Absolutely phenomenal!!!Damn!!! I feel privileged to be able to see this.....a historic documentary about a historic event.......if not THE.....then certainly one of the most important events of the 20th century.....personally though.....I consider it to be THE most important.Have to say I kept thinking to myself it seemed rather callous or inhumane of Paulus not to offer at least to try to get the northern pocket to surrender and instead get stuck in some misguided sense of protocol or duty.Perhaps he did later.....I don't know .....for some reason I never paid much attention to the Battle of Stalingrad until I discovered your channel.....probably because we get taught the basic outcome.But man...now I want to explore it in depth so much more along with your excellent work you've done here before I found the channel.Can't thank you enough.Awesome work!!!
The best reward for our work is comments like this. Thank you so much it's really appreciated. And you're right about it all: Stalingrad is probably THE event of the XX century.
Fantastic video! My father served in the US Navy, his brother(unknown at the time as my father was adopted) served in the Wermacht, my grandmother’s brother served in the Red Army as an artilleryman. I wonder how many other families from the Eastern Europe that changed hands during the seemingly endless invasions over the centuries had similar histories?
Johann Eduard Schnorr Yes excellent comments from you and I think you have a viewpoint that really adds to the whole story . We are shown these precious jewels, insights every so often and this is one of them. Just when I think I know everything about WW2 something comes along like this and adds a whole new perspective to that event . Yes ! Yes ! Absolutely terrible and I would add THE most terrible event in Western Civilization . I HATE HATE War ...but I love studying it . Some times I question the validity of my morbid curiosity but perhaps with the unfolding knowledge we are finding we can perhaps at some important time talk people out of going to War . Patton said something very profound when he said “Next to War All Human endeavors pale in comparison !” Sadly he was right all of our scientific, medical, technical and other breakthroughs come from war , hopefully we don’t need war anymore to do that . Paulus like most of his. fellow Generals who fought in the First WW seeing all of the treasure ,blood and suffering were filled with angst that it was all for nothing because the politicians had “Stabbed Germany in the Back !” They took a vow that that would never happen again, they would never surrender too early they would fight to the last man the last bullet to behave or even think in any other way was treason and I think that this was behind his refusal to ask or order the rest of his army to surrender. I believe that the brutality of the First WW set. The stage for the brutality in the second , the Armies were full of damaged and psychopathic people. No more Brothers War ....ever
It's difficult to comprehend that even now in the year 2020, there are still men from both sides that survived Stalingrad, and know what hell on earth actually is.
Not many living anymore, you would have to be at least about 95. I wonder just how many are left that actually fought in the battle. Kind of like Pearl harbor survivors.
To not offer to his own troops the right to life, which he chose by surrendering instead of falling on his sword and dying with them to me speaks legions of even in war the privileges of high command are kept alive by both sides. Even in captivity, they enjoyed a quality of life and freedom from work and for many, an early release whilst their soldiers who fought for them died in unmentionable misery and hardship.
@Matt M To be fair, Paulus came to deeply regret what he had done and been a part of, and longed to see Stalingrad rebuilt. Not exactly justice, but definitely not a karma houdini.
@@Armageddon4145 Sorry for asking an unrelated question. Etes-vous Francais, Bélge, Suisse ou Quebecois ? Ou bien un Russe polyglotte ? vous n'êtes pas obligés de répondre. Merci
Wow! That is a great documentary. I just realized looking at these comments that you just posted it. Thank you for taking the time to create this video.
Anton - You never disappoint! Thank you so much for doing this - you are bringing out details of this battle that even I did not know after 15 years plus of reading what I thought was all the history. This is your calling Anton - forge ahead!
Roman Karmen's words and descriptions were incredible. The bleak poetry and humanity put the events at the end of the Battle of Stalingrad in proper perspective. Bravo for showing this, Thank you.
Seriously, this is legendary I'm so stoked to find this It's such a massive moment in history and I'm so glad this is here for posterity (Kind of sad that rokossovsky got purged not too long after this haha)
My favorite thing before I heard all this was after hitler gave him the promotion to basically condemn him to suicide paulus said I won't shoot myself for that bohemian corporal hahaha
The way they left this army group to die was kind of the writing on the wall for all the orders leading up to the fall of berlin.. it's bizarre since hitler believes the Germans are this "master race" he's so willing to let millions die needlessly I mean even in 42 there was zero chance germany could win, their manpower was fucked, their supply lines were a joke and barely mechanized, they had way too many tank designs with a shit ton of flaws and requiring a lot of maintenance, other than the big dick guns and armor on them the worst design for this attritional war, especially compared to the mass produced t34s and sherman's, with nearly just as good armor potential, very survivable for the crew and easily repaired and maintained in massive numbers All the supply guys knew they were boned And yet hitler let so many guys run headlong into the meat grinder The Soviets lost more than anyone, but at least they knew they would win by this point. It just sucks the brutal oppression they dealt out and imposed were basically the same as the germans
Watched this again on the anniversary of this event. Lost in all of this is the sheer dedication of Mr. R.L. Karmen. I could not imagine myself starving, sleep deprived, exhausted yet still be able to jot down words said at this once-in-a-lifetime event
Yes, Roman Karmen is to be congratulated. I lived in Moscow 4 winters and have experienced -28C. Your ears feel like they are being pierced with needles, your tongue is frozen solid and you can hardly speak, your nose is sealed and you cannot breathe except through your open mouth, much less run in snow carrying a heavy camera.
This is my second time coming around to this series. I think it's just amazing. There's this strange depth to paulus that you start to feel as you watch his capitulation. He may not have been a murderer himself but he listened to them and surrounded himself with them and he had to figure out how to find honor while understanding his disgrace
@@Armageddon4145 I've watched it twice. It's amazing that you were able to bring out the pressures on Paulus and the changing view he had of Germany's role. Very well done
@@bookaufman9643 what are you trying to say with your comment above " He may not have been a murderer himself but he listened to them and surrounded himself with them"....?
@@siggifreud812 I guess I was trying to say that Paula's had a quiet dignity but the team he was playing on was evil and if you choose to play on that team then you were tainted by them.
