The Partisan War Behind the Frontlines - WW2 Documentary Special 

We've recently doubled down on our efforts to produce more specials, and we're really happy with the results. Views are up, and the videos are reaching new people. This helps expose new audiences to our core series like Indy's weekly episodes and Sparty's War Against Humanity, which in turn helps us spread the lessons from our collective past that we believe are vital to building a better future. All this does however come at an extra, so please join us in our effort to make history by joining the TimeGhost Army on Patreon: www.patreon.com/join/timeghosthistory.

Most maps of Europe showing the Axis at their zenith show a solid colour of their control. I once saw a more accurate map with territories controlled by partisan groups. Particularly in eastern Europe vast areas behind the Axis eastern front looked more like Swiss cheese!

Our revenge is to live. We may be hunted like animals but we will not become animals. We have all chosen this - to live free, like human beings, for as long as we can. Each day of freedom is a victory. And if we die trying to live, at least we die like human beings. -Tuvia Bielski

Come and See (1985) covers this aspect of the Eastern Front pretty well. The Soviets committed to total war well before the Germans ever did.

Why I am I reminded of the US army’s policies of “Free Fire Zone” and “Search and Destroy” in Vietnam

The tit for tat with rail mines and counter measures feels awfully familiar to this Iraq War veteran.

The tank in the photo at 2:58 is a French Somua S-35

Friction. They added friction. Enough friction that slows down actions of the regular army.

The partisan wars are even today getting much too little attention. Much thanks to you for shedding light into them! It is a topic that well befits Spartacus' skills as well

The Eastern front was absolute hell behind the lines and at the front.

Referring to 80% of German trains getting through during one period in a positive (for the Germans) light is peculiar. Imagine how anyone would react if someone had remarked that during a similar period 80% of Allied shipping had made it to port, with 20% failing to.

“The conventional army loses if it does not win. A guerrilla army wins so long as it does not lose.” -Henry Kissinger.

How about Partisans in Italy? How did the Soviets deal with the Spanish Legion?In comparison to the USSR what was the scale of Partisan warfare in other axis occupied countries?

"No plans survive First Contact with the enemy." -H. von Moltke "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." -M. Tyson

I laughed for 5 straight minutes when I saw the thumbnail.😂

A wonderful historical coverage about USSR Partisan efforts against Nazism invaders during WW2... thanks, Time Ghost Army for sharing this magnificent explained

The European gauge and Russian guage weren't the same size.What slowed the German down was they had to replace track as they went into Russia at a maximum of about 10km a day.

Come and See is a brilliant and harrowing movie about soviet partisan.

My grandmother was a partisan in Belarus

I have seen pictures taken during the Americam Civil War where the rails were not only bent but curved around trees.

Will you be covering the conflict between the Soviet partisans and Polish Home Army in the Polish Kresy? This became especially deadly to the Home Army after Stalin broke off relation with the London Poles following the German revelation of Katyn.

I don't think Adolf thought things through for this event.

Every German soldier chasing partisans or repairing railways is one less soldier on the front line.

A presentation on the reichsbahn , how it operated across Europe, how it transported everything from timber to people, how it got paid, how the drivers and firemen worked, would be much appreciated

The US didn't have it as bad as the Germans but there were two case's of sabotage, one near the Canadian border and another near the east coast!! The real interesting thing is that the over a third to half the rail lines in the US Had fallen in disrepair because a lack of funds during the depression and more rail lines were having to be built for the war factories at the same time! So there quite a few accidents in the US because our transport railway system was in a poor state!!!!

Partisans forces on the Eastern Front had great success in 1943-44. Early on, their success was questionable at best. But by now, with Soviet advances ever pushing back the Germans, the partisans will continue to launch attacks against the enemy. The enemy will continue to be ruthless and bloody in their reprisals. The partisans will follow suit, taking no prisoners, murder, rape, etc. The Eastern Front during the Second World War is that similar to the Chinese Front. In these two fronts, the Axis and Allies are engaged in a battle of extermination with extreme prejudice. Those that suffer the most will be the civilians caught in the crossfire. Godspeed to those who died.

