Week 262 - The War is Five Years Old - WW2 - September 2, 1944

Five years of war and no real end in sight, though the Allies sure seem to have the upper hand at the moment. Romania is coming under the Soviet thumb and Red Army troops are at Bulgaria's borders, the Allies enter Belgium and also take ports in the south of France. A Slovak National Uprising begins against the Germans, and the Warsaw Uprising against them continues, but in China it is plans for defense being made against the advancing Japanese.

Follow WW2 Day by Day on Instagram: @ww2_day_by_day
Follow TimeGhost History on Instagram: @timeghosthistory

Hosted by: Indy Neidell
Director: Astrid Deinhard
Producers: Astrid Deinhard and Spartacus Olsson
Executive Producers: Astrid Deinhard, Indy Neidell, Spartacus Olsson
Creative Producer: Marek Kamiński
Community Management: Ian Sowden
Written by: Indy Neidell
Research by: Indy Neidell
Map animations by: Daniel Weiss
Map research by: Sietse Kenter
Edited by: Miki Cackowski
Artwork and color grading by: Mikołaj Uchman
Sound design by: Marek Kamiński

00:00 Introduction
01:09 Eisenhower Takes Command
03:24 The Allied need a Port
05:08 Allies liberate Toulon and Marseilles
06:06 Allies advance in Italy
07:51 Warsaw Uprising Continues
09:24 Slovak National Uprising Begins
12:09 The end of German 6th Army
16:36 Soviet plans for the Baltics
17:48 Defense Plans for Quanzhou and Guilin
19:15 Allied Bombers and German Flying Bombs

Colorizations by:
Mikołaj Uchman
Daniel Weiss

Image sources:
PhotosNormandie
Bundesarchiv
IWM TR 2721, H 42496, NA 18124, C 4985
CMH Online
FOTO Fortepan — ID 95814, ID 5809
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria

Soundtracks from Epidemic Sound:
Rannar Sillard - March Of The Brave 4
Jon Bjork - Shrouded in Conspiracy
Edward Karl Hanson - Spellbound
Fabien Tell - Weapon of Choice
Edwrad Karl Hasnon - Firebreak
Farell Wooten - Equations of Motion
Johan Hynynen - Dark Beginning
Cobby Costa - Missing the Subtext
Alec Slayne - Conspiracy Inc.
Yi Nantiro - Watchman
Reynard Seidel - Deflection
Max Ason - Darkness Closing In

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

[malickfan]

If I had a million dollars for every time the sixth army broke out of soviet encirclement and rejoined the rest of the german army…. I’d be broke.

[stc]

Time truly flies. 5 years of watching these videos every week. Its become a regular routine

[youcancallmeneck]

That battle of Verdun really went fast compared to the previous war

[Aviationlord]

General Haig would be green with envy if he saw how far and fast the allies advanced across France

[bramstedt]

Who would’ve thought 5, or even 3 years ago we’d see a 22 min episode and think “huh, must’ve been a slow week”

[mrmckenzie]

How many 6th Armies can one nation lose in a single war?

If only Hitler had an infinite supply of them he could have tied up the Soviets forever.

[merdiolu]

During initial stages of Gothic Line battles in Northern Italy during August 1944, a series of bizarre incidents occured due to mix up and confusion of Allied and German lines. On 28 August, Lt. Colonel Cameron from 1st Canadian Brigade set up his battalion headquarters in a farmhouse and surrounding buildings and setting up for a dinner of bully beef, fresh fruit with his officers when they heard a deprecatory cough from the door. There was a six foot German paratroop sergeant standing.

"You" snapped Cameron "are in wrong camp. Go away" Startled German sergeant claimed that " But I am lost" Cameron replied "Oh, that is easily rectified" , giving German explicit directions to return his own lines four hundred yards beyond next hilltop and mind the mines they just planted around perimeter.

The Lt. colonel Cameron then remembered rules of hospitality, asked German if he has eaten. He had not so for more than 24 hours so Canadian officers invited him to join to dinner party. Bemused Canadian officers argued amicably among themselves about social aspects of Geneva Convention of prisoners before startled German. Replate with beef bully stew, German sergeant, at the close of meal, announced that he was a bons fide prisoner of war. "Nonsense" Cameron said. The German insisted that he had wandered by mistake. Cameron countered "Since we have captured enough German prisoners today, getting one more would be an administrative nuisance" German pounded the table "I am your prisoner", Cameron pounded back saying "You are a soldier absent without leave. You may even be charged with desertion, now you go away and when you get back, tell your CO that we will pound him to hell tomorrow morning."

