Quotulatiousness

July 3, 2020

“Nuclear Attack” – Atomic Bombings – Sabaton History 074 [Official]

Sabaton History
Published 2 Jul 2020

At 0815 on 6 August 1945, the first atomic bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy”, was dropped out of the B-29 Enola Gay and descended towards the Japanese city of Hiroshima. 43 seconds later, the city was engulfed in a flashing bright light and a shockwave of unimaginable heat and deadly pressure. From the hypocenter of the resulting mushroom-cloud, a blue-green fireball burned and blinded the city and its inhabitants with unprecedented power. 140,000 people were killed in the first few moments. Tens of thousands would die from wounds and radiation. The age of atomic warfare had begun.

Support Sabaton History on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sabatonhistory

Listen to “Nuclear Attack” on the album Attero Dominatus
CD: http://bit.ly/AtteroDominatusStore
Spotify: http://bit.ly/AtteroDominatusSpotify
Apple Music: http://bit.ly/AtteroDominatusAppleMusic
iTunes: http://bit.ly/AtteroDominatusiTunes
Amazon: http://bit.ly/AtteroDominatusAmzn
Google Play: http://bit.ly/AtteroDominatusGooglePlay

Listen to Sabaton on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/SabatonSpotify
Official Sabaton Merchandise Shop: http://bit.ly/SabatonOfficialShop

Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Markus Linke and Indy Neidell
Directed by: Astrid Deinhard and Wieke Kapteijns
Produced by: Pär Sundström, Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Community Manager: Maria Kyhle
Executive Producers: Pär Sundström, Joakim Broden, Tomas Sunmo, Indy Neidell, Astrid Deinhard, and Spartacus Olsson
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Sound Editing by: Marek Kaminski
Maps by: Eastory – https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory

Archive by: Reuters/Screenocean https://www.screenocean.com
Music by Sabaton.

Colorizations:
– Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/

Sources:
– U.S. Department of Energy
– Bomb icon by P Thanga Vignesh from the Noun Project
– bockelsound from freesound.org
– Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum

An OnLion Entertainment GmbH and Raging Beaver Publishing AB co-Production.

© Raging Beaver Publishing AB, 2019 – all rights reserved.

From the comments:

Sabaton History
2 days ago

August 6, 1945. On this fateful Monday morning our world changed forever.

Nuclear weapons were now a reality, destruction on a whole new level a possibility. International power dynamics, foreign politics and conflict handling would never be the same once this new kind of weapon of mass destruction had entered the scene. The threat of potentially world-ending nuclear war, the fear that the men in power would push “the red button”, would hang over people like a dark cloud from this day on. The Nuclear Age had begun.

If you’re interested in how politics developed during The Nuclear Age, you can explore that in the day-by-day coverage of The Cuban Missile Crisis over on TimeGhost History. The first introduction, “USA Starts the Atomic Arms Race”, is already up and you can watch it right here: https://youtu.be/zEXjoBe5ZdI

June 28, 2020

Operation Barbarossa – End of the Nazi-Soviet Alliance – WW2 – 096b – June 27 1941

World War Two
Published 27 Jun 2020

Operation Barbarossa kicks off this week with action all along the front as German panzers pierce deep into the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, Claude Auchinleck becomes Commander of the Allied forces in the Middle East that capture Damascus.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv

Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_two_realtime
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Written and Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Indy Neidell
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)
Map consultants: Rabih Rached and Patrick Adaimy

Colorizations by:
– Adrien Fillon – https://www.instagram.com/adrien.colo…
– Olga Shirnina, a.k.a. Klimbim – https://klimbim2014.wordpress.com/
– Cassowary Colorizations
– Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
– Daniel Weiss
– Norman Stewart – https://oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/

Sources:
– Imperial War Museum: E 3833, TR 841, E 1549, E 5448
– Bundesarchiv, CC-BY-SA 3.0: Bild 146-1990-044-13, Bild_183-B24575, Bild_101I-265-0048A-03, Bild_101I-208-0031-03, Bild_169-0443, Bild_101I-020-1262-35, Bild_101I-020-1272-21, Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-209-0056-06
– Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
– FDR Presidential Library & Museum

Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

June 21, 2020

Burma Victory (1945)

