Week 295 - 300,000 Germans Surrender in the Ruhr - WW2 - April 20, 1945 

This week's episode is dedicated to Leonard Tabaracci, a member of the United States Army by TimeGhost Army Brigadier member Josh Hammel, his grandson. We thank Josh for sharing his Grandfather's story with us and we are happy we could do this for him. If you'd like to dedicate an episode to someone, you can do so by joining the TimeGhost army at the brigadier tier for 12 months or doing a one-time pledge.

This is it guys. We're at the start of the movie Downfall.

Oh wow we are almost to the day that Hitler finds out he was banned from x box live!

A rather peculiar sidenote this week is that German submarine U-1206, built in 1944 at Schichau Yard in Danzig, will be lost in the North Sea just off the coast of Aberdeenshire, Scotland in the United Kingdom following a rather bizarre accident. At 70 feet below the surface, Kapitänleutnant Karl-Adolf Schlitt had decided to use the toilet without consulting a rating trained in its complicated operation. Something went wrong, and when the specialist arrived, he misunderstood the situation and opened the wrong valve, which resulted in large quantities of seawater entering the boat. The water reached the batteries directly under the toilet and caused production of chlorine gas. As a consequence, the U-1206 was forced to surface immediately. However, when the submarine surfaced, she was discovered and bombed by British patrols. Schlitt ordered the crew to destroy secret equipment and papers, scuttle the submarine and abandon ship. Three men drowned in the heavy seas and 46 were taken prison by the British. The name "shitwreck" was coined shortly after the news reached the British.

Today, April 20 1945, Adolf Hitler emerged from his bunker, saw his shadow, and retreated to his subterranean lair.

We all know what we want after the WWII series come to end: The 100 years war - week by week!

My father was engaged in the Ruhr pocket with the 7th Armored. One day he was on outpost duty and a German officer approached under a white flag and asked if he could surrender his unit. Dad was quite happy to do so; he told the officer to have his men put their weapons in a pile in one place and then stand over in another spot a few yards away. The Germans started coming out and doing as he had instructed . . . and coming . . . and coming . . . and coming, and Dad began to worry a bit that if they changed their minds, he had eight rounds in his M1 rifle and there were a lot more than eight of them! However, the Germans were happy that the war was over for them and gave Dad no trouble. I still have that German officer's binoculars, which he gave Dad.

Actually hurts to know a series that has been with me for almost 6 years is coming to its end. I hope the show will continue through the various wars fought in the Cold War. At some point in the far future such a series should be made for the Ukraine war as well. Your ability to inform millions is so important so thank you to the whole team for everything you’ve done. You’ve truly changed lives.

Walter Model's confession should be a lesson to all officers in all armies who refuse to take responsibility by hiding behind orders.

Steiner! Where's Steiner?!

One thing I found in common amongst veterans who saw what war actually is is that they don't want to talk or brag about it. My grandfather was the same. He only spoke once about his time in the Hungarian Army and it was to express how much he hated Nazism and the Hungarian Arrow Cross Party.

The eastern and western front are so close can't wait for the allies to meet and peace and understanding last for the next 1000 years... why do I feel it's getting kinda cold.

My grandfather was a baker on a supply train ship in the Pacific. All that ship did was produce bread, rolls and cinnamon rolls then freeze them. When the ship "docked" with the fleet they off loaded all the frozen pastry and returned to the US.

Admiral King: "Hey Curtis, just ask the marines what happens when the navy abandons them on an island!"

