Quotulatiousness

November 22, 2020

Surprise Attack On Rommel! – Operation Crusader Begins – WW2 – 117- November 21, 1941

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

World War Two
Published 21 Nov 2020

The long planned Allied Offensive in North Africa — Operation Crusader — begins, but the Allies are worrying about how to defend Singapore in case of Japanese aggression. The Germans renew their drive on Moscow, but their number one flying ace perishes, a major PR hit.

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Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @ww2_day_by_day – https://www.instagram.com/ww2_day_by_day
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: Maria Kyhle
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Indy Neidell
Edited by: Miki Cackowski
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)

Colorizations by:
Ruffneck88 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Ca…
Julius Jääskeläinen – https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/
Daniel Weiss
Adrien Fillon – https://www.instagram.com/adrien.colo…
Norman Stewart – https://oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/
Spatacus Olsson

Sources:
Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
Bundesarchiv
Australian War Memorial
Yad Vashem 143BO2
IWM E 6661, K 1261, A 3898, A 10499, FE 487, TR153, E 2384E

Soundtracks from the Epidemic Sound:
Johannes Bornlof – “Death And Glory 2”
Johan Hynynen – “Dark Beginning”
Farrell Wooten – “Blunt Object”
Reynard Seidel – “Deflection”
Johannes Bornlof – “Last Man Standing 3”
Johannes Bornlof – “The Inspector 4”
Philip Ayers – “Under the Dome”
Max Anson – “Ancient Saga”
Johannes Bornlof – “Deviation In Time”
Jon Bjork – “Disposal”

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

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

From the comments:

World War Two
3 days ago
On December 7th we will cover the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in real time, minute by minute, as it happens … for five solid hours starting 0610 local Hawaiian time right here on this channel. Don’t miss it!

And if you want a dose of WW2 action every day, then check out our day by day instagram coverage of the war right here: https://www.instagram.com/world_war_two_realtime/

November 19, 2020

Deception and Dust-ups – Desert Warfare Tactics – WW2 Special

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

World War Two
Published 18 Nov 2020

When Allies and Axis clash on the deserts of North Africa, harsh and unique conditions force them to develop new tactics. From misdirection to new ways to move across the desert, all to gain an advantage over the enemy.

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 @ww2_day_by_day – https://www.instagram.com/ww2_day_by_day
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Marlon William Londoño and Francis van Berkel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Maria Kyhle
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Marlon William Londoño
Edited by: Miki Cackowski
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)

Colorizations by:
Julius Jääskeläinen – https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/
Spartacus Olsson

Sources:
IWM E 18461, E 8361, E 10147, E 12630, E 12385, E 12375, E 21337, E 12410, HU 3715, E 21339, E 4350
Picture of John Hutton, courtesy of Coventry Society
Picture of Edwin Galligan, Steven Sykes and Fred Pusey, courtesy of Rick Stroud
Picture of Hugh Cott, courtesy of Selwyn College, Cambridge
Picture og Ralph Alger Bagnold, courtesy of National Portrait Gallery
from the Noun Project: sun by MRFA

Soundtracks from the Epidemic Sound:
Reynard Seidel – “Deflection”
Max Anson – “Ancient Saga”
Hakan Eriksson – “Epic Adventure Theme 4”
Rannar Sillard – “March Of The Brave 4”
Jon Bjork – “Force Matrix”

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

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

From the comments:

World War Two
6 hours ago
As we see the North African campaign ongoing in our week by week series, in today’s episode we take a closer look at the tactics and logistical developments that helped shaped that campaign.

September 23, 2020

The Man in Monty’s Shadow – Claude Auchinleck – WW2 Biography Special

Filed under: Britain, History, India, Middle East, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 08:30

World War Two
Published 22 Sep 2020

Claude Auchinleck put military matters over that of politics. Although this angered some, mainly Churchill, Auchinleck still found himself in India, and later facing down Rommel in North Africa.