PeriscopeFilm
Published 31 May 2016

Support Our Channel: https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm

Made in 1945, BURMA VICTORY is a British documentary about the Burma Campaign during World War Two. It was directed by Roy Boulting. The introduction to the film outlines the geography and climate of Burma, and the extent of the Japanese conquests. The film then describes the establishment of the South East Asian Command (SEAC) under Mountbatten, “a born innovator and firm believer in the unorthodox”, and gives a comparatively detailed account of subsequent military events, including the Battle of Imphal-Kohima and Slim’s drive on Mandalay, Arakan landings, the northern offensive of the Americans and Chinese under Stilwell, and the roles played by Chindits and Merrill’s Marauders. The film ends with the capture of Rangoon and the Japanese surrender. The film focuses on the difficulties of climate, terrain, the endemic diseases of dysentery, malaria, etc., the vital role of air supplies, the shattering of the myth of Japanese invincibility and the secondary role of the Burma campaign in overall Allied strategy.

This film represents a British look at the campaign and was the pet project of Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander, South-East Asia, and he planned it as a joint Anglo-American production. But this scheme foundered over the inability of the U.S. leadership and British to agree on the main theme of the film. The British wanted it to concentrate on the drive southwards to liberate Burma. The Americans, anxious not to be seen to be participating in the restoration of the British Empire, wanted to emphasize the heroic building of the Ledo Road and the drive northwards to relieve the Chinese. In the end the two sides went their separate ways. The Americans produced the Ronald Reagan narrated film The Stilwell Road and the British made Burma Victory. It was the final production of the Army Film and Photographic Unit (AFPU) and was directed, like Desert Victory (1943), by Roy Boulting. Not released until after the war was over, it was hailed and promoted as “the real Burma film”.

The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian theatre of World War II was fought primarily between the forces of the British Empire and China, with support from the United States, against the forces of the Empire of Japan, Thailand, and the Indian National Army. British Empire forces peaked at around 1,000,000 land, naval and air forces, and were drawn primarily from British India, with British Army forces (equivalent to 8 regular infantry divisions and 6 tank regiments), 100,000 East and West African colonial troops, and smaller numbers of land and air forces from several other Dominions and Colonies. The Burmese Independence Army was trained by the Japanese and spearheaded the initial attacks against British Empire forces.

The campaign had a number of notable features. The geographical characteristics of the region meant that factors like weather, disease and terrain had a major effect on operations. The lack of transport infrastructure placed an emphasis on military engineering and air transport to move and supply troops, and evacuate wounded. The campaign was also politically complex, with the British, the United States and the Chinese all having different strategic priorities.

South East Asia Command (SEAC) was the body set up to be in overall charge of Allied operations in the South-East Asian Theatre during World War II. Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten served as Supreme Allied Commander of the South East Asia Command from October 1943 through the disbandment of SEAC in 1946.

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com

June 5, 2020

“The Ballad Of Bull” – Leslie “Bull” Allen – Sabaton History 070 [Official]

Filed under: Australia, History, Japan, Media, Military, Pacific — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Sabaton History
Published 4 Jun 2020

Sometimes war is killing, sometimes it’s saving lives. This week we turn a soldier who became a hero, not for killing his foes, but for saving his fellow men. Medic Leslie “Bull” Allen’s story is a story about courage in the face of fire. The battle for Mount Tambu in 1943 in Papua New Guinea was vicious and bloody, and the field was soon littered with many wounded men crying for help. Without much regard for his own safety, “Bull” Allen stormed forward into the fray. 12 times he went, and 12 times he came back with a wounded soldier on his back.

Support Sabaton History on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sabatonhistory

Listen to “The Ballad Of Bull” on the album Heroes here:
CD: http://bit.ly/HeroesStore
Spotify: http://bit.ly/HeroesSpotify
Apple Music: http://bit.ly/HeroesAppleMusic
iTunes: http://bit.ly/HeroesiTunes
Amazon: http://bit.ly/HeroesAmz
Google Play: http://bit.ly/HeroesGoogleP

Check out the trailer for Sabaton’s new album The Great War right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCZP1…

Listen to Sabaton on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/SabatonSpotify
Official Sabaton Merchandise Shop: http://bit.ly/SabatonOfficialShop

Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Markus Linke and Indy Neidell
Directed by: Astrid Deinhard and Wieke Kapteijns
Produced by: Pär Sundström, Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Executive Producers: Pär Sundström, Joakim Broden, Tomas Sunmo, Indy Neidell, Astrid Deinhard, and Spartacus Olsson
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Sound Editing by: Marek Kaminski
Maps by: Eastory – https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory

Archive by: Reuters/Screenocean https://www.screenocean.com
Music by Sabaton.

