Britain’s WORST EVER tank battle: The Battle of Gazala 1942 BATTLESTORM Documentary
Britain’s WORST EVER tank battle: The Battle of Gazala 1942 BATTLESTORM Documentary
The Battle of Gazala in 1942 was Rommel’s most important battle, and one of the worst defeats in British history, especially for the Royal Tank Regiment. The British 8th Army deployed over 900 tanks in this battle, but was left with just a handful by the end of it. However, Rommel was also close to defeat too and Gazala could have ended in…
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Hi all! Timestamps are available in the description, and subtitles are available. Some fun statistics: the video length is 2 hours 50 minutes, the script length is 27,318 words, contains 742 citations, from 57 sources, and the final render took 6 hours and 45 minutes. In total, all the files amount to 870 GBs of hard drive space.
This video has been in the works for the past 6 to 7 months, with my editor/animator (Gigz) deserving a big thank you for all her hard work! I also pulled an all-nighter last night to get it to you on time, so I really do hope you all enjoy it. A big thank you to Gigz, as well as Terri (who made the map and the thumbnail), and another a big THANK YOU to my Patreons and SubscribeStars for making this video possible.
For further reading, I highly recommend the series “The Crucible of War” by Barrie Pitt, which is probably the best all-round account of the North African Campaign. The South African “Crisis in the Desert” is another good book, but can be difficult to get a hold of, is biased towards Pienaar, and is a bit out of date. Playfair’s Official British History is also recommended, even if it’s out of date and biased towards Auchinleck. Carver’s “Dilemma’s of the Desert” is a necessary read if you’re interested in the debate about whether Ritchie “went rogue” in this battle or not. Forczyk’s “Desert Armour” is also a decent modern source for this battle and others.
We’re so fucking back 🎉 😎
Those active citations and length scales at the bottom of the screen are amazing.
I wouldn't call it a pyric victory if he managed to destroy nearly 400 more tanks. The Germans were pretty badly out numbered and supplied compared to the British. And I think his frenzied blitz may have contributed to British disarray. I feel like had it been a war of attrition the Brits would've held out and defeated Rommel entirely
Fantastic work! Although I think that Rommel was a great commander, not just "not terrible." He was awesome, for many reasons.
After 18 days of continuous combat, Panzer Army Afrika was lucky to be alive, let alone driving east of Tobruk. Rommel and his crew needed a breather.
Imagine what the British generals could've done if they used all the energy they spent fighting each other maybe, idk, fighting Rommel instead.
Hi tik just found your videos look forward to watching thank you 😊
Great commentary! ❤
As a American and a retired Colonel of Engineers I was fascinated and horrified how their was such dysfunction at the field grade and general officer level. To me this debacle was allowed to happen by Auchinlek and by Churchill. Churchill's actions bring in mind Gallipoli and the chase of the Goeben in WWI. Auchinlek appears to me not willing to break any eggs to get things done.
And Rommel appears content to break and fry every egg he can get his hands on to win.
Hola tik, agradesco tú excelente trabajo, le felicitó.
Saludos desde chile, sudamericana 🤗
Wow, Pienar got promoted? UGH! Talk about being kicked upstairs! One of the worst generals of WWII!
And while this campaign was being waged, the Imperial Japanese Navy was gearing up for the Midway operation against the US Navy.
I’m not sure I agree that Infantry tanks were terrible, at least in concept. Their usage during this part of the North Africa campaign was poor, since they were just slow moving tank groups that actually weren’t supporting the infantry and remained separate from the cruiser formations. However, large infantry support tanks that can advance and deal with entrenched positions had some use. The Churchill crocodiles with flame throwers were quite useful in Europe, and even the limited 6 pounder HE rounds were useful in an infantry support role.
I think the British were onto something with the idea of creating slower, more heavily armored tanks for specific roles and the Americans never had a proper equivalent.
Thesis: Only the Italians defeated Germany.
Immagine, Germany would not have to help out the Italians in Africa and Greece and for thanks they would not have switch sides at the end.
Thougts?
I know it's easy for me to complain years after the facts but the more I learn about the British in WW2 I'm amazed we made it through let alone on the winning side. So many commanders just assuming things and for some unknown reason not checking or asking questions.
Sorry a bit unrelated to this video specifically, but do you agree with the fact that the war initiated by the nazis was lost before it even begun, I mean how can you believe to be able to destroy 2 world powers (URSS and England at first) and later 3 (also US)???!?
Maybe you already wrote a video on this
This is a monumental effort from TIK. Thank you!
