World War Two
Published 4 Dec 2021The Soviets have launched offensives on the entire eastern front and by now hundreds of thousands of men are surrounded at Stalingrad. The Japanese win a battle at sea, but are losing a war of attrition.
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December 5, 2021
Axis Armies Facing Starvation – WW2 – 171 – December 4, 1942
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November 12, 2021
Britain’s Highly Unusual Crescent-Wing Victor Bomber
Dark Skies
Published 2 Nov 2021The V force was a legendary team of bombers built to serve during the post-war crisis. However, they would not carry ordinary bombs, but nuclear weapons.
As World War II ended, the division between the West and the East became a significant threat to world peace, and shortly before the Cold War began, Britain started working on a modern jet bomber force that could rival any other on the planet.
The Handley Page Victor featured a one-of-kind wing, making it the largest aircraft to break the sound barrier up to that point.
As the British mastered the atomic bomb by the mid-1950s with the exceptional V force and the Victor to deliver it, Britain’s stature among the world’s superpowers significantly solidified.
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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations missions in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.
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October 9, 2021
The USSR: A Conspiracy Disguised as a Country – WW2 – Spies & Ties 09
World War Two
Published 8 Oct 2021The Soviet Union is built on distrust and paranoia, giving birth to a system of intelligence and a huge spy network ran by agencies such as the GRU and NKVD. But what good is all that information if you don’t believe it?
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September 25, 2021
QotD: The 2nd Amendment is obsolete because … the government has nukes?
Last week a congressman embarrassed himself on Twitter. He got into a debate about gun control, suggested a mandatory buyback — which is basically confiscation with a happy face sticker on it — and when someone told him that they would resist, he said resistance was futile because the government has nukes.
And everybody was like, wait, what?
Of course the congressman is now saying that using nuclear weapons on American gun owners was an exaggeration, he just wanted to rhetorically demonstrate that the all-powerful government could crush us peasants like bugs, they hold our pathetic lives in their iron hand, and he’d never ever advocate for the use of nuclear weapons on American soil (that would be bad for the environment!), and instead he merely wants to send a SWAT team to your house to shoot you in the face if you don’t comply.
See? That’s way better.
Larry Correia, “The 2nd Amendment Is Obsolete, Says Congressman Who Wants To Nuke Omaha”, Monster Hunter Nation, 2018-11-19.
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August 31, 2021
Spy Affair that Started the Cold War
The Cold War
Published 3 Aug 2019Our series on the history of the Cold War period continues with a documentary on Gouzenko affair — a spy thriller that provoked the beginning of the Cold War.
Consider supporting us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecoldwar
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June 30, 2021
Questions the dying media daren’t ask Biden
Kurt Schlichter offers a few questions that an American media with any credibility would already have been asking after Biden’s ramble about F-15 aircraft and nuclear weapons:
“2-35 Infantry Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division” by The U.S. Army is licensed under CC BY 2.0
“Are you saying that you would use bombers like F-15s against Americans? Would you ever use nuclear weapons against Americans?”
That seems like an important coule of threshold queries. Say “No” and you look like a fool. Say “Yes” and you’re a fool and a psycho.
“Mr. President, since using force against American citizens is on the table, can you tell us how many BCTs the American military has currently deployable within the United States? Do you know how many troops are in a brigade combat team? Do you understand the logistical needs of a BCT and its vulnerabilities in an insurgency environment?”
A “BCT” is a brigade combat team, 4,000-5,000 troops and the basic ground combat unit. Now, if you are going to pick a fight with 165 million Americans, specifically the half who like America and who own a whole bunch of those accursed AR-15s, you might wanna know how many dudes you have on your side first (I estimate about 80 active and reserve BCTs and equivalents in the whole active and reserve force, including the Marines). One might also want to understand why you would have problems using them here at home.
“How many BCTs do you think you would need to secure an urban area the size of Los Angeles. Didn’t it take three divisions, about 12 brigades, to secure it during the Riots? How long could you logistically support that?”
It did take three divisions (approximately 12 BCTs) to quell the riot in LA in 1992. I was there. Now, that was largely idiots burning and looting. What if the next time it is guys shooting back with evil AR-15s? And America is a zillion times bigger than Los Angeles. How do you hold all that ground? You don’t.
“Have your generals staffed exactly how many American military personnel they could count on to attack American citizens if you ordered it? What percentage do you believe would comply and why?”
Oh, awkward. I was informed – by them, the geniuses in the Pentagon – that “extremists in the ranks” are our gravest threat (except for the weather, of course), so I assume they will have analyzed the number of “extremists” in the ranks who would be averse to killing their own friends and family at the behest of coastal elitists and who would desert or go full Niedermeyer on the guys urging them to wage war on the American people. This would be a good number to have as a planning factor, since when 50% of his troops go *poof* overnight, it would mean a significant reduction in the *’s combat power.