Sources:
– State Library Victoria
– Motorboat sound by bockelsound from freesound.org

An OnLion Entertainment GmbH and Raging Beaver Publishing AB co-Production.

© Raging Beaver Publishing AB, 2019 – all rights reserved.

May 31, 2020

Sink the Bismarck! – The Pride of the Kriegsmarine‘s Demise – WW2 – 092 – May 30 1941

Filed under: Britain, China, Germany, History, Japan, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

World War Two
Published 30 May 2020

This week, the Battle of Crete continues as the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen set sail to the Atlantic, starting one of the most dramatic episodes in the histories of the Royal Navy and the Kriegsmarine.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv

Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Written and Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: NN
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)

Colorizations by:
– Norman Stewart – https://oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/
– Daniel Weiss
– Jaris Almazani (Artistic Man), https://instagram.com/artistic.man?ig…
– Carlos Ortega Pereira, BlauColorizations, https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…

Sources:
– Imperial War Museum: A 6152, A 6155, A 3898, IWM A4057, HU 50190, HU 374, FL 2120, E 3464, E 450
– U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph
– Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
– Drawing of Churchill from Museon
– Battlecruiser Renown shape by Emoscopes from Wikimedia

Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

May 24, 2020

Invasion of Crete: a Bloody Mess – WW2 – 091 – May 23 1941

World War Two
Published 23 May 2020

Operation Mercury commences as fallschirmjäger airborne troops land on the Greek island of Crete. A bloody and messy battle follows as it turns out to be costly in more ways than one.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv

Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Written and Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)

Colorizations by:
– Julius Jääskeläinen – https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/
– Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
– Norman Stewart – https://oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/
– Jaris Almazani (Artistic Man), https://instagram.com/artistic.man?ig…
– Carlos Ortega Pereira, BlauColorizations, https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…

Sources:
– Imperial War Museum: A 28473, E 3064E, A 4154, A 4153, A 4149, A 4144, E 3066E, E 3023E, A 4156, E 6066
– Archives municipales de Brest
– Museums Victoria
– Bundesarchiv, CC-BY-SA 3.0: Bild_141-0816, Bild_183-L04232, Bild_101I-166-0527-10A, Bild 101I-166-0527-22 / Weixler, Franz Peter, Bild_183-L19019, Bild 146-1977-115-04, Bild 141-0823, Bild_101I-166-0512-39, Bild_146-1981-159-22, Bild_146-1980-090-34, E 3022E

Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

May 10, 2020

Enigma Captured! – WW2 – 089 – May 9, 1941

World War Two
Published 9 May 2020

An Enigma encode is captured in the Atlantic Ocean as the Germans make plans for a new offensive in Crete. Britain is heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe and fighting continues in Iraq, China and East-Africa.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv

Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Written and Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)

Colorizations by:
– Julius Jääskeläinen – https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/
– Olga Shirnina, a.k.a. Klimbim – https://klimbim2014.wordpress.com/
– Carlos Ortega Pereira, BlauColorizations, https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…
– Adrien Fillon – https://www.instagram.com/adrien.colo…
– Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/

Sources:
– Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
– Bundesarchiv, CC-BY-SA 3.0: Bild 101I-769-0229-10A / Borchert, Erich (Eric), Bild 101I-317-0053-18 / Amphlett, Eduard, Bild_101I-567-1523-38, Bild 141-0853, Bild_146-2006-0188
– Micheal Hörenberg, Uferstr. 29, D-78343 Hemmenhofen
– Imperial War Museum: E 6822, AUS 897, E 4791, E 3040E, E 3042E, E446, E 3025E, E 1164, E 1172, E 3020E, E 2182,
– Ju 52 graphic by TSRL from Wikimedia
– DFS 230 and Ju 87 graphics by Kaboldy from Wikimedia

Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

May 9, 2020

History Summarized: The Meiji Restoration

Overly Sarcastic Productions
Published 8 May 2020

Japan may well have the record for World’s Speediest Industrialization, but how did they accomplish so much so fast without falling victim to Europe’s favorite 19th century pastime of “Colonization”? And how did Japan build up a Pan-Asian empire so darn quickly? All that and more in this deep-dive into the Meiji Restoration!

