David Drygas ~ Yeah, if you haven’t already seen it before, Check Out the fascinating documentary footage called = “HELLSTORM - The Real Genocide of Nazi Germany 1942 - 1947” It’s one of the most important & interesting documentary films about the Second World War to come out this decade. it brings tears to my eyes when i watch the Truth That the mainstream media would rather you didn’t know about.
My grandfather was in the famous German 6th army and made it back home. He was on the Eastern front from 1941-45 in a supply/repair unit (repairing damaged vehicles). He was age 36 by the year 1941, so he was lucky not to be in a fighting unit (he said that for one man in a fighting unit you need 5 men in supply units). I remember he told me that in the fall of 1942 his unit was held back to be sent to the Afrika Korps (which collapsed, and so he never went to Africa). So they were by sheer luck not caught in the Stalingrad trap. Which is basically the reason why I came into existence :-) We still have a few items from parcels that could not be delivered to German soldiers because mail was not delivered anymore to Stalingrad. So other German soldiers could open these parcels and take something. My grandfather took a small wooden, hand carved deer (the original recipient may have been a hunter). My grandfather's best friend (a true "Kriegskamerad") became a bus driver after the war and came by our place every year from his home 250 km away. Then they spent time together and talked and talked. His best friend .... He also said that he never had any bad feeling against the Russians, never hated them. Never was a Nazi, voted for the SPD and was a blacksmith. In 1945 he became an American POW in Bavaria (he had left his unit illegally to be captured by the Americans, not by the Russians). The Americans gave them water and a hand full of salt every day, nothing more. Because my grandfather was tall, they suspected he was with the SS and he was somewhat mistreated, but, then, he had no SS tattoo, and so he was left to go after only 4 weeks in prison camp. Never was angry about that time, had no trauma. Felt I needed to share this story. What can I say? Respect these men from all sides and countries and be thankful for their stories. Treat each other as humans.
Thank you very much for your story. Let us all work together that this will never happen again. Especially in these difficult times. Greetings from Hamburg and all the best for you and your family.
Thank you. It was actually an interesting read. As for me, I have actually lived through a war and have a lot more stories to tell, but I started reading yours and it kept me interested all the way through. During my childhood in former socialist communist Yugoslavia, most of what I heard and thought about Germans was that they were bad, fascists. Kids often played "war", with one side being the partisans (anti-fascists), and the other side the Germans (whom we called "Švabe", or Schwabe in German); kids generally didn't want to be the Švabe side. But growing up, and having seen the Serb fascist ultra-nationalism play out in real life with disastrous consequences, indirectly supported by UK, France and Russia, I have come to realize that Germans are not as bad as I kept hearing. The people from my area actually say that the German soldiers themselves were not nearly as bad in the treatment of the civilian population here during the WW2, that they behaved professionally, while the local ultra-nationalists "četnici" (Serb) and "ustaše" (Croat) have committed the most horrendous atrocities against other peoples, aparently even enjoying in the brutal tortures and painful deaths they inflicted upon their victims, as if the sickest maniacal sadists have joined together to compete, encourage and goad each other into inflicting the most horrible treatment of victims. While the Nazi Germany did commit genocides, its major sin in the eyes of the other colonizers was that it dared to attack THEM. So, I don't see Germany as being worse than the other countries around it, in fact I think that the German ultra-nationalism and fascism were largely defeated and Germany is now mostly exemplary in its politics and policies, while all the other fascisms have remained alive and influential in their countries' politics (UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia and Greece among others come to mind). I happen to live in the occupied part of Bosnia, built upon fascist and ultranationalist Serb politics and genocide, called "Serb Republic", basically a fascist ultranationalist state where Serbs were a minority in many towns/cities, but by force and genocide have made themselves into majority which now "democratically" votes in favor of only Serb politicians and interests. Serbs (Eastern Orthodox Christian, but the church is basically a Serb national church), comprised less than a third of the Bosnian population, and are now given about half of the country which they so viciously attacked and which they keep working against politically and every other way except militarily. And this was all approved by the so-called civilized "anti-fascist" countries; Germany is starting to look good in comparison, and it actually behaves better. The "international day of victory over fascism" is what I call "an international joke day", because it was only the German fascism that was defeated, while the other ones keep on going to this day and having a significant say in politics, whether openly or secretly. Greetings from Bosnia!
Thank you, dear @@edinfific2576 , for your kind words and your story. Good and bad on all sides. And I remember a very nice man from Bosnia (Mirsad) who was in Germany for treatment after the Bosnian war. And we got on very well. I think one always must distinguish between (toxic) nationalism and a healthy patriotism which does not look down on others but also sees the good in one's own heritage. Being religious myself, I would say we have to be very careful that religions don't get abused and hijacked by all kids of destructive ideologies. Peace, Thomas
It indeed did happen, all my grandfathers participated in it on both sides. What however is covered in darkness is how and why it happened. And you can throw official story out of the window from get go, because it has too many lies in it. Especially suspicious is how allies first gave Hitler everything he wanted in Europe and then when actual war started did nothing for almost a year AND THEN surrendered so fast even tho both French and UK armies had year to prepared. My personal opinion is that allies wanted to build up Hitler and send him against Russia, ONLY country that west has never conquered and therefore hated with passion. But at some point they realized that Hitler, as psycho as he was, has actually built very strong system and it can be dangerous for allies if he actually wins against Russia, so they waited for 3 years until Germany and Russia both deplete each other and then they attack Germany seriously.
My great-great grandfather was a Panzer IV loader during Barbarossa. He let me read his journal from the war, and one thing that always stuck with my was when he bent down to pick something up, a shell ripped through the turret and killed the gunner. His seat was gone, and he would have been gone had he not bent down. He described what his gunner looked like afterwards and it gave me nightmares as a kid. Can’t imagine what kind of nightmares he had
@@caw25sha very few Russians menage to put together this flat furniture from Ikea, but hey it is so trendy and cosmopolitan that when you get into IKEA you phone switch to roaming
Where I grew up our neighborhood auto mechanic and his brother had been in the Wehrmacht. Karl would go goose hunting at my future mother-in-laws farm. Everyone would be bundled up in the pit except Karl who wore something light like a windbreaker. One of the guys asked him if he wasn't cold. Karl replied "After Russia, nothing is cold." When queried further about his experience Russia, all he would ever say was that he saw Moscow in the distance.
Actually, the entire Red Square was Camouflage with Fabricated Buildings to look populated, and only in the 1941 October Revolution Parade, some on them were removed, but later installed once again to mask the Entire Square, as it was obvious "were is a big Square in Moscow, there must be the Kremlin too!"
It was HORRIFIC from everything I've read. The Soviets stopped the Germans (on their front, at least) at one of the highest costs in history. The Luftwaffe also scared the crap out of Soviet tank crews because of how devastatingly effective the Stukas and other bomber aircraft were. And now imagine you're doing all this fighting and sacrificing...for a man equally evil as Hitler. Talk about experiencing Hell on earth. Those poor people...
@@thunderbird1921 The Soviets were FAR worse than Hitler Just have a look at the millions the Bolsheviks mercilessly murdered by various most cruel means Much of Bolshevism/Soviet Russia, had mostly ethnically jewish leadership, btw Just saying, man
Your short documentaries remind me of the ones from the late 60's and early 70's that I loved so much when I was a kid. I considered myself a World War II expert when I was 12 haha! I have continued reading about the war throughout my adult life, and I really enjoy what you're doing.
Thanks for this amazing journey into one of the deadliest wars fought in the history of mankind. So much blood, sufferings, distructions caused by the never ending lust for power by the warlords & dictators of the world! It is obvious that people have not learned any lessons and continue to elect dirty minded politicians without giving a thought for the consequences, so sad!🤔
@@user-wx4nv8xr3d Nope, that's where the most successful unit got. I'm in Zelenograd, northwest from there, which is where the main forces turned back.
My great-grandfather had been in the Red Army since 1940. In the first weeks of the war, his unit was surrounded and he was taken prisoner wounded. He died in 1942 in the "stalag" Deblin (Poland). His brother has a similar story. He died in 1942 in a "stalag" somewhere between Berlin and Dresden. We only found out about this in 2010 when the archives were posted online. Another great-grandfather was wounded in 1942 during the German offensive, one woman hid him and treated him while they were under occupation. After de-occupation, he was again in the Red Army and died in the Battle of Kursk.
Thanks for sharing. We have to be so thankful for their service and their ultimate sacrifice! Nothing but respect for the russian and sovjet people for defeating the nazis!
my two grandfathers fought everywhere, both were in norway, narvik invasion, both were in moscow, one was at stalingrad other at kursk, one was taken as prisoner in 1945 and he spent 5 years in prison, other returned home and died of heart attack 10 years ago. Second one passed away year ago. One grandfather even have a photo on destroyed t60 its very fascinating hearing these stories
Military History Visualized has a video on a manual for hip-firing the MG34. It was a real official tactic, at least far enough to get literature regarding it
Shorter and better! Discovery/History Channels are just Infotainment Lite. Mark Felton gives you more detail, more interesting, in fascinating short form. So much better than anything on commercial cable tv 'history' programs.
If you travel by train or car around Moscow, every hundred meters you will see the graves of soviet soldiers. Every small town is full of them, and if you manage to find an old babushka to talk about the Moscow battle, she will tell you lots of details. Basically the closest point where german were can be reached by car in 20 mins from Kremlin w\o traffic
mate would this make sense to you distance wise i know one of the forward reconnaissance units got close ran out of fuel abandoned there vehicle and walked back to german lines they were at or near one of the moscow,s rail lines how far away from the center that is i do not know but they could clearly see moscow from were they stopped i do not think anybody got closer than these few german soldiers and it was only like a handful of soldiers i doubt any german soldier seen red square to be honest with you
I don`t know if i knew this from Mark Felton but at the raid on Eben Emael in Belgium the german troops did exactly this. Some german special forces had to capture a bridge and instead of walking they took the belgish tram and then captured it, afaik they even payed for the ride.
always feels weird when I run into it on other channels. I know its just a snippet of royalty free music, but Mark owns it at this point in my mind lol
@@MrCuddlyable3 Believe me, it's a losing battle. There, their, they're, its, it's , there's instead of there are, everyday ILO every day, ect. ILO etc. There's no hope.
