Hell Below - Episode 4: Atlantic Showdown | Free Documentary History

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

In March 1943, two Allied convoys, HX.229 and SC.122, set sail from North America to Britain, comprising nearly 100 ships carrying vital food and raw materials for the Allied war effort. Commander John Gordon Luther leads the short-handed escort group protecting the convoy. But with at least two ships missing, he lacks sufficient defenses against the mid-Atlantic U-boat attack planned by Karl Dönitz, grand admiral of the German Navy. For three days, the convoys endure relentless torpedo attacks and a brutal Atlantic winter storm. Many ships are hit, and Luther faces a constant dilemma: protect the convoy or rescue survivors from torpedoed ships. This battle, the largest convoy engagement of World War II, almost costs the Allies the Battle of the Atlantic.

[@martyfederico8465]

😊

[@SimonWH1]

Hello Below 5

[@arturovalenzuela1568]

Eee4

[@keithlillis7962]

My mate's Father, a merchant seaman, was ship wreaked three times by U-Boat attacks during Atlantic crossings. Happily, he survived the war and has the medals to prove it.

[@incredibleshunya4400]

wow that's miraculous

[@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13]

The merchant seamen don't get anywhere near enough of the respect and glory for making the entire war possible. Without them, it would have been over before it even started.

[@gabriel7664]

​@@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13100% fact. You should check out the book "Mathews Men". It tells the horror stories of the merchant fleet.

[@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13]

@@gabriel7664 Thanks for the tip... I do love a good book about the seldom mentioned men of the war, like Ordinary Men. Although their work was a little less uh, honorable. I'll be sure to check it out.

[@pierre-alainclerc544]

Hell Below Episode 1

[@BOSSMANN242]

Great Series Thank You

[@masroor5672]

Salute to soldiers of both sides

[@jasonwalker3185]

Awesome series! Thank you

[@LowBrandon]

So the massacre of convoy HX 229 is basically the plot of Greyhound but instead of 7 submarines vs 4 escorts it is a 4 v 40. How are the ships even afloat with such heavy balls of their crew despite the inevitable odds stack against them. So brave salute for those who lost their lives in the battle of the Atlantic 🫡

[@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg]

Like Chef from Southpark, Big Chocolate Salty Ball's

[@LowBrandon]

@@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg what is that? Is that also a reference?

[@wendigo53]

Why equate testicles with resolve? You think women can't have resolve?

[@LowBrandon]

@@wendigo53 bro what do you mean? As far as I know only men serve aboard warships during WW2 so I don't understand why you bring balls equals resolve. Also I am not sexist.

[@wendigo53]

@@LowBrandon Why do you equate testicles and resolve?

[@fredc3543]

Amazing heroism.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

Away from the Atlantic, the U-boat had less scope for pack attacks; Operation Drumbeat against US shipping in early 1942, off the US eastern coast, and Operation Neuland in the Caribbean, were conducted by U-boats on individual patrol, until the introduction of a convoy system there saw the U-boats withdraw to easier hunting grounds. In the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean individual routing by the Allies and small numbers of U-boats active there saw the employment of the lone wolf approach by the U-boat Arm.

[@t.l.1610]

Ok do me a favor plz - how do you add search links in comments? (Side note, once I passed 35 I found myself asking these questions a lot. Next step, “Do not become your parents” progressive commercials).

[@Theearthtraveler]

This was a key battle in the war.

[@radjeshgopal2287]

This is so well done love it

[@flytopusa]

Very good documentary series 👍👍war stories

[@Jerrynotjefff]

Very good documentary series 👍👍

[@sambudd7592]

Good content! However, I think adding the "Wrens" contribution wouldve added a nice layer.

[@kazkk2321]

Imagine the glory and the stress of being a u-boat commander

[@t.l.1610]

NOPE. Too much humidity and cramped quarters for me. Hats off, I couldn’t do it.

[@idaolea8172]

Great video, Love your work😘😘😘

[@cosmichef75]

I wonder if they ever figured out who lit the cigarette and revealed their position .

[@smaugballer7337]

😆😆😆

[@MomentsInTrading]

4th one. These are good. Im enjoying the series.