SOURCES & Further Reading:
Modern Japan: A Very Short Introduction by Goto-Jones.
The Japanese Empire: Grand Strategy from the Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War by Paine.
Bushido: The Soul of Japan by Nitobe.

THAT WACKY POLITICAL CARTOON: “Japan Makes Her Debut Under Columbia’s Auspicies” https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services…

This video was edited by Sophia Ricciardi AKA “Indigo”. https://www.sophiakricci.com/

Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.

PATREON: https://www.Patreon.com/OSP

DISCORD: https://discord.gg/h3AqJPe

MERCH LINKS: https://www.redbubble.com/people/OSPY…

OUR WEBSITE: https://www.OverlySarcasticProductions.com
Find us on Twitter https://www.Twitter.com/OSPYouTube
Find us on Reddit https://www.Reddit.com/r/OSP/

May 1, 2020

Why Pearl Harbor? Peaceful Portugal, and the poor Kriegsmarine – WW2 – OOTF 011

Filed under: Britain, Europe, Germany, History, Japan, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 06:00

World War Two
Published 30 Apr 2020

How were relations between Japan and the United States at the beginning of the war? What were both sides doing to try and make Portugal enter the war? And to what extent did the Kriegsmarine match the Royal Navy? Find out as we answer these questions in this Out of the Foxholes episode!

Links to the Between 2 Wars videos mentioned in the episode:
Japan, the Bureaucratic War Machine | BETWEEN 2 WARS I 1931 Part 2 of 3: https://youtu.be/vVgCy6iwrHQ
The World Takes Advantage of American Isolationism | BETWEEN 2 WARS | 1933 part 3 of 3: https://youtu.be/-iuQcxXAdfw
Did WW2 Start in 1937? – The Rape of China | BETWEEN 2 WARS I 1937 Part 1 of 2: https://youtu.be/_3vPGpamtDI

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at https://timeghost.tv

Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Rune Væver Hartvig
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Rune Væver Hartvig
Edited by: Mikołaj Cackowski
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)

Colorizations by:
Carlos Ortega Pereira, BlauColorizations, https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…
Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/

Sources:
BIBLIOTECA DE ARTE DA FUNDAÇÃO CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN
Bundesarchiv

Soundtracks from the Epidemic Sound:
Reynard Seidel – “Deflection”
Fabien Tell – “Last Point of Safe Return”
Johannes Bornlof – “Deviation In Time”

Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

April 23, 2020

1945: Japan Joins the Allies | The Indonesian War of Independence Part 1

Filed under: Asia, Britain, Europe, History, Japan, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

TimeGhost History
Published 22 Apr 2020

In Indonesia, following the end of the Second World War catalyses the end of brutal Japanese rule. Their exit prompts the Dutch to begin restoring their prewar colonial status over the archipelago. But nationalist spirits are brewing, their opportunity to proclaim Indonesian independence is transpiring.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory

Watch the Prologue to the Indonesian War of Independence series right here: https://youtu.be/IkKJSRaeOik

Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Isabel Wilson and Joram Appel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Isabel Wilson and Joram Appel
Edited by: Karolina Dołęga
Sound design: Marek Kaminski

Colorizations:
Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
Jaris Almazani (Artistic Man) – https://instagram.com/artistic.man?ig…

Sources:
Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
Tropenmuseum, part of the National Museum of World Cultures
Imperial War Museum Arts: Ronald Searle, SE5895 , SE-5865, SE5663, SE5724
Rijksmuseum

Music:
“Deviation In Time” – Johannes Bornlof
“Last Point of Safe Return” – Fabien Tell
“Deflection” – Reynard Seidel
“Disciples of Sun Tzu” – Christian Andersen
“Split Decision” – Rannar Sillard
“Other Sides of Glory” – Fabien Tell
“Last Man Standing 3” – Johannes Bornlöf
“Magnificent March 3” – Johannes Bornlöf
“Deviation In Time” – Johannes Bornlof

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

From the comments:

TimeGhost History
1 day ago (edited)
For the last decades, writing colonial histories on events such as the Indonesian War of Independence has been a difficult task. Due to the incriminating nature of the events, records were either never made or have been regularly “lost” since. Political interest in the events was minimal in both The Netherlands and Indonesia, but times are changing. In recent years, a lot more research power has been allocated to this topic by Dutch and Indonesian Universities and Research collectives. Finding colonial truths is a huge focus of academia right now and their work has allowed us to get real with colonialism in this series. We’re sure that even more sources and stories will surface in the coming years, allowing for more books and documentary such as ours to be made. We’re interested to hear what you think about this episode! Make sure to let us know in the comments!