Mark: This is a personal note of congratulations on reaching a half million subscribers ( now I see 516,000) I tried to say hello at the time but missed out. My sincere best wishes, Buz Salmon
Someone asked the same question down below, and got this as a response from another viewer He said the footage came from a ww2 propoganda film called,"Why we fight the battle for russia". Not sure if this is true, just wanted to give you a clue buddy.👍
My maternal grandfather was forcibly incorporated in the German armed forces as he was from Alsace. He was severly wounded at age 18 (he got an explosive bullet in his face, which disfigured him) west of Smolensk. He was evacuated along others on an airplane to Gomel. From there he was transported to Brest-Litovsk, and from there to Kolberg. He remained in a hospital in Kolberg until early 1945. He was then moved west of Dresden, ending up in a field clinic before reaching a hospital just to be taken by the Americans. They did not listen to the men from Alsace and Luxemburg, they just told them that they only see the unforms they had on. My grandfather, though a victim and still in need of treatment was put by the Americans in a camp, a sort of horrid dump, clearly meant to kill those put in it. Three months later, weighing 35 kg and barely alive, the French authorities obtained the liberation of their citizens wrongly kept. My grandfather was brought to the Val de Grâce, a hospital in Paris, and stayed there until 1947. Though disfigured and at the time poor, he subsequently met my grandmother (a woman who was quite attractive) and they married. Those two people, my maternal grandparents were the best people l have met in my life. My utmost wish is to become like them. I am 43, l still work on it.
That’s amazing. I’m sorry your grandfather had to go through that. But it’s a beautiful story about how he met your grandmother. I had 3 great uncles in the US Army on the eastern front and my Grandfather (Fathers Dad) served in the pacific in the US Navy. Somehow all saw combat & all made it back alive. I have my grandfathers papers to this day.
@@grandelfe I understand what your'e saying, we always want revenge, I'm just saying people in my country are openly talking about murdering each other again over political differences. Rich man's war poor man's fight.
Mark Felton has the greatest voice in the history of real history documentaries, even a blind man would be happy without even been able to see the video.
Field marshal Rokossovsky always lamented that historians always seemed to focus on how hard it was in the winter for the Germans but never for his men..he asked " do you know how hard it is to attack through chest deep snow against well dug in troops ?"
Exactly ! Ur comment tells us how incomplte is our understanding of true situation there! And western propaganda always demenish russian fight and sacrifice!
That's what saved them. To russians? "nice weather to fight in" to Germans? "oh mein gott, dis ist freaking f f freezing" I worked construction. For 2/3 wks every Feb it got down to -48C. Then back up to -20/-25. We'd be walking around in sweaters because no matter how you cut it it's a rise of 20 C. One day after work, I was sitting on the tail gate of my pickup in a flannel shirt. 1 buddy dressed the same, another with a hoodie. I said "you cold"? nope. You? nope. I held up my phone showing -15 C. We were totally comfortable in shirt sleeves.
The weather is an excuse the Germans tell themselves to feel better . The Germans had 500k causalities by September completely unsustainable and the war was essentially over .
The WW2 museum in Moscow is fascinating. We spent a full day exploring the main sites around Borodino in September 2014. It's full with historical monuments.
@@tecuci76 Ah, possibly that referred to in the theme to "The Bridge On The River Kwai" that went something like "Hitler, has monorchism..." which I think had the general theme of missing body parts. :)
I live in the Dubna town, which is at the Volga end of the mentioned Moscow-Volga Canal. Here we have a system of rivers, gateways and large water reservoir. Soviet engineers used these objects to reverse river flows. The reversal broke ice layers over reservoir and flooded vast areas at approx - 30 or - 40 celsius. So, awful conditions were made even worse by them. This approach was successful in stopping nazis in the north direction from Moscow.
Respect to your ancestors, they fought with everything they could to defend their motherland, including the engineering of nature itself, I hear people often attempt to diminish this godly feat by claiming Russia won because of winter or because of size, as if the cold and vast expanse of the country only applies to the invaders...
@@FugueSt4te This is nonsense, of course, an attempt to humiliate the Russians, to hurt them with this. The people who lost 8 million soldiers only died trying to stop the offensive. If the weather had been able to stop the military, it probably wouldn't have been necessary to maintain an army. 30 million people died in total. This is a terrible tragedy of the 20th century. I know that in the USA they attribute victory to themselves, the Americans supposedly landed and now Hitler capitulated, they say the Russians could not, only the Americans could. But this is not true. A huge number of Russians and other peoples died at the hands of the Nazis, but it turns out that only Jews suffered. Well, what is it if not discrimination? Russians can be officially discriminated against on the basis of nationality to anyone, because not just Russians are discharged from the victims, not just trying to shut up Russians, rewrite history, as if Russians did not exist at all in World War II, and these topics are passing casually in the West, because in the United States "they will answer for sure" that they defeated and stopped the Nazis The "Americans" landed at the end of the war, but no one will remember the Russian soldier who laid down 8 million lives on the battlefields, reached Berlin and raised the red banner over the Reichstag. We are no stranger to hearing hatred being spread in our direction, just because we are from Russia or Russians. The wrong nation, probably not the right one, not like you, not a superior race. Unfortunately, history does not teach the world anything.
You are forgetting the fact that this killed many MANY civilians but keep living delusionally as if you were the good guys, soviets were just as bad as the germans.
Many years ago i meet a German veteran from the 9th infantry division army group center. He was in the battle for Moscow. I asked him how close did his unit get. He said "we had a pool in my unit, you placed an amount of money on the day of the week you thought we would be in Red Square." Given how close they got i can see why they thought that.
The battleground around Borodino and Mozhaisk is covered with plaques denoting various local battles. There's a great and fascinating walking trail near Borodino and I did it in September 2014.
There's much more detail to it to be told. The 'tough Siberian soldiers' is a heavy understatement. These soldiers would dig into plain snow and wait for 20 hours in minus 40 degrees Celsius, untill the Germans came. Germans, already freezing to death in their unsuitable clothing were expecting Soviets to be at least a mile away, when those Siberians suddenly stood up from the snow like 50 meters or less from them, and started shooting. Encounter with Siberian units was a huge shock for Germans.
Remember the real history channel? It was educational and about actual history. Now the history channel is all about selling storage lockers. I wish Mark was the CEO of the history channel.
Moscow was the primery 1941-goal of the nazi's. They believed at the start that when they capture Moscow the war would be over. Basically that the nazi's didn't reach their goals practically meant that they couldn't strategically win it anymore. That they were driven away from Moscow was the real turningpoint in WWII. Much more than Stalingrad or El Alamein.
Yes it's Ikea, a Sweden-based store with stores in Russia and around the world. Mark refers to the store when he visited the city while spending a day after missing flight. Watch the video over again!
My Grandpa was a heavy bomber aircraft commander. He fought from july 43 till september 45. Their bomber squadron was moved to Sakhalin, so ha continued to serve til 1947. He said he was crying when saw our ruined towns and villages from above, but never felt proud when was "uloading" his bomber above Rein, Berlin, Shtutgart and other towns.
and now you're the nazis, destroying ukranian cities and committing genocide of their people. also remember, while in no way I want to dimish AH's and Nazi Germany's atrocities ... Stalin outdid him in sheer numbers - a "ruler" just as cruel and murderous as the infamous german one, yet never recognized as such by your countrymen and most of the West alike. but make no mistake, that was the biggest failure of Russia: not recognizing the genocidal illusions of russian grandeur under Stalin and moving forward in the Soviet Union! That's why we have today's situation and why today's Russia desperately needs to be told the same harsh lesson that 1945 Germany was told, by blood spilled and national pride erased and humiliated forever!
I have a few RUSSIAN friends, and it seems everyone in Russia has relatives that fought in the war. I also heard the story of the Germans seeing the golden domes in Moscow. I never knew though it was probably a mistake. good video Mark, thanks
At least three of my relatives are KIA, some are MIA. Two died in Leningrad in 1942, one in Crimea in 1943 during the recapture I know my great grandad survived the war and I thing reached Berlin. Some other relative took the southern route and ended up in Belgrade. Also survived the war But yes if you talked to any Russian and most ex-Soviet people you will hear a war story. In fact when Russian talk about “the war” it’s WWII in every instance
I believe he was telling the truth. Except that a star on the spire the Germans could see from Krasnaya Polyana was not a one of the Kremlin but of the Northern River Station of Moscow. Northern River Station had been built a year before the war on the opposite side of Moscow channel next to Khimki (IKEA).
i know one of the forward reconnaissance units got close ran out of fuel abandoned there vehicle and walked back to german lines they were at or near one of the moscow,s rail lines how far away from the center that is i do not know but they could clearly see moscow from were they stopped i do not think anybody got closer than these few german soldiers and it was only like a handful of soldiers doubt any german soldier seen red square to be honest with you
Mahadragon the early winter froze up the mud and improved road and supply condition. Just because the Germans generals blame the cold winter doesn’t mean that’s why they failed. They failed because it’s not a task they could have achieved with their current condition. Had they push for Moscow earlier, they might have run into the mud season as well, it’s not clear if the Germans could have taken Moscow, contrary to what the generals claimed in their memoirs.
@@mahadragon sure, whatever excuses made the Germans feel better after failing. everyone knew winter in Russia is harsh. even if it wasnt so cold that year, the Germans didnt prepare for the winter situation with extra fuel and winter clothes to the troops because they were absolutely sure they would have won before the snows came. this isnt about Stalin's luck, its about German arrogance.
Mark Felton. I could spend hours and hours talking with you about world war II and pretty much any other history subjects as well. I do love all the stuff you share with us. Thanks a bunch!
My grandfather was one of Siberian troops. His platoon lost half of men in that push. Luckily, he survived and ended the war in Prague. But a month later Siberian troops were moved to liberate China from japanese. He survived that too. He never told us stories of war. I know it all after his death. Feel sad, that I had no chance to listen it personally.... :(
All my grand-grandparents died in the war, one of them was an officer I think, my grandma still has medals and pictures in Ukraine where she lives from them. It would had been nice to meet them tho.
@@eksdee2170 Your grandparents were heroes for freedom against Nazi tyranny ! I am from far away Malaysia and have been to Ukraine alone 4 times now. I read and always remember the terrible sacrifices and inhuman suffering of the Soviet people against the Nazis.
I used to live in the northern suburbs of Moscow. There is a monument in Khimki which marks the farthest point the Germans advanced towards Moscow. I realized it and made my girlfriend pull over so I could walk around. It was November, pretty cold, and she was not happy.
And taking Moscow would not have won the war on the Eastern front. Or even taking Stalingrad, logistics just were not there to support thr German army on the Eastern front. There was no shortage of manpower, there was a shortage of truck to take supplies from the train depots.
InsideOutside UpsideDown it wouldn’t have hurt, but Hitler getting sidetracked with Stalingrad was a huge blow. That guy really screwed up everything for Germany. Glad he did...but they could’ve have won had a few things gone a little differently. Then again, the Allies made some big blunders at the beginning of the war, so it kind of evened out.
i don't think Stalingrad was the reason German failed , it was because Soviet didn't lend German oil to do that and U.S didn't lend German Trucks to supply their armies in one hand , they had advanced Motorized Armies, in another hand ... they had horse powered supply line If they focus on Moscow , their would pretty much lose WWII faster thank for trap all of the elite armies in furthest point of frontline with a chopped off supply line
Moscow was a main rail road hub, that is why it was VERY important. But then again, there is a weird opinion, that if germans reached Moscow, they would just parade through it. Not at all, it wasnt like Paris
The hope was that, after talking both Moscow and Stalingrad, the USSR would become demoralized enough that they would agree to a peace treaty. Of course, in hindsight, we know that the USSR would have likely never given up until the last person dropped dead.
