The Great War: Sabaton is a Heavy Metal band from Sweden. Battles and events during World War 1 inspired them to do multiple songs about them and Indy is talking with bass player Pär Sundström about the process.
Sabaton fans and history buffs beware - on 7 February we will start covering the real history behind one Sabaton song every week. Indy Neidell of The Great War and WW2 In Real Time fame will guide you through the historical background and the guys in the band will tell you what their songs meant for Sabaton - and there will be loads of music of course.
Watch the trailer for THE GREAT WAR album here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCZP1-JsD0M
Sabaton wrote a song about the Battle of Wizna, called 40:1. When the Germans invaded Poland in 1939, they met determined and fierce resistance. Multiple battles show the steadiness of the Polish defenders, in contrast to the common narrative about the Polish defence. One of these Battles is the Battle of Wizna, where a Polish defensive force managed to hold off a much larger German army for several days.
Sabatons song Blood of Bannockburn is about the First War of Scottish Independence and one of it's key figures, Robert the Bruce. He fought the English King Edward who invaded Scotland when Bruces revolutionary force forced all Scottish nobles to join his cause or lose their lands. Edward moved on Bruces army while they were besieging Stirling Castle, but his plans to overwhelm the Scottish was opposed by Bruce.
In Panzerkampf, Sabaton sings about the German offensive on the Kursk salient in the summer of 1943. We dive into the details of the Battle of Kursk and the one biggest tank battles in world history, the Battle of Prokhorovka.
In to Hell and Back, Sabaton sings about an actor, singer and one of the most remarkable heroes of World War Two. Audie Murphy served and fought in many different locations of the Second World War, which resulted in him being the most decorated soldier in the US army during WW2. To Hell and Back is about his actions at and after the landings at Anzio during the Allied campaign in Italy.
When the Austro-Hungarians invaded Serbia in 1914, the Serbian defenders managed to set up an effective defence. A year later, a combined Austro-Hungarian and German offence is launched to take Belgrade for once and for all. The Serbs mount a final defence as a last stand against the Central Powers.
This war is modern version of David versus Goliath. The Sabaton song 'Talvisota' is about the Winter War that took place in late 1939 till the early spring of 1940 between Finland and the Soviet union. Against all odds, and an overwhelming amount of Red Army Soldiers, the Finnish army manage to hold off the Soviet advance for longer than anyone could have foreseen.
What will you do when your traditional way of life is threatened by a powerful force in your native lands? The samurai didn't hesitate to answer this question with: our swords. During the Satsuma Rebellion, the samurai and its leader Saigō Takamori fought the Japanese Imperial Government. Their rebellion ended with the Battle of Shiroyama, where in 1877 the samurai prepared for a last stand. The letter demanding Saigo's surrender: As the leader of young vigorous men of the nation and resisting a great and famous army through many fierce battles, your fame is already well enough know to the world. But now most of your brave generals are dead or injured, and your military power is daily growing weaker. It is already clear that as last your Satsuma army is unable to keep its spirit. I don’t know what further things you can hope to achieve, except a hopeless defensive battle. If you, Saigõ, rather than lengthening the rest of your days a little, prefer to cause hundreds and thousands of dead and wounded from both armies, there is nothing that I, Aritomo, can say to you. I beg you to judge for yourself as you hold matters in the palm of your hand, and that you will save both armies from death and injury. Ah, you are a man famous and known in the world. About our national constitution naturally it is not only Aritomo who knows what you really think. But the matter has been settled over many years of public debate. I, Aritomo, earnestly beg you as your old friend. Writing this my tears fall like rain, and I cannot express myself at all. Please sympathise with the sincerity of my pain.
You don't generally think about Brazil when talking about World War Two. Still, they joined the Allied powers in 1942, after which the Brazilian Expeditionary Force played a role in the Invasion of Italy. The Sabaton song Smoking Snakes is about the Brazilian effort during World War Two and especially about three Brazilian soldiers who wouldn't surrender.
The Swedish Kings had to rely on the quality of their armies, often facing foes that had superior numbers. A special soldier class was created. Admired in Sweden and feared on the battlefield, the Caroleans were the secret weapon of the Swedish army. The Sabaton song 'The Carolean's Prayer' is about these remarkable soldiers and their heroic status.
One of the bloodiest battles in the history of humankind was fought out on the hills in Northern France. Verdun was a tactical and symbolical city with great value to France. In 1916, the German army launched a massive attack, accompanied by a tremendous artillery bombardment, upon which the French defenders put their foot down, stating that 'on ne passe pas!', they shall not pass.
As the scientific masterminds of the early 1940's discover the destructive capabilities of splitting atoms, some of them try to weaponise it. One special product is important in the creation of such a weapon: heavy water. The Norwegians have a plant that produces heavy water at Vemork. The Allies, desperate to slow down the German progress towards the development of a nuclear weapon, decide to sabotage it. The Sabaton song 'Saboteurs' is about the dangerous mission that is conducted by the British and Norwegians in the winter of 1940 to sabotage the Norwegian Heavy Water production for the Nazi's.
Despite restrictions that were put on the German navy after the Treaty of Versailles, the Kriegsmarine rebuilt in the 1930s with one goal: to be bigger and better than ever. Two powerful Bismarck-class battleships formed the pinnacle of the German naval warship production. When the British caught wind that the Bismarck was out in the open in May 1941, they in turn formulated a goal of their own: to take it down for once and for all. The Sabaton song 'Bismarck' sings about the chase, the battle in the Atlantic and consequent fate of the Bismarck.