Cheers,
Izzy

April 13, 2020

Increasing hazards to navigation in the East China Sea

Filed under: Asia, China, Japan, Military — Tags: , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 05:00

It’s odd that all the increased collisions seem to involve Chinese vessels:

Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force ship JS Shimakaze (DDG-172), the second ship of the Hatakaze class, commissioned in 1988. She was slightly damaged in a collision with a Chinese fishing boat in the East China Sea on 30 March 2020.
Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Sci-fi genius Robert Heinlein warned readers never to attribute to villainy behavior that was adequately explained by stupidity. In other words, he believed malice should be the explanation of last resort for puzzling conduct on the part of people or groups of people; it shouldn’t be the default. Better to hunt for more benign explanations first. With apologies to Heinlein, I would amend his “razor,” or heuristic, slightly. It’s too narrow. There are other candidates than stupidity or purposeful villainy to account for misconduct. Factors like incompetence, bureaucratic inertia, and sheer accident form — and sometimes deform — human thought and action. They belong on the stupidity side of Heinlein’s ledger.

How about this: Never attribute to villainy behavior that can be adequately explained by human failings. That preserves the essence of Heinlein’s razor while widening its scope to fit reality.

Let’s use his revised heuristic to evaluate the Sino-Japanese collision. It’s certainly possible the mishap came about by accident. It took place at night, in crowded waters. If the U.S. Navy collisions of 2017 taught us nothing else, it’s that the crews of even frontline warships can suffer from a host of maladies, from overwork to shoddy personnel practices to doctrinal or training shortfalls. No amount of high technology — whether it’s Aegis radar or satellite navigation — can altogether forestall human error. It may be that the Japanese crew, the Chinese crew, or both blundered around in the dark and came to grief. By Heinlein’s lights that’s the generous and proper assumption until the facts become known. If they do.

Nevertheless, a silent corollary has to be appended to Heinlein’s razor: But don’t rule out villainy, either.

Especially when it comes to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). For decades Beijing has made militiamen embedded in the Chinese fishing fleet an arm of maritime strategy. The maritime militia is an irregular adjunct to regular naval forces, including the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) and especially the musclebound China Coast Guard fielded over the past decade. Beijing touted the militia’s combat prowess as long ago as 1974, when Chinese naval forces wrested a tottering South Vietnam’s holdings in the Paracel Islands from it in a brief but bloody sea battle. Militia craft backed by the coast guard have been a fixture in the South China Sea ever since 2009, when Beijing declared “indisputable sovereignty” over the vast majority of that body of water — including seas allocated to its neighbors by treaty. The irregular force went into overdrive in 2012 during the standoff with the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard at Scarborough Shoal, deep within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. Fishing craft flood the zone in CCP-claimed waters and dare local coast guards or navies to repulse them. If the locals resist, the China Coast Guard backs up the militia. PLA regular forces provide a backstop should things go awry.

H/T to Blazing Cat Fur for the link.

April 9, 2020

The True Story of How WW2 Began | BETWEEN 2 WARS I 1939 Part 3 of 3 I SEASON FINALE

Filed under: China, Europe, Germany, History, Japan, Military, Russia, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

TimeGhost History
Published 8 Apr 2020

In this final episode of Season 1 of Between Two Wars we examine what caused the world to stand on the brink of total war in just two decades after the War to End All Wars. Events that end with three words through a phone line: “Grandmother is dead,” words that launch World War II.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory

Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Spartacus Olsson
Directed by: Spartacus Olsson and Astrid Deinhard
Executive Producers: Bodo Rittenauer, Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Spartacus Olsson
Edited by: Daniel Weiss
Sound design: Marek Kamiński

Sources:
From the Noun Project:
soldier By Wonmo Kang
coin stacks By emilegraphics

