Podcasts about Barbarossa

Last time we spoke about the battle of Zhongtiao Mountain. On 7 May 1941, Japan launched a three-front assault on the Zhongtiao Mountains, striking multiple axes and using paratroopers to disrupt Chinese command. On the northeastern front, Wu Shimin's 98th Army scored a success at Wangcun, routing about 2,000 attackers. Elsewhere, three-pronged Japanese forces drove south toward Yuanqu with overwhelming artillery, armor, and coordinated movement. During the first night, paratroopers found the Chinese headquarters already disordered: orders were unclear and communications with most units collapsed. By 8 May, the First War Zone could no longer coordinate; armies fought alone. From mid-May into June, Japanese units swept the mountains, manning river crossings to block retreat and eliminating pockets. Surviving Chinese formations escaped or regrouped south of the Yellow River, but the three-year Zhongtiao defensive system was destroyed in about twenty days, sharply worsening Japan's strategic situation in northern China.   #208 Operation Plus: The Road to the Second Battle of Changsha Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. In the autumn of 1939, Japanese forces under General Yasuji Okamura launched a major offensive aimed at capturing Changsha — the gateway to China's interior and one of the most important cities still under Nationalist control. The First Battle of Changsha ended without a decisive Japanese victory. Chinese forces, anchored by the Ninth War Zone under General Xue Yue, managed to repel the advance, inflicting significant casualties and preserving the city. It was a notable achievement at a time when Japanese arms had swept across vast swathes of Chinese territory, and it reverberated through both the Chinese military establishment and the watching international community. Following the Japanese withdrawal, Chiang Kai-shek convened the Second Nanyue Military Conference to carry out a thorough assessment of the battle and to plan for the period of relative calm that would follow. The conference sought to answer several pressing questions: What had worked in the defense? Where had coordination broken down? How could the period of Japanese inactivity be used most productively? Chiang made it clear that this respite was not to be wasted. Commanders of all the major war zones were simultaneously expected to serve as governors of their respective provinces, ensuring unity of military and civilian command. Chiang himself set an example by personally assuming the governorship of Sichuan Province and focusing attention on that province's production and reconstruction efforts. The conference produced broad directives for the reconstruction of war-zone provinces and the intensification of military training. For Hunan, responsibility for implementing these directives fell on the shoulders of General Xue Yue, who had emerged from the First Battle of Changsha with greatly enhanced prestige and authority. The reason Changsha and Hunan more broadly attracted such persistent Japanese attention was geographical and logistical. The Yuehan Railway — running from Yueyang in northern Hunan down through Changsha and south toward Guangzhou — was one of the most important transportation arteries in China. Whoever controlled it could move troops, equipment, and supplies across vast distances with speed and reliability. Opening up the Yuehan line would, in Japanese strategic thinking, effectively connect their forces in Central China with those in South China, allowing for a gradual tightening of the strategic noose around Chiang Kai-shek's wartime capital at Chongqing in Sichuan Province. Hunan was therefore not merely a defensive problem for the Chinese; it was a strategic prize that Japan would inevitably seek to take. Xue Yue, whose headquarters were in Changsha, was well aware of this logic. With the First Battle of Changsha behind him and the province in need of recovery, Xue Yue turned his attention to governance. He was not content to wait passively for the next Japanese offensive. He believed that a province that was economically productive, administratively disciplined, and politically stable would provide a far more durable foundation for military resistance than one that was disorganized and demoralized. At the beginning of his tenure as effective governor of Hunan, Xue conducted a thorough survey of the province's situation and then articulated a philosophical framework for his administration in the form of a "three-character policy," consisting of three guiding principles: "Peace"  (an), "Convenience" (bian), and "Sufficiency" ( zu). In Xue's formulation, "Peace" meant that the population should be able to live, work, and conduct their daily affairs free from fear and disruption. "Convenience" meant that policies should benefit the people, the nation, and the war effort simultaneously — eliminating bureaucratic obstacles and inefficiencies. "Sufficiency" meant achieving adequate levels in all essential areas: enough soldiers, enough food, and enough wisdom in leadership. These seemingly simple principles were elaborated into extensive implementation guidelines. The announcement of this framework immediately sparked debate across Hunan's intellectual and administrative community. Veteran officials and scholars were divided. Some praised the policy as a clear and practical framework for wartime governance. Others dismissed it as hollow wordplay, offering nothing new or substantive. A minority was more sharply critical, warning that if such superficial philosophizing was all Xue could offer, the province would decay into warlordism. Undeterred by the criticism, Xue Yue built upon the three-character framework with a set of "Six Policies" for governing the people of Hunan: "Benefiting the People, Raising the People, Educating the People, Protecting the People, Managing the People, and Utilizing the People." Each of these six principles came with specific implementation targets and performance metrics, designed to be measurable rather than aspirational. This second round of policy announcements generated yet another wave of debate, but Xue pressed forward with implementation regardless. From the beginning of 1940, Xue vigorously pushed for the expansion of agricultural and industrial production across the province. His approach was comprehensive and at times uncompromising. He approved funds for the reconstruction of the Zhongshan Road National Goods Exhibition Hall in Changsha — which had been destroyed in the catastrophic Changsha Fire of 1938 — and by February 1940, 114 shops had reopened there. In March, he approved the "Eight Measures for the Construction of Sheds in Changsha," drafted by the Changsha Municipal Police Bureau, which relaxed housing regulations and helped address the severe shortage of accommodation for the city's residents, who had largely fled or been displaced during the fire and the Japanese offensive. One of the more creative initiatives of this period was the Ninth War Zone's order requiring all troops stationed in Hunan to cultivate a certain amount of farmland in their spare time, growing grain to supplement military rations. Local residents came to refer to the plots tended by soldiers as "soldier's fields" (bing tian). This policy served a dual purpose: it reduced the logistical burden of feeding the garrison forces from civilian stocks while keeping soldiers productively occupied during lulls in fighting. It also served to maintain a degree of goodwill between the military and the rural communities on which any prolonged resistance ultimately depended. One of the most consequential steps Xue Yue took to stabilize Hunan's governance was an aggressive campaign against corruption. On April 15, 1940, he ordered the execution of Tian Weizheng, the county magistrate of Changsha, and Wang Lun, the county magistrate of Xiangtan, both on charges of corruption and abuse of office. The proclamation accompanying the executions was blunt: "This serves as a warning against corruption and establishes the authority of the law in upholding discipline." The message was not lost on officials across the province. In the months that followed, a sweep of investigations led to the punishment of numerous corrupt officials and illegal businessmen. The effect on public confidence in the provincial government was significant. Citizens and soldiers alike perceived that there was now a leadership willing to hold its own accountable — a stark contrast to the corruption and self-dealing that had plagued Chinese provincial governance throughout the war. Xue was also attentive to the ideological dimension of the war effort. On May Fourth Youth Day — itself laden with nationalist significance, commemorating the great student movement of 1919 — Xue attended the provincial capital's sports meet and delivered a speech before thousands of young people entitled "Iron Youth, Iron Spirit, Sacred Labor, Sacred Survival." The speech was aimed at galvanizing the younger generation, connecting their personal futures to the fate of the nation and the resistance against Japan. That same month, in May 1940, the 110th executive meeting of the Hunan Provincial Government revised and approved the "Hunan Province County Heads Performance Evaluation Method," a document that formalized military service and support for the war effort as the primary criterion in the evaluation of local officials' political performance. Throughout 1940, the provincial government and the Ninth War Zone organized a series of training courses for officials, including courses specifically designed for guerrilla cadres, women cadres, and village chiefs — an indication that preparations for sustained, decentralized resistance were underway. Xue himself addressed the cadre training group with a speech on "The Conditions That a Well-Rounded Cadre Should Possess." By the end of 1940, after more than a year of sustained effort, Hunan had broadly recovered to the administrative and economic condition it had enjoyed before the Changsha Fire, when the reformist official Zhang Zhizhong had governed the province. Agriculture, industry, and commerce all showed measurable improvement over their wartime lows. The government's accounts for the year reflected growth across all sectors. This recovery was not merely statistical; it represented a genuine rebuilding of the province's capacity to sustain a prolonged defense. Soldiers were better fed and equipped, local officials were more disciplined, and the civilian population had a functioning, if still imperfect, relationship with the wartime state. Early in 1941, Xue Yue's reputation had grown to the point where local gentry and public figures jointly petitioned for a bustling street in Changsha to be named after his courtesy name — a mark of genuine popular esteem unusual for a military governor in wartime China. While Xue Yue was rebuilding Hunan, events at the geopolitical level were reshaping the strategic environment in ways that would directly precipitate the Second Battle of Changsha. On September 27, 1940, Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, formally joining the Axis powers. The pact alarmed the Western democracies and accelerated their support for China. On December 2, 1940, the United States Congress passed a bill approving a one-hundred-million-dollar loan to China. On December 10, 1940, Britain followed suit, approving a ten-million-pound loan. Both measures were explicitly understood — by all parties — as responses to Japanese expansion and Japan's recognition of Wang Jingwei's collaborationist puppet government in Nanjing. For the Japanese military leadership, these loans signaled that the international community was not prepared to accept Japan's fait accompli in China, and that the war of attrition against the Nationalist government could not be allowed to continue indefinitely. The imperative to resolve the "China Incident" — as Japanese officials euphemistically called the war — before the international situation deteriorated further became more urgent than ever. On January 16, 1941, the Japanese Army adopted the "Long-Term Operational Guidance Plan for China." The document acknowledged a painful internal contradiction: Japan could only sustain a protracted war in China, yet it simultaneously demanded a swift resolution to the conflict through strong military pressure. The plan's solution to this contradiction was to intensify operations while "taking note of the international situation" — meaning that military actions should be calibrated to avoid triggering direct American or British intervention. The plan called for large-scale offensive operations in the summer and autumn of 1941. The companion document, the "Annual Plan for Showa 16 (1941)," was more specific. It required Japanese troops stationed in China to conduct a major operation in the summer and autumn of that year with the aim of dealing a heavy blow to the main force of the "Whampoa Military Academy" — the term used by Japanese planners to describe the core of Chiang Kai-shek's professional officer corps, trained at the Whampoa (Huangpu) Military Academy and regarded as the backbone of the Nationalist army. The stated goal was to destroy the Chongqing government's will to continue resistance and thereby force a resolution to the China Incident. Xue Yue himself read translated summaries of both these documents when he traveled to Chongqing to report on his work in early 1941. He returned to Hunan in a reflective, and determined, frame of mind. For much of the period between the two Battles of Changsha, the Japanese Eleventh Army — the primary force facing Xue Yue's Ninth War Zone — had been commanded by General Yasuji Okamura, a seasoned officer with whom Xue had developed a degree of familiarity through combat. By early 1941, it became known that Okamura was to be transferred to the Military Advisory Council at Imperial General Headquarters in Tokyo — a prestigious but more removed role. Xue Yue reflected on this change with a mixture of relief and characteristic self-confidence, reasoning that whoever replaced Okamura would be a new adversary to be dealt with on the battlefield, and that there was no reason to lose to him regardless. Korechika Anami received his appointment as commander of the Eleventh Army on February 15, 1941. From the first day of his appointment, he carried a detailed battle map of the three provinces facing his command — Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi — along with comprehensive intelligence files on both sides' troop dispositions and strengths. He studied these materials constantly, on trains, in waiting rooms, wherever he had a free moment. By the time he formally took up his post on March 10, 1941, he already had a clear operational vision for the coming campaign. Before reaching the front, Anami stopped in Nanjing to meet with General Hata Shunroku, the Commander-in-Chief of the China Expeditionary Army. Hata had himself arrived in China in early 1941, having been summoned by the Emperor before his departure and entrusted with what the Emperor called the sacred mission of resolving the China Incident. The two men talked through the night, their conversation returning repeatedly to the planned summer-autumn offensive. Hata urged Anami to annihilate the main force of the Ninth War Zone in the area south of the Miluo River — to destroy, once and for all, the core of Chiang Kai-shek's best troops. "If this battle is fought well," Hata told him, "the entire war situation in China will undergo a huge change." Anami listened and agreed, though he had his own reasons to want the battle to go well. He had voluntarily relinquished the prominent position of Vice Minister of the Army at General Headquarters in Tokyo to take this field command — a significant personal sacrifice that reflected his deep desire for battlefield achievement. There was a personal dimension to Anami's motivations as well. His second son, a bright and lively boy to whom he was deeply attached, had died in combat in China. Anami carried a photograph of his son wherever he went, and had resolved to transform his grief into a consuming commitment to military excellence, whatever the human cost. At the Eleventh Army's headquarters in Yueyang, Anami found the war game board and operational plans that Okamura had left behind. He did not immediately begin issuing orders. Instead, for weeks he immersed himself in the problem, traveling between divisional headquarters and subordinate commands to gather ground-level perspectives, or sitting alone for hours before the great map, motionless and in deep concentration. His new chief of staff, Kinoshita Isamu, who had come from a divisional unit and was unfamiliar with his commander's temperament, could only keep silent company during these long sessions. When Anami eventually convened his headquarters personnel to explain his operational intentions, he made a pointed critique of the First Battle of Changsha. "The reason why the last battle in Changsha did not achieve great results," he said, "was that the troops were too dispersed and the main direction of attack was not highlighted, so they could not form a strong impact and lethality." He named the new operation "Operation Plus" — a deliberate contrast with what he saw as the subtracted, diluted efforts of the previous campaign. His concept was one of radical concentration: rather than dispersing the attack across multiple fronts in Hubei and Jiangxi while simultaneously advancing on Changsha, Anami proposed pulling the forces from southern Hubei and northern Jiangxi and massing them in front of northern Hunan. The effect on his staff officers when he demonstrated this redeployment on the map was electric; one of them involuntarily exclaimed aloud at the sudden clarity of the advantageous position that mass concentration would create. Anami's personality was, in the judgment of those who worked with him, fundamentally different from Okamura's. A commander's fighting style is shaped by his character, and Anami's character was defined by intensity, focus, and a willingness to commit fully. These traits would shape "Operation Plus" from conception to execution. On June 22, 1941, five and a half million German troops launched Operation Barbarossa — the largest military invasion in history — against the Soviet Union. The news reached the Japanese military establishment with a degree of surprise, since such a momentous operation should, under the terms of the Tripartite Pact, have been communicated in advance. Beyond the procedural slight, German strategists had placed themselves in the position of fighting a two-front war, something Japanese generals found strategically bewildering. The outbreak of the Soviet-German War forced a serious debate within the Japanese General Staff. One faction argued for a "northward advance" — seizing the opportunity to strike the Soviet Union from the east while its military was fully committed in the west. Another faction argued for a "southward advance" — moving into Southeast Asia and the Pacific to secure the oil and raw materials that Japan desperately needed. Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe adopted a wait-and-see compromise, authorizing secret preparations for war in the north known as Operation Kantokuen while continuing to monitor developments. Now it just so happens I released a Patreon/Youtube Members exclusive episode covering Operation Kantokuen the previous month. I highly recommend it, fascinating what if piece of history. For just a teaser I can briefly summarize it: Operation Kantokuen — officially designated "Kwantung Army Special Maneuvers" — was Japan's plan for a large-scale invasion of the Soviet Far East, developed in the summer of 1941 following Germany's launch of Operation Barbarossa. When news of the German invasion reached Tokyo, Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka and senior Kwantung Army officers argued Japan should abandon its neutrality pact with the USSR and strike in coordination with Germany. An Army-Navy compromise on June 24th allowed preparations to proceed so long as they did not interfere with Japan's concurrent southern ambitions. On July 5th, Matsuoka and Major General Shin'ichi Tanaka convinced War Minister Hideki Tojo to back a more ambitious scheme, and the two men then bypassed the War Ministry entirely, securing Emperor Hirohito's personal authorization. The plan was structured in two stages — a buildup and readiness phase followed by an offensive phase — during which the Kwantung Army would await an explicit order to attack. The Army General Staff calculated that any campaign had to conclude by mid-October before Siberian winter conditions made logistics impossible. Their ideal force requirement was 16 to 22 divisions supported by 800,000 tons of shipping, though this assumed the Soviets would first redeploy half their Far Eastern infantry and two-thirds of their armor westward against Germany. The planned order of battle ultimately settled on 24 divisions — 17 committed to the eastern front and 5 concentrated near Mutanchiang. The opening blow was designed to fall on the Primorye (Maritime Province) front. The 1st Area Army, commanding the 3rd and 20th Armies along with elements of the Korea Army, would cross the border south of Lake Khanka to shatter Soviet defensive lines and menace Vladivostok. Simultaneously, the 5th Army would strike south of Iman to cut the Trans-Siberian Railway and isolate the Maritime Province from northern reinforcements. In the north, the 4th Army would hold the Amur River line before pivoting to attack Blagoveshchensk, while two additional reinforced divisions would invade Northern Sakhalin in a land-and-sea pincer. A second phase envisioned capturing Khabarovsk, Komsomolsk, and Sovetskaya Gavan, with amphibious operations considered against Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Kamchatka itself. The operation was to be supported by a massive air assault — between 1,800 and 2,700 aircraft combining Army and Navy aviation — aimed at annihilating the Soviet Far East Air Force in the opening hours, after which Japanese air power would shift to tactical ground support and interdiction of Soviet supply lines. Armored assets included roughly 800–900 tanks, mostly Type 97 Chi-Has and Type 95 Ha-Gos. Kantokuen was also allocated chemical weapons stockpiled in Manchuria and biological agents produced by Unit 731, intended for deployment against Soviet rear areas and supply lines. Despite the scale of planning, the operation was already fatally compromised before it could be launched. Japan's industry and logistics could not sustain a two-front war while remaining bogged down in China. On August 1st, 1941, the United States enacted a total oil embargo that cut off 80% of Japan's fuel supply, and the Dutch East Indies followed. With oil reserves sufficient for only 12–18 months of peacetime consumption, a Siberian offensive that would consume an estimated one to two million barrels per month was no longer tenable. By August 9th, the Army General Staff conceded that seizing the oil-rich territories of Southeast Asia was the overriding strategic priority. The Kantokuen buildup was formally terminated, and Japan turned south — setting the course toward Pearl Harbor and the Pacific War. Now Kantokuen held some practical consequences for the China Expeditionary Army was disruptive. Serious consideration was given to redeploying units of the Eleventh Army away from their positions facing Hunan and northward toward Manchuria, in anticipation of a possible war with the Soviet Union. This threatened to derail Anami's planning entirely. The cloud of uncertainty hung over the Changsha operation for several weeks. Despite the disruption, Anami refused to let the operation be indefinitely deferred. On June 24, 1941 — just two days after Barbarossa began — he formally approved the operational guidance outline for the Changsha offensive and set a planned launch date of September 15. This was an act of deliberate institutional pressure: by formalizing the plan so quickly in the wake of Barbarossa, Anami made it harder for higher authorities to redirect his forces northward without explicitly cancelling a plan already in motion. The gamble worked. The northward deployment option was ultimately shelved, and the Eleventh Army remained in place to conduct its summer-autumn offensive. While Anami and his staff at Yueyang bent over their map of Hunan, so too did Xue Yue and his staff at Changsha. Two nearly identical colored military maps were laid out on large tables in two different command centers — one in Chinese, one in Japanese — showing the same terrain of Hunan, southern Hubei, and western Jiangxi. The Xiang River appeared on both as a green ribbon; Dongting Lake as a blue maple leaf. For those responsible for commanding the impending battle, the war game was the battle, played out in simulation before blood was shed. Xue Yue, his Chief of Staff Wu Yizhi, Chief of Staff Zhao Zili, and the intelligence and operations officers of the Ninth War Zone Command engaged in extensive map exercises throughout the summer of 1941. Wargaming pieces bearing unit designations moved across the terrain as staff officers reported troop strengths, timings, and geographic objectives. The summer heat was intense, and there was nowhere cool in Changsha; Xue and his staff worked in the heat, sweating heavily as they played out scenario after scenario. It was during these sessions that Xue came to believe he had grasped the essential shape of the Japanese plan. Reasoning from the known Japanese strategic posture and the pattern of the first battle, he concluded that the enemy would again advance roughly the same way. His counter-strategy was as follows: in northern Jiangxi and southern Hubei, the war zone would launch pincer attacks on Japanese forces that were not part of the main offensive, targeting the area north of Chongren and Xingan, east of Yichun, Wanzai, Tonggu, and Xiushui, to defeat them in detail. In northern Hunan — the main theater — the war zone would deliberately allow the Japanese to advance, luring their main force south of the Miluo River into the area north of Jinjing, Fulinpu, and Sanjieqiao, and then launch a devastating counterattack to encircle and annihilate them. After a successful counterattack, Xue imagined pursuing the broken Japanese forces all the way back to Yueyang, and beyond — even, in his more expansive moments, recapturing the great cities of Jiujiang and Wuhan, lost in 1938. This was the "lure and annihilate" strategy, and it was not merely a hope — it was the formal operational order issued to the forces of the Ninth War Zone. In August 1941, the Ninth Military Front officially assessed that Japan intended to capture Changsha and obtain supplies, and the lure-and-annihilate plan was formalized accordingly. What Xue Yue did not know — and could not know through his intelligence network alone — was that Anami's operational philosophy was fundamentally different from Okamura's. The critical assumption underlying the lure-and-annihilate plan was that the Japanese would attack in roughly the same dispersed, multi-front pattern as the first battle. Anami's "Operation Plus" invalidated this assumption entirely. By concentrating his forces in front of northern Hunan rather than dispersing them, Anami would strike with an impact Xue's cordon defenses were not designed to absorb. Xue was, unknowingly, planning to fight a replay of the first battle against an opponent who had studied that first battle as a case study in what not to do. Despite this fundamental intelligence gap, the Chinese were not without information. From mid-August 1941 onward, residents of mountain villages and riverside communities in northern Jiangxi and southern Hubei began reporting unusual nighttime activity. Faint sounds of motor engines and the footsteps of large columns moving on main roads were heard after dark. On moonlit nights, fleets of motorboats were seen moving without lights on the rivers, visible only as dark shadows on the water. The local population was puzzled and unsettled: what kind of unit was this, and what were they doing? The answer was that Anami's forces were conducting their pre-offensive assembly under cover of darkness and strict light discipline, moving four divisions totaling approximately 120,000 troops into position for the attack on Hunan. Military and civilian intelligence agents operating in these areas crouched in the bushes, enduring insect bites through long nights, watching and recording everything they witnessed. The information was relayed by human chain, passed from one agent to another across a network stretching back to Changsha, until it was collated and placed on Xue Yue's desk by staff officers from the Ninth War Zone Command's Intelligence Department. Xue studied the reports carefully, comparing them against his map. The evidence of a large Japanese build-up in northern Hunan was unambiguous. But Xue was suspicious of its implications. "Mobilize troops? All the troops are moved to northern Hunan. What about Tongcheng? What about Yueyang? Impossible! Feint? What does that mean? You want me to concentrate my troops in northern Hunan so you can attack from both sides?" His staff officers were similarly uncertain how to read the intelligence. The scale of the Japanese concentration defied the pattern of previous operations, and Xue's trained instincts — calibrated against years of dealing with Okamura — led him to doubt what his intelligence was plainly showing. He concluded, without firm evidence, that the concentration must be a feint or a deception. On August 26, 1941, Imperial General Headquarters in Tokyo issued Mainland Order No. 538, which authorized the Commander-in-Chief of the China Expeditionary Army to "temporarily conduct operations beyond the designated operational area in Central China during the summer and autumn." This order provided the formal imperial sanction for the Changsha offensive, lifting any remaining bureaucratic constraints on Anami's operational plan. It represented the final piece of institutional authorization, completing a chain that stretched from Anami's June 24 approval of the operational outline through Hata's advocacy at the China Expeditionary Army level to the formal imprimatur of the Imperial General Headquarters. With Mainland Order No. 538 in hand, the Eleventh Army's final preparations could proceed without ambiguity. The original planned launch date of September 15 would in practice be moved forward, with combat beginning on September 7 — itself a date chosen partly to maximize the advantage of late-summer weather conditions in the Hunan river-crossing terrain. By the time Anami's forces were assembled, the operational force was formidable. Estimating that the enemy facing them comprised fifteen divisions from the Chinese 4th, 37th, 99th, 74th, and 26th Corps, Japanese planners calculated — somewhat optimistically — that two infantry battalions would suffice to handle one enemy division. To provide a margin for error and to ensure decisive striking power, the Eleventh Army committed forty-one infantry battalions distributed across four full divisions and three specialized task forces, supported by twenty-nine artillery battalions. This represented a massive concentration of firepower and manpower along a relatively narrow axis of advance, precisely as Anami had intended. The objective was clearly stated: "to deal a major blow to the Ninth Military Front in order to thwart the enemy's plan for resistance." Japanese senior leadership reiterated at every briefing that the mission was emphatically not territorial — the army was not to occupy Changsha or secure it for long-term administration, and it was not to forage for supplies. The goal was destruction of Chinese combat power. On the Chinese side, the Ninth Military Front had not been idle. Since the Battle of Shanggao in March 1941 — a significant Chinese defensive victory in Jiangxi that had inflicted heavy casualties on Japanese forces attempting to advance into the province — the Ninth Military Front had ordered its troops to cooperate with guerrilla units operating in the Hunan-Hubei-Jiangxi border region, conducting harassment operations against Japanese logistics and communications. This cooperation served both to maintain offensive pressure and to train the irregular forces that would prove invaluable in a war of attrition. By August 1941, Xue Yue had assembled a force of thirty-five divisions organized into thirteen armies across three army groups, totaling 378,307 troops. The headquarters of the Ninth Military Front remained in Changsha. Xue had also assessed his forces' combat readiness with some confidence: in the summer of 1940, the Ninth War Zone had dispatched one corps from each army group and one division from each corps on summer offensive operations against Japanese positions, explicitly testing their readiness in real combat. Although no major victories had been achieved in those operations, the exercise confirmed that troop morale was high and that combat effectiveness had recovered to the level of the First Battle of Changsha. If anything, Xue thought, after another full year of training, they should be better. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. Operation Plus, emphasized concentrating forces and creating a decisive breakthrough rather than dispersing attacks across multiple fronts like in earlier battles. On the Chinese side, commander Xue Yue developed a "lure and annihilate" strategy, expecting the Japanese to fight like before; however, Anami's concentrated approach undermined these assumptions, making a Chinese counteroffensive far harder to execute.