Mister Mark Felton you remaind me of my history teacher, professor Gheorghe. With him i got straight 10's in almost all of my exams in Romania. Thank you for the content!
I'm living in Lobnya. Krasnaya Polyana [KP] is some 5 km away from my house. As a local resident I know that Germans have reached KP on November 30th 1941. They were exhausted by continuous battles and slept undressed, with weapons in their hands and wide open doors afraid of the night attacks. In a good weather from the roof of the highest building in the village they really could see a star on the spire of the Northern River Station of Moscow with their binoculars. Northern River Station had been built a year before the war on the opposite side of Moscow channel next to Khimki (IKEA). One day a battery of German howitzers arrived to the village, so artillery men started to prepare the guns for firing all day and went for the night to a local house. Elena Gorokhova, the mistress of that house, by coincidence, turned out to be a German language teacher at a local school, which she kept silent about at the risk of her life. On the same night, her neighbor (her name is not known) set off on foot across the front line to Moscow. She managed to get to the command of the Red Army and soon the Wehrmacht's howitzer battery was shelled from the long-range large-caliber guns making all German howitzers inoperative. A couple of days later a general offensive began and Krasnaya Polyana was liberated.
Am I only one who gets goosebumps at 03:30 when Mark says "...Germans were only 87 miles from Moscow, Martial law was declared in the city" and plus Soldiers marching to meet them with additional explosions in background. Scary stuff, but very, very well made Mark. +++
My great-grandfather was a Siberian soldier, along with my great-grandmother who was a field hospital medic. He unfortunately got struck by a German bullet in the shoulder later in the war, though they both made it out with their lives. His brother was KIA and a plaque was constructed in his dedication and bravery (cant remember where, a small village in-between Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg). Both of them passed away this summer. May God bless their souls.
Siberian reinforcements freed up from the chinese border and rushed to moscow..were the absolute deciding factor imho...the winter conditions meant very little to those hardy men
At the same time my 7 year old grandfather and his mother were sent to Siberia. USSR soldiers came to our home in Latvia and they had 30 minutes to pack the bags. Luckily they took goat with them. The milk from goat saved their lives. And for that reason I am able to write this comment. War is brutal from all sides. God bless peace and friendship.
Why do I just imagine 20 years after they find a group of Germans who thought the war was going on, having fortified in a part of the ikea store no one got to for years like they were japanese hold outs?
Sir I have listened to your naval and ww2 history clips on a regular basis. Your in depth knowledge is incredible I thought I knew a lot from having spoken to many veterans from all sides. You sir are a real go to historian thank you for your time and efforts.
At that point they were all probably damaged enough by the war, that they didn't care one way or the other. By 1943 essentially everyone in the German army knew on some level, that the war was irrevocably lost. But somehow they just found it easier to continue what they were doing rather than face the harsh consequences of that realization
Given that many of the survivors either came home to destroyed towns and cities, had lost loved ones, died in prison camps or came home a decade after the war had ended to an unrecognisable home - I can imagine many of them were irrecoverably upset. Can’t imagine the pain of it all on all sides frankly.
There is a common misconception how the "general winter" stopped Germans near Moscow, as if Russians didn't suffer from the same weather, somehow. The truth is that it aided Germans because it froze mud roads and bogs that were slowing them down in the late Fall of 1941. That slowdown allowed Soviets to pull reserves from Siberia and organize their defenses.
@@declancotter722 yes, winter clothing was late to arrive for Germans and Winter of 1941 was particularly cold, even by Russian standards. But, Soviets were also lacking in adequate equipment. Siberian troops that reinforced Moscow were better equipped, though. But, overall, freezing temperatures gave Germans the biggest advantage with the blitzkrieg and their use of armor.
German tanks and trucks worked real good when the temperature fell to -40F. The weather conditions affected both sides of course, but the German's were on the offense with the clock ticking in the Russians favor. Same weather destroyed Napoleon's grand army.
@@MrSean03839 yes, what you say is valid about offense suffering from weather delays. But, it's a lot more to it than just the weather. Russian offenses in 1944-1945 rolled without stopping despite the same weather. It was a complimentary factor, not a decisive factor.
I love the 90's/early 2000's feel of these videos. Even your voice sounds like the old timey narrator from the shows I used to watch on history channel (when it was good) after I got home from school.
@@stargazerspark4499 It was so good back in the early 2000's. Show after show about WW2, civil war, vietnam, followed by shows like Tour of Duty. Then came shows like "modern tanks" I think it was... Then shows with that bald dude who showed off guns. Interesting stuff, but different... Then the era of Ancient Aliens began, and History Channel died :(
@@elbucho8867 Yup. 2 Samuel 11:1 (NASB) "Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah."
Stalin was at first unwilling to release the troops in Siberia mentioned due to fear of a Japanese invasion. But a German man by the name of Richard Sorge, who was a secret undercover agent for the Soviets, found out and let Stalin know that the Japanese were not interested in invading Russia, therefore the Siberian troops could be sent west to defend Moscow safely.
Richard Sorge also found out Japanese plans to attack Pearl Harbour. He was caught and executed by the Japanese. He worked as a journalist in Japan for a German newspaper, but was actually a Soviet spy.
My grandfather was an Officer behind the line near Smolensk and Yelyna in 1941-1943. He never talk about the war either with my older sister. I think there happened horrible things with the fights against partisans... Hitler paranoid idea to destroy Russia ended at the beseresina river in an Desaster as for Napoleon.... Make love, not war. ❤️😢👍🤔
Look at the germans outfit and imagine being stuck with your regiment in -30c to -45c temperatures... The lowest temperature reported in 1941, was north of Moscow january 27. and hit -53c.
Yes, the Germans were heavily behind the schedule, and that killed them, they were freezing to death. Another factor was the change of narration in Soviet propaganda; no more fight for communism and world revolution. Instead, they hit the tones of saving mother Russia, and orthodox Church was involved. And then those 'tough Siberian soldiers'- tough is a heavy understatement. These soldiers would dig into plain snow and at minus 40 degrees wait for 20 hours for Germans to attack. Then they would stand up from the snow like 50 meters in front of Germans, or less, surprising them completely.
10 years ago i was for business in moscow. At sheremetyevo airport i met a group of german veterans of the battle of moscow at the security check. One of the old boys had a bottle wodka in his bag and the security denied to let him inside because in the bottle were 0;7 litres and not 100g like allowed. Suddenly one of the old boys said „ Ok comrades, all of you know how to handle it“. And then the bottle circled hand by hand and in 2 minutes the group emptied the bottle. Everybody of them oder than 85. wow. It was amazing. I felt suddly deep respect for the thrust and comradeship of this group after almost 70 years.
Despite the initial success and the annihilation of huge parts of the Red Army in the first few months of the Invasion, the Wehrmacht also took tremendous losses during this stage, on a level that wouldn‘t be matched until the Stalingrad campaign. Those losses included a huge number of top frontline-troops and they turned out to be catastrophic, as Germany was never able to effectively replace them and never had enough infantry for the rest of the war.
hitler replaced them with grade school kids and old farts like me. ( 74). the germans suffered 30% of their armed forces killed in the war. 5 1/2 million.
One point to note that whilst there were no tall buildings in Khimki there is a place locally known as "little Switzerland" an area of high ground near Khimki which became after the war a favourite place for senior KGB officers to live and also had a KGB holiday camp and communication centre of radio masts (Moscow Dynamo football club has its training ground). This could have been where the Germans got a good view of the city.
Incredible. I remember watching when this video first came out and now 3 million views! Great work. Seems like this channel is undergoing exponential growth during the past year.
André Henrique yeah , the whole point of Barbarossa was a quick victory, .. fighting 'General Winter,' and the Siberian divisions , was something they neither wanted or planned on..
No the Germans lost cause..they backed out of there treaty with Russia..therefore, had to fight a war on two fronts..with the Allies coming from both ways...unstoppable
It is good to mention the Parade on Red Square at 7th of November 1941 during the hardest period of battle. Troops marshed directly from Parade to front line. That event rised moral of defenders. Also it was important that Stalin stayed in Moscow in spite of all government was evacuated.
As for as the morale is concerned, your have to give credit to the soviet Political Commissars. Behind the troops, pistol or submachine gun in hand, they shot any Russian soldier who fell back or hesitated to engage in combat. Check stalin's order 227 "Not a step back!". Disobedience immediately on the spot turned you into a deserter and traitor to the motherland. Political commissars were judge, jury and executioner in a blink of an eye.
@@luisgonzagaosollo7970 It is not true. It is rather myth, product of antisoviet propaganda. Commissars had right of court according conditions of war time. In all armies deserters were shoot. But in red army never used mashinganners behind the frontline troops.
@@luisgonzagaosollo7970 order 227 in reality was greeted in army. It declared not to leave possition WITHOUT ORDER. Because befor such lead to disaster. The formation which hold possition appeared surrounded due to neighbour's one left. It was unfair to those who fought heroically and made it senseless.
@@fidel1803 It's a pity, that your explaination falls on deaf ears of Luis, but it's definitly educational for anybody else, willing to peek into this thread. Thumbs up.
@Рамис Карама Yes, this is correct. But that doesn't change the facts. Political commissars were instituted and active right after the revolution of 1917. Whereas bolchevique instigators and propagandists actually demoralized zarist troops that were fighting the Germans en defence of the Motherland, that hastened the defeat of the Russian army in 1917, after that the political commissars, pistol in hand, would prop up the morale of the red army in its countless engagements or invasions of other Nations and quench any uprisings with Russia proper. So, long before Order 227 the political commissars were alive and active, and had well gained by then their bad reputation. You actually label "fucked up soldiers and officers" who were forced to defend a regime that didn't hesitate to slaughter millions of its own citizens even before the war broke out during peace time, and had millions of citizens serving 15 and 25 year prison terms in the GULAG? You're kidding, right?
It's actually pronounced more like "Himki" than "Kimki." They transliterate the Russian letter 'X' as 'Kh' which confuses people but it's really just a more guttural sounding "H" sound.
@ He immigrated to New Zealand after the war, but returned to Austria several times....He really liked the Russian people, he blamed their woes on the Commissars....... He had also faced the Cossack cavalry charges..........
I made four trips to Moscow, after the Cold War. One trip in 1991, and three in 1992. I saw the point where the Germans were stopped outside of Moscow.