19:25 - LeMay : Airforce operations are too important to delay by protecting the Navy Adm King : Let me show you just how important the Airforce is…

Finally, the time has come where I can post the memoires of my grandfather Werner Meinecke from Celle. These are his memoires from the Ruhr pocket where he fought in the age of only 17 years. During World War II, my grandfather served in the 22nd Flak Division of the Luftwaffe under Generalmajor Friedrich Römer. Stationed within one of the Flak Regiments, his unit was equipped with four 10.5 cm Flak guns and consisted of 80 men out of a total of normally 240. He was equipped with a medium-range rangefinder. The journey through the war-torn landscapes of Europe was treacherous. From the orderly retreat from the Hürtgen Forest to Cologne via the Cologne Bridge, where many of the Flak batteries fell victim to strafing by enemy aircraft, to the encirclement in the Ruhr Pocket, each step brought its own challenges and dangers. At one point, my grandfather's unit found themselves taking up a defensive position with their 10.5 cm battery near Wermelskirchen. It was here that they engaged and successfully destroyed American tanks, only to face retaliation in the form of heavy artillery fire. The barrage decimated their ranks, leaving only eleven survivors amidst the wreckage. My grandfather, miraculously, managed to endure by sheltering in a makeshift foxhole. Despite the losses, the retreat continued, eventually leading them to Solingen. There, they split up the soldiers salaries of the whole unit among the survivors. Finally, the arrival of American forces signaled the end of the fighting. In end of April, my grandfather's group surrendered, bringing an end to their ordeal in the Ruhr Pocket. For my grandfather, the journey did not end with surrender. He, along with many others, would spend the remainder of the war in captivity, eventually finding himself held as a prisoner in England. He lives to this day in Hannover and is 96 years old now.

My ROTC instructor in high school, MSGT Carl Dixon, was serving as a platoon sergeant on Ie Shima with the 77th Infantry Division when Ernie Pyle drove by in a jeep. He, along with the other men, waived and called to him and Ernie waived back. A few minutes later word came down the line that Ernie had just been killed by Japanese machine gun fire. He told our class this story nearly three decades after it happened, but you could still see how the memory of the incident affected him. Such was the effect Ernie Pyle had on the American fighting man. He was loved by all.

I know a guy whose father liberated Montese. I got emotional just by seeing that little green and yellow square in the Italian front. Thank you for giving them attention throughout this series.

8:43 Significant event seeing the Stars and Stripes, Union Jack, and Hammer and Sickle flagged divisions on the same zoomed in map.

At least Kaiser was responsible enough to abdicate and avoid something like this at the end of WWI.

One additional note from a Ruhr native. "300.000 Germans" only refers to the soldiers. While it is difficult to estimate how many civilians were left after many women and children were evacuated due to the air raids, I would guess we are talking about around two million people, maybe more. My grandmother and her three children, one of them my father, had been evacuated to Bavaria the year before, and they would not return well after war's end.

Crazy to still see the Battle of the Bulge on the map behind you, that feels like a decade away

Can we have the phone jokes even in memorialized episodes too? I miss them so much

I wasn’t expecting to laugh watching this as it’s quite a grim and somber topic, but when Indy got to Hitler on his birthday in surrounded Berlin and asked ‘so what’s the birthday boy doing?’, I lost it.

One of Ernest King's daughters said that he was the most even-tempered man in the entire navy, because he was always in a rage

This was excelent guys, ive been with you since the first half of 1915. Its been quite the ride.

Well shit. The end of the war really snuck up on me. It didn't even dawn on me that Hitler was already in the bunker as of last week.

my father was from england and told me a story about one of his teacher who comitted suicide due to what he saw in bergen belsen poor guy

Thank you Indy for this series, I finally saw my hometown near Groningen get liberated! As well as Zwolle being liberated by a single Canadian mad man called Leo Major who scouted the city got into a firefight after which the Germans left and Major signalled in that the planned artilelry barrage wasn't needed saving lives and the beautifull city of Zwolle. 🇳🇱🇨🇦

Night Witches mentioned, nice :)

The whole pacific campain could be described with the sentence "Resistance is more stubborn than anticipated."

Had Hitler watched guides on division templates, supply system and production, this MP game would've beed way different.

I've got to hand it to the Soviet generals. They seem to be highly flexible and adaptable to changing conditions. Something the Germans did in the Invasion of France, and seemed to forget the longer they were at war.

"No other General was as hated by his men as Model." I Think Ferdinand Schörner took that Position pretty easily.

