It’s actually not permitted under UKposts rules to upload Citino lectures with good audio.

I took a few classes with Dr. Citino when he was a professor at Eastern Michigan University. I was so enamored of his lectures I asked him to sign a waiver so I could take a graduate class of his even though I was still an undergrad. I worked my academic ass off in that class just to barely earn a "B" but I loved, and learned from, every minute of it. A few years later he wrote a recommendation letter for me to enter the PhD program at EMU. Thanks for everything you did for your students, Dr. Citino....

I'm retired now so I have time to immerse myself in watching hours and hours of brilliant WW2 history like this. It's so good. The stories of WW2 are captivating, devastatingly destructive, sad and yet addictive. WW2 is the greatest story ever told, with thousands of contributors. Mankind's biggest failure to date. Vanity, pride, arrogance and sheer dogged determination and refusal to surrender. RIP to all its victims.

"..calling the U.S. troops 'our Italians'" Damn Britain a burn of that magnitude might be considered a war crime

Germans never reached their strategic objectives, they never got to the strategic resources that they so desperately needed. Their logistical situation was a total disaster.

"We didn't really lose that war, and we're gonna prove it this time by getting DESTROYED" is literally the best line ever delivered at USAHEC

Germany was screwed with lack of oil production. One of the reasons they invaded the Soviet Union. The US produced 70% of the worlds crude oil at the time.

This is a class I would get an A in and stay for HOURS!!! My lord why arent more professors like this.....

One correction: "Steher" indeed means "Stander" but it doesn't mean that you're somebody who stays were told to. It's actually a normal colloquial expression in the German language. It basically means "tough guy" and originates in horse riding. A Steher is a horse that brings the best performance over a long distance.

Citino does such an great job at answering questions, really teasing out what people are asking and giving the right level of detail

1:40 Not always, in 1914 Moltke went to the Kaiser and reccomend he make peace in ww1 because the chance for a quick win was over and the only war left would be one of attrition, the Kaiser told moltke he could get back to the war or hand in his resignation and Moltke handed in his resignation rather than be party to what would become the second bloodiest war of all time.

Great lecture, watched it 10 times by now. His passion, attitude and temper makes it even more entertaining than it should be! Thanks for uploading.

Great video, thanks for posting!

"Over by Christmas." The original was "Home before the leaves fall" - Kaiser Wilhelm II.

This guy is an incredibly compelling speaker - I was glued to this video despite its aggressive lack of visual interest.

That's a great lecture, thank you Citino! Cheers from Brazil!

Informative, paced well and entertaining asides. Thank you, it was enjoyable

The answers to the questions at the end were really insightful, especially with regard to the treaty of Versailles, well done sir, I thought there was nothing more for me to know on this subject!

Great articulate, knowledgeable speaker! Really enjoyed this. Watched twice. Thank you!

Excellent lecture, excellent presentation, excellent delivery

Great presentation. Really enjoyed it.

Brilliant lecturer. It’s a complicated situation, requiring deep understanding.

Dr. Robert Citino is a great professor, he knows the great drama was in WW2 and the German Army.

I have watched this lecture all the way thorough three or four times, and I enjoy it every time.

This was a very interesting lecture. Thanks for posting.

This is an excellent lecture...very interesting and insightful. It is a lot better than most. Good stuff...thanks!

So I listened to all of this. ALL OF IT......I enjoyed 100% of this. I wish there were more like this. God I loved all of this...

This is such a good video. This guy’s excitement for the subject matter wears off on the listener.

17:59 - I met a doctor (retired) who was there. He titled his lecture: Practicing Medicine Under Pressure (or Surgery Under Pressure). Gruesome stuff.

