Hell Below - Episode 1: The Wolfpack | Free Documentary History

Hell Below - Season 1, Episode 1: The Wolfpack | History Documentary
Watch 'Hell Below - Season 1, Episode 2' here: • Hell Below - Episode 2...
In this episode:
The wolfpack tactic was made famous by Admiral Karl Dönitz, Hitler's mastermind of submariners. His strategy: to send teams of U-boats to bear against the convoys of ships heading from Canada to Britain, cut maritime lifelines, and starve the enemy into defeat. Take a deep dive into the North Atlantic as we go above and below sea level to relive one of the first attacks of Dönitz's lethal subs in 1940, headed by leader of the pack Commander Otto Kretschmer. Then follow Britain's war strategists as they race to combat this new deadly attack.
Hell Below is an event-based series charting the stealth game of sub sea warfare, tracking the dramatic narrative from contact to attack of the greatest submarine patrols of World War II. From the rise of the Wolfpack to the drive for victory in the Pacific, we profile the strategic masterminds and the rapid evolution of technology and tactics, as the threat of undersea warfare brings every sailor's worst nightmare to life. Expert analysis and stock footage are woven with narrative driven re-enactments filmed on authentic Second World War era submarines to place the characters at the heart of the action.
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[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

Hell Below is an event-based series charting the stealth game of sub sea warfare, tracking the dramatic narrative from contact to attack of the greatest submarine patrols of World War II. The Rudeltaktik aka wolfpack tactic was made famous by Admiral Karl Dönitz, Hitler's mastermind of submariners. His strategy: to send teams of U-boats to bear against the convoys of ships heading from Canada to Britain, cut maritime lifelines, and starve the enemy into defeat. Take a deep dive into the North Atlantic as we go above and below sea level to relive one of the first attacks of Dönitz's lethal subs in 1940, headed by leader of the pack Commander Otto Kretschmer. Then follow Britain's war strategists as they race to combat this new deadly attack.

[@MasterCedar]

There is not a lot of use in putting a link to part two while making part two a "private" video.

[@stephend4909]

@@MasterCedar Yes there is. hehehe.

[@lawrenceleverton7426]

Give the Credit for this series to Smithsonian Channel. Come on give credit where credit is due. Not once was that mentioned.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

@@lawrenceleverton7426 credits roll

[@mikeprimm4077]

❤❤

[@Alex462047]

I remember submarine documentaries from my childhood with interviews with Otto Kretschmer in them. In the older docos he spoke very good English, in later ones, he spoke German, as he got older. He was always a gentleman, always spoke in respectful terms of his former adversaries. It is well worth watching interviews with him.

[@HarryLime-ge6dc]

My grandfather, a WW II battleship sailor, was close friends with his neighbor, who was a German WW2 U-Boat sailor, and he was the friendliest, kindest, man I remember knowing as a kid. Albert was his name.

[@mattmatt6572]

Most the individual soldiers be it japs or Germans or any are just doing their jobs and caught up in the moment. Many American soldiers have also perpetrated many evils under such pretense. I am absolutely positively anti war. Unfortunately that seems quite impossible as long as this world turns.

[@raganusmc]

That's kinda cool I would have loved to hear the stories from Big bolth of them it's funny that two people who where out to kill each other where friends

[@tyronevaldez-kruger5313]

​@@raganusmc it's unfunny that war is between government's old farts who send soldiers to kill each other. They lean back and don't have to pull the trigger

[@zpetar]

Why he wouldn't be friendly, kind man... Wars are started by country leadership. For huge majority of people 1st choice would be always peace. That German was drafted without anyone asking him if he really wants to do it.

[@14rick88]

Just wait until you find out why we're taught a specific version of history from that time. Heil Victory.

[@DavidBenner-cy4zl]

My sailing instructor in West Germany had been a seamen on a u-boat during WWII. His wounds were such that he was sent to a rehabilitation hospital in Bavaria. He told me if he had not been wounded so severely, he would have been sent back and probably died in combat. At that time, circa 1972, I was not aware of the very high casualty rates of the Germany submarines.

