No matter how many documentaries I watch or books I read, I am still just astounded at the pure scale of warfare on the Eastern front. Hundreds of divisions. Millions of men. It's almost incomprehensible. I'm a combat veteran of the Iraq War and it feels like my experience was almost a skirmish compared to the fighting these men were involved in. It was called 'Total War' and I can't think of a better description.
Not much will match the brutality on the eastern front in WW2. There are just a few examples in history like Carthage , the Mongols to set an example what happend if a city didn't surrender and the killing of a million Gauls en Enslaving of a million more by Julius Ceaser. Still it doens''t matter that they did more then modern soldiers. You can't become a legend without a war.
@@VitoHoffa Stalin wasn't the best leader, besides the Greatest Victory was made by Soviets by themselves,but still all the world should appreciate what USSR did, when they fight a huge amount of nazis by themselves and helped other countries in battles, if they lost or surrender the hall world would be under nazis control during the modern days, nobody could stop Nazis Germany and their allies
@@FOXHOUNDProductions91 Yeah I wish I was more internet savvy. In fact I'm super low Tech. The extent of my internet knowledge is the UA-cam button and the Google bar. Pretty sad really.
Twenty years later we're left with documentaries half the worth of this one in terms of insight and detail, despite access to more previously classified archives and better editing techniques. Entertainment over education, reflecting the dynamics in our social values.
***** Couldn't agree more-the problem is money,whether we like it or not we (lovers of factual history )are seen as a minority interest.At the time these programmes were made,it was possible to sell them to the History Channel but since that channel prostituted itself to ridiculous fiction masquerading as factual programmes,no one else is interested-the future seems bleak.
***** Yes, much more is known. These old documentaries show random views and film clips, most of which do not correspond to what the narrator is talking about.
The saddest thing of all is that the generation who actually lived through the events is fading away,people like my father who fought in several theatres of war-he would religiously watch The World at War in the 70's where people involved in the war were featured heavily-a series of that quality will never be seen again.
There's so much crap programming on that channel, I just can't decide. Not to mention all those "bible history" shows. I also remember actually learning something on The Learning Channel. Not anymore. They have got a *LOT* of nerve still calling themselves that. The only thing I learn now from TLC is just how dumbed down this country has become. Storage Wars is my pet peeve--all those fake fights. An outdoor Jerry Springer.
I love russia so much. But i'm brazilian, and i heard the russian don't like foreigns' that's the main reason i dindn't go yet. But reading your comment, startet to change my mind. tks!
Zeus revoLTs That's bullshit, just never try to keep up with them if you are drinking together and you will be fine, otherwise, you end up in an emergincy room with alcohol overdose :) Most Russians are great, friendly people, go there, you wont't regret it ...
from bottom of my heart. this is best military documentary i ever seen by far. no bullshit no filler. just pure information and entertainment of its own kind
1:40:42 My late grandfather was one of these artillery men, commanding a battery of Howitzers. He went from Stalingrad all the way to Berlin. He died 10 years ago.
@1manuscriptman You are full of excrement. You are not in any way Jewish or worked at any university. For you to crawl into this comment and knowing literally NOTHING about my grandfather and to make that comment shows that you are a bitter, little old Nazi. Nothing else. No normal human being would make these groundless comments out of the blue.
I am hooked on this Battlefield series. I wish my secondary school history would have taught more in detail about WW2 Eastern Front rather than merely stating "Hitler's Germany invaded Soviet Union but was defeated at Moscow and Stalingrad, and eventually defeated at Berlin." It was only after reading Wikipedia and watching this Battlefield series did I finally understand how much the Russians went through to defeat Hitler's Germany. The scale and scope of the battles of Moscow, Stalingrad, Kiev, Kursk, Leningrad siege far surpassed any battles that the Western Europeans and Americans encountered.
I don't think the Western media tried to hide any of the sacrifice that the Soviets did during WWII. Right after the war, the Cold War began. The Soviets never released any of their detailed accounts of the war and its film footage to the West. Probably because they didn't want the West to study their techniques and tactics. The Soviet Union was a very, very closed society to the West and kept its own people locked in with its own propoganda. It wasn't until after the fall of the USSR, that the new Russian government started allowing the West to study the Russian account of the war against the Nazis and releasing a lot of film footage that we have the benefit of viewing today.
@@josephdpa Cold War is a surprise matter here for me personally, and now it seems obvious. Thank you. As for your second point, I humbly think, using at least only German sources would be enough to draw an adequate picture.
In return I can say, that for me, with still the Soviet tradition of history education, later info on the Battle of Great Britain was very refreshing. Also Italy, North Africa, right?
Every time I watch these documentaries I realise just how lucky I am for the time and place I was born that I never had to fight in a war and you can bloody well believe I have a red Poppy on my left side chest for every November 11 and I have it on as early as October!
I’ve spent my whole adult life taking hunting and fishing trips and living comfortably and safely wi th good jobs and a loving wife who is a chef. The gratitude I feel is ever-present. Right now I’m curled up with a hunting dog in a mortgage free house with 3 boats in the yard and a Tundra to tow them. Any man who lives like this and is jealous of others is a fool.
Italy was not ready for war because it never wanted war in the first place. It was forced because they saw the german menace coming. Not surprisingly, Italy conducted a very different war. It invaded countries far less equipped but motivated to fight and resist. And motivation made all the difference in this world, In Greece, and in Africa. Ultimately, Italy lost the war, it's leader and it's dream to become a great power.
@@giancarlocerza9159 That's some impressive revisionism. Italy was a warmongering fascist state, just like Germany. Their failures, on every front, do not excuse this aggression.
This was Mussolini's war and the italians never went along with it. It was one man'swill against that of an entire nation. Look at what they did to him ( mussolini) at the very end. Sic semper tyrannis.
@@giancarlocerza9159 Mussolini was prime minister from 1922 to 1943, that's an awful long time to "not go along with it". I'm afraid the Italian nation owns the sins of his fascism in just the same way Germany owns the sins of Hitler's regime.
@@giancarlocerza9159 Mussolini declared Itay as neutral when France and Britain declared war on Germany in Sept. 1939. Germany didn't force Italy to declare war on France and Britain in June 1940 when Germany was only two weeks away from defeating France and the British Expeditionary Force. Germany also didn't force Italy to invade Greece in Oct. 1940.
I watch this series every night, this episode in particular. I use it to relax strangely enough, but the voice over, music and the sound of heavy guns makes me sleep like a baby. It is the best series ever, and there are some tough contenders :)
I’m glad you said that, me too. It’s wonderful and truly tragic. The other episodes are superb too and Tim Piggot Smith has the perfect voice and tone.
Vasile, Thanks for this episode of the Battlefield series which explains the battle of Stalingrad very clearly with the aid of diagrams and excellent narration by Tim Piggott-Smith!
I love this series, the narrator is one of the best ever,sometimes I can put on an episode on my phone late at night just listening on my headphones, it makes a great bedtime story if you can't sleep.
Yeah, the narrator is great. You can usually tell the quality of a documentary by the choice of narrator. If it's movie trailer guy I turn it of immediately.
The story of what happened at Stalingrad never gets old to me. I've watched every Stalingrad piece there is. What happened to these army's is terrifying.
NO MY FRIEND.WHAT THE NAZIS DID TO THE SOVIET UNION IS TERRIFYING.27 000000 DEAD AND SOME OF THEM AFTER UNIMAGINABLE ATROCITIES.IN ADDITION THE TOTAL DISTRUCTION OF 70 000 VILLAGES AND TOWNS AND CITIES.THEY DID THE SAME THINGS WHEREVER THEY INVADED. IN MY COUNTRY GREECE FOR EXAMPLE IN A VILLAGE CALLED DISTOMO THEY KILLED ALL THE MALES REGARDLESS OF AGE,THEY KILLED MOTHERS WITH THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN IN THEIR ARMS BY SLITTING THIER THROATS OPEN.THE BABIES WHERE SLAUGHTERED IN THE SAME MANNER, THE PREGNANT WOMEN WERE HUNG IN TREES AND HAD THEIR BELLIES AND THEIR FETUSES SPLIT IN HALF FROM THEIR GENITALS RIGHT UP TO THEIR CHESTS ! ITS ALL BEEN DOCUMENTED IN THE AUTOPSY OF THE RED CROSS. NO, NOTHING TERRIFYING HAPPENED TO THE NAZI BEASTS.
never learned so many interesting details about ww2 battles than in this series. truly a documentary masterpiece. all war documentaries should be like this.