In the last months of the Great War, the Americans join the fighting on the Western Front in an effort to break through the German Lines for once and for all. The Americans launch their Meuse-Argonne Offensive in the fall of 1918. As part of the offensive, nine companies of the United States 77th Division under command of Major Charles White Whittlesey pushes through the German lines with remarkable ease. Little did they know that the German lines were not abandoned, but that they simply found a hole. The Lost Battalion was surrounded and the men had to fight for days, awaiting their rescue.
When Egyptian president Nasser closes an important sea route for their neighbouring state of Israel in May 1967, Israel argues that a military attack on Egypt is justified. During the following six days in June 1967, Israel embarks on a war against Egypt, Syria and Jordan. The Sabaton song 'Counterstrike' describes this short but influential and controversial conflict.
The Red Baron is one of the, if not THE MOST iconic heroes of The Great War. He simultaneously embodies the mechanisation of modern war and a romanticised version of war with his individual skill and heroism. Indy goes beyond the legend to tell the history of Manfred von Richthofen, a.k.a The Red Baron, the latter of which also is the name of a Sabaton song that will feature on their upcoming album The Great War.
Heroism isn’t always measured in blood or danger. Sometimes, to spare your foe is the honourable thing to do. A dramatic example comes in the shape of the American Charlie Brown and German Franz Stigler. Brown was flying his heavily damaged B17 ‘Flying Fortress’ bomber home after a demanding bombing run on Bremen when Franz Stigler in his fighter plane caught sight of its tail. This story is about the encounter between the two enemies and the song that Sabaton wrote about it, called ‘No Bullets Fly’.
The Sabaton song Hearts of Iron tells the story of a German commander who is ordered to relieve Berlin in face of an overwhelming attack from the east and the west. Berlin is almost fully surrounded, but instead of following orders from his superiors who have clearly lost touch with reality, he decides to use his men to get as many civilians as possible out of Berlin.
As a ghost he roamed the trenches, effectively taking out his enemies one by one. He was the deadliest sniper of The Great War, with over 300 confirmed kills on his name. He is Canadian soldier Francis Pegahmagabow, born in an indigenous First Nations family, and the The Sabaton Song ‘A Ghost in the Trenches’ is about his life and adventures.
The title track of the upcoming Sabaton Album 'The Great War' is about the conflict in general. The horrors, modern techniques and tactics and the differences with other conflicts.
After the Great War, many different movements and parties tried to replace the by many despised Weimar Republic. One of them was the NSDAP, the National Socialist German Workers Party. Headed by Adolf Hitler, the NSDAP transformed Germany into a country that would once again bring war and destruction to Europe. The Sabaton Song ‘Rise of Evil’ is about Hitlers rise to power, and in this video we dive into the historical context behind the song.
The Sabaton Song 'Gott Mit Uns' is about the Battle of Breitenfeld, fought between the Swedish under command of King Gustavus Adolphus and the Holy Roman Empire under Count Tilly. This battle was hugely influential in the Thirty Years War and the religious wars that were plaguing Europe in the 17th century.
The life of Karel Janoušek is anything but ordinary. Throughout his live, he serves in the militaries and air forces of multiple countries, but time and again he ends up fighting for his native Czechoslovakia heritage. The Sabaton song Far from the Fame describes his life, his adventures and his experiences.
The United States entered the battlefields of Europe in 1918. Among the first Americans to participate in the fight are the U.S. Marines, who quickly adopt the names Devil Dogs. One of their most notable engagements is the Battle of Belleau Wood in June 1918, where the Marines fought the battle-hardened Germans for 26 days.
The Sabaton song Long Live the King is about the aftermath of the Battle of Poltava in June 1709. The future of Sweden lay in the hands of the parliament at home while the King was in voluntary exile with the Ottomans. What followed was a dark time in Swedish history where everything was uncertain, with an unexpectedly dark ending.
The Sabaton Song Attero Dominatus is about the Soviet advance on Berlin in the last months of World War Two. As the Soviets approach Berlin, two commanders, General Zhukov and General Konev, try their best to be the ones to take the centre of the German capital. Meanwhile, thousands of Germans are raped or murdered by the Soviets in retaliation to the atrocities that the Germans committed in the east.
When the Germans launched their last western offensive through the Belgian Ardennes in the winter of 1944, it was up to the American 101st Airborne Division to defend the key city of Bastogne. Surrounded by camouflaged German soldiers and endless artillery bombardments, the 101st, a.k.a the Screaming Eagles, endured.
The Purple Heart is arguably one of the most iconic military decorations in the American military. The Sabaton Song 'Purple Heart' is about the origins and story behind the famous medal.
One of the deadliest snipers ever to roam the face of the earth was Simo Häyhä, who fought on the Finnish side during the Winter War in 1939 and 1940. He was also known as White Death, as he killed an estimated 500 Russians in the cold snowy winter.
When the Americans joined the Great War in Europe, the 82nd 'All American' division was the division that would engage in heavy fighting at St Mihiel. Among them was Alvin York, leading his battalion at the ferocious Battle of Hill 223.
The Sabaton song ‘Stalingrad’ is about the devastating Battle of the Russian City of Stalingrad, which lasted for 5 months from August 1942 till February 1943. The Battle is infamous for its brutal street fighting and high casualties on both sides.
The Sabaton song A Lifetime of War is about the Thirty Years War, which influenced many lives of Northern-European soldiers, mercenaries, farmers and city-dwellers.
