German Perspective: Battle of Monte Cassino '44
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2 роки томуThe Battle of Monte Cassino from the German perspective with Dr. Magnus Pahl of the Military History Museum (MHM) of the Bundeswehr Dresden. This video covers the 2nd (German Perspective) / 3rd (Allied Perspective) of Monte Cassino. For this we use many German sources, yet also the British and New Zealand official Histories of the Second World War as well. We look at the combat operations and changes in position from 16th March 1944 to 26th March 1944.
Disclaimer: I was invited by Militärhistorische Museum der Bundeswehr Dresden in 2021. www.mhmbw.de/
Cover Photo 1: Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2005-0004 / Wittke / CC-BY-SA 3.0
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Cover Photo 2: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-312-0998-27 / Enz / CC-BY-SA 3.0; Monte Cassino, Panzerreparatur während Kampf
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
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» SOURCES «
Pahl, Magnus: Monte Cassino 1944: Der Kampf um Rom und seine Inszenierung. Verlag Ferdinand Schöningh: Paderborn, Germany, 2021.
Stimpel, Hans-Martin: Die deutsche Fallschirmtruppe 1942 - 1945: Einsätze auf den Kriegsschauplätzen im Süden. Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn: Hamburg, Germany, 1998.
Parts of the Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939-1945:
nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/schola...
nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/schola...
Fennell, Jonathan: Fighting the People’s War: The British and Commonwealth Armies and the Second World War. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, 2018.
Molony, C.J.C.: History of the Second War: The Mediterranean and Middle East. Volume V: The Campaign in Sicily 1943 and The Campaign in Italy 3rd September 1943 to 31st March 1944. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office: London, UK, 1973.
Frieser, Karl-Heinz u. a.: Die Ostfront 1943/44. Der Krieg im Osten und an den Nebenfronten. Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg Band 8. Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt: München, Germany, 2011.
Citino, Robert Michael: The Wehrmacht’s Last Stand: the German Campaigns of 1944-1945. University Press of Kansas: Lawrence, Kansas, USA, 2017.
Parker, Matthew: Monte Cassino. The Hardest-Fought Battle of World War II. Doubleday: New York, USA, 2003.
U.S. Navy Bomb Disposal School, Section 1 High Explosive Bombs, September 1945.
Phillips, N. C.: Italy Volume I: The Sangro to Cassino. The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War. Historical Publications Branch, 1957, Wellington, New Zealand. (Digital Version)
Blumenson, Martin: Salerno to Cassino. United States Army in World War II. The Mediterranean Theater of Operations. Center of Military History, United States Army: Washington D.C., USA, 1993.
Caddick-Adams, Peter: Monte Cassino. Ten Armies in Hell. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, 2013.
Fisher, Jr., Ernest F.: Cassino to the Alps. United States Army in World War II. The Mediterranean Theater of Operations. Center of Military History, United States Army: Washington D.C., USA, 1993.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/36th_In...)
#MonteCassino,#GermanPerspective,#Fallschirmjäger
@loetzcollector466 2 роки тому
A history Professor once told me "As historians, our first priority is to constantly remind ourselves that nothing which happened in the past was destined or preordained...except German counterattack."
@coachhannah2403 2 роки тому
...and Russians entrenching.
@withnail1967 2 роки тому
A British WW1 version would be "Although the infantry attack was pushed forward with a great deal of pluck.."
@bruetel436 2 роки тому
Did he mean Gegenstoß or Gegenangriff though?
@robertwoodroffe123 2 роки тому
And yet they lost again!!
@robertwoodroffe123 2 роки тому
@@bruetel436 the germs lost!
@vivaprez 2 роки тому
my grandfather was killed just before here at sangro. he was 28th Māori bttn. new zealand infantry. the battalion went on to take heavy casualties at the train station below the monastry. i know people who lost grandfathers at this battle including my wife. it is very interesting & crucial historical information to hear a german perspective on this hard fought fight. thank u for excellent upload.
@ronchappel4812 2 роки тому
When you Maori Bttn do you mean all -or perhaps most- were Maori?
@vivaprez 2 роки тому
@@ronchappel4812 there may have been some other polynesians in there ron im not sure, but yep almost all Maori.
@ronchappel4812 2 роки тому
@@vivaprez Thanks,thats interesting.
@FakingANerve 2 роки тому
Thanks for sharing his story. Cheers to your grandfather!
@typxxilps 2 роки тому
my uncle later said that he was lucky at Monte Casino cause he became a british POW and was send to Canada and survived to come back and began his life as a farmer with a huge experience he had gained in Canada as a POW cause he was very young when he had been drafted. Just 20 years old when captivated with a journey through italy to el Alamein and back again to Italy and then to Canada or POW. He always talked about tough fighting even though he did not like to talk about that whole time.
@Sophiebryson510 2 роки тому
A… british pow? italian or wehrmacht
@martinmaier352 2 роки тому
@@Sophiebryson510 He was a POW after being caught by the Britains.
@Sophiebryson510 2 роки тому
@@martinmaier352 oh was he italian?
@martinmaier352 2 роки тому
@@Sophiebryson510 Why Italian? There is not one word about Italians. He fought as German Paratrooper and finally was POW in Canada.
@so8907 2 роки тому
@@martinmaier352 not one word about german either.... it could have been Italian...
