) and has totally different geostrategic position. Same thing goes for Germany. I never wrote that a country, and that's the case with my homeland, Croatia, can exist on it's own and so it should be part of certain alliance, but it should be with countries and nations that have same main interests as itself with similar cultural heritage. For Croatia those would be countries on a line Adriatic - Baltic (Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Poland).
@@askar9367 The difference is that there was an agreement among the french population about the fact that they were french since the 19th century, whereas such an agreement was never found in Yugoslovia and will never be found in the EU, hence the unavoidable collapse of both.
I can't wait for when the time comes to start covering the invasion of the Soviet Union. The battles were so epic in scale on that front and the death tolls staggering. Also the Pacific should be really good as well. This is probably my favorite channel on YT right now!
Never clicked and liked faster! Thank you so much!
As a Greek myself, it's more and more fascinating how fiercely my people resisted the German offensive back then. I knew we fought really fiercely, but not like real beasts.
Να θυμάσαι ένα πράγμα: οτι και να λένε οι άλλοι, αυτοί οι 7 μήνες που αντισταθήκαμε, έδωσαν την νίκη στους συμμάχους. Μιλάμε κάποιοι έδω στα σχόλια είναι και περήφανοι που συντάχθηκαν με τις δυνάμεις του Άξονα!! Καλή Ανάσταση by the way!!!
Pan in 1944 a Greek Infantry Brigade fought under New Zealand command in Italy. The Kiwis were honoured to have them.
Fierce resistance during the invasion? rather not. Continetal Greece fell in under a month. What was more accentuating was the partisan resistance.
@@LibertyMapper Yes under a month for you is nothing, right? Considering who was were on the map, let alone the quality of equipment used, the training difference, the exhaustion of fighting since October, they did far better than even France. Which is 5 times bigger in area and was 10 times bigger in population, let alone how many times bigger and more modern the French army was. Not even going to mention how much time Holland, Denmark, Norway and Yugoslavia resisted, but yes, whatever rocks your boat...
@@Yiannis2112 Do i have to mention Tito? Yugoslavia was a real thorn in the Axis's side. And sure yes Yugoslavia was crushed in 12 days, but it was attacked on 6 sides. Later in July when Operation Barbarossa was in full swing, the Yugoslav partisans in Serbia, Croatia begin their uprising. And then trough August-October other countries soon join in (Slovenia,Bosnia,Montenegro) with Macedonia as the last one on October 11th 1941. Now im not saying that other resistances weren't fighting hard, its just fact that Yugoslavians were the best. Because they didnt care which nationality you were, which religion, which race ect. Brotherhood and Unity roared trough the entire country as communism swept Yugoslavia.Thats why its ironic that in small countries such as Montegero (Crna Gora) and Peoples Republic of Macedonia (so i dont piss off any Greeks here) had MORE partisan forces than the whole of France by the end of the war.
The story of how Fritz Klingenberg and a few men captured Belgrade, accepted the surrender from the mayor and then drove a truck around the city so people will think that large force occupied the city until more reinforcements came is like something from a comedy.
first name last name Yugoslav PM General Simovic announced in 4/5 1941. Belgrade, Zagreb and Ljubljana for non-defend cities.
So that nazi Captain is not was so hard to conquered Belgrade 4/13 1941.
@@borkokostic8290 eh?
@@zarni000 Yugoslavia announced Belgrade, Zagreb and Ljubljana as non-defend cities. France did it the same
with Paris and Hitler walked freely. You understand now ?
@@borkokostic8290 yeah I get it. Essentially surrendering.
@@zarni000 You really don't understand this about cities or pretend you don't understand. Yugoslavia and France continued the war but called on the Nazis (who allegedly "fought" for European culture) not to attack Paris, Zagreb, Ljubljana and Belgrade.
Hitler took pity on him, but he bombed Belgrade fiercely for 3 days.
Ironically, he ordered the goals to be the cultural heritage of the Serbs.
Thank you Time Ghost Team for the video .
You're welcome!
This channel is so much fun! Just when I think I knew everything about a certain campaign I always learn something from Indy. When this is all over it would be great to get a compilation of all the phone call introductions. 😅
One interesting fact is when the Kingdom of Yugoslavia capitulated, only the Serbian and Slovenian soldiers where taken as POW's, while Croatian and Muslim were released.