@@bookaufman9643 I see what you are saying. I guess many of the Wehrmacht Generals could have gotten together and attempted some kind of putsch before Barbarossa, but prior to Stalingrad, even the respected Generals were basking in the light as great conquerors. Once it became apparent that there was no chance of winning in Russia, it was too late for them to save face - they were in too deep. Also, many of them turned a blind eye to what the Einsatzgruppen were doing in their wake. Fact is: Paulus would be more respected today if he had died in battle with his troops.
An absolutely fantastic video. The pairing of Karmen's words, film and photos gives viewers a perspective that is unmatched on UA-cam. And I say that as a big fan of TIK's work.
I live 20 km across the Volga river from Volgograd (the current name for Stalingrad). The Motherland Calls statue can be seen from my apartment's window. I will revere the great feat of my soviet ancestors for the rest of my life.
You should. It was a great sacrifice. It is impossible to not pay homage to the millions who died. I have spent my entire life in New York City and feel as you do.
Thank you for the great video. My father had the medal "For The Liberation of Stalingrad" (За Освобождение Сталинграда) among many others, including "За Взятие Берлина" (For The Taking Berlin). Unfortunately, he didn't talk much of war. RIP.
I would say to your father thank you and well done. Very well done. I can assure you that there are millions of us in the west that appreciated the sacrifices of the Russian people during the war. The axis powers where in the wrong in every way.
We visited Volgograd (Stalingrad) in September 2014. Utterly fascinating to see the museum and Von Paulus' headquarters at the GUM department store. The grain silo is still there as is the flour mill.
Wow,I know it's crazy to ask but is the roundabout with the statue of children playing still there?I have seen Russian videos of it,always amazed me to think that the enemy HQ is half a city block away just out of sight of the times crazy,cameramen in WW2.....equivalent to carrying a weopan with the weight,it amazes me how they knew capturing the moment was important first for morale,second for the history of mankind truly
He blamed his men for his predicament. He was brought to the interrogation in a grand automobile. It was several miles from the department store where he was taken custody. He passed thousands of his surrendered troops shuffling to captivity along the road. They all jeered him. Never understood was why the Red Army indulged him. These pictures are not what he looked like when was apprehended. He hadn't shaven, he was dirty and his uniform was soiled. Not sure why they made him look so pristine.
I mean at the end of the day I HIGHLY doubt that it would have made much of a difference... The Soviet Union never signed the Geneva Convention...but yeah if true that says a lot about the type of soldier and man that Paulus was...
4 роки тому
Haha wtf do u know about what was said ya fuckin donut ... u werent even born u werent there and u havent done enuff research at high level so fuk away off beta bitch
Roman Karen also produced that great 70’s mini series, The Unknown War, hosted by Burt Lancaster. That is a FANTASTIC series and highly recommend it if you love studying WW2/Great Patriotic War.
Many, many thanks for this video - and your channel! I just came across it and always appreciate any/all info and perspectives of the Battle of Stalingrad.
Hitler promoted him because he thought he would commit suicide as no German Field Marshal had ever surrendered. He was furious when he found out Paulus had surrendered . after the attempted assassination of Hitler on 20 July 1944, he became a vocal critic of the Nazi regime while in Soviet captivity, joining the Soviet-sponsored National Committee for a Free Germany appealing to Germans to surrender. He later acted as a witness for the prosecution at the Nuremberg Trials. He was allowed to move to the German Democratic Republic in 1953, two years before the repatriation of the remaining German POWs.
This is a first class documentary all the way. Objective, focused, excellent accompanying photos and video as well as narrative. Thank you Stalingrad Battle Data, and Roman Karmen, for helping preserve history
@3:37 General Konstantin Rokossovsky the military genius and the original architect of the successful Operation Bagration. Great respect to Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky.
Rokossovksky was from a family of Polish and Russian aristocrats (poor ones,though. Both of his parents had jobs). During the time of the Great Purge (1937) he was imprissoned and severly tortured by NKVD. There were allegedly a two incidents, when he had to undergo a fake execution, meanwhile other of his fellow prisoners were executed. After his release he gained his position back and was one of people, who dare (when planning operations) firmly contradicted Stalin if needed.
@@Martina-Kosicanka BS and myth about contradicting Stalin... Stalin listened to his generals and in my opinion they had more freedom in operations than any nato general today who listen to their politicians blindly.
@@Martina-Kosicanka Desision making was developing from begining to the end of ww2. You can see that in Vasilevski memoirs very good. We can not say for example than in 1941 it was perfect since the fact is that till the end of 1941 it was chaos in the frontline. The only general who was calm and like stone profesional was Rokosovski and that is why for me he was the best. Stalin realised that and called him to defend Moscow and they had conversation before he went to frontline, Stalin asked him what he thinks about wermacht and reply was legendary "It is perfect war machine, but every machine can be broken". And at the end it was Rokosovski who broke it.
Great in depth coverage with superior photography of the captive Field Marshal what a blow to the Fuehrer! Amazing me how Paulus was suddenly upgraded while the 6th army was encircled and destroyed. The battle of Kursk was held summer of 1943, what was Hitler thinking the war was lost already at Stalingrad! Please cover the battle of Kursk if you have extraordinary coverage of the details, from point A - Z! Thank You and appreciate this article for I've never seen it before and phenomenon journalism!
Read a few of the comments we'd like to add my two centshave been reading about real war since I've been about 9 and I'm 62 this was the best account I've ever heard from the Soviet side with the pictures to go with the story yada yada yada on fantastic documentary!! I almost get past it cuz I have seen so much Stalingrad stuff it's just over and over but just was definitely a completely different than I've ever seen!!
Stalingrad was the turning point in the entire war - and not just the war between Germany and Russia but all of WW2. The millions of dead Russians, soldiers, and civilians establishes that it was indeed Russia that won WW2. We were brought up in the USA to think that we won the war but our losses were trivial compared to those of the Russians- and no part of the war was fought on our soil nor were our civilians imprisoned and killed. We did help by providing material support but even without us, the Russians would ultimately have won. Stalin could afford enormous losses because he was not subject to a congress nor an election. But of course, Stalin was gulled into cooperating with Hitler by the non-aggression pact. At first, after the Nazis invaded, Stalin feared it was just a provocation and not war. And he knew the exact date of the anticipated invasion from Richard Sorge, his spy in Tokyo.