[@lpwienert7358]

My wife's Grampa was a cook on a Uboat because he was a baker in Germany. The Uboat was captured and my wife's grampa was interned in a POW camp in Arkansas. THEY LET HIM OUT of the camp on weekends to work in a local Bakery. RIP Fritz Otto.

[@MaverickMaratha]

Great story

[@MaverickMaratha]

Please ignore the lewd comment above from someone. I respect your Grampa

[@MonkeeVoodoo]

He was baking more than bread

[@TheLittlered1961]

​@@kkloikok I am half German and a Trump supporter. I find your reply very offensive.

[@jerrodg7768]

@@TheLittlered1961 this is no place for politics, regardless of who you support

[@prislander55]

Excellent documentary! Having served on a ballistic missile sub, I can only imagine the living conditions on u-boats and diesel subs. Nothing compares. 😲 THANK YOU so much for this bit of history and for giving me a different perspective.

[@Alex462047]

Going by what American WWII sub vets said, the main differences were that you got to wash once a week (clean water was at a premium), and the boats perpetually stank of sweat and diesel. In the tropics, things got pretty ripe pretty quickly.

DBF!

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

Wolfpacks required extensive radio communication to coordinate the attacks. This left the U-boats vulnerable to a device called the High Frequency Direction Finder (HF/DF or Huff-Duff), which allowed Allied naval forces to determine the location of the enemy boats transmitting and attack them.

[@gaborrajnai6213]

Yeah, thatshow the Germans found the convoys as well. That circle shaped thing on the conning tower was a directional finding antenna. But they monitored radio traffic in antennas all around the Atlantic coast as well. If two of those towers catched the transmission of a convoy ship they could find its position, and since they made their tranmission periodically, they could determine the convoy's speed and course as well. Then they sent out a U boat to investigate, which generally submerged and listened for the propeller noises, which could be catched sometimes 100 km afar, so he could calculate the exact position and course of the convoy. Then after chasing it down and identified tit the U boot called in the wolfpack. Then the sub generally shadowed the convoy for a few hours till the other subs got into position. During the attack phase one sub launched its torps which got the attention of the escorts who moved away hunting for it, then the other subs teared apart the remaining merchant ships. As of Kretchmer, he didnt sink his prey at first shot, but damaged it enough that since it was slower it had to move out of the convoy, then he simply finished it off with his deckgun.

[@ravenfeader]

Those U Boat captains and crews were fearless warriors for sure and deadly opponents .

[@desertdetroiter428]

Not really.

[@RandalSiggson]

Cunning plus far ruthless come terror, plus the stouth fullness is key. British slang terms the U-boats need to be recharged with above the surface of the ocean. The full force is the key provided the main battery keep the wolf pack submerged for hours the sub will sink or be discharged an destroyed....

[@SolidAvenger1290]

@@desertdetroiter428 Back then, most of our relatives would strongly disagree with you. Winston Churchill and many Allied leaders feared that Germany would reach 300 U-boats during WW2 to finally choke the British Isles. The same fearless warriors from Battleship Bismark to the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper were also in the surface fleet. Germany's naval power went beyond Europe and did have some ships in Australia that did hurt Allied shipping

[@martcon6757]

They absolutely were, extremely brave men. It was only due to the actions of America during the Laconia incident that they were ordered to cease assisting survivors.

[@desertdetroiter428]

@@martcon6757 Lol…”brave men.”

[@flytopusa]

My sailing instructor in West Germany had served as a seaman on a U-boat during WWII. His injuries were so severe that he was sent to a rehabilitation hospital in Bavaria. He shared with me that, had it not been for those wounds, he would have been sent back to combat and likely perished. It wasn’t until much later, around 1972, that I learned about the extraordinarily high casualty rates among German submarine crews-an eye-opening war story of survival against incredible odds.