While the British were already dying by the thousands in the trenches in Western Europe, their high command decided to try to break the stalemate with an attack on the Ottoman Empire in the Dardanelles. This is the first episode on the Sabaton song Cliffs of Gallipoli about the Allied landings on the shores off Gallipoli.
The second part of our coverage of the Sabaton song Cliffs of Gallipoli is about the brutal fighting that took place once the landings had come to a standstill. A stalemate similar to the Western Front caused thousands of Ottoman and Allied soldiers to have to endure endless charges, barrages, sniper fire in addition to the hot summer climate of South-Eastern Europe.
The Swedish version of 'Lifetime of War' is called En Livstid i Krig and has a different perspective on the Thirty Years War than its English counterpart. The song is about the many men and women who were born during the Thirty Years War, lived through the war and most possibly also died in that war.
This is a little different from our usual videos. We dive into the Sabaton Song Metal Crüe, an ode to the Metal Legends that inspired Sabaton. Indy gives his subjective take on the musicians that defined a genre.
The Battle of Midway in June 1942 was one of the decisive battles on the Pacific front during World War Two. The Sabaton song 'Midway' is about that battle and the men who sailed, flew, fought and died there.
Trench Warfare was the reality for countless soldiers fighting on the the fronts of World War One. It was a hell on earth. Soldiers had to endure mud, cold, stench of decaying bodies, endless artillery and gas barrages and enemy raiding parties. The Sabaton Song 'Angels Calling' is about daily life on the frontlines of The Great War.
The Battle of Rorke's Drift was the Last Stand for the British Defenders, facing thousands of Zulu fighters with only a a few hundred of their own.
The exact topic of Sabatons song 'Unbreakable' will forever be a mystery. But we do know that it has to do with Guerrilla Warfare, which is what Indy will dive into in this episode.
Europe had grown weary of war by the summer of 1648 and after much deliberation, peace talks in Westphalia had reached their final stages. Warlords across the entire continent were preparing for peace but not all of them agreed. The exceptionally ruthless German-Swedish General Königsmarck advanced into Bohemia to lay siege to Prague.
The Battle of Thermopylae of 480 BCE may be one of the most famous battles in Ancient History. King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans were certainly not as alone in their last stand against the spartans, but are nevertheless remembered as being an underdog who would rather die than lose their freedom.
Join Indy and Joakim as they dive into the out-of-life story of Witold Pilecki during the Second World War, that has made for this awesome song.
After Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, most of the whole world gets together to avenge this attack. This will be the basis for Operation Desert Storm - one of the largest battles since the Second World War.
In 1527, a large Holy Roman army consisting of Germans, Spaniards and Italians march on Rome frustrated over unpaid wages and lacking supplies. Pope Clement VII seeks shelter as Rome is pillaged and burned while his brave Swiss Guard makes a heroic last stand.
As Germany invades France and the Benelux countries in May 1940, the main bulk of their panzers are heading towards the Ardennes and the Meuse River in an effort to cut the Allied forces in half. However, two small units of Belgian infantry are standing in their way. They are the Chasseurs Ardennais and have one objective: To delay the Germans by every means necessary...
The British T. E. Lawrence played a major role in bringing together a coalition of Arab factions to rise up against the Ottoman Empire. Their efforts helped the British War Effort in the Middle East, but the British-Arab coalition was not as stable as it might have seemed.
An American-led coalition invaded Iraq in 2003. Sabatons song Panzer Battalion is about that attack and in this episode, Indy talks about the fight and its consequences.
n early 1944, as the Allies are nearing Rome, Albert Kesselring orders a defensive line the likes of which rivals some of history's greatest fortifications. Here, with the old hilltop abbey Monte Cassino looking down on the two front, the Axis and the Allies duel it out in a bloody and tiring fight for control of central Italy...
The United Nations were created to avoid any future human suffering and all-out conflict. Numerous peacekeeping missions had the goal to deescalate and protect the innocent. However, the success and usefulness of the UN is still quite ambiguous. The Sabaton song 'Light in the Black' is about the UN Peacekeeping missions and we tell you about the history.
This episode is about the Soviet 588th bomber regiment. They were all-female and got the nickname 'Night Witches' from the sound their planes made after they killed their engines for maximum effect. This sound made German think of the broomsticks of witches, and they called them “Nachthexen”.
This episode is about the "Attack of the Dead Men". During the third battle for Osowiec Fortress in July 1915 during the Great War, German artillery was bombarding the defending Russian soldiers with a new deadly weapon: Poison Gas. The fatal mixture of chlorine and bromine descended like a green fog over the Russian trenches. Without adequate gas-masks to protect themselves, the defenders were believed to all have died in agony. However, as the German infantry advanced, they did not only march right into a Russian counterattack but also encountered the dead, seemingly rising from their graves.
From 1935 onwards, the German Wehrmacht was expanding rapidly. Millions of men joined the army, the Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine to fulfill Adolf Hitler's visions for the 3rd Reich. Highly motorized Panzergrenadiers, elite parachute- and resilient mountain-infantry troops were trained and and led with the utmost combat-efficiency in mind, supported by state of the art Panzer and aircraft. If it came to war, they would break the enemy and break them fast, achieving fast victories in a series of devastating hits. However, succumbing to the ideological influence of National-Socialism, the Wehrmacht found itself soon to be both culprit and accomplice to a self-reinforcing cycle of violence and atrocities.