Thank you, Mark! Thank you for your unbiased presentation of the historical material. Have you probably read what we write after watching your videos? Those who are personally affected by it write. Like me. My grandfather disappeared there. Are there any "lucky" survivors? This is unlikely. And there are those who just went to the site..I was looking for material... or by accident. But! Everyone perked up. They left all their opinions. Negotiated material. And then we discussed it here. This means that all the victims and all the misunderstandings that led to the tragedy were not in vain. Caring people think about these tragedies. We have such a motto after this terrible war: "No one is forgotten and nothing is forgotten!" It's not for revenge. And for the memory of the madness of mutual destruction.
I would be curious how the Russian supply situation was when they came west into Berlin. I've never heard mention of this.. no surprise seeing how closely the Russians guarded information. The American Army, ( for example ) set up the Red Ball Express to speed critical supplies forward to the advancing troops.
Same happened in the desert wars in north afrika, rommel had to stop because supplies weren't there. Its also why stalin did a lot of scorched earth while retreating, not leaving any food for advancing german armies.
Interesting story. Around 2000 while a substitute teacher @ Bell Gardens High School I came across a student named Ana Koenig--a very German name in a heavily Hispanic area and she told me a similar story about her father who served in the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front as well. I guess he surrendered to the Americans as well, made his way to the California in the 1950's, married a Hispanic woman at least 20 years younger then him and had Ana. He retired from the MTA in the late 1990's and I am sure he has passed as well but it was certainly an anomaly to meet someone with such a parentage. I never asked her if she spoke German as well as English and Spanish. Would have been an interesting combination.
I did not know that the Soviets had disguised the Kremlin like that. Everyday is a school day with you Dr Felton
Actually not that unique as Britain had already done the same. Which is possibly where the Russians got the idea from.
I wondered the same thing since on the Moscow map in War Thunder the walls looked like a miss-match of normal buildings
Trying really hard to sound like you know what you're talking about, huh?
David Drygas you sounds like an idiot
David Drygas ~ Yeah,
if you haven’t already seen it before, Check Out the fascinating documentary footage called =
“HELLSTORM - The Real Genocide of Nazi Germany 1942 - 1947”
It’s one of the most important & interesting documentary films about the Second World War to come out this decade.
it brings tears to my eyes when i watch the Truth That the mainstream media would rather you didn’t know about.
My grandfather was in the famous German 6th army and made it back home. He was on the Eastern front from 1941-45 in a supply/repair unit (repairing damaged vehicles). He was age 36 by the year 1941, so he was lucky not to be in a fighting unit (he said that for one man in a fighting unit you need 5 men in supply units). I remember he told me that in the fall of 1942 his unit was held back to be sent to the Afrika Korps (which collapsed, and so he never went to Africa). So they were by sheer luck not caught in the Stalingrad trap. Which is basically the reason why I came into existence :-) We still have a few items from parcels that could not be delivered to German soldiers because mail was not delivered anymore to Stalingrad. So other German soldiers could open these parcels and take something. My grandfather took a small wooden, hand carved deer (the original recipient may have been a hunter). My grandfather's best friend (a true "Kriegskamerad") became a bus driver after the war and came by our place every year from his home 250 km away. Then they spent time together and talked and talked. His best friend .... He also said that he never had any bad feeling against the Russians, never hated them. Never was a Nazi, voted for the SPD and was a blacksmith. In 1945 he became an American POW in Bavaria (he had left his unit illegally to be captured by the Americans, not by the Russians). The Americans gave them water and a hand full of salt every day, nothing more. Because my grandfather was tall, they suspected he was with the SS and he was somewhat mistreated, but, then, he had no SS tattoo, and so he was left to go after only 4 weeks in prison camp. Never was angry about that time, had no trauma. Felt I needed to share this story. What can I say? Respect these men from all sides and countries and be thankful for their stories. Treat each other as humans.
Thank you very much for your story. Let us all work together that this will never happen again. Especially in these difficult times. Greetings from Hamburg and all the best for you and your family.
Thank you. It was actually an interesting read.
As for me, I have actually lived through a war and have a lot more stories to tell, but I started reading yours and it kept me interested all the way through.
During my childhood in former socialist communist Yugoslavia, most of what I heard and thought about Germans was that they were bad, fascists.
Kids often played "war", with one side being the partisans (anti-fascists), and the other side the Germans (whom we called "Švabe", or Schwabe in German); kids generally didn't want to be the Švabe side.
But growing up, and having seen the Serb fascist ultra-nationalism play out in real life with disastrous consequences, indirectly supported by UK, France and Russia, I have come to realize that Germans are not as bad as I kept hearing.
The people from my area actually say that the German soldiers themselves were not nearly as bad in the treatment of the civilian population here during the WW2, that they behaved professionally, while the local ultra-nationalists "četnici" (Serb) and "ustaše" (Croat) have committed the most horrendous atrocities against other peoples, aparently even enjoying in the brutal tortures and painful deaths they inflicted upon their victims, as if the sickest maniacal sadists have joined together to compete, encourage and goad each other into inflicting the most horrible treatment of victims.
While the Nazi Germany did commit genocides, its major sin in the eyes of the other colonizers was that it dared to attack THEM.
So, I don't see Germany as being worse than the other countries around it, in fact I think that the German ultra-nationalism and fascism were largely defeated and Germany is now mostly exemplary in its politics and policies, while all the other fascisms have remained alive and influential in their countries' politics (UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia and Greece among others come to mind).
I happen to live in the occupied part of Bosnia, built upon fascist and ultranationalist Serb politics and genocide, called "Serb Republic", basically a fascist ultranationalist state where Serbs were a minority in many towns/cities, but by force and genocide have made themselves into majority which now "democratically" votes in favor of only Serb politicians and interests.
Serbs (Eastern Orthodox Christian, but the church is basically a Serb national church), comprised less than a third of the Bosnian population, and are now given about half of the country which they so viciously attacked and which they keep working against politically and every other way except militarily.
And this was all approved by the so-called civilized "anti-fascist" countries; Germany is starting to look good in comparison, and it actually behaves better.
The "international day of victory over fascism" is what I call "an international joke day", because it was only the German fascism that was defeated, while the other ones keep on going to this day and having a significant say in politics, whether openly or secretly.
Greetings from Bosnia!
@@Bauchito1 Thank you! I agree. And best wishes from the Southwest :-)
Thank you, dear @@edinfific2576 , for your kind words and your story. Good and bad on all sides. And I remember a very nice man from Bosnia (Mirsad) who was in Germany for treatment after the Bosnian war. And we got on very well. I think one always must distinguish between (toxic) nationalism and a healthy patriotism which does not look down on others but also sees the good in one's own heritage. Being religious myself, I would say we have to be very careful that religions don't get abused and hijacked by all kids of destructive ideologies. Peace, Thomas
@@Thomasdada Unfortunately, regarding religion, Serbs believe that God Himself is a Serb.
Nationalism doesn't get crazier or more insane than that.
This war was so insane that it's sometimes hard to believe this stuff actually happened
It indeed did happen, all my grandfathers participated in it on both sides. What however is covered in darkness is how and why it happened. And you can throw official story out of the window from get go, because it has too many lies in it. Especially suspicious is how allies first gave Hitler everything he wanted in Europe and then when actual war started did nothing for almost a year AND THEN surrendered so fast even tho both French and UK armies had year to prepared.
My personal opinion is that allies wanted to build up Hitler and send him against Russia, ONLY country that west has never conquered and therefore hated with passion. But at some point they realized that Hitler, as psycho as he was, has actually built very strong system and it can be dangerous for allies if he actually wins against Russia, so they waited for 3 years until Germany and Russia both deplete each other and then they attack Germany seriously.
Just wait till you see the third part!
@@rbvfeehfbudenrj No, thank you 😂
It is bound to happen again and again unfortunately.
@@andrisbig7710 Poland conquered Moscow.
My great-great grandfather was a Panzer IV loader during Barbarossa. He let me read his journal from the war, and one thing that always stuck with my was when he bent down to pick something up, a shell ripped through the turret and killed the gunner. His seat was gone, and he would have been gone had he not bent down. He described what his gunner looked like afterwards and it gave me nightmares as a kid. Can’t imagine what kind of nightmares he had
Fj
Д
Smrt fasizmu
А теперь представьте Кошмары Советского народа, и ты поймёшь что твой кошмар это просто дурной сон.
@@МининиПожарский-я9к you mean now you understand the nightmare of every single soldier during the war? Why only the soviets
The Ikea proves that the Swedes made it farther into the city than Germany ever did.
Xd
The Germans couldn't defeat the Russians with tanks but the Swedes defeated them with flatpack furniture.
@@caw25sha very few Russians menage to put together this flat furniture from Ikea, but hey it is so trendy and cosmopolitan that when you get into IKEA you phone switch to roaming
And with out shooting a bullet.
Somewhere King Charles XII of Sweden is having a chuckle in his grave.
Where I grew up our neighborhood auto mechanic and his brother had been in the Wehrmacht. Karl would go goose hunting at my future mother-in-laws farm. Everyone would be bundled up in the pit except Karl who wore something light like a windbreaker. One of the guys asked him if he wasn't cold. Karl replied "After Russia, nothing is cold." When queried further about his experience Russia, all he would ever say was that he saw Moscow in the distance.
German luftwaffe pilots scouting Red Square: “I wonder who lives in that small 2 story house in the middle of this seemingly normal square?”
"Living" being a relative term...
That's hilarious, "Eh, looks like any old ordinary square to me Hans."
The custodian of Red Square?
Actually, the entire Red Square was Camouflage with Fabricated Buildings to look populated, and only in the 1941 October Revolution Parade, some on them were removed, but later installed once again to mask the Entire Square, as it was obvious "were is a big Square in Moscow, there must be the Kremlin too!"
Zombie Lenin
Nazi general: we saw graphite on the ground
Hitler: He's delusional
Wow!!! You were there?
“3.6 million casualties not to great not to terrible either.”
Soviet soldiers: I serve the Soviet Union
German generals: I serve the Bohemian Corporal
Not great.
Not terrible.
@@GeloDianela nope. Georgian criminal Josef
Being a Soviet or German soldier on the Eastern Front must've been fkn insane.
It was HORRIFIC from everything I've read. The Soviets stopped the Germans (on their front, at least) at one of the highest costs in history. The Luftwaffe also scared the crap out of Soviet tank crews because of how devastatingly effective the Stukas and other bomber aircraft were. And now imagine you're doing all this fighting and sacrificing...for a man equally evil as Hitler. Talk about experiencing Hell on earth. Those poor people...
