The Death Of The Austro-Hungarian Army 1916 (Brusilov Offensive Documentary)

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  • Опубліковано 23 чер 2022
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    The start of the Brusilov Offensive was the most successful Russian military operation during the First World War. It crippled the Austro-Hungarian Army and forced the Germans to divert troops from Verdun. But the Brusilov Offensive ultimately was a failure and cost the Russian's an enormous amount of men. What went wrong?
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    » SOURCES
    Buttar, Prit, Russia’s Last Gasp: The Eastern Front 1916-1917, (Oxford : Osprey Publishing, 2016)
    Dowling, Timothy C., The Brusilov Offensive, (Indianapolis : Indiana University Press, 2008)
    Golovin, Nicholas, “Brusilov's Offensive: The Galician Battle of 1916”, The Slavonic and East European Review, Volume 13, Number 39, (1935)
    Schindler, John, “Steamrollered in Galicia: The Austro-Hungarian Army and the Brusilov Offensive, 1916”, War in History, Volume 10, Number 1, (2003)
    Stone, David R., The Russian Army in the Great War: The Eastern Front, 1914-1917, (Lawrence, KS : University Press of Kansas, 2015)
    Tunstall, Graydon A., “Austria-Hungary and the Brusilov Offensive of 1916”, The Historian, Volume 70, Issue 1, (2008)
    Uzefovich, Alexis M., “Russia in the World War, 1914-1918”, The Military Engineer,
    Volume 33, Number 190, (1941)
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    »CREDITS
    Presented by: Jesse Alexander
    Written by: Jesse Alexander
    Director: Toni Steller & Florian Wittig
    Director of Photography: Toni Steller
    Sound: Toni Steller
    Editing: Toni Steller
    Motion Design: Toni Steller
    Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: above-zero.com
    Research by: Jesse Alexander
    Fact checking: Florian Wittig
    Channel Design: Yves Thimian
    Contains licensed material by getty images
    Maps: MapTiler/OpenStreetMap Contributors & GEOlayers3
    All rights reserved - Real Time History GmbH 2022

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1 тис.

  • @ALaughingWolf2188
    @ALaughingWolf2188 Рік тому +826

    _“The 1916 Brusilov offensive proved to be the _*_worst_*_ crisis of World War One for Austria Hungary, and the triple entente’s greatest victory. But it came at a tremendous loss of life on both sides, and without the promised support of Russia’s other armies, much of the territory gained by Brusilov was lost to the Germans arriving from the west. _*_It is a sad irony that in the end, it was a political collapse in Russia, not a military defeat, that would decide the outcome of this regions war.”_*
    -Battlefield 1 after winning the “Brusilov Offensive” operation as the Russians

    • @MajinOthinus
      @MajinOthinus Рік тому

      "It is a sad irony that in the end, it was a political collapse in Russia, not a military defeat, that would decide the outcome of this regions war"
      So Battlefield 1 is spreading misinformation as usual. By 1917 the Russian army had effectively seized to exist as a functioning force and all but collapsed after the 1917 summer offensive. Calling the end of the war in the east a political collapse is effectively the stab-in-the-back myth from Germany all over again.

    • @dusanjevremovic5915
      @dusanjevremovic5915 Рік тому

      Avgusta meseca 1914-e samo što su Austrijanci prešli reku Drinu dobili ste po dupetu od hrabre Srpske vojske na planini Cer!!!! A dmah zatim i na Kolubari prve savezničke pobede u prvom svetskom ratu!!!!Ponosan sam na svoje pretke koji su SRCEM branili svoju OTADŽBINU!!! Germani nešto ste zaboravili na Balkanu!!!!

    • @cheekibreeki2electricbooga582
      @cheekibreeki2electricbooga582 Рік тому +105

      Bf1 goated

    • @georgechristodoulidis7301
      @georgechristodoulidis7301 Рік тому +10

      Greatest game ever no doubt

    • @SlayerRiley
      @SlayerRiley Рік тому

      @@urlauburlaub2222 Do you even realize that the war did not end for the Russians with the collapse of the imperial government in 1917, or even the global peace treaties of 1918? The Russian civil war lasted from 1917 to 1923. Unfortunately, no lives were saved by the destruction of the state and anarchy that enveloped it.

  • @T_Mo271
    @T_Mo271 Рік тому +808

    One can't discuss the outcome of the Brusilov offensive without emphasizing that the southern half worked as planned, and the northern half was a total flop because Evert refused to cooperate, and when he did, he didn't use the modern tactics. It also bears mention that only the northern half would have faced the German forces.

    • @larslundandersen7722
      @larslundandersen7722 Рік тому +115

      Evert didn't need to defeat the Germans. Evert just needed to commit enough to the offensive to prevent the Germans from stabilizing the Austro-Hungarian part of the front. Brusilov had already broken the Austro-Hungarian part of the front and if the Germans didn't stabilize it, what was at that point a heavy defeat, could have turned into a disaster for the Central Powers.

    • @guypierson5754
      @guypierson5754 Рік тому +51

      How different things could have been for Russia without extreme nepotism.

    • @user-tc9sk4ei9y
      @user-tc9sk4ei9y Рік тому +3

      "Northern half" has nothing to do with Brusilov or his front

    • @user-tc9sk4ei9y
      @user-tc9sk4ei9y Рік тому +19

      @@guypierson5754 what makes you think all that was somehow related to nepotism? The economic, ideological and political foundation of the Russian Empire was rotten by that time, it has nothing to do with proposed incompetence, because all the participants weren't actually incompetent, they were just acting on their own reasons based on the exact situation they were set into.

    • @guypierson5754
      @guypierson5754 Рік тому +18

      @@user-tc9sk4ei9y nepotism isn't synonimous with incompetence.