Yes,it helped to turn the tide,but the battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943 broke the back of the German Army on the Eastern Front,after that battle the Germans never had the strength to launch another major offensive on the Eastern Front, after Kursk it was a slow,continuous retreat all the way back to Berlin.
Paulus was not a field Marshall during the fighting in Stalingrad. Hitler promoted him on the last day of fighting. Had he gone against Hitlers orders, which would have been certain death for him, he could have saved his men and his army. A breakout was entirely possible. German army units got encircled ove and oner but they always managed to break out.
Paulus waited too long before he attempted to meet up with Manstein. His army was too weak for offensive operations by then. The smart move would've been to withdraw when the Soviets opened Operation Uranus. Once 6th Army was encircled, it was over.
The demeanor of Paulus when first assembled with the Russian officers is what one would expect from a Field Marshal but by the time of Nuremburg he had made huge reversals in attitude. More pragmatic?
@Doug Yeah ! The greatest military machine at that time has been defeated by fucking weather (lol) ...then it was Atlantic Ocean that saved your moron's ass
@Doug B это была вторая зима для Вермахта в России. Они могли подготовиться. А ещё немцы почему-то летом, когда стояла жара, потеряли больше солдат, чем во Франции. Чушь больше не пиши
14 years later he died in his homeland of Germany. I'm not sure how that's possible. Say someone broke into your house, took what they wanted, shot down family and maybe even pets, and left only a hollow husk that was your home. You're telling me that the man who made your house the target and ordered its destruction wasnt brought to justice by trial like so many others? What was becoming the the first field Marshall to surrender an honor that left him free of guilt? Its easy to say he was just following orders but those orders didn't possesse him into action. He did it willingly.
It's very disturbing indeed. Only 10 years in captivity and in exceptionally good conditions (similar to the Soviet elite) is not a high price as compared to his responsibility in the crimes of his army.
We can’t do that here in America because my fellow Americans still believe that America saved the day in World War 2. If you came over here and claimed that the Red Army saved the world from Hitler, you might be publicly tarred, feathered, and deported to Mexico.
@@jaxcrax9644 No doubt for all practical purposes, Germany never recovered from Stalingrad, it was the beginning of the end for Nazi expansion and their demise. But I stop short of praising the Red Army and Stalin, who I believe was a strong candidate for the most horrible/ruthless leader in the 20th Century (hard to beat out Pol Pot and Idi Amin). What did the Red Army save us from? Germany was never a real threat to America, but Russia sure became one, which a few military officials recognized before the war was over, but we let them do a power grab. Remember, Stalin made a deal with Hitler to cut up Poland and he also attacked Finland, so I don't know why he doesn't receive just as much ire as Hitler. And just think, after all these years, even post-Cold War, we had the Democrat Party claiming the Russians hacked the 2016 American election! Now, after the very same Democrat Party who claimed this, stole the election in November 2020, yet no mention of Russian interference this time!! Strange how the media and history portray events...just saying...
The Russians fought well but the Germans ran out of ammo shooting them,Hitler couldn’t afford to lose five million men,Stalin could,no one has been successful in attacking Russia,it’s too big and the people are in plentiful supply.
What a marvelus documentary. It's a permanent discovery of tings that one belive to now . Your job, and others documentarys like Tik are without a doubt the best work's un all you tube y problably all the internet.Gretings from Santiago de Chile.
0:00 Stalingrad North--the Traktor Zavod and Barrikady Zavod are in the view. Zaitzevskiy Island in the Volga. The sinuous Akhtuba channel. 0:01 Gogolya Ulitsa, with the corner edifice of the Univermag building visible through the gap in the ruins. 0:02 Which factory? 0:04 One end of a conveyor-gantry has fallen. This is by the smelting workshop of Krasnyi Oktyabr'. 0:05 Industrial camshafts by Bannyi Ravine. 0:06 Some of the superstructure for the conveyor-gantries by the Martenovskii Workshop. 0:07 The ruined corner by Gogolya & Ostrovskogo, across from the Univermag building.
"Talking about his promotion to field marshal, Friedrich Paulus mentioned, "It looks like an invitation to commit suicide, but I will not do this favor for him." A Roman Catholic, he was opposed to committing suicide, and told during his imprisonment that he had "no intention of shooting myself for this Bohemian corporal". Credit: "thefamouspeopl Eric Paulus, one of two of the General's sons, was a captain, wounded at Stalingrad and later evacuated.
A remarkable victory no doubt, shadowed by the 95% death rate of the german captive soldiers. CCCP also did not accept to have Red Cross or other organisation to care about them. Apparently they have been erased before Nuremberg 1946 trials. Paulus had the audacity to say during the trials, "the captive are very well", knowing the grim reality.
O my god, my father was in Stalingrad and he definitely missed to see surrender of Field Marshal Paulus. We need to be grateful Mr. Karmen for his military camera operator job filming WWII time including Stalingrad.
My father really never shared with me what happened during Stalingrad. Only one time under my recollection he mentioned if American Support Air Cobra Air planes did not arrive to support Russian defense and helped to shut down Luftwaffe Junkers bridge it would be more difficult for Russian troops to overcome German resistance.
This is a great documentary if there ever was one! IMHO,Stalingrad was certainly one of if the most important battles of WW2. If Russia doesn’t defeat Germany the landing at Normandy never takes place!
Field marshal Paulus could have saved lives of last of German resistance in a north of Stalingrad he was offered twice to do that and yet twice he declined.... he made his historic decision.
Must have been an incredibility hard thing to do. Its wasn't a summer day in France. In the end it would only have saved hundreds at best. Knowing how many would eventually return.
I’m sure Paulus was an honorable man but I don’t understand why he even asked permission from Hitler to break out from Stalingrad. His situation was horrendous and hopeless. He should have followed military doctrine (and basic common sense) broken out, saved his men and if necessary, handed his head to Hitler in order to save his men. The weakness of Paulus was that he seemed to hesitate, second guess his own orders and vacillate. Paulus was a military educated officer conceding to a WWI Corporal and paranoid, homicidal lunatic. Rommel did not asked permission from Hitler to abandon North Africa, he made the decision based on his own military knowledge and saved his men. Thank you for this unprecedented look at military history…INCREDIBLE to watch.