What does a 16th century ruler reveal about the nature of power, past and present? Istanbul, 1538. The greatest of the Ottoman Sultans is at the pinnacle of world power, while his family and future are at the mercy of their own dynastic law: whichever of his five sons succeeds him must eventually kill all the others. So why not get a head start?For the next fifteen years, as Suleyman the Magnificent and his terrifying pirate captain Barbarossa face down imperial enemies across two hemispheres, the self-fulfilling curse of the Ottomans gathers its own unstoppable momentum.From the burning pyres of Paris to the rain-lashed mountains of Transylvania, from Buda to Basra, from Crimea to the coast of India, Christopher de Bellaigue's The Golden Throne is an intensely gripping yet entirely historical reconstruction of the life and world of the most feared and powerful man of the sixteenth century, revealing the price of succession and the terrible cost of success. Christopher de Bellaigue is an author, journalist and founder of The Lake District Book Festival. The Golden Throne is the second book in a trilogy. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

What does a 16th century ruler reveal about the nature of power, past and present? Istanbul, 1538. The greatest of the Ottoman Sultans is at the pinnacle of world power, while his family and future are at the mercy of their own dynastic law: whichever of his five sons succeeds him must eventually kill all the others. So why not get a head start?For the next fifteen years, as Suleyman the Magnificent and his terrifying pirate captain Barbarossa face down imperial enemies across two hemispheres, the self-fulfilling curse of the Ottomans gathers its own unstoppable momentum.From the burning pyres of Paris to the rain-lashed mountains of Transylvania, from Buda to Basra, from Crimea to the coast of India, Christopher de Bellaigue's The Golden Throne is an intensely gripping yet entirely historical reconstruction of the life and world of the most feared and powerful man of the sixteenth century, revealing the price of succession and the terrible cost of success. Christopher de Bellaigue is an author, journalist and founder of The Lake District Book Festival. The Golden Throne is the second book in a trilogy. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

What does a 16th century ruler reveal about the nature of power, past and present? Istanbul, 1538. The greatest of the Ottoman Sultans is at the pinnacle of world power, while his family and future are at the mercy of their own dynastic law: whichever of his five sons succeeds him must eventually kill all the others. So why not get a head start?For the next fifteen years, as Suleyman the Magnificent and his terrifying pirate captain Barbarossa face down imperial enemies across two hemispheres, the self-fulfilling curse of the Ottomans gathers its own unstoppable momentum.From the burning pyres of Paris to the rain-lashed mountains of Transylvania, from Buda to Basra, from Crimea to the coast of India, Christopher de Bellaigue's The Golden Throne is an intensely gripping yet entirely historical reconstruction of the life and world of the most feared and powerful man of the sixteenth century, revealing the price of succession and the terrible cost of success. Christopher de Bellaigue is an author, journalist and founder of The Lake District Book Festival. The Golden Throne is the second book in a trilogy. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

What does a 16th century ruler reveal about the nature of power, past and present? Istanbul, 1538. The greatest of the Ottoman Sultans is at the pinnacle of world power, while his family and future are at the mercy of their own dynastic law: whichever of his five sons succeeds him must eventually kill all the others. So why not get a head start?For the next fifteen years, as Suleyman the Magnificent and his terrifying pirate captain Barbarossa face down imperial enemies across two hemispheres, the self-fulfilling curse of the Ottomans gathers its own unstoppable momentum.From the burning pyres of Paris to the rain-lashed mountains of Transylvania, from Buda to Basra, from Crimea to the coast of India, Christopher de Bellaigue's The Golden Throne is an intensely gripping yet entirely historical reconstruction of the life and world of the most feared and powerful man of the sixteenth century, revealing the price of succession and the terrible cost of success. Christopher de Bellaigue is an author, journalist and founder of The Lake District Book Festival. The Golden Throne is the second book in a trilogy. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

What does a 16th century ruler reveal about the nature of power, past and present? Istanbul, 1538. The greatest of the Ottoman Sultans is at the pinnacle of world power, while his family and future are at the mercy of their own dynastic law: whichever of his five sons succeeds him must eventually kill all the others. So why not get a head start?For the next fifteen years, as Suleyman the Magnificent and his terrifying pirate captain Barbarossa face down imperial enemies across two hemispheres, the self-fulfilling curse of the Ottomans gathers its own unstoppable momentum.From the burning pyres of Paris to the rain-lashed mountains of Transylvania, from Buda to Basra, from Crimea to the coast of India, Christopher de Bellaigue's The Golden Throne is an intensely gripping yet entirely historical reconstruction of the life and world of the most feared and powerful man of the sixteenth century, revealing the price of succession and the terrible cost of success. Christopher de Bellaigue is an author, journalist and founder of The Lake District Book Festival. The Golden Throne is the second book in a trilogy. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does a 16th century ruler reveal about the nature of power, past and present? Istanbul, 1538. The greatest of the Ottoman Sultans is at the pinnacle of world power, while his family and future are at the mercy of their own dynastic law: whichever of his five sons succeeds him must eventually kill all the others. So why not get a head start?For the next fifteen years, as Suleyman the Magnificent and his terrifying pirate captain Barbarossa face down imperial enemies across two hemispheres, the self-fulfilling curse of the Ottomans gathers its own unstoppable momentum.From the burning pyres of Paris to the rain-lashed mountains of Transylvania, from Buda to Basra, from Crimea to the coast of India, Christopher de Bellaigue's The Golden Throne is an intensely gripping yet entirely historical reconstruction of the life and world of the most feared and powerful man of the sixteenth century, revealing the price of succession and the terrible cost of success. Christopher de Bellaigue is an author, journalist and founder of The Lake District Book Festival. The Golden Throne is the second book in a trilogy. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies

What does a 16th century ruler reveal about the nature of power, past and present? Istanbul, 1538. The greatest of the Ottoman Sultans is at the pinnacle of world power, while his family and future are at the mercy of their own dynastic law: whichever of his five sons succeeds him must eventually kill all the others. So why not get a head start?For the next fifteen years, as Suleyman the Magnificent and his terrifying pirate captain Barbarossa face down imperial enemies across two hemispheres, the self-fulfilling curse of the Ottomans gathers its own unstoppable momentum.From the burning pyres of Paris to the rain-lashed mountains of Transylvania, from Buda to Basra, from Crimea to the coast of India, Christopher de Bellaigue's The Golden Throne is an intensely gripping yet entirely historical reconstruction of the life and world of the most feared and powerful man of the sixteenth century, revealing the price of succession and the terrible cost of success. Christopher de Bellaigue is an author, journalist and founder of The Lake District Book Festival. The Golden Throne is the second book in a trilogy. Lucas Tse is Examination Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/book-of-the-day

Ukrajina stupňuje tlak na Krym, Rusko modernizuje svoje drony a na Blízkom východe sa po prímerí opäť rozbieha diplomacia. Generál Pavel Macko zároveň vysvetľuje historické súvislosti Operácie Barbarossa a pripomína význam odsunu sovietskych vojsk z Československa. Epizóda č. 168, účinkujú: – gen. Pavel Macko – Eugen Korda

Das "Unternehmen Barbarossa", der deutsche Überfall auf die Sowjetunion 1941, hat nie stattgefunden. Das könnte man bei der Betrachtung des bundesdeutschen Fernsehprogramms fast meinen. Initiativen wie die des Babylon-Kinos in Berlin machen es sich zur Aufgabe, die Gedächtnislücke zu schließen. Von Astrid Sigena  

In der italienischen Hymne werden genau zwei Orte erwähnt: Rom - und Legnano. Ein Örtchen bei Mailand. Dort endet am 29.5.1176 die legendäre Schlacht gegen Barbarossas übermächtige Kaisertruppen. Von Edda Dammmüller.