Late Tim piggot has made the series so good..he speaks every word so clearly that people like me who has learned English as a second language understand each and every word thoroughly... No doubt a great narrator narrating an excellent documentary series...R.I.P dear Tim.. All documentaries from this series act as sleeping pill for me.. i fell asleep everyday listening them.... An excellent series of series of WW2.
You’ve done well with your learning! I’m ashamed to say I possess the ability to speak only my native English, so I admire those who take on a second language. English is one of the hardest languages to learn to speak and write. Good on you, excellent work! Congrats ~~~~~
@@mynamedoesntmatter8652a good thing is that listening to these documentaries one by one when i come back to first documentary after around 60 days it seems new to me meaning that level of enjoyment is the same for me after two years..i also use them to fall asleep as they are far better than listening to corruption stories of my country s corrupt and cunnung political leaders in vlogs... Though those vlogs are in Urdu / Punjabi which are my first languages...
Excellent series. Tim Piggott-Smith is one of the best documentary narrators, with excellent diction. You can hear every word. The writers love the word "salient", which I have never heard as a noun anywhere elss. The absence of talking heads is a great advantage. They really bog down a documentary, especially when there is a voice-over translation. Well done.
General Paulus should of disregarded Hitler even if he was shit afterwards. His men out of 90k pows only 9 thousand came back home. It sickens me to think of their treatment in Soviet hands
Great documentary. If I had Tim Piggot Smith's voice I would literally talk to myself and narrate my day lol. He could narrate paint drying and I'd be interested.
There is a series here on UA-cam called, “Stalingrad: The Kessel” and there’s another one called “Stalingrad: The Doom.” Excellent docudramas about the encirclement and eventual surrender of the German Army
@@TheWorld-xs8ly Yes. In German the episodes are Der Angriff - the attack, Der Kessel - the cauldron, and Der Untergang - the end. I'd say that it's the best doku on the war I've seen, and the theme composition by Enjott Schneider is one of the most powerful compositions. Just pure emotion and longing for passed loved ones.
Wow, can't believe my luck finding this series, I had run out of ww2 stuff. Six seasons of nearly two-hour episodes, you could literally watch this for days.. great quality as well.
@@rabidhoneybadger5436 Oh, do enjoy these! I like to watch back to back, and throw in my personal favorites again just for extra fun. Well, if you can call war ‘fun,’ but you get my drift.
@@mynamedoesntmatter8652 I certainly do I’m the same I can I binge watch these and after every episode where you see all the sacrifice and death and look at the state of the world now you just think wtf was it all for😩
The battle of starlingrad was hell on earth for Germany Italy Romania Hungary they fought in a city building by building in street alley a room it was the turning point on the Eastern front
Charles McGuire 70% oh HC is just pawnstars. Don't know why their brain getting rotten day by day. They don't even remember the purpose of their channel
@@austenhyslop4457 I love IRT because of Lisa Kelly. Hahahaha. Seriously though HC is full crap. Who the hell is incharged of HC? They're idiots!. All their programming has nothing to do with History.WTF.
These documentaries are excellent, detailed and unequaled in today's world. The drivel, especially American produced, produced since 2000 are sensationalized, embarrassing reenactments which repeat the same details endlessly in an attempt to capitalize on percieved impact. These are truly educational and fascinating
One of the best if not the best documentary about WW2 battles I have ever seen. I saw it for the first time on Discovery Channel about 20 years ago. Reach video material, suggestive maps, very good narrator and above all very good music. Great job and great plesure for all fans of history of WW2.
rod dale one of the great Jokes of the eastern front was that the Germans loved the PPSh-41 and they used all they could get their hands on. The Russians loved the MP40...
Both sides actually felt that the other side had the better weapons. Understandable, as from ones own perspective it is not at all hard to get the impression that the enemy has it easier than you do and has advantages that you don't.
Stalin stopped micro managing his army after the disasters of 1941. FDR never micro managed; he set goals but never told his generals/admirals how to fight the war. Hitler, on the other, could never stop meddling...which led to the disasters of 1943-45.
indeed once marshal Zhukov general rokossovsky chuikov etc could set to work without interference well the results speak for themselves kursk stalingrad operation bagration just to name afew
Hitler was Russia's greatest ally. He singlehandedly sabotaged the german war machine and as a result lost stalingrad. He took the tried and proven blitzkrieg tactic and warped it into something completely insane. His generals were so baffled but they couldnt say shit while fearing for their lives.
Vasile Ten years ago i found you on UA-cam and watched all your uploads back when you had a few thousand views,now to see you still here is awesome mate with millions of views.Thankyou for some of the best ever Wartime uploads add-free too,also twice as long as any other upload on same subject.
From the letters of Nazi soldiers Erich Ott sent from Stalingrad. August 23, 1942: "In the morning I was shocked wonderful spectacle: the first time through the fire and the smoke I saw the Volga, calmly and majestically in its current channel. We have achieved the desired goal - the Volga. But the city is still in the hands of Russian. Why Russian rested on this side, do they think they fight on the edge? It's crazy. " November 1942: "We had hoped that before Christmas back to Germany that Stalingrad in our hands. What a great mistake! This city has turned us into a crowd of unfeeling dead! Stalingrad - it's hell! Russian people do not look like they are made of iron, they do not know fatigue, they do not know fear. Sailors on lyutom cold, go on the attack vests. Physically and spiritually one Russian soldier stronger whole of our company ... " The last letter was dated January 4, 1943: "Russian snipers and anti-tank riflemen - undoubtedly the disciples of God. They lie in wait for us night and day, and do not miss. 58 days, we stormed the one - the only home. Stormed in vain ... None of us will return to Germany, unless a miracle happens. And in miracles I no longer believe. Time passed on the Russian side. "
Amazing letters. Beevors in his book on Stalingrad quoted German soldiers early in the invasion writing home and picking out the areas where they would come back after the war and homestead their own farms. The soldiers were obviously schooled in Lebensraum--the expansion of Germanic peoples into the Slavic homelands. It also meant the genocide of Slavic people. Was it a surprise then that Russian soldiers fought with such courage and ferocity. Is it any wonder that the sharpened shovel used when when the bullets ran out, with its sheer brutality as a weapon became a feared by German soldiers. Hitler bragged that the 6th Army was so good they could storm the gates of heaven. Unknowing to them, they stormed the gates of hell and out came a wind to destroy the German army.
yeah, Russians kicked Germans asses in there ) I am Russian, both of my grandfathers fought against Germans , both returned home. The war is hell anyway.
You' ve to love how the music paces the documentary,sought of how ken burns " civil war" documentary was literally better than any I had seen till that time!!
In Stalingrad that's where my Papa got captured. He was a Lanzer or Landzer, I don't know where that word cam from. He fought in the 6 Arme. Then off he went to sibieria saltmine. From there he escaped and so lange die fuesse tragen came all the way home. I think for about 5 years my mom with 5 kids did not know if he was still alive. My mom with my 4 sis and 1 brother ran from Sudeten Deutschland to the American sector. When my dad finally reached them and came where there lived and my sister went to the door she told my mom there is a strange man out there. After that they made love and out came I in 53. From 500 000 men in Stalingrad 50 000 got captured and about 5 000 came home. Some odds that I am here. I could never understand War or killing people. When I was a kid often times my dad would cry. He had the bigges tears, shit he would cry a lot when he sang songs or got a little drunk. I think I am a crier too. I have 2 beautiful girls and live in the USA = Hawaii. We are all brother here on earth and I would cry for you. Peace on earth and no more war for my daughters.
