World War II: Crash Course European History #38

Only a couple of decades after the end of the First World War--which was supposed to be the War that Ended All Wars--another, bigger, farther-flung, more destructive, and deadlier war began. Today, you'll learn about how the war in Europe progressed, from the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and the invasion of Poland, to the Western and Eastern fronts, to VE Day and the atom bombs used in Japan.

Sources

-Hunt, Lynn et al. Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford St. Martin’s, 2019.
-Kotkin, Stephen. Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941. New York: Penguin, 2017.
-Mazower, Mark. Hitler’s Empire: How the Nazis Ruled Europe. New York: Penguin, 2008.
-Overy, Richard. Russia’s War: A History of the Soviet Effort, 1941-1945. New York: Penguin, 1998.
-Smith, Bonnie G. Europe in the Contemporary World, 1900 to the Present, 2nd ed. London: Bloomsbury, 2020.
-Snyder, Timothy. Bloodlands: Hitler between Hitler and Stalin. New York: Basic Books, 2010.

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[jonbolitho-jones]

My wife and I just cheered at the return of the Mongoltage. We've missed it dearly...

[chris]

I am so happy to have something new in my feed that isn't coronavirus.

[MaxwellStarr]

"Unless.... you're the Mongols" never gets old.

[mattnaka]

5:32 it is actually generally agreed that Germany’s generals also wanted a wide area of attack and they only changed their opinion on this in hindsight in their memoirs to make themselves look smarter.

[mikeor-]

8:27 Don't invade Russia in the winter. Unless... wait for it... you're the Mongols!
Me: I like the sound of that.

[Shuuchi]

England: We fight to defend liberty!
Colonies: ...

[mattnaka]

5:08 it seems a bit misleading to say the British were standing alone in 1940 when they had a massive empire to help them from Canada to India to Australia. Also in 1940 there were many more polish resistance fighters helping the allies then french. This did not change until case anton and operation torch.

[CommodoreFluffy]

I realize that you aren't a military history channel, but there were a few kind of outdated misinterpretations. There was no official use of the term Blitzkreig by the Germans, who were more accurately following the legacy of prussian Bewegungskrieg or "war of movement" ; a lot of the blaming of Hitler for military blunders comes from the memoirs of generals who were keen to avoid responsibility for their own military failures and atrocities (Of course Hitler made many mistakes, and committed the most extreme atrocities, it's just that those under him shouldn't be allowed to escape scrutiny); and Rommel has been a bit over lionized to justify early failures of the inexperienced American forces. I guess this is more of a minor point since you're mostly going for a general impression of the progress of the war.

[patrick]

why do I feel like 2013 John is happier than 2019 John

[chillsahoy]

I know it's an example from fiction but when I first heard this, it made me realize how hopeless WW II must've seemed to British civilians at the time. In an episode of Doctor Who they end up in London during the Blitz and one of the characters, seeing Billie Piper from the 21st century, assumes that the Germans win. When they tell her that actually the Allies win, this characters wonders how it is possible when the situation seems so dire and hopeless? Our hindsight has made the outcome seem inevitable but at some point, nobody actually knew for sure who would win the war, and understanding this can give us an idea of how terrifying that kind of uncertainty must be.

[grapeshot]

Grandpa served in the 452nd Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion, US Army. Rest in Power ✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

[rogerhinman]

As an overview this is okay. However, there are several errors, especially when you get into Operation Barbarossa. Winter did not halt the German offensives. At first they had issues with the cold but they did quickly devise strategies to overcome that. Hitler wanted to focus the offensive in the south to capture the Ukraine's agricultural lands and the Caucasus oil reserves, but Field Marshal Halder and the planning staff at OKW (similar to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff) decided to stick to the usual method of conducting war by defeating the enemy's forces in the field and capturing their capital. Which Napoleon had shown doesn't work with the Russians and Hitler knew that the Soviets would be no different. So the broad front offensive was used. Hitler had no notions of occupying all of the Soviet Union. What he wanted was the Ukraine and the Caucasus for their agricultural and oil resources. To that end he wanted to go no further east than the Volga River. The winter clothing issue is a yes-and-no thing. Yes, they decided the war would be over before cold weather equipment would be needed so didn't produce more than what was already on hand. However, no, what was on hand was pretty much sufficient for their needs but logistical issues limited what could be transported to the front. The German army of that period can be described as the most advanced horse-drawn army to exist. Despite what the German films of the period show, considering they were nearly all propaganda films, trucks were primarily confined to motorized units and some panzer units since half tracks were in short supply. Those half tracks were built on truck chassis, the same trucks needed to transport troops and supplies, so they didn't make anywhere near as many as they needed or we were led to believe they had. The infantry divisions were pretty much horse drawn and marching just like Napoleon's Grand Armee. And the Germans were critically short of food and petroleum products (it was a punishable offense to leave a vehicle's engine running while stopped), which is why they invaded the Soviet Union in the first place. That Lebensraum thing. Also, the Royal Navy did the lion's share of the evacuation from Dunkirk. Those little private vessels did save a percentage of soldiers, but their involvement was greatly enhanced by Churchill for propaganda purposes. And Great Britain was the recipient of huge amounts of food, resources, and war materials from the United States as well as their own colonies. It wasn't just them alone by any means. If it had been the U-boats could well have sunk enough shipping to force Britain into starvation and signing a peace treaty with Germany, which is what Hitler wanted anyways. And thanks for bringing back the Mongoltage! I missed that.

[zackaryjackson]

My grandpa survived D-day. He was a paratrooper and had to eat rotten apples. Other than that, he didn’t talk much about the war. He died when I was four, and the stuff I hear about the war is what my mom tells me.

[ianpogorelov]

why does noone ever talk about the soviet invasion of manchuria? it arguably had as big of an impact on japan as the nuclear bombs

[DagarCoH]

Uhh, sadly so much wrong or superficial enough to come across wrong in this video. (No, I am not a Wehraboo or whatever corner you want to put me in)
- Blitzkrieg (not a real thing, especially not early in the war)
- Hitler vs Generals and the idea that capturing Moscow would have ended the War in the East (the Caucasus oil was the real goal after it became clear that Russia would not cave in like France had)
- "Sudden" decision to invade USSR after failed attempt at GB
- Stalin badly wanting allied landing in Western Europe (he favoured more Lend-Lease over an allied landing)
- British decision for mediterranean campaign put forth as bad decision
I am sure I missed some things.
Still love you, Crash Course, DFTBA!

[lazurians]

Please make a Crash Course Art history! I love and appreciate what you are doing, you are making a difference in this world.

[Corn-yu]

I needed the Mongols clip. Been a rough few days

[Nonnabella]

We are a homeschool family with only ONE left to finish high school. This is an amazing site and I suspect that, after this awfulness, a LOT of families will want to home school over the long haul. The oldest in our family started home school at age 7 and is now 27. She was extremely well-socialized with the kind of socializing that WE wanted for her. She joined different clubs and studied music/singing/chant. She is a published songwriter, performed her original song for a Disney movie, and is a very accomplished young woman. I wish this was around 20 years ago. Now the youngest of 4 grandchildren will be able to enjoy and learn. Thank you!

[HistoryHustle]

Around half of the German military losses were suffered in these last 10 months (after the failed July Plot). A total of 5, 3 million men of the 18, 2 German military personel died over the course of the war. Till July 1944 2, 7 million were killed. In the last 10 months an additional 2, 6 million were killed of which 1, 5 million at the eastern front. Imagine how many lives would've been saved if the plot was successful...

[sm]

really enjoying this series, great use of video anecdotal information, a vivid and fresh experience on a topic you'd think you've heard everything about.