I also disagree with the affirmation the Versailles treaty was not a Carthaginian treaty. In the list of the German obligations Citino doesn't mention the war reparations, those were so immensely high that, if observed, would have basically condemned the Germans to work for the French "forever", it was a modern form of enslaving of an entire people. The debt reparations were later greatly reduced, but the original sum was just a more modern form of enslaving. It definitely was a Carthaginian treaty. As a comparison, the Americans did not pillage Italy during WW2, those are things of the past. They just printed huge amount of money (so called "am-lire") and devalued by many times the purchase power of the Italian Lira, so much that after the war ended all savings which were denominated in IL were reduced to nothing. With the paper, the US could obtain anything (labour, good etc.), no need for crop requisition etc. but it basically was a modern form of pillage.

Wonderful Lecture. Thank you.

Awesome lecture and very happy someone posted it for the world to see. I'd love to take a class or 2 with Dr. Citino.

In February 1942 Reich Minister for Arms and Ammunition Fritz Todt told Hitler with tears in his eyes that the war was unarguably lost since both the USA and the USSR produced 5 or 6 times the amount of bombers as Germany. Shortly later Todt left the meeting and Albert Speer was meant to leave too but Hitler persuaded his architect friend to stay then Todt’s plane mysteriously blew up and Speer got the job and he must have realised at that time, just like Todt, that the best Germany could hope for was a truce since their industries couldn’t keep up and he was buying time for Hitler.

He described the entire Italian campaign without mentioning the British role in it. Oh how American!

Excellent commentary, very insightful 👍 Most profound statement: “ You can not win a World War without a Navy” Thank you for the post!

This was a very good lecture. Really enjoyed

Gobbels, in his diary, writing about ending the was during 1943, said that they couldn’t because: “We have gone too far.” Meaning that their policy of murdering those they conquered, the extermination of Jews and some others, as well as using slave labor, wouldn’t allow them to surrender without being put on trial and executed. He was right, of course, as we saw.

I really enjoy his speaking style. Keeps you engaged the whole time! Good stuff!

The battle of Crete was really important for the fact that the Germans lost a lot of transport aircraft that was not available for the Russian invasion and to move troops and supplies forward allowing the Russians to have time to setup new lines of defence.

One of the better talks I've seen on either of the world wars. Robert Citino can certainly keep you entertained. It sounds like he is a great teacher.

Citino is one of the best on this subject.

I was had Dr. Citino at Eastern Michigan. He is still my favorite professor.

Great presentation - thanks.

Really enjoyed this.

31:39 "I went in intending to argue with Hitler, but there was something hypnotic about that blue-eyed piercing stare, and I just went to pieces." That's waifuism. German Army High Command had made Hitler their waifu.

Dr. Citino is a treasure.

Very helpful presentation! Enjoyable style.

I couldn’t agree more. Recently I retired as well. Watching sometimes brilliant lectures on the two world wars is what I do.

'42/43 was also Midway/Guadalcanal, and Burma (monsoon stopped the invasion of India) in the Pacific, and there was Torch in conjunction w/ El Alamein and Stalingrad. High water marks everywhere.

Actually, the German phrase "A stone has fallen from my heart" is the the equivalent of "That's a load off my mind," and the insinuation isn't the best day of a person's life, but just relief that a sad or tragic situation has either turned out to be nothing or has been resolved. Given that a General said it, I'd guess it wasn't the happiest day of his life, but relief that a perceived wrong was finally being dealt with. Smug arrogance and "poor us" syndrome waiting for revenge.

Quite good introduction into the matter. I am german and very interested in this part of our history. Seems like we have read the same books almost. And there is still so much new insight coming up.

