Why Cassino? Putting the Italian Campaign into Global Context

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
  • Why Cassino? Putting the Italian Campaign into Global Context
    With Alan Allport
    Part of our Italy 1944 - Monte Cassino and Beyond series
    • Monte Cassino and Beyond
    A thorough summary of the stages leading up to the battle for Monte Cassino. There were some internet issues (my end not Alan's) at the end, so sorry for the abrupt conclusion.
    Alan Allport is a British historian whose work looks at the relationship between war and society during the period of the two world wars. He was born in Whiston, Merseyside and moved to the United States in 1994. Allport received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Pennsylvania in 2007 and currently teaches at Syracuse University. He is the author of Browned Off and Bloody minded and Britain at Bay.
    Browned Off and Bloody Minded
    UK uk.bookshop.org/a/5843/978031...
    USA bookshop.org/a/21029/97803165...
    Britain at Bay
    UK uk.bookshop.org/a/5843/978178...
    USA bookshop.org/a/21029/97804514...
    You can become a CZcams Member and support us here / @ww2tv
    You can become a Patron here / ww2tv
    Please click subscribe for updates also "like" the video - it really helps!
    Social Media links -
    / ww2tv
    / ww2tv
    / ww2tv
    WW2TV Merchandise ww2tv.creator-spring.com/
    WW2TV Bookshop - where you can purchase copies of books featured in my CZcams shows. Any book listed here comes with the personal recommendation of Paul Woodadge, the host of WW2TV. For full disclosure, if you do buy a book through a link from this page WW2TV will earn a commission.
    UK - uk.bookshop.org/shop/WW2TV
    USA - bookshop.org/shop/WW2TV
    Patreon Brigadiers: Susan Yu, David Keahey and Tom Mullen
    Become a WW2TV Brigadier and become part of this Hall of Fame
    / ww2tv
  • Zábava

Komentáře • 46

  • @Pam_N
    @Pam_N Před 27 dny +13

    Outstanding, does justice to the big picture: aptly titled, "Putting the Italian Campaign into Global Context."

  • @philbosworth3789
    @philbosworth3789 Před 27 dny +15

    A great presentation from Alan explaining the lead up to Monte Cassino.

  • @OliBP
    @OliBP Před 26 dny +3

    Awesome presentation! I heard a lot about Monte Cassino, and the Italian campaign, but never knew really about the context. Now i know! Thanks!

  • @ewok40k
    @ewok40k Před 27 dny +10

    Cassino gets a lot of coverage here in Poland, due to obvious reasons - it was major victory of Polish forces in exile to capture the ruins of the monastery. We got even a movie made about the batlle this year...
    As for the Cassino itself, as some general who I forgot once quipped:
    In war, as in high society, position is everyrthing.

  • @jimwatts914
    @jimwatts914 Před 25 dny +2

    Howdy folks. Brilliant presentation by Dr Allport. His analysis shows why the Allies fought in Italy despite the Americans desire for a confrontation with the German army. Persuasive and clear.

  • @Thumpalumpacus
    @Thumpalumpacus Před 24 dny +2

    Spot-on. Gets the details without bogging down.

  • @davidlavigne207
    @davidlavigne207 Před 26 dny +4

    This was a good primer for the further study of Monte Cassino by Alan and Paul. Great open ended questions to ponder towards the end of the presentation. One thing for sure, I will always be in awe of the soldiers who fought there, regardless of whatever historians have concluded. No one can fault the men on both sides who engaged in the Italian campaign. Bravery was a common denominator throughout the fighting.

  • @jrdj87
    @jrdj87 Před 24 dny +2

    Alan is brilliant. More please!

  • @1089maul
    @1089maul Před 17 dny +1

    Woody/Alan. Watched this on catch-up but of sequence for Cassino week. Should have watched this first for excellent and detailed presentation of the build up to Cassino. I loved Alan’s style of presentation which was really interesting. Thanks both. Bob

  • @dermotrooney9584
    @dermotrooney9584 Před 27 dny +4

    Lovely stuff. I've raided Alan's "Browned Off" many times. 🌟

  • @tonyvart7068
    @tonyvart7068 Před 25 dny +1

    Superb pitch from Alan....very good slides indeed!!