Colorizations by:
– Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
– Olga Shirnina
– Spartacus Olsson
– Daniel Weiss

Soundtracks from Epidemic Sound:
– “Sophisticated Gentlemen” – Golden Age Radio
– “First Responders” – Skrya
– “Easy Target” – Rannar Sillard
– “The Inspector 4” – Johannes Bornlöf
– “Last Point of Safe Return” – Fabien Tell
– “Death And Glory 3” – Johannes Bornlöf
– “Split Decision” – Rannar Sillard
– “March Of The Brave 9” – Rannar Sillard
– “Mystery Minutes STEMS INSTRUMENTS” – Farrell Wooten
– “The Charleston 3” – Håkan Eriksson

Archive by Reuters/Screenocean http://www.screenocean.com

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

From the comments:

TimeGhost History
1 day ago
Dear friends, this is the 58th and final episode of the first season of Between 2 Wars. Almost exactly two years ago, when the first episode went live, on April 14, 2018 we were three people. We had not started the WW2 channel yet. The TimeGhost Army had less than 100 members, and we had no idea where we would end up. As it turned out, it has been a magnificent journey through twenty years of history.

We are now a team of around sixteen individuals working on three channels and publishing more than five historical videos per week. And this is thanks to all of you who have graced us by watching, liking, commenting, and joining the TimeGhost Army. And it is especially thanks to the now over 4,000 members of the TimeGhost Army and their faithful contributions that we are able to do this at all. Thanks to you all, we can add a little bit of knowledge, a little bit of perspective, and hopefully a little bit of sanity (and also a measure healthy insanity) to the world.

It’s especially in times like these that we feel blessed by your support, so that we can continue our mission of remembrance and education. So it is with humble gratitude and some pride that we deliver this season finale. With your participation we will keep marching on, and try to do even more, even better, and exciting historical content.

Thank you all!

Let’s make history!

Spartacus

Definition note: when we use the term Socialist we always use the academic and dictionary definition: an ideology that aims to abolish private ownership of capital, goods, and enterprise to transfer it to the collective for use rather than profit. The means to achieve that being a violent revolution. We do not use the popular US redefinition of the word that makes it mean something vaguely like “anything the government does.”

March 29, 2020

Yugoslavia Joins the Axis Powers. and then they don’t – WW2 – 083 – March 28, 1941

Filed under: China, Europe, Germany, History, Italy, Japan, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 06:00

World War Two
Published 28 Mar 2020

Yugoslavia joins the Axis powers, which then triggers a pro-Allied coup, angering Hitler. Meanwhile, the Italians fail to outsmart the British as the Japanese hope to capitalise on their superior army.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv

Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrG5J-K5AYAU1R-HeWSfY2D1jy_sEssNG
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Written and Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Produced and Directed by: Spartacus Olsson and Astrid Deinhard
Executive Producers: Bodo Rittenauer, Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Indy Neidell
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)

Colorizations by:
– Julius Jääskeläinen – https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/
– Daniel Weiss
– Owen Robinson – https://www.instagram.com/owen.colori…
– Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/

Sources:
– Bundesarchiv
– Wellcome Images
– Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
– Војни архив
– Istorijski arhiv u Pančevu
– IWM: H 10922, A 10274
– Littorio class Battleship drawing by David Orlović from Wikimedia
– Italian heavy cruiser Pola drawing by K.E.Sergeev
– Prison icon by FORMGUT. from the Noun Project

Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

From the comments:

World War Two
2 days ago (edited)
NOTE BY INDY: I researched and wrote this episode in January. Since then I have done deep research on the fighting for Greece and Crete, as well as the Barbarossa planning. I can now say unequivocally that I do NOT believe the actions in Yugoslavia had anything to do with Hitler changing the start of Barbarossa.