***** Thanks for your respond. People are just out there how can there be so much hate that people blow themselves up/ we can never give up hope ,we have to love one another/ it might get harder before it get easyer but never give up and once love will rule for a while / it will be paradies /see you there. Aloha
Funny enough the battle for the Donbas today is taking place in the same area where the German launched their offensive to destroy the soviet salient in 1942
If there would be such a thing as an Oscar for narration, Tim Piggot-Smith would be like the Meryl Streep of documentaries...I grew up with this series and I almost identify anything WW2 with his voice.
I first remember watching Battlefield in the early nineties on Georgia public telavition. I love the narrators breakdown of the units and equipment of the battlels.
All of these wwll documentaries heavily remind me of my Grandad and my GreatGrandad , they were both full-time professional Army officers in the Greek Royal Army. Miss you guys❗
battlefield from the BBC is an older series on WWII, but it is on of the best produced and is very accurate in it knowledge of all facets of all allies, and axis combatants.
The lesson of this campaign, which Sun Tzu would extrapolate would be: "Fight the battle you want to fight, not the one your foe wants". I paraphrase but it's true.
General Vasily Chuikov (3-star ,that time and later Marshal of the Soviet Union). He was the commander of the 62nd army ,during the battle of Stalingrad ,that held the city successfully !!!! His contribution and his tactics for city warfare were conclusive !!!
Verdun. And even though Iwo Jima was much smaller in scale, the level of brutality shown by both the US Marines and the Japanese, as well as the intensity of the fighting, was definitely equal to Stalingrad. Same can be said about Okinawa. There were veterans of Iwo Jima who fought many other Pacific battles in World War II, and some even went on to fight in the Korean War as well - but they said that it was Iwo Jima that haunted them and gave them nightmares for the rest of their lives. They mentally and emotionally got over the other battles they saw, but they could never get over Iwo Jima. Of all the battles they were in, it was specifically Iwo Jima that screwed them up in the heads - according to them.
"Get close to the enemy positions. Move on all fours, making use of craters and ruins. Carry your tommy-gun on your shoulder. Take 10 to 12 grenades. Timing and surprise will then be on your side...Into the building - a grenade! A turning - another grenade" Rake it with your tommy-gun! And get a move on." General Churikov
Yes, it was Chuikov who first successfully deployed the strategy of 'hugging the enemy' so effectively. The Wehrmacht much preferred blitzkrieg, and the long, grinding, attritional house to house style really wore them down. I've never seen the actual order though - thanks for posting.
@@englishalan222 what gun was he referencing with "tommy gun"? Only gun I've ever heard called by that name is the Thompson, and the Soviets didn't use those.
@Mega Bruh 1993 - German made; 2104 - Enemy of the Gates - American made. 1989 - Soviet Union -(Yuri Ozerov's film) - Stalingrad (with English subtitles)
Not sure this guy's name but he is hands down the greatest voice in the history of documentaries. The other ones he does the crimes that shook the world are absolutely fantastic as well
They always mention the german generals indecisiveness and the terrible winter. Like the red army had nothing to do. They weren't sunning themselves by the Volga.
I made a trip to Volgograd about 6 years back. A fascinating city; its boasts the tallest statue in the world without a pedestal.It stands on top of Mamav Kurgon. Worth a visit if you should ever get the chance.
"Heart wrenching" my ass! Stop humanizing Hitler's filth! They went there to exterminate the population and then exploit the lands and the people conquered. They got what they deserved; I wish only more were in the cauldron but the Operation Bagration did better after a couple of years, I guess. If you want to read a heart wrenching story read "OST: An Untold History of Nazi Germany’s Forced Labour Camps" where ca. 7 million Ostarbeiter, a.k.a. slaves, were forced to work to death in Germany to supply weapons and armament for the war. Also recommended: "Ostkrieg" by Stephen Fritz to see the monstrous scopes of the genocidal war the Nazis waged in the East. If the Germans did the same to the American cities, the US would've nuked them instead of helping them rebuild like the USSR in the East Germany after the war.
20 mins in and satisfied ill watch rest of the series in my own order of interest and re introduction to another world war. Been so heavily involved in ww1 and it's pre Balkan history
I spoken with a boy from the city, he said no pictures or videos could explain the death in the city. You could walk from one side to the other side of the city I’m dead people. He was 12 years old and he stayed in a basement of a bank. His family had their winter food supplies stored there, and out of all of his family. He was the only one that lived. At night was the only time he came out for woods for heat. Food was never a problem for him it was the shooting and shelling that was the problem. He said in the 80 day of staying in the basement. He never saw another Russian he only could here German soldiers talking sometimes. He even burned Money to stay warm. He said that at the end of the fighting in the daylight could you really understand the death.
Great documentary. Thanks for posting. I had the rare opportunity to visit the USSR in 1976 for a college Political Science class & was in Moscow, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), and Kiev. There were still reminders EVERYWHERE of "The Great Patriotic War."
A v good book to read is called"The forgotten soldier" by Guy Sajer. He was a german infantryman on the eastern front in ww2 as part of an elite unit< Grosse Deutschlander NOT the ss. Basically the elite units were relied upon to do heroic deeds and had best supply of everything while the average german wermacht unit got nothing much at all. Elite units had distinctive armbands on their sleeves. Ps its a very good eyewitness book of ones mans story and how horrific the war was. He wasn't at stalingrad though which is probably how he survived to write his book. Its very well worth reading. around 560pp so its a good long read.
***** You've read it too then? It IS good . I was amazed at how he survived it. The veteran in the book sounds like the type of guy you need around you when things get shitty. He's nothing in civilian life but is a brilliant combat soldier. As the book progresses it tells how teenagers barely trained are thrown into battle versus the soviets and the only thing they are good at is getting killed. Another good book from the german point of view in ww1 is "storm of steel" by Ernst Junger. Eyewitness type of thing. Its very similiar really except its the first world war. Not so good as "the forgotten soldier" but still a good book. I was astounded how he survived that too, it seems to be down to pure luck more than anything else.
***** good info thx I Its good to know people do read books as opposed to watching YT videos and then claiming to be history experts.by watching videos What a pile of crap eh?. Read "storm of steel" by Ernst Junger.
***** I always liked his account of paula his first ever girlfriend, when he was on leave.Thats exactly how you are at that age I know I was like this with my first girl. Its all unknown and just touching fingers is a thrill. and you think god shes gorgeous and seems to like me.. The book seems really truthful,.. He was maybe 19 by then correct me if i am wrong. In the last few pages at the end he dedicates a memento to her because he cannot believe shes dead. He dedicates it to his friend Hals too who he never saw again. Its a book that everyone should read I reckon.
zenoist2 I'll have to look out for that myself. I read most of Sven Hassel's books way back when, maybe 30 years ago, and realise that's just fiction. But when "Wheels of Terror" was banned in Germany when first published, it made me want to read it. I don't like being told what to think! And I'm pretty sure that his books were quite close to the truth. The brutal honesty, or should I say the honesty about the brutality, makes these books more than just horrific entertainment. It puts one in the time and place and situations suffered on both sides.
so many people fighting over who beat who, in the end how many people died on all fronts and how many for a few people's stupid ideals and pride, those poor people who were starved and tortured, the only reason films like this should be watched is for proof of how wasteful war is and how future generations should start seeing people on either sides of imaginary lines drawn on a map as human beings. we have enough problems with hunger and disease.
Unfortunately, Army Group A wasn't cut off with the 6th Army under Stalingrad. Had Hitler insisted on them not retreating, Soviets could've encircled 3 times as many troops, and could've ended the war by the end of 1943, early 1944 at the latest.
The thing I'm wondering is how did they convince regular guys to go fight and die for a pile of rubble against people they never met. What were they told? It all seems insane to me.