“You mentioned F-15s. How many bombers of all types does the United States have deployable within the continental US? How many are operational? How many sorties could the military fly a day against American citizens? Can you explain how you would employ bombers to hold territory, like a city?”
Bombers are nice. But if they were decisive, you could walk around Kabul without a dozen guys with AKs keeping your Schumer safe. We bombed Afghanistan back into the Stone Age – albeit, it was not much of a trip, but the point remains. You control dirt by having a guy with a rifle standing on it, not plinking at targets from 30,000 feet. And speaking of targeting …
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June 25, 2021
The Birth of the Manhattan Project – WW2 Special
World War Two
Published 24 Jun 2021When nuclear fission was discovered, scientists theorized it could be used in an atomic bomb. Thus, the American Army sets up one of the biggest research projects in history: The Manhattan Project.
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June 9, 2021
Do the Nazis Have Atomic Bombs? – WW2 – Spies & Ties 03 – Sam & Erwin part 2
World War Two
Published 8 Jun 2021All belligerents are working hard to develop a powerful nuclear super-weapon. The Americans wonder how far along the Germans are, and send in their spies.
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April 24, 2021
This Insane Helicopter Was The Largest Ever Built: The Mil V-12 Story
Mustard
Published 10 Sep 2020Sign up for an annual CuriosityStream subscription and you’ll also get a free Nebula subscription (the new streaming platform built by creators) here: http://CuriosityStream.com/mustard
Research and writing in collaboration with Tomás Campos.
The Soviets built some of the largest and most technically advanced helicopters in the world. By 1957, the Mil Mi-6 had already emerged as the largest helicopter ever built, far out-sizing helicopters built in the west. But for the Soviet Union, the need to build a helicopter far larger than even the Mi-6, soon became a matter of national security.
By 1960, American U-2 spy planes conducting high altitude reconnaissance flights over the Soviet Union were beginning to uncover the location of the country’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) sites. These first generation R-7 Semyorka ICBMs were being deployed throughout the Soviet Union as fast as possible, but their enormous size and weight meant they could only be delivered to launch sites using trains. The need to build rail lines to launch sites made the ICBM sites easy to spot in U.S. reconnaissance photos.
Keeping the missile sites hidden was a matter of national security. The Soviets devised a bold plan to airlift ICBMs into the vast and remote Soviet wilderness, thereby eliminating the need for rail lines or even roads. This would make it virtually impossible for spy planes to track down missile sites hidden in over twelve million square kilometres of forests. But to make the plan work, the Soviets would need to build a helicopter with at least twice the lifting power of the Mi-6.
Design studies for the new enormous helicopter began in 1959, with the Soviet Council of Ministers formally approving development in 1962. But development of such an ambitious helicopter would progress slowly, as various configurations (single rotor, tandem and transverse) were studied. Construction of testing-rigs, transmission systems and mock-ups began in 1963, and construction of the first prototype started in 1965. The new prototype would be designated as the Mil V-12 (with plans to designate the production version as Mil Mi-12). The first test flight in 1967 ended in failure as the V-12 crashed back to earth sustaining minor damage due to oscillations caused by control problems. A second test flight a year later proved the helicopter’s airworthiness.
The V-12 would go on to break numerous world records for lifting capacity, but its fate had already been sealed by a rapidly changing strategic situation. The introduction of spy satellites, and the development of new lighter and mobile ICBMs made hiding nuclear missiles strategically irrelevant.
In 1970, the Soviet Air Force refused to accept the V-12 into state acceptance trials, due to a lack of need. Although a second V-12 prototype would be constructed in 1972, there were simply too few scenarios that would require such a large and complex helicopter. In 1974 development of the V-12 was cancelled and the Mil Design Bureau shifted efforts to designing the Mil Mi-26, the largest helicopter to enter service.
Select footage courtesy the AP Archive:
AP Archive website: http://www.aparchive.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/aparchive and https://www.youtube.com/c/britishmovi…Special thanks to Nick Arehart for helping clean up our audio:
https://twitter.com/airhrt_Link to the Mustard Store:
teespring.com/stores/mustard-storeMusic used in this production (reproduced under license):
Intro Song: “Space Cinematic”- https://www.pond5.com/royalty-free-mu…
Song 2: “Yet Another Chase” – https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/X…
Song 3: “The Board Is Set” – https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/g…
Song 4: “Grim March” – https://www.pond5.com/royalty-free-mu…
Song 5: “Like the Wind” – https://www.pond5.com/royalty-free-mu…
Song 6: “Synthwave Industrial Technology” – https://audiojungle.net/item/synthwav…
Thanks for watching!