Really interesting and thoughtful Thanks

Very insightful I believe for the most part. I've probably watched, read, or listened to hundreds of WW2 discussions & examinations that can be declared "in-depth" or for the more educated on the topic. Not the bullet points you'd get in any college class on the topic, but the ones that really go deep. And the more I've learned it's basically led me to draw this conclusion: There is no one, two, or even five reasons this war followed the course it ultimately did. There were a ton of myths, misconceptions, lies, legends, knee-jerk reactions, poor information, accidents, hopes, wishes, and gambles that formulated the mentalities of the men directing the course of this war. And that's not even getting into perhaps the biggest obstacle in any fight: the fog of war. There were so, so many factors and past experiences that had occurred over the years leading up the crucial moments of decisions in this struggle that had shaped the individuals who decided this epic saga that you can legitimately point to dozens of different reasons and still be correct. I guess what I'm saying is, there is no simple way to explain the course of this war. You can list 50 legitimate reasons Germany made the decisions they made and committed the actions they committed, 35 good reasons the Japanese & Italians were motivated & shaped by, and the same on down the line to every major player in this war. But the basic, inescapable certainty I arrive upon in nearly all of these examinations is that the reasons the mass destruction, casualties, and atrocities were committed by the guilty parties in question is that it was always in retaliation for an earlier offense. Everyone is retaliating for something that occurred at some point in time. I guess with a history as long, intricate, and intersected as the histories of Europe & Asia are, one can always find a reason to legitimize a heinous act.

One note Crete was attacked by German paratroopers and they did a lot of the hard fighting, but Germany also landed regularly army once one of the port was captured and then went on to take all of Crete

Great speaker good energy , better content! Much appreciated

An excellent talk, I am going to have to see if I can find his book.

I have Dr. Citino´s book. Highly recommended.

Insightful and thought provoking. As an amateur historian who started studying War Two in his teens, I knew about all this information. But that last point Dr. Citino makes... the death of one's caste... is one that I had not considered. Given that the Army... not the Wehrmacht as a whole, but the Army - Der Deutsche Heer... was one of the great social institutions in Germany from its foundation as a nation in 1870, it should have come as no surprise to me. But it did.

Very entertaining. Thank you.

Incredible presentation !

I really like Dr. Citino's style of lecture and I like to hear his videos while I do other stuff throughout the day. I am definitly going to buy and read (repeatedly) his books on this subject.

Finally someone with the Guts to say it thankyou Sir i really think you hit the nail on the head with your opinion of the officer class in Germany their Doomed sense of Opera genuinely appealed to them so it didn't need to be Hitler it could have been anyonelike you say excellently argued you have made a very valid point and its been most interesting listening to you

Excellent breakdown

Just so you know sir, watched it at least twice in succession. Ever finish to a demand for encore? Thank you

41:41 he asked a very good question. iv'e had read the book "the end" by ian kershaw and it was very luminary toward the question why the third reich was still in great power and why the wermacht fought so vehemently when the collapse was inevitable

On the question of "turning point of December 1941": Richard Sorge was a German journalist in Japan who also worked for Soviet military intelligence (codename "Ramsay"). In September 1941 Ramsay found out that Japan would not attack Soviet Siberia in the near future. Stalin trusted this information and took the risk of moving 16 divisions from Asia to the Moscow front. In October 1941 the Japanese arrested Sorge for espionage. He was executed in 1944. "Richard Sorge's brilliant espionage work saved Stalin and the Soviet Union from defeat in the fall of 1941, probably prevented a Nazi victory in World War II and thereby assured the dimensions of the world we live in today." - Larry Collins "The spies in history who can say from their graves, the information I supplied to my masters, for better or worse, altered the history of our planet, can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Richard Sorge was in that group." - Frederick Forsyth

Third time watching this and still I find it compelling viewing.

Great lecture Thanks!

Citino needs more of a web presence. He's a great lecturer from what I've seen. Anyone know if there's more of his presentations online?

Why arent there more lectures like this?

This was a fantastic lecture. World class.

Citing is the best period. He puts you in mind of the soldiers!

good video, very good

I loved reading the book by Dr. Citino. it is well written and cogent. Dr. Citino is a outstanding author of World War 2 history. I read his background and academic career one of which was at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. This is also my school where I earned my BBA degree.

Brilliant orator and researcher, very rare talent!

Thoroughly enjoyed that

I think everyone needs to give the OKW and logistics officers some respect for getting Germany so far in the war. Germany taking Poland was impressive. Germany taking France was a miracle. Germany getting so far against to Soviets was damn near impossible.