@dointh4198 2 роки тому
I knew a Major of the 1st Fallschirmjäger-Div. at Monte Cassino. He told me, that they were much smaller in number than reported. ("You know, we fellows of the Luftwaffe did it on ourselves...") However he always pointed out that only the rubble, the mines and the Panzergrenadiers saved them. They were shattered to a Batallion in manpower. Yeah, Cassino - the GRIND.
@k2xe455 2 роки тому
you are sitting in the trench at Monte Cassino and you know you've taken a Pervitin tablet too much because you see in Poles line the cannon is loaded by a f*cking bear...
@Alobo075 2 роки тому
All hail Wojtek!
@rosesprog1722 2 роки тому
@Generic Cracker 2001 Too late Ludwig, we can't, the Brits and the Yanks have started taking it too. Too bad, invading France in 6 weeks was incredible, we were fighting day and night the poor French had no idea what had fallen upon their heads! Ya ya ya!
@typxxilps 2 роки тому
They had no pervetin anymore that late in the war, at least not the regular army, maybe some fighters or night fighters and special forces. The common soldiers had to ask relative at home to buy and send some cause they did no longer get them also due to the negative impacts afterwards. The regulations for the medics had also changed to avoid all the negative implications, so the average soldier had to ask for. And there are proofs like the letter of a famous post war Nobell price winner who had asked his family for perventin.
@nonamesplease6288 2 роки тому
Es tut mir leid. No more Pervitin for you! One can only imagine what suffering through meth withdrawal in the field felt like. No wonder the Landser were begging the folks at home for it.
@rosesprog1722 2 роки тому
@@nonamesplease6288 Oh, it was still available after the war and honestly it was probably a good thing considering how horrible life became for the population once the war had ended, I suppose it helped deal with reality, I guess. As for myself don't worry, I know someone who knows someone! He he.
@weirdslime262 2 роки тому
Several years ago when I was in college (high school), I went on a field trip to Wellington with my social studies class. During our lunch break my cohort decided to go to parliament on a whim. We randomly showed up, went through a metal detector, and then sat in the public gallery. Around the walls of parliament, there are plaques commemorating notable battles that New Zealand participated in. I distinctly remember having to explain to the girl next to me (who I had a crush on at the time, lol), about where and when Monte Cassino happened. Of the plaques we could see from our angle, she could recognise Gallipoli and Passchendaele among others, but had absolutely no knowledge of Monte Cassino. In general, the battle is very much a forgotten bit of NZ history that is seldom covered while we are at school. Thanks for the detailed breakdown of the battle, with accompanying birds-eye view diagrams of where and when the various events happened over the course of it. I'm growing more and more appreciative of this sort of visualisation style on youtube as it's much more effective at cementing how events actually took place compared to reading details over propaganda footage or still images.
@matthewrikihana6818 2 роки тому
We Maori have not forgotten Cassino.
@aluckyshot 2 роки тому
Your country like my country fought the wrong enemy. Enjoy the NWO. Bet you didn't even get in that girls pants lol
@looinrims 2 роки тому
“24km away” *stormtrooper icon*
@88porpoise 2 роки тому
To be fair, 24km is a lot for normal people, but that in aircraft cruising at 300 plus km/h likely coming from a location well over 500km away it isn't a huge degree of error. Travel just slightly off course and you see a town below you at about when you should see Cassino and the allied troops below you get busted.
@scrubsrc4084 2 роки тому
Given how much a high altitude bomber could miss by l... thats making the storm troopers envious
@smokerjim 2 роки тому
"With the Norden bomb sight, it's possible for a bomber to hit a pickle barrel from an altitude of over 5 miles" "You bombed a town 15 miles away" "A town that I'm certain has pickle barrels, which I'm confident that at least one of which was hit by a bomb dropped from an altitude of at least 25,000 feet..."
@scrubsrc4084 2 роки тому
@@smokerjim the yanks could hit anything on the nose from 100 miles away..... as long as it was allied
@88porpoise 2 роки тому
@@scrubsrc4084 and the Canadian and Polish troops managed to get bombed by RAF heavy bombers six days after the USAAF heavy bombers plastered them. I have read there were some mighty pissed off people after the second time they suffered hundreds of casualties from friendly bombers in the space of a week. It also didn't help the ensuing offer dives very much.
@Palora01 2 роки тому
I'm very happy to see other big channels pointing out that reports usually contained unrealistic or exaggerated claims as part of ass covering campaigns. Too many 'weekend historians' ignore that simple fact.
@Akasazh 2 роки тому
Having been to cassino, it baffles me how the allies could reach point 435. The map doesn't show the sheer steepness of those mountains. Yet somehow they reached there without using the roads, that where still under German control with point 236. I dare anyone to walk up the slope towards hangman's hill and then finding the energy to fight.
@thomaskositzki9424 2 роки тому
Gurkhas... Simply the best fighting men of the entire British Empire.
@Rusty_Gold85 2 роки тому
Thanks for the insight . I have never seen a good layout of the terrain and the struggle . the view point would confuse the uneducated when Tanks are involved in mountainous terrain
@33z6i6 2 роки тому
They "slipped" through the German lines. When they realized that they couldn't hold the height any longer, they returned to where they have come from.
@mra5975 2 роки тому
@@thomaskositzki9424 they are certainly not the best of the corporation of londons empire, they are moderate, disciplined and simple. But they are not the best, even tho the corporation of london hates the historic British people and so always parades foreigners to somehow obscure there long standing and almost complete genocidal agenda against the Celtic Britons but it's those Celtic units that are the reason why this corporation gained a empire. Look up those units or check out Alan Wilson if your interested in real history.