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August 12, 2020
CGP Grey was WRONG
CGP Grey
Published 11 Aug 2020‣ What Was TEKOI? (original version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCeMC…
‣ What Was TEKOI? (corrected version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCeMCwxayp0
‣ TEKOI Commentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufsYK…
## CrowdfundersBob Kunz, John Buchan, Nevin Spoljaric, Donal Botkin, BN-12, Chris Chapin, Richard Jenkins, Phil Gardner, Martin, Steven Grimm, سليمان العقل, David F Watson, Colin Millions, Saki Comandao, Ben Schwab, Jason Lewandowski, Marco Arment, Shantanu Raj, rictic, emptymachine, George Lin, Henry Ng, Thunda Plum, Awoo, David Tyler, Fuesu, iulus, Jordan Earls, Joshua Jamison, Nick Fish, Nick Gibson, Tyler Bryant, Zach Whittle, Oliver Steele, Kermit Norlund, Kevin Costello, Derek Bonner, Derek Jackson, Mikko , Orbit_Junkie, Ron Bowes, Tómas Árni Jónasson, Bryan McLemore, Alex Simonides, Felix Weis, Melvin Sowah, Christopher Mutchler, Giulio Bontadini, Paul Alom, Ryan Tripicchio, Scot Melville, Bear, chrysilis, David Palomares, Emil, Erik Parasiuk, Esteban Santana Santana, Freddi Hørlyck, John Rogers, Leon, Peter Lomax, Rhys Parry, ShiroiYami, Tristan Watts-Willis, Veronica Peshterianu, Dag Viggo Lokøen, John Lee, Maxime Zielony, Julien Dubois, Elizabeth Keathley, Nicholas Welna
## Music
David Rees: http://www.davidreesmusic.com
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August 10, 2020
Donald MacLean: The First of the Cambridge Five
The Cold War
Published 22 Jun 2020Our historical documentary series on the history of the Cold War continues with a video on the famous Cambridge Five and Donald Maclean in particular — a real Cold War-era spy story
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecoldwar or Paypal: http://paypal.me/TheColdWar
✔ Merch store ► https://teespring.com/stores/thecoldwar
✔ Instagram ► http://www.instagram.com/thecoldwartv#ColdWar #Maclean #CambridgeFive
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August 6, 2020
Post WWII United Kingdom – Cold War Documentary
The Cold War
Published 11 Apr 2020Our historical documentary series on the history of the Cold War continues with a video on the post-World War II situation in the United Kingdom
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thecoldwar or Paypal: http://paypal.me/TheColdWar
✔ Merch store ► https://teespring.com/stores/thecoldwar
✔ Instagram ► http://www.instagram.com/thecoldwartv#ColdWar #UK #WorldWar
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July 29, 2020
What was TEKOI?
CGP Grey
Published 28 Jul 2020## Related Videos
Exploring Tekoi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABMV4…
Defeated by Tumbleweeds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FeXP…
## Special Thanks
Gregory Waltz
## Crowdfunders
Steven Snow, Bob Kunz, John Buchan, Nevin Spoljaric, Donal Botkin, BN-12 , Chris Chapin, Richard Jenkins, Phil Gardner, Martin, Steven Grimm, سليمان العقل, Elliot Lepley, Colin Millions, David F Watson, Saki Comandao, Ben Schwab, Jason Lewandowski, Bobby, rictic, Marco Arment, Shallon Brown, Shantanu Raj, emptymachine, George Lin, Jeffrey Podis, Ben Delo, Henry Ng, Thunda Plum, Awoo, David Tyler, Fuesu, iulus, Jordan Earls, Joshua Jamison, Nick Fish, Nick Gibson, Tyler Bryant, Zach Whittle, Oliver Steele, Kermit Norlund, Derek Bonner, Derek Jackson, Mikko, Orbit_Junkie, Ron Bowes, Tómas Árni Jónasson, Andrew Bereza, Rebecca Wortham, Bryan McLemore, Bear, chrysilis, David Palomares, Emil, Erik Parasiuk, Esteban Santana Santana, Freddi Hørlyck, John Rogers, ken mcfarlane, Leon, Maarten van der Blij, Peter Lomax, Rhys Parry, ShiroiYami, Tristan Watts-Willis, Veronica Peshterianu, Dag Viggo Lokøen, Essa omar, Ryan Richards, Alex Simonides, Felix Weis, John Lee, Maxime Zielony, Melvin Sowah, Elizabeth Keathley, Christopher Mutchler, Giulio Bontadini, Paul Alom, Ryan Tripicchio, Scot Melville, Kyle Wayman, Julien Dubois
## Music
David Rees: http://www.davidreesmusic.com
Update: CGP Grey posted a corrected version of this video here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCeMCwxayp0
He also posted the Director’s Commentary video (originally intended only for his Patrons) here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufsYK3Eecw4
There is also a video explaining how the whole process worked and how the error was missed, if you’re interested.
