The Intel Report
Published 8 Jun 2023As Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps rolled into Egypt in 1942, the only thing standing between them and Cairo and the Suez Canal was the British 8th Army. In this video we look at what was at stake for both sides, and why the North African campaign made a crucial impact on the outcome of the Second World War.
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September 30, 2023
Why did the North Africa Campaign Matter in WW2?
June 17, 2023
Why Rommel Lost the Battle for North Africa
Real Time History
Published 16 Jun 2023The North African campaign of WW2 is one of the most famous ones. The almost mythical story of the British “Desert Rats” defeating Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps. But why did Rommel lose in North Africa?
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June 20, 2021
Tobruk: A second siege? – WW2 – 147 – June 20, 1942
World War Two
Published 19 Jun 2021Two convoys head from opposite ends of the Mediterranean to supply Malta, hoping to run interference for each other, and the Battle of Sevastopol continues as the Axis slowly wear down the Soviet defenders, but the big news is Erwin Rommel’s continued advances in North Africa, defeating the 8th Army again and again. Can the Allies hold Tobruk? Will they even try? Watch and find out.
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April 4, 2021
The Carpet Bombing of Germany begins – WW2 – 136 – April 3, 1942
World War Two
Published 3 Apr 2021Britain’s campaign to firebomb the old towns of Germany where civilians reside begins in earnest this week. The British also destroy the port at St. Nazaire in commando action. In the Indian Ocean, however, they are avoiding contact with the Japanese, even while on land the Japanese advance in both Burma and New Guinea.
Check out Indy’s Tie Barn to get your own tie right here: https://www.youtube.com/c/IndysTieBar…
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tvFollow 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/WW2sourcesWritten 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: Iryna Dulka
Sound design: Marek Kamiński
Map animations: Eastory (https://www.youtube.com/c/eastory)Colorizations by:
– Daniel Weiss
– Carlos Ortega Pereira, BlauColorizations – https://www.instagram.com/blaucolorizations
– Election1960 from Wiki CommonsSources:
– Bundesarchiv – 101II-MW-3722-03
– IWM C 2351, A 11787, H_018753_1, R 1827Soundtracks from the Epidemic Sound:
– Rannar Sillard – “Easy Target”
– Edward Karl Hanson – “Spellbound”
– Phoenix Tail – “At the Front”
– Jo Wandrini – “Dragon King”
– Phoenix Tail – “Last Minute Reaction”
– Craft Case – “Secret Cargo”
– Fabien Tell – “Last Point of Safe Return”
– Howard Harper-Barnes – “Underlying Truth”
– Flouw – “A Far Cry”
– Fabien Tell – “Break Free”
– Wendel Scherer – “Time to Face Them”Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
December 13, 2020
December 6, 2020
November 29, 2020
November 19, 2020
Deception and Dust-ups – Desert Warfare Tactics – WW2 Special
World War Two
Published 18 Nov 2020When 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.tvFollow 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/WW2sourcesHosted 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 OlssonSources:
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 MRFASoundtracks 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.
June 14, 2020
May 10, 2020
Enigma Captured! – WW2 – 089 – May 9, 1941
World War Two
Published 9 May 2020An 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.tvFollow 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/WW2sourcesWritten 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 WikimediaArchive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
May 3, 2020
Balkans in Nazi Hands – A Greek Tragedy – WW2 – 088 – May 02, 1941
World War Two
Published 2 May 2020Greece falls as Axis troops push through the last Allied defences. New plans are made for a German invasion of Crete, and a new war breaks out between Great Britain and Iraq.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tvFollow 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/WW2sourcesWritten 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:
– Olga Shirnina, a.k.a. Klimbim – https://klimbim2014.wordpress.com/
– Julius Jääskeläinen – https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/
– Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
– Carlos Ortega Pereira, BlauColorizations, https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…Sources:
– Bundesarchiv, CC-BY-SA 3.0, Bild_146-1977-163-05A, Bild 146-1977-122-16, Bild_141-0816, Bild 101I-757-0023-32
– National Portrait Gallery
– Imperial War Museum: Q 69840, HU 52264Archive 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)
Now, we have decided to leave out any Call to Action (the bit where Indy tells you to subscribe and support us on Patreon) to give room to the dramatic speech on Radio Athens. So allow me to write it right here: If you want to learn more about how Kurt Student’s Fallschirmjäger were developed and used earlier in the war, you can check out our Special Episode about that right here: https://youtu.be/RNr3E3Hr0bo. I don’t want to deny anyone the chance to get a random name shoutout in the video by writing it here, but it is thanks our supporters that we can continue to make content like this. You can join the TimeGhost Army on www.patreon.com/timeghosthistory or https://timeghost.tv. Don’t forget to subscribe, ring the notification bell and see you next time!
