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John Jones
Registrace 13. 09. 2008
WHAT THEY DOESN’T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT WORLD WAR TWO.
The truth about WW2. It might surprise you.
zhlédnutí: 173
Video
D-DAY, Friendly Fire, the Normandy Landings. You will not believe how often this happened!
zhlédnutí 134Před 19 hodinami
There were too many incidences of Friendly Fire. Some were accidents, where brave men were too close to the enemy, but others were stupidly.
THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC. Only 2 ½ minutes.
zhlédnutí 69Před 14 dny
You won’t believe how close the Japanese came to Australia and New Zealand
WAR IN THE PACIFIC EXPLAINED. Japan verses the US and who else?
zhlédnutí 91Před 14 dny
You won’t believe how close the Japanese came to Australia and New Zealand
THE FORGOTTEN CANADIANS HERO’S. D-DAY. 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion.
zhlédnutí 247Před 21 dnem
Hold the perimeter or die. 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion and the 9th British Parachute Battalion, the first to dropped on D-day, their ordeal started well before the fighting.
D day, setting the record straight
zhlédnutí 310Před měsícem
Many people accept the fictional Hollywood version of D-day as historical fact. So, what are the “real” facts concerning D-day?
THE FORGOTTEN BATTLE. THE BIGGEST TANK BATTLE IN BRITISH ARMY HISTORY
zhlédnutí 190KPřed 2 měsíci
Allied strategy, was to draw German armoured Divisions to the British allowing the Americans to breakout to the west. By the end of June 1944, all German armoured forces in Normandy were concentrated on the British front.
First to fight, Airborne. PEGASUS BRIDGE. D-day, 6th June 1944.
zhlédnutí 260Před 3 měsíci
Co-pilot, John Ainsworth yelled “hold tight” the men adopted the brace position, linking their arms with their feet off the floor. Coming in at 90 mph they hit the ground in a shower of dust and sparks.
The SHERMAN verses the PANZERS. How did the Sherman compare to Panzer tanks.
zhlédnutí 1,9KPřed 4 měsíci
Which would win in a face-to-face encounter. Why was the Tiger tank feared by the Allies?
The Normandy Landings: June 6, 1944 | D-Day Documentary
zhlédnutí 4,2KPřed 5 měsíci
D-day 6th June 1944, the build up, the beaches, the men, their story.
HOW TO COOK Macaroni Cheese.
zhlédnutí 50Před 10 měsíci
How to cook Macaroni Cheese. Mac and Cheese, everyone’s favourite. With a secret ingredient.
How to cook TOAD in the HOLE. COOKING FOR MEN, (and Students) Vegetarian Friendly.
zhlédnutí 298Před 10 měsíci
Only £1.27 per person. Toad in the Hole a traditional English dish.
HOW TO COOK SUNDAY DINNER. Cooking for men, and students.Vegetarian Friendly.
zhlédnutí 206Před 10 měsíci
How to cook Traditional Sunday Dinner, ahh, lovely.
How to cook CHILLI CON CARNE. COOKING FOR MEN, (and Students) Vegetarian Friendly.
zhlédnutí 46Před 10 měsíci
Easy to cook delicious meals that even men can cook!
Easy COOKING FOR MEN and students. Vegetarian friendly.
zhlédnutí 38Před 10 měsíci
Cooking for men is all about, cooking meals, that are easy to cook, tasty, healthy and enjoyable. Meals that even a man can cook.
How to cook KORMA. COOKING FOR MEN, (and Students) Vegetarian Friendly.
zhlédnutí 54Před 11 měsíci
How to cook KORMA. COOKING FOR MEN, (and Students) Vegetarian Friendly.
How to cook LASAGNA. COOKING FOR MEN, (and Students) Vegetarian Friendly.
zhlédnutí 42Před 11 měsíci
How to cook LASAGNA. COOKING FOR MEN, (and Students) Vegetarian Friendly.
How to cook Salad. Cooking for Men. Vegetarian friendly.
zhlédnutí 56Před 11 měsíci
How to cook Salad. Cooking for Men. Vegetarian friendly.