  • @nopenopenopenopenotnow
    @nopenopenopenopenotnow Рік тому +901

    Before I saw the thumbnail, I had no idea that Brad Pitt was in the Austro-Hungarian army.

    • @alf.2929
      @alf.2929 Рік тому +59

      Brad Pitt is a time traveler.

    • @mattybob59
      @mattybob59 Рік тому +51

      I swear, that guy is in everything!😂

    • @indianajones4321
      @indianajones4321 Рік тому +13

      Same

    • @underclas
      @underclas Рік тому +21

      12 monkeys already proved this

    • @skunkygrogan6956
      @skunkygrogan6956 Рік тому +6

      Looks wonderful for his advanced years, what?!😊👍

  • @NoMoreCrumbs
    @NoMoreCrumbs Рік тому +676

    You can see some of the DNA of the later Soviet Deep Battle doctrine in the tactics worked out by Brusilov. I wonder if Hutier's infiltration tactics were also influenced by this offensive

    • @FM_1819
      @FM_1819 Рік тому +94

      Well, Brusilov was employed (forced) by the red army to train it during the Civil War. So it makes sense.

    • @901Sherman
      @901Sherman Рік тому +30

      Didn’t he willingly join them (Albeit, still having some hope that the Monarchy would return)?

    • @FM_1819
      @FM_1819 Рік тому +78

      @@901Sherman How willing can one be when there are Cheka political commisars assigned to you and your family?

    • @podemosurss8316
      @podemosurss8316 Рік тому +55

      Many of the Soviet Deep Battle proponents were field officers or NCOs in the Great War, some of them did serve under Brusilov.

    • @podemosurss8316
      @podemosurss8316 Рік тому +86

      @@FM_1819 So willing that he wrote several pamphlets to other WW1 Russian generals arguing that they should side with the Bolsheviks as a "patriotic duty", going so far as to call Wrangel a "traitor" in some of them. After the war, he kept being a member of the Revolutionary Military Council until 1924 (when he retired due to old age), dying two years later.

  • @InquisitorXarius
    @InquisitorXarius Рік тому +664

    The most Pyrrhic victory of WW1, the Brusilov offensive, is indeed. This offensive unintentionally inspired the German Military to adopt Assault Trooper tactics and develop weapons for the task.

    • @jruth77
      @jruth77 Рік тому +71

      It also diverted divisions of soldiers away from verdun for the German army if I’m not mistaken. They had to go back and support the Austrian army, and stopped any momentum they might of had on the western front

    • @alexzero3736
      @alexzero3736 Рік тому +14

      Nope. Battle of Verdun was more deadly.

    • @InquisitorXarius
      @InquisitorXarius Рік тому +44

      @@alexzero3736 We are referring to not one location with many battles but an offensive comprising multiple locations and many battles.
      You are, however, correct. The many battles at Verdun during WW1 were deadlier than the whole of the Brusilov offensive combined.
      However, the Brusilov offensive had a far more significant influence on the outcome of WW1. Despite being Imperial Muscovy’s most significant victory in WW1, it proved to be the slow terminal poisoning that defeated and killed Imperial Muscovy and the Eastern Entente in 1917.
      This offensive would prove catastrophic for the Western Entente as it inspired the creation of the elite Sturmtroppen and nearly broke the French Army’s Morale, thus nearly causing the Western Entente to be defeated in WW1. The Western Entente we're only saved and won the war because the Americans, with their massive industrial infrastructure, and gigantic manpower reserves, chose to physically participate at the last minute in a near literal deus ex machina whose sheer scale of the threat they posed, even while not being present in the trenches yet forced the Germans to rush efforts in the West instead of consolidating gains in territory and resources in the east from their ultimate victory on the eastern front.

    • @astrobullivant5908
      @astrobullivant5908 Рік тому +5

      Was it tactically a Pyrrhic victory or just strategically a political disaster?

    • @SamuelJamesNary
      @SamuelJamesNary Рік тому +34

      @@alexzero3736 - High end casualty estimates for Verdun are around 700,000 for the 300 days that battle was fought. The Brusilov Offensive had closer to 2 million total casualties for all parties involved in terms of the high end estimate.

  • @105381000
    @105381000 Рік тому +177

    Having had both grandfathers serving in this conflict, it is of immense interest to me that you continue. One of those grandfathers was a Volga-Deutsch.

    • @someguy7723
      @someguy7723 Рік тому

      Aaah the volga germans. One of Russias favorite group to genocide after Ukranians

    • @xx_bigwillyman64_xx72
      @xx_bigwillyman64_xx72 Рік тому +2

      Your grandfather was Wolga-Deutsch ? What happened to him ? Was he fighting for the Germans ? Are u German ?

    • @105381000
      @105381000 Рік тому +28

      He was born in Eckheim on the Volga. His family left in the middle of the night for the United States shortly before the Russo-Japanese War. (1902 or 1903) He went back to Europe in 1917 as a doughboy to fight the imperial German army. He was bilingual but looked down upon because they (other German Americans) considered Volgadeutsch mongrels.

    • @105381000
      @105381000 Рік тому +19

      I am half Volgadeutsch from my mother’s side and half Hessian-Alsatian, from my father’s side. I am one mixed up hund.

    • @yurivii
      @yurivii Рік тому +2

      @@105381000 I believe the term is HUN.

  • @nomeansno2335
    @nomeansno2335 8 місяців тому +29

    In Austria, there are monuments for the fallen soldiers even in the smallest village and sometimes it is also stated, which unit they served in and which day they died.

    • @arostwocents
      @arostwocents 16 днів тому +1

      So it will be in Ukraine at the end of the modern war 😢

  • @brianfoster4434
    @brianfoster4434 Рік тому +315

    The historic photographs used in this episode are incredible. Did you, or someone you work with, have the original negatives and run them through modern processes? Great episode, thank you so much for the work you do. Keep it up!