@FakingANerve 2 роки тому
_Walk_ up? Why didn't you just use the elevator?
@caput_in_astris 2 роки тому
3:37 first time I notice the Stormtrooper icon for shooting inaccuracy - just perfect 😀
@Incab 2 роки тому
Beat me to the comment. Had me laughing out loud.
@jam8539 2 роки тому
love the little things, had a great laugh with high ping infantry as well
@peterschmidt1900 2 роки тому
Pretty sure this channel used it before.
@noetzol 2 роки тому
I was unaware that there were Panzer Grenadier units at Monte Cassino. Thank you for teaching me something that I didn’t know!
@rossorlandi5173 2 роки тому
Hi, I amfrom Monte Cassino, what a beautiful place to visit. The German paratroopers who fought there were some of the toughest in the Wehrmacht. And Polish army fought hard for every inch of that monastery.🇮🇹❤️.
@zombiehunter1977 2 роки тому
Fascinating. The guts of those men on both sides of the conflict, are incredibly humbling.
@zainmudassir2964 2 роки тому
Inside and outside too
@00yiggdrasill00 2 роки тому
Regardless of why they fought or what they believed, the sheer courage required for this is hard to understand.
@cowgoesmoo3850 2 роки тому
All throughout the war to, they both had there badass troops/divisions. I bet alot of them became close after the war, the both lived the same scary life. R.I.P to everyone that died during WW2.
@31terikennedy 2 роки тому
The (guts) of the bad guy is a (Bad) thing.
@mariocalderon2148 2 роки тому
@@31terikennedy imagine you're a German boy of almost 18, say between 1939 and 1945, just before finishing your school. You get an invitation of your nearest district military office to be present at an exact hour an exact date for the physical examination. If you pass it, then a couple of weeks later, you get a notification to be present at the barrack (put a name here). Etc. etc. in the end, you are sent along with thousands of others on a train to Italy, Russia, Northern Africa, Norway etc. Does this make you a bad guy? I guess you would had behaved the same. Bad were the people who organized this, the ones who sent these innocent boys to be killed, who indoctrinated them, who permitted this to occur. Most soldiers on that war were victims also, who would much better have liked to amuse themselves than to kill and be killed.
@dandare2586 2 роки тому
I spent a beautiful summers night in the monastery car park in my campervan 😀 The strategic view from up there was amazing!!
@mechanicalturk5202 2 роки тому
My great uncle lost his two brothers at Monte Cassino, He found out one of them was killed when he received a great coat and it had his brothers name on the collar. He went crazy and was sent back to New Zealand.
@charlieboffin2432 2 роки тому
Thank you for posting this and doing the work . It's always haunted me since I was a kid that so many of our New Zealand brothers died trying to take Cassino town and the monistary. I remember watching in the early 1980's the series the World at War which covered the battles in the episode " Tough old Gut " as it noted the New Zealand casualties as between 3,500 - 5,000 , whether this is accurate or not I don't know as you've mentioned them as 2,200. Thanks for putting this together.
@evilpixie96 2 роки тому
my mum's perspective, can you please fight somewhere else and don't forget to take your Nebelwerfer with you. they left the Nebelwerfer in my mum's farmyard, she dumped it in the river along with ammo, not bad for a 15 year old
@godweenausten 2 роки тому
The nebelwerfer battery commander: understandable, have a nice day.
@robertwoodroffe123 2 роки тому
Sorry hitler and Mussolini caused this !
@zainmudassir2964 2 роки тому
She was a brave woman
@void1968able 2 роки тому
A shame... I would like a Nebelwerfer in my farmyard resp. garden. *With* the ammo... not bad for a 52 year old.
@31terikennedy 2 роки тому
Considering that Nebelwerfer would have caused an overwhelming Allied response, good move!
@schwatzy6362 2 роки тому
The husband of my mother's cousin was killed there. The German military had her husband's daily diary delivered to her about two months after the Monte Casino battle was over. He wrote saying, they had no one stationed in the Montesaery itself. But after the bombardment, he and a total of 150 soldiers moved into the ruins. I hadn't proofread my comment and now I organized it a bit.
@robertwoodroffe123 2 роки тому
Polish ?
@phil5545 2 роки тому
@@robertwoodroffe123 german
@robertwoodroffe123 2 роки тому
@@phil5545 what are you saying?
@robertwoodroffe123 2 роки тому
@@phil5545 kiwi
@robertwoodroffe123 2 роки тому
@@phil5545 sorry but ??War
@FirstNameLastName-tg3rc 2 роки тому
(3:33) Stormtroopers didn't have bad aim. They only couldn't aim when the plot needed them to not aim.
@danielbond9755 2 роки тому
Kind of like how a lightsaber can cut through anything except a central character (although forearms seem to be unusually weak).
@FirstNameLastName-tg3rc 2 роки тому
@@danielbond9755 With the exception of when the plot needs them to die, exactly like that.
@colbyburgesd9258 2 роки тому
Stormtroopers actually have really good aim they can miss on purpose when required and make it look like they are trying to hit
@FirstNameLastName-tg3rc 2 роки тому
@@colbyburgesd9258 Good point.
@looinrims Рік тому
Hey in the original movie the orders were clear to threaten but not kill the good guys so they get tracked home Of course Disney didn’t help
@GenevaWhoppers 2 роки тому
Best WWII channel on youtube. I love the vulgarisation still, you show a lot of commitments to details and show us the strategy and the tactic of an operation. Love it.