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Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv

Check out our TimeGhost History YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timeghost?s…

Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @ww2_day_by_day – https://www.instagram.com/ww2_day_by_day
Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list…
Source list: http://bit.ly/WW2sources

Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Written by: Francis van Berkel
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson, Bodo Rittenauer
Creative Producer: Maria Kyle
Post-Production Director: Wieke Kapteijns
Research by: Lennart Visser
Edited by: Monika Worona
Sound design: Marek Kamiński

Colorizations by:
Norman Stewart

Sources:
National Portrait Gallery
USHMM

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

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

June 26, 2020

“Ghost Division” – Rommel’s 7th Panzer Division – Sabaton History 073 [Official]

Filed under: France, Germany, History, Media, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

Sabaton History
Published 25 Jun 2020

In the night of 17 May 1940, confusing reports were reaching French High Command. They spoke of what was thought impossible: The German Army had broken through the Maginot Line in the north. Scattered and panicked soldiers spoke of a “Division Fantôme” – a Ghost Division! It was Generalmajor Erwin Rommel’s 7th Panzer Division that was wreaking havoc in the French rear. In an unauthorized push, Rommel had seized the opportunity to rush the French fortress garrisons by a surprise armor attack straight from the move. Now in open space and with the night sky illuminated by burning French tanks and trucks, it was crucial for the Ghost Division to exploit its tactical victory. Alone and cut off like an island in a sea of enemies, this was easier said than done.

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

Listen to “Ghost Division” on the album The Art of War:
CD: http://bit.ly/TheArtOfWarStore
Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheArtOfWarSpotify
Apple Music: http://bit.ly/TheArtOfWarAppleMusic
iTunes: http://bit.ly/TheArtOfWariTunes
Amazon: http://bit.ly/TheArtOfWarAmz
Google Play: http://bit.ly/TheArtOfWarGooglePlay

Watch the Official Lyric Video of “Ghost Division” here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FkYx…

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:
– Bundesarchiv, CC-BY-SA 3.0: Bild 146-1977-018-13A/Otto, Bild 101I-124-0219-20/Hinz, Bild 146-1972-045-02
– Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
– chieftanruncrush from Freesound.org
– Food vector created by freepik – www.freepik.com

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

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

June 21, 2020

French Killing French in Syria – WW2 – 095 – June 20, 1941

Filed under: Africa, Britain, France, Germany, History, Middle East, Military, Russia, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

World War Two
Published 20 Jun 2020

The Allies continue advancing into Vichy French Syria, but they are halted and pushed back by Erwin Rommel at the Halfaya Pass in Libya. Meanwhile, the last preparations are being made for Operation Barbarossa. It will begin in two days.

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

Check out our TimeGhost History YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timeghost?s…

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
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/
– Norman Stewart – https://oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/
– Adrien Fillon – https://www.instagram.com/adrien.colo…

Sources:
– Imperial War Museum: E 6022, CM 923
– Bundesarchiv, CC-BY-SA 3.0: Bild_101I-443-1599-20
– Hawker Hurricane shape by Martin Čížek from Wikimedia
– Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
– SA-Kuva
– Bundesarchiv, CC-BY-SA 3.0: Bild 101III-Wiegand-119-12 / Wiegand

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

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

April 26, 2020

Another Last Stand at Thermopylae – The Battle of Greece – WW2 – 087 – April 25, 1941

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

World War Two
Published 25 Apr 2020

The Battle of Greece continues as forces clash once more at the historic site of Thermopylae.