    • @WayneMoyer
      @WayneMoyer Рік тому +17

      I was thinking the same thing. The upscaling was really amazing looking.

    • @Antedithulian
      @Antedithulian Рік тому

      AI upscaling maybe?

    • @Dezzasheep
      @Dezzasheep Рік тому +6

      Looks like Brad Pitt

    • @Clint52279
      @Clint52279 Рік тому +3

      @@Dezzasheep Thanks, I was looking for at least one other person that thought the same thing...

    • @daydays12
      @daydays12 Рік тому

      @@Clint52279 me too!

  • @extrahistory8956
    @extrahistory8956 Рік тому +53

    Once again thanks for your incredible documentaries.

  • @bankerduck4925
    @bankerduck4925 Рік тому +122

    A whole half an hour documentary! Colour me excited.

    • @ZKP314
      @ZKP314 Рік тому +2

      Welcome to the channel

  • @SirWilliamKidney
    @SirWilliamKidney Рік тому +34

    Awesome video as always! The writing, delivery, and production was top notch. Keep it up, guys!

  • @slobodapohybu5258
    @slobodapohybu5258 Рік тому +39

    During Brusilov offensive my grandpa was a medic in A-H army and he was hit by machine gun fire when attempting to tend wounded German soldier.

    • @igorsmirnoff7640
      @igorsmirnoff7640 Рік тому +11

      My great grandfather was Russian machine gunner the same time. And deserved Saint George medal for heroisms against Austrians

  • @TheNandomadrid88
    @TheNandomadrid88 Рік тому +87

    Congratulations on a brilliant video. I have seen other videos about the Brusilov offensive, but none of them talked about the "how", the tactics and why it was so succesful initially. Thank you for putting this one together. I enjoy your content very much!

    • @Genessyss
      @Genessyss Рік тому

      brilliant video but full with false statements especially about the Romanian front. he needs more documentation

  • @JasonSputnik
    @JasonSputnik Рік тому +18

    Absolutely loving the new in-depth review of the most important battles in WWI, thanks guys!!!

  • @colindunnigan8621
    @colindunnigan8621 Рік тому +34

    Ah, General Kuropatkin: dilatory in Manchuria in '04-'05; dilatory in Russia in '16.

    • @Bufoferrata
      @Bufoferrata Рік тому +10

      How did this guy STILL have a job after his utterly mediocre showing against Japan? What a washout! talk about failing upward...

    • @piotrkosakowski7071
      @piotrkosakowski7071 Рік тому

      @@Bufoferrata yeh that was a problem of both tzarist russia and Autro-wegry a lot of useless Aristocrats in power..

    • @jangrosek4334
      @jangrosek4334 Рік тому +4

      Kuropatkin was in fact a very talented person who had proven himself as a staff officer (1878), a participant in the conquests of Central Asia (1880), a military official constantly engaged in army reforms, and also a talented governor. The failure in the Russo-Japanese seemed to be his only major failure, which greatly spoiled all previous achievements.

  • @sebastianriemer1777
    @sebastianriemer1777 Рік тому +187

    It is often forgotten how afraid the German general staff was of Russia. They already pushed heavily for a war with Russia before the first World War.
    Their reason was that, if Russia continued its industrialisation and build up of the railway network, they would be unbeatable from the 1918-20s onwards.
    And if you think about it it makes sense.
    Endless manpower combined with unreachable industrial areas, limitless resources and the infrastructure to move everything where it is needed.
    How to beat that with 1910 tech and a country that already in peacetime depends heavily on imports.

    • @piotrkosakowski7071
      @piotrkosakowski7071 Рік тому +17

      did they really?;p it was quite the opposite.. Russia was afraid of beeing completely dominated economically by Germany

    • @Athrun82
      @Athrun82 Рік тому +9

      And a country that had a goverment that was on the verge of a breaking point even at the beginning of WW1.Unlike Germany or the Western allies the Russian goverment wasn't exactly the most stable. And the drawn out war made it even worse. Heck Germany managed to beat back the first invasion of 1914 in one big battle at Tannenberg (and unfortunately for Germany they redeployed several divisions which wasn't even needed but cost them dearly in France)

    • @piotrkosakowski7071
      @piotrkosakowski7071 Рік тому +2

      @@Badnercalabrese are you sure you Don't read a book about alternative version of history?😅

    • @chucklynch6523
      @chucklynch6523 Рік тому +1

      @@piotrkosakowski7071 Like they are now, huh?

    • @chucklynch6523
      @chucklynch6523 Рік тому

      @@Badnercalabrese I totally agree.

  • @behroozkhaleghirad
    @behroozkhaleghirad Рік тому +128

    Thanks a lot for covering this part of WWI while it is almost always overlooked by other historians. I wonder if there are any military academies in Russia named after Brusilov, because he deserves that at least. I haven't heard of one, which is shocking, because he was not a Tsarist general, rather a Russian one. He was given a state burial by soviet officials when he passed away. He served his country well and he himself is mostly overlooked too.

    • @Waldemarvonanhalt
      @Waldemarvonanhalt Рік тому +16

      No, they preferred to name academies after civil war generals, like Frunze.

    • @behroozkhaleghirad
      @behroozkhaleghirad Рік тому +18

      @@Waldemarvonanhalt yes,and some Imperial generals and mostly Soviet ones. But poor Brusilov is forgotten

    • @chucklynch6523
      @chucklynch6523 Рік тому

      He served the country of Russia, not the Soviet Union, which was governed by a clique that absolutely hated the Orthodox Russians and slaughtered millions of them.
      Don't even let anyone convince you that Bolshevism is a movement of the masses. It's not, it was bought and paid for by the Western private central banker families, like Jacob Schiff, head of the Kuhn-Loeb Bank of New York, a branch of the Warburg's in Germany and another one. The Rothschilds actually bankrolled Kerensky, who was swept aside by the Bolsheviks.