@@Armageddon4145 I wonder what went through the minds of Hitlers general staff officers on December 10th, 1941. The army was freezing their asses of in the snow of Russia, troops sick, malnourished and horrendously under supplied. They could see the red bricks of the Kremlin and Moscow off in the distance. It must have seemed unbelievable to the Germans, that no matter how many Russian troops they killed and took prisoner, Stalin never ran out of men and supplies. The atmosphere must have been discouraging beyond belief and just when they likely thought things were as bad as they could get…they are informed that Hitler has unilaterally declared war on the United States of America! I am a veteran, I saw minor combat in Bosnia in the early’90s as part of a a recon unit attached to the PPCLI (I was the medic, speak French, English and German ) I love and have studied military history both in the classroom and my own independent reading. In all my years of this (I’m old now) I have never encountered a more idiotic and disastrous decision. I realize Hitler wanted to honor the tri partied pack with Japan but how could he have been so ignorant of the capabilities and potential of the U.S.!? If you are not familiar with the Canadian military PPCLI is the Princess Pat Canadian Light Infantry. I am of course bias, but I have never be associated with a braver and more upstanding group of men! You are obviously more educated and informed on military history and likely tactics so I would be humbly grateful and interested in your opinion. Sincerely, Doc I’m no longer in the military I am now an ER trauma surgeon. I apologize for the lengthiness of my comment, I’m on a short break a didn’t have time to write a short one!
It is an excellent video, very exciting, shocking and sad. So many lives lost to a madness of infinite power! Congratulations to Stalingrad Battle Data.
Absolutely phenomenal!!!Damn!!! I feel privileged to be able to see this.....a historic documentary about a historic event.......if not THE.....then certainly one of the most important events of the 20th century.....personally though.....I consider it to be THE most important.Have to say I kept thinking to myself it seemed rather callous or inhumane of Paulus not to offer at least to try to get the northern pocket to surrender and instead get stuck in some misguided sense of protocol or duty.Perhaps he did later.....I don't know .....for some reason I never paid much attention to the Battle of Stalingrad until I discovered your channel.....probably because we get taught the basic outcome.But man...now I want to explore it in depth so much more along with your excellent work you've done here before I found the channel.Can't thank you enough.Awesome work!!!
The best reward for our work is comments like this.
Thank you so much it's really appreciated.
And you're right about it all: Stalingrad is probably THE event of the XX century.
Fantastic video! My father served in the US Navy, his brother(unknown at the time as my father was adopted) served in the Wermacht, my grandmother’s brother served in the Red Army as an artilleryman. I wonder how many other families from the Eastern Europe that changed hands during the seemingly endless invasions over the centuries had similar histories?
Garcia morato pilioto
La douce france
Garcia
Johann Eduard Schnorr
Yes excellent comments from you and I think you have a viewpoint that really adds to the whole story . We are shown these precious jewels, insights every so often and this is one of them. Just when I think I know everything about WW2 something comes along like this and adds a whole new perspective to that event .
Yes ! Yes ! Absolutely terrible and I would add THE most terrible event in Western Civilization . I HATE HATE War ...but I love studying it . Some times I question the validity of my morbid curiosity but perhaps with the unfolding knowledge we are finding we can perhaps at some important time talk people out of going to War .
Patton said something very profound when he said “Next to War All Human endeavors pale in comparison !” Sadly he was right all of our scientific, medical, technical and other breakthroughs come from war , hopefully we don’t need war anymore to do that .
Paulus like most of his. fellow Generals who fought in the First WW seeing all of the treasure ,blood and suffering were filled with angst that it was all for nothing because the politicians had “Stabbed Germany in the Back !” They took a vow that that would never happen again, they would never surrender too early they would fight to the last man the last bullet to behave or even think in any other way was treason and I think that this was behind his refusal to ask or order the rest of his army to surrender. I believe that the brutality of the First WW set. The stage for the brutality in the second , the Armies were full of damaged and psychopathic people.
No more Brothers War ....ever
Should have attacked the pocket towards Manstein. He owed that to his men
It's difficult to comprehend that even now in the year 2020, there are still men from both sides that survived Stalingrad, and know what hell on earth actually is.
Not many living anymore, you would have to be at least about 95. I wonder just how many are left that actually fought in the battle. Kind of like Pearl harbor survivors.
@@johnstudd4245 there are two Pearl Harbor Survivors left.My dad passed in 2016.He was on the Battleship California.
Comparing Stalingrad to Pearl Harbor is like comparing 9/11 to Steve Scalise shooting.
I was stationed in F.R.G. in the early seventies and our post barber was a Stalingrad survivor.
@@ThisHandleWasTheOnly1Available The dead of Peral Harbor are just as dead as the dead of Stalingrad..just fewer.
To not offer to his own troops the right to life, which he chose by surrendering instead of falling on his sword and dying with them to me speaks legions of even in war the privileges of high command are kept alive by both sides. Even in captivity, they enjoyed a quality of life and freedom from work and for many, an early release whilst their soldiers who fought for them died in unmentionable misery and hardship.
Its sicking to say the least !!!!!!!!
@@bustersmith5569 Its not sickening. That's how it works.
Paulus isn't a real man.. He didn't breakout and let his people starve..... Filthy son of a b
@Matt M To be fair, Paulus came to deeply regret what he had done and been a part of, and longed to see Stalingrad rebuilt. Not exactly justice, but definitely not a karma houdini.
Would he have saved any lives of his men by not surrendering?, did he not surrender his men when he surrendered?
What a wonderful documentary you have produced and shared with us, short but wonderful. *THANK YOU VERY MUCH.*
Thank you sir.
@@Armageddon4145 Sorry for asking an unrelated question.
Etes-vous Francais, Bélge, Suisse ou Quebecois ? Ou bien un Russe polyglotte ? vous n'êtes pas obligés de répondre. Merci
@@brahim119 Franco-Russe
@@Armageddon4145 Enchanté et merci.
Wow! That is a great documentary. I just realized looking at these comments that you just posted it. Thank you for taking the time to create this video.
And time it took indeed. But the comments of you all reward for it. Thanks very much for the positive words!
@@Armageddon4145How did you get into the field of war documentary-making? Are you ex-military ?