@28pbtkh23 2 роки тому
That was a very good video. In 26 minutes, you gave me a better picture of what happened than several documentaries that I have seen, each of which were an hour long. The maps were crucial for this understanding. Cheers.
@nonamesplease6288 2 роки тому
3 tons of bombs for each Fallshirmjager .... plus artillery. That's the way to fight a war if you can afford it.
@thegreatkimber3777 2 роки тому
If you don´t hit your target it´s just wasted resources.
@KaDaJxClonE 2 роки тому
Welcome to the US where overkill comes standard.
@andrewmattox1233 2 роки тому
@@KaDaJxClonE the bombs should have a .50 Cal mounted on it.
@autolykos9822 2 роки тому
You also need to exploit it properly. Fire without maneuver is wasted ammo. Maneuver without fire is suicide.
@cs-rj8ru 2 роки тому
@@KaDaJxClonE Hardly. We haven't had overkill in 30 years.....
@paulkelly2882 2 роки тому
Always great to hear the perspective of the German soldier in battle
@mikepette4422 2 роки тому
we don't hear enough of it
@fromskytonothing 8 місяців тому
why
@kennethrosequist8963 2 роки тому
Great work, really enjoyed this one!
@benbregman7010 2 роки тому
MHV Bernard great job I leaned more from this video then all of the documentaries I have watched over the years on this battle. Please keep up the great work ! Long time patron
@mikepette4422 2 роки тому
my thoughts too. Some have mentioned the CBC documentaries but I found them very biased and highly inaccurate although Its been a while so maybe I should rewatch them .
@MilitaryHistoryVisualized 2 роки тому
Thank you for your support!
@CarrotConsumer 2 роки тому
@@mikepette4422 Or read a book.
@mchrome3366 2 роки тому
You can never get too specific for me. I love each and every fact. Thank you.
@ErokLobotomist 2 роки тому
This was the first WW2 battle I ever read about in depth. Great video, tons of info I never knew, especially the bombs per paratrooper ratio.
@whbrown1862 2 роки тому
Great episode! Interesting to see how the lack of proper reporting affecting both sides in terms of either denoting the strength of a defending division or masking of the true losses of the attacking force.
@richardcunningham5540 2 роки тому
This is a superb account of a brutal battle. Incredible insight from Dr Pahl and also Bernhard.
@MatsKratz 2 роки тому
Considering the video on Monte Cassino, have you ever thought on doing a video on the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB, "Força Expedicionária Brasileira"), the Smoking Snakes, during the Italian Campaign?
@FirstNameLastName-tg3rc 2 роки тому
Just a warning, saying that may start inspiring Sabaton fans to start spamming song lyrics as replies to your comment.
@MatsKratz 2 роки тому
@@FirstNameLastName-tg3rc That's not an issue to me! lol
@FirstNameLastName-tg3rc 2 роки тому
@@MatsKratz If it helps, I was intending that to be a joke.
@MatsKratz 2 роки тому
@@FirstNameLastName-tg3rc I was too! If that happend i would laugh my ass off! Greetings from Brazil.
@dudumuricy9948 2 роки тому
And monte castelo would be a great video to
@hansmuster6004 2 роки тому
In my training as artillery officer i was reminded time and again that one should not expect to be able to destroy infantry by massive heavy fire (artillery or by bombs). Heavy fire can immobilize the enemy for a certain time or interfere with his movements. As a rule a well led unit getting under heavy fire will dig in and almost always survive. This has been amply shown in the nightmare of trench warfare in WW1. Monte Cassino proved that this still was (and is) true... In the ensuing horrible infantry fighting the initial heavy fire allegedly 'killing the enemy' gave the attackers very little advantage. What ever advantage there was, likely became compensated by the massive changes in terrain by craters giving the disadvantage to attackers.
@paoloviti6156 2 роки тому
You are correct stating this as 1st WW demonstrated this again and again like in Cassino making very difficult for the attackers to cross or climb waterlogged craters and whatever it can be added to make the life downright miserable for the attackers...
@paoloviti6156 2 роки тому
@T[A]P Me!! To Have [S]EX With Me it was a 1st WW style of epic proportions resulting one of the most useless bombing of the Abbey of Monte Cassino that was nearly completely destroyed for no purpose, actually it helped the Germans to resist even more. More than 250,000 troops, 1,900 tanks and 4,000 airplanes tried to kick out roughly 150,000 German troops yet they failed with very high casualties: over 55,000 allies got killed versus around 20,000 Germans from 17 January - 18 May 1944. It was only because of the stupidity of generals like Alexander, Clarke and whoever that they wanted a "new Verdun" commanding far away refusing to understand the reality of the situation that resulted in such high losses forcing them to stay from 17 January - 18 May 1944 and it was considered a " victory" just because of the crack troops, the Fallschirmjäger, stayed put. Not happy General Clarke instead of obeying direct orders from General Alexander to cut the retreat of the German 10th Army in full retreat to Valmontone, but decided to rush to Rome permitting the Germans, more than 100,000 to escape permitting them retreat to form the Gothic line, resisting in Pisa and other places inflicting heavy casualties to the allies. Gosh what a victory the battle of Cassino....
@cannonfodder4376 2 роки тому
Yet another informative video, I must admit that I never gave thought to the Panzergrenadier units that fought there. Never knew about the Fallschirmjager dishonesty with paperwork as well.