The Winged Hussars have arrived! By the 17th century it seemed like the golden age of the Winged Hussars had come to an end. Heavily armored, clad in steel and leopard skins, they had once charged over the battlefields with their wings proudly flying in the wind. But as the city of Vienna came under siege by the Ottoman Empire, the Polish Winged Hussars once more set out to meet their foes on the battlefield. Prepare for a thunderous charge that would go down in history.
The Battle of Britain had saved the United Kingdom from imminent invasion by the German Wehrmacht, however the war was far from over. To destroy Britain's economic capabilities to wage war, the German Kriegsmarine had to win the tonnage war in the North Atlantic. The German submarines - the U-Boote, were sent out to hunt. As the British Royal Navy returned to the convoy system to protect its merchant fleet, the Germans as well began organizing their submarines in groups to attack in unison. These hunter-killer teams, the Wolfpacks, would soon haunt the depths of the North Atlantic.
1982, on a group of islands far, far away from Great Britain. After the military junta of Argentinian Army General Leopoldo Galtieri had publicly declared that the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) were rightfully part of Argentinian territory, an invasion force succeeded in wrestling control away from their British owners. However Great Britain would not simply stand by and give the Falklands up. Instead a British task-force would make its way down to the Falklands, in an attempt to take back control of the islands by force. What followed was an undeclared war of 10 weeks, where British carriers and commandos fought against the entrenched Argentinian ground-forces for the ownership of the islands.
Tanks! What a terrible and frightening sight they must have been for the Germans, the first time they had appeared on the battlefield at the Somme in 1916. The tanks were the product of many different ideas and prototypes, that all sought to overcome the perils of the modern battlefield - the machine gun, the bombed out ground and the barbed wire. The British Mark I tank would crush those obstacles through its sheer weight and begin a new age of mechanized warfare!
Bullets break the silent air, a wasted battleplan! It was a long and harsh march through the lands in the east, where the Swedish army of Charles XII sought to bring the Russian Empire to its knees. The Swedish king had the vision of a great victory, in which he captured Moscow and destroyed Tsar Peter I`s ambitions once and for all. However, as in late June 1709, the exhausted and hungry Swedish troops finally met the Tsar in open battle near the fortress of Poltava, it all seemed impossible. A relentless and fateful battle would commence. A battle after which only one empire would continue to rise while the other would fall.
So tell me what's the price of a mile? The Battle of Passchendaele in 1917 is often remembered as a dismal and dreadful campaign. Fighting over endless mud, waterlogged shell-holes and unrecognizable, bombed out ground, the battle became a slog where everybody was just miserable. Hundreds of thousands of men became casualties for the advance of a handful of miles.
Aces In Exile prevail! Did you know, that the war in the skies above Britain was not just fought by men from the British Isles alone? It was also fought by men who were forced to flee their home-countries from Nazi occupation and journey through war-torn Europe to continue the resistance. As France fell, pilots from Poland, Czechoslovakia and Canada found themselves once more in the seat of foreign fighter-planes, to fend off the German war-machine in the Battle of Britain.
Aces in Exile return! Interesting times make for interesting men. In this second part we talk about some individual stories of Czechoslovakian, Polish and Canadian pilots that all fought under the banner of the British Royal Airforce during the Second World War. How they escaped German occupation, how they traveled through war torn Europe, and how they eventually found themselves fighting in a different uniform for a different country .
During the height of the Cold War, weapons ran hot in the jungles of Vietnam. Combat along the overgrown trails, the wide open fields of rice-paddies or the marshes of the Mekong Delta, was not only exhausting and relentless, but also the place where many of the old doctrines of warfare did no longer apply. The western coalition had to face the elusive Guerilla-methods of the North-Vietnamese forces, who prepared ambushes and traps along the marching routes. The eerie quietness of the jungle was all too often broken by a sudden explosion of violence as troops marched right into the fire.
"In Flanders fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row." These words, written by John McCrae in his famous war poem "In Flanders Fields", immortalize death and dying in the Great War like only a few others. It is said, that shortly after the death of his dear friend, McCrae looked over the parapet and onto the battlefield once more. In all the mayhem, the smoke, the exploding shells and the dead bodies on the ground, he saw that the little red flowers, the poppies, still grew. After a strong wind, their pedals would fly across the field, and lay there strewn, like the blood that was shed by the soldiers that had to die there.
The bells rang on Armistice Day 1920 in the 11th hour, and two minutes of silence followed. One minute for the soldiers that had fought in the Great War and had come back. The second for those who did not. Those unfortunate souls that had been left behind. They had died like so many others, but had been denied a final resting place due to the violence of war. They had vanished, without a trace, without an identity. Those men where the Unknown Soldiers.
Started out as a reserve, soon promoted well deserved, and the legend has begun. Lauri Allan Törni, the soldier of three armies. Born and raised in Viipuri in Finnish Karelia, Lauri Törni grew up into a world of tensions, of class-consciousness and conflicting ideologies. Boxed in between the Soviet Union and Germany, Finland was preparing for war of survival. The Winter War would be the first place for Lauri Törni to see battle and begin his legacy as a born soldier.
With a bounty on his head, the Red Army wants him dead, Soviet enemy number one. Second part of the Lauri Törni trilogy. The Winter War between Finland and the Soviet Union was over, but the world was further tumbling down into war. Finland saw itself trapped between two power blocks. A new arrangement with Nazi Germany gave men like Lauri Törni an opportunity to train with the newly established Waffen-SS. But it was an opportunity with lasting consequences.