Spag Bog. Spaghetti Bolognese. COOKING FOR MEN.
zhlédnutí 149Před 11 měsíci
Spag Bog. Spaghetti Bolognese. COOKING FOR MEN.
PEARL HARBOR. The attack which changed the outcome of World War Two.
zhlédnutí 226Před rokem
PEARL HARBOR. The attack which changed the outcome of World War Two.
The Forgotten Army. The Canadian First Army.
zhlédnutí 628Před rokem
The Forgotten Army. The Canadian First Army.
The Bismarck, 8 days of glory. The Battle of the Denmark Strait.
zhlédnutí 2,3KPřed rokem
The Bismarck, 8 days of glory. The Battle of the Denmark Strait.
The First Canadian Army, Juno Beach, Normandy, 6th June 1944.
zhlédnutí 4KPřed rokem
The First Canadian Army, Juno Beach, Normandy, 6th June 1944.
Sword Beach. Normandy, D-day 6th June 1944. Battle for Caen.
zhlédnutí 4,1KPřed rokem
Sword Beach. Normandy, D-day 6th June 1944. Battle for Caen.
D-Day, Gold Beach, Normandy 6th June 1944
zhlédnutí 3,5KPřed rokem
D-Day, Gold Beach, Normandy 6th June 1944
Utah Beach, Normandy, D-day, 6th June 1944
zhlédnutí 3,3KPřed rokem
Utah Beach, Normandy, D-day, 6th June 1944
My father was wounded at Caan yet hardly ever spoke about it , thanks for posting this because i don’t think this generation have any interest in what they all went through .
Hi there what would be the furthest distance between two tide gauges reading the same level?
To be totally fair to the Americans the BPF turned up after the war in Europe was over and did perform a terrific job in its period in action .... Prior to be this the RN was mainly in the Indian Ocean protecting India and Ceylon... Im not sure how much involvement the RAN or RNZN played in the Pacific before that point altnough I know ghey were involved in the fighting up from the North of Australia towards the Philippines
THEY don't want us to know that the Allies CHEATED. Seriously, though: How much WW2 Pacific theatre history are most British and Canadian citizens actually aware of, themselves? Was that part of their WW2 education?
Typical Of the Americans to steal the limelight. This excellent presentation has served to dispel the myth that the British were somehow kicking their heels and drinking tea while the Yanks were doing the fighting to the West. I now understand why the bulk of the invasion force were concentrated on Sword, Juno and Gold. Monty truly was a very perceptive chap in designing this strategy. Thank you for correcting my perception.
Thank you.
Excellent summary countering the Hollywood version of WW2 with solid fact. While it is true Monty commanded the US 1st and 9th Armies, these were transferred from Bradley not Patton, who only ever commanded US 3rd Army in Europe . The Americans did not have an atomic weapons project prior the the British sharing Tube Alloys weapon research in1940-41.
My father was in the 9th Brigade of the 3rd Division from D-Day to VE day. He rarely spoke of his experiences. Unless you asked him about his Bren gun. Lest we forget
The very cream of the Nazi troops and S S. panzer divisions were involved here.The magnificent support from R.A.F. Typhoon Fighter bombers just about topped the scales in this extremely hard fought battle.
For more details read James Holland's brilliant book Brothers in Arms, is a riveting read from the first to last, tells the story of the Sherwood Rangers from landing on Gold beach to driving into Germany 👍
I have heard/read accounts of ground troops whose units had been accidentally bombed assaulting airmen they encountered after the incidents.
Hollywood has a hell of a lot to answer for when it comes down to the truth!
Does anyone know the exact location of Wildfire? My Grandfather completed basic training there in 1937 before joining the Med Fleet on HMS Sussex. Would like to visit Sheerness if there is still something to see of Wildfire there. Thanks!
