Kursk, Barbarossa or the day Hitler declared war on America? IWM's turning-point question passes two million
The twelve-day-old film works backward through the war in search of the moment Germany lost, while a navigator's memories of the Mosquito and a Spitfire tribute filled the week's new uploads.
Imperial War MuseumsStory of Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.
What Was The Turning Point of WW2?
"What Was The Turning Point of WW2?" is an unusual kind of history lesson on the Imperial War Museums channel: it runs the war in reverse. The chapters start at Kursk in 1943, step back through Operation Blau, Germany's declaration of war on the United States, Operation Barbarossa and the fall of France, and end at the outbreak of war, all in search of the moment Germany lost. Twelve days after it went up, it has passed two million views and is still doing most of the channel's daily work.
The three new uploads stayed in the air and in the shadows. A Second World War navigator explains why, in his words, the Mosquito "could do ANYTHING", and the comments filled up with family memories: a great-grandfather who flew them, and a father who moved from Lancasters to Mosquitos and preferred the smaller plane, partly because the Lancaster had no cabin heating. Plenty of viewers also brought up the plane's wooden build, and a few debated whether it really slipped past radar. "Even German Pilots Thought the Spitfire Was the Best" had the strongest first day of the three, and a short film on the tiny cards behind Cold War espionage rounded out the week.
The pace was calmer than the channel's usual, with about 2,000 new subscribers. Even so, among the military and geopolitics channels close to its size, only Max Afterburner, coming off a fifteen-upload week, added more views. For a museum that promises three new videos a month, that is a lot of traffic for one question about 1941 and 1942.
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What viewers say
The comments under "The Mosquito "could do ANYTHING" says WW2 Navigator"
My great grandfather flew these. An absolutely tremendous aircraft
@frostyvr9805See it on YouTubeMy favourite aircraft from this period.
@paultheworldkingSee it on YouTubeIt feels as though the roll rate is quite fast for a twin-engine aircraft, so I imagine the structural strength is quite high.
@安田繁-s1bSee it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
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The videos drawing views on Imperial War Museums right now
- Channel
- Imperial War Museums
- Subscribers
- 879,000 ▲ 2,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 2,456,433
- Videos published this week
- 3
- Video published
- September 30, 2026
- Video views so far
- 36,402
- Views on its first day
- 11,986
The numbers
Here is how the Imperial War Museums channel's week looks in figures.
💡 Test your knowledge
In which year did Germany launch Operation Barbarossa, its invasion of the Soviet Union?
Operation Barbarossa began on June 22, 1941.