Cheers, Joram
April 26, 2020
Another Last Stand at Thermopylae – The Battle of Greece – WW2 – 087 – April 25, 1941
World War Two
Published 25 Apr 2020The 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.tvFollow 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/WW2sourcesWritten 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/dememorabiliaSources:
– 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 ProjectArchive 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 19, 2020
Yugoslavia Crushed – Battle for Greece Continues – WW2 – 086 – April 18, 1941
World War Two
Published 18 Apr 2020The Battles for Yugoslavia and Greece continue as the Soviet-Union and Japan sign a non-aggression pact.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tvFollow 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/WW2sourcesWritten 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/
– Adrien Fillon – https://www.instagram.com/adrien.colo…
– Julius Jääskeläinen – https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/
– Carlos Ortega Pereira, https://www.instagram.com/blaucoloriz…Sources:
– Bundesarchiv, CC-BY-SA 3.0: Bild 101III-Weyer-024-05A/Weyer, Bild 146-1975-036-24/Gofferjé, Leander, Bild 101I-161-0317-26/Bauer, Bild 101I-158-0094-35/Kisselbach, Bild 102-17311
– Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
– fractured arm icon by ProSymbols from the Noun Project
– Imperial War Museum: D 4311Archive by Screenocean/Reuters https://www.screenocean.com.
A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.
April 17, 2020
QotD: Rommel arrives in North Africa
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).
January 26, 2020
When Anti-Semites Infight, Jews Still Die – Pogroms in Romania – WW2 – 074 – January 25, 1941
World War Two
Published 25 Jan 2020The British offensive in East-Africa takes off with some rapid advances. Meanwhile in Eastern-Europe, Romania is the stage of fierce anti-semitism, but also infighting between two of the groups causing the anti-semitism.
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory
Or join The TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tvFollow 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/WW2sourcesWritten 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 WeatherbyColorizations by:
Adrien Fillon – https://www.instagram.com/adrien.colo…
Julius Jääskeläinen – https://www.facebook.com/JJcolorization/
Dememorabilia – https://www.instagram.com/dememorabilia/
Daniel WeissSources:
IWM (B 10600)
Narodowe Archiwum Cyfrowe
freemason by Kyle Tezak from the Noun Project
Letter by Mochammad Kafi from the Noun Project
ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv / Fotograf: Wehrli, Leo / Dia_247-08618
Private collection of Riggio family https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi…Soundtracks from the Epidemic Sound:
Philip Ayers – “The Unexplored”
Max Anson – “Ancient Saga”
Hakan Erikson – “Epic Adventure Theme 4”
Andreas Jamsheree – “Guilty Shadows 4”
Johannes Bornlof – “Last Man Standing 3”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
Thank you all so much for reaching 400.000 subscribers! Thanks to all of your support and enthusiasm, more and more people get to see more and better content. In fact, from mid-February onwards, we are going to publish three WW2 videos a week, including Out of the Foxholes, Biographies, Special Episodes, War Against Humanity and a new series on the Homefronts. Not only that, we are also going to start a new series on the TimeGhost History Channel (http://www.youtube.com/c/timeghost). Our Patreons get to vote on what we’ll do next! So don’t miss out and change history here -> https://www.patreon.com/posts/what-timeghost-33300161
Cheers, Joram