Both Royal Navy Shore Bases Wildfire (at Sheerness, Kent) and Wildfire III at Queenborough Kent have sadly been pulled down. But if you walk along the seafront towards to docks there are still WW2 buildings, but no access to them. This coming weekend, Sunday 8th September 2022 at around one o’clock, there is a Wildfire Memorial Parade and Service starting at the Church in the High Street. Afterwards they go to a pub where a singer will sing WW2 songs and you can enjoy a pint of beer. There is a website www.wildfire3.co.uk which will probably have your Granddads ships on it. There is also a museum. The Guildhall Museum, High Street, Queenborough, open April to October, Saturdays 2.00 to 5.00
@@johntenthousand Thank you very much indeed -- I'm very glad I asked! I will see if I can manage to get to Queenborough on Sunday for the parade, which would be a stroke of luck. I'll also consult the website you mention. I asked my Grandad to write up his RN days 1937-45 in what became a book printed for the family. It began with 6 months training at Sheerness and then transfer to HMS Pembroke Chatham. After that it was the Med, South Atlantic, West Africa patrols, Canada and North Atlantic convoys for him on RN and American Lend Lease ships. So I'm keen to see some of the places he mentions. Good to know that Wildfire is still commemorated. Thanks very much again for this helpful information.
Excellent job! Last week I finished a book on the invasion of Normandy, about 500 pages or so. This video is very helpful. RIP heroes 🙏🏽
Thank you John for putting this together. My father was a private with the 2nd East Yorks. on the the D Day landings. We lost him just over 10 years ago and whilst he talked about little bits that he thought would interest me, he never ever spoke about the landing itself. He fought his way through Germany to Hanover, where he remained until well after wars end. I wish I had asked him more now but of course it's too late. He never ever went back to Normandy, I suspect this is because it would have been too much for him to cope with. I have recently been trying to find any records of him to trace his journey but I have found this almost impossible.
Hi the Merkins 1953, If your dad wasn’t in the first wave of the Normandy landings, that would not have been the worst of his ordeal. What they went through in the weeks to come was much worst. To find out more find on CZcams THE FORGOTTEN BATTLE. THE BIGGEST TANK BATTLE IN BRITISH ARMY HISTORY czcams.com/video/3DsuZD-lE2c/video.html You dad and the rest of them really were heroes
Thank you Sir
The Americans hoped that the British and the Canadians would get bogged down in these really vicious late war 'mopping-up' operations of these fortress Channel ports leaving them to be air-brushed out of the eventual WW2 history - American forces capturing Berlin and taking all the glory around the absolute defeat of Nazi Germany, It didn't happen. Bradley's 12th US Army group failed to progress in the north and, particularly, Patton's US Third Army failed to properly capture Prague. Accordingly, the Americans were furious that the 'bumbling, slowcoach, timid, Montgomery' had absolutely raced ahead along the coast; this being why the political shenanigans around Operation MARKET-GARDEN (a British action which would have brough the war to an early close) have made a controversy which remains almost radio-active to this day. The Canadians didn't figure in Monty's glory drive. They were stuck with quite awful duty on the (Walcheren) South Beveland peninsula, fighting well armed Germans in well-made, well-defended positions in aquatic terrain in a bitter winter. Absolute hell. Video images of the Iran-Iraq war, 1980, in the swamps around Basra gives some idea (albeit with chemical weapons thrown in).
Thank you for that, John. Just an FYI; Canadian forces didn't use the Maple Leaf Flag until almost 20 years later, 1965 in fact. In WW2 they fought in NW Europe under the Blue Ensign (and occasionally the Red) but only AFTER 1st August 1944. On D-Day, yes, 6th Jun 1944, Juno beach was stormed by Canadian troop fighting under the Union Jack (that's right, the Union Flag). The Commonwealth pre-1949 was a serious business, membership being limited to the heavyweight Dominion nations of the British Empire. The citizens of those nations - Canada, Australia, NZ, South Africa [1] - had absolute right of full British citizenship (family included) and right of abode in GB until 1949 - with more limited rights until the mid 1960s. That's how Commonwealth Canada fought under the Union flag. [1] The RoI rejected Commonwealth membership in the early 1920s following the Irish civil war. Can you blame them? 5.
What went wrong? Many things went wrong. But perhaps most importantly insufficient naval gunfire assets were allocated to the Omaha Beach sector. The Navy provided two of it's oldest battleships, no cruisers and just ten destroyers. Britain provided one light cruiser and three destroyer escorts. While the Free French provided two light cruisers. This inadequate sized force was expected to support the assault troops against one of the best defended beaches in Normandy. With 670,000 German troops in Normandy all together. By way of contrast the invasion of Saipan, which occured 10 days after Normandy, had 7 battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 3 light cruisers and 26 destroyers. This against an anticipated Japanese force of about 20,000. Ridiculous!