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July 20, 2020
To Save the World Takes Only One Good Man | The Cuban Missile Crisis | Day 13
TimeGhost History
Published 19 Jul 2020On Sunday, 28 October, 1962 the Cuban Missile Crisis comes to an end to end all things, and almost everything. Only one young man, Vasili Arkhipov will stand between humanity and nuclear armageddon.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Spartacus Olsson
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: Spartacus Olsson
Edited by: Daniel Weiss
Sound design: Marek KaminskiColorizations:
– Carlos Ortega Pereira (BlauColorizations) – https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…Sources:
http://www.jproc.ca/crypto/hotline.htmlSoundtracks from Epidemic Sound:
– “Cold Eyes” – Elliot Holmes
– “From the Depths” – Walt Adams
– “Moving to Disturbia” – Experia
– “When They Fell” – Wendel Scherer
– “Under the Dome” – Philip Ayers
– “Scope” – Got Happy
– “Symphony of the Cold-Blooded” – Christian Andersen
– “City Night Lights” – Elliot Holmes
– “Secret Cargo” – Craft Case
– “Too Young for This Shirt” – Elliot Holmes
– “Juvenile Delinquent” – Elliot Holmes
– “Drifting Emotions 3” – Gavin LukeArchive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
From the comments:
TimeGhost History
59 minutes ago (edited)
When we recorded this the first time, we didn’t have the chance to release these day by day. It took us almost half a year from when we had the idea until the last episode came out. We still felt that it was a revelation to see it chronologically. For me as writer it was in any case a deep dive into a story that I thought I knew, but rediscovered by reassembling the source documents in the exact order things happened. I learnt new aspects and gained an incredibly more detailed understanding of both the events and the people involved. But today, on Sunday July 19, 2020 it is the fourteenth day that both Indy, Astrid and I watch the remade episodes completed as they are released every day, I haven’t even watched this last episode yet, and even though I know exactly what is going to happen, I’m excited. This is crazy, crazy stuff.And now, the three of us are sitting in the garden in Bavaria preparing to shoot the next months shows. And when we look back and talk about it it we’re all so glad that we got the chance to make this even better. Astrid could go full out on the set, and do even more with Indy’s costume. We had fun adding drama with the light. Indy make the delivery even better by changing the tenses to the present and altering the script slightly so that it felt more immediate. But perhaps more than anything, we could get more, better archive, get our editors added touch, and rethink the music score so that it was more consistent and period appropriate.
We also want to take this moment to thank:
The TimeGhost Army – it is your membership that enabled us to improve to this level from 2017 until now – you are the souls of TimeGhost.
Wieke, who directed the post-production and put his personal flair into it – especially grateful for the choice of music.
Daniel and Karolina who did a fantastic job on the editing.
All of our colorizers that made the portraits come alive in technicolor splendor (OK, OK… RGB splendor, but same, same)
Marek who sound engineered and made it sound so much better than what I managed in the first round.
Joram who made sure that we had all the publishing in order so that it worked day by day.And all of the rest of the TimeGhost team that as usual had their hands full with this and all the mad stuff we do.
For Astrid, Indy and myself,
I’m Spartacus.
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July 19, 2020
Black Saturday, Nuclear War on Autopilot | The Cuban Missile Crisis | Day 12
TimeGhost History
Published 18 Jul 2020On October 27, 1962 a deal to resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis is ever so close, but then almost everything that can go wrong, goes wrong. The world is left teetering on the brink, and someone has to die.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Spartacus Olsson
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: Spartacus Olsson
Edited by: Daniel Weiss
Sound design: Marek KaminskiColorizations:
– Carlos Ortega Pereira (BlauColorizations) – https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…
– Daniel Weiss
– Jaris Almazani (Artistic Man) – https://instagram.com/artistic.man?Sources:
From the Noun Project:
diary By Astoe
Handshake By priyanka
telegraph By Luke Anthony FirthSoundtracks from Epidemic Sound:
– “Cold Eyes” – Elliot Holmes
– “Nightclub Standoff” – Elliot Holmes
– “From the Depths” – Walt Adams
– “When They Fell” – Wendel Scherer
– “Juvenile Delinquent” – Elliot Holmes
– “Kissed by Thunder” – Elliot HolmesArchive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
From the comments:
TimeGhost History
26 minutes ago
Just when everything looks OK again, the house of cards that the USSR and USA have built starts to crumble. To us in 2020 that should serve to remind us that words matter. Because that’s all it was to begin with — words like “give it to the Reds!” and “down with the Bourgeoisie!” But words easily become bluster, and bluster easily becomes action, and action is always hard to control.Remembering the past so that we can learn from it, without ideological bias, without demagoguery, and proposing oversimplified solutions to complex problems. That is our mission here at TimeGhost Become a part of that effort by joining the TimeGhost Army at https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory or https://timeghost.tv
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