    • @geodude205
      @geodude205 Рік тому +6

      there are some streets named after him.

    • @grigol101
      @grigol101 Рік тому +13

      @@behroozkhaleghirad Brusilov is certainly remembered in Russia and studied in schools, but only because of this episode of WW1. There are many "marshals of victory" in Russia, after whom academies, settlements, orders, etc. are named. For example, Suvorov, Nakhimov, Rumyantsev, Ushakov, Kutuzov, Yermolov, Paskevich, Budyonny, Zhukov, Rokossovsky and many others.

  • @paulplatosh2738
    @paulplatosh2738 Рік тому +46

    My family was deeply affected by this event, as citizens of Komarno. It reverberates through the generations, even to this day.

    • @timeanagy8495
      @timeanagy8495 Рік тому +5

      It's Komárom, not "Komarno".

    • @milanzamboj3000
      @milanzamboj3000 Рік тому +5

      @@timeanagy8495 Actually, it´s both, Timea, as you surely know for yourself. Komárno is a legitimate name of the slovakian based town on the river Danube. (Komárom is a legitimate name of a city, based across the river on the hungarian side.

  • @mammuchan8923
    @mammuchan8923 Рік тому +116

    The First World War will always be the most fascinating to me. I love that you are revisiting some of these stories. The scale of the battles and offensives still blows my mind. The number of casualties still shocking. Never forget 🫡

  • @stevebarrett9357
    @stevebarrett9357 Рік тому +15

    What a great episode! You've share information about this offensive of which I had no knowledge. I knew the 'what' about the success achieved by this battle but not the why. Thank you for your edifying work. You are awesome.

  • @marcostovar7968
    @marcostovar7968 Рік тому +34

    My grandfather was a veteran of that war. He fougth as a troop of Austria-Hungarian army. May wars someday finish.

    • @oliveoil7642
      @oliveoil7642 Рік тому +11

      My grandfather was Hungarian and also fought in WW1 and was captured by the Russians. He was a POW but eventually released and walked back to his homeland! He became chummy with his captors. Had very little bad to say about Russians. Said the peasants fed him on his return journey. He and my grandmother paid it forward and fed many a jobless person who came to their door in the Depression of the Thirties in Canada!

    • @marcostovar7968
      @marcostovar7968 Рік тому

      @@oliveoil7642 greetings

    • @NomenFugazi
      @NomenFugazi Рік тому

      My father was with the 19th Hungarian infantry regiment,4 years on the front,in Russia,Italy.

    • @giulianacavaggioni2391
      @giulianacavaggioni2391 Рік тому

      agree, Austro Hungary of our ancestors bad a culture of peace, Viribus Unitis

    • @Puddlef1sh
      @Puddlef1sh Рік тому

      Wars will never end. That's a fever dream. We've been fighting throughout human history.

  • @madzen112
    @madzen112 Рік тому +342

    The Eastern front of WW1 is almost like a game of stone-paper-scissors, where the Germans beat the Russians who beat the Austrians, with the not insignificant difference, that the Austrians absolutely does not beat the Germans.

    • @901Sherman
      @901Sherman Рік тому +85

      The Russians did beat the Germans a number of times, just not as often. I've read that when fighting troops under Brusilov's command, German soldiers experienced their only drop of morale ever on the Eastern Front at the time due to being beaten so badly by them (which speaks to the mindboggling incompetence of everyone else in the Tsarist High Command).

    • @TheNMan64
      @TheNMan64 Рік тому +58

      I mean...Austria's ineptitude does drain Germany constantly in the war...you could argue Germant beats Russia, Russia beats Austria and Austria just annoys Germany

    • @Idcanymore510
      @Idcanymore510 Рік тому +47

      You forgot to mention and 'Austria beats Italy' (for the most part).

    • @samuelgordino
      @samuelgordino Рік тому +66

      You have forgotten about the Austrians best general, Luigi Cardona.

    • @robertkeaney9905
      @robertkeaney9905 Рік тому +25

      @@Idcanymore510 Italy beats Italy (for the most part).

  • @SarkeZamar
    @SarkeZamar Рік тому +4

    I've been waiting years for a video more on Brusilov, so thank you for this!

  • @TheGreatWar
    @TheGreatWar  Рік тому +88

    Watch 16 Days in Berlin and all our content ad-free on Nebula: nebula.tv/videos/16-days-in-berlin-01-prologue-the-beginning-of-the-end

    • @RandomVidsforthought
      @RandomVidsforthought Рік тому +4

      Prof hoff's friend momma bear told a story in his stream about her grandpa having a heart attack at a football game and didn't want medical attention because he wanted to watch the game until it ended

    • @DimBeam1
      @DimBeam1 Рік тому +1

      Curiosity Stream is the new History Channel.

    • @caryharper9190
      @caryharper9190 Рік тому +1

      I just wanted to say. I believe you guys give some of the most indepth commentary for this period. And I also enjoy it so much. I completely miss that thirty minutes has passed. Keep it up.

    • @lightyami5934
      @lightyami5934 Рік тому +1

      Just a random Question,if sb. captured more than one whole Trenchline in ww1,were the Trenches (which served as previous Frontline) abandoned,having the Artillery move closer to the "new" Frontline or were the previous ones still populated with Soldiers?

    • @shawngilliland243
      @shawngilliland243 Рік тому

      Bolder pickelhauber-showers than The Great War crew are nowhere to be found! Great job on the Brusilov Offensive, gentlemen.