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

Sources:
– Bundesarchiv, CC-BY-SA 3.0, Bild 101I-163-0318-09/Bauer, Bild 101I-163-0319-03A/Bauer
– Edo leitner from Wikimedia
– Imperial War Museum: E 3830, TR 1762, IWM ART LD 3355, E 676, E 3182, E 3187, E 3178, E 3183, E 2363
– Roll by rivercon from the Noun Project
– Grains by Gan Khoon Lay 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)
The war keeps on growing, and were doing our best to keep up with it. As you notice the episodes are often longer these days, but there are still many details we just can’t cover in the weekly episodes for time reasons. That’s why we do our specials and also why we have our Instagram and Facebook feed with headlines of the war day by day. For instance, while we cover the Allied retreat at Thermopylae, Indy just didn’t have space to go into the details about how Australian and New Zealand forces hold back the Wehrmacht while the others retreat. That will instead be the topic of our post on Instagram / Facebook on April 24 here: https://www.instagram.com/world_war_two_realtime/ and on the TimeGhost facebook page. We also dedicated the thumb to that event by featuring a soldier of the 28th (Māori) Battalion of the NZ forces, photographed in North Africa somewhat later in 1941 while doing the Haka. His unit was part of the rear guard at Thermopylae.

And on that note we would like to acknowledge that we would never be able to do this massive endeavor without the TimeGhost Army and their financial contribution. Valantis who supported this episode by dedicating it to the Cypriots fighting for the Allies in the war is not only a member of the TG Army, he’s also a valuable contributor in our comment sections and volunteers his time to help us sift through and read every comment posted under any of our videos. So, in this place we would like to once again thank Valantis and the entire TimeGhost Army for keeping us in kit, supplies, and manpower to continue the good fight for remembrance and education, especially in these trying times. You can join our forces here https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory or here https://timeghost.tv

Spartacus on behalf of the entire TimeGhost team.

April 17, 2020

QotD: Rommel arrives in North Africa

Filed under: Africa, Britain, Germany, History, Italy, Military, Quotations, WW2 — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 01:00

Rommel arrived in February 1941 with fairly mundane orders to act as a Sperrband, a “blocker” to bolster the Italians after their mauling at Beda Fomm. The force he led was appropriately tiny: the reconnaissance battalion and an antitank detachment of the 5th Light Division (soon renamed the 21st Panzer Division). The rest of the division was still en route to Africa, and a second division, the 15th Panzer, would not arrive completely until the end of May.

Rommel had his orders, but he had ignored orders in the past and been decorated for it. With British forces stripped to fight an exceedingly ill-advised campaign in Greece, he carried out a quick personal reconnaissance in his trusty little Fieseler Storch airplane, then launched an offensive in concert with his Italian partners (Ariete armored division and the infantry divisions of X Corps, Bologna and Pavia). He penetrated British defenses at El Agheila on March 24th, then drove on to Mersa el Brega on March 31st, pausing only long enough to take (and ignore) a number of radio messages from Berlin and Rome warning him not to do anything rash. Finally, he smashed the British defenders at Agedabia (elements of the green 2nd Armoured Division, equipped partially with captured Italian M13/40 tanks), pinning them in front with the infantry of 5th Light Division while dispatching his Panzers on a ride around the open desert flank to the south, the first use of a tactic that would become his signature move.

These three tiny encounters, none of them exceeding regimental strength, were enough to unhinge the entire British defensive position in Cyrenaica. Rommel now expanded his “reconnaissance in force” into a general offensive, although the forces involved were still minuscule. One column headed up the coast road towards Benghazi, while two more sliced across the Cyrenaican bulge, scooping up a mountain of British supplies at Msus and Mechili. The British rear was in chaos. On April 6th, a German motorcycle patrol actually captured the British commander in Cyrenaica, General Philip Neame, as well as General Richard O’Connor, the victor of Beda Fomm. By April 11th, the Germans had surrounded the coastal fortress of Tobruk while smaller formations pressed on to the east, taking Bardia and reaching the Egyptian border at Sollum and Ft. Capuzzo.

This was top speed maneuver, and the distances were vast, with the Afrika Korps covering over 600 miles in less than two weeks. An amazing feat, to be sure, but may we not legitimately ask, Six-hundred miles to where? Rommel had lunged from central Libya to the Egyptian border in a great bound, but now he had an unconquered fortress sitting in his rear, a serious threat to his lines of communication and supply. Two hastily marshaled attempts to storm Tobruk went badly wrong. In the “Easter battle” (April 10th-14th) and the “battle of the Salient” (April 30th-May 4th), the defenders of the 9th Australian Division hung tough. Minefields channeled the German attacks, while direct fire from artillery, antitank guns, and supporting tanks shot up the assault forces quite badly and killed General Heinrich von Prittwitz, commander of 15th Panzer Division.