@adamjmorgan 2 роки тому
"High ping was a problem" + the stormtrooper icon made me have a good chuckle when I needed it. I appreciate your sense of humor!
@MilitaryHistoryVisualized 2 роки тому
Glad you enjoyed it!
@pjnealon3476 2 роки тому
Excellent video. Thanks
@EntryLevelLuxury 2 роки тому
I.. was expecting footage. Well done regardless.
@robertwoodroffe123 2 роки тому
Fairly well done !!
@cliffordterry2133 2 роки тому
I really enjoyed this presentation the style of which I had never before seen.
@MilitaryHistoryVisualized 2 роки тому
Glad you enjoyed it!
@cliffordterry2133 2 роки тому
@@MilitaryHistoryVisualized Oh, so very much so. I do enjoy your videos in general but I think this video probably was the hardest video to put together. While I have seen other excellent videos on the subject and some included information that yours did not. Yet, your approach required just a little more effort and I do not doubt that it is among the best, if not the best, video I have seen on the subject.
@c32amgftw 2 роки тому
Would be awesome if you could include news reels from the time of this battle. Excellent and interesting video nevertheless!
@mikeyoung7660 2 роки тому
Great video thank you 👍👍👍
@CivilWarWeekByWeek 2 роки тому
Can’t wait for more perspective videos
@laurisikio 2 роки тому
Well, the whole channel is about ww2 from German perspective.
@Marcinos1985 2 роки тому
Crazy good quality
@smokejaguarsix7757 2 роки тому
I would really love for you to do a video on the German perspective of Riva Ridge, the Po Valley and the 10th Mountain Division. I served in the 10th in the late 90s and we worked hard to carry on its proud traditions and maintain its status as the toughest of the tough and most deployed Division among all the excellent Infantry Divisions of the U.S. Army. Climb to Glory!
@Deridus 2 роки тому
To the top.... (Get smoked, kitty. Sincerely, the Eridani Light Horse.)
@smokejaguarsix7757 2 роки тому
@@Deridus ELH got smoked on Strana Mechty. CSJ is back, reconstituted under the Republic as the Fidelis and going strong alongside the Ilclan, Wolf Empire.
@Deridus 2 роки тому
@@smokejaguarsix7757 "Reconstitured." Lol. It's what, one binary and some isorla? Besides, the ELH bought it on Herperus 2... To the Emerald Parakeet.
@smokejaguarsix7757 2 роки тому
@@killdizzle While Im not going to disparage fellow Americans, the Marines have older equipment, are unaccustomed to fighting without Naval support or behind enemy lines without a massive support system. I'd much rather fight them than the 18th Airborne Corps or any of the Divisions therein. They are trained to fight unsupported by other units, behind enemy lines for at minimum 3 days if necessary. They (we) have our own organic air, logistic and artillery support, our own transports (UH60s and CH47s) , can use enemy weapon systems, fight under any weather conditions and in any climate and can go to ground if necessary and start a guerilla campaign. We have our own ADA (Avengers and MANPAD Stingers), our own strike capability (AH64D) to knock out enemy C3, tactical and operational-level targets (which also has limited CAS via IR Sidewinders, SEAD and Anti-Tank capability via AGM-65E), along with plentiful MANPATGM Javelins for whatever other threat comes along. Give them Regular Army and USAF CAS and CAP support and we are virtually unbeatable. Again, not disparaging Marines, they have a specific mission and are quite good at it. But I think the 18th Airborne Corps are a more dangerous foe.
@smokejaguarsix7757 2 роки тому
@@Deridus There are 3 Fidelis Brigades any one of which is more powerful than a Galaxy. And now they are the Jaguars again. Meanwhile, the ELH is no more. They did buy it on Strana Mechty. Randill Bills revived them and then smashed them again. So....
@neilwilson5785 2 роки тому
Another classic. I learned some new stuff today.
@ava5246 2 роки тому
A history Professor once told me "As historians, our first priority is to constantly remind ourselves that nothing which happened in the past was destined or preordained...except German counterattack."
@raysubsonic 2 роки тому
Great video Bernard. This battle and campaign tends to be misrepresented on the Western/allied side of history. Australian, Maori & Kiwi, Canadian, Brazilian, Polish, British and US divisions were all involved in the campaign. Kesselring definitely outfoxed a number of the Allied generals.
@DriveByBacon 2 роки тому
Great video, very interesting to learn about the presence of panzer grenadiers at Monte Casino! Will you be making a video about the 3rd/4th battle which resulted in the capture of the Cathedral and the whole of the town?
@MilitaryHistoryVisualized 2 роки тому
thank you; unlikely, I was not happy making this video and currently it is doing extremely poorly as well.
@DriveByBacon 2 роки тому
@@MilitaryHistoryVisualized ah that is a shame!
@TheDgamesD 2 роки тому
Interesting note: the Italian 1st motorized group was present at the fighting on the allied side: (67th Infantry Regiment, 51st Bersaglieri Battalion, 11th Artillery Regiment, 5th Anti-Tank Regiment, along with a engineer battalion.)
@TheDgamesD 2 роки тому
@ Actually they were near the spearhead and helped breakthrough the western sides defenses playing a critical role in the attack.
@TheDgamesD 2 роки тому
@ Actually all of the German Army at El Alamein during the retreat would have been overrun if the Italian General located there made the split second decision to make a delaying action. Fighting to the last to buy Rommel the time he needed to retreat.