[@robertschumann7737]

I have always wondered why they didnt park a couple of the smaller older aircraft carriers that weren't being used in the Pacific in the Mid Atlantic gap. Even older planes like the Swordfish could have been used to drop depth charges.

[@randylucas2458]

My memory may be weak on this but I seem to remember that Roosevelt gave them / loan them to Britain to be used in the Mediterranean and Ceylon if I remember right all four of them were sunk I do not remember this for certain though

[@johndoe6298]

Because they would then be just sitting targets for the U-Boats. And aircraft carriers never operate on their own or even just with other carriers. They also need escort ships (destroyers, cruisers, frigates, etc) that provide a protective screen against air, surface, and sub-surface threats, so this would take up other valuable ships needed for other duties. That's why they are called 'carrier groups', as they consist of multiple ships, most of which are supporting surface vessels.

[@drbomdaydayboms4890]

before the war he said give me 300 uboats and i will win the war. In 1939 when the war broke out he had a little over 70 uboat. Just needed to make that clear that it was to late with 300 uboats in 1943.

[@NobleKorhedron]

Maybe, but only because the Reich's economy could never compete with that of the United States...

[@drbomdaydayboms4890]

@@NobleKorhedron you missed the point.

[@NobleKorhedron]

Not really, @@drbomdaydayboms4890; that could've competed with the Royal Navy, but once they brought the United States into the mix...

[@drbomdaydayboms4890]

@@NobleKorhedron You clearly missed my point im not stating why or how they lost im just saying that, he claimed before 1939 if he had 300 Uboats from the start of the war he could win the war but in 1939 he only had about 70. Do you get my point now?

[@dupreeztheron9644]

​@@drbomdaydayboms4890lol no you missing his point. Literally argueing over nothing. America was part of the war nearly from the getgo.

[@t.l.1610]

FTI: the 6 part War Gamers series covers WATU and how the Brits finally gained an upper hand. That was well done too. Although, one critique I have is Donitz having an English accent …

[@arturasstatkus8613]

I salute you soldiers!!!

[@davidnewland2556]

a good book to read is Alistair Mcclean's " HMS Ulysses it really gave me an idea what it must have been like to sail the north atlantic convoys.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

@@davidnewland2556 we always love book recommendations- thanks!

[@davidnewland2556]

@@FreeDocumentaryHistory if you're not familiar with alistair Mclean his books almost always have the indomitable protagonist; the guy who won't be beaten no matter how severely injured, he wrote the guns of navarone and ice station Zebra.

[@WOKEMENTALILLNESS]

I knew cigarettes kill you....er.i am actually lighting one up at the moment.

[@brife674]

Why didn’t the u-boats attack the escorts and then, attack the merchant ships ?

[@elfpimp1]

They only had a limited amount of torpedoes.

[@parkertitle1923]

The escorts were very dangerous to u-boats. They had anti-submarine weapons, the merchants didn’t, the escorts were also much faster and more manoeuvrable. If they attacked the escorts first, they would rarely hit them, even when they did, it meant at least one, often four torpedoes not fired at merchant ships.

[@paulhughes3814]

Enjoy series vey moving Australia

[@bloodhound84]

My home towns is named after the hms Ajax. And all the streets are named after the men of the Ajax and the Exeter and Achilles

[@veronicaskov3752]

Some of the ships would launch Hurricane fighters from catapults.

[@hsmedsvik]

CAM sailings on North American and Arctic Russian convoys were discontinued in August 1942, hence before this, and were to engange German bomber planes and not u-boats. Interesting nonetheless.

[@robertschumann7737]

0:13 wow I didn't know flannel was part of the uniform for the Kriëgsmarine. Glad to see they spared no expense for the wardrobe in this documentary. It must have all gotten spent on the captain's hat. It sure has a prominent role!! 😂😂 I can see the producers discussing it. "We only have $50USD for wardrobe." "Maybe we should spend it on some material and see if we can get some volunteers to sew us a few uniforms." Then the executive producer responds "It's all about the captain's hat!!" "A documentary gets all of its credibility from the captain's hat!!" "I know where we can get a reproduction for $35 and we will have enough left for a couple pints." I wonder who won the argument?