Why are we never told about all the countries that helped the Americans with Japan???
I am so tired of the British defensiveness about their role in WW2. People who know history, unlike Hollywood screen writers, know the vital role they played. But to attack the Americans role is ludicrous. The reason Churchill opposed overlord is he knew the UK could not do it alone. After Anzio he had to wonder whether the US would support the invasion fully, not just with words and material support. FFS the US obviously met his expectations and then some. Why insult Allie's who made this victory possible for UK, and without whom a UK win would NOT have been possible. And then you wonder why we would rather not help in the first place.
Excellent video.
My grandad was in Caen
@@user-gn7rk9pe1g a very brave man. I'm sure you're very proud of him.
Wrong flag.
Older American here. UK commentors: The US provided over 4000 landing craft for the D-Day operation. D-Day participants: Canadian ~ 14,000 / 381 KIA, British ~ 62,000 / 1,450 KIA, & Americans ~ 73,000 / 2,500 KIA. If it weren't for the manpower, industrial & agricultural might of the United States it isn't likely that the UK would have been able to defeat the Germans & the Italians on the continent. The Russian's, on the other hand, probably would have been able to have beaten or at least pushed the Germans out of Russian territory due to their available manpower, fighting strategy, resources & industrial capacity. As for leadership positions, don't forget politics played some role in assigning some of the British commanders to key leadership positions in the D-Day operations. The British Commonwealth forces, on their own, clearly had the will but did not have the manpower, industrial means or access to raw materials to have pushed the Germans out of occupied Europe. Please be clear, I am in now way implying that the British & Commonwealth forces weren't invaluable & an absolutely necessary & critical component / ally required to the defeat the Axis forces in WWII. I'm just asking that you to keep things in prospective, please.
The higher rate of losses was due to the inexperience of the US forces, not because they faced heavier opposition - as this shows they faced less armoured opposition but didn’t have the experience of the Canadian & British units.
Yes, and it wasn't freely given was it? We paid you an Empire's ransom for it. It was Maggie Thatcher's government that finally paid you off in the 80s!
Excellent work, John. Thank you.
"At that time, on the 600-mile Eastern Front, the Russians faced 9 German divisions". Really? I don't believe that. Operation Bagration alone is said to have destroyed 28 German divisions in the East, and that was just on the Army Group Centre front.
@kevinmcinerney1959 Basically, it means that there were more German *armoured units* facing that 50km front in the West than the Eastern Front from the Baltics to Byelorussia with a distance of over 600km.
Yeah, but the Yanks had some pretty nasty hedges to deal with. Be fair.
Great piece. Montgomery was the allied ground commander for D-Day and the post-invasion lodgement phase and he deliberately put the British units on his left-flank to protect US forces from German intervantion for two reasons; first to allow the Americans greater time to build up their reserves of tanks and vehicles as their greater mobility (compared to British units) could be used to greater effect when breaking out of the beachheads and sweeping South and then East to link up with the British; and secondly, and probably most importantly, the US Army had a record of breaking and running when meeting the enemy for the first time. They ran at Kasserine in North Africa and ran again when the first met the Japanese in New Guinea. Although Rommel admitted they improved hugely by their second battle there would be no second chance if they ran and were pushed back into the water in Normandy which is why the British had to shield the US forces from the brunt of the fighting until they'd established themselves properly in France.
Just to let you know, the Canadian Army on D Day were the only one that reach their objectives.
Excellent, thank you.
Does your number of troops landed include the airborne forces?
Loves it
It certainly was a major tank battle. But wasn't El Alamein a bigger tank battle?
@Anvilarm07 There were 1,576 tanks at El Alamein ( 547 German and Italian and 1,029 Allied ) and 1,200 Allied tanks and 675 German tanks at Caen.
What 20 mm cannon on spit during battle of Britain
Real tragedy , because of Hitler , the Nazis were fighting against the only army that could have saved Europe from Stalin
If it wasn’t for this battle the Americans wouldn’t have been able to breakout of their positions capture Cherbourg but they conveniently forgot to mention this but a lot of Americans who were there knew is and have said so.