Much is down to Soviet Propaganda as Soviet news papers inspired the soldiers to avenge the dead of their country and demonized the Germans. One famous poem went.."Kill! Kill! In the German race there is nothing but evil; not one among the living, not one among the yet unborn but is evil! Follow the precepts of Comrade Stalin. Stamp out the fascist beast once and for all in its lair! Use force and break the racial pride of these Germanic women. Take them as your lawful booty. Kill! As you storm onward, kill, you gallant soldiers of the Red Army."....Another... "The Germans are not human beings. Henceforth the word German means to us the most terrible curse. From now on the word German will trigger your rifle. We shall not speak any moe. We shall not get excited. We shall kill. If you have not killed at least one German a day, you have wasted that day... If you cannot kill your German with a bullet, kill him with your bayonet. If there is calm on your part of the front, if you are waiting for the fighting, kill a German before combat. If you leave a German alive, the German will hang a Russian and rape a Russian woman. If you kill one German, kill another - there is nothing more amusing for us than a heap of German corpses. Do not count days; do not count miles. Count only the number of Germans you have killed. Kill the German - this is your old mother's prayer. Kill the German - this is what your children beseech you to do. Kill the German - this is the cry of your Russian earth. Do not waver. Do not let up. Kill." ....With the Soviet troops being bombarded with this kind of propaganda it is hardly surprising that once the Red Army entered Germany they behaved as they did. The two poems by Ilya Ehrenburg are typical of his work. Later Stalin would order him to tone down his writings but by then it was too late.
Kalle The war that the Nazis launched against the Soviets was actually a "genocidal race war" and this is why the Russians rallied behind their communist leader Stalin. They knew that if the Germans won they would be exterminated or enslaved. They were fighting for their survival as a people.
The Germans did not need to be fighting in Stalingrad. They could have by-passed it and let the city starve. The only reason that the Battle of Stalingrad took place was its name. STALINgrad. It was prestige. The loss of a city bearing the name of the leader of the USSR would have been a serious blow to Soviet morale, yet the city itself had very little strategic value as it could have been by-passed easily and the Volga reached to the north and south of the city
No matter how many documentaries I watch or books I read, I am still just astounded at the pure scale of warfare on the Eastern front. Hundreds of divisions. Millions of men. It's almost incomprehensible. I'm a combat veteran of the Iraq War and it feels like my experience was almost a skirmish compared to the fighting these men were involved in. It was called 'Total War' and I can't think of a better description.
That happens when your leader just says go out there and fight and dies not even carrying about his troops
Not much will match the brutality on the eastern front in WW2.
There are just a few examples in history like Carthage , the Mongols to set an example what happend if a city didn't surrender and the killing of a million Gauls en Enslaving of a million more by Julius Ceaser. Still it doens''t matter that they did more then modern soldiers. You can't become a legend without a war.
Check out my post here, for the only escape.
@@VitoHoffa Stalin wasn't the best leader, besides the Greatest Victory was made by Soviets by themselves,but still all the world should appreciate what USSR did, when they fight a huge amount of nazis by themselves and helped other countries in battles, if they lost or surrender the hall world would be under nazis control during the modern days, nobody could stop Nazis Germany and their allies
@@sheeesh7419 guess what ussr was only able to keep fighting due to usa recources.
This is what used to play on the history channel not the drivel they have today.
That's why I cancelled cable years ago.
@@anov3598
Can't blame you. I haven't canceled yet but I sure have thought about it.
@@mhern57 Save money, and just about anything is on the web if you search hard enough.
@@FOXHOUNDProductions91
Yeah I wish I was more internet savvy. In fact I'm super low Tech. The extent of my internet knowledge is the UA-cam button and the Google bar. Pretty sad really.
@@mhern57 Not at all. I crashed so many PC's before I was able to use one with any sort experience.
Twenty years later we're left with documentaries half the worth of this one in terms of insight and detail, despite access to more previously classified archives and better editing techniques.
Entertainment over education, reflecting the dynamics in our social values.
***** Couldn't agree more-the problem is money,whether we like it or not we (lovers of factual history )are seen as a minority interest.At the time these programmes were made,it was possible to sell them to the History Channel but since that channel prostituted itself to ridiculous fiction masquerading as factual programmes,no one else is interested-the future seems bleak.
***** Yes, much more is known. These old documentaries show random views and film clips, most of which do not correspond to what the narrator is talking about.
The saddest thing of all is that the generation who actually lived through the events is fading away,people like my father who fought in several theatres of war-he would religiously watch The World at War in the 70's where people involved in the war were featured heavily-a series of that quality will never be seen again.
20? it's fucking 70 years ago
+Rehana Islam My comment was clearly about the documentary, not the war.
I am not aware of any war series that is as informative or better than this one. Truly a magnificent series.
You might want to check out TIK history’s Battlestorm Stalingrad. It is the most thorough and interesting series I have ever seen.
The world at war
@@ripwednesdayadams absolutely
Another vote for TIK History
Acknowledging the real true of war is gone. Nothing but Hollywood crap is made now. Sad.
Props to the narrator for his smooth, eloquent and Shakespearean voice.
Says the brony
@@bryancollett1619 says the letter
@@TheKing60210 what does says the letter actually mean?
This reply thread makes no sense
Mr. Pigott-Smith was, indeed, a Shakespearean actor.
Visited Volgagrad on business. Was impressed by the large geographic footprint of the battlefield. The scale of this battle is staggering.
What business comrade?
Charles De Gaulle was also impressed. He could hardly believe the Germans had gotten so far.
Great series! !
Too bad everything has gone Ice Road Truckers and Honey Booboo.
mrichar9 Right on and they call it THE HISTORY CHANNEL !
blackduck "Ancient Aliens", anyone? :P
There's so much crap programming on that channel, I just can't decide. Not to mention all those "bible history" shows. I also remember actually learning something on The Learning Channel. Not anymore. They have got a *LOT* of nerve still calling themselves that. The only thing I learn now from TLC is just how dumbed down this country has become. Storage Wars is my pet peeve--all those fake fights. An outdoor Jerry Springer.
Diane A The National Geographic Channel isn't much better. Thank god for PBS otherwise I would cancel cable.
You said it. even The Smithsonian Channel is going downhill too.
I have visited the battlefield twice and I must say how pleasantly surprised I was by the kindness and hospitality of the Russian people
That's lovely to hear
I love russia so much.
But i'm brazilian, and i heard the russian
don't like foreigns' that's the main reason i dindn't go yet.
But reading your comment, startet to change my mind. tks!
Zeus revoLTs That's bullshit, just never try to keep up with them if you are drinking together and you will be fine, otherwise, you end up in an emergincy room with alcohol overdose :) Most Russians are great, friendly people, go there, you wont't regret it ...
Zeus revoLTs
All Russians I have met were kind and friendly, always willing to help. If you have time and resources, visit Stalingrad (now Volgograd).
Josip Lazic Been there a truely worth while visit, I stayed in Hotel Volgograd next to the park 'The Alley of Heroes'
from bottom of my heart. this is best military documentary i ever seen by far. no bullshit no filler. just pure information and entertainment of its own kind
Better than the world at war?
The battle of STALINGRAD was the correct definition of TRUE HELL ON EARTH. I thought GALIPOLI battle in WWI was bad but this one was 100 times worse.
That's why Stalingrad was nicknamed "the Verdun on the Volga"..the Germans who fought there called it "rattenkreig"..the war of the rats
His voice is so soothing. I turn an episode on before going to bed And I pass out
Yeah and me mate i always watch a doc with secent narrator voice so i sleep bettter
1:40:42 My late grandfather was one of these artillery men, commanding a battery of Howitzers. He went from Stalingrad all the way to Berlin. He died 10 years ago.
Now that's a real hero!
That awesome! I can imagine the stories.
Wow!
@1manuscriptman some little Nazi boy is very very very bitter. Keep practicing those salutes in your mom's basement! LOLOLOLOL
@1manuscriptman You are full of excrement. You are not in any way Jewish or worked at any university. For you to crawl into this comment and knowing literally NOTHING about my grandfather and to make that comment shows that you are a bitter, little old Nazi. Nothing else. No normal human being would make these groundless comments out of the blue.
I remember watching this show way back in 1994. I'm so happy it can still out there, I feel like a little kid again.
I am hooked on this Battlefield series. I wish my secondary school history would have taught more in detail about WW2 Eastern Front rather than merely stating "Hitler's Germany invaded Soviet Union but was defeated at Moscow and Stalingrad, and eventually defeated at Berlin." It was only after reading Wikipedia and watching this Battlefield series did I finally understand how much the Russians went through to defeat Hitler's Germany. The scale and scope of the battles of Moscow, Stalingrad, Kiev, Kursk, Leningrad siege far surpassed any battles that the Western Europeans and Americans encountered.