[@SammyNeedsAnAlibi]

Well done, but one comment from a retired Navy Chief Submariner- Depth Charges do NOT have to hit the submarine's hull to sink it (although BONUS if you do!). The point of Depth Charges is to generate an explosion of pressure that will damage or overcome what the submarine's hull pressure can withstand. So if a Type VIIC U-boat's hull would be able to withstand about 3,300 Pounds per Square Inch (PSI). If you get an average WW II Depth Charge to go off within 10 feet of her hull, the Depth Charge's explosion would generate about 10,000 PSI, and therefore, damage and perhaps even breach her hull. Just sayin....

[@Alex462047]

The bouncing bombs of Dambusters fame were designed to function somewhat like a depth charge, meant to go off right next to the dam wall underwater, to make use of the tamping effect of the water, as Barnes Wallis put it. What you say is quite right, even a near miss could be enough to loosen the riveted plates of a U-boat and cause flooding the crew couldn't control. A contact explosion would very likely cave the pressure hull in. Not nice. An American submarine veteran of WWII likened being under depth charges as being shut in a tin can while some burly character hammered on the outside with a sledgehammer.

[@christopher480]

the best spot for a depth charge to explode was slightly below the sub.

[@steffaniedenney2061]

Thank you for your service! Even with modern technology, it couldn’t have been easy

[@himankaghosh7307]

Thank you for your service Sir and the information

[@ssholed]

I’d say based off the design of the depth charge, if you get within 10 feet it’s a hit.

[@rolandvoss3600]

Great documentary! Thank you so much! 🙏 I'm glad this channel found me.

[@Medrun]

I served 2 years on board the USS Toledo SSN-769, 96 - 98..i cant imagine what it was like to serve on those old disel boats undwr those conditions and stress

[@beeman2075]

Did you enjoy your time serving on USS Toledo? Thanks for your service. SmarterEveryDay did a great video series of a day onboard that submarine that I found fascinating to watch. The meals especially look very good quality.

[@Medrun]

@@beeman2075 Looking back i wouldnt trade it for anything.

[@beeman2075]

@@Medrun Thanks for replying, and glad to hear you enjoyed your time on board Toledo.

[@ddtrahan]

What fuel did the Sub you was on used?

[@Medrun]

@@ddtrahan nuclear energy And diesel

[@DrHotWarLove]

I have been searching for this series for sooooo long. Thank you so much and keep posting. 👍

[@sanyfalkenberg4986]

Thank you for uploading this amazing documentary

[@jameschancey251]

My grandfather, Earl Lee Bradner, was Chief Mate on the S.S. Margaret, a Merchant ship that was torpedoed off of Cape Hatteras by U571, Captained by Helmut Mohlmann, on April 14, 1942. None of the 29 crew members were ever found. They were carrying a cargo of sugar. This happened way before I was even a thought to my parents, so I never met him.

[@nunya4795]

I'm sorry you lost your grandma. I miss mine too.🎉

[@helmuthj.zotter7272]

Great documentary. Thank you LOVE it.

[@Shipnut-dc9ps]

I really like this program.I have a huge interest in submarines, regardless of when or whom the boats originally come from,this program starts off with German Uboats and it's early aces.Thank you for this show!!!

[@Senacacrane]

Thank you for uploading this.

[@jiluchalunkal]

Really enjoyed this documentary.

[@bro5800]

Excellent.Thanks for upload.

[@rlam8867]

A great salute to all soldiers, no matter they are German, British, French, US, Japanese,or whatsoever .... They all are brave men, heroes and patriots. They risk their lives, give up their ideals and dreams, fight for their country and their beliefs. Many of them ultimately died in the battlefields. 😢😢😭😭 Peace and no more wars.🤝🤝🙏🙏

[@vladeputinovic6128]

no! they are animals! without them there are no wars!

[@willlauzon3744]

Despite knowing all this info already this is a very well put together documentary.

[@mamdouhnakhla1027]

Very interesting documentary, thanks for sharing.