John, it's pronounced more like 'con' than 'carn'. The first isn't absolutely correct but sounds a sight closer to the actual name of the place.
I wonder if walterm140 has ever read the following below... . Straight from a Canadian officer who served in WW2 - one Colonel Charles Perry Stacey. Note the dates that this was written were in May 1944. A month before D-day. Excerpted from "Appreciation on Possible Development of Operations to Secure a Lodgement Area", produced by 21st Army Group Planning, May 7, 1944 (one month before D-Day). This was forwarded to First US Army Group, among others, on 18 May under a covering letter which reads in part, "With regard to the outline of action at Part IV, this represents the Commander-In-Chief's [Montgomery's] intentions as far as they can be formulated at this stage." IV. SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS Quote "The type of country immediately South of the initial bridgehead does not favour a rapid advance. The Allied build-up relative to the estimated German build-up indicates that a period may supervene round about D+14, when there will be a grave risk of operations stabilising on a line which gives the Germans advantages in defence. The greatest energy and initiative will be required at this period to ensure the enemy is not allowed to stabilise his defence." "Once through the difficult bocage country, greater possibilities for manoeuvre and for the use of armour begin to appear. *Our aim during this period should be to contain the maximum enemy forces facing the Eastern flank of the bridgehead, and to thrust rapidly toward Rennes. On reaching Rennes our main thrust should be towards Vannes; but diversionary thrusts with the maximum use of deception should be employed to persuade the enemy that our object is Nantes. If, at this time, the enemy weakens his Eastern force to oppose us North of Redon, a strong attack should be launched toward the Seine."* Part IV of the Appreciation continues, advocating alternating attacks on the East and West flanks of the bridgehead in reaction to German reinforcement moves, in order to bring German reinforcements sent to the American front back to the British front. Thus it is fairly clear that Montgomery intended before ever landing to hold in the East and strike in the West, unless an opportunity presented itself for a favourable attack in the East. Certainly there is no indication of anyone contemplating a breakout on D+2. Give up Walt Disney!!!! You aren't fooling ANYONE.
Montgomery did not try and draw the Germans onto the British. sector. That is false. "Until Montgomery’s 11 June invention of his new strategy, he had always made it perfectly clear that D-Day required an initial aggressive thrust that gained more ground and broke through the German defenses to take Caen. British and Canadian armored forces would rapidly move onto the Falaise plain, then toward the Seine and Paris. This was Montgomery’s original planned “feint” at Caen that would draw the German panzers into a battle highly favorable to the Allies. Overwhelming British and American air superiority and the mobility of their much larger armored forces would destroy any German counteroffensive. This “feint” in turn would assist a faster American breakthrough in support of the British. The Americans would largely bypass the bocage country and help flank the German positions along the coast, forcing their general retreat to the Seine. It was only after D-Day that this new 11 June strategy became his plan. None of Montgomery’s pre-invasion planning, reports, or presentations ever suggested that the British would stop short of attacking and quickly taking Caen. Thus Montgomery opened the door to what became a long battle of attrition in Normandy.8 It took the British and Canadian forces six battles over forty-two days-from 6 June to 18 July -to capture all of Caen. What was behind Montgomery’s thinking that might help explain his slowness in taking the city? Why had he suddenly shifted the “plan” from a British- and Canadian-led offensive breakout strategy to one of attrition warfare? The United Kingdom was reaching the end of its manpower reserves. Churchill feared that the manpower situation would diminish his influence with Roosevelt and his status in the “Big Three Conferences” with Roosevelt and Stalin then deciding the postwar future of Europe.” The British Army in Normandy: Winning the War Wrong Way - Montgomery
You're a complete liar and it has been debunked czcams.com/video/t-0AxubQEWM/video.html
@@Bullet-Tooth-Tony- such a bad, bad boy 😂😂