  • @nitinkataria4108
    @nitinkataria4108 Рік тому +11

    Been planning to visit the key places in Serbia, Russia and ex-Austro Hungarian empire now Austria, Hungary and other countries from the day I read it at school. My History (Social Studies) teacher was a great man though a bit harsh at times but a great man who would try everything to reach the core of the topic (even some animated moves). What a fanatic Hun era that was !

  • @micahistory
    @micahistory Рік тому +12

    can't believe it's been SIX YEARS since the original episodes on this offensive

  • @furioussherman7265
    @furioussherman7265 Рік тому +41

    Brusilov's approach to having the Russian troops trained and prepared for the offensive honestly sounds quite similar in more than a few ways to the methods used by Julian Byng and Arthur Currie to ready the Canadians to attack Vimy Ridge in 1917. It just goes to show how the future of warfare was coming to be realized across all the theatres of Europe during this time.

    • @ayrnovem9028
      @ayrnovem9028 Рік тому +14

      It is actually not unlike methods Alexander Suvorov used to prepare for his offensives back in 18th century.
      The assault against the fortress of Izmail (Turkish) in 1790 being perhaps the most famous example. It is unique in the way that a very strong fortress, built by French engineers using the latest advancements in the art of fortification, was taken by a force that was outnumbered compared to the defenders.

  • @inferioraim
    @inferioraim Рік тому +10

    A great summary of this legendary piece of history. Thanks!

  • @rmcdudmk212
    @rmcdudmk212 Рік тому +55

    Great video. I find that too many people focus on the western front. It's nice to see that focus turned to the lesser talked of eastern front. 👍

    • @coloneldecker
      @coloneldecker Рік тому +1

      Agreed. We don't get to hear much about the Eastern Front here in the UK but I find it more fascinating than what happened in France and Belgium.

  • @BlaBla-pf8mf
    @BlaBla-pf8mf Рік тому +17

    4 MG's per battalion in 1916? It's easy to forget that even if a technology exists it takes time and a lot of effort for it to become widely spread.

  • @sidharthnayak3536
    @sidharthnayak3536 Рік тому +1

    Glad to see you guys back in action..

  • @RoboticDragon
    @RoboticDragon Рік тому +1

    Awesome video guys, thanks a bunch.

  • @yellowjackboots2624
    @yellowjackboots2624 Рік тому +16

    The clarity of your original footage and photographs is fantastic 👍🏽

    • @arkos4366
      @arkos4366 Рік тому +3

      There's tons of ultra hd images and videos on the US National Archives and Library of Congress websites, it's pretty interesting to explore

    • @DanAndHoe
      @DanAndHoe Рік тому +4

      Yeah, one piece of footage with artillery in action definitely made me wonder whether it was just modern re-enactment. Only the sped up movement affirmed it was old footage, but it just looks so great.

  • @angelocaranza3359
    @angelocaranza3359 Рік тому +26

    The Somme, Verdun, and The Brusilov Offensive all resulted in Germany, the supporting Ally of Austria Hungary but were forced to send some of their soldiers to help fight in Galicia , to construct one final defense in order to Turn the tides of the Great War. And that was the Hindenberg Line or Siegfriedstellung of 1916-17.
    (Hello there The Great War Channel, love the series on all the events of World War 1 and I'm truly inspired to research and study this time as a College Student.

  • @billytwoknives6495
    @billytwoknives6495 Рік тому +1

    I just now joined 'Nebula' so I can watch 16 Days in Berlin. You're doing a fantastic job.

  • @CoinShow
    @CoinShow Рік тому +1

    Great content, as always! Many thanks!

  • @readingforwisdom7037
    @readingforwisdom7037 Рік тому +5

    Very balanced analysis; thought provoking

  • @tokencivilian8507
    @tokencivilian8507 Рік тому +31

    Great episode TGW. More like this - where you spend 20-30 minutes going back to some of the key, but lesser explored battles / campaigns of the Great War. Perhaps going over the early battles between Russia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire would be interesting, as there was considerable movement, if memory serves.

    • @extrahistory8956
      @extrahistory8956 Рік тому +5

      Also on the siege of Tsingtao, which is often ignored.

  • @micahistory
    @micahistory Рік тому +2

    Great overview, I really enjoyed this

  • @drillxedit
    @drillxedit Рік тому

    Great episode. Very informative and quality commentary

  • @indianajones4321
    @indianajones4321 Рік тому +10

    Amazing video, love your WW1 content

  • @HunterD510
    @HunterD510 9 місяців тому +3

    It’s hard to understand numbers like 32,000 or 56,000 worth of losses but each one of those men was a human being with loved ones and a life just the same as you and I. War is a terrible waste.

    • @bunk95
      @bunk95 5 місяців тому

      Arent you being kept as a slave?

  • @tomjeffersonwasright2288
    @tomjeffersonwasright2288 6 місяців тому

    This is a clear and instructive video. And your narration puts life, and even excitement, into a battle that ended over a century ago. Excellent! After this video, I will begin at the first episode and watch in order, and truly understand the Great Way.

  • @alexandrianautocruiser8024
    @alexandrianautocruiser8024 Рік тому +1

    Amazing work and fascinating details!

  • @ronrice1931
    @ronrice1931 Рік тому +3

    This is great. I love the use of actual pictures from the event. I also like that the music is quiet! The narrative and the narrator are both top notch.

  • @waltuh11121
    @waltuh11121 Рік тому +6

    I wish the eastern front was more covered. I remember in my high school book said that the eastern front wasn't as important nor as bloody and destructive. That's just insulting

  • @GrislyAtoms12
    @GrislyAtoms12 Рік тому +1

    All these WW1 photos and even film footage are excellent visual history. Thank you!