Crossed the water a new start, war still beating in his heart, a new legend has been born. Arrested by the Finnish secret police and tried for treason, war-hero and living legend Lauri Törni realized that his home country held no more future for him any longer. Törni made a run for it. Towards a new country, a new life and a new name. And a new war.
The Meat-Grinder. Dead Man's Hill. The Bone-Mill. Verdun has many names, as it went down into history as a place of death and destruction. Never before did so many light and heavy artillery guns fire on such a small battlefield. It was the end of the classical field battle and instead turned into a 10 month siege that was fought not by flesh and blood, but by steel and chemistry.
Quarantined Sabaton History is back! And this week we talk about female badass warriors of the Second World War! From a Soviet sniper to a French resistance fighter, many women chose to volunteer for the front and fight alongside the men. These are some of their tales.
Sometimes war is killing, sometimes it’s saving lives. This week we turn a soldier who became a hero, not for killing his foes, but for saving his fellow men. Medic Leslie "Bull" Allen's story is a story about courage in the face of fire. The battle for Mount Tambu in 1943 in Papua New Guinea was vicious and bloody, and the field was soon littered with many wounded men crying for help. Without much regard for his own safety, "Bull" Allen stormed forward into the fray. 12 times he went, and 12 times he came back with a wounded soldier on his back.
War and Plague. Just two horsemen of the apocalypse but never really far away from each other. Where armies march, disease usually follows. From the earliest records of time to modern day, epidemics and contagious diseases are the cause of uncountable deaths. Pandemics like the Spanish Flu or the Bubonic Plague killed millions of people around the world. To survive, mankind had resort to quarantines and plague houses, and put its trust to physicians and the evolution of modern medicine.
It happened during the last stage of the Soviet-Afghan War. Already withdrawing its forces, Soviet High Command needed to display its might one last time by recapturing the vital Satukandav Pass. But to achieve that goal, the commanding heights surrounding the pass had to be held against continuous Mujahideen attacks. In the Battle for Hill 3234, an outnumbered force of Soviet paratroopers held their own against relentless attacks from the Afghan rebels.
In the night of 17 May 1940, confusing reports were reaching French High Command. They spoke of what was thought impossible: The German Army had broken through the Maginot Line in the north. Scattered and panicked soldiers spoke of a "Division Fantôme" - a Ghost Division! It was Generalmajor Erwin Rommel's 7th Panzer Division that was wreaking havoc in the French rear. In an unauthorized push, Rommel had seized the opportunity to rush the French fortress garrisons by a surprise armor attack straight from the move. Now in open space and with the night sky illuminated by burning French tanks and trucks, it was crucial for the Ghost Division to exploit its tactical victory. Alone and cut off like an island in a sea of enemies, this was easier said than done.
At 0815 on 6 August 1945, the first atomic bomb, nicknamed "Little Boy", was dropped out of the B-29 "Enola Gay" and descended towards the Japanese city of Hiroshima. 43 seconds later, the city was engulfed in a flashing bright light and a shockwave of unimaginable heat and deadly pressure. From the hypocenter of the resulting mushroom-cloud, a blue-green fireball burned and blinded the city and its inhabitants with unprecedented power. 140.000 people were killed in the first few moments. Tens of thousands would die from wounds and radiation. The age of atomic warfare had begun.
On D-Day, 6th June 1944, Operation Overlord began. The Western Allies unleashed their gigantic amphibious landing on the coast of Normandy. Preluded by a nightly airborne attack and supported by a massive armada of bombers and fleet artillery, their landing-crafts reached the fortified beaches. Against a hail of machine-gun bullets, the Allied soldiers stormed the beaches and overran the German bunkers and trenches. A new front was opened and the battle for France began.
August 1944. After nearly 5 years of suffering and oppression at the hands of the Nazis, the Polish resistance in Warsaw was ready to rise up against the German occupation. With the Red Army approaching towards the Vistula from the east, the insurgents planned to take over much of the Polish capital and hold it until help from their Allies arrived. In the early morning hours of August 1, groups of armed young men broke the curfew and stormed official buildings and German warehouses. But as insurgents fought for their lives and future, the outside world however, remained eerily quiet to their pleas for help.
Sometimes war is killing, sometimes war is saving lives. In the first episode we have seen Leslie "Bull" Allen become a hero, not through the death of his enemies, but by saving his comrades' lives. And there were others like him. Soldiers and medics, whose first duty it was to preserve lives during war, even when it meant endangering their own safety. Here are three short stories of men and women, who served as medics at the front line of the Second World War, and became heroes to their country.
Morning of October 28th, 1940. The Italian ambassador to Greece had entered the house of Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas. An unacceptable ultimatum in hand, he demanded subjugation under Italian rule. Refusal would mean war. An ardent Ochi! was the answer. No, the Greek would not bow to fascist demands, but instead fight for the defense of their country and their honor. What followed were months of bitter fighting in the harsh environment of Epirus and the Macedonian mountains. The Greco-Italian War.
At the end of September 1939, Poland was burning. Trapped in an ever shrinking corridor between the Wehrmacht and the Red Army, the last remaining Polish forces were still holding out. Isolated, short of ammunition and supplies, and without hope for relief. The last Polish Army, the SGO Polesie, was making its way towards the Vistula, as it was cut off by German motorcycle troops. Determined to sell their lives dearly, the SGO Polesie dug in and prepared for a last stand.