@@thunderbird1921 The Soviets were FAR worse than Hitler Just have a look at the millions the Bolsheviks mercilessly murdered by various most cruel means Much of Bolshevism/Soviet Russia, had mostly ethnically jewish leadership, btw Just saying, man
@@MultiBurger1 nazi
@@MultiBurger1 how much dirt is in your head?
на стороне россии это точно
Your short documentaries remind me of the ones from the late 60's and early 70's that I loved so much when I was a kid. I considered myself a World War II expert when I was 12 haha! I have continued reading about the war throughout my adult life, and I really enjoy what you're doing.
world at war series was the best
Wait, I'm going your lane, I love documentaries and I now everything about WW2 especially about tanks, but-...
but they have a front-line photo in the video near red square with the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, demolished in 1931 ))
Thanks for this amazing journey into one of the deadliest wars fought in the history of mankind. So much blood, sufferings, distructions caused by the never ending lust for power by the warlords & dictators of the world! It is obvious that people have not learned any lessons and continue to elect dirty minded politicians without giving a thought for the consequences, so sad!🤔
Yeah the show always started with that sad tune & fire blazzing on the TV screen...
I'm actually watching this 200 meters away from the exact spot where the main German forces were stopped. Just happen to work here.
at ikea?
@@user-wx4nv8xr3d Nope, that's where the most successful unit got. I'm in Zelenograd, northwest from there, which is where the main forces turned back.
If you listen carefully you can still hear Germans repeatedly asking for resupply
@@HSVForeverandeverlol Should have run their vehicles on coal derived methanol.
@@HSVForeverandeverlol I even learned German to understand them
My great-grandfather had been in the Red Army since 1940. In the first weeks of the war, his unit was surrounded and he was taken prisoner wounded.
He died in 1942 in the "stalag" Deblin (Poland).
His brother has a similar story. He died in 1942 in a "stalag" somewhere between Berlin and Dresden.
We only found out about this in 2010 when the archives were posted online.
Another great-grandfather was wounded in 1942 during the German offensive, one woman hid him and treated him while they were under occupation. After de-occupation, he was again in the Red Army and died in the Battle of Kursk.
Thanks for sharing. We have to be so thankful for their service and their ultimate sacrifice! Nothing but respect for the russian and sovjet people for defeating the nazis!
my two grandfathers fought everywhere, both were in norway, narvik invasion, both were in moscow, one was at stalingrad other at kursk, one was taken as prisoner in 1945 and he spent 5 years in prison, other returned home and died of heart attack 10 years ago. Second one passed away year ago. One grandfather even have a photo on destroyed t60 its very fascinating hearing these stories
they were heroes, may they Rest In Peace.
@@samo3923 Подбитый т-60, пришли в чужую страну, убили много людей. Наверняка хвалились своими делами, убийствами?
May they rest in peace. Their sacrifice is never to be forgotten. Glory to the red army!
That German soldier hip firing that LMG was savage
Donnie Darko
At 0:31 ?
@@stacystables117 Yes :)
they don't look so savage on their bicycles though
@Tien Hoang hickok45 right?
Military History Visualized has a video on a manual for hip-firing the MG34. It was a real official tactic, at least far enough to get literature regarding it
I always say, "Tell me something I don't know" and Mark Felton delivers. Keep up the great work Sir.
very nice videos. mich better then 90% of dokumentations on tv.
90%? How about 100%!
Shorter and better! Discovery/History Channels are just Infotainment Lite. Mark Felton gives you more detail, more interesting, in fascinating short form. So much better than anything on commercial cable tv 'history' programs.
Gonna get heat but I also like world war 2 in color
So true
100% more history accurate
8:46 the fact that IKEA made it deeper into moscow than the german wehrmacht shows you the raw power of the Swedish furniture industry
Well, nowadays there is no Ikea 😢
😊
If you travel by train or car around Moscow, every hundred meters you will see the graves of soviet soldiers. Every small town is full of them, and if you manage to find an old babushka to talk about the Moscow battle, she will tell you lots of details. Basically the closest point where german were can be reached by car in 20 mins from Kremlin w\o traffic
Not hundred meters though... But very very often
Memorial is not grave Олень
mate would this make sense to you distance wise i know one of the forward reconnaissance units got close ran out of fuel abandoned there vehicle and walked back to german lines they were at or near one of the moscow,s rail lines how far away from the center that is i do not know but they could clearly see moscow from were they stopped i do not think anybody got closer than these few german soldiers and it was only like a handful of soldiers i doubt any german soldier seen red square to be honest with you
The distance from the German positions to the Kremlin was about 30 km, but without traffic jams, the Germans would not have reached ))
German soldiers could not see the red square or the houses next to it, because the houses were camouflaged
Famous last words: "Let's fight a short and decisive war in Russia!"
Francis Ebbecke *Soviet Union
Stalinium russia
Every general who's ever said that has come back limping. Never underestimate Russia's manpower, size and harsh weather. It's a deadly combination.
Lucane Hindenburg ???
@@AuthenticGadzooks but now russia has no manpower now
The Germans almost were able to take the tram into Red Square from their easternmost point of advance. Ticket not required, sir!
I don`t know if i knew this from Mark Felton but at the raid on Eben Emael in Belgium the german troops did exactly this. Some german special forces had to capture a bridge and instead of walking they took the belgish tram and then captured it, afaik they even payed for the ride.
They did miss some coins to buy a ticket for ride to the city centre and driver did let them into tram, that's why they lost the battle...
They only had exact change for one way and are still stuck on that tram to this very day like Charlie and the Boston MTA
1234 or the tram ride for supplies
I suspect that their paper would not have been in order.
I've learned more on this channel than in high school.
@@casablanka208 this is about ww2. Not your make believe cult religion
Then you should have paid more attention in high school.
@@rodrigosoares7126 😂
Yessir.
So true@!!@ A real treasure trove of interesting yet concise information. Thanks!!
My main man Marky Mark starting off my day with some dope stories and smooth voices
And good vibrations
You received a rare like from Mark.
You should screen shot this and show your heirs...
... and his funky bunch too
HAHA I love that this comment of all the nice comments gets a like.
When that intro music starts, you know your in for a treat
I can never get tired of it lol.
always feels weird when I run into it on other channels. I know its just a snippet of royalty free music, but Mark owns it at this point in my mind lol
@ocean man In English the words YOU'RE and YOUR are spelled differently because they mean different things.
It’s just a garage band loop
@@MrCuddlyable3 Believe me, it's a losing battle. There, their, they're, its, it's , there's instead of there are, everyday ILO every day, ect. ILO etc. There's no hope.
Mark: This is a personal note of congratulations on reaching a half million subscribers ( now I see 516,000) I tried to say hello at the time but missed out. My sincere best wishes, Buz Salmon
Buz Salmon. What an awesome name
Someone asked the same question down below, and got this as a response from another viewer
He said the footage came from a ww2 propoganda film called,"Why we fight the battle for russia". Not sure if this is true, just wanted to give you a clue buddy.👍
@@kuckoo9036 , Savage Peasant. Get a room, you two.
@Savage Peasant @UCaMb5xfpfKdr1jAKp4Uz8dQ oh my god the autism is clean HANGING out of this thread
@@kuckoo9036 It's amusing seeing you two argue because you're practically twins.
My maternal grandfather was forcibly incorporated in the German armed forces as he was from Alsace. He was severly wounded at age 18 (he got an explosive bullet in his face, which disfigured him) west of Smolensk. He was evacuated along others on an airplane to Gomel. From there he was transported to Brest-Litovsk, and from there to Kolberg. He remained in a hospital in Kolberg until early 1945. He was then moved west of Dresden, ending up in a field clinic before reaching a hospital just to be taken by the Americans. They did not listen to the men from Alsace and Luxemburg, they just told them that they only see the unforms they had on. My grandfather, though a victim and still in need of treatment was put by the Americans in a camp, a sort of horrid dump, clearly meant to kill those put in it. Three months later, weighing 35 kg and barely alive, the French authorities obtained the liberation of their citizens wrongly kept. My grandfather was brought to the Val de Grâce, a hospital in Paris, and stayed there until 1947. Though disfigured and at the time poor, he subsequently met my grandmother (a woman who was quite attractive) and they married.
Those two people, my maternal grandparents were the best people l have met in my life. My utmost wish is to become like them. I am 43, l still work on it.
That’s amazing. I’m sorry your grandfather had to go through that. But it’s a beautiful story about how he met your grandmother. I had 3 great uncles in the US Army on the eastern front and my Grandfather (Fathers Dad) served in the pacific in the US Navy. Somehow all saw combat & all made it back alive. I have my grandfathers papers to this day.
@@kidofsteel0362 ? American soldiers didn't fight on the eastern front...
How did he manage to marry a woman when he was disfigured? I don’t understand.
@@nathaniel1069 Some people care about the content of someone's character.
@nathaniel1069 A picture of his original face, if it had been handsome, would've certainly helped.
THIS CHANNEL IS OUTSTANDING, GREAT JOB MARK
The human suffering that these men endured is almost beyond imagination. Every day that goes by people forget what a tragic thing all out war is
You really mean what suffering these folks dished out.They killed and murdered over 20 million Soviets on their advance.
@@grandelfe I understand what your'e saying, we always want revenge, I'm just saying people in my country are openly talking about murdering each other again over political differences. Rich man's war poor man's fight.
@@grandelfe Regular German people also suffered immensely, not just the Russians.
Don Ismyname too few
@@grandelfe Hey, Don. I think he meant the suffering men endured on BOTH sides. You need to lighten up or get a testosterone shot.
Mark Felton has the greatest voice in the history of real history documentaries, even a blind man would be happy without even been able to see the video.
I was like number 69
And a whole lot better than those computer generated narrations!
Andy Gonzalez
Not really.
For example there was never an "George Washington" weapon SS unit.
This is fake history.
@@immerweiter9005 I think you will find that Mark actually said just that! Pay attention!!
Field marshal Rokossovsky always lamented that historians always seemed to focus on how hard it was in the winter for the Germans but never for his men..he asked " do you know how hard it is to attack through chest deep snow against well dug in troops ?"
Exactly ! Ur comment tells us how incomplte is our understanding of true situation there! And western propaganda always demenish russian fight and sacrifice!
"The weather was bad" I think thats a slight understatement...
Dude I’ve lived in Pennsylvania my entire life and I’m even shuttering at the thought of knee deep snow in October lol.
A slight storm
That's what saved them. To russians? "nice weather to fight in" to Germans? "oh mein gott, dis ist freaking f f freezing"
I worked construction. For 2/3 wks every Feb it got down to -48C. Then back up to -20/-25. We'd be walking around in sweaters because no matter how you cut it it's a rise of 20 C.
One day after work, I was sitting on the tail gate of my pickup in a flannel shirt. 1 buddy dressed the same, another with a hoodie. I said "you cold"? nope. You? nope. I held up my phone showing -15 C. We were totally comfortable in shirt sleeves.