Kein anderer Kaiser des Mittelalters wurde so von den Hoffnungen und Wünschen des 19. Jahrhunderts verzerrt wie Friedrich I. Barbarossa. Die Herausforderung für eine moderne Interpretation des Kaisers besteht darin, sein Leben und seine Politik in den Handlungshorizont seiner Zeit zu stellen. Erst dann kommt die Fremdartigkeit des fernen 12. Jahrhunderts ans Licht. Ein Vortrag des Historikers Knut Görich vom 22.04.2026 im Schelling Forum der BAdW in Würzburg.

Heute ist unser letzter Reisetag mit den Hörerinnen und Hörern des Domradio. Und da es keinen organisierten Punkt mehr gibt, haben wir geplant, mit denen, die Lust haben, hoch zur Rocca Maggiore zu steigen und uns dort oben außen und innen umzuschauen.Die Burg wirkt noch heute riesig, obwohl sie immer wieder von den Stadtbewohnern geschleift und ihre Steine zum Bau der eigenen Häuser genutzt haben. Es ist wahrscheinlich, dass es bereits in der Antike, vom IV. bis III. Jahrhundert v. Chr., umbrische Siedlungen gab, doch die ersten sicheren Informationen über die Existenz einer militärischen Befestigung stammen aus dem Jahr 1174, als die Stadt von der schwäbischen Dynastie im Auftrag von Kaiser Friedrich I. Barbarossa besetzt wurde.Es wird auch berichtet, dass ein junger Friedrich II. dort von Konrad Lützen betreut wurde, der damals Graf der Stadt war. Nach dem blutigen Aufstand der Assisianer im Jahr 1198, an dem auch der junge Franziskus teilnahm, wurde die Festung als Symbol der kaiserlichen Unterdrückung der Stadt dem Erdboden gleichgemacht.Das außergewöhnliche Denkmal, das wir heute noch sehen werden, ist daher das Ergebnis eines Wiederaufbaus im vierzehnten Jahrhundert, der von einem Kardinal und päpstlichen Legaten entworfen wurde, der im Auftrag von Papst Innozenz IV. zahlreiche Militärfestungen errichten ließ, um jene Gebiete zurückzuerobern, die der Kontrolle der Kirche entgangen waren.Für uns Heutige klingt das eher befremdlich, aber im Laufe der Kirchengeschichte gab es immer Dinge, die im Nachhinein erklärungsbedürftig waren.Aber es gibt noch eine andere Facette dieser Burg: Oben vom Turm kann man die gesamte Stadt überblicken und sie wirkt vor hier oben, als seien alle Häuser unter einem Dach. Da die Formation der Dächer von oben nach unten geht und Straßen und Wege überdeckt. Lediglich die großen Kirchen ragen heraus.Alle unter einem Dach, ob arm oder reich oder fromm oder eher nicht so, ob glücklich oder traurig, ob gesund oder krank, jung oder alt.Dieser Blick macht nachdenklich und zugleich hoffnungsfroh.

Adattamento audio: Matteo D'Alessandro - www.matteodalessandro.com Per approfondire gli argomenti della puntata: Altre pillole di cinema : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MeBvF4yO6I&list=PLpMrMjMIcOkk8-RlSqEaHmqk02XM4EuU6&index=1&ab_channel=LaBibliotecadiAlessandria Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hoftage gehörten zum üblichen Regierungsgeschäft der Herrscher des Mittelalters. Doch was an Pfingsten 1184 Mainz stattfand, ging als prachtvoller Höhepunkt in die Geschichte ein.

O avanço do Exército Vermelho da União Soviética sobre o território alemão, ocorrido entre 1944 e 1945, é o tema central deste vídeo. Apresentamos registros históricos sobre a conduta das tropas soviéticas em relação à população civil durante a marcha rumo a Berlim, detalhando episódios ocorridos após a Operação Barbarossa e a virada militar em Stalingrado. A partir de dados compilados por historiadores, como o britânico Antony Beevor, exploramos estatísticas de registros hospitalares e diários de oficiais que acompanharam o front. São abordados os panfletos de propaganda distribuídos por Ilya Ehrenburg, o massacre na cidade de Nemmersdorf e os relatos de violência sexual sistemática que, segundo estimativas acadêmicas, afetaram um contingente expressivo de mulheres na Prússia Oriental e na capital alemã.

837 Jahre Hamburger Hafen – das sind Jahrhunderte voller Wandel, Wachstum und Welthandel. An diesem Wochenende feiert die Stadt ihren Hafen: Herz der Hamburger Wirtschaft, Mythos, Zukunftsprojekt.Wir erzählen die Geschichte vom Aufstieg Hamburgs – von der kleinen Siedlung Hammaburg über die mächtigste deutsche Hansestadt bis zum größten Seehafen Deutschlands heute. Und wir blicken auf einen Wendepunkt, der alles verändert hat: die Erfindung des Containers.Moderation: Petra Volquardsen, Dietrich Lehmann, Kerstin von Stürmer und Jan Wulf.

Rendez-vous avec le rappeur belge Scylla et le Toulousain Furax Barbarossa à l'occasion de leur album commun Portes du désert et de leur Zénith prévu pour le 30 octobre 2026. Retour sur leurs liens d'amitié, leurs 17 titres en collaboration et leur expérience dans le désert « 10 jours, 10 nuits » de création artistique. Dans cet épisode, Akhenaton de IAM offre la vidéo surprise et Alba un audio touchant.

Matthieu Auzanneau : Barbarossa, Pearl Harbor, Iran, une même logique énergétique.Dans cet extrait, Matthieu Auzanneau relit plusieurs épisodes majeurs de l'histoire militaire et géopolitique à travers la question énergétique. De la bataille d'Angleterre à Pearl Harbor, de Barbarossa à la guerre Iran-Irak, il montre que l'accès au pétrole et aux carburants a souvent été au cœur des choix stratégiques. Il éclaire surtout la continuité de la politique américaine dans le Golfe persique : à partir du déclin de sa propre production pétrolière, Washington a cherché à consolider son emprise sur le principal cœur énergétique de l'économie mondiale.Le podcast est en ce moment sponsorisé par CyberghostVPN. Une manière simple de soutenir Sismique est découvrir ici l'offre promotionnelle réservée aux auditeurs : www.cyberghostvpn.com/sismiqueÉpisode enregistré le 21/04/2026---Retrouvez tous les épisodes et les résumés sur www.sismique.frSismique est un podcast indépendant créé et animé par Julien Devaureix.

The new album from Jack FR...as one continuous track! 1. I've Never Been To San Francisco [04:28] 2. Duel [04:25] 3. Barbarossa [03:46] 4. A Sense Of Dread [05:00] 5. When You Were High [04:00] 6. Hyacinth Kisses [03:56] 7. Crack Video [03:21] 8. Never Not Gonna Fade Away [05:14] 9. The Days Of Yore [05:44] 10. Superhighway [07:00] 11. Down The Winding River [06:08] 12. The Colour Of The Rose [06:26] additional drum production on track 2 by "General Sherman" artwork by Chloe Brotherwood executive producer tom dissonance for Amoebic Industries all songs written, performed & produced by Jack Frayne-Reid Other places to listen: YouTube (playlist): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ndX-pP6WTsuWT47no4ZbdNnj2bMLwV6vY / (one continuous video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzdlIutFHDw Bandcamp: https://jackfr.bandcamp.com/album/when-you-were-high Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7sfphASS0iuoIvyiVfRxpw?si=UO9_WiKJR0i9V7a_VYZ5dw SoundCloud (individual tracks): https://soundcloud.com/jack_fr/sets/whenyouwerehigh / (one continuous track) https://soundcloud.com/jack_fr/jack-fr-when-you-were-high Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.co.uk/albums/B0GZ17PJJK?marketplaceId=A1F83G8C2ARO7P&musicTerritory=GB&ref=dm_sh_XFdBomPVQited7xNlu7u1WYA1 Tidal: https://tidal.com/album/520386332 Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/when-you-were-high/1896156957 Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/album/972559311 Qobuz: https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/when-you-were-high-jack-fr/s2xacdbdgegqh

Pite Gaillard s'entretient avec Scylla et Furax Barbarossa lors de leur passage à Montreal.00:00 Introduction00:57 Êtes-vous déjà venus au Québec, à Montréal ?01:55 Est-ce qu'il y a des artistes québécois qui vous parlent particulièrement ?02:39 Qu'avez-vous laissé de vous-mêmes au Maroc ?03:39 Monter un studio au Maroc05:02 Le côté organique de l'album06:12 La légende dit que l'album a été fait en 10 jours / 10 nuits06:18 Le processus de création08:01 À quoi ressemblerait un album écrit dans le froid québécois ?09:02 À ce stade de votre carrière, quelle place a encore la peur de la page blanche ?10:35 Les 50 ans du hip-hop, qu'est-ce que ça représente pour vous ?13:23 Connexion avec Jeff Le Nerf pour Furax14:23 Scylla, Forest, les maisons de jeunes15:41 L'anecdote sur IAM et la tournée de L'École du micro d'argent16:32 Les débuts de Furax à la batterie18:03 Avoir des musiciens sur scène18:57 Qu'est-ce que vous vous piqueriez l'un à l'autre ?22:51 Quel album vous vous offririez l'un à l'autre ?23:30 Où je vis, Shurik'n, leur meilleur album de rap français24:03 Où est ce “Nouveau Monde” ?