[@cmc2550]

Look it up, they did wear flannel shirts towards the end of the war. Think about it who is going to see you in a submarine.

[@JayRock907]

Looks like im not the only one who downloaded this torrent! 😂😂😂

[@0waverunner0]

Soo, from watching this, HX229 was the loose plot line for Greyhound?

[@yobb89]

can't watch eps 5, says video is set to privet .

[@TravisBrady-wn8fr]

U boat 8675309 was a terror on the waves. It showed no mercy to Jenny Jenny

[@anthonyboatright6960]

😂😂

[@SeymourBalz]

A simple question... If so many tons of cargo, ships, and men were lost, trying to send supplies, why wasn't an aircraft carrier sent as escort ??

[@dukeford8893]

Aircraft carriers need their own escorts.

[@ScottPalmer-mp1we]

An aircraft carrier would be a very large target and would be vulnerable to attack by submerged U boats.

[@richardyoung871]

In this part of the video he talks about how Germany thinks that they are winning the war but as Admiral Yamamoto said that we have just awakened a sleeping Giant as he was educated in the United States and I think he was educated at Yale or some Ivy leagues school but Hirohito made a deadly mistake just look at the land mass of George and Japan versus the land mass at population there is no comparison but look at both countries now both are doing very good as America rebuilt both countries with money and technology both are leaders very strong and there currencies are very strong as they are not cheap rather very expensive just look at the Yen,and the Mark as I was stationed there and me got to Southern Korea via Japan that's why in the winter months a lot of Japanese people go to HAWAII and buy up all the Tuna AS they bring there money in cash but Japan is not that big like everything's has to be imported and no live stock no beef, pigs, maybe chicken but seafood is no problem but they are aware of bad people in Waikiki and on the outer islands

[@johndoe6298]

"as Admiral Yamamoto said that we have just awakened a sleeping Giant" Yamamoto was certainly sceptical about a protracted war with the US, but it's not clear whether he actually ever said it. It's been used in films, but there is no surviving documentation or testimony by witnesses acknowleging that he actually said it.

[@normanedwards7220]

I know the old saying ...." all is fair in love , and war , " and I recognise that u boat crews were incredibly brave warriors , fighting for their father-land , ......BUT , attacking merchantmen at sea is a low-blow , .....I know we fought in the same way , but that does not make it right , .....respect to all merchant crews

[@allancomlskey3674]

Eight ships sunk, 447 out of 590 survived,.......that means an average of 74 per ship, unless they were using row boats, that can't be right, even pirate tall sail ships only had a crew around 50

[@nigellawson8610]

Luther’s decision to rescue survivors was the wrong decision. His duty was to protect the rest of the convoy. By falling out of formation to pick up survivors, he left a crucial sector of the convoy’s defence uncovered? If he had been provided with help from a support group, he would have been in a position to designate one of his escorts as a lifeguard ship? Unfortunately for Luther, the decision to provide such an important convoy with such a slender escort placed him in an impossible position? In truth, it was the admirals sitting in their swivel chair on shore who should bear the blame for this fiasco, not the commanders on the spot!

[@wenthulk8439]

Indeed. Luther did well under the circumstances

[@addysong1628]

I think most of us are deeply sympathetic to Luther's excruciating dilemma. Feeling a duty to protect helpless sailors in the water, as well as a conflicting duty to protect the convoy from further attack. He was indeed put in an impossible predicament, by the admirals who dispatched him with utterly insufficient escorts. They needed probably double the escort ships, and even a cruiser or escort carrier (though those came later). He did the best he could -- having two escorts aggressively defend flanks while 1-2 escorts pick up hundreds of survivors. Once they realized the situation, they should have likely combined the convoys to double the escorts and defenses.

[@joeyparm9887]

During WW2 some people seen German submarines close to shore off massachusetts

[@frankfranko9023]

All this time 😮where was that Yellow Submarine 😮

[@JackSmith-jj3bi]

That would be the British not the German Navy.

[@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg]

Damn Nasty 's

[@henrybostick5167]

The same table turn happened in the Soviet Union..... I personally believe it was divine intervention from above.