My great grandfather was a POW in Germany for 4 years.Three other of my great grandfathers managed to avoid capture and soon joined the Chetnik guerrilla force.
Look up the Turkestan and Bosnina SS divisions, you will find some answers why Serbs were treated badly
@@hazzmati Yes, because they viewed Slovenian population as Germanized but not enough.Despite being part of Yugoslavia for more than 70 years Slovenia looked and still looks something like Austrian or German society.
As for Slovenian POW's, Germans thought that Slovenians and Serbs were loyal to Yugoslavia and Yugoslav idea, where Croats and Muslims were not.
Yes, you are wright, at first Wehrmacht and Axis power take 330.000 soldier as POW, but after releasing non-Serbian and non- Slovenian soldiers by the end of May 1941., it stays about 240-250.000 POW in captivity until end of WW2.
Milos Tomic
We all know that every single Serv have 30 + grandfathers and 60 or so grandmothers. Goggle and explain Srebrenica
Odilo Globocnik, a particularly sinister Austrian Nazi leader, came from a family of Germanised Slovenes. Unlike some Nazi leaders with a Slav background, he did not Germanise his name but his ideological fanaticism suggests to me that he was trying to compensate for it in some way.
7:28 Thermopylae you say? Sounds like its time for the ANZAC team to make a stand against the fast, advancing German forces, just like the famed battle of ancient times...
And like the historical battle, it will result in the tactical withdrawal of Allied forces and the eventual fall of Athens.
@@TheKalihiMan But also be fluffed up in propaganda, and in some unrelated sense be one step on the many to victory years later. I suspect the ancient battle Thermopylae had a little more impact on the later victory at Plataea than this one would.
Unfortunately the ancient narrow passage between the mountain and the sea, was now as wide a 9 km in places, so, not ideal for a last stand
But the Persians didn't have Stukas.....
Unfortunately, Thermopylae is not anymore a narrow passage as it was 2.000 years ago. During the 2nd WW and today, has an additional width of 16 kms to the sea because of river's allluvioum.
Excellent coverage as usual.
Great narration of the course of events! Good job sir and very interesting. Finally some objective point of view of events as it unfolds, bravo!
Glad you liked it! Thank you for tuning it :)
Shame you didn't expand on the story of Fritz Klingenberg and how he made Belgrade basically surrender to him with 7 soldiers. Which was so unbelievable that even division HQ didn't believe him and thought he had deserted.
Mulder, Yugoslav PM General Simovic announced in 4/5 1941. Belgrade, Zagreb and Ljubljana for non-defend cities.
So that nazi Captain is not was so hard to conquered Belgrade 4/13 1941.
This is some good story telling, I sure do hope so no one spoils the ending of the story for me
Great Coup you had there guys. Worked like a charm
A small country takes decisions not always based on logic but on dignity, pride and honesty.
@@Daniel-kq4bx I don't totally disagree with you but these were strange times and nothing is logical related to war!!! In the previous episode last week a Serbian wrote a comment regarding the true source of the coup!!! I will find it and paste it here!!!
INDY!!! Great to see you back.
Great work again guys! One thing though that small repulsion at Tobruk you mentioned this week, the Easter Battle, is actually a significant precursor to the legend of the "Rats of Tobruk" and their leader Sir Leslie Morsehead, (Ming the Merciless). An overconfident Rommel attack with thoughts of invincibilty as he felt the allied troops were retreating. It was the first time a German blitzkrieg attack was repulsed in WW2 with tanks allowed to drive over infantry positions to oncoming and awaiting British artillery and tanks with the Australian 9th taking on the second wave of incoming infantry and at times counter attacking through bayonet charges. It was a trap. It was a stinging but small defeat as Rommel lost a General killed, (Prittwitz), 75% of the 8th Machine Gun Battalion (killed/wounded/prisoner), 1000 German/Italian prisoners, 29 tanks and 17 planes by the end of the attack. The German's under Rommel were overconfident, (veterans of Poland and France), attacked Tobruk with an inexperienced and ill equipped Australian Division, with some detachments of Indian and Polish troops, British artillery, planes and tanks under arguably Australia's best general in WW2 defending it. He is one general to watch as he not only does he lead the Tobruk defence and 9th Australian in the desert but also an Australian Corps in the jungles of New Guinea and Borneo against the Japanese in successful campaigns and was under both Montgomery (North Africa) and MacArthur (Pacific). A captain at Gallipoli, battalion leader (33rd) at the battles of Messines, Passchendale, Villers Bretonneaux and Amiens in WW1 and a Monash favourite, he will at the end of his career have received medals/orders from France, UK, Poland, USA. Anyway Rommel will inevitably fail to take Tobruk under Morsehead/Scobie and Germany land forces will suffer a defeat for the first time in against Morsehead' Rats. Significantly a quote from a captured German officer at the Easter Battle "I cannot understand you Australians. In Poland , France and Belgium once the tanks got through the soldiers took it for granted they were beaten. But you are like demons. The tanks break through and your infantry keeps fighting." Keep up the good work and stay safe and keep well.