November 11, 1918. The end of the Great War. A war that was also dubbed "the war to end all wars". And many truly wished that the war's countless horrors, which had caused the terrible deaths of millions of soldiers and civilians, and had left so many of its survivors crippled and scarred for the rest of their lives, would never repeat themselves. But could this truly be the war that ended the need for war? Was there a solution that promised everlasting peace? Could war even be outlawed? Or was mankind doomed to repeat itself?
Mid-August 1944. The battle for France enters its decisive phase. With the Allied spearheads just 100 km away from Paris, the Résistance prepares for its long-awaited uprising. While collaborators and fascist officials flee the city in panic, many insurgents are eager to immediately rise up against the occupation and fight the Germans in the streets. But there is need for caution. The Germans are still there in force, and they have tanks and machine guns. The fear that this might turn into "another Warsaw" if the Allies don't show up in time is very real.
Poland, February 1706. Near the small town of Fraustadt the taste of battle fills the air. General Rehnskiöld of the Swedish Empire readies his 10,000 soldiers. Their enemy? The numerically superior Saxon army of General Schulenburg, numbering 20,000. At stake? The fate of thrones and empires.
Since Adolf Hitler's rise to power, the Jews of Germany had suffered years of harsh anti-Jewish policies, harassment and public humiliation. The Nazis wanted the Jews to never feel safe or welcome again. With the Third Reich's expansion and the start of the Second World War, more and more European Jews fell victim to persecution, ghettoisation and violence. It was hard to imagine that the crimes against them could get any worse. But by December 1941, the Nazis began preparing for a "Final Solution of the Jewish question". It aimed at nothing less than the extermination of all Jewish life in Europe.
On the 5th of May 1945, the Second World War in Europe is literally in its final days. As the German lines and Nazi state collapse into free fall, some Nazi hardliners remain fighting until the very moment surrender is announced. At Castle Itter, the lines are blurred as US and German soldiers fight side by side in a medieval castle, home to some of the highest profile prisoners of the war.
Terrorism might be one of mankind's oldest weapons. Since antiquity, horrific violence and assassinations were used to overthrow supposed tyrants and strike fear into the heart of the public. The French Revolution at the end of the 18th century, saw terrorism evolving into its modern form. Political opponents, counter-revolutionaries, or simply sympathizers of the "old order", were targeted and eliminated in a wave of terror. Political murder became romanticized. Throughout the centuries until today, terror persists as a weapon of the few against the masses, in an effort to change society by force. Nothing made that clearer than the terrorist attacks against the United States on 9/11 2001.
Come touch my Metal Machine! It is the song that serves best as a love letter to some of the greatest bands in Heavy Metal History. From Black Sabbath, to Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, to Metallica and Manowar - Metal Machine is a hymn to the musical influences of Sabaton.
The death of Charles XII. followed the rapid decline of the Swedish Empire. The Swedish nation had suffered much in the last ten years of his reign. The constant state of war had brought famine and poverty and ruined the state in many ways. Charles XII. fought Sweden's numerous enemies in the vain hope of restoring the empire to its old glory. He was the King who most strongly believed that Sweden was destined for imperial greatness, no matter the cost. What can be said about his reign? How would history judge his character or his decisions as a King?
Sun Tzu says: The Art of War is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. The Chinese Art of War by its author Sun Tzu is one of the most influential books in history. Throughout the centuries it would accompany generals, statesmen, and philosophers alike. Those who follow his teachings, who safeguard themselves against defeat and make sure of victory before the battle is fought, will triumph. Those who know everything about themselves and their enemies will achieve supreme excellence.
It was a time of religion and war. Legends tell the tale of a mighty Swedish King, a Lion from the North, who arrived in the German Empire with a mighty host to save Protestantism. Beyond the legends, Gustavus Adolphus was a warrior king who sought to create a Swedish empire through hegemony on the Baltic Sea. Once, Sweden's involvement in the 30 Years War had begun out of sheer necessity, but soon send her armies on a path of glory and fame. But would this path lead the Swedish King to victory or his inevitable demise?
Srebrenica in the summer of 1995. The road to the bloodiest massacre since the end of the Second World War was paved by the violence that followed the breakdown of Yugoslavia. A series of wars and brutal atrocities accompanied the individual struggles for independence as old ethnic and nationalist hatred resurged. The Bosnian Serbs who followed the leadership of politician Radovan Karadžić and General Ratko Mladić sought to separate themselves within Bosnia. However their views soon radicalized and Kradazic began to advocate for a Serbian ethno-state utopia, free of the Muslim Bosniaks. And he was willing to use extreme violence to achieve it.
The Swedish nation was in turmoil, as news spoke of King Gustavus Adolphus' death on the battlefield of Lützen in 1632. The Lion from the North was slain - but who would reign in his stead? Gustavus had fathered a young daughter, the 6-year old Christina. Torn between a grief-stricken Queen Mother and the overbearing duties to monarchy and country, Christina grew into an unhappy and troubled woman. Much was expected of her, as she was still the daughter of the legendary warrior-king. But was she able and willing to continue his legacy? Or would she rather forsake her throne in order to find her own future far away from Sweden?
The Swedish Empire was on the verge of collapse. After years of mismanagement and neglect, King Charles XI. could only stand and watch as a huge Danish army invaded the realm from the south. Fortress after fortress fell in front of the Danish advance into Scania. With his back to the wall, King Charles XI. had only one option left: To fight! The Swedish Empire rallied its remaining forces and prepared to strike back with the fury of desperation. With the future of Sweden on the line, the two armies met on the frozen battlefield of Lund.