[@MarkLandrebe-ef5yd]

Don't understand why enemy survivors are rescued; they shoot to kill.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

@@MarkLandrebe-ef5yd it’s called honor among enemies that’s why

[@samuelj2408]

You've never been in fight?

[@johndoe6298]

There multiple reasons and I won't presume to know them all, but here are four off the top of my head: 1 - International laws and conventions of the sea dictate that ships and/or crews should aid each other at sea, which even has some applications in times of war. Operational circumstances may prevent this, but ships are obligated to rescue crews (friendly, enemy or neutral) adrift if possible. 2 - Once an enemy ship has been sunk, its crew are no longer a threat. They are men adrift at sea who maritime laws mentioned above dictate should be rescued if possible, effectively turning them into prisoners of war. To cause further bloodshed would cross the line between fighting an enemy and committing murder, breaching the Hague Conventions, Geneva Conventions and other laws of armed conflict, which would be a war crime. 3 - Captured enemy sailors may provide information on enemy activities or intentions, wittingly or unwittingly. Even if they largely keep quiet, they might have documents/notes on them that give away valuable intelligence. And intelligence helps win wars. 4 - Killing enemy survivors will likely incur similar treatment of one's own people if/when the enemy sinks one's own vessels. War is terrible enough as it is. There is no need to make it even worse.

[@HiMyNameisAndy91]

Don’t. Touch. The. Boats.

[@Acer_Maximinus]

30:25 He looks ridiculous with that oversized hat pulled down over his ears. They should’ve found a larger actor or a smaller hat.😂

[@DimitrisKalandranisArt]

Smoking kills....

[@robertsolomielke5134]

2 of every 3 U boat men died in service. I wonder if they dare mention it ?

[@davidnewland2556]

it seems like someone needed to decide what was important and caused the british aircraft carriers to become available in the north atlantic, given the importance of keeping britain in the war the risk makes sense lose one island to lose a movable is land, britain was important whenit came down to invading europe.

[@richardyoung871]

In this part of the video he talks about the radio giving away their position like what I was in the Army in the field you can't wear your whites but you wear your fatigues which is OD everything in the Army is green but I got used to it and I really don't care about green rather my favorite color is blue

[@richardyoung871]

In this part of the video there is a big difference of submarines then. And now I they are nuclear and can stay under water more than a month and supplies can be air dropped like what the Navy is doing now and America has fleet s of them and they are not cheap larger ships and crew. And when a air craft carries goes out she has 2 subs to escort her out but of all the armed forces the Army has the most crew I know then its the NAVY, MARINES,AND THE AIR FORCE. plus special forces and.the 82nd and the 101 airborne units and the 25th infantry division out of Hawaii 25.000 troops or more and the 3rd armour division out of Fort Hood Texas

[@shaileshtandel4322]

Translate in hindi please

[@richardyoung871]

In this part of the video I have seen other videos where a submarine torpedoes another ship but it's not funny because it's the only the ship but the sailor's to and I remember when I talked to my parents about DECEMBER 7TH 1941, which pushed the United States into war.and America didn't want war, and America was fighting 2 fronts Germany and Japan as I am from Honolulu Hawaii.

[@christophercook723]

Stop pronuncing route Rout Rout means domething completely different.

[@redeyedmongoose2963]

Just makes you wanna kiss every one of those captains, oops wrong word you can figure it out

[@Japimon87]

Very poor quality in the document. All the same animations from ep 1. Narrator telling lies again. Diesels shut down in every time they were running on surface. Very poor. Does americans really believe this? Giving a thumb down.

[@wendigo53]

What *_lies_* (distinct from *_mistakes_* ) did the narrator tell?

[@BOSSMANN242]

I 😂want to know also ​@@wendigo53

[@MikeHunt-fo3ow]

stop screwing around and go fight on land

[@gabriel7664]

They have to get the supplies to the soldiers on the western front. Supplies came from the U.S. The UK can't provide those supplies.

[@wendigo53]

Haha. When I asked my father why he joined the air force, he said, "If you must fight a war, do it in a shirt and tie."