Why did Operation Barbarossa fail? For more than eight decades, historians have offered one dominant answer: Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union was doomed from the outset. Vast distances, brutal weather, weak logistics and the overwhelming industrial power of the Red Army ensured that the Wehrmacht never had a realistic chance of success. But what if this familiar verdict is too comfortable — and too simplistic? In Why Barbarossa Failed: Germany and Russia in the Second World War (Helion and Company, 2026), Timothy Manion offers a bold, deeply researched re-examination of the most consequential campaign of the Second World War. Going far beyond the well-worn clichés of “General Winter” and German hubris, Manion places the story in a much longer arc: the evolution of military thought from the age of Napoleon through the catastrophe of 1914–18 and into the highly mechanised, manoeuvre-driven doctrines championed by both Germany and the Soviet Union in the interwar period. Drawing upon a vast range of previously overlooked archival records, Manion demonstrates that both armies entered the war expecting a rapid, decisive campaign — a return to war between generals, not economies. Early German successes seemed to prove them right. But as Manion reveals, the Wehrmacht's apparent mastery of mobile warfare concealed profound flaws in decision-making, command structure and operational logic. Meanwhile, the Red Army —though battered — adapted faster and more its opponent understood. The result is a compelling challenge to the established consensus. Manion argues that Barbarossa did not collapse under the weight of numbers alone: German generalship and operational misjudgement played a far larger part than most accounts allow, while Soviet resilience and strategic learning proved decisive long before Stalingrad. Rich with analytical clarity, packed with detailed campaign studies, and supported by an extensive set of newly published archival maps and figures, Why Barbarossa Failed is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand not only how the 1941 campaign unfolded — but why its outcome shaped the entire course of the war. This is the story of two armies, two visions of modern warfare — and the decision points that sealed the fate of the Eastern Front.Timothy Manion earned dual degrees in mathematics and economics from Boston University. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Manion represented global financial institutions on Wall Street as outside counsel. Not satisfied with traditional explanations for the failure of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Manion has undertaken an extensive investigation of the German and Soviet archives. The results of his study overturn the historical consensus on the campaign and are published here for the first time.Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. He is currently the Book Review Editor for Comparative Civilizations Review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Why did Operation Barbarossa fail? For more than eight decades, historians have offered one dominant answer: Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union was doomed from the outset. Vast distances, brutal weather, weak logistics and the overwhelming industrial power of the Red Army ensured that the Wehrmacht never had a realistic chance of success. But what if this familiar verdict is too comfortable — and too simplistic? In Why Barbarossa Failed: Germany and Russia in the Second World War (Helion and Company, 2026), Timothy Manion offers a bold, deeply researched re-examination of the most consequential campaign of the Second World War. Going far beyond the well-worn clichés of “General Winter” and German hubris, Manion places the story in a much longer arc: the evolution of military thought from the age of Napoleon through the catastrophe of 1914–18 and into the highly mechanised, manoeuvre-driven doctrines championed by both Germany and the Soviet Union in the interwar period. Drawing upon a vast range of previously overlooked archival records, Manion demonstrates that both armies entered the war expecting a rapid, decisive campaign — a return to war between generals, not economies. Early German successes seemed to prove them right. But as Manion reveals, the Wehrmacht's apparent mastery of mobile warfare concealed profound flaws in decision-making, command structure and operational logic. Meanwhile, the Red Army —though battered — adapted faster and more its opponent understood. The result is a compelling challenge to the established consensus. Manion argues that Barbarossa did not collapse under the weight of numbers alone: German generalship and operational misjudgement played a far larger part than most accounts allow, while Soviet resilience and strategic learning proved decisive long before Stalingrad. Rich with analytical clarity, packed with detailed campaign studies, and supported by an extensive set of newly published archival maps and figures, Why Barbarossa Failed is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand not only how the 1941 campaign unfolded — but why its outcome shaped the entire course of the war. This is the story of two armies, two visions of modern warfare — and the decision points that sealed the fate of the Eastern Front.Timothy Manion earned dual degrees in mathematics and economics from Boston University. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Manion represented global financial institutions on Wall Street as outside counsel. Not satisfied with traditional explanations for the failure of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Manion has undertaken an extensive investigation of the German and Soviet archives. The results of his study overturn the historical consensus on the campaign and are published here for the first time.Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. He is currently the Book Review Editor for Comparative Civilizations Review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Why did Operation Barbarossa fail? For more than eight decades, historians have offered one dominant answer: Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union was doomed from the outset. Vast distances, brutal weather, weak logistics and the overwhelming industrial power of the Red Army ensured that the Wehrmacht never had a realistic chance of success. But what if this familiar verdict is too comfortable — and too simplistic? In Why Barbarossa Failed: Germany and Russia in the Second World War (Helion and Company, 2026), Timothy Manion offers a bold, deeply researched re-examination of the most consequential campaign of the Second World War. Going far beyond the well-worn clichés of “General Winter” and German hubris, Manion places the story in a much longer arc: the evolution of military thought from the age of Napoleon through the catastrophe of 1914–18 and into the highly mechanised, manoeuvre-driven doctrines championed by both Germany and the Soviet Union in the interwar period. Drawing upon a vast range of previously overlooked archival records, Manion demonstrates that both armies entered the war expecting a rapid, decisive campaign — a return to war between generals, not economies. Early German successes seemed to prove them right. But as Manion reveals, the Wehrmacht's apparent mastery of mobile warfare concealed profound flaws in decision-making, command structure and operational logic. Meanwhile, the Red Army —though battered — adapted faster and more its opponent understood. The result is a compelling challenge to the established consensus. Manion argues that Barbarossa did not collapse under the weight of numbers alone: German generalship and operational misjudgement played a far larger part than most accounts allow, while Soviet resilience and strategic learning proved decisive long before Stalingrad. Rich with analytical clarity, packed with detailed campaign studies, and supported by an extensive set of newly published archival maps and figures, Why Barbarossa Failed is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand not only how the 1941 campaign unfolded — but why its outcome shaped the entire course of the war. This is the story of two armies, two visions of modern warfare — and the decision points that sealed the fate of the Eastern Front.Timothy Manion earned dual degrees in mathematics and economics from Boston University. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Manion represented global financial institutions on Wall Street as outside counsel. Not satisfied with traditional explanations for the failure of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Manion has undertaken an extensive investigation of the German and Soviet archives. The results of his study overturn the historical consensus on the campaign and are published here for the first time.Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. He is currently the Book Review Editor for Comparative Civilizations Review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

Why did Operation Barbarossa fail? For more than eight decades, historians have offered one dominant answer: Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union was doomed from the outset. Vast distances, brutal weather, weak logistics and the overwhelming industrial power of the Red Army ensured that the Wehrmacht never had a realistic chance of success. But what if this familiar verdict is too comfortable — and too simplistic? In Why Barbarossa Failed: Germany and Russia in the Second World War (Helion and Company, 2026), Timothy Manion offers a bold, deeply researched re-examination of the most consequential campaign of the Second World War. Going far beyond the well-worn clichés of “General Winter” and German hubris, Manion places the story in a much longer arc: the evolution of military thought from the age of Napoleon through the catastrophe of 1914–18 and into the highly mechanised, manoeuvre-driven doctrines championed by both Germany and the Soviet Union in the interwar period. Drawing upon a vast range of previously overlooked archival records, Manion demonstrates that both armies entered the war expecting a rapid, decisive campaign — a return to war between generals, not economies. Early German successes seemed to prove them right. But as Manion reveals, the Wehrmacht's apparent mastery of mobile warfare concealed profound flaws in decision-making, command structure and operational logic. Meanwhile, the Red Army —though battered — adapted faster and more its opponent understood. The result is a compelling challenge to the established consensus. Manion argues that Barbarossa did not collapse under the weight of numbers alone: German generalship and operational misjudgement played a far larger part than most accounts allow, while Soviet resilience and strategic learning proved decisive long before Stalingrad. Rich with analytical clarity, packed with detailed campaign studies, and supported by an extensive set of newly published archival maps and figures, Why Barbarossa Failed is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand not only how the 1941 campaign unfolded — but why its outcome shaped the entire course of the war. This is the story of two armies, two visions of modern warfare — and the decision points that sealed the fate of the Eastern Front.Timothy Manion earned dual degrees in mathematics and economics from Boston University. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Manion represented global financial institutions on Wall Street as outside counsel. Not satisfied with traditional explanations for the failure of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Manion has undertaken an extensive investigation of the German and Soviet archives. The results of his study overturn the historical consensus on the campaign and are published here for the first time.Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. He is currently the Book Review Editor for Comparative Civilizations Review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/german-studies

Why did Operation Barbarossa fail? For more than eight decades, historians have offered one dominant answer: Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union was doomed from the outset. Vast distances, brutal weather, weak logistics and the overwhelming industrial power of the Red Army ensured that the Wehrmacht never had a realistic chance of success. But what if this familiar verdict is too comfortable — and too simplistic? In Why Barbarossa Failed: Germany and Russia in the Second World War (Helion and Company, 2026), Timothy Manion offers a bold, deeply researched re-examination of the most consequential campaign of the Second World War. Going far beyond the well-worn clichés of “General Winter” and German hubris, Manion places the story in a much longer arc: the evolution of military thought from the age of Napoleon through the catastrophe of 1914–18 and into the highly mechanised, manoeuvre-driven doctrines championed by both Germany and the Soviet Union in the interwar period. Drawing upon a vast range of previously overlooked archival records, Manion demonstrates that both armies entered the war expecting a rapid, decisive campaign — a return to war between generals, not economies. Early German successes seemed to prove them right. But as Manion reveals, the Wehrmacht's apparent mastery of mobile warfare concealed profound flaws in decision-making, command structure and operational logic. Meanwhile, the Red Army —though battered — adapted faster and more its opponent understood. The result is a compelling challenge to the established consensus. Manion argues that Barbarossa did not collapse under the weight of numbers alone: German generalship and operational misjudgement played a far larger part than most accounts allow, while Soviet resilience and strategic learning proved decisive long before Stalingrad. Rich with analytical clarity, packed with detailed campaign studies, and supported by an extensive set of newly published archival maps and figures, Why Barbarossa Failed is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand not only how the 1941 campaign unfolded — but why its outcome shaped the entire course of the war. This is the story of two armies, two visions of modern warfare — and the decision points that sealed the fate of the Eastern Front.Timothy Manion earned dual degrees in mathematics and economics from Boston University. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Manion represented global financial institutions on Wall Street as outside counsel. Not satisfied with traditional explanations for the failure of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, Manion has undertaken an extensive investigation of the German and Soviet archives. The results of his study overturn the historical consensus on the campaign and are published here for the first time.Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. He is currently the Book Review Editor for Comparative Civilizations Review. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/russian-studies

The Italo-Greek War, which began as a purely regional conflict in October 1940, would transform into a broader European confrontation as both Germany and Britain made the fateful decision to intervene in Greece. For the Germans, concerns about protecting vital Romanian oil fields from potential British air attacks, combined with fears of Italian collapse, drove the planning of Operation Marita, an invasion designed to secure the Balkans before the launch of Barbarossa. Meanwhile, Churchill and the British leadership saw Greece as an opportunity to distract Axis forces, demonstrate support for smaller nations, and potentially build a Balkan alliance with Yugoslavia and Turkey. Greek leader Metaxas initially resisted British ground forces, fearing they would provoke German intervention, but his death in January 1941 led to a shift in policy under his successor. As German forces moved into Romania and Bulgaria throughout early 1941, and British RAF squadrons began arriving in Greece, both sides prepared for a confrontation that would expand the war far beyond the mountains of Albania where Italian and Greek forces had been locked in bitter combat. History of the Second World War is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.f⁠⁠⁠m Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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For this interview I was joined by Timothy Manion to discuss his upcoming book Why Barbarossa Failed: Germany and Russia in the Second World War which released March 5, 2026. https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/why-barbarossa-failed-germany-and-russia-in-the-second-world-war.php Contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to advertise on History of the Second World War. History of the Second World War is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a celebrated Soviet hero is alleged to have marched among the SS in some of history's worst butchery, James Bond is sent to validate the claims and protect the source. Along the way 007 poses as cameraman in a deep-fake propaganda production designed to rewrite history and redirect the dying embers of cold war chaos. Marked by inter-agency intrigue and a staggering cast of secondary characters, John Gardner's "The Man from Barbarossa" was supposedly the writers favourite and might just earn the award for "thickest narrative stew" here on LTP.Lights, camera, action?... well, sort of!Summary@08:00; Review@23:00

durée : 00:10:38 - Le Fil de l'histoire - par : Stéphanie DUNCAN - Le 22 juin 1941 à l'aube, Hitler déclenche le "plan Barbarossa", c'est-à-dire l'invasion de l'Union soviétique. À la grande stupeur des gardes-frontières, puisque leur pays et l'Allemagne depuis deux ans sont liés par un accord de non-agression, le pacte germano-soviétique. Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