The defeat in the Battle of Poltava had shattered the Swedish Army of King Charles XII. Retreating south into the territory of the Ottoman Empire, the "Northern Paladin" becomes the honored guest of the Sultan. But Charles XII. is restless. Despite the comforts and luxury, he enjoys at the fortress of Bender, the King yearns for a chance to regain the initiative. More and more he gets involved in Ottoman politics, urging the High Porte to renew its enmities with the Russian Tsar. But even a famous King has to learn that hospitality has its limits.
On 22. April 1915, a wall of greenish-yellow fog, up to 2m high, was slowly creeping towards the Allied lines on the Ypres salient. A sweetish-chloric smell preceded the horrific effects of the deadly gas. Coughing, spitting, and retching, men were abandoning their trenches, hurrying to the rear, or falling to the ground, clutching their throats. It was the same desperate, gruesome scenery, the Russian soldiers at Osowiec Fortress had to fight through. From then on, a scientific race to counter and protect against those deadly chemicals began.
They were the Aces in the sky - proud knights who flew their planes into deadly combat. Loved by the public, feared by their enemies, the victorious pilots of the Great War rose to prominence as gallant heroes. But the personal stories of those celebrated pilots were also memories full of excruciating pain, of terrible loss, and inner struggle. Body and mind of those aces were broken by the constant danger of fighting in the air. Those who survived bore more than a few scars.
August 1914. Europe marched to war. Heavy boots resounded in unison over the pavement, while proud banners flew overhead the soldiers. Their leaders had promised them a short war. In a few weeks, maybe a couple of months, each man would return home as a hero. Cavalrymen in embroidered coats, white gloves, and plummeted caps rode ahead, surging towards the front in search of promised glory. But the perceived enthusiasm, eagerly exploited by the propaganda, was not widely shared. Instead, it was the gloomy atmosphere, full of fear and doubt.
At the end of July 1943, Hamburg burned. A fleet of British heavy bombers had dropped thousands of incendiaries over the city, turning it into a hearth of unprecedented dimensions. Numerous major fires merged together into a single storm of fire. Structures combusted under the immense heat, as strong winds drove the inferno through the streets at rapid speed. Craving for more oxygen, the firestorm sucked human bodies into the flames and immediately incinerated or mummified them. Thousands of others died slowly of carbon monoxide poisoning in their shelters. By the end of the raid, 60% of Hamburg had been burned out and more than 35,000 of its inhabitants were dead. But while the Germans were shocked to disbelief, for the British the firestorm has worked as intended. And this was just the beginning.
It was a sword-age, a spear-age - an age when fearsome Northmen, savage Vikings, and mysterious pagans from across the sea haunted the shores of northern Europe. The Swedish pagans, believing in the fate of the old Norse gods, traveled south across the Baltic Sea and deep into modern-day Russia. With their sleek longships, they sailed along the big rivers, ever southwards to reach Miklagard. Miklagard - the Great City - that was Constantinople, where the Swedish Pagans sold slaves and goods from the north for silver and coin. Those who made the long hazardous journey and survived the treacherous country were to be rich men.
The Allies had cracked the secret codes, deprived the German Kriegsmarine of their best U-Boat aces, and sunk more submarines than the Germans could replace. Yet the Wolfpacks returned. From the depth of the sea they continued their hunt, even far away from the busy routes of the Atlantic. On their way south, along the coast of Africa, Wolfpack "Eisbär" would engage in a fateful encounter. An encounter that would demonstrate how the old rules of conduct, honor and mercy had become a thing of the past.
Join Sabaton and Indy on a trip down memory lane to revisit some of their favorite Sabaton History moments and discover some never-seen-before clips from our channel!
In 1523, Swedish King Gustav I. Vasa gathered 16 of his bravest and most loyal soldiers around him and appointed them to be his royal bodyguards. From this day on, the Swedish Royal Guards were tasked to guard the King and the royal family in their palace in Stockholm with their lives. Throughout the centuries the Royal Guard took on many names, outfits, and weapons, yet their mission remained the same. They joined the King on his military campaigns, protected him from assassins, and policed the royal estate.
While it is legendary, there is a lot of confusion and a lot of myths about Operation Typhoon, the German drive on Moscow in the fall of 1941, and Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union that summer. Today I talk about the first 5.5 months of Barbarossa, and then Joakim and I discuss covers and covers of covers.
From the devastated battlefield of Poltava to the long exile in the Ottoman Empire, Livgardet never abandoned their King. Even when King Karl XII. found himself surrounded by thousands of foes, the remaining four men of his Royal Guard stood by his side. Pistols raised and sabers drawn, the Swedes fought through smoke and fire in the Kalabalik at Bender, protecting their King's life with their own.
“Hell Bent for Leather”, “Breaking the Law”, “Painkiller” - the list of heavy-metal hits Judas Priest has produced in over 50 years is indeed a long one. From its humble beginnings to sold-out tours around the globe, the band around Rob Halford, "KK" Downing, Ian Hill, and Glenn Tipton had left behind a legacy of defining what Heavy Metal is all about. Join us on a short bio-episode where we highlight the grand steps of Judas Priest's career.