Great content as always on the Partisans by Sparty and the team. Let's hope that more specials like these will reach out to more new people. Thank you and never forget.

I just can’t get enough of TG videos. Guys, you are SUPERB That been said… PLEEEEASE organize your series and subseries in video lists! I’m getting lost here and I would like very much if you improve what’s already a GREAT experience

My comment shows my support for the channel, and helps with it's RU-vid algorithm

Flown in on Lisunov Li-2's, licensed version of Douglas DC 3, and 708 Lend Lease C 47's. Li-2's can be distinguished from C47's by passenger hatch on starboard side.

If anyone wants to know more about the Partisan War and other relevant characters, there is an episode about it in the Soviet Storms series that goes into details about its MO (though it is made by the Russians so certain biases applied).

Fun fact about sabotageing a train: If you know that the train contains amunition you don't stay to whatch or to finish the job. One of my fathers uncles run away from Spain at the end of the war with the last russian troops and once in Russia he joined the partisans... He told my father that in his first train sabotage they stood there to whatch it... to make it short it ended in two days of not dareing to stand up with the germans in the other side not dareing to try anything but lie down.

This goes some way to explaining how the Soviets were able to teach insurgent warfare to various liberation groups around the world after the war. Compelling viewing

Adolf the Hate Engine in the thumbnail made me chuckle out loud

did the us and the uk contribute in managing this supply of weapons and more materials to the eastern front partisans?

I do remember learning that in France, if a German officer or official were killed, several important members of the nearest town of village, would have some of their civilians killed. Often the village doctor would be chosen, someone important to the community and others. This would keep the average French fighter from killing the Germans in charge, BUT the Communist groups (there were many in France), were known never to let this stop them from killing off a German. Other resistance groups did not always like the Communist groups as they were much more ruthless and felt the deaths of innocent civilians was a small price to pay for taking out someone that they wished to exterminate.

Thank you Spartacus, your summary of the ruthless and brutal approach forced upon so many partisan groups from 1941 to be effective evokes memories of Anton Walbrook's monologue in The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp: "If you let yourself be defeated by them just because you are too fair to hit back the same way they hit at you, there won't be any methods but Nazi methods." This is what victory at all costs demands: doing what it takes, in order to win.

Spartacus is whitout a doubt one of the most dapper presenters across all forms of media.

the doctor: "Hitler the Tank Emgine doesn't exost, he can't hurt you" Hitler the Tank Engine:

The thumbnail looks like the most intense and troubling episode of Thomas the Tank engine ever made

That thumbnail is so wrong. Thomas the tank engine meets Hitler.🥺

My grandmother's brother was sent to Płaszów concentration camp in 1944 because he worked on a train station nearest to a spot where Home Army derailed a supply train. Germans punished all Poles from that station in that way in reprisal.

Awesome episode!!!!!!!!!

Never forget.

Hi guys. Thanks a lot for the great work. Would you present us with the White Rose story (the Scholl brothers and all those heroes from Munick)? Thanks and.... Never forget.

is there any partisan movement in China ?

Although not the same in intent or intensity. The American and ARVN war against the Vietcong was very similar. Especially in regards to the challenges of guerilla war for the forces not accustomed to the country.

I recently saw a 2021 film called '1944:Hitlers secret weapon' which was a docudrama about Leonid Berenshtein who was a partisan commander and his group sabotaged railways. I thought it would be another standard WW2 film when it started but they then interviewed Berenshtein just before he died and it was moving how he talked about the moral decisions he had to confront. If you can find it on a streaming service its worth a watch.

Excellent report. Thank You Spartacus 👍🏻

I remember watching war of the century , and they covered the partisan war , for example they confronted this still alive Wehrmacht officer who served in army group centre , who signed off in this paperwork regarding too a anti partisan operation in which they killed a few thousand partisan, when they only captured 50 weapons.