  • @alexfitzgeraldblack
    @alexfitzgeraldblack Před 26 dny +3

    Amazing presentation by Alan.
    I do take issue that Sicily is characterised as "slow progress". Slow based on what? Sure, it was pretty casualty intense -- especially on the Axis (particularly German) side!
    That comment about the lack of a decision on mainland Italy and its role in the successful Axis evacuation is very interesting.

  • @johnlucas8479
    @johnlucas8479 Před 25 dny +1

    Very interesting presentation especially, the questions at the end.

  • @peterfriedenspfeife9230
    @peterfriedenspfeife9230 Před 24 dny +1

    Very, very good presentation, explaining the bigger context and also the questions and doubts about this campaign. I always had took it for granted that it was necessary to attack the German sphere of influence also from the South, liberate Europe as much as possible and as quick as possible, and be it only to drag away forces from France, but I realize now that it was not that obvious.

  • @merdiolu
    @merdiolu Před 27 dny +5

    Great show tonight ( I wote al lengtrhy reply but lost all) Italian theater is a favorite campaign in WWII because it was ignored in popular history. Not only Allied armies staying idle after Tunisian Campaign in May 1943 till June 1944 would be politically unacceptable when Red Army was shouldering fighting the weight of Wehrmacht in Eastern Front ( Stalin became much more bearable in Teheranm Conferance in December 1943) , by May 1944 , Italian Campaign and holding Gustav Line and Anzio bridgehead south of Rome diverted 22 German divisions in Italy and 12 more in Balkans to compansate Italian occupation zone after surrender and disarming of Italian military. If one or two more of German divisions were entrenched in Normandy in May or June 1944 there would be no D-Day , the stakes were that high. Pushing German defensive linesa to north to capture Rome and threaten industrial zone of Northern Italy and grainfields on Po Valley (both which German war economy in dire need) was only was to stretch German Army resources to utmost limit so D-Day in 1944 became possible

    • @garyaugust1953
      @garyaugust1953 Před 27 dny

      Yes the onus fell on Stalin and the Red Army. That stemmed from the Nazi Lebensraum. It has to be said that the German offensive was the largest ever committed. The politics of the time, however unfruitful, did not consider Soviet doctrine, just their compliance, and hugely significant war effort.

    • @extrahistory8956
      @extrahistory8956 Před 26 dny

      In terms of forgotten fronts, the 1,000 mile dash from Mogadishu to the Ethiopian highlands by the Nigerian troops to this day remains the reason why the East African front is mt favorite of the WW2 forgotten fronts. It was also the first front where the Allies won an indisputable total victory

  • @welcometonebalia
    @welcometonebalia Před 24 dny +1

    Thank you.

  • @PalleRasmussen
    @PalleRasmussen Před 27 dny +2

    Another busy day Paul.

  • @DDB168
    @DDB168 Před 27 dny +2

    This was a great presentation, a great overview of the war up to Cassino. Great stuff. P.P Obrien loves to take the contrarian/controversial view.

  • @DanielHammersley
    @DanielHammersley Před 25 dny +2

    Except for the Internet Gremlins of JFC Fuller, that was a great synopsis of why Italy at all, and thus the road to Cassino (after SHINGLE's failure) by Alan, Woody! I did not know about the TRIDENT conference at all, but yes, '43 was the "year of the Conferences" of the Allied Powers., agreed! I do wonder how much of Sir Churchill's aims to end the war by December '44 as a thought idea for around, since we know after Falaise, until the September fuel shortage hauled the Armies in France to a halt a majority of Allied troops had the same infectious idea war to end soon, home by Christmas '44? Not a huge rabbit hole, but it gave me pause during the presentation. PS> 2nd time I've heard "Tunis-grad' (May 43 A,K, surrender) called that. Contemporary nicknaming, since the February '43 ending of Stalingrad :)

  • @rollotreadway9251
    @rollotreadway9251 Před 21 dnem

    An excellent overview of the strategic context of the Italian campaign and thankfully no use of the word sideshow either. The decision of Hitler to send The First SS Panzer Division from the Eastern Front to Italy to shore up Mussolini shows how the different campaign theatres were intertwined. The guest speaker does an excellent job of explaining the allied discussions and available options in a clear and concise manner.

  • @maikelvane5185
    @maikelvane5185 Před 26 dny

    I was in Italy last year. Driving from Naples to Rome and came across Cassino..
    Still had to jump in the battle why it had to be done. Thanks a lot Paul!