True, but that repulsion is only significant with the knowledge of the entire Siege of Tobruk in hindsight. We'll get to it, don't worry
@@WorldWarTwo Thanks WW2 I know you will. A great fan on what you do! If I may the immediate success of the repulsion was confidence though against the much vaunted and renowned Rommel and his invincibility. Patrolling and dominating No Man's Land immediately after the battle, (as in WW1) came from Monash's defence-offence playbook will be significant as time goes on. I look forward to your coverage of that aspect of patrolling and psychology war at Tobruk and how the Axis missed the mark.
It's a shame you didn't mention the ecstatic greeting of the Germans soldiers in Zagreb.
Yes, we want to see a Blitzkrieg of " Kraina" 💥👍
Brilliant as always!
Loving the video series! Merci
You're welcome!
Those maps are amazing! Especially with the units and divisions labeled
That face on the thumbnail..is the most scariest face i've ever seen.
The scariest*
Wait a minute !!!!
I havent watch your vidéo but your concept is the best thing I found on you tube
So I went directly to the first one and I MY GOD, you évén speak of khakhin gol !!!!!
You made my day
new to channel, love it. subscribed
4:10 Hungarian Representative: What the hell am I even doing here?
Had he not been invited Hungary would probably have seen it as a snub, but he was not authorised to sign anything and so he did not.
I read the whole story of how Klingenberg got Belgrade to surrender. Quite impressive.
@magicblanket Thanks for the hint. This is just funny! :D Although I doubt that the story with the german tourist is true ^^
I would love to see a film about this. However, germans woud be presented as being smart and intelligent. And obviously we can't have a war movie with this intention.
Is that a new tie? Looking good and keep up the great work!!!
Great episode !
When does Captain Corelli show up with his mandolin?
ahahahahahahahahaha
10:47 That is Naval Battle of Tarigo Convoy , when four Royal Navy destroyers under command of Captain J.P. Mack intercepted and sunk a full Axis supply and reinforcement convoy of three German transports and two Italian cargo ships full of vehicles , tanks and supplies for German Italian Panzer Army in Libya plus three Italian escort destroyers. British destroyers intercepted this Axis convoy at night off Kerkenah Bay off Libya and with aid of radar and night fighting training sunk all Axis ships five transport and cargo vessels and plus three Italian destroyers with gunfire and torpedoes. 700 German troops and 350 Italians drowned. One of Italian destroyers Tarigo torpedoed and sunk British destroyer HMS Mohawk (46 killed) before going herself down. Although this was a smashing British naval sucess , next month Italian Decima MAS divers entered HMS Mohawks wreck and retrieved some intelligence documents that were used for Alexandria Raid seven months later
what are your sources my friend?
@@Wawrzon161 Naval War in Mediterranean 1940 - 1943 , by Jack Greene and Alessandro Massignani
@@merdiolu thank you very much, is it the same source for Tobruk posts?
@@Wawrzon161 No I have several resources about Siege of Tobruk , Robert Lyman's "The Longest Siege" is the best I have read
@@KnightofAges That convoy was actually heading to Tripoli to supply and reinforce German-Italian Panzer Army and Italian destroyer escort put up quite a bit fight this time , they couldn't save the convoy for sure but took out one British destroyer
Great series keep it up.
Looking fresh with that tie, Indy
With allies like Japan and Italy you dont need any enemies anymore.
Meh Germany made its bed, now it must lie on it
@@michealohaodha9351 Thanks Karen.
Since they couldn´t choose freely, Japan was probably one of the strongest, most ruthless and loyal allies they could get.
Some weird facts from the suicide of the Greek PM Korizis.
