Week 291 - Chiang Versus Mountbatten - WW2 - March 23, 1945

Chiang Kai-Shek is demanding his Chinese troops back from Burma, but this doesn't fit well with Mountbatten's plans for the region. In Burma, Bill Slim's forces liberate Mandalay this week and make plans to head south for Rangoon. There's also friction elsewhere in Allied command- between the Soviets and the Western Allies- over Italy. In the field in Europe, the Soviets advance all along the eastern front, and in the west, the Allies secure another Rhine crossing, and they also launch a double operation to send even more men across the river in force.

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0:00 Intro
0:53 Recap
1:20 Iwo Jima
2:15 Plans for Okinawa
3:53 Mandalay liberated and plans for Burma
08:19 Allied Machinations about Italy
10:25 Soviet advances all along the Eastern Front
16:55 Plans for Operation Grapeshot
17:45 Four Allied Operations in the west
23:25 Summary + Conclusion

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: Karolina Dołęga
Artwork and color grading by: Mikołaj Uchman
Sound design by: Marek Kamiński
Colorizations by:
Mikołaj Uchman
Daniel Weiss
Spartacus Olsson
Cassowary Colorizations
Ruffneck88

Image sources:
National Archives NARA
Bundesarchiv
Imperial War Museums: TR 1037, SE 3547), B 15767

Soundtracks from Epidemic Sound:
Break Free - Fabien Tell
Dark Beginning - Johan Hynynen
Deadline - Marten Moses
Dragon King - Jo Wandrini
Fly Baby Fly - Fabien Tell
It's Not a Game - Philip Ayer
Leave It All Here - Fabien Tell
London - Howard Harper-Barnes
March Of The Brave 10 - Rannar Sillard
Other Sides of Glory - Fabien Tell
Please Hear Me Out STEMS INSTRUMENTS - Philip Ayers
Rememberance - Fabien Tell
Symphony of the Cold-Blooded - Christian Andersen
The End Of The World 2 - Håkan Eriksson
The Inspector 4 - Johannes Bornlöf
The Unexplored - Philip Ayers
Weapon of Choice - Fabien Tell

A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH.

[WorldWarTwo]

The Korean War by Indy Neidell, coming June 2024.

[nickmacarius]

Heinz Guderian "retiring" at this stage of the war is much like rage-quitting in a CoD match. 😅

[SlaghathortheGreat]

I just want to say that the thumbnail meme is on point. 👌

[gunman]

A rather peculiar sidenote this week on March 19 1945 is that Dwight Eisenhower, Walter Bedell Smith, and Kay Summersby will arrive at Cannes, France to take a short break from the war. Eisenhower would spend much of the next three days sleeping and simply doing nothing.

[Emigdiosback]

Should’ve had Smiling Albert going “Keitel, Jodl, where the $&@! Is my ammunition?!?”

[Spiderfisch]

6th Army and getting encircled
Name a more iconic duo

[icarus]

13:40 “A chance to surround German 6th Army” wait I feel like I’ve heard this one before

[mynameisntpatrick]

Ive always wanted Indy to open with the Futurama gag by Professor Farnsworth. "Hows he doing? To shreds you say. Hows she taking it? To shreds you say."

[jerseybob]

Some years ago, I was on a rhine river cruise. A fellow passenger was a WW2 veteran and had driven his Sherman tank across the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen. In Nuremberg, we were getting a lecture on the Nazi rallies. He had to walk away, he lost too many friends in the war. The greatest generation.

[alexcom_]

The comment on 14:53: "Hungarian 3rd army spends this week getting destroyed. " Love the humor.

[rogerd]

You had me confused for a minute, when I saw Frankfurt east of Berlin. I don't know German geography that well, but I could swear Frankfurt was in western Germany. Then I looked on wikipedia and found that there are actually two Frankfurts, Frankfurt an der Oder in the east, and Frankfurt am Main in the west.

[Emigdiosback]

Nice Prigozhin reference with the thumbnail

[nowthenzen]

Thanks! Good stuff and a reminder that everybody fights their own war. This is true on every level.

[GeneralissimusStalin]

"CHIANG! WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY TROOPS?!"

Fantastic thumbnail ngl.

[ewokk]

1939 Germany: do you want to die for Danzig?
1945 Soviets idk, do you want to?😂😂😂😂😂😅

[oldesertguy]

I love hearing the Soviets get upset because of what they perceive as people doing sneaky stuff behind their backs, given their history of doing sneaky stuff as a general practice, lol. As for them worrying about the Poles being upset with "outsiders" watching them, I guess all those Soviet troops, who had originally invaded Poland in 1939, don't count?

[gunman]

A sidenote this week on March 21 1945 is that the Japanese will deploy the Yokosuka MXY7 Ohka suicide aircraft for the first time, slung under 16 Mitsubishi G4M Betty bombers that were part of a group sent to attack the American fleet off Okinawa. The flight was a disaster for the Japanese when the group was intercepted by American fighters a full 60 miles (97 km) from the American task force, and all the bombers were shot down. American pilots noted that the Bettys were flying unusually slow and carrying an unusual payload, but the significance of this was not realized at the time.

[trenchardjj]

"However, at Oppenheim..."
I feel we'll hear a similar name come up again soon.

[kevinmorin]

Having watched various (most) other channels that are spin-offs of WWII and lots of other narrators/presenters who write or deliver similar material... There is just no one better at battle by battle, operation description and bringing that entertaining history than Indie. Mr. Olson is also very good in writing, delivery and theatrical presentation but his chosen subject is so appalling, so gut wrenching; that I have to view his videos in short time increments in order to be able to tolerate most of the information. The best graphics, the most appealing thumbs for each episode and the best online reminder that we must "Never forget!" Thank you WWII for the production of your fine video series.

[ac]

This week on March 21 the 3rd marine that raised the flag on surabachi Franklin Sousley was KIA .