[@maroasailo6722]

best Uboat war documentary

[@tonnywildweasel8138]

Great vid!! Thank you very much 👍 Salute from the Netherlands 🇳🇱, TW.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

@@tonnywildweasel8138 excellent! Glad you enjoyed it :) And thanks for stopping by to let us know.

[@timsimms65707]

Well done, thank you.

[@admiralradish]

Very good presentation of the facts.

[@keretaapiindonesia_]

I do agreee

[@philipgreen6085]

I had a work colleague in the 70s he told me he was sunk three times he was in the merchant Navy in WW11 as a cook once you took to the lifeboat. His pay was stopped his mother knew something was wrong when her allotment stopped ,

[@babuzzard6470]

How miserable is that, stopping a blokes pay because his ship was sunk.

[@amirkhalid7915]

I have read a lot about German submariner they were very courageous and faught brilliant . My salute for those who died fighting for their country. Under the water and face. Hell.

[@Sadc0m]

Playing a game called UBOAT , and actually this documentary helped with figuring out the game.

[@bluecollar58]

Submarine-ers , I made the mistake of calling ww2 sub guys submariners twice in my years and got chastised both times. The first time the guy said something like , Aqua-man is a submariner , we are Sub Mariners. They weren’t kidding either.

[@Theearthtraveler]

Great video!

[@violinoscar]

What a good series!

[@jeffreykoran4820]

IF YOU WANNA SEE WHAT LIFE WAS REALLY LIKE ON A GERMAN U BOAT 🚢...YOU SHOULD WATCH THE MOVIE TITLE D DAS BOOT...DIRECTED BY WOLFGANG PETERSON AND STARRING JURGEN PRACHNOW...GREAT FILM 🎥

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

yep

[@imransharif443]

Good Documentary video nice

[@thomaswoodenrailwaymodels9530]

Love this series! Does anyone know what the reenactors are saying in German?

[@monssterific]

Nice documentary! Love to watch historical war videos, this gives “Greyhound” movie by Tom Hanks vibes

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

@@monssterific we’ve got lots more that may interest you. Playlists 😉

[@Bryanja81]

In my opinion; the men and women that served in WW2 are the greatest generation in our country's history. Sad seeing them all gone now.

[@sandplt]

I was searching for this thank you🌹

[@terryshockolloy2813]

Heart of gold,clear horizon

[@rixxy9204]

UBOAT is an awesome game.

[@gumotx]

Superb! History comes alive in this episode!

[@davidc3839]

Yes, it was like watching the action through the computer.

[@PrincessZ1]

At least when they wake up, they will know where all their friends are. *Hope you get this reference because of the title of the video P.S. great video this is

[@asullivan4047]

Interesting/informative/entertaining. Excellent reenactments along with guest speakers contributing to accurate historical information-!!!🤗. Had Admiral Doenitz had 50 more U-boats. Perhaps Britain would have been starved into submission-???🤔. Excellent motion photography pictures of a actual ship sinkings-!!!😉.

[@Layla_r0se]

Ini baru taktik yang betul2 digunakan.

[@HeavyK.]

Depth charges arebine of the most ingenious inventions of necessity.

[@amitpothare]

Those were the most fearless fighters in the world...the legendary U boats... No matter they were on defeated side..but it doesn't undermine there brevary❤

[@michaelbryant2071]

U-Boats had a 75% loss rate. The highest of any German service. 30k submariners died, and 5k were captured out of 41k submariners. Do the math. One other thought, Donald McIntyre returned Otto Kretschmer's binoculars in 1955.

[@ThunderStruck94660]

Yeah, that sucks.

[@Haziq1992]

how many total U boat had been build ?

[@thesunofkurdistan6521]

​@@Haziq19921100

[@oswaldoramosferrusola5235]

A great gesture to an erstwhile deadly enemy!

