German Human Torpedoes - Normandy 1944

Find out how the Germans used Neger and Marder human torpedoes to attack Allied ships off the Normandy beaches in the summer of 1944.
Help support my channel:
www.paypal.me/...
/ markfeltonproductions
Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the 'Comments' section do not reflect the opinions of Mark Felton Productions. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Mark Felton Productions does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the 'Comments' section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.

[@matthewbratton3825]

You outdid it again! Your whole presentation is better than any cable or big networks.

[@zandarzandarevic5466]

Why are u saying something this ovbious?

[@televisionone4177]

Matthew Bratton Discovery Channel would drag it into a 45 minute documentary that somehow involves aliens

[@matthewbratton3825]

@@zandarzandarevic5466 You read it.

[@BrettonFerguson]

It doesn't take much to be better than big cable or big networks. Example, I was watching a documentary the other day. It said Japan ended it's 200 years of isolation because the Shogun realized they were technologically behind countries like England and Russia. Not a word about the USA sending a fleet of ships into Tokyo Bay threatening invasion if they didn't open trade. I do agree Mark Felton's videos are extremely good. I like the variety of incidents I've never heard of. Cable and the Networks just rehash the main battles in every documentary. Normandy, Kursk, Battle of the Bulge, Pearl Harbor, etc... Once you've seen a few, you get no new information watching more of them. With Mark Felton, I am guaranteed 99% of the time to learn about something I've never heard of.

[@zandarzandarevic5466]

@@matthewbratton3825 r/woosh

[@Monolith308]

Imagine wanting to join the navy to fight in a battleship but then get told “here’s a torpedo attached to a torpedo lmao good luck”

[@DiogenesOfCa]

Man it must have took a lot of iron balls to get into one of those death traps.

[@alastairward2774]

No, just meth.

[@Aldnon]

@BC Bob Too dumb? Since when people who can navigate in the sea using stars can be called "dumb"?

[@siebejouke]

As a Dutchmen it's pretty funny to constantly hear you say the N-word when you refer to the torpedo

[@lamolambda8349]

You should be around german children on the playground when they punch each other on the shoulder

[@Streetpfosten]

Feel the same as a German. I'm laughing throughout the video

[@doomsaier1]

we norwegians agree

[@franciszeklatinik889]

HMS Isis was named for the old Egyptian Goddess of the same name

[@steyn1775]

s p e c e r i j e n

[@eoin730]

You need an n word pass to pilot these weapons...

[@blackstone1a]

goddammit you’re right...

[@JoinMeInDeathBaby]

In german this word is a neutral one, used in science

[@leifvejby8023]

Mohr?

[@BlackStallione]

😭😭😭💀😂😂

[@captain0080]

IM GONNA... PILOT THE N-BOAT 👵

[@kirishima638]

After your previous video on German mini-subs, I was expecting these to be a complete joke but they were apparently very successful. A single man taking out a warship, and surviving, is no small thing.

[@jamesm3471]

To make matters worse, the command issued these poor buggers special, superpower pills - ie a concoction of cocaine, methamphetamine, and oxycodone, what ensued for the pilots in these little tubes after taking their meds can only be described as insanity.

[@MaskedVengeanceTV]

Lets dope our troops out of their mind and then shut them into a tiny enclosed metal tube that they can't escape from. Great idea.

[@jedimindtrix2142]

I mean....a single dose of any of those drugs do not make you "go insane" lol. I have done them all and i assure you that I am of very sound mind and body. However! Prolonged use of Meth on top of no sleep will make you lose your mind in a way. I have never used methamphetamine long term nor would I want to...ugh. Nasty stuff it is. However I doubt the pilots of these craft used the substances regularly enough to cause issues. In fact if Meth was used by these pilots and they did not regularly use it the drug could very well have made them feel amazing and able to pull off anything. Ground troops in the Blitz did use the drug long enough to experiences negative side effects though.

[@mbaker335]

Something like that was in allied ration packs.

[@Sturminfantrist]

Pervitin! a similar stuff was available by receptation (?) (Rezept) in the 70s and 80s called Captagon, perfect for drinking Beer over two nights without sleeping and without becoming drunk or simply for work overnight .

[@964cuplove]

One hell of a trip - in more than one way...

[@ZEZERBING]

I wonder how much my feces would throw the balance off when the torpedo refused to release and dragged me along.

[@Braeden123698745]

He was so scared he took a shit that broke the law of conservation of mass.

[@MikeyD22]

Probably depends on what and how much you had to eat for lunch. A steak or ribs probably no more than a meter or two. A salad.....not so much.