John Lee you can see how western people tend to forget how much the soviets did and how our role in the war is exaggerated
Wikipedia is not a source of information
I don't think the Western media tried to hide any of the sacrifice that the Soviets did during WWII. Right after the war, the Cold War began. The Soviets never released any of their detailed accounts of the war and its film footage to the West. Probably because they didn't want the West to study their techniques and tactics. The Soviet Union was a very, very closed society to the West and kept its own people locked in with its own propoganda. It wasn't until after the fall of the USSR, that the new Russian government started allowing the West to study the Russian account of the war against the Nazis and releasing a lot of film footage that we have the benefit of viewing today.
@@josephdpa Cold War is a surprise matter here for me personally, and now it seems obvious. Thank you.
As for your second point, I humbly think, using at least only German sources would be enough to draw an adequate picture.
In return I can say, that for me, with still the Soviet tradition of history education, later info on the Battle of Great Britain was very refreshing.
Also Italy, North Africa, right?
The intro music gets me so pumped. I have to listen to it at least 2-3x before I start watching.
Every time I watch these documentaries I realise just how lucky I am for the time and place I was born that I never had to fight in a war and you can bloody well believe I have a red Poppy on my left side chest for every November 11 and I have it on as early as October!
There’s many more types of warfare
I’ve spent my whole adult life taking hunting and fishing trips and living comfortably and safely wi th good jobs and a loving wife who is a chef. The gratitude I feel is ever-present. Right now I’m curled up with a hunting dog in a mortgage free house with 3 boats in the yard and a Tundra to tow them.
Any man who lives like this and is jealous of others is a fool.
1:04:19 lol, the best quote in the entire series "The Italian 8th army with its 6 ill equipped and unreliable divisions"
Italy was not ready for war because it never wanted war in the first place. It was forced because they saw the german menace coming. Not surprisingly, Italy conducted a very different war. It invaded countries far less equipped but motivated to fight and resist. And motivation made all the difference in this world, In Greece, and in Africa. Ultimately, Italy lost the war, it's leader and it's dream to become a great power.
@@giancarlocerza9159 That's some impressive revisionism. Italy was a warmongering fascist state, just like Germany. Their failures, on every front, do not excuse this aggression.
This was Mussolini's war and the italians never went along with it. It was one man'swill against that of an entire nation. Look at what they did to him ( mussolini) at the very end. Sic semper tyrannis.
@@giancarlocerza9159 Mussolini was prime minister from 1922 to 1943, that's an awful long time to "not go along with it". I'm afraid the Italian nation owns the sins of his fascism in just the same way Germany owns the sins of Hitler's regime.
@@giancarlocerza9159 Mussolini declared Itay as neutral when France and Britain declared war on Germany in Sept. 1939. Germany didn't force Italy to declare war on France and Britain in June 1940 when Germany was only two weeks away from defeating France and the British Expeditionary Force. Germany also didn't force Italy to invade Greece in Oct. 1940.
I watch this series every night, this episode in particular. I use it to relax strangely enough, but the voice over, music and the sound of heavy guns makes me sleep like a baby. It is the best series ever, and there are some tough contenders :)
I’m glad you said that, me too. It’s wonderful and truly tragic. The other episodes are superb too and Tim Piggot Smith has the perfect voice and tone.
Oh God same here too !!
Same here.
@@martenzit82 me too i thought it was just me haha .. if u want another good one try secrets of war charles heston ;-)
Vasile,
Thanks for this episode of the Battlefield series which explains the battle of Stalingrad very clearly with the aid of diagrams and excellent narration by Tim Piggott-Smith!
Where is vasile? Nobody has seen him for years... 😢
It’s interesting to watch the film footage from this period. Thank you for posting. Richard in Dallas
I love this series, the narrator is one of the best ever,sometimes I can put on an episode on my phone late at night just listening on my headphones, it makes a great bedtime story if you can't sleep.
Yeah, the narrator is great. You can usually tell the quality of a documentary by the choice of narrator. If it's movie trailer guy I turn it of immediately.
Tim Piggott-Smith great actor and narrator
rip
He died in 2017 great voice for an audio book or bedtime story
Excellent narration
The story of what happened at Stalingrad never gets old to me. I've watched every Stalingrad piece there is. What happened to these army's is terrifying.
Manstein almost broke through but Paulis never tried to break out.
Could you please give me a brief summary?
@@briandonavan2872 I wouldn't call 90 miles close and I wouldn't rely on Manstein's memoirs as a source.
NO MY FRIEND.WHAT THE NAZIS DID TO THE SOVIET UNION IS TERRIFYING.27 000000 DEAD AND SOME OF THEM AFTER UNIMAGINABLE ATROCITIES.IN ADDITION THE TOTAL DISTRUCTION OF 70 000 VILLAGES AND TOWNS AND CITIES.THEY DID THE SAME THINGS WHEREVER THEY INVADED. IN MY COUNTRY GREECE FOR EXAMPLE IN A VILLAGE CALLED DISTOMO THEY KILLED ALL THE MALES REGARDLESS OF AGE,THEY KILLED MOTHERS WITH THEIR YOUNG CHILDREN IN THEIR ARMS BY SLITTING THIER THROATS OPEN.THE BABIES WHERE SLAUGHTERED IN THE SAME MANNER, THE PREGNANT WOMEN WERE HUNG IN TREES AND HAD THEIR BELLIES AND THEIR FETUSES SPLIT IN HALF FROM THEIR GENITALS RIGHT UP TO THEIR CHESTS ! ITS ALL BEEN DOCUMENTED IN THE AUTOPSY OF THE RED CROSS. NO, NOTHING TERRIFYING HAPPENED TO THE NAZI BEASTS.
You and me both. Most interesting and terrifying battle to study.
never learned so many interesting details about ww2 battles than in this series. truly a documentary masterpiece. all war documentaries should be like this.
Late Tim piggot has made the series so good..he speaks every word so clearly that people like me who has learned English as a second language understand each and every word thoroughly... No doubt a great narrator narrating an excellent documentary series...R.I.P dear Tim..
All documentaries from this series act as sleeping pill for me.. i fell asleep everyday listening them....
An excellent series of series of WW2.
You’ve done well with your learning! I’m ashamed to say I possess the ability to speak only my native English, so I admire those who take on a second language. English is one of the hardest languages to learn to speak and write. Good on you, excellent work! Congrats ~~~~~
@@mynamedoesntmatter8652 thanks for the compliments...
@@masroor5672
Well earned, friend. And I like to fall asleep listening to these as well. Continue to enjoy, as will I.
@@mynamedoesntmatter8652a good thing is that listening to these documentaries one by one when i come back to first documentary after around 60 days it seems new to me meaning that level of enjoyment is the same for me after two years..i also use them to fall asleep as they are far better than listening to corruption stories of my country s corrupt and cunnung political leaders in vlogs... Though those vlogs are in Urdu / Punjabi which are my first languages...
I can finally watch all of the videos! They've been blocked in country from the beginning. This series is one of, if not the best, I've ever watched.
Excellent series. Tim Piggott-Smith is one of the best documentary narrators, with excellent diction. You can hear every word. The writers love the word "salient", which I have never heard as a noun anywhere elss. The absence of talking heads is a great advantage. They really bog down a documentary, especially when there is a voice-over translation. Well done.
General Paulus should of disregarded Hitler even if he was shit afterwards. His men out of 90k pows only 9 thousand came back home. It sickens me to think of their treatment in Soviet hands
@@deneshbhaskar8650**should've
He is so great in Jewel in the Crown, a bit sinister, but great!
Sickens you??? Smh. After what they did to the Russians......they had no business even being there.@deneshbhaskar8650
Great documentary. If I had Tim Piggot Smith's voice I would literally talk to myself and narrate my day lol. He could narrate paint drying and I'd be interested.