[@jimmiemacd3603]

It’s almost as if we watched the same documentary

[@Dade13305]

Idk why it bothered me so much that he said "Death Charges" also a Depth charge kills mainly with Hydraulic shock and violent vibrations that can even snap the keel of a vessel. It does not need to hit its target to kill it. The idea behind the shock factor is that an explosion close to a ship generates a shock wave that can impart sudden vertical motions to a ship's hull and internal systems. Many of the internal mechanical systems (e.g. engine coupling to prop) require precise alignment in order to operate. These vibrations upset these critical alignments and render these systems inoperative. The vibrations can also destroy lighting and electrical components, such as relays. The explosion also generates a gas bubble that undergoes expansion and contraction cycles. These cycles can introduce violent vibrations into a hull, generating structural damage, even to the point of breaking the ship's keel. In fact, this is a goal of many undersea weapon systems.

[@TeuchterScot]

I served 3 years on Canadian Oberon class diesel boats hunting Russian submarines during the cold war. One major attribute of the O-boat was their stealth capabilities. So quiet that you didn’t know we were there until you heard the torpedo coming at you. During exercises, we would play the theme to Jaws over the underwater telephone when doing our attack run against the surface ships. It scared the bejeezus out of many a sonar operator. We also invented what became to be known as the “Dolphin Code”. Dolphin:49.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

just like out of the movies. Thanks for sharing that!

[@garethmatthews7939]

@@FreeDocumentaryHistory God i thought only the rn sub personel were mad

[@karolynagy2235]

Hú de irigyellek!❤❤❤

[@24934637]

Used to have an Oberon Class as a museum ship relatively locally (HMS Onxy), apparently it was originally built for the Royal Canadian Navy, but the order was cancelled, and it ended up in the British Royal Navy instead. It was the first submarine that I ever went onboard age about 6, and I remember being incredibly impressed by the compactness and organisation of everything onboard. Sadly it was scrapped a few years ago.

[@drstrangelove4998]

I’ve been on board HMS Ocelot preserved at Chatham Dockyard. Based on the advanced late war German type XXl ‘electroboot.’

[@hnda1000rr]

U-571 was ahead of its time.

[@dovetonsturdee7033]

It was also possibly the most pathetic sub. movie ever made. Although very comedic, perhaps unintentionally.

[@MoneyIsSilver]

The problem with U-boats is that they were surface vessels that had the ability to dive, but they were very slow underwater. This made it easier to hit with depth charges when they knew the sub wasn't too far from where it dived. The Germans needed a sub that was designed for undersea - without the deck and with a more undersea oriented propeller, and more capable electric motors.

[@MMELAO]

존경합니다 !!!!!!

[@halloweenjack569]

impressive documentary. Character acting was actually great as were the historians.

[@AdrianAvendaño-w5i]

The struggle was real, I could just imagine what was going on through their mind and gut....damn

[@Cain_Murd0ch]

Talk about a terrible way to die. Being in a sub that gets hit with depth charges... they say it would be almost instant but I dunno, I've always thought being two, three hundred feet beneath the surface and the sub just ripping open from a depth charge, all that seawater all at once... that's the stuff of pure nightmares and only human beings could get so creative with the methods which we kill each other. Subs, surface ships, infantry, tank crews, bomber crews, fighter pilots...each had to face the terrifying and grim reality that they could die in uniquely horrific ways

[@sanderwissink5330]

It really is that. fast.....when the pressure is that high, its not that water comes in so fast in a crack. The entire boat literally implodes. Is so fast, it takes longer to feel pain ( it takes time for your brain to receive the pain impulses when you re hurt) than for the implosion to occur. The moments before it happens must be terrifying though. Also, its known that they could take suicide pills if there was no way of salvation.

[@JohnR-gk7ch]

Unbeknownst to most, what accelerated the demise of U- boats was the invention of airborne radar. The minute the U- boats surfaced they were spotted . The subs surfaced to recharge batteries and they couldn't submerge.

[@MrPanzerDragoon]

You know you are an elite U-boat captain when you are as cold as a cucumber. lol

[@TheTruthTheyHate]

😂😂😂

[@Red9-jojo]

All these guys have gigantic balls

[@vitkomusic6624]

I was obsessed with submarines for a year.