The very presence of an unconquered Tobruk rendered the drive across the desert pointless. Indeed, for all the fame it had brought Rommel in the world press, this first campaign won him few friends among command echelons in Berlin. General Halder was especially unimpressed. Rommel, he wrote, “storms around all day long with formations strewn all over the place.” The man had apparently “gone insane.” There was some justice to the complaint. A German division-plus had overrun territory — a vast wasteland, to be precise — but it hadn’t really won anything. There had been no battle of annihilation, no Kesselschlacht, nor could there have been. The Afrika Korps had come a long way, but now sat precariously on the edge of nowhere. Although Rommel and his command had shown a satisfying level of aggression, something the entire officer corps understood, most of them saw his drive to the Egyptian border as a misfire.

Robert Citino, “Drive to Nowhere: The Myth of the Afrika Korps, 1941-43″, The National WWII Museum, 2012. (Originally published in MHQ, Summer 2012).

April 16, 2020

Was the Afrika Korps worth it?

Filed under: Africa, Germany, History, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 02:00

Military History not Visualized
Published 20 Apr 2018

Was it worth it to send the Afrika Korps at all? In this video we look at the Mediterranean Campaign in World War 2, which is usually overshadowed by the “Desert Warfare” between Rommel and Montgomery.

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Military History Vlogs is a support channel to Military History Visualized with a focus personal accounts, answering questions that arose on the main channel and showcasing events like visiting museums, using equipment or military hardware.

» SOURCES «

Ball, Simon: “The Mediterranean and North Africa, 1940-1944”, in: Cambridge History of the Second World War – Volume I, p. 358-388

Preston, Paul: “Spain: betting on a Nazi victory”; in: Cambridge History of the Second World War: Volume II: Politics & Ideology, p. 324-349

Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg, Band 3: Der Mittelmeerraum und Südosteuropa 1940-1941 (English Version below)
ENGLISH VERSION: Germany and the Second World War, Volume 3, The Mediterranean, South-east Europe, and North Africa, 1939-1941

Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg – Band 6 – Der Globale Krieg
ENGLISH VERSION: Germany and the Second World War – Volume 6 – The Global War

Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg – Band 8
ENGLISH VERSION: Germany and the Second World War – Volume 8 – The Eastern Front 1943-1944: The War in the East and on the Neighbouring Fronts

» CREDITS & SPECIAL THX «
Song: Ethan Meixsell – “Demilitarized Zone”

#AfrikaKorps #AfricaCorps #WW2

April 12, 2020

Nazis in the Balkans – The Invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia – WW2 – 085 – April 11, 1941

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

World War Two
Published 11 Apr 2020

This week, the German army invades Greece and Yugoslavia as it launches Operation Marita and Operation 25 respectively. They also take some remarkable captives in North 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
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/
– Daniel Weiss
– Julius Jääskeläinen – https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/
– Adrien Fillon – https://www.instagram.com/adrien.colo…
– Carlos Ortega Pereira, BlauColorizations
– Owen Robinson – https://www.instagram.com/owen.colori…

Sources:
– FORTEPAN / MARTIN DJEMIL, MARTIN DJEMIL
– FDR Presidential Library & Museum
– Bundesarchiv
– Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
– Side cap and veteran icons by Andrei Yushchenko from the Noun Project
– IWM: E 2961, E 4702, E 2987, A 9796

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
This is the second double-length episode, with the Invasion of the Benelux and France being the first one (May 18th 1940). Now, there are two things I want to point out in this comment. First of all, like our May 18th episode, this episode is packed with the amazing maps made by Eastory. If you haven’t already, subscribe to www.youtube.com/c/eastory. Furthermore, this week the final episode of our Between Two Wars series aired, covering the world on the brink of World War Two. The entire series of 58 episodes long, covering all the events leading up to WW2, can be watched in this playlist (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrG5J-K5AYAU1R-HeWSfY2D1jy_sEssNG) or simply by going to www.youtube.com/c/timeghost.
Cheers, Joram