[@gabe9902]

Teaching me something new everyday

[@underfire131]

For real though

[@Otokichi786]

Oberst Steiner, we have a mission for you...

[@annelisemeier283]

More likely to be Fegelein really

[@build2270]

Steiner.... "Steiner didnt have enough force.." "The attack didnt take place" All leave except the following, Jodle, Kreps, Bugdorf and Goebbels (Door Clooses) That was an order! How dare you ignore my orders!?

[@locutus155]

Is this before or after my men throw your pet IRA gunman through the pub window because they think he's in the Gestapo.

[@Hero.Lone-Wolf]

@@locutus155 Eagle Has Landed !!!

[@Hero.Lone-Wolf]

Eagle has Landed !!!

[@McRocket]

'You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,' Apparently, Nazis never knew when to fold 'em. I knew very little of this before. Thank you very much for creating and posting this video Mark Felton.

[@voakk4062]

Pre-liked for the great Dr. Felton

[@bornagaingeek7279]

Thank you for making this. My Great uncle served aboard HMS Cato and was wounded. He'd actually been below deck off watch and was in his hammock, but still in full uniform with great coat, when the ship was struck. He rushed to get back up on deck, but the metal ladder had been super heated and he burnt his hands, beyond use. When he was eventually helped up by shipmates, his great coat fell into ashes. He got back to a hospital, in the UK and a nurse checked him in, taking his details. She asked his age and dropped her pencil, when he said 17. The family story goes that some of the survivors of HMS Magic, went down with the Cato.

[@angeledduirbonesu1989]

Only doctor Felton can use the N-word! 🤣 Extraordinary documentary by the way!

[@sinphus]

Loi Angelo he has the n word pass i hope

[@franktaeterUSA]

My old long passed uncle Matthias Taeter piloted one of these and survived the war..

[@redram5150]

“We don’t use that name! It’s not politically correct! We prefer “African-Aquatican”

[@anotherarmchairhistorian2831]

This made me chuckle a little bit.

[@martialme84]

best comment award goes tooooooo.....You!

[@arthurkorff]

Why the quotes?

[@jaybee9269]

You win the Internet today.

[@sparky694]

I love that you always include Canada and not just saying allies, thank you from Canada 🇨🇦

[@vk2ig]

It's great that Mark makes that point.

[@OzMan9989]

Great channel. I remember watching ‘World at War’ on TV as a kid in the 70s and this is the next best thing on modern day media.

[@mamakuriza9935]

The name is hilarious, especially when you are german and hear "to launch the Negars". I can't stop grin all the time. Great Video

[@frankwhite3406]

A most enjoyable episode . Extremely Brave German Navy Pilots Indeed !!!

[@ethomial]

Thanks for the great content Mark. As always an interesting subject to cover in mini subs.

[@oncall21]

Another fascinating piece of military history once again Mark. Thanks for sharing!

[@edoio.7283]

German version of the italian alexandria raid in 1941

[@elliskaranikolaou2550]

@@JohnyG29 Last surviving member died 2015. "Emilio Bianchi, who has died aged 102, was the last survivor of one of the most audacious coups of the Second World War - the sinking by “human torpedoes” of two British battleships in Alexandria harbour; Winston Churchill described the feat as demonstrating “extraordinary courage and ingenuity” and it won Bianchi Italy’s equivalent of the VC. " www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/naval-obituaries/11814603/Emilio-Bianchi-human-torpedo-obituary.html

[@edoio.7283]

@@JohnyG29 the italian one was a realy succes, italy manage to sink 1 battleship, 1 cargo and damage other 2 battleship

[@majormissile5596]

One of the few times Italy was actually terrifying on thier own. When your army isn't as strong as the others I guess you gotta find other ways to make a mark.

[@nemosis9449]

My dad who was on a destroyer in the channel in July 44 told me once that while escorting a convoy they engaged 2 of these and sunk them in quick succession.

[@Peggyt-jp6mt]

Thank you Dr. Felton - from a Canadian

[@TOO_TALL305]

Why do i have a feeling this will be demonetized because of the word negro

[@hanzykrupps259]

Be sure to watch all advertisements, in totality, so we can support Mr. Felton!!! 🤔

[@elennapointer701]

Another good video for the collection, of yet another Nazi 'desperation deathtrap'. At 3.45 in the video there's an odd-looking Allied warship. Is it the HMS Erebus?

[@Zretgul_timerunner]

That or the Terror her sistership

[@togmor6225]

I´d say that monitor is HMS Roberts of the 1940 Roberts class.