The arguement might have lasted all night but Cameron was called back to duty and reluctantly accepted the surrender of German sergeant, no doubt much to relief of German.

The War North of Rome - Thomas Brooks

[Valdagast]

Fun fact: "A festering miasma of humanity" is also how I refer to my political enemies.

[emmiannon]

I know gemany has been losing since stalingrad but only in these recent weeks can we see their empire truly collapsing. and its amazing to watch

[thebigm]

Did you ever thought about bringing this series to DVD? Because what you guys have done here is beoned amazing, and it would be a damn shame if Youtube would delete it. Plus i think us your fans would gladly purchase a hard copy of this milestone in documentary history.

[Lematth]

Already 5 years ! So much has happened in this timeframe. I'm really happy to have come aboard this adventure, first by adding French subtitles (when it was possible) for maybe 9 months before YouTube closed that features. Then, by supporting you on Patreon and by adding some more infos in the comments about French politics or events.
A real pleasure to follow your team. Excelsior !

[soxfan]

Rewatching “A Bridge too Far” for later this month!

[alexamerling]

I can't believe its been 5 years already. A lot has changed since the early days of Wehrmacht successes. The Germans and Japanese are both on the run now. The loss of the 6th army, the Soviet victory at Kursk and Bagration, Normandy, etc. There was even an asssassination attempt on Hitler. I have a feeling we may be in for another twist or two yet. One thing will never change though is that Smiling Albert Kesselring will never stop smiling. Thank you Timeghost. You guys have truly made the most in depth coverage of the war I've ever come across since the World at War.

[oldesertguy]

Burning injured men alive. It amazes me how brutal the Nazis could be. I mean, shooting prisoners happened on both sides, but the Germans and Japanese seemed to be like petulant children that couldn't stand to not have their way, and wanted to make people, most of whom had no choice in the matter, pay for embarrassing them. They saw themselves as great warriors yet took out their frustrations on people that couldn't defend themselves. Not very honorable, were they?

[gargravarr]

Five years. Five long years. At first it was going well, but then loss after loss, setback after setback, turned what was going to be a quick and decisive win into five years of hell. And it's still not over.

[CrazyYurie]

I wonder if Monty will come up with some flashy plan to get Eisenhower to follow his strategy?

[FXDLS-otwq]

I started with this at the beginning of the Great War. I cannot believe how long I’ve been following weekly updates from the producers of these channels.

[dabidibup]

“Last time we gave up after 4 years”
‘Trust me, we’re close man’
Next year…
“Dude!”

[wayneparker]

I use your videos in my history classes, my students love them as do I, Thank you Indiana Niedell, you and you crew are the greatest in my opinion, you help so much to keep the students interested in history

[merdiolu]

Hello, I am back to Timeghost Army ranks.

"Escape to Action", General Sir Brian Horrocks (30th British Corps commander) Memoirs

CHAPTER XIV

ADVANCE TO BRUSSELS (part one)

WHEN I arrived back at 30 Corps headquarters on 26th August, 1944, the 43rd British Division had crossed the Seine river at Vernon in a brilliantly executed daytime assault against prepared enemy defences. My orders from Montgomery and 21st Army Group now were to break out and seize the crossings over the River Somme, some seventy miles distant, before the Germans had time to organise the defence of the river.

The Germans had never quite given up the idea that our main cross-channel assault would come in the Pas de Calais area, so the coastal belt was still thick with their troops, perhaps 150, 000 of them. 30 Corps was to drive north across their lines of communication by-passing any serious opposition which might be encountered. All that mattered was speed.

But on my left the nearer you came to the coast the thicker the German troops would be. So whereas the 19th US Corps and 30th Corps were likely to have a fairly easy passage, 12th Corps would find the going much tougher, while the Canadians who were advancing up the actual coastal belt itself were bound to have hard fighting before they could clear the Channel ports which was their primary task.