@jamesbryson575 2 роки тому
The view from the (rebuilt) monastery gives you reason to admire all who fought there.
@lordDenis16 2 роки тому
Owwww I was hoping that you'd mention the 4th battle ;/ Great video never the less!
@edopronk1303 2 роки тому
Great video. Could you somehow create in the map a clear direction from which the opposite sides attack? Although the left bottom corner had all the German strong points, I thought these were forward positions and the German line was North from these strong points. This was because I thought the Allies would attack from the south. But after you've drawn the new Allied line, I first understood that the Allies were already east and north of Monte Casino and somehow attacked to the southwest? I was very confused for a while.
@paladinbob1236 2 роки тому
a informed and must see for military history enthusiasts on this famous battle from the german perspective :)
@elwray3506 2 роки тому
Katriel Ben Arie, "Die Schlacht bei Monte Cassino 1944": "Die Verluste des Neuseeländischen Korps in den Kämpfen um Cassino waren sehr schwer. Auf die Frage von Churchill nannte Wilson die Zahl von insgesamt 2400 Mann: 1050 Mann der neuseeländischen 2. Division, 1160 Mann der indischen 4. Division (401 Briten und 759 Inder) und 190 Mann der 78. Division. In der amtl. Darstellung des neuseeländischen Heeres wird jedoch die Zahl der Verluste allein für die Zeit vom 15. bis 26. März 1944, d.h. von Beginn der zweiten Schlacht bis zur Auflösung des neuseeländischen Korps, mit 140 Offizieren und 1966 Mann angegeben."
@robertwoodroffe123 2 роки тому
Man the info u had ! Top marks
@tomaltomal2702 2 роки тому
Very interesting video.
@advorak8529 2 роки тому
"Shift + S; Space" Gotta love it! *heart*
@MilitaryHistoryVisualized 2 роки тому
;)
@Dr.Reszegi_Zsolt 2 роки тому
Interesting and spectacular video. At 13:28 a whole Battalion of Fallschirmjäger surrendered. Source? Primary (Bundesarchiv - Militärarchiv), secondary (recollection), or something else? Just curious, because for example Hans-Martin Stimpel didn't mention it in his book.
@martinmaier352 2 роки тому
10:32 Confusing pronunciation: "three Sherman tanks" sounds rather like "three German tanks".
@wyomarine6341 2 роки тому
Next time he can post this auf Deutsch and you won't have that problem. Right, Herr Maier?
@adamcrookedsmile 2 роки тому
it's not confusing though,in January 1944 German forces had few tanks left, only antitank guns, grenade launchers, infantry and horsedrawn carriages. German tank production was low compared to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union.
@BigboiiTone 2 роки тому
@@adamcrookedsmile Not everyone here is a historian :)
@jimallen9859 2 роки тому
@@adamcrookedsmile Most would've been sent to the Russian Front. German's loved T-34, God know's they captured enough of them. You might be surprised at German production number's throughout the war. Much higher than one would expect from a country and population that size. When Rommel ran out of panzers, he used captured armor. As did the other panzer divisions. Germans would go out at night, drag the knocked out tanks back to their repair facilities, and rebuild them overnight theirs, and the enemy tanks they dragged back. Today Russian's find T-34 with German markings. The German's didn't remove the Russian markings, just added theirs.
@antiquatedideas1107 2 роки тому
Damn... I'd love to see a movie or series detailing the battle of the monestary. Imagine the POV of a company of soldiers like Band of Brothers, who are tasked with defending one of the bunkers, must retreat the monestary, and then hear about or have friends who take part in the total failure to retake the station. What a power piece that could be. It shows the resolve of the germans, how ideology plays a role, the despair and hopeless, the idiocy of command, and so many more emotions just on the German side. Plus it gives a unique perspective on the dedication and relentlessness of the allies who threw everything they had at this, and often had very elite and motivated soldiers
@zainmudassir2964 2 роки тому
Hope you do Anzio next!
@fattyMcGee97 2 роки тому
It always messes with my perspective of these things when you hear about a ceasefire and the soldiers on both sides are being friendly to each other, even sharing stretchers. I wonder how this made some of these men feel when they opened fire on each other again? After all; the cease fire was only temporary.
@paolocalzolari9977 2 роки тому
I guess business as usual.
@jam8539 2 роки тому
even more bizzar when he notes that neither side was taking prisoners
@lukeeszeha5381 2 роки тому
so while we are talking about italy in WW2, could you make a video about Sardinia and Corsica in 1943? I found virtually nothing about that topic, despite putting quite some effort into it ^^
@spoddie 2 роки тому
Thank you. Of all the History Channel style documentaries I've seen, I have never heard about NZ in Italy. I'm Australian and it's appalling how the Commonwealth gets written out of history.
@dovetonsturdee7033 2 роки тому
You should read books rather than rely on TV documentaries. The role of New Zealand (and Canadian, Indian, & South African troops, among others) is fully documented, and has been for years.
@spoddie 2 роки тому
@@dovetonsturdee7033 I didn't say that I didn't know about it.
@28pbtkh23 2 роки тому
Tell me about it. Today I heard an American history professor say on a WW2 documentary that “the Americans managed to convince the Nazis that the Normandy landings were a side-show and that the main landings would be coming later in the Pas de Calais area.” The work he was referring to was a completely British operation. What a berk. But you’re right: TV documentaries often use the word ‘British’ when they really mean Aussies, Kiwis, Canadians or even Indians.