Excellent job! Keep up the good work!! ❤

Absolutely brilliant as always 👍

A perfect general)info: my father was a member of the Resistance(AK/Home Army)@personall connections with Germans (in a village) decided about death and life,e.g. a hit-killer comes to a village to contact (other Ressisatance members, a typical Intelligence operation), and German Unit tries to check his ID, and my father tells them (they drunk together vodka), "don't do it because you will be dead"; hence, they replied, "Ok. we don't see anything". According to the (Hitler-state) Law: a fire battle would have been started with the dead Germans soldiers and the village massacre as the reprisal. ps. In 1945-48 in Karpat's Mountain the renegade AK officer *He did not obey AK Chief's rules: Hitler's Gestapo murdered his wife because they could not catch him) , Josef Kuras,"Ogien"/Fire operate a free state for 3 years (!) until finally gov. Communists killed him by the (informers) seduction. In another case, a "Ressiatance" hit man,"Kazik": finally he was caught at the train station and just caught in the net and trampled to death by Germans (they knew he was carrying a Colt and a grenade); there is a tomb of Mrs.Wrona family, German's Police members at my village: they were killed by "Kazik"(maybe his wife innocent but at this time no one can check then it was better to kill such Bitch: don't marry a Criminal)!

My great grandfather was Soviet red army special forces that was embedded with some partisans as he was radio operator as he could speak Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, German and some French and English and was an engineering student at Lvov university before the war and was also teaching the partisans where and how to take out rail bridges and tracks and I remember when he told me when some partisans were saying they took out a patrol of Ukrainian SS and he was shocked that Ukrainians were allowed in the SS. He was badly injured by a Stuka bombing on his Radio post and was lucky enough to get to a field hospital and survived bad kidney damage.

Your content is always great

It is really intersting how Partisans, both in the SSSR and the Yugoslavia, managed to carry out their operations and keep the unity. Even if faced with greater casualties and having to live off harsh land away from centers, they were motivated to protect their lands from the occupators.

i can't remember who said the quote, but it goes something like this: for every suspected guerilla, partisan or bandit you kill, there's now a brother, a son and a father rushing to join those same partisans, a mother, daughter and sister already gathering supplies to help them, and a community who can never be trusted again.

Don't worry, I won't forget. I am constantly reminded via the war in Ukraine. Slava Ukraini.

This only talks about soviet partisans, but many organizations existed, including nationalist anti-german/anti-communist partisans and communists not aligned with Moskow.

Sparty strikes again. Never forget.

The partisans doen't stop the flow of German troops to the front... They weren't expected to. They were there to harrass. Every nation makes heroes of their fighters and an enemy of its opponents. No enemy is more reviled than the local collaborator. What soldier in the regular army takes a much risk or has a bigger impact than the partisan guerrilla? They deserve all the praise they can get.

14:29 That's why we need to talk more about the Yugos! Their partisans literally had tanks and aviation by 1944

Thank you for your work, team!

For the ones who says first, ur not first

Will there be video about the underground in Asia? WAH in Asia? The hell ships? Slave labor? Why is it so focused on Europe?

What about the size discrepancy between German and Russian track width?

Great Video as always!

But wasn’t German rails and Russian rails two different gauges??

The ending sounds like you are trying to equivocate the peoples fighting against a foreign invasion with the invaders themselves. Would've had expected better from this channel

This channel never misses keep up the good work

I was wondering whether you guys would do a video on this topic. Great that you did.

It's insulting and astounding that you put German and partisan violence at the same level and culpability for "brutalizing" the Eastern Front. This war was started by Germany to empty Slavic lands, which would require an unbelievable scale of genocide. Violence against collaborators isn't some quirk in a war of annihilation, it's necessary.

زحمت کشیدی با زبان اصلی گذاشتی.ریدی واقعا

Thank you for the lesson. For every mistreated prisoner to outright murder of people in occupied territories, the resistance will gain 10 recruits. From the US Army Counter Insurgency manual

Excellent work Sparty & team.