Such a damn good series, I can't believe we're already at this point. I've been binging all of the episodes and this is a priceless works in terms of both documenting history, educating and entertaining. The crushing fall of the Reich is here.

Watching the 28 minutes live made them suddenly pass faster than it should be. But the episode was as great as always.

I hope you make a WAH episode about the suffering of the civilian population on Okinawa.

A Berliner joke from just before the Soviet attack: “How long will it take the Soviets to take Berlin? Two hours and five minutes. Two hours to laugh at our defenses and five minutes to break through them.”

When you showed that clip of the women at the concentration camp in 14:05, just seeing how she started sobbing when she grabbed the soldier's hand made me want to sob as well. Its a small comfort that now that the suffering of some people will be over soon.

‘What were you thinking?! You have horses!!’

Two and a half years later Berlin April 20 1945 Adolph Hitler's 56 birthday....

A certain CoD game would love Seelow heights

My Grandad, as a Royal Army Service Corps Captain attached to an infantry battalion in the 51st Highland Division was detached to help clear out Bergan Belsen. He never spoke to me about it.

Absolutely adore these personal dedications, they simply offer an entirely different perspective on the story as it unfolds - and I'm so glad that you guys put such effort into the presentation of these things too. Thank you.

I find it interesting how ww1 and ww2 contrast. Ww1 is a constant attrition and deadlock, with the war seemingly going either way until an eventual allied breakthrough in 1918, whereas ww2 is an axis domination in 39-40, and then a tip of the scales 41-43, and the eventual downfall in 44-45.

"or anyone in any army who was as disliked by the men under him" Schörner : "Am I a joke to you?"

It feels so surreal being so close to the capture of Berlin after having followed the series for so many years, loving the very detailed coverage these past weekly episodes, keep up the good work!

April 20, 1945 *Traudle:* "Das ist ja Artillerie!"

Princess Elizabeth will celebrate her 19th birthday tomorrow.

I enjoyed the memorial very much. Outstanding job Indy !

The mini maps you use are really excellent for getting the geography right. Thank you!

Stalin all through the war: "The Western Allies must do more to more again Germany!" Stalin once the Western Allies liberate France & Belgium and plough through most of Germany: "no no not like that!"

Where's the new episode

Loved the dedication.... great work as always....

Incredible. A tour de force. You guys are simply the absolute best.

Two points from me on this episode. First, my paternal grandfather will turn 56 three days before Hitler on April 17th 1945, he was a veteran of both world wars, though stateside during the second and never having completed the sixth grade, during his interwar service in the North Carolina National Guard, he was commissioned an officer and retired a major and later promoted to honorary Lieutenant Colonel after the war and dying just short of the age of 101 in February 1990. The second, being the advantage of having moved recently moved to Charleston, South Carolina, last Tuesday on the 16th I got the opportunity after work to visit the U.S.S. Laffey on the anniversary of her refusing to die to one of, if not the worst kamikaze attacks during the war. "The ship that wouldn't die" was attacked by 22 kamikaze, suffering four bomb hits, six kamikaze strikes (and clipped by one Marine Corsair that was chasing a Japanese plane and hit the Laffey's radar mast) and is now at Patriots Point as a museum shop.

WOW! this has been a real good series, you can never top it, but you can cover the rest of the 20th century, and I hope you do

Well done again TimeGhost Team, well done

Flawless exposition of one of the most crucial periods in human history. As trustworthy as it gets. Thanks.

This series, along with The Great War series are one of the coolest things to ever be done on RU-vid

Future US Senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole suffered his crippling wound from a mortar shell on the 14th, the first day of the attack towards Bologna. He served with the US 10th Mountain Division.

Leonard 🙏 thank you ✊

Once again brilliant work Indy et al

Yea crazy to think about the war finally ending and that I've even watched this for the length of the war. The time amount itself is a history lesson. Truly amazing dedicated work, cuddos to the whole team

Wow, wow. Patton has reached Czechoslovakia. The French have taken Stuttgart; such a thing hasn't happened since Napoleon; absolutely amazing. Its not like 1918; the German Government isn't asking for an Armistice it seems.

