@samarkand1585
I'm sincerely in awe at the creativity the German military leadership deployed in both world wars to find excuses to blame anything and everything but themselves for the defeats.
@Aakkosti
One quote from a historian whose name I forget has stuck with me: “The German Army of the first half of the 20th century was tactically brilliant, operationally deficient, and strategically bankrupt.”
@malpadgett
Brilliant doco but you have missed a key piece of information about Sir John Monash, an Australian commander, whose tactics he devised at the Battle of Hamel early in 1918 that became the template for Allied victories culminating in the Armistice in November 1918. Monash was knighted in the field, the last one to be so by a British Monarch, and the first in two centuries, by King George V, when he visited Australian Field headquarters in August 1918. The Battle of Hamel in World War I was a small-scale, brilliantly successful attack made by elements of the Australian Corps and United States (US) troops with British tanks and air support. It was the first set-piece operation planned by Monash since taking command of the Australian Corps the previous month. Under Monash's strategy, infantry, tanks, artillery and air support worked together on the battlefield for the first time under Australian command. In just 93 minutes, the Allies captured 1,600 enemy soldiers, and whereas territory wins were measured in yards up to this point, Monash's troops pushed on for 24 hours and had to halt after 20 milex because of exhaustion and supply lines couldn't keep up. Around 1,380 Australian and US personnel were killed or wounded in the battle. It was the first time that Australians and Americans fought together on a battlefield. The planned attack became a model for innovative tactics, which the Allies repeated on larger-scale advances from 8 August and helped to end the war in November 1918. Monash wasn't regarded by the British Military Establishment because he wasn't a "professional soldier" (he was a very successful civil engineer based in Melbourne), he was from "the colonies" with Australia having only become an independent country less than 15 years prior to the War, and most tellingly, he was Jewish. Another story about Monash was that Rupert Murdoch's father, Keith Murdoch, teamed with the official Australian War Historian, CW Bean, to have Monash removed from his command. But the Australian Prime Minister, Billy Hughes, visited Monash in the field to guage the mettle of the man and garner the opinions of his fellow officers. Those under the command of Monash loved him because he dought to protect his men by implementing the latest military technology. Unlike British Generals tactic to use "over the top" waves of men being sent out to no-man's land only to be mowed down by machine guns and artillery, Monash used aerial surveillance, then a curtain of creeping artillery, followed by tanks then the soldiers behind them. He even organised for hot meals to be delivered to troops at the front lines, such was the depth of his planning and regard for the lives of his troops. When Monash died, 300.000 people lined the streets of Melbourne as his hirse drawn casket made the journey padt the unfinished Shrine of Remembrance, which Monash was largely responsible for, to his resting place in Brighton cemetery in a modest grave. He aldo headed up the State Electricity Commission that wired the state of Victoria, was a founding member of Rotary and a key figure in the Boy Scout movement. Monash is one of the truly great Australians.
@landsea7332
8:51 " In October , Lundendorff told Berlin to ask for an armistice since the war was lost . " Yet , it was Lundendorff who claimed that Germany was never defeated on the Battlefield and gave credibility to the myth that Germany had been stabbed in the back by politicians in Berlin . He was a bit of a nut case .
@bonetiredtoo
One key point that was missed: the strangulation of Germany by blockade. This became even worse after April 1917 when all chance of shipping from the US ( via the Netherlands despite British searches ) stopped. The Turnip Winter of 1916-1917 was just the start of acute shortages in Germany ( and that was before the US joined in!)
@Huffmaniac
It's still fascinating that (MAINLY) one country was able to hold a line for 4 years WHILE fighting a second front
@mojojim6458
Thank you for posting this overview of the German dilemma in WW I. Your contributions in Nebula as well as here are much anticipated and appreciated
@robdgaming
Thank you for highlighting several key factors leading Germany to seek an armistice that I hadn't previously heard about. These include the Bulgarian collapse, Germany's inability to replace casualties from its own and Allied offensives, and the large-scale surrenders by German soldiers in the last three months of the war (basically, during the late-war Allied offensives).
@robertshonk518
There were millions of former German soldiers who knew damn well that they had been beaten in 1918. But when Hitler's stab-in-the-back myth became popular, they kept quiet and went along with it. I think it's fair to say that they were ashamed that in 1918 they had lost their patriotic fervor.
@eksbocks9438
15:46 My grandfather was born in 1914. I believe he spent his childhood in Frankfurt. Before his family immigrated to the United States. But one thing he did mention about his childhood was that there was never anything to eat. I don't know any further details. All I know was he was fluent in both English and German.
@iamspartacus3114
Anecdotally, my grandfather drove ammunition trucks in WW1 and was still around during the German offensive of 1918. The feedback from the captured Germans was that when they over-ran the allied trenches and rear areas there was just overwhelming amounts of materials, supplies and foodstuff, that were just abandoned, most of which the Germans had not seen since 1916. Their families at home were basically deprived of everything, so they all realised they had no simply no hope of winning, even after 4 years of titanic struggle and their hearts went out of the fight and they ceased.
@AlexanderosD
Thank you Great War, for your extensive and dedicated commitment to sharing the history of the great war with us!
@artawhirler
Excellent episode! Thanks! I'm especially grateful that you posted this today because I am currently reading a book about Germany between the wars, so this backstory is super useful! Thanks again!
@henrikschmidt3964
One of the greatest things about getting old, is the feeling of constantly learning new stuff and thusly, becoming a little smarter than yesterday. Videos like this helps out. I've read and watched a ton of stuff on the world wars, mainly the European theatre. But there is so much ahead to learn. I envy me.
@WorstGuitaristAlive
1:40 "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face" -Helmuth von Tyson
@davidlewis2668
After the Russian collapse and the Treaty of Brest Litovsk in late 1917 and early 1918, Imperial Germany went for a complete victory instead of negotiated settlement that would have given her most of what she wanted in Eastern Europe at the expanse of withdrawal from NW France and most of Belgium. Better three quarters of a loaf than no loaf at all? This is why it's better to leave politics to the civilians and not the generals.
@davidrodgersNJ
In my opinion, the Germans lost the war at the battle of the Marne in 1914: The Schlieffen plan (predictably) failed, and after that it was just a siege. The Germans still fought brilliantly, and sending Lenin to Russia was a masterstroke, but even that didn't prevent the inevitable.
@Schafkopfliga
My highest respect for the narrator. I have never seen an english documentary in which non-english names of people, regions or cities have been pronounced that accurate. Almost without any accent. Great work! Thank you!
@alexzero3736
The Schlieffen plan was the best chance for German victory, but it failed due to decisions of two men. 1 is Von Moltke younger, he was too cautious about defense against Russia so he weakened the offense in France. 2 is Prinz Ruppreht, who with Bavarian troops did invade through Franco- German border pushing French divisions back, so Northern and Eastern French armies made a united front at Marne river. Also German army failed to cut and encircle any Entente army.
@TheGreatWar