  • @MWM-dj6dn
    @MWM-dj6dn Рік тому +1

    Thank you. I thank you with the most beautiful words for your esteemed channel and the accurate, wonderful and useful information you provide. I hope you success . I have the utmost respect, appreciation and pride for your wonderful work

  • @oldesertguy9616
    @oldesertguy9616 Рік тому +3

    This makes me miss your week by week series all the more. Great work.

    • @extrahistory8956
      @extrahistory8956 Рік тому +2

      In another channel called Real Time History, they made a Week-by-week series on the Franco-Prussian War, you should look it up

  • @wheelman1324
    @wheelman1324 Рік тому +19

    Please do a video about the Siege of Przemysl! I just finished reading The Fortress by Alexander Watson.

    • @TheGreatWar
      @TheGreatWar  Рік тому +12

      fantastic book, we interviewed him on our podcast a while ago

    • @wheelman1324
      @wheelman1324 Рік тому +9

      @@TheGreatWar My mom got it for me as a late birthday present. She was semi-annoyed with me when I said Przemyśl.
      “How are you supposed to pronounce that!?”
      “ ‘P-sheh-me-shil.’ Just barely make the ‘p’ sound.”

  • @georgekingston6389
    @georgekingston6389 День тому

    Marvellous slice of history presented with clarity by a highly competent narrator - thank you.

  • @rebelyell1983x
    @rebelyell1983x Рік тому +1

    Thank you for this great documentary! :)

  • @thechaotictyrant
    @thechaotictyrant Рік тому +36

    Do you guys have any book recommendations on the Carpathian front in the winter of 1915? I've read Blood on the Snow, which while clearly well researched was horribly written and repetitive. I haven't been able to find much else. It's such a poorly covered part of the war despite the horrendous losses suffered by Austria-Hungary.

    • @jehl1963
      @jehl1963 Рік тому +6

      Carpathian Disaster by Geoffrey Jukes.

    • @roberthaworth8991
      @roberthaworth8991 7 місяців тому

      I. F. Stone’s old book, “The Eastern Front, 1914-1917” covers that fighting well.

  • @gabe75001
    @gabe75001 Рік тому +5

    20:26 Like how Uranus was meant to be a diversion for Mars, but since Mars failed, it was all about Uranus.

  • @jayg1438
    @jayg1438 Рік тому

    Thanks for all of these great documentaries 👍

  • @OutsidersRo
    @OutsidersRo Рік тому

    Such interesting documentaries! Thank you! ❤

  • @TheManyManyMore
    @TheManyManyMore Рік тому +23

    Haven’t watched this channel since WWI day by day anniversary series. This was a wonderful video, and I am hooked again. It got me interested in the Berlin documentary you mentioned. On the scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being a little blood and 10 being akin to carnage, how graphic is the footage used in it?

    • @extrahistory8956
      @extrahistory8956 Рік тому +8

      Welcome back! You have a lot to catch up to, including multiple videos diving into the Russian Civil War (nearly 7 hours of it), the Italo-Turkish War, the Russo-Japanese War and so much more pre and post-WW1 content.
      Additonally, Jesse and the TGW team have created a channel called Real Time History, which has created a Week-by-week coverage of the Franco-Prussian War and a 3 hour video on Napoleon's invasion of Russia.

    • @frankmartin3600
      @frankmartin3600 Рік тому

      11

  • @bonk2540
    @bonk2540 Рік тому +3

    Really nice video and even better explanation of the war that happened on that front..
    My Great Great Grandfather died there as an Austro Hungarian soldier since he never returned back to Croatia and there is not even a grave of him.

  • @IntuneVitaDoctrina
    @IntuneVitaDoctrina Рік тому

    Thanks, great video!

  • @bupe007
    @bupe007 Рік тому

    Splendid documentary! Great job!

  • @alicerivierre
    @alicerivierre Рік тому +7

    Awesome stuff! Thanks, dude!

    • @TheGreatWar
      @TheGreatWar  Рік тому +6

      multiple dudes 😉

    • @alicerivierre
      @alicerivierre Рік тому

      @@TheGreatWar oh, well, awesome, dudes! You guys are great! Crazy that WW1 was over a 100 years ago, let alone the early 1920s.

  • @SHGames97
    @SHGames97 Рік тому +4

    Jesse! (Hope I spelled that right!) You are the flyest, most gangster and smooth history teacher in the game! Cold as ice my friend, keep it up!

  • @tedslaughter169
    @tedslaughter169 Рік тому +1

    Brilliant video and great analysis 👍

  • @schaeferbraden5
    @schaeferbraden5 Рік тому +1

    Love your WW1 front/year specific videos! keep them coming

  • @6th_Army
    @6th_Army Рік тому +22

    I wouldn't say he wasn't a strategic general.
    He planned & prepared for a diversion. And he did so wonderfully. But when the time came to turn a diversion into an attack, his subordinates failed him.

    • @alexzero3736
      @alexzero3736 Рік тому +11

      Colleagues failed him, not subordinates.

    • @6th_Army
      @6th_Army Рік тому +4

      @@alexzero3736 For them to be his colleagues they'd need to be of somewhat similar quality. Clearly there were none of these "colleagues" that could do anything more point in a direction. Therefore they are all of a lower standing and shall be addressed as such.

  • @steffenb.jrgensen2014
    @steffenb.jrgensen2014 Рік тому +38

    The A-H Army and Empire no doubt took a heavy beating in the Brrusilov offensive, but it was the Russian Army and Empire that collapsed in 1917 and the A-H that had a major role in the greatest Central Power victory of the war, that of Caporetto in Italy. A-H stayed in the fight until October 1918, just a month less than Germany, but in reality Germany (and A-H) had lost the war when the spring offensive in France 1918 failed and US troops started to show up in great numbers.

