Radio War Nerd EP #554 — Operation Barbarossa, Pt. 2: Poland + Germany's Allies, feat. Annibale
Guest: Annibale
Recorded: October 10, 2025
In part 2 of our Operation Barbarossa series (Part 1 here), Annibale recovers lost history on Poland in the 1930s, which nearly allied with Nazi Germany in an earlier-planned Barbarossa. We also discuss Germany's other allies in the 1941 invasion, and begin our look at Soviet preparations for with with Nazi Germany.
First - we briefly discuss the Gaza ceasefire deal
At 15:45 - we turn to the lead-up to Operation Barbarossa
Further listening with Annibale:
-Operation Barbarossa, Pt 1: German Dreams (EP #552)
-Stalin's Officer Purges & Decapitation Strikes (EP #534)
-A Brief History of the Waffen SS (EP #410)
*Bibliography:
David Stahel (ed.), Joining Hitler’s Crusade: European Nations and the Invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941, Cambridge University Press, 2017/2018
Müller, Rolf-Dieter. Enemy in the East: Hitler’s Secret Plans to Invade the Soviet Union.I.B. Tauris / Bloomsbury, 2014
Hill, Alexander. The Red Army and the Second World War.Cambridge University Press, 2016
Harrison, Mark. Soviet Planning in Peace and War, 1938–1945. Cambridge University Press (2000–2005; Cambridge Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies).
Roberts, Geoffrey. Stalin’s Wars: From World War to Cold War, 1939–1953. Yale University Press (2006).
*Gremlin From The Kremlin, aka "Russian Rhapsody" (Looney Tunes, 1944)
*Poland In the 1930s
Total time: 1:23:51
Direct link to this episode's mp3 here
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Sound production by Telescope Audio
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Comments (23)
The famine during the last war winter in the Netherlands was not only a result of kleptocracy. The Dutch government in exile expected the allied advance to be quicker, and called for a national railway strike. The Germans then stopped food deliveries as a reprisal, and held out until May 45
I blame Jon for making me always think hes the guy he has on his war nerd display pic lol
What was the title of the book you mentioned that published in the 70s that was described as “the first comprehensive look at ww2 from the soviet perspective?”
I think it's "Road To Stalingrad" and "Road to Berlin" by John Erickson
Appreciate the talk about Poland’s real role in the build to WW2. They were of course a victim deserving of sympathy but contemporary history has absolutely flattened it into “poor little Poland was just trying to exist between two powers” while ignoring their actual scheming, annexations, and extreme nationalist policies.
As ever, a great episode. I would be interested to hear Annibale discuss, even if only briefly, the Blue Division. It seems to be the subject of a considerable volume of apologia (the word 'disciplined' appears frequently, as does 'elite').
They were indeed rather peculiar as a volunteer division went. Mainly because, unlike most of the other volunteers, many of them had substantial combat experience. Also, their background made them somehow less likely to get into conflict with the local population (something that outraged the German commanders to no end, as the secret reports Army Group North received on their behaviour stated). Thus said, they murdered Soviet POWs as much as the Germans did. They were competent fighters, but nowhere as "elite" as the legend goes. Better than the average German infantry unit, possibly yes, but it was not a particularly high bar to overcome.
This was a great episode cover to have up on my phone standing in line for coffee.
The reason Poland got invaded 900 times over the millenia is definitely because it's a great launchpad
One of the many tidal zones of empires
The scourge of anti-communism has destroyed so many great and powerful stories. America might have been the arsenal of democracy, but the Soviet Union was certainly the hammer of it.
Russian Rhapsody is ideal background watching while I scratch the inevitable Hoi4 itch after such episodes.
Pro-Soviet Looney Tunes: at the end of the surreal Herr Meets Hare (first instance of "I took a wrong turn at Albaquoique," first instance of Bugs getting in drag and dancing to Wagner … with Hermann Goering), Bugs shows up dressed as Stalin and delivers a Raleigh cigarette tag line in a Russian accent: Does your tobacco taste different lately?
What is certain that out of many ways Eeetler could've started WWII, going in with Poland as an ally was less ideal than eliminating it and meeting USSR face-to-face. This however, was just one of the variants ( as Rolf-Dieter Müller states in his book), and support Germans recieved form the Soviets after '39 cannot be underestimated. Stalin gave Eeetler far more than Poles ever could after the western allies blockaded him, Danzig had proven to a an unreconcilable disagreement. If Czechs debate if giving up to the Munich dictate was worth it, Poles debate the exact opposite, was standing up to Eeetler over Danzig worth it or not.
We love Annibale don’t we folks
The mention of the Soviet human wave myth reminded me of a series of videos on PLA tactics by this guy Jason Clower (total war nerd teaching history of Chinese religion at Chico State but somehow has Annibale/Carl Zha-level knowledge of the PRC's military industrial complex and political history of the PLA, he'd be a great guest!). Anyway he pointed out that similar myths about Chinese human wave attacks in Korea came out of the PLA's sophisticated small unit infiltration tactics, which allowed PLA squads to sneak up on US positions and pop up out of nowhere from multiple directions and start bayoneting and grenading (because bullets are expensive). From the US perspective on the receiving end, these attacks appeared like some kind of reckless mass assault, but were in fact part of a guerilla tactical system designed to inflict maximum damage while conserving manpower, firepower, and casualties. Jason goes into way more detail in this playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXOHFhrjGkYEQxuoKSPsmUT1OxjmfiUqX&si=zBvS5cc0GTf2xPKA
I don't think human wave attacks are a real thing. It's just a propaganda talking point made up by losers to excuse their losing. Maybe trench warfare has elements of that? But both sides were using artillery, fortifications, and poison gas, etc., they weren't *just* charging headlong into barbed wire and machine guns.
God dropping this on a Saturday night, now I have to abandon my family and life, God i love this!!
Sit them down and listen with them. The whole family can gather around the radio and listen to Radio War Nerd together. Listen to Dolan describe his latest old man ailments and Annibale's pronunciation of "EE-tler." It's very wholesome.
Its funny coming from the Japanese about logistics to wage a war of attrition.
eeeeetler
"ugh, hitler's texting me again"
Constantly saying this these days!!!!