De oorlog in Oekraïne duurt nu even lang als de oorlog die in juni 1941 begon met operatie-Barbarossa. Toen had Stalin na vier jaar de Wehrmacht verslagen en zelfs Berlijn veroverd. Daarentegen is Vladimir Poetins Blitzkrieg mislukt en uitgelopen op een loopgravenoorlog als in de Eerste Wereldoorlog bij Verdun en de IJzer. 2025 was rampzalig voor het Kremlin. Geen enkel offensief slaagde, ook met Donald Trump nu als halve bondgenoot erbij werd Kyiv niet op de knieën gedwongen. Economisch staart Rusland in een afgrond en een reeks essentiële bondgenoten en vazalstaten ging ten onder. De gevolgen voor Europa - en dus voor Nederland - zijn groot. Jaap Jansen en PG Kroeger verkennen hoe een nieuw Nederlands kabinet direct voor de meest ingrijpende beslissingen van geopolitieke en strategische aard geplaatst zal zijn. Zeker als in Brussel, Berlijn, Parijs en andere hoofdsteden uitzonderlijke noodscenario's aan de orde van de dag zijn. *** Deze aflevering is mede mogelijk gemaakt met donaties van luisteraars die we hiervoor hartelijk danken. Word ook vriend van de show! Heb je belangstelling om in onze podcast te adverteren of ons te sponsoren? Zend ons een mailtje en wij zoeken contact. *** De wereldwijde neergang van Poetins bewind is te meten aan het verlies van greep op een hele reeks landen die door het Kremlin als loyaal werden beschouwd. Grootste klap was hoe eind 2024 in Syrië het regime van Bashar al-Assad instortte. Veelzeggend is dat dezer dagen het EU-duo Antonio Costa en Ursula von der Leyen officieel Damascus bezocht en strategische samenwerking en steun bij wederopbouw besproken werd. Rusland moet ook toezien hoe het contract voor zijn belangrijkste militaire knooppunt aldaar - de haven Tartous – nietig werd verklaard. Door de val van Assad zijn ook bondgenoten als Iran, Hezbollah en Hamas zwaar onder druk geraakt. Helder is dat geen van hen hoeft te rekenen op bijstand uit Moskou. Dat is ook de buurlanden in de Kaukasus, Midden-Azië en Venezuela duidelijk geworden. Poetin is een bondgenoot die je ijskoud aan je lot overlaat. Dat angstvisioen beheerst nu zelfs AleksandrLoekasjenko in Belarus. Zelfs hij probeert ineens weer aan te pappen met zijn EU-buren en Amerika en laat vele politieke gevangenen vrij. Partner Xi Jinping komt het Kremlin niet te hulp. Integendeel. Een langjarige overeenkomst om Russische elektriciteit af te tappen is zonder pardon opgezegd. China kan zelf – en duurzaam – veel minder kostbaar stroom produceren. Het verdienmodel van Rusland is daarmee hopeloos verouderd. De oude droom van Stalin en zijn opvolgers vervliegt. Het Kremlin kan zich niet als gelijkwaardige wereldmacht profileren naast Amerika. Barack Obama’s cynische conclusie is bewaarheid: Rusland is ‘een regionale macht die in Oekraïne zwakheid toont in plaats van kracht’. Dat wordt bevestigd door een serie opvallende signalen. Het Russische leger meldt aan het Kremlin en de bevolking allerlei militaire triomfen die vervolgens niet blijken te kloppen. Ook beweringen over technologische hoogstandjes van de militaire industrie blijken fata morgana's. De westerse sancties leiden ertoe dat allerlei geavanceerde middelen en apparatuur niet meer gerepareerd kan worden. Civiel vliegverkeer en spoorwegen staan op instorten. Europa doet intussen nadrukkelijke pogingen haar positie in komende onderhandelingen te optimaliseren, om zo Kyiv bij te staan. Niet alleen zou één onderhandelaar namens alle partners worden aangewezen - de Finse president Alexander Stubb - ook wordt EU-lidmaatschap voor Oekraïne - als 'veiligheidsgarantie' - in hoog tempo concreet voorbereid. In 2027 zouden liefst vier nieuwe lidstaten kunnen toetreden, uiteraard met maatwerk-afspraken voor de verdere uitwerking. Dit zijn Montenegro, IJsland, Moldavië en Oekraïne. Vooral dit laatste land zou een majeure uitbreiding betekenen en dat op zo'n korte termijn. Voor het komende kabinet onder leiding van Rob Jetten betekent dit dat het lijkt op Lubbers III. Dit trad aan terwijl de Berlijnse Muur viel en moest onmiddellijk rekening houden met revolutionaire omwentelingen bij de oosterburen en daarmee in heel Europa en in de NAVO. Al bij de regeringsverklaring zal Jetten klare wijn moeten schenken en de toekomst van Europa, de nieuwe militaire en geopolitieke uitdagingen en een actieve rol voor Nederland hoogste prioriteit geven. PG weet wel wie de formateur moet uitnodigen om minister van Buitenlandse Zaken te worden. *** Verder luisteren Poetins neergang 19 - Anne Applebaum: Poetin en de destabilisering van het Westen https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/857f1bf5-899c-430b-aef1-e4bdb01e6e01 510 - Brezjnev, Poetin en hun rampzalige oorlog. Lessen voor nu uit 1980 https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/1c5da2a5-4328-455d-ac31-e4d699afa73b 354 - Eenzaamheid, machtsstrijd en repressie in het Russische rijk van Poetin, Stalin en tsaar Nicolaas II https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/411a9106-9da2-40f5-9f06-9f19aff37246 257 - Het machtige Rusland als mythe: hoe 'speciale militaire operaties' een fiasco werden https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/c9bf723e-2e02-4471-99c6-c5410883ce27 548 – Poetins dictaat voor Oekraïne https://omny.fm/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/548-poetins-dictaat-voor-oekra-ne Rusland en geopolitiek 413 - "Eensgezind kunnen we elke tegenstander aan." Oana Lungescu over Poetin, Trump, Rutte en 75 jaar NAVO https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/c2b2b09b-bba3-45b6-999c-3f844dcfa76a 244 - Frans Timmermans over onder meer Rusland en Oekraïne https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/d1961e80-ac0d-4f56-8004-786246ca811483ce27 256 - Na de inval in Oekraïne: 'Nu serieus werk maken van Europese defensiesamenwerking' https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/28bd6509-1c65-4bcf-b55f-78d857980689 258 - De kille vriendschap tussen Rusland en China https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/ad5bd584-a93d-4a0a-9d1d-4d1eb6ca3819 Oekraïne, Europa en Nederland 327 - Poetin, Zelensky en wij. Een jaar na de inval https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/b4e93b54-7979-4cf2-9909-9a14c06514e0 336 - Timothy Garton Ash: Hoe Europa zichzelf voor de derde keer opnieuw uitvindt https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/8e07445e-ee8e-4a8a-9559-02f6a918909e 447 - Als Trump wint staat Europa er alleen voor https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/eee9ebfb-042b-4753-b70d-a48e915b5beb 486 - ‘Welkom in onze hel’ Een jonge verslaggever aan het front in Oekraïne https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/0552f0eb-998a-4af2-8960-05429aa1f510 553 - Cyprus EU-voorzitter, Uitbreiding EU op komst https://omny.fm/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/553-cyprus-eu-voorzitter-juist-nu-europa-er-alleen-voor-staat *** Tijdlijn 00:00:00 – Deel 1 00:35:52 – Deel 2 01:04:18 – Deel 3 01:18:08 – EindeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Before Anne Bonny. Before Grace O'Malley. There was Sayyida al-Hurra — the Pirate Queen of the Mediterranean. In this episode of For the Love of History, we uncover the extraordinary true story of Sayyida al-Hurra, a Muslim woman who rose to power in the late 1400s and became one of the most feared pirates in history. Born in Granada during the violence of the Reconquista, Sayyida was forced to flee Spain as Catholic rulers Ferdinand and Isabella expelled, enslaved, and murdered thousands of Muslims. That injustice would shape her destiny. After becoming governor of Tetouan (Tétouan), Morocco, Sayyida didn't just rule — she fought back. Partnering with the legendary Ottoman pirate Hayreddin Barbarossa (Redbeard), she launched relentless naval attacks against Spanish and Portuguese ships, dominating the Mediterranean and earning her title as the unrivaled pirate queen. Her piracy wasn't just about wealth; it was about defense, revenge, and protecting displaced Muslim communities. This episode explores: The Reconquista and the forced expulsion of Muslims from Spain How Sayyida al-Hurra became a female political leader and naval commander Her alliance with Barbarossa, one of history's most famous pirates Pirate warfare, ransom, and Mediterranean power politics How piracy rebuilt Tetouan into a thriving city Why European powers feared her — and her people adored her Her unprecedented marriage to the Sultan of Morocco on her own terms Sayyida al-Hurra's legacy lives on in the walls of Tetouan, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in the history of women who refused to be erased. If you love pirate history, women in power, Islamic history, and stories of resistance against empire, this episode is for you. Grab your sword, your most dramatic blouse, and let's set sail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The words High and Late Middle Ages conjures up images of fog rising up over a field where knights in shining armor are trading blows with double handed swords, mighty bishops overseeing the construction of monumental cathedrals and peasants toiling on the land as serfs. The reason we see it that way goes back to the chivalric literature that celebrated the aristocratic lifestyle where tournaments and poetry mattered more than the humdrum world of business.But let's just take a look back at the High Middle Ages, the time of Richard the Lionheart, Saint Louis and Frederick Barbarossa. Who controlled access to the great endeavor of the time, the conquest of the Holy Land? Who re-opened up the connections to the wider world, from Novgorod to India and China? Who were the most ferocious fighters who neither expected norgranted any quarter? Who had all the money?These were the great cities of Italy, of Flanders, of Picardie and Provence and of the Holy Roman Empire. Verona under the Della Scala in the 14th century generated tax revenues twice as high as those of England, Venice capacity was sixty percent of what France could generate. And these cities fielded armies that, as we know, defeated the Holy Roman Emperors, even the most capable ones like Barbarossa and Frederick II time and time again. Their absolute dedication to fight to the end was evidenced by their extremely heavy and slow war carts, the Carroccios and by the bravery of the Flemish Militia at the Battle of the Golden Spurs. And the first European since Roman times to make to India and China wasn't a Knight errant, but a Venetian merchant, nor were the vast lands on the Eastern side of the continent linked up by military force. The crusades, the grand project of the age was as much a venetian mercantile adventure as a religious pilgrimage, culminating in the sack of Constantinople in 1204. What happened? Where did all these city states go? And why?That is what we are going to discuss today, when we look at the showdown between Maximilian of Habsburg, widower of the last duchess of Burgundy and father of Philip, the universally recognised heir of the Low Countries and the Flemish cities, and specifically its largest, the city of Ghent.The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.As always:Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: www.historyofthegermans.comIf you wish to support the show go to: Support • History of the Germans PodcastFacebook: @HOTGPod Threads: @history_of_the_germans_podcastBluesky: @hotgpod.bsky.socialInstagram: history_of_the_germansTwitter: @germanshistoryTo make it easier for you to share the podcast, I have created separate playlists for some of the seasons that are set up as individual podcasts....