@ijh867zter6 2 роки тому
Because it's irrelevant who was there in the greater picture outside of the main actors. If NZ hadn't been there it would have been another British client. It changes nothing, it was just additional manpower. They did what they were told.
@Kethploy 2 роки тому
Warm-up for COH 3
@russwoodward8251 Рік тому
Very good. Thanks.
@haroldgodwinson832 2 роки тому
Back in the early 1980s when I was finishing my university studies I was employed at a grain storage facility during my holidays. While working there I came across an old guy who had fought in the NZ Division at Cassino. Although he had fought through the North African Campaign beforehand, he said the fighting at Cassino was horrific by comparison.
@looinrims 2 роки тому
“Losses *before* the battle?!” Rainbow dash token I agree
@robertcolajezzi5273 2 роки тому
Could you do a video on when yakovlev visited germany along with details of a trade agreement that included naval and air force equipment i believe
@thinman8621 2 роки тому
That close air support dropped bombs within 20 kilometers of the target.
@wyomarine6341 2 роки тому
Just like today, someone, somewhere was getting rich from every single bomb being dropped. It doesn't matter where they land, as long as they're dropped.
@haroldlukas7773 2 роки тому
love it, thanks
@cryhavoc999 2 роки тому
I used to work with a chap who was an Engineer / co-pilot on Lancaster's during WW2. When I suggested he must have had a rough time I was surprised when he claimed the opposite in that as his aircraft was never caught in search lights or attacked by night fighters he thinks he had an easy time of it and added 'My brother was in the Army at Monte Cassino and had a terrible time'.
@astraysheep 2 роки тому
If you want copies of the NZ war diaries for future videos I'm a local historian living just down the road from Archives NZ, happy to help
@MilitaryHistoryVisualized 2 роки тому
thank you! Do you know if there is a pdf version of the official New Zealand History? Because I prefer a scanned version of the original over the currently available html version, but couldn't find anything.
@astraysheep 2 роки тому
@@MilitaryHistoryVisualized Sorry, as far as I know the only digital version is the NZETC one you've already seen ...
@Bennyy85 2 роки тому
I would love to read the book, is an English version available or only German?
@BillyBobpeeps 2 роки тому
Should the river Rapido be south of Casino? Could it be that the displayed map details are upside down? It makes it difficult to understand and follow the different movements.
@CalebNorthNorman 2 роки тому
Aw Cool ....i am looking forward to watching this😀
@dayros2023 2 роки тому
I visited the abbey of Montecassino 2 years ago. Wonderful place, and such a commanding position on the area. The bombing of the abbey, one of the most important of Europe, was truly a crime against humanity, but thankfully it has been rebuilt exactly as it was. From the top you can also see the war cemeteries, especially the polish one.
@Dilley_G45 2 роки тому
It's not just the buildings of the monastery. It's thousands of irreplaceable ancient manuscripts
@europaprimum7050 2 роки тому
A completely unnecessary destruction at that.
@blizardbear 2 роки тому
Thank you for covering this as it is a big deal in the NZDF history.
@NordicTG 2 роки тому
good stuff as Always MHV, but when I watch ur stuff its late & ehh Sometimes I fall asleep & wake up after its done ^^ xD
@1337fraggzb00N 2 роки тому
03:34 I like the icon of the Stormtrooper who mostly misses the target 💪😅
@Martinlegend 2 роки тому
so the Fallschirmjäger are so tough that they count two battles as one :O
@robertwoodroffe123 2 роки тому
Didn’t get my dad took out 3 high rank officers later as head sniper of nz div , ultra decrypts ! Not orders
@robertwoodroffe123 2 роки тому
Who invented computers ? The most dangerous weapon invented ! Not Germans
@kallemickelborg 2 роки тому
@@robertwoodroffe123 "The German civil engineer Konrad Zuse (1910-1995) is considered the inventor of the first digital and programmable computers - a feat he first accomplished in 1938, long before anyone else." get rektum
@robertwoodroffe123 2 роки тому
@@kallemickelborg did he produce any thing useful?
@robertwoodroffe123 2 роки тому
@@kallemickelborg my dad took out your side !
@angusmcgregor7598 2 роки тому
It is interesting to get a German perspective. The New Zealand battalion histories note that the weather and high state of the Rapido river had impacts on supplying allied troops on the north bank of the river and resulted in boggy ground conditions. Extensive mine laying on the sides of the road to Casino also limited the advance to the town. There was a fair bit Of history between the falshirmjagers and the Kiwis dating back to North Africa, a respect for each other’s toughness and not much compassion. The fact that so many of the allied movements over the river were observed by German forces was noted as a major hinderance to manoeuvre.
@billd.iniowa2263 2 роки тому
How accurate is Counter-Battery fire in the mountains? With all the changes in elevation and rock plus soil how do you get an accurate picture of the enemy guns' location?
@ashesofempires04 2 роки тому
Math, and terrain knowledge. If you know the approximate capabilities of a gun, you can draw a circle around the impact point, and then use a good contour map (the ones with the lines that show elevation change) to show places where artillery could be emplaced. Sound ranging had been invented by the British in WW1, and could be used alongside that, aerial recon, looking for muzzle flashes, and rough knowledge of angle of impact/fall to say "the battery is probably here." In the modern era, we have millimeter-wave radar that can detect a shell in flight, back-calculate it's origin point down to about a meter, and give that location as GPS coordinates to a gun battery in seconds for a counter battery mission.