April 5, 2020

Rommel Storms Into North-Africa – WW2 – 084 – April 4, 1941

Filed under: Africa, Britain, Germany, History, Italy, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 06:00

World War Two
Published 4 Apr 2020

The British thought they would be safe for a while, but this week they are proven wrong. This week, Erwin Rommel begins his advance towards the East of North 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
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:
– Daniel Weiss
– Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
– Julius Jääskeläinen – https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/
– Adrien Fillon – https://www.instagram.com/adrien.colo…
– Norman Stewart – https://oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/
– Olga Shirnina, a.k.a. Klimbim – https://klimbim2014.wordpress.com/
– Owen Robinson – https://www.instagram.com/owen.colori…

Sources:
– National Portrait Gallery
– Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
– Bundesarchiv
– Yugoslav military maneuvers at Torlak, 1940, by Boksi from Wikimedia
– US Holocaust Memorial Museum
– Војни архив
– Documents icon by Srinivas Agra from the Noun Project

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

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

March 13, 2020

QotD: Rommel’s generalship

Filed under: Africa, Germany, History, Military, Quotations, WW2 — Tags: , , , , — Nicholas @ 01:00

Yes, the reader might respond, but surely we are on firmer ground with regard to [Rommel’s] military skill! After all, no less a figure than British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called him “a great general” on the floor of the House of Commons. Even here, it is possible to make a counterargument. Rommel’s daring exploits at the head of the Afrika Korps (later enlarged and renamed Panzerarmee Afrika) were exciting, to be sure, but many officers in his own army reckoned them as an ultimately valueless sideshow. His disinterest in the dreary science of logistics, his “bias for action,” his tendency to fly off wherever the fighting was hottest are qualities that may make for an exciting movie, but they are problematic in an army commander under modern conditions, and they all contributed materially to the disaster that ultimately befell him and his army in the desert.

[…]

When Rommel arrived in Africa, he brought with him a fully realized art of war. He’d won a Pour le Mérite (the famed “Blue Max“) for a series of nail-biting mountain exploits in the 1917 Caporetto campaign; he had been a very popular tactical instructor at the Dresden Infantry School between the wars; he had commanded one of the army’s precious Panzer divisions (the 7th) during the 1940 campaign in the West. In France, Rommel had behaved more like an 18th century hussar cut loose on a raiding mission than a divisional commander. He led from the front, braved enemy fire on numerous occasions, and turned off his radio from time to time rather than risk receiving orders to rein himself in. He drove forward so rapidly that the 7th Panzer became known as the “ghost division” for its tendency to drop off the situation maps and reappear where least expected. There were many in the German high command, including the chief of the General Staff Franz Halder, who didn’t much appreciate Rommel running amok, but as one analyst put it, “it was impossible to court martial such a successful general, so Rommel instead got the Ritterkreuz” [the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross].

Robert Citino, “Drive to Nowhere: The Myth of the Afrika Korps, 1941-43″, The National WWII Museum, 2012. (Originally published in MHQ, Summer 2012).

March 2, 2020

QotD: The legend of Rommel and the Afrika Korps

Filed under: Africa, Germany, History, Military, Quotations, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , , — Nicholas @ 01:00

There is no more evocative phrase to emerge from World War II than Afrika Korps. The name conjures up a unique theater of war, a hauntingly beautiful empty quarter where armies could roam free, liberated from towns and hills, choke points and blocking positions, and especially those pesky civilians. It calls forth a war of near-absolute mobility, where tanks could operate very much like ships at sea, “sailing” where they wished, setting out on bold voyages hundreds of miles into the deep desert, then looping around the enemy flank and emerging like pirates of old to deal devastating blows to an unsuspecting foe. Finally, it implies a bold hero, in this case Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, a noble commander who fought the good fight, who hated Hitler and everything he stood for, and who couldn’t have been farther away from our stereotyped image of the Nazi fanatic. Everything about him attracts us — the manly poses, the out-of-central-casting good looks, even the goggles perched just so. Placing Rommel and his elite Afrika Korps to the fore allows us to view the desert war as a clean fight against a morally worthy opponent. It was war, yes, but almost uniquely in World War II, it was a “war without hate.”