    • @alexzero3736
      @alexzero3736 Рік тому +5

      Nah. The Spring offensive was the last ditch effort to make France surrender, war was lost long before it. If German army after obvious fail of Schlieffen plan switched focus to the Eastern front they could win...(Even if Russia not surrenders they could occupy Ukraine much earlier and use its to actually avoid hunger, and make sure that Romania joins CPs). Early Russian defeat would also make life easier for Ottomans

    • @Alex-df4lt
      @Alex-df4lt Рік тому +1

      @@alexzero3736 Not really. I see the only win scenario for Germany by focusing on eastern front from the very beginning and crushing Russian army in 1914 together with Austria-Hungary. No invasion of Belgium and only defending in the West. Once Russia is out, negotiate peace with France.

    • @benismann
      @benismann 10 місяців тому

      ok now if we look another like 2 years later we see austria being reduced to the german speaking part and soviets reuniting like half the empire, so what gives?

    • @dirtbag3736
      @dirtbag3736 8 місяців тому

      And what leave one division in the West? The French would have been in Berlin by Oct 1914 after they overrun all of Germanys coal regions

    • @roberthaworth8991
      @roberthaworth8991 7 місяців тому

      AH required heavy military and economic support from Germany from mid-1915 onward. It was seen as the most vulnerable Central Power (close behind Turkey), so it drew attacks at the Isonzo, Salonika, and other actions that wouldn’t have happened unless the attackers thought AH could be knocked off. Germany saved their bacon each time. AH was thus a near-helpless dependent of its big brother.

  • @davidmorrison803
    @davidmorrison803 Рік тому

    Great music in this one.
    Seriously, particularly the last 7 minutes.
    Great video.
    Thanks again.

  • @judethwright182
    @judethwright182 Рік тому +2

    An excellent presentation. congrats

  • @stevebarrett9357
    @stevebarrett9357 Рік тому +6

    I stumbled on a kind of postscript to this battle. I've been researching weapons of the Red Army and found this piece after translating the Russian. It makes me wonder if any difference in outcome might have occurred if this weapon system had been developed 12 months earlier. "On March 8, 1916, a rifle grenade launcher constructed by Sgt. 37. Yekaterinburg Regiment M. G. Djakonov. On December 24, 1916, military tests were conducted with the units of the Southwestern Front. They were very successful because its commander - General Brusilov - immediately asked for the supply of 600,000 pieces of Djakonov's rifle grenades."

  • @michaelcenkere7900
    @michaelcenkere7900 Рік тому +7

    Well that was a fantastic documentary.

  • @MWM-dj6dn
    @MWM-dj6dn Рік тому

    I thank you for your great effort in providing accurate, useful and wonderful information on your esteemed channel. A thousand greetings of respect, appreciation and pride. I wish you success and progress in your wonderful work. Much respect

  • @kenmtb
    @kenmtb 4 місяці тому

    Great work. What incredible information!

  • @W.Y.W.H.40
    @W.Y.W.H.40 Рік тому +3

    "OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY, 5 STARS!"

  • @shara30000
    @shara30000 Рік тому +10

    "This used to be a Russian war camp 10 days ago. Now it's a ghost town"

  • @ColRAPR
    @ColRAPR Рік тому

    Outstanding report !!

  • @davidchristen5335
    @davidchristen5335 Рік тому

    photos are amazing. nice work

  • @DigitalVanquish
    @DigitalVanquish Рік тому +10

    Fun to play in Battlefield 1 - with the game giving some insight into the offensive - but definitely interesting to learn about it properly.

  • @yorick6035
    @yorick6035 Рік тому +5

    I'm unable to watch the whole thing right, but I'll know I'll be enjoying this tomorrow.
    I like these deepdives into the Great War, do you guys plan on doing an episode on Verdun or the Macedonian front?

    • @TheGreatWar
      @TheGreatWar  Рік тому +2

      we have many more battles on our list. Verdun would certainly be among them and other "forgotten" fronts too. Need to see what footage we have available though to illustrate these.

    • @yorick6035
      @yorick6035 Рік тому

      @@TheGreatWar awesome

    • @DOMINIK99013
      @DOMINIK99013 Рік тому

      @@TheGreatWar How are you doing with the seven-day Czechoslovakia-Poland War? And you have enough resources and information to understand the whole complex political, historical, ethnic, Silesian issues and how this war manifested itself before the beginning of World War II, where the Poles themselves waited for a bite from Czech / Moravian Silesia, when counting on the fact that Czechoslovakia will he have to fight with Poland and probably even Hungary significantly affected the decision in 1938 and thus greatly affected the Second World War? The outbreak of low-intensity conflict in 1945 over what from Lašsko - Moravia / Sielsia wil be Czech or Polish and again in 1980-1 crisis. Today, largely forgotten conflicts, but still alive for many people.

  • @CritterCamSoCal
    @CritterCamSoCal Рік тому

    Thanks nicely done

  • @NellaCuriosity
    @NellaCuriosity Рік тому

    Fantastic video!