Anton - You never disappoint! Thank you so much for doing this - you are bringing out details of this battle that even I did not know after 15 years plus of reading what I thought was all the history. This is your calling Anton - forge ahead!
Thank you sir, for your support and your interest! Will continue to do my best for people like you.
Yes indeed ,he does great job .....I love his channel ,although i am a new subscriber ,i shall watch every new video ,he will post !!
You’re doing an exceptional job. Narration, images, full on sensitivity!
Thanks a lot!
Roman Karmen's words and descriptions were incredible. The bleak poetry and humanity put the events at the end of the Battle of Stalingrad in proper perspective. Bravo for showing this, Thank you.
Thanks for the positive words.
Original sources are the best. Thank you for this.
The Radio Moscow signature tune at the end gave me gooseflesh. Thank you.
Can’t get enough of these series! Probably the most epic battle of the century
There are plenty of "battles of the century" to choose from. From Stalingrad to Shanghai to Manila, etc., there is no end to human slaughter.
To World War Two buffs this is like a 7 course meal at a 7 star hotel.
Wow, thanks! Really appreciated.
This is one of the great surrenders of WW2 to go along with Gen Wainwright at Baatan, Gen. Percival and the fall of Singapore!
Seriously, this is legendary I'm so stoked to find this
It's such a massive moment in history and I'm so glad this is here for posterity
(Kind of sad that rokossovsky got purged not too long after this haha)
My favorite thing before I heard all this was after hitler gave him the promotion to basically condemn him to suicide paulus said I won't shoot myself for that bohemian corporal hahaha
The way they left this army group to die was kind of the writing on the wall for all the orders leading up to the fall of berlin.. it's bizarre since hitler believes the Germans are this "master race" he's so willing to let millions die needlessly
I mean even in 42 there was zero chance germany could win, their manpower was fucked, their supply lines were a joke and barely mechanized, they had way too many tank designs with a shit ton of flaws and requiring a lot of maintenance, other than the big dick guns and armor on them the worst design for this attritional war, especially compared to the mass produced t34s and sherman's, with nearly just as good armor potential, very survivable for the crew and easily repaired and maintained in massive numbers
All the supply guys knew they were boned
And yet hitler let so many guys run headlong into the meat grinder
The Soviets lost more than anyone, but at least they knew they would win by this point. It just sucks the brutal oppression they dealt out and imposed were basically the same as the germans
Seems the only Immediate civilized interaction was briefly between the officers of both sides …..What an uncivilized blood bath WW2 was …..
because they re not fighting at that moment
"They are spectators now, no longer targets" - very poignant .
Watched this again on the anniversary of this event.
Lost in all of this is the sheer dedication of Mr. R.L. Karmen. I could not imagine myself starving, sleep deprived, exhausted yet still be able to jot down words said at this once-in-a-lifetime event
He writes like Hemingway.😊
Yes, Roman Karmen is to be congratulated. I lived in Moscow 4 winters and have experienced -28C. Your ears feel like they are being pierced with needles, your tongue is frozen solid and you can hardly speak, your nose is sealed and you cannot breathe except through your open mouth, much less run in snow carrying a heavy camera.
This is my second time coming around to this series. I think it's just amazing. There's this strange depth to paulus that you start to feel as you watch his capitulation. He may not have been a murderer himself but he listened to them and surrounded himself with them and he had to figure out how to find honor while understanding his disgrace
Thanks for your interest!
For more on Paulus in captivity, watch the Suzdal Camp series
@@Armageddon4145 I've watched it twice. It's amazing that you were able to bring out the pressures on Paulus and the changing view he had of Germany's role. Very well done
@@bookaufman9643 what are you trying to say with your comment above " He may not have been a murderer himself but he listened to them and surrounded himself with them"....?
@@siggifreud812 I guess I was trying to say that Paula's had a quiet dignity but the team he was playing on was evil and if you choose to play on that team then you were tainted by them.
@@bookaufman9643 I see what you are saying. I guess many of the Wehrmacht Generals could have gotten together and attempted some kind of putsch before Barbarossa, but prior to Stalingrad, even the respected Generals were basking in the light as great conquerors. Once it became apparent that there was no chance of winning in Russia, it was too late for them to save face - they were in too deep. Also, many of them turned a blind eye to what the Einsatzgruppen were doing in their wake. Fact is: Paulus would be more respected today if he had died in battle with his troops.
Thank you for your work. Really appreciate the translation in to English. thank you for sharing. big fan.
An absolutely fantastic video. The pairing of Karmen's words, film and photos gives viewers a perspective that is unmatched on UA-cam. And I say that as a big fan of TIK's work.
Many thanks Pete, really appreciated.
I have always wanted to know what was said in that meeting. Thank you very much
I wanted to see Voronov. The quiet Giant always shy of fame.
I live 20 km across the Volga river from Volgograd (the current name for Stalingrad). The Motherland Calls statue can be seen from my apartment's window. I will revere the great feat of my soviet ancestors for the rest of my life.
You should. It was a great sacrifice. It is impossible to not pay homage to the millions who died. I have spent my entire life in New York City and feel as you do.
Unbelievable. Why have I missed this all these years? Great job.
I am a writer myself, so I know good writing when I see it, or hear it in this case -- excellent writing.
Thank you sir!
I am not writer myself and I find it quite tacky.
@@RogerThat787 yeah there is a great word for Stalingrad. "tacky".
I guess you have been though much more than the men who were in that.
Agree. Some beautiful writing from the photographer and others involved.
Yes indeed. The writing is surprisingly very very good.
This is an amazing story expertly crafted. Rare first person documented history translated into English. Thanx for that SBD.
Thank you sir
Thank you for the great video. My father had the medal "For The Liberation of Stalingrad" (За Освобождение Сталинграда) among many others, including "За Взятие Берлина" (For The Taking Berlin). Unfortunately, he didn't talk much of war. RIP.
Thanks for your feedback and positive words!
I would say to your father thank you and well done. Very well done. I can assure you that there are millions of us in the west that appreciated the sacrifices of the Russian people during the war. The axis powers where in the wrong in every way.
Wow, how did he survive both these brutal battles?😮
We visited Volgograd (Stalingrad) in September 2014. Utterly fascinating to see the museum and Von Paulus' headquarters at the GUM department store. The grain silo is still there as is the flour mill.