From the first landships of the Great War to the massive armor-battles of Prokhorovka and El-Alamein - the introduction of the tank to the battlefield had changed warfare forever. Impregnable to small-arms fire, they crushed barbed-wire and field fortifications underneath their tracks, paving the way for the infantry's advance. In independent formations they surged forward at the head of the offensive, outmaneuvering the enemy's defenses and wreaking havoc in their lines. From the Mark V to the T-34, from the Tiger to the Centurion, - the evolution of armor is the history of Steel Commanders.
ou've all heard about it, but here are the nuts and bolts for why and how it happened- the Christmas Truce on the Western Front in December 1914, the first Christmas of the Great War.
The war in the Alps between the Italians and the Austro-Hungarians added new dimensions to the fighting in the Great War since mountain warfare has its own unique set of challenges and dangers. What sort of men were doing the fighting here? And how did they cope with it? How did the survivors survive? Let's take a look.
Adrian Carton de Wiart fought in a variety of wars over more than forty years, and he was wounded... again and again and again, and yet he always came back for more. This episode is his sometimes ridiculous but always interesting and incredible story.
In the fall of 1914, the initial mobile stage of the war on the Western Front came to an end outside of Paris and trench warfare set in. As the trench lines stretched from the Swiss border to northern France and Belgium, both sides realized that if they could head north quickly enough, they could turn the enemy's flank and win the war NOW.
There are a great many myths and misconceptions about the Treaty of Versailles, and it has been used and even weaponized many times over the years. Today, Indy goes over the nuts and bolts of what it actually was and what it actually did.
Manowar. The loudest band in history and a big inspiration for the guys in Sabaton. Today, Indy gives you a history of these legends of Heavy Metal all the way up to the present day.
Fritz Haber is a controversial historical figure. He was responsible for scientific advances that fed billions, yet he created weapons of mass destruction that filled millions with terror. This is his story.
When the Dreadnought made its appearance in the early 20th century it was the mightiest ship the world had ever seen, making all other gunships obsolete, including the rest of its own navy. It also sparked a naval arms race around the world, as many nations built such behemoths. But what were they actually like?
The Bulgarian defenses in the Lake Doiran region were pretty much the best defenses any country had anywhere in the Great War, which the Entente forces discovered as they tried time and again and failed time and again - to break the front.
Where did the war to end all wars begin? The assassination in Sarajevo may have only killed two, but the repercussions killed millions, destroyed empires, and changed the course of history.
One of the most badass and decorated soldiers of the Great War was a woman. Serving first in the Balkan Wars, this Serbian war heroin became a celebrity when she won the Karađorđe's Star - the highest Serbian decoration - in 1914 and 1916. Those weren't her only decorations either - watch to find out more.
This song is the story of Albert Roche, who is very much forgotten today, but after the First World War was THE hero of France. He was hotheaded and tempestuous, but above all he was GOOD. His service- and his legend- from that war- is just remarkable, and today we share the war stories of the First Soldier of France.
By the middle of the Great War, several nations had begun to experiment with shock troops, and Germany was one of them. The Sturmtruppen were a revolution on the battlefield, for sure, but what did they actually do? What equipment did they carry and use? What were the men actually like? Today we'll look at all that.
What is there to say about these pioneers? Well, quite a lot actually! This episode is dedicated to one of the most important and influential rock bands in history. Today, metal fans, we invite you to learn about the history of Motörhead…
They were as young as 12. Front line soldiers in the Great War; boys who lied about their age so they could join their nation's army to fight in one of the deadliest wars. There were even boys in uniform as young as 8. But how did this happen? Who allowed it? And where did it happen? "1916" is about the death of child soldiers in this war, so that's what we cover in today's episode...
1916 was known even to soldiers of the Great War as "The Year of Battles", and the largest of the battles fought on the Western front during the war was the Battle of the Somme. Over 4.5 months from summer to autumn, over three million men fought in the battle and over a million were killed or wounded. And what did it achieve? Watch and find out.
The US 369th Infantry Regiment achieved great fame during the Great War, earning themselves the name "Harlem Hellfighters". This is their story.
They were as much symbols of national pride as they were mighty weapons of war, but they were indeed MIGHTY. Dreadnought, Battleships, super battleships - Sabaton has covered them in songs more than once, and today we dive into the battleship craze of the early 20th century: the Age of the Battleship!
Sabaton has several songs about last stands, and even the album The Last Stand, of course. Today we look at a few last stands through history and the wheres, whys, and how of them.
There are many inventors whose creations have been turned into weapons of war. A couple that really stand out are Alfred Nobel and Wernher von Braun. Today we'll take a deep dive into their stories and the paradox of using destructive weapons for good, or creative weapons for destruction.
Sabaton has written several songs about tanks - the boys are tank CRAZY! Songs like “Ghost Division” or “Panzerkampf” are about the German panzers and even the Soviet ones, but what about those of the Western Allies? Were they any good? And if so, how did they lose the Battle of France?
In honour of our highly valued Patreon Supporters, we have created a special version of the upcoming Sabaton Album 'The Great War' and called it the 'History Channel Edition'. In this video, Joakim and Indy walk you through the contents of this edition, which is exclusively available to anyone who supports us on Patreon as a Sabaton Hussar tier or higher.
We have some announcements and updates about the Sabaton History channel and its Patreon page. And you're getting access to a casual, cozy breakfast meeting during the shooting session last June.
KAVI, the Finnish National Audiovisual Institute has rescinded their strike on our channel. The underlying copyright issues are not directly related to our usage of the material from the winter war, which we did license according to best practice from a third party. Any copyright conflicts between KAVI that might exist will be resolved among them and our channel is no longer effected.