  • @vadimanreev4585
    @vadimanreev4585 Рік тому +6

    Aleksey Alekseyevich Brusilov (1887-1920) was an officer of the Life Guards of the Russian Imperial Army, then commander of the Red Army regiment. The son of General Brusilov.From the hereditary nobles of the St. Petersburg province, of the Orthodox faith. The only son of cavalry General Alexei Alekseevich Brusilov (1853-1926) by his first wife, Anna Nikolaevna Gagemeister (d. 1908).
    He graduated from the Page Corps, served in the Life Guards Cavalry Grenadier Regiment. In 1912-1914 he studied at the Cavalry Officer School. During the First World War, he commanded the infantry infantry squadron of the 2nd Guards Cavalry Division (02.05.1916-09.01.1917). From January 10, 1917, he commanded the 2nd squadron of the Life Guards of the Cavalry Grenadier Regiment. He was awarded many orders for military distinctions. The last rank in the "old" army is the staff captain of the Guard.
    On July 2, 1917, in the church of the village of Grebnevo, Bogorodsky district, Moscow province, he was married to Varvara Ivanovna Kotlyarevskaya, the daughter of a privy councilor.
    Since 1919 - in the Red Army, commander of a cavalry regiment. he was captured by the "Drozdovites" and was shot

    • @dd.mm.ll.
      @dd.mm.ll. Місяць тому

      He wasn't shot, he lived until 1926. His son, also Aleksei, was shot in 1919 by some claims.

  • @kebman
    @kebman Рік тому +7

    But... How did *Brad Pitt* enlist in the Austro-Hungarian Army???

  • @alexwendler5479
    @alexwendler5479 Рік тому

    Such a great video!

  • @prawdachocbolitoprawdawasw1155
    @prawdachocbolitoprawdawasw1155 7 місяців тому

    Really nice historical document.Thanks for preparing.😊😉

  • @extrahistory8956
    @extrahistory8956 Рік тому +3

    A great overview video would be if you made one about the Japanese campaigns of WW1, since not even the week-by-week dove that much into it.

  • @bmhh123
    @bmhh123 Рік тому +4

    I would love to see a more detailed take on the 2nd battle of the Marne! But this was great!

  • @nigellbutlerrr2638
    @nigellbutlerrr2638 Рік тому +1

    Great production.
    Thanks.
    Lucky to be born much later.

  • @fredlamprecht
    @fredlamprecht 2 місяці тому

    thanks jesse absolutely objective and truthful!!!

  • @michaelsinger4638
    @michaelsinger4638 Рік тому +40

    It seems like Brusilov came up with effective new tactics and battered the Austrians. But others in the Russian side did not properly follow up on it. A wasted opportunity.
    Brusilov ended up joining the Soviet Army later on after the Russian Revolution I believe?

    • @TheGreatWar
      @TheGreatWar  Рік тому +21

      he did, yes

    • @michaelsinger4638
      @michaelsinger4638 Рік тому +5

      Interesting. You can kind of see the early stages of some of the Soviet tactics used later on.

    • @alexzero3736
      @alexzero3736 Рік тому +6

      Actually, General Alekseev (Russian overall commander) told Brusilov to delay the attack as Northern front is not ready to support it yet...But Brusilov believed that the moment was right to attack now...this misunderstanding and competition between commanders resulted in two very separated attack efforts. Brusilov offensive initially successful was repelled with German reinforcements, and Russian attack in the North came to late, as Germans already reorganized defensive lines.
      BTW Romanian joining the war proved to become burden for Russian army as Romania failed to defend itself.

    • @901Sherman
      @901Sherman Рік тому +5

      Brusilov wanted to attack on schedule because of the dire need to help the Italians and French who were on the backfoot, not because of some competition between the commanders (if anything, Western and Northern Front command had near 0 intention of attacking at all).
      Also, German troops helped stiffen resistance and make the going and losses harder for the Southwestern Front but even they were pushed back during the middle half of the offensive (Stone’s Eastern Front has a particularly amusing role reversal example where GERMAN troops retreated in disarray from incoming Russians and it was the AUSTRIAN officers that had to keep them in line). Ultimately the strained logistics, lack of reinforcements, and unwillingness of some commanders to use Brusilov’s methods played a bigger role in halting the offensive, as shown in the vid.

    • @ldkbudda4176
      @ldkbudda4176 Рік тому +2

      @@901Sherman It is not a some army generals competence to answer for dire need of Italians and French!!! There are higher leaders diplomats and Tsar who handle foreign relations!!! Brusilov wanted just honor for himself (if succesiful). No wonder why he supported red bolsheviks later...

  • @MRJBS117
    @MRJBS117 Рік тому +8

    Ww1 best war stories and historic battles. The “first modern war”. As awful it was but it really fascinates me. Love it

    • @brarob2089
      @brarob2089 Рік тому +1

      The “First Modern War” is a title given to the Crimean War as it was the first war to be documented with picture.

  • @AxelPoliti
    @AxelPoliti 8 місяців тому

    Excellent and inspiring job

  • @diegotrentin8217
    @diegotrentin8217 Рік тому

    Loving this new format

  • @HD-np7eb
    @HD-np7eb Рік тому +3

    Need a video about Allenby's tactics in Battle of Megiddo in this channel

  • @theodorsebastian4272
    @theodorsebastian4272 Рік тому +4

    Kuripatkin still haven't learn from the Russo-Japanese war that being passive could be costly to both his reputation and his army.

  • @beachboy0505
    @beachboy0505 Рік тому

    Excellent video
    Excellent graphics

  • @krad_eno9399
    @krad_eno9399 8 місяців тому

    thank you for the information 🙂

  • @Mike-qr4mp
    @Mike-qr4mp Рік тому +11

    It would be great for you guys to do a similar video on Gallipoli as some of the week by week episodes are age restricted

    • @TheGreatWar
      @TheGreatWar  Рік тому +15

      it's on our list, also want to cover the French participation there

    • @feliscorax
      @feliscorax Рік тому +2

      @@TheGreatWar Great! That’s an often overlooked aspect of the campaign, especially in the UK and Australia/NZ.

  • @dmlegoproductions
    @dmlegoproductions Рік тому +3

    Nice

  • @Jvd1925
    @Jvd1925 4 місяці тому +1

    Thanks!

  • @theoverengineer
    @theoverengineer 8 місяців тому

    Wow. Brilliant storytelling.