The Canadians liberate Arnhem on the 16th and Appledorn on the 17th. The Dutch population are suffering from starvation at this point and the Canadians do what they can to bring in food and medicine.

Thank you so much for all the great content you guys have put out! 😊

Tremendous effort. Its felt like Overlord happened only yesterday, and Uranus the day before that. Heck, I remember the Winter War coverage being fresh and new.

Hitler : Oh, you guys remembered my birthday? how sweet of you! 🥰 The Soviets : We didn't forget your birthday either 🙂 *Sends artillery shells with birthday ribbons strapped to them*

_See how things have changed my friend. Now it is their land...their people...their blood._ - Sergeant Viktor Reznov This week on April 20th 1945, the following missions in the Call of Duty series will begin: *April 16 1945* Their Land, Their Blood (Call of Duty: World at War) - As Private Dimitri Petrenko at the Seelow Heights in Germany, you will start off as a captive of enemy German soldiers before Sergeant Viktor Reznov and his squad will rescue you from the enemy. Afterwards, you will have to break through the German defences and burn the wheat fields, before choosing whether to move left or right. You will also soon need to pick up the Panzerschreck and destroy the enemy tanks. Blood and Iron (Call of Duty: World at War) - As Private Dimitri Petrenko at the Seelow Heights in Germany, you will start off in a T-34 tank and will first need to neutralise all enemy artillery while dealing with any enemy tanks along the way. Afterwards you will need to proceed to the radio tower and destroy it, before rejoining the main Russian army lines again to break the German lines and reach the train station.

Thank you, Leonard.

This weeks dedication was incredible. While we know so much about the war through decades of studying, it's always fascinating to hear what little family members know of their loved ones individual service. My great grandfather fought in Italy and told his children and grandchildren nothing about his service. When I was a child and he was in the last stage of his life he opened up, and we all found out why. Aside from the daring heroics and spectacular bravery, many surviving men lost huge parts of themselves to the war.

"You see how things have changed my friend. Now it is their land, their people, their blood."

At this time just last year we had to pan the entire map to see different fronts of the war. Now we can see the eastern and western front in a single zoom in. We've come so far.

Excellent work Indy & team.

The remarkable thing is, despite being well and truly wrecked that day, the Laffey survived. In fact she is still around today, as a museum ship in Charleston.

The one thing I like most about this series is the comment section, where so many people post interesting addendums and have debates. Posting in those debates gives me the most responses and arguments in the week. I salute each and everyone of you for doing so and making it interesting, history nerds among each other. Even if some of you call me an idiot. It doesn't bother me. Passionate debate sometimes calls for passionate responses. Too bad it will soon come to an end. We will get the Korean war soon, it remains to be seen if it will be as interesting as this one.

8:56 No! The 9th Army! Quickly! Call Steiner and Wenck!

Damn. Didn't know that the Night Witches bombarded positions so near to Berlin. I've been following this channel since the outbreak of Covid and I keep learning new stuff. Thank you.

Wow. My long binge is over, and just in time for the finale, it looks like

I was shocked to hear LeMay was against bombing someone, then you said it's only because he wanted to bomb a whole other bunch, these civilians, then it made sense.

I missed getting this in. The 10th mountain in Northern Italy was taking hill 905, April 15 1945 - Pvt Nesber Gilton Brandt, my dad's brother was a replacement on April 1, and was part of that. The attack failed on April 14, and on April 15 they hit it again and were thrown back again. Two wounded were in no man's land. Nesber went out, got one and got him back. He went for the second and was killed by machine gun fire as he picked up the wounded man. He was buried in Italy and his body was brought back about 1949 and interred at Uriah (UMC) in Cumberland County PA about 20 miles from Harrisburg.