Montgomery's plan was to draw in then destroy the German army, not gain territory. The Caen sector had more German tanks per mile than Kursk. In just a dozen miles or so eight Panzer divisions in a very small area of front. *Caen had the highest concentration density of German tanks ever seen in WW2, pitted against British armour.* At Kursk the panzer divisions were spread out over a much wider area and were not concentrated as densely as around Caen. The Germans used Panzer Mk3s at Kursk, the minimum was Mk4s at Caen, with many with the 75mm long guns. Caen saw the densest concentration of German armour ever seen in WW2. At Kursk the Germans were attacking over a near 50 mile front. There were certainly not eight panzer divisions within 12 miles. There were *EIGHT* Panzer Divisions in the Caen area by end of June 1944 and *FIVE* lines of anti-tank guns. The Germans kept sending more and more panzer divisions around the Caen area as June went on and into July. These were the panzer divisions deployed to the Caen area: • 21st Panzer Division (117 Panzer IVs). • Panzer Lehr Division ( 101 Panzer IVs, 89 Panthers). • 2nd Panzer Division (89 Panzer IVs, 79 Panthers). • 116th Panzer Division (73 Panzer IVs, 79 Panthers). In reserve just behind the front. • 1st SS Panzer Division (98 Panzer IVs, 79 Panthers). • 9th SS Panzer Division (40 Stugs, 46 Panzer IVs, 79 Panthers). • 10th SS Panzer Division (38 Stugs, 39 Panzer IVs) • 12th SS Panzer Division (98 Panzer IVs, 79 Panthers). • Tiger Battalion SS101 (45 Tigers). • Tiger Battalion SS102 (45 Tigers). • Tiger Battalion 503 (45 Tigers) Source: Bernages Panzers and the Battle For Normandy and Zetterling's Normandy 1944: German Military Organization, Combat Power and Organizational Effectiveness. On 12th June 1944 the British had no room to sidestep any German divisions before Caen because the Germans totally blocked them. This is why a wide right hook on Caen was attempted. To the south of Panzer Lehr's sector in the vicinity of Villers Bocage there was thought to be an area devoid of German forces, and so this wide right hook was attempted on the morning of 13th June. Any wider and it would have overrun into the American lines. There was no other room to manoeuvre onto Caen. All attempts had to go right through the German panzer divisions through the rest of June and early July, with the Germans having excellent defensive country of fields broken up by hedgerows, with which to utilise to their advantage. The Germans had over 1,500 tanks and assault guns in the British/Canadian sector, including Tiger and Panthers. Even the King Tiger and Jagdpanther made their WW2 combat débuts around Caen in July. The Americans who were not equipped, or experienced, to face massed German armour, were given primarily an infantry role by Montgomery - the Americans met very little armour in WW2 in comparison to the British. The US forces didn't face any German armour until June 13th, and that was only a mere battalion of assault guns. The British destroyed about *90%* of German armour in the west.
@@johnburns4017 Montgomery said at the big May 15 briefing that he would quickly be at Falaise. There was no plan to draw the Germans onto the CW forces. Saying there was is a lie.
@@johnburns4017 “Something important to note about the US Campaign in Normandy: The US Army did NOT encounter any Panther tanks in Normandy until a month into the campaign. In particular, the first verified engagement involving Panthers in the US sector in Normandy occurred on July 10 - more than a month after the initial landings - and it was an unmitigated disaster for the Germans who lost at least 30 tanks in the engagement. It's recorded in Bluemenson's "Breakout and Pursuit", which covers the battle at Le Dezert between elements of the Panzer-Lehr Division on the German side, and elements of the 9th and 30th US Infantry Divisions supported by their tank and tank destroyer units. It would in fact not surprise me if the Panther tanks used in the Isigny tests were Panthers knocked out and captured during this engagement. More importantly, it is highly unlikely that the US Army encountered many more Panther tanks in the whole of July and most of August, because Panzer-Lehr Division was the only Panzer Division facing the Americans during this period and they were down to some 60 working tanks when they were transferred from the British sector in Caen to the vicinity of St Lo. Quite simply, Panzer Lehr in fact lost most of its remaining tanks in the Le Dezert counter-attack and was forced to assume a largely defensive posture afterwards - with the Panzergrenadiers rather than the paltry 30 odd tanks remaining serving as the backbone of the defense. The idea that the US was facing a lot of tough German tanks in their sector was frankly a bit of fanfiction. The majority of Panzer Divisions - including almost certainly all of the Tigers - were in the British sector. So while the British did need a hole-puncher in the form of the Firefly, the US Army actually didn't. They probably faced a maximum of 30 Panthers - many of which were lost in their first battle - all from Panzer-Lehr Division.” Thomas Ellyson Ting