@diebabrika8904 2 роки тому
Dear MHV, a video about the industrial capacity of all the countrys in WW2 would be great. Its a hotly debated topic, and there are not very much well made videos / summaries or comparisons out there.
@somethingelse4878 2 роки тому
My sisters father in-law was there, what he told me would never be put in the history books He was Irish living in England
@cs-rj8ru 2 роки тому
Must be North Irish....What self respecting Tater Catholic Irish would be caught living in England at that time?
@dovetonsturdee7033 2 роки тому
@@cs-rj8ru Quite a lot. A large number of men from the Republic also joined the British armed forces during WW2, and were persecuted by the Government of the Republic for many years after 1945.
@shastealyomeal 2 роки тому
What did he say
@alphacentauri1760 2 роки тому
Right after I finished the hoi3 campaign(which is about allied assault of mount casino) this video is published. Coincidence or fellow coh3 player creator?
@RodrigoFernandez-td9uk 2 роки тому
Why now, Bernhard? I have two tons of work to finish yesterday!
@toddmoss1689 2 роки тому
I visited Cassino and Monte Cassino back in 2004 where I paid my respects at the German and Commonwealth cemeteries. You really can’t appreciate the mountainous terrain without seeing it firsthand.
@oscarpuebla6800 2 роки тому
My German is restricted to only a few rude words, so reading original sources in German is quite demanding if not completely imposible. Is Doctor Magnus Pahl Monte Cassino 1944: Der Kampf um Rom und seine Inszenierung book expected to be translated into English?
@MilitaryHistoryVisualized 2 роки тому
> Is Doctor Magnus Pahl Monte Cassino 1944: Der Kampf um Rom und seine Inszenierung book expected > to be translated into English? Not sure, yet, his phd thesis on Fremde Heere Ost was. If you want to brush up your German, you might want to look at our (Chris & me; not Dr. Pahl) English/German Editions of original sources that have both texts next to each other: sturmzug.com and www.hdv470-7.com
@kamiki40i4 2 роки тому
Stormtroopers sign at 3:34 got me off guard.
@fritztheblitz1061 2 роки тому
Great Vid, well done but it's hard to read red letters on black ground.
@swacks7960 2 роки тому
can you make a video on the zeppelin please would be cool
@chrisnewport7826 2 роки тому
My Father was there, on the left. An Engineer Officer. While building a bridge, away from the others and his rifle he was surprised by a Fallschirmjäger with an MP 40 at the ready who suddenly appeared from the brush. They looked at each other for a moment then the German back away as he came, deciding not to kill that day. My Father learned two important lessons that day very inexpensively.
@clevermcgenericname891 2 роки тому
How large an area did this battle take place in?
@godweenausten 2 роки тому
It would be helpful to put north designation to your actual maps, otherwise things get confusin and one has to refer to other maps for orientation.
@spot1401 2 роки тому
Maoris and Ghurkas vs. Fallschirmjägers. What is this, totally accurate battle simulator? New map 'fish market'? :)
@warbrain1053 2 роки тому
Also polish
@Dilley_G45 2 роки тому
Maori and fish....Combat power to get some paua
@tomtk907 2 роки тому
Hey ich würde echt empfehlen am Anfang keine weichen Blenden, sondern Verschiedene Einstellungen zu verwenden.. (Close, total)Das wertet das ganze optisch echt auf.
@MilitaryHistoryVisualized 2 роки тому
? Wat?
@robertmiller2173 Рік тому
My father fought in this battle he was a Tank Commander with the 20th Armoured Regiment of the New Zealand Army. My mum and dad caught up with the veterans of the Fallschirmjager in Munich in the 1980's my dad had fought the Fallschirmjager in Crete so they had a lot to talk about. In Crete he (My dad) was wounded crossing Melene Airport with two Fallschirmjager prisoners. My dad's Sherman Mk 4 tank was knocked out probably by a Stug, but nobody got injured except for their eardrums and nerves. It was a highlight of my parents trip to Europe; catching up with their old foe. they all had a great night! Charlie Upham was also at this reunion; Charlie Upham was the most highly decorated person in the entire British Empire and a Veteran of the famous 20th Battalion as was my father. The 20th Battalion was a South Island Battalion! My father Rex Miller was awarded an oak Leaf and Bar!
@samstewart4807 2 роки тому
An excellent video. Drach did a video on operation excess, They have almost no info from the German side- Who commanded the german forces ??? Who was responsible for their excellent tactics? Did the germans share any of this info with the Japanese? I hope you will look at that battle- sam
@CrniWuk 2 роки тому
Everyone's hiking is gangsta till the stones start talking in German.
@Amarok41 2 роки тому
Love the stormtrooper icon for a lack of accuracy
@tasjan9190 10 місяців тому
Does anyone have information on the Stug crew that operated the Stug III that was utilized in the ruins popping in and out of cover raining precise cannon fire on the Allies attempting to push up the summit?
@Zakalwe-01 2 роки тому
A weird one. A battle that's never made sense to me from either a strategy perspective (Allies) or in terms of human endurance ability (Germans). When you see that famous footage of one of the bombing raids on Casino itself, it throws into question the effectiveness of any bombardment. Also, our local Italian restaurant is called Monte Casino. Always makes me smile in bafflement every time I order a pizza!
@pythaesfromtheonionpatch1640 2 роки тому
How do you think things would have gone if Von Mackensen was given command In the east or atleast consulted ??