Ovidiu Nahoi în dialog cu istoricul Ottmar Trașcă și redactorul-șef al revistei Historia, Ion M. Ioniță. Istoria nu se repetă, dar lecțiile ei sunt mereu actuale. Ce se întâmplă când două puteri, aflate până atunci într-un puternic conflict ideologic, își dau mâna cu gândul că vor împărți lumea? O discuție pornind de la cartea Operațiunea Barbarossa. Frontul de Est, 1941. Războiul total, de Jean Lopez și Lasha Otkhmezuri, apărută la Editura Corint.

A preview of Jonathan Trigg's blockbuster Stalingrad Through German Eyes. Five months, one week and three days of hell. The German offensive to capture Stalingrad from the Soviets began in August 1942, The losses on both sides were eye-watering – the Soviets alone suffered something approaching half a million dead and more than 650,000 sick or wounded – and in his unique style author Jonathan Trigg reveals the human agony behind such statistics through the words of the Germans who were there. The Through German Eyes list actually goes D-Day to VE-Day, Barbarossa, Stalingrad and then Air War. Stalingrad Through German Eyes. Jonathan Trigghttps://amzn.to/3WcBFtn The Fighting Through 'German' episodes: https://www.fightingthroughpodcast.co.uk/categories/german-eyes/ Show notes and photos: https://www.fightingthroughpodcast.co.uk/121-battle-of-stalingrad-through-german-eyes-second-world-war   Buy Me a Coffeehttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/fightingthrough Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/FightingThrough Episode shortlist - All the episodes for this podcast in a short list (or link via the website menu) https://www.fightingthroughpodcast.co.uk/about/ Reviews: Please review in your usual app or on my website here: https://www.fightingthroughpodcast.co.uk/reviews/new/ Follow me on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/FightingThroughPodcast YouTube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnlqRO9MdFBUrKM6ExEOzVQ?view_as=subscriber

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Krucjaty to wyprawy rycerzy chrześcijańskich. Takich rycerzy nazywa się krzyżowcami bo naszywali sobie krzyże na ubrania. Krucjat było wiele, my jednak skupimy się dzisiaj na pierwszych trzech, bo są one najważniejsze. Wszystkie krucjaty odbyły się w okresie, który nazywa się średniowieczem.Kiedy rozpoczęło się średniowiecze?Zachodnie cesarstwo rzymskie upadło w 476. Niektórzy wolą rok 500 jako początek średniowiecza, bo łatwiej go zapamiętać. A jak długo trwało średniowiecze? Średniowiecze trwało jakieś 1000 lat. Jeżeli się zaczęło w 500 roku to skończyło się w 1500. Cesarstwo rzymskie podzieliło się na dwie części, ta część zachodnia upadła w 476, a ta druga wschodnia część prawie 1000 lat później w 1453. Ponieważ za początek średniowiecza wielu uznaje upadek zachodniego cesarstwa więc za koniec uznają upadek drugiej części czyli wschodniego cesarstwa bizantyjskiego. Ale inni wolą np. rok 1492, w którym odkryto Amerykę. Historycy się o to kłócą, która data jest poprawna, wy możecie zapamiętać, że średniowiecze zaczęło się w roku 500, a skończyło w roku 1500. Przez te tysiąc lat wydarzyło się wiele rzeczy. My dzisiaj będziemy mówić o historii Ziemi Świętej. Tak chrześcijanie nazywali tereny wokół Jerozolimy.Co się działo z tym miastem przez te 1000 lat średniowiecza? W roku 500 gdy zaczynało się średniowiecze w Jerozolimie oraz w Ziemi Świętej mieszkali chrześcijanie. Jednak w 638 roku miasto to zdobyli muzułmanie. O Islamie mówiliśmy w odcinku 123. Chrześcijanie chcieli jednak dalej chodzić na pielgrzymki do Jerozolimy aby zobaczyć miejsce, gdzie został pochowany Jezus. Muzułmanie przez długi czas im na to pozwalali. Jednak w XI wieku zaczęli napadać na pielgrzymów. Wtedy papież Urban II zwołał synod w Clermont we Francji. Synod to takie spotkanie.Na tym synodzie w 1095 papież zachęcił chrześcijan aby odebrali muzułmanom Ziemię Świętą.Co udało się zdobyć krzyżowcom? Chrześcijańscy rycerze, których nazywa się krzyżowcami zdobyli najpierw miasto Edessę, później Antiochię, potem Jerozolimę, a na koniec jeszcze Tripolis.Jak spojrzycie na mapę, to prawie wszystkie te królestwa znajdują się przy Morzu Śródziemnym. Księstwo Antiochii, Hrabstwo Trypolisu oraz Królestwo Jerozolimskie miały dostęp do morza. Tamtędy mogli przybywać inni rycerze chrześcijaństcy. Jedynie hrabstwo Edessy leżało dalej i nie miało dostępu do Morza Śródziemnego.Po pierwszej krucjacie powstały te cztery państwa chrześcijańskie. Dlaczego więc mniej więcej 50 lat później wyruszono na drugą krucjatę? Rycerze postanowili wyruszyć na drugą krucjatę gdy usłyszeli, że upadło Hrabstwo Edessy. To państwo nie miało dostępu do morza. Na drugą krucjatę oprócz mężczyzn wyruszyła także kobieta.Zaraz obok Hrabstwa Edessy znajdowało się Księstwo Antiochii. W Księstwie Antiochii rządził stryj Eleonory Akwitańskiej. Co to znaczy stryj? Stryj to brat ojca, dzisiaj się mówi wujek. Eleonora chciała pomóc swojemu stryjowi, księciu Antiochii. Jej mąż był przeciwny temu. Z tego powodu Eleonora pokłóciła się ze swoim mężem królem Francji. Z Ziemi Świętej popłynęli na osobnych statkach do Rzymu. Tam papież starał się ich pogodzić Eleonorę i jej męża. Ostatecznie ich małżeństwo zostało unieważnione i Eleonora wyszła za mąż za króla Anglii.Dlaczego rozpoczęto trzecią krucjatę? Wszystkich muzułmanów zjednoczył Saladyn. Zaatakował on i zdobył Jerozolimę. Dowiedzieli się o tym władcy w Europie i postanowili odbić to miasto.Kto wyruszył na trzecią krucjatę? Wyruszyło trzech władców: król Anglii Ryszard Lwie Serce, król Francji Filip II August oraz cesarz niemiecki Barbarossa. Niestety cesarz nie dotarł do ziemi świętej. Był ubrany w ciężką zbroję i wpadł do rzeki. Król Francji Filip II August i król Anglii Ryszard razem oblegali miasto Akkę. Później jednak król Francji się zniechęcił. Aby odbić Jerozolimę wyruszył sam Ryszard Lwie Serce. Król Anglii pokonał wojska muzułmanów w bitwie pod Arsuf, a później także pod Jaffą.Gdyby Ryszard został w Ziemi Świętej być może pokonałby Saladyna i odbił Jerozolimę. Jednak w Anglii pozostał jego brat Jan bez Ziemi, który zaczął spiskować. Król Anglii musiał więc też wrócić do kraju. Wcześniej jednak zawarł pokój z Saladynem. Jerozolima pozostała w rękach muzułmanów, ale chrześcijanie mogli tam pielgrzymować bez przeszkód.Dlaczego I krucjata się udała, a II i III nie? Gdy krzyżowcy wyruszali na pierwszą krucjatę byli zjednoczeni, a muzułmanie byli podzieleni. Później się sytuacja zmieniała. Podczas trzeciej krucjaty muzułmanie byli zjednoczeni pod wodzą Saladyna.Dzisiaj omawialiśmy jedno z najważniejszych wydarzeń w średniowieczu. Podczas Pierwszej Krucjaty odważni chrześcijanie zdobyli Jerozolimę. Po tym wielkim zwycięstwie, założyli cztery małe królestwa. Gdy muzułmanie odzyskali jedno z nich, Hrabstwo Edessy, wyruszyła Druga Krucjata. Niestety, nie była ona tak udana. W końcu, gdy muzułmanie zdobyli samą Jerozolimę, rycerze z Europy wyruszyli w kolejną, Trzecią Krucjatę, żeby odzyskać Święte Miasto. Nie udało im się. Jerozolima była w rękach krzyżowców, czyli chrześcijan, przez 88 lat (od 1099 do 1187 roku.Podsumowanie:Co to było średniowiecze?Kiedy zaczęło się średniowiecze?Co się stało z Jerozolimę w średniowieczu?Kto rozpoczął I krucjatę?Dlaczego rozpoczęła się II krucjata?Komu chciała pomóc Eleonora Akwitańska?Co się stało ze stryjem Eleonory, księciem Antiochii?Dlaczego wyruszono na trzecią krucjatę?Kto wyruszył na trzecią krucjatę?Czym się różnia chrześcijanie od muzułmanów?Jaki znak mają muzułmanie?Dlaczego I krucjata się powiodła a II i III nie?Średniowiecze rozpoczęło się około roku 500. Jerozolima była wtedy chrześcijańskim miastem. Jednak 150 lat później zdobyli ją muzułmanie. Początkowo chrześcijanie mogli iść do Jerozolimy na pielgrzymkę. Później jednak muzułmanie zaczęli na nich napadać. Wtedy papież Urban II w 1095 roku wezwał rycerzy do krucjaty czyli odbicia Jerozolimy i Ziemi Świętej z rąk muzułmanów. Rycerze europejscy wyruszyli na I krucjatę i zdobyli Edessę, później Antiochię, potem Jerozolimę, a na koniec jeszcze Tripolis. Powstały 4 królestwa chrześcijańskie. Niestety 50 lat później muzułmanie zdobyli jedno z nich - Edessę i zaczęli zagrażać Antiochii. Księciem Antiochii był stryj Eleonory Akwitańskiej. Wyruszyła ona wraz ze swoim mężem królem Francji na II krucjatę. Niestety pokłócili się i wrócili do Francji. Wuj Eleonory zginął. Wtedy ona rozwiodła się z królem Francji i wyszła za mąż za króla Anglii. Urodziła mu ośmioro dzieci, z których najsłynniejszy był Ryszard Lwie Serce. Gdy muzułmanie zdobyli Jerozolimę wyruszył on na III krucjatę. Mieli mu pomagać król Francji i cesarz Barbarosa, ale ostatecznie Ryszard musiał sam walczyć z wodzem muzułmanów Saladynem. Na koniec i on musiał wrócić do Anglii bo jego brat Jan bez Ziemi chciał mu odebrać koronę. Chrześcijanom udało się odbić Jerozolimę na prawie 100 lat. Później jednak ponownie zdobyli ją muzułmanie.Ten odcinek zawiera uproszczoną historię.