Wow,I know it's crazy to ask but is the roundabout with the statue of children playing still there?I have seen Russian videos of it,always amazed me to think that the enemy HQ is half a city block away just out of sight of the times crazy,cameramen in WW2.....equivalent to carrying a weopan with the weight,it amazes me how they knew capturing the moment was important first for morale,second for the history of mankind truly
No *von, just Paulus.
@@javiermartinezjr8849Yes ! Those statues are familiar from many documentaries.
Great documentary with first hand account and unadulterated. Great work folks...Bravo!
As a history nut I absolutely salute you. There is no such thing as enough historical information well done. Will donate
Thanks a lot for your interest and support.
The Russian general asked Paulus if he had any request and Paulus did not ask that his men be treated humanely. Deplorable.
He blamed his men for his predicament. He was brought to the interrogation in a grand automobile. It was several miles from the department store where he was taken custody. He passed thousands of his surrendered troops shuffling to captivity along the road. They all jeered him. Never understood was why the Red Army indulged him. These pictures are not what he looked like when was apprehended. He hadn't shaven, he was dirty and his uniform was soiled. Not sure why they made him look so pristine.
@@sl5932 They were hoping to persuade Hitlers generals to turn against him, to not fight to the last like they did
I mean at the end of the day I HIGHLY doubt that it would have made much of a difference... The Soviet Union never signed the Geneva Convention...but yeah if true that says a lot about the type of soldier and man that Paulus was...
Haha wtf do u know about what was said ya fuckin donut ... u werent even born u werent there and u havent done enuff research at high level so fuk away off beta bitch
@@sl5932 i can imagine the censors cleaning up dirty history
Roman Karen also produced that great 70’s mini series, The Unknown War, hosted by Burt Lancaster. That is a FANTASTIC series and highly recommend it if you love studying WW2/Great Patriotic War.
That's right, fantastic series!
Excerpts from it used in videos here.
Thank you for making these videos. Very interesting information
Many, many thanks for this video - and your channel! I just came across it and always appreciate any/all info and perspectives of the Battle of Stalingrad.
Your're welcome!
That's an amazing detail that Paulus wanted to make it clear to his captors that he recently got a promotion!
Hitler promoted him because he thought he would commit suicide as no German Field Marshal had ever surrendered. He was furious when he found out Paulus had surrendered . after the attempted assassination of Hitler on 20 July 1944, he became a vocal critic of the Nazi regime while in Soviet captivity, joining the Soviet-sponsored National Committee for a Free Germany appealing to Germans to surrender. He later acted as a witness for the prosecution at the Nuremberg Trials. He was allowed to move to the German Democratic Republic in 1953, two years before the repatriation of the remaining German POWs.
It was a very important detail, no German Field Marshal had ever been captured, this was a big deal, not least due to the propaganda value.
@@luketarplin Okay, I see maybe why he said it to make Hitler look like a joke.
ΤΗΑΤ ΙS AWESOME , COMPLETELY RARE MATERIAL ........I LOVE IT !!!!!!
BRAVO ,THIS IS HISTORY ,ACCURATE AS NEVER BEFORE IN YT !!
Thanks a lot sir!
Riveting, revealing and moving.
Great document. Thank you.
Thanks, really appreciated.
This is a first class documentary all the way. Objective, focused, excellent accompanying photos and video as well as narrative. Thank you Stalingrad Battle Data, and Roman Karmen, for helping preserve history
Glad you enjoyed, appreciate!
Thank you for this important documentary.
@3:37 General Konstantin Rokossovsky the military genius and the original architect of the successful Operation Bagration.
Great respect to Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky.
Best general of WWII
Rokossovksky was from a family of Polish and Russian aristocrats (poor ones,though. Both of his parents had jobs). During the time of the Great Purge (1937) he was imprissoned and severly tortured by NKVD. There were allegedly a two incidents, when he had to undergo a fake execution, meanwhile other of his fellow prisoners were executed. After his release he gained his position back and was one of people, who dare (when planning operations) firmly contradicted Stalin if needed.
@@Martina-Kosicanka BS and myth about contradicting Stalin... Stalin listened to his generals and in my opinion they had more freedom in operations than any nato general today who listen to their politicians blindly.
@@user-di5rm9ee1p OK. You might be right. I haven´t actually studied how worked decision making inside of Stavka.
My bad here
@@Martina-Kosicanka Desision making was developing from begining to the end of ww2. You can see that in Vasilevski memoirs very good. We can not say for example than in 1941 it was perfect since the fact is that till the end of 1941 it was chaos in the frontline. The only general who was calm and like stone profesional was Rokosovski and that is why for me he was the best. Stalin realised that and called him to defend Moscow and they had conversation before he went to frontline, Stalin asked him what he thinks about wermacht and reply was legendary "It is perfect war machine, but every machine can be broken". And at the end it was Rokosovski who broke it.
Excellent work of the highest quality. Thank you very much.
Fascinating. It's vids like this that make YT great. I just finished Antony Beevor's book Stalingrad so this was very interesting to me. Thank you.
Another great Document given to us by Mr. Joly - THANK YOU
And thank you too sir!
Excellent account. Thank you for this!
Great in depth coverage with superior photography of the captive Field Marshal what a blow to the Fuehrer! Amazing me how Paulus was suddenly upgraded while the 6th army was encircled and destroyed. The battle of Kursk was held summer of 1943, what was Hitler thinking the war was lost already at Stalingrad! Please cover the battle of Kursk if you have extraordinary coverage of the details, from point A - Z! Thank You and appreciate this article for I've never seen it before and phenomenon journalism!
Thanks for the positive words!
Hitler promoted Paulus to Field Marshall because no Field Marshall had ever surrendered. This was a way of forcing Paulus top fight to the end.
I'm no Field Marshal,but I think Hitler launched the Kursk offensive in an effort to regain the initiative.
Excellent. Well done SBD. I congratulate you for the time time and effort in presenting these fine historical videos for those of us who care.
Thanks!
Brilliant beyond words thank you this hopefully will be shown in many years to come
Thanks a lot, sir!
Love your work, thank you!
Thankyou for sharing this work
Thank you for sharing this historical moment.
You do amazing work thank you
this is absolutely fantastic. major respect on your work, so informing and entertaining. real hero stories.