Hi TIK, great work as always! I have a question about economics: what do you think about digital tokens and digital money like Bitcoin, Ethereum etc. in the economy? I’m in my last highschool year and today we had a presentation by an employee from our local bank about basic economics. In addition to other things he also clearly expressed his disapproval for the state not having any type of control over transactions related to digital tokens. I watched many of your (brilliantly clear) videos on economics and I’d like to hear what you think about it. Hope you all the best.
I read somewhere (can't remember where) that Pienaar was under orders from the South African government to avoid losses due to the lack of enthusiasm for the war at home?
An excellent product of much hard work and research! Very enlighting how extremely complex battles are.
The blame game correctly antisipated by the actors just after the battle and long thereafter. Few write books well.
The main fault then as now where unwise defence cuts before the war in which Brittain squanderd their advantage both in tank technoledgy and combined arms warfare.
Such cuts also leads to even more inter service rivalry.
The Germans simply beat Brittain to the punch in both areas that both industry and military can't correct under pressure of both expanding a fighting force and fighting both a military and political moral war.
The Maginot line type of defence of the Gazala line was even by the French during the battle of France corrected after it was too late.
Building strong garissons like defended harbours in depth along the North main supply route and using the Navy for fire support as well.
Tik you in effect point this naval analogy out correctly imo.
Your critique on Rommel being too audacious is wrong. Rommel had but one win option being on paper number wise the weaker party. Same as in France May 1940. Rommel and Guderian won that battle being audacious and indeed Hutzinger being overbluffed.
Same here. As you correctly point out had the British gotten their act together they should have won.
On a tactical level I don't understand why the Britisch didn't keep their excellent 25 pounders to take on any 88's with indirect fire after any first contact with them. Quick smoke and set up a fire mission. Yet that was just it. Combined arms warfare requires much training and cooperation. These were Richies main errors that Rommel exploited.
I agree with you Tik that Rommel was made a superman general also by the British as an excuse. Super generals simply don't exist.
Rommel has proven over and over that for this style of battle you need an agressive general at the criticle point who is in charge of all assets including airpower on the spot.
When Rommel in stead of some colonel calls in an airstrike that will one then indeed happen asap and the pilots will be highly motivated.
Battles are quite often won or lost by small things going right or wrong. 0:30
Great stuff, thanks fella.
Watching your series really lets me down about the german leadership in Africa.. The germans seemed to have let the british escape over and over again. Aswell as just driving into the enemy without any crushing victory or decicivness that i would have had expected from Rommel.
The entire Africa Campaign had a lot of potential. But i figured it was Mussolinis and or Hitlers unwillingness or incompetence to commit a lot of effort into the area.
Seeing how the Italians also "just were there" and never really impacted the frontlines or even kept their enemy from escaping because they "slept" is just infurryiating for me.. So much wasted opportunity.
Briggs: “Rommels trapped in the mine field! Rommel: “you’re trapped here with me.”
When did that guy got out of the well?
Terreble good thank you expain it
Awesome job as always!!
The British have not changed, May be a proper measure of history is in order?
1:51:28
Hey TIK,
Congo was Belgium back then. How could they have participated when Brussels allready surrenderd?
40:40: I love when people that aren't in the field, tell to those that really are in the field, what they are seeing.
Usually, battles are won by the side that is slightly less incompetent.
Impressive work as always, thanks TIK!
losing marmalade is a key strategic error that costs a battle, we'll remember this one for el alamein lads
Thank you. My father was killed during the Battle of Gazala. Your detailed description helps me to understand the context of his sacrifice
An excellent assessment and explanation! Thank you!
No idea whiskey makes a blue flame, thx TIK!
All is lost, marmalade down – 2:06:18
Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So great to see a new Battlestorm.
As someone who is mostly only aware of the Western Front beginning with the Normandy landings, I never would have thought I would come to appreciate Monty until now.
Longest battlestorm episode ever. Tik is back at the frontlines of history with an amazing video. Must have been an massive amount of research. Respect!
Senior British Generals frankly were pretty pathetic for the first two years of the war. Eisenhower was supposedly heard saying that why did the British thin they were the professionals and we were the amateurs when they had pretty much lost every battle they had fought in that war so far.
Your videos are fantastic. You do a mammoth amount of in-depth, detailed research. Not everyone may agree with your interpretations, but that's where history is created in the heart of the debate, and it is only by your production of good-quality research, along with others, that debate can happen!
Wow
Amazing content as always.
Did Churchill provoke Hitler to bomb London?
This was the best war ‘film’ i ever wached.
Is Tik history going to make a complete North Africa series. I have always been drawn to that part of the war. My grand father was in that theater of war. He was in the the Army Air corp , he said the only wound he got was a broken finger from diving in a trench because a German plane straffed his airfield. I wish i knew more about his WW2 experience.