It’s an attractive image all around, and it is unfortunate that practically all of it is false. The desert was hardly a haven of beauty or romance. It was a pain, and fighting in it was a nightmare for both sides. Far from letting the respective tank fleets roam free, the desert chained them irresistibly to their supply lines, and a single failed supply convoy or a lost column of trucks could stop an entire offensive dead in its tracks. Contrary to the alleged mobility of desert warfare, both sides would spend far more time in static defensive positions, often quite elaborate, then they would launching tank charges.

That leaves us with Rommel. Here, too, we should challenge the mythology. He was hardly apolitical. His entire career had been based on Hitler’s favor, and we might reasonably describe his attitude toward the Führer as worshipful. He was Hitler’s fair-haired boy, a young officer repeatedly promoted over more senior candidates. He was a media creation. Nazi propaganda painted him not only as a garden-variety hero, but as a model National Socialist and Aryan, a man who could overcome stronger enemies through the sheer force of his will. He was not merely a passive bystander to the hype; he was an active accomplice. He loved nothing better than having a camera crew along with him on campaign, and he would regularly order scenes to be reshot if his posture was insufficiently heroic or the lighting had not shown him to best advantage. As is often the case, his relationship to the media was both self-serving and self-destructive. During the years of victory, the German propaganda machine used him as an example to the nation. When things went sour, he became a diversion from the increasingly bad news on other fronts. Finally, when he was no longer useful for any purpose at all, the regime dropped him altogether and eventually killed him.

Robert Citino, “Drive to Nowhere: The Myth of the Afrika Korps, 1941-43″, The National WWII Museum, 2012. (Originally published in MHQ, Summer 2012).

February 16, 2020

Enter Erwin Rommel – The British Advance in Africa – WW2 – 077 – February 15 1941

Filed under: Africa, Britain, Europe, Germany, History, Italy, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

World War Two
Published 15 Feb 2020

While the Germans send one of their best generals to North Africa to bail out the Italians, Great Britain switches focus from Libya to Greece, but make symbolically important gains in East Africa.

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Follow WW2 day by day on Instagram @World_war_two_realtime https://www.instagram.com/world_war_t…
Join our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/D6D2aYN
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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/
– Norman Stewart – https://oldtimesincolor.blogspot.com/

Sources:
– Bundesarchiv
– A German soldier poses atop a tank, photo credit: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Perquimans County Library
– US National Archive
– IWM: A 4035, HU 39482

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
When you know the story going forward it’s fascinating to see how the decisions unfold this week — the reshuffling of command both on the Axis and Allied side might seem like innocuous administrative decisions when you don’t know the future. But if you have a crystal ball, you’ll know that not just Rommel arriving in North Africa, but also the decisions on the British side this week will have momentous impact on the war in total. That’s one of the things we discovered early-on with a chronological narrative, it suddenly puts things in a new perspective. The relationship between events changes, and things that might seem too boring, or undramatic to include in a “great story” take on a whole new meaning, increasing our understanding of cause and effect of the “greater” events that will come. On a different note, we just finished shooting a new batch of videos today and we’ll be announcing some fascinating developments on our program in the coming weeks. Stay tuned, and stay awesome, you all are by far the best community on YouTube!

February 9, 2020

Rommel to fix the Bungle in Benghazi – WW2 – 076 – February 8, 1941

Filed under: Africa, Britain, Europe, Germany, History, Italy, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

World War Two
Published 8 Feb 2020

As the Italian campaigns in Africa collapse, Hitler considers his options and then chooses Erwin Rommel to rescue their Italian allies.