There is a series here on UA-cam called, “Stalingrad: The Kessel” and there’s another one called “Stalingrad: The Doom.” Excellent docudramas about the encirclement and eventual surrender of the German Army
Oh yes 👍 that’s another great series on Stalingrad-from the German perspective. 👏👏👏
And try “Soviet Storm”
There's a third part to that doku series.
@@speggeri90 - Yes, there are more parts to this series. I think one is called Stalingrad: The Attack
@@TheWorld-xs8ly Yes. In German the episodes are Der Angriff - the attack, Der Kessel - the cauldron, and Der Untergang - the end. I'd say that it's the best doku on the war I've seen, and the theme composition by Enjott Schneider is one of the most powerful compositions. Just pure emotion and longing for passed loved ones.
Wow, can't believe my luck finding this series, I had run out of ww2 stuff. Six seasons of nearly two-hour episodes, you could literally watch this for days.. great quality as well.
I’ve only found it two weeks ago 👊😊
@@rabidhoneybadger5436
Oh, do enjoy these! I like to watch back to back, and throw in my personal favorites again just for extra fun. Well, if you can call war ‘fun,’ but you get my drift.
@@mynamedoesntmatter8652 I certainly do I’m the same I can I binge watch these and after every episode where you see all the sacrifice and death and look at the state of the world now you just think wtf was it all for😩
The battle of starlingrad was hell on earth for Germany Italy Romania Hungary they fought in a city building by building in street alley a room it was the turning point on the Eastern front
The. Battlefield series are exceptional. I’ve watched some of them so many times I’ve lost count.
Been watching battlefield dokus since I was 11 years old :D
edit. [now I'm 30]
Me too. Probably once a yeah. Got them all on vhs recorded from discovery 😄
My sunday comfort food, tea and battlefield
Same
I used to watch this series all the time as a kid with my dad. Sad that all they're showing now are crap like "Storage Wars" or "Ice Road Truckers."
pawn stars???.
Absolutely correct my friend, This is what our youngsters need to be learning about not the crap that's on television now
Charles McGuire 70% oh HC is just pawnstars. Don't know why their brain getting rotten day by day. They don't even remember the purpose of their channel
I know what you mean and to bad the narrator passed away in 2017
@@austenhyslop4457 I love IRT because of Lisa Kelly. Hahahaha. Seriously though HC is full crap. Who the hell is incharged of HC? They're idiots!. All their programming has nothing to do with History.WTF.
These documentaries are excellent, detailed and unequaled in today's world. The drivel, especially American produced, produced since 2000 are sensationalized, embarrassing reenactments which repeat the same details endlessly in an attempt to capitalize on percieved impact. These are truly educational and fascinating
When you say "especially American produced" you mean the History Channel et al
One of the best if not the best documentary about WW2 battles I have ever seen.
I saw it for the first time on Discovery Channel about 20 years ago. Reach video material, suggestive maps, very good narrator and above all very good music. Great job and great plesure for all fans of history of WW2.
The best documentary about Stalingrad I a have ever seen. No propaganda, just the facts. Kudos to the authors.
@1:11:13 to 1:11:18 German soldier is carrying a Soviet PPSh-41 sub-machine gun. Always interesting when soldiers use the fiearms of their enemy.
rod dale one of the great Jokes of the eastern front was that the Germans loved the PPSh-41 and they used all they could get their hands on. The Russians loved the MP40...
Both sides actually felt that the other side had the better weapons. Understandable, as from ones own perspective it is not at all hard to get the impression that the enemy has it easier than you do and has advantages that you don't.
@@kelvinktfong That is a true story.
Stalin stopped micro managing his army after the disasters of 1941. FDR never micro managed; he set goals but never told his generals/admirals how to fight the war. Hitler, on the other, could never stop meddling...which led to the disasters of 1943-45.
indeed once marshal Zhukov general rokossovsky chuikov etc could set to work without interference well the results speak for themselves kursk stalingrad operation bagration just to name afew
Hitler was Russia's greatest ally. He singlehandedly sabotaged the german war machine and as a result lost stalingrad. He took the tried and proven blitzkrieg tactic and warped it into something completely insane. His generals were so baffled but they couldnt say shit while fearing for their lives.
@Oliver Mayo I'd say it was declaring war on the US. That was dumb.
That's because FDR was too busy stealing Americans gold savings.
@@ChrisZukowski88 Fearing for their lives? How many of his staff did Hitler kill? How many did Stalin kill? Koolaid is a helluva drug.
Vasile Ten years ago i found you on UA-cam and watched all your uploads back when you had a few thousand views,now to see you still here is awesome mate with millions of views.Thankyou for some of the best ever Wartime uploads add-free too,also twice as long as any other upload on same subject.
From the letters of Nazi soldiers Erich Ott sent from Stalingrad.
August 23, 1942:
"In the morning I was shocked wonderful spectacle: the first time through the fire and the smoke I saw the Volga, calmly and majestically in its current channel. We have achieved the desired goal - the Volga. But the city is still in the hands of Russian. Why Russian rested on this side, do they think they fight on the edge? It's crazy. "
November 1942:
"We had hoped that before Christmas back to Germany that Stalingrad in our hands. What a great mistake! This city has turned us into a crowd of unfeeling dead! Stalingrad - it's hell! Russian people do not look like they are made of iron, they do not know fatigue, they do not know fear. Sailors on lyutom cold, go on the attack vests. Physically and spiritually one Russian soldier stronger whole of our company ... "
The last letter was dated January 4, 1943:
"Russian snipers and anti-tank riflemen - undoubtedly the disciples of God. They lie in wait for us night and day, and do not miss. 58 days, we stormed the one - the only home. Stormed in vain ... None of us will return to Germany, unless a miracle happens. And in miracles I no longer believe. Time passed on the Russian side. "
Wow thats amazing... Especially the second one in November...
Amazing letters. Beevors in his book on Stalingrad quoted German soldiers early in the invasion writing home and picking out the areas where they would come back after the war and homestead their own farms. The soldiers were obviously schooled in Lebensraum--the expansion of Germanic peoples into the Slavic homelands. It also meant the genocide of Slavic people. Was it a surprise then that Russian soldiers fought with such courage and ferocity. Is it any wonder that the sharpened shovel used when when the bullets ran out, with its sheer brutality as a weapon became a feared by German soldiers.
Hitler bragged that the 6th Army was so good they could storm the gates of heaven. Unknowing to them, they stormed the gates of hell and out came a wind to destroy the German army.
@@MrWebster Damn, that was awesome!
yeah, Russians kicked Germans asses in there ) I am Russian, both of my grandfathers fought against Germans , both returned home. The war is hell anyway.
@@dvgsun Russian lives were meaningless in the Red Army under Stalin...
I watched all of these when they first came out . Very well done series, and the narrator has the coolest English accent. Thanks for uploading.
I recall watching these Battlefield series back in 1995. They are great and I still watch them.
imo this is easily the best documentary on The Battle Of Stalingrad ,its very detailed and informative
My favorite documentary. Alot of knowledge in this historical account.
Десять лет плюс я смотрел этот восхитительный сериал. Надеюсь, другие сегодня в 2024 году смотрят и учатся.
I used to watch this on TV as a 10-11 year old kid. This is where I've gotten all my WW2 knowledge from :)
My grandfather fought there and survived, and he is still alive. He is 98 years old. I wish I could upload his picture here. Thank you grandfather
Your grandfather is a real hero. God bless him!
I salute your grandfather. I salute the mighty Red Army.🇮🇳🇷🇺
Your grandfather is a great ma
Even if he was a cook or a rifil man,, my hat goes off to Jim
Why cant you
Look up army picture. Boot cam. Etch
You' ve to love how the music paces the documentary,sought of how ken burns " civil war" documentary was literally better than any I had seen till that time!!