  • @Rusty_Gold85
    @Rusty_Gold85 Před 21 dnem

    Has the Channel ever got an author in who has done a specialty summarisation of all the Conferences ? I reckon it is one area that is important to the way they travelled in the war .

  • @timwaycaster7538
    @timwaycaster7538 Před 26 dny +1

    Idea for a show: have Ian McCollum from the CZcams channel Forgotten Weapons on to talk about WW2 small arms

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  Před 25 dny +1

      There are plenty of weapons channels, it's not a direction I want to take thanks

  • @Tancred73
    @Tancred73 Před 26 dny +2

    French internet workers went on strike at the end of the video?

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  Před 26 dny +2

      Yep, pretty much

  • @garyaugust1953
    @garyaugust1953 Před 27 dny +2

    My take on the Italian campaign in general was Churchills' insistence in preventing a Russian domination of the balkan countries (later to be a reality), the removal of an inferior ally to the Nazis (namely Benito Mussolini), but overall the priority with a planned Overlord. Despite the previous named ops from 1943 onwards, the logistics remained the overriding priority. The Italian campaign and Cassino were a nessacary component of the overall objective, committing German resources (lets face it, Italian commitment was reverse gear lol),
    A number edits on i have to say what a very good presentation this was.

  • @lesliebeilby-tipping6854
    @lesliebeilby-tipping6854 Před 26 dny +1

    What happened to the third part of the day Woody?

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  Před 26 dny +1

      I had to postpone because of a lack of internet - see the community post and the one in the sidebar for the delayed show

  • @jaywhite38
    @jaywhite38 Před 27 dny +2

    The invasion of Italy was probably overall a mistake after the fall of Sicily, the ouster of Mussolini and Italian capitulation.

    • @merdiolu
      @merdiolu Před 26 dny +2

      Italian capitulation happened because Allies started Italian Campaign by landing Reggio di Calabria, Salerno and Taranto and after that pushed north. Without initialization of Italian Campaign Italy in under Marshall Bodoglio instead of Musssolini would remain in Axis as a German vassal

  • @jim99west46
    @jim99west46 Před 27 dny +4

    Churchill was a very sly fellow. Its possible that the Italian campaign or his still born Balkans front was as much to keep the Germans bleeding the Russians by prolonging the war as it was to liberate Italy.

    • @zainmudassir2964
      @zainmudassir2964 Před 26 dny

      It's similar to Burma campaign active throughout the Pacific war which drained Japanese Army divisions and kept them from reinforcing elsewhere as Japanese cities came under bombing range.

  • @gqs1
    @gqs1 Před 26 dny

    The intro a bit long , and everybody who tunes in are already aware of 95% of the context around Cassino

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  Před 26 dny +5

      But for people who don't know the context, it's invaluable. And if you did know all the context, why watch?

    • @OliBP
      @OliBP Před 26 dny +2

      @@WW2TV I heard a lot about Monte Cassino, but i really needed a video like this to really understands the context! Thank you!

    • @JakubUrbanowicz-bc1td
      @JakubUrbanowicz-bc1td Před 25 dny +1

      I disagree, I have intrest in ww2 and rather comolex knowledge of the topic, but for me ir was good review, and also pointed me out in durection of things I overlooked. In my case it was the disputes about Casablanca conference, other stuff I knew. But I believe for other peapole different aspect could be gap-filler. I found this video a good introduction before going into Cassino campaign itself. Also I was surprised by the info that British industry reached its peak in 1943.

  • @chrissasin6676
    @chrissasin6676 Před 26 dny

    False advertising

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  Před 26 dny +4

      How? The show was called Why Cassino, Putting the Italian Campaign into Global Context, which is EXACTLY what we discussed. What were you expecting?

    • @chrissasin6676
      @chrissasin6676 Před 26 dny

      @@WW2TV why they decided that taking monte Cassino was so important? Did I miss something?

    • @WW2TV
      @WW2TV  Před 26 dny +3

      It seems you did yes. Alan explained exactly why. The fact it sat on Highway 6. But again, it was about the contextual history, why the Allies found themselves fighting on the Italian mainland at all, why and how Anzio failed and therefore why Cassino stood in the way. Again, literally all in the title