[@KA-jm2cz]

Yes - they are pretty phallistick and slick

[@YOCOSMINMAX16]

Don't give up

[@gertgilich3508]

Excellent doccie! Thank you from Somerset West, South Africa. Esp. on D-Day..and I'm german. ☝️🇿🇦🇩🇪

[@mikealvarez2322]

One of my father's friends was in the Merchant Marine. At night, he could not smoke a cigarette outside and on his ship no cigarettes PERIOD at dusk.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

@@mikealvarez2322 That is an interesting detail. When you think about it, of course it makes sense but that too must have made it just that bit harder doing the job.

[@mikealvarez2322]

​@@FreeDocumentaryHistory I'm 77 so my childhood memories are a bit foggy. Domingo, my father's friend, used to come over to sit on our front porch on some evenings just to chat and catch a breeze on hot Miami nights. As a kid I was fascinated with WW2 and Korea was just wrapping up, I was glued to any conversation regarding the war. There were quite a few Vets in our neighborhood (I was a Miami News delivery boy in the late 50s and got to know some of them. Looking back on those times now, I do believe those Vets appreciated my interest in their War. One of my first book reports in 6th grade was GUADALCANAL DIARY. My interest in both wars was wanting to know what these men went through. I learned more from them than what I learned in school. They generated in me a love of history. My generation's war was Vietnam. I had a best friend and hunting buddy that was 3 years older than me. He did 2 tours of duty as a combat Marine in Vietnam. He wrote me a letter during his second tour telling me that whatever I do I must avoid going over there. I was close to volunteering but decided to wait. Lucky for me that my draft number turned out to be 353 (no chance I'd be drafted). My friend died an early death in 1997 a victim of Agent Orange. I am thankful to all the Vets I got to know, even those that were not in combat, because they all impressed upon me how horrible war is and how frightened they were but still had a job to do. One man that never saw combat dealt with the horrors of combat every day. He was part of a crew that repaired tanks that had been hit but still salvageable. He always wondered how the US could send young men in tanks that didn't stand a chance against a Panther. Too bad so many people today are clueless about the sacrifices men and women have made to secure our freedom. Domingo's ship was torpedoed once and hit by bombs from a plane on another occasion. Both times they saved the ship. The last thing he wanted to do was go in the water.

[@pashvonderc381]

Here’s a few books that I can recommend.. the U-boat Flotilla book set by Lawrence Paterson, U-boat Ace, the story of Wolfgang Lüth by Jordan Vause and The Real Cruel Sea by Richard Woodman.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

Thank you. Book recos are always welcome!

[@amazer747]

Kretchmer's book is called "The Golden Horseshoe", which was U99s emblem.

[@22mikemike]

Steel Boat Iron Hearts by Hans Goebeler is fantastic too. It's also free on Audible if you have a membership

[@xNSHD]

not called "death charges" they are called depth charges since they are set to explode at a given depth. these became the most terrifying weapon for soliders onboard subs in WW2 since they couldnt do anything about them. imagine being underwater and just waiting to see if your sub gets ripped apart by an explosive you have no idea where or if it will happen.

[@jamesstuart3346]

Superb video. Really informative 😊

[@ted5567]

Running silent running deep

[@franc9111]

The U-boats weren't designed to go very deep, in fact their design was pretty outdated. A newer model was being built towards the end of the war, but by then it was too late. The shipyards got heavily bombed and even the U-boat pens made of reinforced concrete could be holed with a 'tallboy'.

[@MarkElzey-xk4kj]

Forgot to mention Prien, lost 10 days prior to Kretschmer and Schepke, those were the big 3, all lost in 10 days

[@leoa4c]

I understand that the budget for these documentaries is always extremely low, but how much would it cost to give the actors a period haircut? Some students would probably do it for free. Maybe I'm asking too much. Even the movie Dunkirk had the actors with 21st century haircuts, which immediately didn't feel right. The characters have period uniforms, period weapons, period accessories, but just happen to visit modern barbers.