I was hoping to donate for a shoutout to Daniel Inouye, WW2 MOH recipient who lost his arm in Italy this week, and Senator to Hawaii from 1963 until his death in 2012. Inouye is a hero to me not only for his actions during the war, but for his advocacy for Asian Americans. Unfortunately I couldn’t scrape the money together in time…

Brilliant presentation

This week in French news. The 14th, beginning of the liberation of the Pocket of Royan. The 15th, first massive use of Napalm in France in the Verdon Pocket (1100t of napalm in one day). The Royan pocket is reduced until the 18th to just the city itself and the Point of Coubre. The 18th Admiral Hans Michahelles surrenders his forces of Royan but some troops continue to fight until the 20th in the point of Grave, where the defenders have almost all diphtheria. The 19th, the Committee in Sigmaringen disperses. The 20th, Pétain is warned by the Gestapo that he will be taken to Wangen and then Switzerland. He protests wanting to be taken to the French Army nearby, but the 21st he is sent to Switzerland with Debeney and Bléhaut. He arrives the 24th, day of his anniversary. The group is then sent to Weesen before Pétain is sent to France. He is made prisoner the 26th in Vallorbe by General Koenig. In order to understand the situation of the opinion, the IFOP asked the question “Should Pétain be inflicted a sentence. 58 % said no, 22% because of dementia, 18 % out of respect for his age and the men, only 5% said due to his act in 1940 and during the Occupation. The evolution is fast due to all his implication in Vichy is demonstrated: in April 1946, 28% are for a death sentence, 22% are for nothing. In July, 76 % are for a sentence and 37 % for death. When Pétain arrived in front of French troops sent to protect his transfer, he saluted them but none responded and when he tried to handshake Koenig, this one only saluted him, Koenig was condemned to death by Vichy in 1941. He is then sent to the Fort of Montrouge in Paris until his trial.

Anyone else had the music from Call of Duty World at War pop into their heads to pair with Indy's narration?

8:18 the call we've been waiting for. The war is nearing its end for sure

First time I've seen an episode of this series. This is great. I especially likes learning about T/5 Leonard Tabarracci. Thank you!

I have been following this series for a long time now, and I've told my friends not to give it away how it ends because I don't want to ruin it. But by this point I'm really starting to suspect that the Allies are going to win.

It would be great if all the animated maps presented in the videos with the units could be made public after the serie is over. Like a website where you can just click play ww2 happens in details

Josh, an amazing and proud legacy. Glad you shared it with us via Indy! (side note- who were these German crazies fighting like this at this point. Nuremberg is a fascinating place to visit!)

Just a thought - memorial dedicated episodes should be a separated thing later on, something like a mini series. I think a lot of people would enjoy those

Thanks

Week 2 of hoping the mention of the breaking of the Syrmian front in Yugoslavia (based between Drava and Sava rivers) that occurred on April 12th, performed by the Yugoslav Army, a real Army that arose from the Yugoslav partisan formations and was acknowledged as an Allied Army since 1943. That breakthrough led to a race west that covered cca 20 kilometers a day on average, and reached Trieste some 420km away where the units of the YA met with the Allied NZ brigade, and nearly had a clashdown over who will occupy the town. The German SS units in Trieste refused to surrender to the YA, and fought until the next day the New Zealanders arrived in order to surrender to them.

Dear Time Ghost. (cracking a beer) I propose an internet toast to your series. Salute! It's been one hell of a ride!

I am so glad that you highlighted Mr. Leonard Tabarracci's sacrifice and service for democracy and our country. May God bless his family always.

its insane how many divisions are on the soviets front vs the germans

I'm always glad that the Western Front segments always make sure to showcase how vast the battlefields and how numerous the armies, corps, and divisions were. Often times, works on this make the same old mistake of focusing too much on one part of the front or on a particular unit and its adventures at the expense of many others.

Masterful effort! Great series! Everything is absolutely fenomenal! However I cannot understand how there is not a single mention of the Syrmian front breakthrough. It is like nothing is happening in the Balkans and as if nobody is rushing towards Zagreb at this point. Just a couple of seconds per video would have been enough. I just hope that the battle of Odžak will at least be mentioned as the last WW2 battle on the European front.

I'd never heard the account of the human chewing on a human thigh bone. Dear god. You think you know how bad the camps were, but there's always another horrifying detail.