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe in these tumultuous times. Indy was meant to fly back to Stockholm after a very full week of shooting, but his flight was changed to an earlier time (which they didn’t tell him), so now he’s “stuck” in the studio in Bavaria. He hopes to be able to fly back soon, but until then we’re writing and shooting a few more episodes for you. We hope we’re able to bring you all some distraction, relief or perspective. Stay safe!
Cheers, Joram

March 26, 2020

The Boxer Rebellion l HISTORY OF CHINA

Filed under: Britain, China, France, Germany, History, Japan, Military, Religion, Russia — Tags: , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

IT’S HISTORY
Published 26 Aug 2015

The Boxer Rebellion was one of China’s biggest uprisings against the unwanted European, US-American and Japanese imperialism. Distrust and tensions marked all contacts with foreigners. Secret societies were formed to propagate against the enemy. The Yihequan, also known as Boxers, quickly rose to one of the biggest organisations in Northern China. Masters of close combat, they mainly targeted converted Chinese Christians and attacks increased wildly in the 1880s. From 1900 Empress Dowager Cixi was less and less opposed to the Rebellion, as she hoped to fight back foreign influence. Shortly after, even the Chinese Army started helping the rebels and foreigners were fought, killed or driven out. Consequently, an alliance of the imperial powers sent in 50,000 soldiers to end the massacre. Tough reprisals and treaties followed. Learn all about the Boxer Rebellion on IT’S HISTORY.

» JOIN OUR COMMUNITY FOR MORE HISTORY KNOWLEDGE!
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thehistoryshow
Your photos on Instagram: https://instagram.com/itshistorychannel

» SOURCES
Videos: British Pathé (https://www.youtube.com/user/britishp…)
Pictures: mainly Picture Alliance
Content:
Harrington, Peter: Peking 1900: The Boxer Rebellion, Osprey Campaign
Bodin, Lynn: The Boxer Rebellion, Men-at-Arms
http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/…
http://www.chinafolio.com/chinas-last…

» ABOUT US
IT’S HISTORY is a ride through history – Join us discovering the world’s most important eras in IN TIME, BIOGRAPHIES of the GREATEST MINDS and the most important INVENTIONS.

» HOW CAN I SUPPORT YOUR CHANNEL?
You can support us by sharing our videos with your friends and spreading the word about our work.

» CAN I EMBED YOUR VIDEOS ON MY WEBSITE?
Of course, you can embed our videos on your website. We are happy if you show our channel to your friends, fellow students, classmates, professors, teachers or neighbors. Or just share our videos on Facebook, Twitter, Reddit etc. Subscribe to our channel and like our videos with a thumbs up.

» CAN I SHOW YOUR VIDEOS IN CLASS?
Of course! Tell your teachers or professors about our channel and our videos. We’re happy if we can contribute with our videos.

» CREDITS
Presented by: Indy Neidell
Script by: Dan Hungerford
Directed by: Daniel Czepelczauer
Director of Photography: Markus Kretzschmar
Music: Markus Kretzschmar
Sound Design: Bojan Novic
Editing: Markus Kretzschmar

A Mediakraft Networks original channel
Based on a concept by Florian Wittig and Daniel Czepelczauer
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard-Olsson, Spartacus Olsson
Head of Production: Michael Wendt
Producer: Daniel Czepelczauer
Social Media Manager: Laura Pagan

Contains material licensed from British Pathé
All rights reserved – © Mediakraft Networks GmbH, 2015

March 22, 2020

Culling the Nazi Wolfpacks – Submarines, Spies, China, and Africa – WW2 – 082 – March 21 1941

World War Two
Published 21 Mar 2020

While two more Kriegsmarine U-boat aces go down, the moving parts of the war are getting more complex leaving the intelligence services scrambling to separate fact from fiction — they don’t always get it right.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv

Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Written and Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Produced and Directed by: Spartacus Olsson and Astrid Deinhard
Executive Producers: Bodo Rittenauer, Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Joram Appel
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Indy Neidell
Edited by: Iryna Dulka
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)

Colorizations by:
– Olga Shirnina a.k.a. Klimbim – https://klimbim2014.wordpress.com/
– Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
– Julius Jääskeläinen – https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/

Sources:
– Bundesarchiv

Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

From the comments:

World War Two
2 days ago
Indy is at the studio in Bavaria at the moment, shooting new episodes up to May 2020. We don’t know what impact the virus has on our production beyond that, but for now we seem to be fine. That is, thanks to your support! Most of our other (personal) sources of income has fallen away now – we are not able to pay everyone a fair wage just yet. In fact, most of the budget goes into licensing, equipment, editors, researchers and travel. If you can, please consider to support us on www.patreon.com/timeghosthistory or https://timeghost.tv so we can continue to make these series! Thank you all for your support and appreciation! Take care and be safe!
Cheers, Joram

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