[@ShadeRaven222]

Best to fall asleep to

[@romans325kjb]

Bought this series off of i-tunes. Great series.

[@FearsomeBookling]

In what unit is the scale in the periscope graded? Radiant? Miliradiant?

[@845SiM]

I dont care what side your on, submarines and there crews are a different breed. Looking at the losses in ww2 for all sides, was close to being a suicide mission every time they go out, the odds are so high, nuts.

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

@@845SiM agree

[@JB-rt4mx]

There is a "Karl's Donuts" in Los Angeles and Miami 😂

[@erichanson4966]

The both of you make my anatomy pop

[@thehardyboys4227]

Oh the old war days before bunker busters and drones

[@akaj188]

The Great Germans. Our Salute.

[@jorgeabenitez9200]

Subtitulado en español por favor .gracias Saludos

[@BlackGold-fc7tu]

Ww2 .. crazy time

[@AndersBruun-k7b]

3/4s of all German submariners died in their submarines.

[@benwilson6145]

The British Merchant Navy lost a higher percentage of its men than did the Royal Navy, the Royal Airforce or the Army

[@asullivan4047]

Because Donitz refused to come to grips that the British broke the enigma code-!!!😉. It's called arrogant state of mind-!!!😳

[@franc9111]

@@asullivan4047 That's not quite right. When the 'happy time' as the Germans called it came to an end, Dônitz did in fact have a hunch that his codes had been cracked, and they did try to change them. He went back to the those who had set up the enigma system to check with them that their system was still absolutely foolproof. They assured him that it was. For a short period of time the Germans also managed to crack the British Naval secret codes, but the Royal Navy realised what had happened and rectified it. A Royal Navy ship managed to recuperate an enigma machine and the codebooks from a surrendered U-boat without the Germans knowing. It was sent to Bletchley Park, but they had to be very careful about how they used the new information as of course they didn't want to give the game away.

[@johannsebastianbach9003]

Most of these numbers where in late 43/44

[@robertsolomielke5134]

Post war count says 2 of 3 U boat men died in service. Have not found a higher loss ratio yet , of any force in WW 2 . Prove me wrong if you have proof.

[@Michael-v3z1s]

You know what we hate to go go down to the last when bolts go.

[@Garrett_D-T]

I sunk several boats in my lifetime, BF1 really made me a real man.

[@9090Glenn]

3:49 - the British are NOT prepared for the UBoat attacks ? - seriously ? - have we dismissed the entire Great War German UBoats attacking the British fleet? - UBoats did not arrive in WWII ! - knowing about them did not make dealing with them any easier - but they were NOT surprised at all -

[@michaelbarnes6017]

Crash dive! Narrated by R.C. Bray... fact/ fiction ww2 in the pacific. It's on Audible. I recognize a lot of names and events in this docuseries. Highly recommend. It would go well with this series .

[@nigellawson8610]

Later on in the war the allies had support groups to help the convoy escort beat off attacking U Boats. By 1943 a U Boat in Kretschmer’s situation in 1940 would have been toast? The allies had the strength to spare ships to pin down a U Boat until it either ran out of air, which would force it to surface, or until it was hunted to death.

[@jayduke8554]

Always love to think about what the sub crews go through when sunk and smile.

[@Retroscoop]

What are those triangular "teeth" on front of the U 99 for, was that standard equipment for a (German) submarine ? And what happened to Kretchmer's special binoculars, are they on display in a museum ?

[@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684]

They were "net cutters" designed to allow the submarine to pass through underwater anti submarine netting. They were mostly removed early war as the chance of using them was negligible. Apart from U-47s attack on Scapa Flow in Oct 1939 that is.

[@shaunmcclory8117]

The British capt. Met up with the German commander in the 1950's and returned them to him!!

[@Lonewolf0081]

Three cheers for our gallant UBoat men !