I think that being a German soldier who was still in action after the tide had truly turned and the Russian meat grinder was steadily getting closer and closer must have been one of the most frightening situations imaginable. No hope of either victory or escape and even less of mercy.

this award is well deserved !

I keep trying to understand the layout of the room they are in. Behind the speaker there seems to be a foyer leading into the room, the two doors behind the speaker are closed for the occasion of this lecture. Then there are two more doors, one on the left, one on the right, which are open presumably to allow traffic flow. There is no traffic though. That would probably be because the rear of the hall is where people are coming and going, which would be expected in any other lecture hall. So why is there a foyer in the front of the hall, behind the speaker? Where does it go? Can someone link me to a map of the building?

loving his off the cuff responses to questions. his answers about Frederick the great having army commanders from the same Prussian families, just so across this. love how dismisses the plasticity of the german officers oaths...

The captured German generals weren't sitting in British prisons, on the contrary, they were housed in great comfort in country mansions outside London. Unknowing to them these mansions were completely bugged, even the gardens, and their conversations listened to and recorded. They divulged a wealth of information to British Intelligence, particularly when a newly captured general or other senior officer arrived at the mansion and was pumped for information by their colleagues. Information included the final solution, vengence weapons, new technology, state of German morale and meetings with Hitler. The British did not openly communicated this information after the war as they thought it could be a useful technique in any future conflict.

I am a WW 2 buff this Gentleman is so knowledgeable I would take his class in a minute. Much respect for his opinions.....

Love his analysis. The nature of the regime and the dictates of avoiding separate peace amongst allies required unconditional surrender as a policy.

I don't think I would lump Model in with the others that he mentioned.

Only one point I don't agree with. Germany and the SU, were not allies in the classical sense with common goals and armies fighting on one side. They merely signed a non-aggression pact, with accompanying economic and territorial deals. That doesn't make them "allies". The SU was therefore non-belligerent (as a result of this NA pact). The "new good relations" as shown in the Nazi newsreels at the time (and which still influence opinions today) was propaganda. Ideologically and politically, the two sides remained enemies.

I am not native and he speaks. Thanks for the subtitles and 0.75x i didn't miss this lesson.

I would say that the turning point of WW2 was November 9th 1942 at 9:12 AM. I've given this question much thought these past few minutes and I can do no more without an atomic clock.

This Lecturer has been voted the “ best in the world” more than a few times. Hard to argue with that.

Citino pierces straight through the vast mythology surrounding Germany and the Wehrmacht and gets to the human stuff of the problem. He also does it quite engagingly.

Great video 😄

Not exactly what I expected from the title, but very interesting none the less!

I read books by Sven Hassel when I was a teenager. In them he says that at the end of the war, the mantra was, "Enjoy the war while it lasts because the peace is going to be hell".

Great video and lecture - thank you Dr. Citino. He's absolutely right about his recommendation on Rick Atkinson's 'Day of Battle' - it is the definitive book of the American/British (and Polish) campaign in Italy. I remembered it had what might be the most understated quote I ever heard in my life by an American infantry officer at either Anzio or Cassino writing to family back home 'Battles are fun to read about in books, but not nearly as much fun to actually fight in.' - Indeed...

Great impartial lecture

Dear all, I am curious about these great german philospher generals RC mentions at 12:40 and wish to read more about them. But I cant quite hear the names he mentions. Does he say Clausewitz, Helmuth Von Moltke and Hans Von Seeckt or something else?

Excellent presentation! Could not agree more about the vagaries regarding the turning point. I would like to suggest what I consider to be one (if not THE one) - the moment the German Army took a vow of allegiance to Hitler.

Thank you Doctor for pointing out that it was the Polish intelligence that broke the Enigma and passed on all the knowledge to the British in August 1939. It is not a very well known fact that Alan Turing just continued on from what the Poles did, as Enigma became more and more advanced. But the breakthrough happened in Poznan, Poland and a few years before the start of the war, to add.

Best WWII video I have ever seen

Good stuff!