In Stalingrad that's where my Papa got captured. He was a Lanzer or Landzer, I don't know where that word cam from. He fought in the 6 Arme. Then off he went to sibieria saltmine. From there he escaped and so lange die fuesse tragen came all the way home. I think for about 5 years my mom with 5 kids did not know if he was still alive. My mom with my 4 sis and 1 brother ran from Sudeten Deutschland to the American sector. When my dad finally reached them and came where there lived and my sister went to the door she told my mom there is a strange man out there. After that they made love and out came I in 53. From 500 000 men in Stalingrad 50 000 got captured and about 5 000 came home. Some odds that I am here. I could never understand War or killing people. When I was a kid often times my dad would cry. He had the bigges tears, shit he would cry a lot when he sang songs or got a little drunk. I think I am a crier too. I have 2 beautiful girls and live in the USA = Hawaii. We are all brother here on earth and I would cry for you. Peace on earth and no more war for my daughters.
Your father certainly beat the odds. I hope your daughters never hear a shot fired in anger. Aloha!
***** Thanks for your respond. People are just out there how can there be so much hate that people blow themselves up/ we can never give up hope ,we have to love one another/ it might get harder before it get easyer but never give up and once love will rule for a while / it will be paradies /see you there. Aloha
christoph lieding Thank you for sharing your father’s story. Greetings from Poland.
Might want to read some history about Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot just for starters
Landser
Because of Tom Piggot Smith this series is immortalized forever R.I.P.
Mulțumesc! Extraordinare documentare!!!🤝
It's doubtful that battles will ever be fought again on such an epic scale, as was Stalingrad, and that's a good thing.
Spoke too soon
Lots of places in Ukraine already look like Stalingrad.
Funny enough the battle for the Donbas today is taking place in the same area where the German launched their offensive to destroy the soviet salient in 1942
If there would be such a thing as an Oscar for narration, Tim Piggot-Smith would be like the Meryl Streep of documentaries...I grew up with this series and I almost identify anything WW2 with his voice.
World At War ? I Laurence Olivier...??!
THANK YOU VASILE,I HAVE WAITED ALMOST TWENTY YEARS FOR THIS SUPERB ACCOUNTING OF WWII.BLESSINGS,MARK ANTHONY
Luga always produces the gold
Tremendous amount of suffering on the eastern front. The Battlefield series I believe was broadcast on PBS stations not the history channel.
When I watch war documentaries I realize how fortunate I am I never had to go to one. I have no reason to complain about anything. Richard in Dallas
I first remember watching Battlefield in the early nineties on Georgia public telavition. I love the narrators breakdown of the units and equipment of the battlels.
Georgia Republic television plays battlefield?
All of these wwll documentaries heavily remind me of my Grandad and my GreatGrandad , they were both full-time professional Army officers in the Greek Royal Army. Miss you guys❗
I bow to heroism of soldiers and officers, who managed to fight and win in this horror.
I shall salute to you. It is very rare for anyone to do kindness of my Soviets. Thank you good sir.
Joseph Stalin
Uncle Joe you old rogue, how's it going ?, thanks for the icepick in my ear, regards, Leon Trotsky.
Keiran Bradley [Ice axe].
Dogs.
bethpage89
ice pick, ice axe ho hum, still deadly comrade.
one can't avoid to feel overwhelmed, minimun, those men engaged in such a battle, just have no words.
German war files is my sleep medicine
Also wings of the luftwaffe the flying boats
Great series. Thanks for uploading it.
battlefield from the BBC is an older series on WWII, but it is on of the best produced and is very accurate in it knowledge of all facets of all allies, and axis combatants.
This narrator is the best I’ve ever heard. This is the best docu series almost entirely thanks to this man
The writing is pretty great too
"Battlefield" is a great documentary for those who are looking for deeper aspects of a battle!
Where can I find it ?
@@theinformationbomber7102 You don't think these Battlefield episodes go into certain battles in great detail? I think they do!
@@McIntyreBible yeah that's why i say where can i find it
The lesson of this campaign, which Sun Tzu would extrapolate would be: "Fight the battle you want to fight, not the one your foe wants". I paraphrase but it's true.
This is an incredibly well researched and produced documentary.
General Vasily Chuikov (3-star ,that time and later Marshal of the Soviet Union). He was the commander of the 62nd army ,during the battle of Stalingrad ,that held the city successfully !!!! His contribution and his tactics for city warfare were conclusive !!!
The Germans controlled 90% of the city at one point...
Jutta Maier yes then the red army took that 90% back from the Germans
The battle of Stalingrad will be talk about for centuries. It was a major pivotal moment in human history
And totally avoidable. Only an idiot would allow his operation to be ground up in the hellscape of urban warfare.
An exceptional documentary....thank you for posting it...'
The World hasn't seen anything like the battle of Stalingrad, not before or after. Incredible brutality.
RTC1655 Verdun 1916
Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Hue, Nanking, Berlin
Leningrad. Maybe even Kursk.
Indeed it has, Kursk for example, of course all of them are in Russia, or Soviet union at least, anything else is Kindergarden...
Verdun. And even though Iwo Jima was much smaller in scale, the level of brutality shown by both the US Marines and the Japanese, as well as the intensity of the fighting, was definitely equal to Stalingrad. Same can be said about Okinawa.
There were veterans of Iwo Jima who fought many other Pacific battles in World War II, and some even went on to fight in the Korean War as well - but they said that it was Iwo Jima that haunted them and gave them nightmares for the rest of their lives. They mentally and emotionally got over the other battles they saw, but they could never get over Iwo Jima. Of all the battles they were in, it was specifically Iwo Jima that screwed them up in the heads - according to them.
Absolutely magnificent
The history Channel learn from this
Thanks for posting these. Remember these used to air on local PBS station. Good stuff.
"Get close to the enemy positions. Move on all fours, making use of craters and ruins. Carry your tommy-gun on your shoulder. Take 10 to 12 grenades. Timing and surprise will then be on your side...Into the building - a grenade! A turning - another grenade" Rake it with your tommy-gun! And get a move on."
General Churikov
Sounds like someone who bought the latest version of Call of Duty.
aeonflux67 No that is a quote from General Churikov instructions to his men. Churikov commanded the Soviet 62nd Army that defended Stalingrad.
Yes, it was Chuikov who first successfully deployed the strategy of 'hugging the enemy' so effectively. The Wehrmacht much preferred blitzkrieg, and the long, grinding, attritional house to house style really wore them down.
I've never seen the actual order though - thanks for posting.
Alan Moore tommy gun? lol sounds like al-capone ish to me
@@englishalan222 what gun was he referencing with "tommy gun"? Only gun I've ever heard called by that name is the Thompson, and the Soviets didn't use those.
Wonderful series. The Stalingrad Battle is a magnet for me. Praise to the narrator, he is the best I´ve heard.
this could be the best narrator that have ever existed and ever to do ever and ever
"Stalingrad" - the best movie ever made about this battle. With English subtitles.
@Mega Bruh 1989 - Yuri Ozerov's movie (2 parts). Amazing!
@Mega Bruh 1993 - German made; 2104 - Enemy of the Gates - American made. 1989 - Soviet Union -(Yuri Ozerov's film) - Stalingrad (with English subtitles)
@Mega Bruh 2014 - Fedor Bondarchuk's movie (Russia) - not even close to 1989 movie.
Not sure this guy's name but he is hands down the greatest voice in the history of documentaries. The other ones he does the crimes that shook the world are absolutely fantastic as well
1:54:31 Tim Piggot-Smith
@@markprange2430 Played bad guys a lot in many movies.
They always mention the german generals indecisiveness and the terrible winter. Like the red army had nothing to do. They weren't sunning themselves by the Volga.
Not the winter, not the Generals, not the rasputica or anything... Just the lack of fuel...
It was the red forces that defeated Hitler
@@jamesstevenson7725 It was mostly Hitler who defeated Hitler.
@@baruchben-david4196 LOL. This is the weakest ww2 comment i have seen in my life
Moreover, they always mention it like all Russians were on Miami at that time.
The individual chapters of this series are very insightful!
👍👍 Thank you. I was wanting to watch this again. Thank you for combining and not blurring out stuff.
"ensuring that the fight for the city would be long and hard" Those words resonate with me. War is vicious
This was one of my favorites on the Military Channel.
Except it was on PBS/
Also on MC years ago
Peter Preble
Yes. It was first on PBS, after being shown on the BBC and CBC.