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…
Join our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/D6D2aYN.
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: Mikołaj Cackowski
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)
Additional animations: Ryan Weatherby

Colorizations by:
Adrien Fillon – https://www.instagram.com/adrien.colo…
Julius Jääskeläinen – https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/
Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/

Sources:
Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
Artillery by Creative Mania from the Noun Project

Soundtracks from the Epidemic Sound:
Johannes Bornlof – “Last Man Standing 3”
Hakan Eriksson – “Epic Adventure Theme 3”
Phoenix Tail – “At the Front”
Gunnar Johnsen – “Not Safe Yet”
Johan Hynynen – “Dark Beginning”
Yi Nantiro – “Watchmen”
Rannar Sillard – “March Of The Brave 10”

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

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

January 14, 2020

The Desert Fox | Rommel’s FIRST Battle in the North African Campaign | BATTLESTORM

Filed under: Africa, Australia, Britain, Germany, History, Italy, Military, WW2 — Tags: , , , — Nicholas @ 04:00

TIK
Published 17 May 2016

Erwin Rommel faces the might of the British Empire. In 3D animation, we’ll see the units, the battlefield and the tactics The Desert Fox uses to overcome the British and Australian forces at Mersa Brega and throw them out of Italian Libya. Except for Tobruk of course! The video covers Erwin Rommel’s arrival in Italian Libya up to the beginning part of the Battle of Tobruk 1941.

This video is Part 2 of the Western Desert Campaign – Part 1 (Operation Compass) is in the link below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b71kd…

Bibliography

Battistelli, Pier Paolo. Erwin Rommel (Command). Osprey Publishing, 2010.
Beckett, Ian F. Rommel: A Reappraisal. Great Britain, 2013.
Beevor, Antony. The Second World War. Phoenix, 2014.
Bickers, Richard Townshend. The Desert Air War: 1939-1945. Endeavour Press Ltd, 2015.
Butler, Daniel Allen. Field Mashal: the Life and Death of Erwin Rommel. Casemate Publishers, 2015.
Dimbleby, Jonathan. Destiny in the Desert: The Road to El Alamein – the Battle that Turned the Tide. Great Britain, 2012.
Liddell Hart, B.H. A History of the Second World War. Pan Books, 2015.
Hastings, Max. All Hell Let Loose: The World at War 1939-1945. HarperPress, 2011.
Jorgensen, Christer. Afrika Korps: Rommel’s 1941 Offensive (Rapid Reads). Brown Bear Books, 2014.
LaFace, Major Jeffrey L. Tactical Victory Leading to Operational Failure: Rommel in North Africa. Pickle Partners Publishing, 2014.
Lyman R. The Longest Siege: Tobruk – The Battle That Saved North Africa. Pan Books, 2011.
Moorehead, Alan. The Desert War: the Classic Trilogy on the North Africa Campaign 1940-43. CPI Group, 2012.
Nash, N. Strafer Desert General: The Life and Killing of Lieutenant General WHE Gott. Pen and Sword Books Ltd, 2013.
Neillands, Robert. The Desert Rats: 7th Armoured Division 1940-45. UK, 2005.
Neillands, Robert. Eighth Army: From the Western Desert to the Alps, 1939-1945. John Murray Publishers, 2004.
Pitt, Barrie. The Crucible of War: Volume 1: Wavell’s Command. Cassell & Co, 2001.
Playfair, Major-General I.S.O. The Mediterranean and Middle East, Volume II, “The Germans come to the help of their Ally” (1941). The Naval & Military Press Ltd, 2004.
Raugh, H. Wavell in the Middle East 1939-1941: A Study in Generalship. USA, 2013.
Reuth, Ralf Georg. Rommel: The End of a Legend. Haus Publishing, 2005.
Thompson, Dennis H. Discarded Victory – North Africa, 1940-1941. Pickle Partners, 2014.
Williamson, Gordon. Afrikakorps 1941-43 (Elite). Osprey Publishing, 2009.

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