A distant relative of mine was a partisan at the Pskov area at the age of 17. He was first put to corvee at the Pantherstellen; he was starved and worked to almost death. A refugee living at the village agreed to take his place in exchange for food for his family. The refugee also concealed his old age, so soon he was back at the village - ordnung ist ordnung. When Zhenya, - so was the name - came back home, he had to be fed from the spoon, so weak he was. When his health got better, he went for the partisans. There was just no other way - the Germans would've put him to work again, sooner or later. The partisans near Pskov held a whole partisan republic. Their actions were, of course, heroic, but their methods were not always unquestionable. That's what his sister, then a girl, told me: "Now, young, beautiful girls go through our village. If they go east, towards the larger village, where the Germans are stationed - we know: they're gathering intel. You *know* how they're going to get it: men are men, Germans or not. In a while one of them disappears and is replaced - that means, we'll see her never more." Later that year, Zhenya was hit in an ambush, while going to demolish a railroad. His comrades were all killed. He fall from the horse he rode, his foot was caught in a stirrup. The horse went all the way back to the camp, dragging him over the snow - that's how he lived. But a splinter that hit him was stuck in his lung. After the area was liberated in early 1944, he and the other partisans were to join the Red Army. He got all the way to Berlin: when they arrived, there was shooting all around. They started to shoot in response, knowing not where they shoot at. It was May 8th 1945, the shooting was a celebration of the armistice. He was pressed to serve in the Red Army for about a decade more - with the splinter still in his lung. At the age of 35 he decided to finally get it taken away. He was admitted to the Leningrad Military Hospital, had to undergo the surgery any time. All of a sudden, he got a fever, and was isolated in a backroom. The next day, they found him dead: apparently, he tried to get up and reach for help, but fell and hit with his temple over a corner of a steel bed. The War took his life almost two decades later.

Yeah with the axis it seems like their major thing as this point is that not a single thing goes over without a hitch. As far as numbers go, 5% of rail traffic going through Belarus being derailed is a staggering figure. I get why a historian would want to under value that.

How do you style your mustache? Mine is about the same length now and I'd like to stop accidentally eating it.

I had read somewhere that at one time the Soviets had created the infustructure they needed to fight a guerilla war before they signed the Non-Aggression pact with the Nazi's. But because if said pact they got rid of it and had to start from scratch after the Soviet Union was invaded. Oh well.

When you are dealing with logistics, you are constantly trying to push the margin. The business of moving stuff around has probably the thinnest margins of any task known to man. That being said, if 0.1% of the manifest gets wasted, then in terms of trying to beat out your competitors who don't have to deal with that loss, 0.1% is an incredible amount of waste.

Maybe Hitler wasn't as self-destructive after all. Maybe he just underestimated the partisans.

This guys much better than the channel with bald guy, with the pronounced lisp.

Another great episode

Wait his real name is Spartacus? That’s AWESOME!

I’m glad to see the comments are encouraging the discussion so valued by the channel

This thumbnail is wild.

What's with the "both sidesing" trying to compare genocidal Nazis and the Partisans fighting them?

coming soon-ish> The Battle of Leyte gulf. Is this a good subject for a "minute-by-minute" treatment as was done for Pearl Harbor?

What is the soft background music in these videos ?

Excellent! 👏

First- BDR Waller (Retired), 11th FD RGT, RCA!

Even today vast expanses that rival the American west

According to Snyder in Bloodlands, Belarus lost more than half its population in large part due to the back and forth of the partisan war.

Wheels of Terror Sven Hassel with Ollie Reed.

Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

The Time Ghost war on ignorance? I prefer "Special educational operation"

And it happens all of it now realtime

Was waiting for an awesome video on this topic!

Regarding the brutality of fighting against a partisan movement: They are *irregular* troops! Irregular means that they are - legally (laws of war/various treaties & conventions) - murderers and vandals fighting against an army in areas under martial law. That is the reason so many actions that might be considered atrocities weren't pursued after WW II. This applies in modern wars too or it can. Morally one can of course make other distinctions. Like an occupying army from a despicable country is asking for resistance by any and all means, but _legally_ irregular troops are people fighting against a lawful authority :/

Cruel war all the way around.