@@tommyw8576 Also on Discovery Channel in europe, show made the rounds
I made a trip to Volgograd about 6 years back. A fascinating city; its boasts the tallest statue in the world without a pedestal.It stands on top of Mamav Kurgon. Worth a visit if you should ever get the chance.
The Stalingrad scenes are among the best scenes of the entire Battlefield Series 😊🤙🏼👏🏼
Survivors of Stalingrad is a heart wrenching collection of accounts from the German soldiers who fought from the rubble. I highly recommend it.
Thank you for this book title, I’ve never heard of it and just looked it up online and read reviews. Much appreciated ~~~~~
"Heart wrenching" my ass! Stop humanizing Hitler's filth! They went there to exterminate the population and then exploit the lands and the people conquered. They got what they deserved; I wish only more were in the cauldron but the Operation Bagration did better after a couple of years, I guess. If you want to read a heart wrenching story read "OST: An Untold History of Nazi Germany’s Forced Labour Camps" where ca. 7 million Ostarbeiter, a.k.a. slaves, were forced to work to death in Germany to supply weapons and armament for the war. Also recommended: "Ostkrieg" by Stephen Fritz to see the monstrous scopes of the genocidal war the Nazis waged in the East. If the Germans did the same to the American cities, the US would've nuked them instead of helping them rebuild like the USSR in the East Germany after the war.
great informative series! learning things I didn't know before. Thanks for posting!
Wow Paulus and the 6th Army really got the raw end of the deal
1:35:32 Cheers mate for firing the rifle next to my left ear
20 mins in and satisfied ill watch rest of the series in my own order of interest and re introduction to another world war. Been so heavily involved in ww1 and it's pre Balkan history
Well, watching again! I can’t get enough of narrators voice and detail he explains everything. Thanks a lot brother.
Same here
RIP Tim Piggot-Smith
Isn't that 88mm anti-aircraft come anti-tank gun an awesome piece of kit ?.
I spoken with a boy from the city, he said no pictures or videos could explain the death in the city. You could walk from one side to the other side of the city I’m dead people. He was 12 years old and he stayed in a basement of a bank. His family had their winter food supplies stored there, and out of all of his family. He was the only one that lived. At night was the only time he came out for woods for heat. Food was never a problem for him it was the shooting and shelling that was the problem. He said in the 80 day of staying in the basement. He never saw another Russian he only could here German soldiers talking sometimes. He even burned Money to stay warm. He said that at the end of the fighting in the daylight could you really understand the death.
Thank you for all your uploads!!!
Great documentary. Thanks for posting. I had the rare opportunity to visit the USSR in 1976 for a college Political Science class & was in Moscow, Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), and Kiev. There were still reminders EVERYWHERE of "The Great Patriotic War."
A v good book to read is called"The forgotten soldier" by Guy Sajer. He was a german infantryman on the eastern front in ww2 as part of an elite unit< Grosse Deutschlander NOT the ss.
Basically the elite units were relied upon to do heroic deeds and had best supply of everything while the average german wermacht unit got nothing much at all.
Elite units had distinctive armbands on their sleeves.
Ps its a very good eyewitness book of ones mans story and how horrific the war was.
He wasn't at stalingrad though which is probably how he survived to write his book.
Its very well worth reading. around 560pp so its a good long read.
***** You've read it too then? It IS good .
I was amazed at how he survived it.
The veteran in the book sounds like the type of guy you need around you when things get shitty.
He's nothing in civilian life but is a brilliant combat soldier.
As the book progresses it tells how teenagers barely trained are thrown into battle versus the soviets and the only thing they are good at is getting killed.
Another good book from the german point of view in ww1 is "storm of steel" by Ernst Junger.
Eyewitness type of thing.
Its very similiar really except its the first world war.
Not so good as "the forgotten soldier" but still a good book.
I was astounded how he survived that too, it seems to be down to pure luck more than anything else.
***** good info thx I Its good to know people do read books as opposed to watching YT videos and then claiming to be history experts.by watching videos
What a pile of crap eh?. Read "storm of steel" by Ernst Junger.
***** I always liked his account of paula his first ever girlfriend, when he was on leave.Thats exactly how you are at that age
I know I was like this with my first girl. Its all unknown and just touching fingers is a thrill. and you think god shes gorgeous and seems to like me.. The book seems really truthful,.. He was maybe 19 by then correct me if i am wrong.
In the last few pages at the end he dedicates a memento to her because he cannot believe shes dead.
He dedicates it to his friend Hals too who he never saw again.
Its a book that everyone should read I reckon.
zenoist2 I'll have to look out for that myself. I read most of Sven Hassel's books way back when, maybe 30 years ago, and realise that's just fiction. But when "Wheels of Terror" was banned in Germany when first published, it made me want to read it. I don't like being told what to think! And I'm pretty sure that his books were quite close to the truth.
The brutal honesty, or should I say the honesty about the brutality, makes these books more than just horrific entertainment. It puts one in the time and place and situations suffered on both sides.
Tom Foyle Its a bloody good book and a good read.
I used to read sven hassel too.
so many people fighting over who beat who, in the end how many people died on all fronts and how many for a few people's stupid ideals and pride, those poor people who were starved and tortured, the only reason films like this should be watched is for proof of how wasteful war is and how future generations should start seeing people on either sides of imaginary lines drawn on a map as human beings. we have enough problems with hunger and disease.
Rush@engl were both supplied by usa and we ROCK.
Unfortunately, Army Group A wasn't cut off with the 6th Army under Stalingrad. Had Hitler insisted on them not retreating, Soviets could've encircled 3 times as many troops, and could've ended the war by the end of 1943, early 1944 at the latest.
Best documentary there is, especially the sounds!
The Battlefield series is still the best of the WWII documentaries.
The thing I'm wondering is how did they convince regular guys to go fight and die for a pile of rubble against people they never met. What were they told? It all seems insane to me.
+Kalle Salminen Well, the Soviet soldiers, for example, fought for his country.
The Soviets knew that the Germans were literally planning to wipe their country ofd the face of thr earth, thats motivation enough for anyway.
Much is down to Soviet Propaganda as Soviet news papers inspired the soldiers to avenge the dead of their country and demonized the Germans. One famous poem went.."Kill! Kill! In the German race there is nothing but evil; not one among the living, not one among the yet unborn but is evil! Follow the precepts of Comrade Stalin. Stamp out the fascist beast once and for all in its lair! Use force and break the racial pride of these Germanic women. Take them as your lawful booty. Kill! As you storm onward, kill, you gallant soldiers of the Red Army."....Another...
"The Germans are not human beings. Henceforth the word German means to us the most terrible curse. From now on the word German will trigger your rifle. We shall not speak any moe. We shall not get excited. We shall kill. If you have not killed at least one German a day, you have wasted that day... If you cannot kill your German with a bullet, kill him with your bayonet. If there is calm on your part of the front, if you are waiting for the fighting, kill a German before combat. If you leave a German alive, the German will hang a Russian and rape a Russian woman. If you kill one German, kill another - there is nothing more amusing for us than a heap of German corpses. Do not count days; do not count miles. Count only the number of Germans you have killed. Kill the German - this is your old mother's prayer. Kill the German - this is what your children beseech you to do. Kill the German - this is the cry of your Russian earth. Do not waver. Do not let up. Kill." ....With the Soviet troops being bombarded with this kind of propaganda it is hardly surprising that once the Red Army entered Germany they behaved as they did. The two poems by Ilya Ehrenburg are typical of his work. Later Stalin would order him to tone down his writings but by then it was too late.
Kalle The war that the Nazis launched against the Soviets was actually a "genocidal race war" and this is why the Russians rallied behind their communist leader Stalin. They knew that if the Germans won they would be exterminated or enslaved. They were fighting for their survival as a people.
The Germans did not need to be fighting in Stalingrad. They could have by-passed it and let the city starve. The only reason that the Battle of Stalingrad took place was its name. STALINgrad. It was prestige. The loss of a city bearing the name of the leader of the USSR would have been a serious blow to Soviet morale, yet the city itself had very little strategic value as it could have been by-passed easily and the Volga reached to the north and south of the city