The weather is an excuse the Germans tell themselves to feel better . The Germans had 500k causalities by September completely unsustainable and the war was essentially over .
@@muskokamike127the weather is something the Germans tell themselves to feel better about losing to Slavs
Always love the content of your videos. The advance on Moscow is one of the most fascinating times of the war. Great video Dr Felton.
...well if ya LOVE IT so much- then why don't ya MARRY IT?!!
The WW2 museum in Moscow is fascinating. We spent a full day exploring the main sites around Borodino in September 2014. It's full with historical monuments.
I now have an image of people wandering around just throwing monuments on the ground like disguarded candy wrappers. Ha ha
Would love to go. Some day.
had any pics of stalin shacking hands with hitler?
@@tecuci76 They never met so it would have to be with the chared remains of Hitler's hand 😀
@@littlefluffybushbaby7256 I know. I was referring to the part you didn't find in that museum. ;)
@@tecuci76 Ah, possibly that referred to in the theme to "The Bridge On The River Kwai" that went something like "Hitler, has monorchism..." which I think had the general theme of missing body parts. :)
I live in the Dubna town, which is at the Volga end of the mentioned Moscow-Volga Canal. Here we have a system of rivers, gateways and large water reservoir. Soviet engineers used these objects to reverse river flows. The reversal broke ice layers over reservoir and flooded vast areas at approx - 30 or - 40 celsius. So, awful conditions were made even worse by them. This approach was successful in stopping nazis in the north direction from Moscow.
Respect to your ancestors, they fought with everything they could to defend their motherland, including the engineering of nature itself, I hear people often attempt to diminish this godly feat by claiming Russia won because of winter or because of size, as if the cold and vast expanse of the country only applies to the invaders...
@@FugueSt4te This is nonsense, of course, an attempt to humiliate the Russians, to hurt them with this. The people who lost 8 million soldiers only died trying to stop the offensive. If the weather had been able to stop the military, it probably wouldn't have been necessary to maintain an army. 30 million people died in total. This is a terrible tragedy of the 20th century. I know that in the USA they attribute victory to themselves, the Americans supposedly landed and now Hitler capitulated, they say the Russians could not, only the Americans could. But this is not true. A huge number of Russians and other peoples died at the hands of the Nazis, but it turns out that only Jews suffered. Well, what is it if not discrimination? Russians can be officially discriminated against on the basis of nationality to anyone, because not just Russians are discharged from the victims, not just trying to shut up Russians, rewrite history, as if Russians did not exist at all in World War II, and these topics are passing casually in the West, because in the United States "they will answer for sure" that they defeated and stopped the Nazis The "Americans" landed at the end of the war, but no one will remember the Russian soldier who laid down 8 million lives on the battlefields, reached Berlin and raised the red banner over the Reichstag. We are no stranger to hearing hatred being spread in our direction, just because we are from Russia or Russians. The wrong nation, probably not the right one, not like you, not a superior race. Unfortunately, history does not teach the world anything.
You are forgetting the fact that this killed many MANY civilians but keep living delusionally as if you were the good guys, soviets were just as bad as the germans.
Many years ago i meet a German veteran from the 9th infantry division army group center. He was in the battle for Moscow. I asked him how close did his unit get. He said "we had a pool in my unit, you placed an amount of money on the day of the week you thought we would be in Red Square." Given how close they got i can see why they thought that.
The battleground around Borodino and Mozhaisk is covered with plaques denoting various local battles. There's a great and fascinating walking trail near Borodino and I did it in September 2014.
Hnb
M v Futaicucalugarita th i am
/
@@lenvap5400 Borodino has nice landscape for battles if u are in defense
“But then it got cold, STUPID cold” - OverSimplified
One of the greatest videos ever made
Yep, that’s a Russian winter for ya.
I heard it went down to 40 below zero. Everything froze up. Hitler was the worst military
Oh it got cold. Typical excuse from the germans for getting their asses kicked.
This is what happens everytime someone tries to invade russia
Felton is so good at this. The detail and the way he presents it are spot on. He is great
There's much more detail to it to be told. The 'tough Siberian soldiers' is a heavy understatement. These soldiers would dig into plain snow and wait for 20 hours in minus 40 degrees Celsius, untill the Germans came. Germans, already freezing to death in their unsuitable clothing were expecting Soviets to be at least a mile away, when those Siberians suddenly stood up from the snow like 50 meters or less from them, and started shooting. Encounter with Siberian units was a huge shock for Germans.
yea except he missed the part why the Germans were so delayed getting to Moscow
"Hans! Why is there hardbass playing in the distance?!"
Remember the real history channel? It was educational and about actual history. Now the history channel is all about selling storage lockers. I wish Mark was the CEO of the history channel.
He’ll be called antisemitic if the narrative don’t fit.
he is. this is the new h channel .
For real.
Moscow was the primery 1941-goal of the nazi's. They believed at the start that when they capture Moscow the war would be over. Basically that the nazi's didn't reach their goals practically meant that they couldn't strategically win it anymore. That they were driven away from Moscow was the real turningpoint in WWII. Much more than Stalingrad or El Alamein.
Nah the history channel was always bullshit. So many mistakes it was laughable for anyone who actually knew their history
"Next to a giant ikea furniture center" lmao that killed me.
Ikea is from Sweden just for the fact!!
Yes it's Ikea, a Sweden-based store with stores in Russia and around the world. Mark refers to the store when he visited the city while spending a day after missing flight. Watch the video over again!
the Germans saw the Kremlin Dome from the roof of the IKEA store :D
IKEA have done better than Jerry, they've conquered the world
Lmao even the Swedish came further than the Germans
My Grandpa was a heavy bomber aircraft commander. He fought from july 43 till september 45. Their bomber squadron was moved to Sakhalin, so ha continued to serve til 1947. He said he was crying when saw our ruined towns and villages from above, but never felt proud when was "uloading" his bomber above Rein, Berlin, Shtutgart and other towns.
I cry what you're doing now in Ukraine. Go to streets, stop this war.
@@MultiJejje cry
@@MultiJejje this comment was completely uncalled for
and now you're the nazis, destroying ukranian cities and committing genocide of their people. also remember, while in no way I want to dimish AH's and Nazi Germany's atrocities ... Stalin outdid him in sheer numbers - a "ruler" just as cruel and murderous as the infamous german one, yet never recognized as such by your countrymen and most of the West alike. but make no mistake, that was the biggest failure of Russia: not recognizing the genocidal illusions of russian grandeur under Stalin and moving forward in the Soviet Union! That's why we have today's situation and why today's Russia desperately needs to be told the same harsh lesson that 1945 Germany was told, by blood spilled and national pride erased and humiliated forever!
Soviets bombed Berlin and Stuttgart?
"next to a giant IKEA furniture store" So they replaced one invasion for another?
As the old Russian folk song goes, "the Swedes know of us."
Cheap furniture and Kotbullar are an invasion now? All hail, Swedish Chef.
But it's a tasteful invasion of comfort and practicality.
Michael Mccarthy - hahahahaha! Good one.😉
@@michaelmccarthy4615 I wouldn't go that far. The 5 million piece jigsaw puzzle of a desk my sister bought tells me that.
I met a man who was a German soldier at this battle and made it back alive.
what did he tell you?
Did he get the coffee table he wanted or were they out of stock?
Ah yes. I meet ex SAS soldiers every week, too.
Ok lol
@@dotdashdotdash I do meet the actual SAS every day
I have always wondered just how far the Germans advanced, and now I am surprised by just how far they got. That is incredible.
in 1942 they even took more land, but not holdable of course
I have a few RUSSIAN friends, and it seems everyone in Russia has relatives that fought in the war. I also heard the story of the Germans seeing the golden domes in Moscow. I never knew though it was probably a mistake. good video Mark, thanks
Every one who watches these videos have their grand father/uncle/aunt and their dog fought in ww2 too. Proof: check every top comment!
Russia lost SO SO SO MANY MORE than.any other country
I can't remember the numbers , but way way more
MILLIONS MORE
@@jamesdavison2927 27 million soviet citizens died in WW2.
At least three of my relatives are KIA, some are MIA. Two died in Leningrad in 1942, one in Crimea in 1943 during the recapture
I know my great grandad survived the war and I thing reached Berlin. Some other relative took the southern route and ended up in Belgrade. Also survived the war
But yes if you talked to any Russian and most ex-Soviet people you will hear a war story. In fact when Russian talk about “the war” it’s WWII in every instance
27 million Soviet citizens died in the war.
Never ceases to amaze me how brutal this was.
When my father was young, he had a neighbor in Brazil who claimed he could see the red square through his binoculars from the german positions.
in his dreams
Lies
I believe he was telling the truth. Except that a star on the spire the Germans could see from Krasnaya Polyana was not a one of the Kremlin but of the Northern River Station of Moscow. Northern River Station had been built a year before the war on the opposite side of Moscow channel next to Khimki (IKEA).
i know one of the forward reconnaissance units got close ran out of fuel abandoned there vehicle and walked back to german lines they were at or near one of the moscow,s rail lines how far away from the center that is i do not know but they could clearly see moscow from were they stopped i do not think anybody got closer than these few german soldiers and it was only like a handful of soldiers doubt any german soldier seen red square to be honest with you
scotty101ire Scotty .How old are You?
The Russians trading land for time and the Germans facing the iron law of logistics.
What is the Iron Rule of Logistics?
Landon Orr nothing specific just the fact that every army must find a way to deal with logistics or they will lose
@@landonorr91703 Not really, Stalin was lucky as hell that winter was the coldest on record. Stopped the Germans in their tracks.
Mahadragon the early winter froze up the mud and improved road and supply condition. Just because the Germans generals blame the cold winter doesn’t mean that’s why they failed. They failed because it’s not a task they could have achieved with their current condition. Had they push for Moscow earlier, they might have run into the mud season as well, it’s not clear if the Germans could have taken Moscow, contrary to what the generals claimed in their memoirs.
@@mahadragon sure, whatever excuses made the Germans feel better after failing. everyone knew winter in Russia is harsh. even if it wasnt so cold that year, the Germans didnt prepare for the winter situation with extra fuel and winter clothes to the troops because they were absolutely sure they would have won before the snows came. this isnt about Stalin's luck, its about German arrogance.
Mark Felton. I could spend hours and hours talking with you about world war II and pretty much any other history subjects as well. I do love all the stuff you share with us. Thanks a bunch!
When the temperature drops, the Russians turn in to night walkers.
Game over
😂
When you winter tough Siberian soldiers fighting Germans that wasn't cold weather proof the game is def. Over
It was inevitable that Nazi Capitalism would not defeat Communism.
@@wuppas Nazi: National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus)
@@Skousen77 Nazi came out from capitalism,it is a capitalist product.