Thanks a lot!
This was amazing, thank you !
I LOVE ❤️ this channel! It’s ONE of the best on Stalingrad. 👍👍👏👏👏
Thank you indeed!
Do you know other channels on Stalingrad? I thought this was the only one :)
Stalingrad Battle Data It is! Yours is the original!
I read Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor, what a read. This excellent documentary brings those pages to life.
Thanks for the positive words.
Don Task. Its the best book I've ever read, on second world war history.
I read it ten or eleven years ago.
Incredible stuff. Thank you
Truly Epic account. First hand original source for writing history.
Seems to me that Paulus cared more about his name and reputation than the lives of thousands of soldiers who still resisted.
Most excellent as usual.
Thank you Ken.
Read a few of the comments we'd like to add my two centshave been reading about real war since I've been about 9 and I'm 62 this was the best account I've ever heard from the Soviet side with the pictures to go with the story yada yada yada on fantastic documentary!! I almost get past it cuz I have seen so much Stalingrad stuff it's just over and over but just was definitely a completely different than I've ever seen!!
Excellent presentation! I have never seen some of these scenes before!
*Mark of Beast BOT_GJM666*
Exceptional! Thank You!
Fascinating video! It brings this incredibly important event into greater light! The battle was a turning point in the war and human history!
D N it’s crazy isn’t it? How fast and deep the Nazis made it into Russia. For a while it looked as if the Nazis would succeed.
Stalingrad was the turning point in the entire war - and not just the war between Germany and Russia but all of WW2. The millions of dead Russians, soldiers, and civilians establishes that it was indeed Russia that won WW2. We were brought up in the USA to think that we won the war but our losses were trivial compared to those of the Russians- and no part of the war was fought on our soil nor were our civilians imprisoned and killed. We did help by providing material support but even without us, the Russians would ultimately have won. Stalin could afford enormous losses because he was not subject to a congress nor an election. But of course, Stalin was gulled into cooperating with Hitler by the non-aggression pact. At first, after the Nazis invaded, Stalin feared it was just a provocation and not war. And he knew the exact date of the anticipated invasion from Richard Sorge, his spy in Tokyo.
superb documentary thank you
Remarkable video. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Was it OK all way long, or were there some boring moments?
A most excellent performance of the camera man; narrator.
Great video, and from a very interesting perspective.
Rare footage of the German surrender on the eastern front that turned the tide of WWll. Very well researched.
Yes,it helped to turn the tide,but the battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943 broke the back of the German Army on the Eastern Front,after that battle the Germans never had the strength to launch another major offensive on the Eastern Front, after Kursk it was a slow,continuous retreat all the way back to Berlin.
Paulus was not a field Marshall during the fighting in Stalingrad. Hitler promoted him on the last day of fighting. Had he gone against Hitlers orders, which would have been certain death for him, he could have saved his men and his army. A breakout was entirely possible. German army units got encircled ove and oner but they always managed to break out.
Paulus waited too long before he attempted to meet up with Manstein. His army was too weak for offensive operations by then. The smart move would've been to withdraw when the Soviets opened Operation Uranus. Once 6th Army was encircled, it was over.
A lot of the men were barely strong enough to shoulder rifles, let alone attempt a break-out.
Wow! A fantastic video.
The demeanor of Paulus when first assembled with the Russian officers is what one would expect from a Field Marshal but by the time of Nuremburg he had made huge reversals in attitude. More pragmatic?
Sure, he had time to reflect between these two events...
Manstein pin all the blame on him. He obviously furious.
"Gehorsam ist die erste Pflicht" said Friedrich Schiller to Paulus. (Obedience is the first duty.)
Thank you, brave Soviet soldiers.
Where are you from Andy?
@Doug B so what is your point?
@Doug Yeah ! The greatest military machine at that time has been defeated by fucking weather (lol) ...then it was Atlantic Ocean that saved your moron's ass
@Doug B это была вторая зима для Вермахта в России. Они могли подготовиться. А ещё немцы почему-то летом, когда стояла жара, потеряли больше солдат, чем во Франции. Чушь больше не пиши
@Doug B ah famous excuse of general winter defeating the elite 6th army..
After all of this, there are still those actually believing that crap.
You are a thrue Master in disguise. Such a masterpiece........
Thanks from Sweden. 🇨🇳
Thank you sir!
14 years later he died in his homeland of Germany. I'm not sure how that's possible. Say someone broke into your house, took what they wanted, shot down family and maybe even pets, and left only a hollow husk that was your home. You're telling me that the man who made your house the target and ordered its destruction wasnt brought to justice by trial like so many others? What was becoming the the first field Marshall to surrender an honor that left him free of guilt? Its easy to say he was just following orders but those orders didn't possesse him into action. He did it willingly.
It's very disturbing indeed. Only 10 years in captivity and in exceptionally good conditions (similar to the Soviet elite) is not a high price as compared to his responsibility in the crimes of his army.
Excellent Excellent what a documentary on (in my opinion) the most pivotal battle of WWII
This is great stuff man
This was amazing work
Thanks for your interest!
The world need to remember and honor The Russns who fought &won
We can’t do that here in America because my fellow Americans still believe that America saved the day in World War 2. If you came over here and claimed that the Red Army saved the world from Hitler, you might be publicly tarred, feathered, and deported to Mexico.
@@jaxcrax9644 No doubt for all practical purposes, Germany never recovered from Stalingrad, it was the beginning of the end for Nazi expansion and their demise. But I stop short of praising the Red Army and Stalin, who I believe was a strong candidate for the most horrible/ruthless leader in the 20th Century (hard to beat out Pol Pot and Idi Amin). What did the Red Army save us from? Germany was never a real threat to America, but Russia sure became one, which a few military officials recognized before the war was over, but we let them do a power grab. Remember, Stalin made a deal with Hitler to cut up Poland and he also attacked Finland, so I don't know why he doesn't receive just as much ire as Hitler. And just think, after all these years, even post-Cold War, we had the Democrat Party claiming the Russians hacked the 2016 American election! Now, after the very same Democrat Party who claimed this, stole the election in November 2020, yet no mention of Russian interference this time!! Strange how the media and history portray events...just saying...
thank-you for the truth.