Weird story #1
1. Korizis quarelled with King George over the course of the war. He left the palace with tears in his eyes and headed to his house.
2. Soon, King George started worrying about his health and sent his brother and heir to the throne, Prince Paul to the PM's house to ask about his health.
3. Prince Paul arrived at the PM's house, and while he was on his doorstep discussing with the PM's wife, they heard two shots. The PM had committed suicide in his office.
4. The autopsy showed that the PM was shot in his heart, twice, with his left hand, while he was right handed (could you try to do this?).
5. Nevertheless, it was publicly announced as a heart attack.
Weird story #2
The house where PM Korizis committed suicide, is considered to be haunted.
The house has been abandoned for decades. If you search in the internet you will read stories from those who believe in this kind of stuff about various "incidents" that occur there.
from your description he was assassinated, which happens sometimes. thereto spooks and ghosts are slang for spies and spies often use occult covers to distract attention and convey messages covertly so that makes it likelier.
the place isn't really haunted. doesn't mean there's no spooks or ghosts, just that if they are they are not of the ethereal kind.
His country being overrun and little prospect of the invasion being being halted - if anything he had more reason to kill himself than the Hungarian Teleki.
@@stevekaczynski3793 Korizis was an honest man but a very bad choice for PM in the middle of a war, after the equally strange death of the former PM Ioannis Metaxas who had died 3 months ago.
Never have I understood the King George's true intentions when he appointed as PM such a weak figure in such turbulent times for the nation.
@George T There has been no official written autopsy for Koryzis...
@George T There has been no official written autopsy for Koryzis...
Thanks guys
Fritz was that dude medals in France, helped take Kharkov twice, took his kradschützen unit to the outskirts of Moscow during Barbarossa
5:00 yeah just like in the First WW
That's a cursed face right on ze thumbnail
3:07 Ah him
He's the guy in HOI4 that is gains 100% more xp when using cavalry units
@@KnightofAges Assigned to Panzer arm in 1935? So he should have bonus xp gain when using armor, not cavalry, in HOI4
Or even the Panzer Leader trait
Thnx for the interesting info kameraden
@@KnightofAges the bonus also applies to mechanised and motorised units.
Really good video
Great great great presenting ! ! Thank You ! ! !!
Thanks!
I am surprised that you didn't tell the story how actually 6 Germans captured Belgrade. It was a hell of a bluff.
Do you have the story? I'd like to read about it.
I think they were 7 Germans with Klingenberg in charge that captured Belgrade. By bluffing of course. They said that they were in front of some armored brigades (i think 3 or 4) and they were in direct contact with Luftwaffe, which was ready to strike. So the Mayor "handed over" the city to the 7 Germans. Klingenberg ordered the city schools, shops etc. to continue working, so that they do not arise suspicion until the main force comes. When the main army came, they were surprised to find no resistance and Klingenberg was awarded. When Serbians found out l, they were furious, some even commiting suicide afterwards, following the example of their mayor.
@sshauser1 I do not deny Serbia's resist to Germany. Or the partisan movement that was a constant problem to Occupational forces. But saying the capital of Yugoslavia was not defended is a little bit childish.
@@awesomemike-4411 It was not defended as it was declared an open city.
Also what bluff, they were in front of larger force, they were part of the SS Das Reich division which was part of the 41 MotK, and from the south was coming 14 MotK, and from Croatia 46 MotK.
So yeah, 6 soldiers and three motorised korps behind them on their way to the city.
Klingenberg threatened Belgrade with another air raid. It was a bluff as he had no liaison to the Luftwaffe but thousands of Belgrade citizens had already been killed the previous week in an air raid. While it was just six or so Germans, far more substantial forces were just behind them.
Unfortunately the Greek people in the WW2 paid a very heavy price! For no reason at all. Germany didn't need Greece at any of its strategic games.
Thank the Italians for that!!!
Finally reached video 150 after a week of a break, the Marathon goes on!
The lighting or the grade has Indy looking a little healthier now.
Yugoslavia: Yea we can resist the Germans.
Narrator: They could not.
random guy, Yugoslavia could resist the German invasion only with help of Allies.
@@borkokostic8290 yugoslavia will resist ;)
Yugoslavian Royal Army could not. The guerillas that fought after however could.
Great vid
Heading for the Battlefield, right after this news report!