As I had never fought alongside an American formation, before, I visited the 19th Corps commander to discuss our mutual boundary. He was most co-operative, over coffee. I once asked an American commander how it was that the U.S. troops had so much better coffee than we could produce. He looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and replied: " Well, General, ours has the advantage of starting by being coffee." He was quite right.

I told the US corps commander that if, in order to get on quickly, his troops had to come into my sector there would be no hard feelings, and he reciprocated. This friendly arrangement, however, nearly led to difficulties, because a few days later he had crossed the boundary to such an extent that if his troops had come any farther my right formation would have been unable to move at all. I was wondering what to do, because after all I had given him an open invitation, when fortunately I remembered that 1944 was the US presidential election year.

So I sent him a wire, " Delighted to have you in my sector, but if you come any farther I will vote for Dewey." He never moved another yard.

On 29th August we burst out of the bridgehead on the Seine and set off on our chase northwards. This was the type of warfare 1 thoroughly enjoyed. Who wouldn't? I had upwards of 600 tanks under my command, and we were advancing on a frontage of fifty miles: Guards Armoured, 11th British Armoured Divisions and 8th Armoured Brigade were scything passages through the enemy rear areas, like a combine-harvester going through a field of corn, with my old friends 50th British Division clearing up the mess behind them. Small battles to overcome hastily-organised enemy defences at villages and cross-roads were going on right across this wide front. But there was no main enemy defensive position.

Our artillery would drop into action while the tanks carried out an encircling movement across country. If this was not sufficient, which it usually was, then the lorried infantry might have to debus and attack. In all the villages and towns we were given the most rapturous welcome "Les anglais, les liberateurs" had arrived, and nothing was too good for them. It proved a wonderful tonic for the troops after the bitter fighting in the Normandy bocage.

Everywhere the Resistance movement leapt into action and they proved of the greatest assistance, taking over care of German prisoners, providing guides, guarding bridges and vulnerable points. Had the Germans tried to carry out a similar advance through the British Isles, what a frightful thorn in their flesh our Home Guard would have been. We were lucky enough to have the French and Belgian equivalent working on our side, but progress would have been much slower if they had been against us. The only trouble was that their estimates of the number of German troops in the vicinity were exaggerated.

There were many bizarre incidents. One of our self-propelled guns (a gun on a tank chassis) broke down and had to be left behind in a small French village. By the time it had been repaired some forty-eight hours later the whole corps had gone on its way, and the gun-crew were the only British troops in the neighbourhood. But before setting off to join up with his regiment again the sergeant succumbed to an urgent appeal from the local Maquis to assist them in rounding up several hundred Germans who were reported to be still holding out in a large wood nearby. After a combined reconnaissance it was agreed that the gun should fire a concentration at one corner of the wood while the Maquis attacked from another.

But when the plan was put into operation the Maquis understandably came to the conclusion that the artillery support was inadequate. The British sergeant then decided to do the whole operation with his own crew. So having fired for four minutes at the corner of the wood, the gun-crew, less the driver, jumped out and, running as fast as they could to get close to their own concentration, disappeared into the wood. Half an hour later they emerged with seventy German prisoners. On hearing this story the infantry said cynically that it was the only time in history that die gunners had ever followed up one of their own barrages.

It was impossible to command a mobile operation of this sort from my headquarters, so, during the advance, my command post was a tank. The gun was taken out and replaced by a small table where we could sit and study the maps. My staff consisted of one young staff officer (G.S.O. 2), a signals officer and my ADC., and I never saw the rest of the corps headquarters for over a week. This sort of command structure has only been made possible by the improvement in wireless communication.

It was the task of the staff officer with me to keep my chief of staff, who was back at the main headquarters, informed by means of coded messages how the battle was going, and pass on the gist of any orders I had given verbally to the divisions. In addition I had an escort of three tanks. This may sound unduly cautious, but each of our armoured columns was advancing up one road and disregarding entirely what lay on the flanks.

There is a popular conception, encouraged, I suspect, by certain war historians who have never had experience of armoured warfare in the field, that an armoured division moves across country rather like a fleet at sea. This is a completely false picture. Whenever possible armoured divisions move along roads because progress is much faster, and they deploy across country only when opposition is encountered. In order to visit the different divisions and brigades I had to move from one road to another, and as none of the Germans had been cleared from the intervening country, I could not have done so without an escort of some sort.