The world needs to remember the heroic German soldiers. Most brave in the world.
The Russians fought well but the Germans ran out of ammo shooting them,Hitler couldn’t afford to lose five million men,Stalin could,no one has been successful in attacking Russia,it’s too big and the people are in plentiful supply.
Great video, thanks.
What a marvelus documentary. It's a permanent discovery of tings that one belive to now . Your job, and others documentarys like Tik are without a doubt the best work's un all you tube y problably all the internet.Gretings from Santiago de Chile.
Thank you my friend.
Truly excellent. Indeed, first class material. Thank you.
Thank you sir.
Very interesting and historic! What language were they conversing in? Russian or German?
Each one his own, translated
0:55 That's the same Roman Karmen of "The Unknown War" series.
easily one of the most important moments in history. it was an absolute privledge to watch
Thanks for the positive words.
Very interesting video,great catch!Thank´s for sharing!Huge LIKE!Greetings!
0:00 Stalingrad North--the Traktor Zavod and Barrikady Zavod are in the view. Zaitzevskiy Island in the Volga. The sinuous Akhtuba channel.
0:01 Gogolya Ulitsa, with the corner edifice of the Univermag building visible through the gap in the ruins.
0:02 Which factory?
0:04 One end of a conveyor-gantry has fallen. This is by the smelting workshop of Krasnyi Oktyabr'.
0:05 Industrial camshafts by Bannyi Ravine.
0:06 Some of the superstructure for the conveyor-gantries by the Martenovskii Workshop.
0:07 The ruined corner by Gogolya & Ostrovskogo, across from the Univermag building.
"Talking about his promotion to field marshal, Friedrich Paulus mentioned, "It looks like an invitation to commit suicide, but I will not do this favor for him." A Roman Catholic, he was opposed to committing suicide, and told during his imprisonment that he had "no intention of shooting myself for this Bohemian corporal". Credit: "thefamouspeopl
Eric Paulus, one of two of the General's sons, was a captain, wounded at Stalingrad and later evacuated.
A pity they stayed alive. Hope Paulus burns in Hell.
This is legendary content
Excellent Video, very rare indeed
Incredible. Incredible defeat. Unimaginable horror
A remarkable victory no doubt, shadowed by the 95% death rate of the german captive soldiers. CCCP also did not accept to have Red Cross or other organisation to care about them. Apparently they have been erased before Nuremberg 1946 trials. Paulus had the audacity to say during the trials, "the captive are very well", knowing the grim reality.
O my god, my father was in Stalingrad and he definitely missed to see surrender of Field Marshal Paulus. We need to be grateful Mr. Karmen for his military camera operator job filming WWII time including Stalingrad.
Thanks Ilya for your feedback!
@@Armageddon4145 Waiting for your story for Konigsberg battalion and some Russian military documentary including short clips as well, Sir.
My father really never shared with me what happened during Stalingrad. Only one time under my recollection he mentioned if American Support Air Cobra Air planes did not arrive to support Russian defense and helped to shut down Luftwaffe Junkers bridge it would be more difficult for Russian troops to overcome German resistance.
I love these stories! Many are reluctant to tell about their experience in war time! Just subscribed!
Work very well done!
Excellent, thank you
This is a great documentary if there ever was one! IMHO,Stalingrad was certainly one of if the most important battles of WW2. If Russia doesn’t defeat Germany the landing at Normandy never takes place!
That's right! Thanks for your feedback sir.
This is an exceptional document
Field marshal Paulus could have saved lives of last of German resistance in a north of Stalingrad he was offered twice to do that and yet twice he declined.... he made his historic decision.
Must have been an incredibility hard thing to do. Its wasn't a summer day in France. In the end it would only have saved hundreds at best. Knowing how many would eventually return.
I’m sure Paulus was an honorable man but I don’t understand why he even asked permission from Hitler to break out from Stalingrad. His situation was horrendous and hopeless. He should have followed military doctrine (and basic common sense) broken out, saved his men and if necessary, handed his head to Hitler in order to save his men. The weakness of Paulus was that he seemed to hesitate, second guess his own orders and vacillate. Paulus was a military educated officer conceding to a WWI Corporal and paranoid, homicidal lunatic. Rommel did not asked permission from Hitler to abandon North Africa, he made the decision based on his own military knowledge and saved his men. Thank you for this unprecedented look at military history…INCREDIBLE to watch.
That's correct, Paulus was undecided, he hesitated and was over cautious.
@@Armageddon4145 I wonder what went through the minds of Hitlers general staff officers on December 10th, 1941. The army was freezing their asses of in the snow of Russia, troops sick, malnourished and horrendously under supplied. They could see the red bricks of the Kremlin and Moscow off in the distance. It must have seemed unbelievable to the Germans, that no matter how many Russian troops they killed and took prisoner, Stalin never ran out of men and supplies. The atmosphere must have been discouraging beyond belief and just when they likely thought things were as bad as they could get…they are informed that Hitler has unilaterally declared war on the United States of America!
I am a veteran, I saw minor combat in Bosnia in the early’90s as part of a a recon unit attached to the PPCLI (I was the medic, speak French, English and German ) I love and have studied military history both in the classroom and my own independent reading. In all my years of this (I’m old now) I have never encountered a more idiotic and disastrous decision. I realize Hitler wanted to honor the tri partied pack with Japan but how could he have been so ignorant of the capabilities and potential of the U.S.!?
If you are not familiar with the Canadian military PPCLI is the Princess Pat Canadian Light Infantry. I am of course bias, but I have never be associated with a braver and more upstanding group of men!
You are obviously more educated and informed on military history and likely tactics so I would be humbly grateful and interested in your opinion.
Sincerely, Doc
I’m no longer in the military I am now an ER trauma surgeon.
I apologize for the lengthiness of my comment, I’m on a short break a didn’t have time to write a short one!
Not at all, many thanks for sharing your own thoughts and (apparently rich) experience. It sure give some new perspective
Incredible documents
This film is so special!
Very interesting, well presented and having a claimed piece of unique history.
Glad you enjoyed it
Fascinating!! thank you
Glad you enjoyed it!
It is an excellent video, very exciting, shocking and sad.
So many lives lost to a madness of infinite power!
Congratulations to Stalingrad Battle Data.
Thanks a lot!