@@walterm140 Yes there was you're ridiculously out of touch. *Excerpted from "Appreciation on Possible Development of Operations to Secure a Lodgement Area", produced by 21st Army Group Planning, May 7, 1944 (one month before D-Day). This was forwarded to First US Army Group, among others, on 18 May under a covering letter which reads in part, "With regard to the outline of action at Part IV, this represents the Commander-In-Chief's [Montgomery's] intentions as far as they can be formulated at this stage."* IV. SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS "The type of country immediately South of the initial bridgehead does not favour a rapid advance. The Allied build-up relative to the estimated German build-up indicates that a period may supervene round about D+14, when there will be a grave risk of operations stabilising on a line which gives the Germans advantages in defence. The greatest energy and initiative will be required at this period to ensure the enemy is not allowed to stabilise his defence." "Once through the difficult bocage country, greater possibilities for manoeuvre and for the use of armour begin to appear. Our aim during this period should be to contain the maximum enemy forces facing the Eastern flank of the bridgehead, and to thrust rapidly toward Rennes." "On reaching Rennes our main thrust should be towards Vannes; but diversionary thrusts with the maximum use of deception should be employed to persuade the enemy that our object is Nantes." "If, at this time, the enemy weakens his Eastern force to oppose us North of Redon, a strong attack should be launched toward the Seine."
_I think he had given the RAF a totally false impression at St Paul’s and elsewhere, as to when he was going to get the airfields, south of Caen - a totally false impression. Because when we got there [to Normandy] we realized quite quickly that he didn’t care a damn about those airfields,_ *_as long as he could draw all the German armour on to the [eastern] side and give a chance for his right swing to break out!”_* -Hamilton, Nigel. Monty, Master of the Battlefield 1942-1944. _”As he explained in a letter that evening to Major-General Simpson at the war Office, Caen was only a name; he did not want to waste British and Canadians lives a la Stalingrad: The Germans are doing everything they can to hold on to CAEN. I have decided not to have a lot of casualties by butting up against the place; so I have ordered Second Army to keep up a good pressure at CAEN, and to make its main effort towards VILLERS BOCAGE and EVRECY and thence S.E. towards FALAISE.”_ -Hamilton, Nigel. Monty, Master of the Battlefield 1942-1944. _But this had been stated in an address he had given before D-Day. Monty’s actual address, never published before, makes it quite clear that, with the exception of ports, the battle for Normandy would not be conducted with object of capturing towns, but of step by step building up of men and resources until the moment when the Americans would be strong enough to drive south into Brittany and to the Loire. It was a strategy that Monty unfolded with absolute conviction, two months before the new date set for the invasion: the first full moon in June. As in the address to senior officers before Alamein the calm authority with which Monty outlined his plan, the likely enemy response, and the phases through which the battle would go, was almost incredible to those present who did not already know Montgomery._ _At no point in this military lecture to Brooke, Churchill and Smuts, did Monty ever suggest that Dempsey was to do more than bring the German forces to battle around Caen, however - and when after the war, Eisenhower wrote that ‘in the east we had been unable to break out towards the Seine’, Monty was furious, for this was a complete travesty of the facts. To Churchill Monty had made it quite clear that there was no question of wild break-outs. How could there be when the Allies had only fourteen divisions ashore, many of which, particularly the parachute and first assault divisions, were inevitably running out of steam?_ _As Churchill pointed out to Stalin the battle for Normandy would be a slow and deliberate one: ‘I should think it quite likely that we should work up to a battle of about a million a side, lasting throughout June and July. We plan to have about two million there by mid-August.Eisenhower’s unfortunate obfuscation has coloured the military accounts ever since, polarizing chroniclers into nationalistic camps. This was, Monty felt, a tragedy in view of the fact that the battle for Normandy was, at all stages, an Allied battle, in which Allied soldiers gave their lives, conforming to an Allied plan to defeat the German armies in the West - not to ‘break out towards the Seine’ in some mythical Lancelot charge..._ _Dempsey’s brief then was not to ‘break out towards Seine’, but to play his part in a truly Allied undertaking, bringing to battle the mobile German forces that would otherwise - as Rommel wished - destroy the American assault on Cherbourg.”_ - Hamilton, Nigel. Monty, Master of the Battlefield 1942-1944.