[@KA-jm2cz]

My granpa was born in WW1 uboat and become great uboat ace in WW2. He was in depth charge attack and boat was about to sink but he escaped with few sailors out of aft torpedo tube. They ckimb up stationary hunter destroyer and taked it under control with pistoles and loundry sacks. They send message to kriegsmarine, scutled the ship and escaped with lifeboat and rowed bqck to Germany. He just watched this dokUment and tell it was really accurated before he went to brothel yesterday.

[@oldschoolfoil2365]

Wasn't it Erich Topp had the most tonnage in kriegsmarine over kretchmer? if im not mistaken?

[@stevemc01]

Bro I remember this series from years ago…

[@bumberClart1000]

Balls of Steel

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

@@bumberClart1000 serious. All of them.

[@bumberClart1000]

@ my Granddad was on a British sub

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

@ and he survived to tell his tales I hope?

[@bumberClart1000]

@ He did ! I miss him everyday

[@FreeDocumentaryHistory]

@@bumberClart1000 I bet. On both counts: the tales he had to tell and that he is missed.

[@olddrummer1942]

I've always wondered why the German wolf packs didn't attack the escorts first and destroy them and then the whole convoy would be vulnerable. Also, did hear that right, the Corvettes were 205 feet long and the type 7 was 218 feet long?

[@Reignor99]

I'm no expert but I heard the escorts zig-zagged around the edge of the formation to make themselves hard to torpedo. Plus the subs only had a few torpedoes and wanted to use them to sink the supplies instead of just sinking the relatively unimportant escorts.

[@void1968able]

Corvettes were too fast and usually didn't follow a steady course. The faster and inconsistent or less predictable a course is the less likely a torpedo hit. Ideal is 90° ("broadside) at a range of below 2.000m. Common merchants were slower than 10kts, whereas destroyers or corvettes ran at 30kts max speed and most of all, very agil and could change course immediately. G7a torpedoes where steam powered so the bubbles in the trail could be spotted. As long as you didn't pick a corvette off guard, in the dark etc. an attack was futile. Later in war the "Zaunkönig", an acoustic driven torpedo, was more capable, but the allied developed countermeasures or decoys.

[@yogeshudmale5370]

German U boats crew and captain serves their dutys like Japanese Kamakazi fighters, fearless and ambush enemy line.

[@snakeplays398]

I love that older white beard commentator / historian. What an enthusiastic Guy and awesome narrative style. Also knows alot, hes Been elsewhere. Awesome dude.

[@MoneyTrees2012]

Imagine it's the dead of night in the middle of the Atlantic in a convoy and your sitting there smoking a cigarette, eating, sleeping or whatever having 0 idea about the wolfpack of U-Boats lurking beneath you. Absolutely not.

[@BASILVARKEYALIAS]

Otto is a real legend….!!! His legacy will continue as long as life exists on earth.What a Commander..!!!

[@scotthruska4906]

I’m a Retired Shipbuilding pipe welder. I’m proud of Boilermaker Shipbuilding LOCAL 696 !! 31 years of Service and Proud Union Worker’s Support! Women Are The great Work Force of WW ll!! PT BOATS AND VICTORY SHIPS. 👩🏼‍🏭🧑🏻‍🔧👷🏽‍♀️👷🏼⛑🥾👓⛓⚙️⚒🔨🔧🪛🧰🪜🪜⏱📲⚓️⚓️⚓️🚢⛴🛳😮🏆🍻🌊🌊🌊🌚🌝👁👁

[@seangage9088]

At the start of US involvement King wouldn't take notice of the hard lessons already learnt since hostilities commenced early September 1939.

[@stevemc01]

Bookmark: 9:50

[@devilslawyer1646]

how does one Flower Class Corvette drop 127 depth charges?

[@dovetonsturdee7033]

They were originally fitted with 25, later increased to 40. I believe some later ones carried as many as 70, but 127 seems unlikely, unless they were able to re-stock at sea.