My grandfather was one of Siberian troops. His platoon lost half of men in that push. Luckily, he survived and ended the war in Prague.
But a month later Siberian troops were moved to liberate China from japanese. He survived that too.
He never told us stories of war. I know it all after his death. Feel sad, that I had no chance to listen it personally.... :(
All my grand-grandparents died in the war, one of them was an officer I think, my grandma still has medals and pictures in Ukraine where she lives from them. It would had been nice to meet them tho.
May he rest in peace.
@@eksdee2170 Your grandparents were heroes for freedom against Nazi tyranny ! I am from far away Malaysia and have been to Ukraine alone 4 times now. I read and always remember the terrible sacrifices and inhuman suffering of the Soviet people against the Nazis.
carsten9168 Yeah, they were suffering pretty bad sadly, but without them we’d all be speaking german now
Иван Филипов Haha there’s always people like you, every soldier is valued for his great sacrifice
I used to live in the northern suburbs of Moscow. There is a monument in Khimki which marks the farthest point the Germans advanced towards Moscow. I realized it and made my girlfriend pull over so I could walk around. It was November, pretty cold, and she was not happy.
Where?
8:44 Ahhh I see now, the Germans never took Moscow cos they got lost in Ikea. Don't worry fellas, it happens to everyone at some point...
They gorged on the swedish meatballs...
@@Tuleyne Who could resist?
The entire German division retreated into that SCP location.
@@Tuleyne And then when they were ready to leave they ran into the icecream counter just before the exit. They had no chance!
Hans, stop shooting at ze russians and look at zis couch!
So close, yet so far....
Love your name and my father met general curtis LeMay in his later years when he came to England
And taking Moscow would not have won the war on the Eastern front. Or even taking Stalingrad, logistics just were not there to support thr German army on the Eastern front. There was no shortage of manpower, there was a shortage of truck to take supplies from the train depots.
British XXX Corps sent their regards.
InsideOutside UpsideDown it wouldn’t have hurt, but Hitler getting sidetracked with Stalingrad was a huge blow. That guy really screwed up everything for Germany. Glad he did...but they could’ve have won had a few things gone a little differently. Then again, the Allies made some big blunders at the beginning of the war, so it kind of evened out.
i don't think Stalingrad was the reason German failed , it was because Soviet didn't lend German oil to do that and U.S didn't lend German Trucks to supply their armies
in one hand , they had advanced Motorized Armies, in another hand ... they had horse powered supply line
If they focus on Moscow , their would pretty much lose WWII faster thank for trap all of the elite armies in furthest point of frontline with a chopped off supply line
Taking Moscow would have meant nothing. Moscow had mainly symbolic value. Don't forget that Napoleon took Moscow and he still lost.
True, The Soviet government had already relocated to Kuibyshev further east though Stalin stayed in Moscow.
Moscow was a main rail road hub, that is why it was VERY important.
But then again, there is a weird opinion, that if germans reached Moscow, they would just parade through it. Not at all, it wasnt like Paris
@@МихаилЧерников-п2т Exactly. It would have become a Stalingrad on a far huger scale
@@МихаилЧерников-п2т I heard it was chaos in Moscow when people got news about incoming germans. Lot of plundering and fires.
The hope was that, after talking both Moscow and Stalingrad, the USSR would become demoralized enough that they would agree to a peace treaty.
Of course, in hindsight, we know that the USSR would have likely never given up until the last person dropped dead.
Mister Mark Felton you remaind me of my history teacher, professor Gheorghe. With him i got straight 10's in almost all of my exams in Romania. Thank you for the content!
I'm living in Lobnya. Krasnaya Polyana [KP] is some 5 km away from my house. As a local resident I know that Germans have reached KP on November 30th 1941. They were exhausted by continuous battles and slept undressed, with weapons in their hands and wide open doors afraid of the night attacks.
In a good weather from the roof of the highest building in the village they really could see a star on the spire of the Northern River Station of Moscow with their binoculars. Northern River Station had been built a year before the war on the opposite side of Moscow channel next to Khimki (IKEA).
One day a battery of German howitzers arrived to the village, so artillery men started to prepare the guns for firing all day and went for the night to a local house. Elena Gorokhova, the mistress of that house, by coincidence, turned out to be a German language teacher at a local school, which she kept silent about at the risk of her life. On the same night, her neighbor (her name is not known) set off on foot across the front line to Moscow. She managed to get to the command of the Red Army and soon the Wehrmacht's howitzer battery was shelled from the long-range large-caliber guns making all German howitzers inoperative. A couple of days later a general offensive began and Krasnaya Polyana was liberated.
Thanks for sharing. Fascinating eyewitness story.
Am I only one who gets goosebumps at 03:30 when Mark says "...Germans were only 87 miles from Moscow, Martial law was declared in the city" and plus Soldiers marching to meet them with additional explosions in background.
Scary stuff, but very, very well made Mark. +++
My great-grandfather was a Siberian soldier, along with my great-grandmother who was a field hospital medic. He unfortunately got struck by a German bullet in the shoulder later in the war, though they both made it out with their lives. His brother was KIA and a plaque was constructed in his dedication and bravery (cant remember where, a small village in-between Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg). Both of them passed away this summer. May God bless their souls.
God bless.
Siberian reinforcements freed up from the chinese border and rushed to moscow..were the absolute deciding factor imho...the winter conditions meant very little to those hardy men
At the same time my 7 year old grandfather and his mother were sent to Siberia. USSR soldiers came to our home in Latvia and they had 30 minutes to pack the bags. Luckily they took goat with them. The milk from goat saved their lives. And for that reason I am able to write this comment. War is brutal from all sides. God bless peace and friendship.
@@robdyson4990 Those troops were mostly from the Urals and Mongolia.
Thanks for sharing! We can never forget their sacrifice for the good of humanity. Much love for the sovjets and russians and respect from Switzerland!
8:46 The Germans got lost in Ikea like the rest of us.
the germans that got lost in IKEA are still there trying to put the furniture kits together
@@robertdavey2660 hans ze description broke!
It’s an old russian joke.
Why do I just imagine 20 years after they find a group of Germans who thought the war was going on, having fortified in a part of the ikea store no one got to for years like they were japanese hold outs?
Sir I have listened to your naval and ww2 history clips on a regular basis. Your in depth knowledge is incredible I thought I knew a lot from having spoken to many veterans from all sides. You sir are a real go to historian thank you for your time and efforts.
I wonder what the veterans among the nazi soldiers thought when they realized it was all for nothing
At that point they were all probably damaged enough by the war, that they didn't care one way or the other.
By 1943 essentially everyone in the German army knew on some level, that the war was irrevocably lost. But somehow they just found it easier to continue what they were doing rather than face the harsh consequences of that realization
@@Finkeren Translation: Somehow they just found it easier to try to live another day.
Given that many of the survivors either came home to destroyed towns and cities, had lost loved ones, died in prison camps or came home a decade after the war had ended to an unrecognisable home - I can imagine many of them were irrecoverably upset. Can’t imagine the pain of it all on all sides frankly.
@@rare6499nazis kinda deserved it, considering what they did at the Eastern front
@@sapiensiski Usually the people who deserve the punishment are not the ones who suffer the most.
8:44 clearly the Swedish got as far as the Germans but using different methods.
The trick is to not bring everything with you, but to bring pieces and make the locals put it together.
They have the supply chain down pat, including a never ending stream of meatballs and lingonberry jam!
Considering Moscow has the highest share of German vehicles per capita in the world, the Germans aren't doing that badly either.
@@skydiverclassc2031 "Hans, I have the parts - now please assemble this Panther tank ..."
Said weapon being capitalism and flat-pack furniture.
Well the most imposrtant question i can think about is:
Did Ikea made it farther then the Germans?
Sweden is victorious!
@@peterbills4129 very fun
🤣🤣
But you can't see red square from Ikea )
If you can't FIGHT your way into Moscow, then BUY your way in! 😄
Ikea got further than the panzers .. Now thats something I never thought I would ever type.
@Jay Jay Victory by meatballs not bullets.
Clausewitz said that war is politics by other means, well trade and commerce is war by other means
Another superb episode of the war by Dr. Felton. You are the best, sir!
8:58 that was the coolest edit I've ever seen.
There is a common misconception how the "general winter" stopped Germans near Moscow, as if Russians didn't suffer from the same weather, somehow. The truth is that it aided Germans because it froze mud roads and bogs that were slowing them down in the late Fall of 1941. That slowdown allowed Soviets to pull reserves from Siberia and organize their defenses.
It did to some extent. It was German logistics that failed to supply the troops with winter equipment leaving many to suffer from frostbite or die.
@@declancotter722 yes, winter clothing was late to arrive for Germans and Winter of 1941 was particularly cold, even by Russian standards. But, Soviets were also lacking in adequate equipment. Siberian troops that reinforced Moscow were better equipped, though. But, overall, freezing temperatures gave Germans the biggest advantage with the blitzkrieg and their use of armor.
@@declancotter722 German war plan "BARBAROSSA" was to overthrow Russia before Winter begins!
German tanks and trucks worked real good when the temperature fell to -40F. The weather conditions affected both sides of course, but the German's were on the offense with the clock ticking in the Russians favor. Same weather destroyed Napoleon's grand army.
@@MrSean03839 yes, what you say is valid about offense suffering from weather delays. But, it's a lot more to it than just the weather. Russian offenses in 1944-1945 rolled without stopping despite the same weather. It was a complimentary factor, not a decisive factor.
I love the 90's/early 2000's feel of these videos. Even your voice sounds like the old timey narrator from the shows I used to watch on history channel (when it was good) after I got home from school.
History Channel used to have interesting shows and documentaries back then. Now it has been deliberately dumbed down into utter garbage. Sad.
@@stargazerspark4499 It was so good back in the early 2000's. Show after show about WW2, civil war, vietnam, followed by shows like Tour of Duty.
Then came shows like "modern tanks" I think it was... Then shows with that bald dude who showed off guns. Interesting stuff, but different... Then the era of Ancient Aliens began, and History Channel died :(
Thanks!
There needs to be an international law that when the temperature drops below freezing, everybody goes home until next spring.
Im in for that. Cheers
And just leave your weapons here. We'll give them back when you come again in the spring. We promise.
That was a unwritten rule In the ancient days of warfare
@@elbucho8867 Yup. 2 Samuel 11:1 (NASB) "Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah."
Like the Taliban
Stalin was at first unwilling to release the troops in Siberia mentioned due to fear of a Japanese invasion. But a German man by the name of Richard Sorge, who was a secret undercover agent for the Soviets, found out and let Stalin know that the Japanese were not interested in invading Russia, therefore the Siberian troops could be sent west to defend Moscow safely.
What a tattle-tale.