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the surprise invasion of the Soviet Union that opened the Eastern Front in World War II. With lightning speed and devastating success, the German army tore through Soviet territory and rolled over the Red Army, scoring some of the most dramatic victories in military history--until the blitzkrieg bogged down during the approach on Moscow. At the spearhead of the attack was General Heinz Guderian, one of the most celebrated and controversial commanders of the war, who commanded a tank group in the center of the German front that stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Guderian's Panzers reconstructs Barbarossa from the perspective of Generaloberst Guderian and his 2nd Panzer Group. With the German war machine at the height of its martial prowess in June 1941, Guderian's group of 250,000 men and 900 tanks rapidly broke through the Soviet frontier defenses and thrust some 600 kilometers into Soviet Russia in a matter of weeks--in doing so playing an integral part in the successful encirclement (cauldron) battles of Belostok-Minsk (June/July 1941) and Smolensk (July/August 1941); each of these battles resulting in the loss of several Soviet armies and hundreds of thousands of prisoners. Despite having sustained alarming losses of personal and equipment in these opening battles, Guderian pushed his men, and himself, to even greater achievements, culminating in the triumphant cauldron Battle of Kiev in the Ukraine (September 1941) that obliterated Soviet Southwestern Front and resulted in the capture of over 600,000 Red Army POWs. It was, perhaps, Germany's greatest victory in WWII, and Guderian had made it happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

In this episode of the WW2 Podcast, we're turning our attention to the opening phase of one of the most brutal and vast campaigns of the Second World War—Operation Barbarossa. On 22 June 1941, Hitler launched his long-anticipated invasion of the Soviet Union. In the first two weeks, the German Wehrmacht made some of its fastest advances of the war. Panzer groups surged deep into Soviet territory, clashing with Russian armoured forces—encounters that were sometimes unexpected and, for both sides, revealing. To explore this dramatic opening stage of the war in the East, I'm joined by Richard Hargreaves, author of Opening the Gates of Hell, which examines the scale, speed, and shock of Barbarossa's beginning.   patreon.com/ww2podcast  

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the surprise invasion of the Soviet Union that opened the Eastern Front in World War II. With lightning speed and devastating success, the German army tore through Soviet territory and rolled over the Red Army, scoring some of the most dramatic victories in military history--until the blitzkrieg bogged down during the approach on Moscow. At the spearhead of the attack was General Heinz Guderian, one of the most celebrated and controversial commanders of the war, who commanded a tank group in the center of the German front that stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Guderian's Panzers reconstructs Barbarossa from the perspective of Generaloberst Guderian and his 2nd Panzer Group. With the German war machine at the height of its martial prowess in June 1941, Guderian's group of 250,000 men and 900 tanks rapidly broke through the Soviet frontier defenses and thrust some 600 kilometers into Soviet Russia in a matter of weeks--in doing so playing an integral part in the successful encirclement (cauldron) battles of Belostok-Minsk (June/July 1941) and Smolensk (July/August 1941); each of these battles resulting in the loss of several Soviet armies and hundreds of thousands of prisoners. Despite having sustained alarming losses of personal and equipment in these opening battles, Guderian pushed his men, and himself, to even greater achievements, culminating in the triumphant cauldron Battle of Kiev in the Ukraine (September 1941) that obliterated Soviet Southwestern Front and resulted in the capture of over 600,000 Red Army POWs. It was, perhaps, Germany's greatest victory in WWII, and Guderian had made it happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the surprise invasion of the Soviet Union that opened the Eastern Front in World War II. With lightning speed and devastating success, the German army tore through Soviet territory and rolled over the Red Army, scoring some of the most dramatic victories in military history--until the blitzkrieg bogged down during the approach on Moscow. At the spearhead of the attack was General Heinz Guderian, one of the most celebrated and controversial commanders of the war, who commanded a tank group in the center of the German front that stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Guderian's Panzers reconstructs Barbarossa from the perspective of Generaloberst Guderian and his 2nd Panzer Group. With the German war machine at the height of its martial prowess in June 1941, Guderian's group of 250,000 men and 900 tanks rapidly broke through the Soviet frontier defenses and thrust some 600 kilometers into Soviet Russia in a matter of weeks--in doing so playing an integral part in the successful encirclement (cauldron) battles of Belostok-Minsk (June/July 1941) and Smolensk (July/August 1941); each of these battles resulting in the loss of several Soviet armies and hundreds of thousands of prisoners. Despite having sustained alarming losses of personal and equipment in these opening battles, Guderian pushed his men, and himself, to even greater achievements, culminating in the triumphant cauldron Battle of Kiev in the Ukraine (September 1941) that obliterated Soviet Southwestern Front and resulted in the capture of over 600,000 Red Army POWs. It was, perhaps, Germany's greatest victory in WWII, and Guderian had made it happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/military-history

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the surprise invasion of the Soviet Union that opened the Eastern Front in World War II. With lightning speed and devastating success, the German army tore through Soviet territory and rolled over the Red Army, scoring some of the most dramatic victories in military history--until the blitzkrieg bogged down during the approach on Moscow. At the spearhead of the attack was General Heinz Guderian, one of the most celebrated and controversial commanders of the war, who commanded a tank group in the center of the German front that stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Guderian's Panzers reconstructs Barbarossa from the perspective of Generaloberst Guderian and his 2nd Panzer Group. With the German war machine at the height of its martial prowess in June 1941, Guderian's group of 250,000 men and 900 tanks rapidly broke through the Soviet frontier defenses and thrust some 600 kilometers into Soviet Russia in a matter of weeks--in doing so playing an integral part in the successful encirclement (cauldron) battles of Belostok-Minsk (June/July 1941) and Smolensk (July/August 1941); each of these battles resulting in the loss of several Soviet armies and hundreds of thousands of prisoners. Despite having sustained alarming losses of personal and equipment in these opening battles, Guderian pushed his men, and himself, to even greater achievements, culminating in the triumphant cauldron Battle of Kiev in the Ukraine (September 1941) that obliterated Soviet Southwestern Front and resulted in the capture of over 600,000 Red Army POWs. It was, perhaps, Germany's greatest victory in WWII, and Guderian had made it happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/german-studies

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the surprise invasion of the Soviet Union that opened the Eastern Front in World War II. With lightning speed and devastating success, the German army tore through Soviet territory and rolled over the Red Army, scoring some of the most dramatic victories in military history--until the blitzkrieg bogged down during the approach on Moscow. At the spearhead of the attack was General Heinz Guderian, one of the most celebrated and controversial commanders of the war, who commanded a tank group in the center of the German front that stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Guderian's Panzers reconstructs Barbarossa from the perspective of Generaloberst Guderian and his 2nd Panzer Group. With the German war machine at the height of its martial prowess in June 1941, Guderian's group of 250,000 men and 900 tanks rapidly broke through the Soviet frontier defenses and thrust some 600 kilometers into Soviet Russia in a matter of weeks--in doing so playing an integral part in the successful encirclement (cauldron) battles of Belostok-Minsk (June/July 1941) and Smolensk (July/August 1941); each of these battles resulting in the loss of several Soviet armies and hundreds of thousands of prisoners. Despite having sustained alarming losses of personal and equipment in these opening battles, Guderian pushed his men, and himself, to even greater achievements, culminating in the triumphant cauldron Battle of Kiev in the Ukraine (September 1941) that obliterated Soviet Southwestern Front and resulted in the capture of over 600,000 Red Army POWs. It was, perhaps, Germany's greatest victory in WWII, and Guderian had made it happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/russian-studies

On June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa, the surprise invasion of the Soviet Union that opened the Eastern Front in World War II. With lightning speed and devastating success, the German army tore through Soviet territory and rolled over the Red Army, scoring some of the most dramatic victories in military history--until the blitzkrieg bogged down during the approach on Moscow. At the spearhead of the attack was General Heinz Guderian, one of the most celebrated and controversial commanders of the war, who commanded a tank group in the center of the German front that stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Guderian's Panzers reconstructs Barbarossa from the perspective of Generaloberst Guderian and his 2nd Panzer Group. With the German war machine at the height of its martial prowess in June 1941, Guderian's group of 250,000 men and 900 tanks rapidly broke through the Soviet frontier defenses and thrust some 600 kilometers into Soviet Russia in a matter of weeks--in doing so playing an integral part in the successful encirclement (cauldron) battles of Belostok-Minsk (June/July 1941) and Smolensk (July/August 1941); each of these battles resulting in the loss of several Soviet armies and hundreds of thousands of prisoners. Despite having sustained alarming losses of personal and equipment in these opening battles, Guderian pushed his men, and himself, to even greater achievements, culminating in the triumphant cauldron Battle of Kiev in the Ukraine (September 1941) that obliterated Soviet Southwestern Front and resulted in the capture of over 600,000 Red Army POWs. It was, perhaps, Germany's greatest victory in WWII, and Guderian had made it happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/eastern-european-studies

Send us a textToday, we wrap up the series on the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.Support the show

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Operation Barbarossa and the area which fell under it became the site of some of the largest and most brutal battles, deadliest atrocities, terrible loss of life, and horrific conditions for Soviets and Germans alike – all of which influenced the course of World War 2.  The defeat of Operation Barbarossa led to the end of that war and all the pain, suffering that accompanied it. In this program we investigate its connection with a young Australian engineer and consider the insights Operation Barbarossa provides into the Universal War, the War behind all wars that is still raging today and involves all of us, yes, even you and me.

How did Frederick Barbarossa reshape medieval Europe into the romantic legends that endure today?Dr. Eleanor Janega finds out with help from Professor Graham Loud. They explore Barbarossa's dramatic reign, his conflicts with the Lombard League and the Italian city-states, as well as his pivotal role in two Crusades.Hear about the extraordinary lengths Barbarossa went to secure safe passage for his army, his clash with the Byzantine Empire, and his fateful end during the Third Crusade.MOREHoly Roman Empirehttps://open.spotify.com/episode/4eqNlsXu44G54sFUS68C13Teutonic Knightshttps://open.spotify.com/episode/0gUpGPLW74wnhDm7MI5h6VGone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. It was edited by Amy Haddow, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK

When we look back to medieval Europe, there are a handful legendary figures who stand out above the rest. Richard the Lionheart. Charlemagne. El Cid. And Frederick Barbarossa. A powerful emperor, focused crusader, and stubborn supporter in the middle of a papal schism, Barbarossa certainly made waves in the twelfth century, and left a lasting impression. This week, Danièle speaks with Graham Loud about how Barbarossa came to power, how he managed to reign supreme in both Germany and Italy despite some bumps along the way, and why he's sometimes revered as a once and future king in Germany.Listen to this episode ad-free at https://www.patreon.com/medievalists