Thanks for this John.
Please - this is great history - but if you are going to use photographs to accompany your narration, you need to make sure they do represent your words. And despite it being spelt "lieutenant" the British pronounce it Leftenant.
Where did that tripe about the Russians facing nine German divisions come from? In June, as a strategy to prevent the Germans reinforcing the western from the eastern front, the Russians launched Operation Bagration, the biggest attack in world history. The Russians put 3 million men into the attack with 6,000 tanks and 11,000 aircraft. They faced the Germans' vaunted Army Group Centre which had spearheaded the attack on the U.S.S.R. in '41. There were 130 German divisions on the Eastern Front [ 35 on the western]. With superior tactics the Russians destroyed the Germans Army Group Centre, taking 400,000 prisoners. It was the greatest allied victory of the war. The Russians took Minsk, all of Belorussia and were at the gates of Warsaw within a month. They had to stop when they outran their supply lines. By the end of July the allies on both fronts were on the front foot and the Germans were doomed. All brave men, all heroes, whether British, American, Canadian or Russian [ or many other nations] Lest we forget.
Holland you mean the Netherlands? if you want to call it the city Breskens is in the province of Zeeland and not in North or South Holland. In the Netherlands we are still very grateful to the Canadians for the liberation of our country and not just the 2 provinces with the name Holland. That many people call the Netherlands Holland is the same as people would call Canada, Alberta or Ontario for example.
At the very end the narrator seems to imply that Montgomery did not deserve to be berated by his boss, and his savior, General Eisenhower. Montgomery was guilty of purposely sabotaging Eisenhowers broad front strategy, often because Monty so desperately wanted fame and glory and he really wanted all the attention that General Patton was getting, and Monty didn't deserve any of those things. He was an asshole who took credit for the American victory at the battle of the bulge, even Churchill reprimanded Monty for trying to take credit for doing nothing. Britain lost the war to Germany in 1940 at Dunkirk. Britain was on the verge of bankruptcy and had no army or tanks in which to fight the huge German military. "If America does not come to our aid, then the war is lost." -Winston Churchill
i see you have a degree from hollywood.
@@johndawes9337 wow. What a typical pathetic British thing to say. No counter argument, because the facts are true. Just angry venting. Are any of you islanders able to discuss WW2 without immediately talking about Hollywood? It's beyond pathetic, and childish. Britain lost to Germany. Your people should accept it
@@chadmysliviec8449 Britain won. It took the surrender of all the German forces at Luneberg heath.
world is Still paying for hitlers mistakes
I was struck by the fact that most tanks were destroyed by artillery, antitank guns, air power and infantry presumably equipped with PIAT Gamon Grenades Very little mention of losses due to tank on tank encounters.
Thanks for sharing this. My great uncle participated in operation Epsom in a Sherman tank. His unit was ambushed and his tank took a hit and his ear was burned off and he crawled out of his tank and laid next to the tracks before passing out. The next morning, he heard gunshots as a highlander unit was passing through the column of burned out british tanks. Men who had survived the burning tanks had horrible wounds. He recalled that the scots had been shooting survivors who were wounded. After letting them know not to put him down with choice words, he was spared and he was picked up by a medical unit three hours later. He returned to the village in a reunion 50 years later. There is and pointed to the church tower he destroyed and joked the french villagers forward the bill to his address.
Great story. Very brave man.
That claim around 6:50 that there were only nine German divisions on the Russian front is going to need some explaining.
A few people have pointed this out. These figures were given by the liaison officer for the Red Army, Colonel Vassilievsky on a visit to the 7th Armoured Divisional Headquarters in Normandy around the time of the battle. I expect it was after Operation Bagration when the Red Army decimated German Army Group Central. Thanks for your comments.
@@johntenthousand Operation Epsom began just a few days before Bagration. The book. 'The German Defensive battles of 1944' reports that Army Group Center alone had 34 divisions.