Richard Sorge also found out Japanese plans to attack Pearl Harbour. He was caught and executed by the Japanese. He worked as a journalist in Japan for a German newspaper, but was actually a Soviet spy.
Songe paid for his acute observations with life but he was one great spy!
And then the Japanese dragged Germany into a war with the US...terrible ally
You sound like you would have liked Germany to win. That's messed up
My grandfather was an Officer behind the line near Smolensk and Yelyna in 1941-1943. He never talk about the war either with my older sister. I think there happened horrible things with the fights against partisans... Hitler paranoid idea to destroy Russia ended at the beseresina river in an Desaster as for Napoleon.... Make love, not war. ❤️😢👍🤔
The Soviets would of moved West anyway.
Look at the germans outfit and imagine being stuck with your regiment in -30c to -45c temperatures... The lowest temperature reported in 1941, was north of Moscow january 27. and hit -53c.
My man thats a hugo boss outfit warm but any outfit can’t resist-30
We hit -55C here in Alberta this past February!
Yes, the Germans were heavily behind the schedule, and that killed them, they were freezing to death. Another factor was the change of narration in Soviet propaganda; no more fight for communism and world revolution. Instead, they hit the tones of saving mother Russia, and orthodox Church was involved. And then those 'tough Siberian soldiers'- tough is a heavy understatement. These soldiers would dig into plain snow and at minus 40 degrees wait for 20 hours for Germans to attack. Then they would stand up from the snow like 50 meters in front of Germans, or less, surprising them completely.
@@ToddSauve In Saskatchewan we call that a heat wave.
@@frankeinstein7990 I know--I grew up there!
Love your channel, great quality, amazing footage, stunning audio and professional commentary! Greetings from Germany.
10 years ago i was for business in moscow. At sheremetyevo airport i met a group of german veterans of the battle of moscow at the security check. One of the old boys had a bottle wodka in his bag and the security denied to let him inside because in the bottle were 0;7 litres and not 100g like allowed. Suddenly one of the old boys said „ Ok comrades, all of you know how to handle it“. And then the bottle circled hand by hand and in 2 minutes the group emptied the bottle. Everybody of them oder than 85. wow.
It was amazing. I felt suddly deep respect for the thrust and comradeship of this group after almost 70 years.
thanks for sharing story! :)
Despite the initial success and the annihilation of huge parts of the Red Army in the first few months of the Invasion, the Wehrmacht also took tremendous losses during this stage, on a level that wouldn‘t be matched until the Stalingrad campaign. Those losses included a huge number of top frontline-troops and they turned out to be catastrophic, as Germany was never able to effectively replace them and never had enough infantry for the rest of the war.
Yep they had already lost a million troops by the time they reached Moscow. It wasn’t a breeze like many think it was.
@@Dan-Martin Please cite your source the Germans lost million soldiers before reaching outskirts of Moscow?
@@Michael_Veritas
Why do people need a source?
Do you call everyone a liar?
Why?
Can no one disagree with you without a citation?
hitler replaced them with grade school kids and old farts like me. ( 74). the germans suffered 30% of their armed forces killed in the war. 5 1/2 million.
@@stuartlawsonbeattie1411 its not true the germans lost millions in 1941 they only lost smal very small soldiers
One point to note that whilst there were no tall buildings in Khimki there is a place locally known as "little Switzerland" an area of high ground near Khimki which became after the war a favourite place for senior KGB officers to live and also had a KGB holiday camp and communication centre of radio masts (Moscow Dynamo football club has its training ground). This could have been where the Germans got a good view of the city.
Incredible. I remember watching when this video first came out and now 3 million views! Great work. Seems like this channel is undergoing exponential growth during the past year.
I wish Felton was in charge of the history channel.. Actually, I ditched cable for streaming years ago.. I'm glad this channel exists!
The history channel it used to be good quality
Now just reality TV
Pawns start.
Pickers
Restorations
In the Nuremberg Trial General Keitel said that he realized that the war was lost when the germans failured to capture Moscow.
André Henrique yeah , the whole point of Barbarossa was a quick victory, .. fighting 'General Winter,' and the Siberian divisions , was something they neither wanted or planned on..
No the Germans lost cause..they backed out of there treaty with Russia..therefore, had to fight a war on two fronts..with the Allies coming from both ways...unstoppable
You have a great voice. That's what made me listen to you for the entire duration without skipping.
It is good to mention the Parade on Red Square at 7th of November 1941 during the hardest period of battle. Troops marshed directly from Parade to front line. That event rised moral of defenders. Also it was important that Stalin stayed in Moscow in spite of all government was evacuated.
As for as the morale is concerned, your have to give credit to the soviet Political Commissars. Behind the troops, pistol or submachine gun in hand, they shot any Russian soldier who fell back or hesitated to engage in combat. Check stalin's order 227 "Not a step back!". Disobedience immediately on the spot turned you into a deserter and traitor to the motherland. Political commissars were judge, jury and executioner in a blink of an eye.
@@luisgonzagaosollo7970 It is not true. It is rather myth, product of antisoviet propaganda. Commissars had right of court according conditions of war time. In all armies deserters were shoot. But in red army never used mashinganners behind the frontline troops.
@@luisgonzagaosollo7970 order 227 in reality was greeted in army. It declared not to leave possition WITHOUT ORDER. Because befor such lead to disaster. The formation which hold possition appeared surrounded due to neighbour's one left. It was unfair to those who fought heroically and made it senseless.
@@fidel1803 It's a pity, that your explaination falls on deaf ears of Luis, but it's definitly educational for anybody else, willing to peek into this thread. Thumbs up.
@Рамис Карама Yes, this is correct. But that doesn't change the facts. Political commissars were instituted and active right after the revolution of 1917. Whereas bolchevique instigators and propagandists actually demoralized zarist troops that were fighting the Germans en defence of the Motherland, that hastened the defeat of the Russian army in 1917, after that the political commissars, pistol in hand, would prop up the morale of the red army in its countless engagements or invasions of other Nations and quench any uprisings with Russia proper. So, long before Order 227 the political commissars were alive and active, and had well gained by then their bad reputation. You actually label "fucked up soldiers and officers" who were forced to defend a regime that didn't hesitate to slaughter millions of its own citizens even before the war broke out during peace time, and had millions of citizens serving 15 and 25 year prison terms in the GULAG? You're kidding, right?
"This gave the Soviets the breathing space"
*angry lebensraum noises*
Ukraine GDP per capita in 2020: $3000
@baldor traveler British destroyed German domination in Europe by huge number of russian cannon fodder.
It's actually pronounced more like "Himki" than "Kimki." They transliterate the Russian letter 'X' as 'Kh' which confuses people but it's really just a more guttural sounding "H" sound.
Similar to last sound in Loch, but definitely not K
sounds like "him" + "kee"
Khimki? or Chimki? Like in Yiddish. Chaaa
@@srothbardt "Khimki" as "Khello world"
To me it sounds hilarious either way
Thanks
My neighbor was one of those soldiers, he's got some stories, not many made it back...............
Thank your neighbor or his family for his service
Charles Lee Ray I bummed ur nan g calm it
@ He just passed a way a few weeks ago, historians have interviewed him, so there is a record.
He was in that Mechanized reconnaissance unit that got the closest to Moscow........... Division Das Reich in the battle of Kursk, Mk IV Gunner
@ He immigrated to New Zealand after the war, but returned to Austria several times....He really liked the Russian people, he blamed their woes on the Commissars....... He had also faced the Cossack cavalry charges..........
I love ww2 and love your channel equally.
I like the channel, but the universal opinion of those in the war was that on the whole, war sucks.
what if 600k of your men get captured? Boy, just make 11 new armies
Next war against orcs will be different. There are less of them and more of good guys
I could not imagine fighting in that unbearable cold cold weather, must have felt like hell on earth
Hell is a frozen wasteland of brutal ice and wind and snow.
The Ikea symbolizes the Germans getting irretrievably lost and confused in the freezing maze of the Russian wilderness.
Every time I hear that music, I know I am about to see some great stuff.
Ye same i even wonder what is the name of that intro music :)
Mr Felton thank you .Your great productions are very much appreciated.
I made four trips to Moscow, after the Cold War. One trip in 1991, and three in 1992. I saw the point where the Germans were stopped outside of Moscow.
91 to the opening of the first McDonald's in Pushkin square; My driver pointed out the XXX's
Once more, an afternoon of education. I was unaware that building had been disguised in Moscow. Sheer genius. Thanks Mark, you pulled it off again.
"Moskau, Moskau, Russland ist ein schönes Land."
Ho ho ho ho ho, hey
*Moscow intensifies*
WHOH HO, HO HO, HO. HEY (rpt)
@@bfrank7389 Olympics...lol.
Es ist eine grosse schist land.
"The time has come,Mr. Devlin,when I no longer control events. They control me". Oberst Kurt Steiner. "The eagle has landed".🇬🇧
Hey Peter, Dr. Felton enjoyed your comment! Great quote from an underrated movie.
As mentioned: a very underrated movie.
Thank you, Mark! Thank you for your unbiased presentation of the historical material. Have you probably read what we write after watching your videos? Those who are personally affected by it write. Like me. My grandfather disappeared there. Are there any "lucky" survivors? This is unlikely. And there are those who just went to the site..I was looking for material... or by accident. But! Everyone perked up. They left all their opinions. Negotiated material. And then we discussed it here. This means that all the victims and all the misunderstandings that led to the tragedy were not in vain. Caring people think about these tragedies. We have such a motto after this terrible war: "No one is forgotten and nothing is forgotten!" It's not for revenge. And for the memory of the madness of mutual destruction.
Best history channel on UA-cam !
I used to never appreciate how important supply lines where to armies until watching videos like this. They determine the speed of the soldiers!
I would be curious how the Russian supply situation was when they came west into Berlin. I've never heard mention of this.. no surprise seeing how closely the Russians guarded information.
The American Army, ( for example ) set up the Red Ball Express to speed critical supplies forward to the advancing troops.
alot of large factories on the east coast of the US painted there roofs to look like grass in case the luftwaffe ever got over here...
Same happened in the desert wars in north afrika, rommel had to stop because supplies weren't there. Its also why stalin did a lot of scorched earth while retreating, not leaving any food for advancing german armies.
Interesting story. Around 2000 while a substitute teacher @ Bell Gardens High School I came across a student named Ana Koenig--a very German name in a heavily Hispanic area and she told me a similar story about her father who served in the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front as well. I guess he surrendered to the Americans as well, made his way to the California in the 1950's, married a Hispanic woman at least 20 years younger then him and had Ana. He retired from the MTA in the late 1990's and I am sure he has passed as well but it was certainly an anomaly to meet someone with such a parentage. I never asked her if she spoke German as well as English and Spanish. Would have been an interesting combination.