[@AtheistOrphan]

Elenna Pointer - It certainly looks like it.

[@wacka2]

I believe they were much much earlier uses of this weapon ....Sir Francis Drake himself was heard to shout " aaarrgh .Marder ! "

[@vk2ig]

And that was after he finished his game of bowls and boarded _The Golden Posterior_ to go fight ...

[@13starsinax]

Your videos are some of the most informative on KZbin.

[@wallyplumstead614]

Thank you Mark.

[@cristianrodriguez5726]

Dam ! Profesor Felton deliver again !! Great video🇺🇸🇲🇽

[@r6sieges625]

Haven’t even watched it yet but I already liked it because I know it’s going to be good. Anyone else?

[@deg6788]

Yessss

[@williammiller8317]

This channel has grown so rapidly, thanks Mark for another great video.

[@Cplblue]

I just subscribed recently and have been binge watching your videos. I've learned so much stuff already. Keep up the great work, sir!

[@welshpete12]

Notice the eyes of those sailors that were given an iron cross, old eyes in young men !

[@360Nomad]

I am but a simple man. I see "NEW" marked under a Mark Felton video recommended to me. I click.

[@bokke6]

Fascinating Mark..great video. Did you know there are 2 X-craft still sitting on the beach slowly rusting into oblivion a few miles from Edinburgh. You can only get to them at very low tide..still completely recognisable from WW2..mini subs and all that....just saying..could be a video in that somewhere...😉

[@raymondweaver8526]

The topic and content of his videos never ceases to amaze me

[@nostraanus]

As a german speaker, impossible to watch with a straight face. Good video mate! 👍🏻

[@dlxmarks]

Once again another story of WWII I knew nothing about. I've seen plenty about the various midget subs used in the war but this is entirely new to me.

[@chrish3850]

Anyone else see how the ship was called the "neger" then instantly scroll into the comments knowing what was gunna be there?

[@goldeneagle3088]

Still love the introduction song❤️

[@Larryloafer488]

Great info, never knew these things existed, and I’ve visited the Normandy museum twice.

[@Arkeagood]

im happy to see this channel posting history while other channels struggle

[@peachtrees27]

So much technology in so little time. And just to blow stuff up...

[@HerbWalker]

Can you imagine how busy AND CRAZY it must have been, to be working at the Sea Ports IN England, before , during and after the D day invasion. I was in the US Army for many years and I know the logistics of putting all of that into operation would have been a nightmare. WOW!!! Thanks Mark :)

[@rondickson7906]

My dad was at Anzio beach landings. 34th infantry . Good thing these small subs were not there. Great videos. 👍🏻

[@sausageman2620]

Nice job, I'm really happy that you are still making mini documentarys

[@larshaas2658]

Thank you for another good video!

[@combain]

Mark, thank you for your videos. Can you please make one about German AA Missiles?

[@vanscoyoc]

Thank you very much for making this video. I requested it and I'm sure others did too!

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Great content as always. You should check out La Coupole in France.

[@-Invero-]

Everybody : Ne-what? Me : HMS I-what?

[@LiquidAudio]

Absolutely fascinating, as always!

[@Grampa_Swood]

Great content as always

[@jorgearroyo1342]

Thanks to you to exhibit those fantastic films my brothets thsnks again.

[@thomasdawes4485]

Another great video! Good job

[@dascabinetdesdoktorcaligar4714]

Great video. Although I don't think these midgets were more dangerous to the operators than to the enemy, given each time a ship was sunk, the death toll was of several tens...

[@PassportToPimlico]

It seems to me that they were highly effective.

[@Ogier78]

cost wise it seems very effective, i bet you could make 30 of those or more for the cost off one of those boats

[@Floppyoneactual]

I thought I knew just about everything about WWII but you keep showing me new and interesting things! Thank you!

[@zJoriz]

'More lethal to their operators'... are you sure? A small crew, of which one person only put his life on the line, has the potential to sink a combatant ship carrying 100s of crew? Even if only one in 50 subs torpedoed their target, and even if 1 in 100 made it back alive, that would still count as a win, wouldn't it? There are reasons being in a war sucks, you know. EDIT: aside from that nitpicky thing, thanks for the excellent history lesson.

[@simonkevnorris]

Another interesting subject of which I was unaware. One thing that caught my attention was that the torpedo that was fired cough 'snag' the mothership - I wonder how often that happened.

[@Sharpe2007Dent]

Thanks Mark!

[@thenorthwestpassage2880]

I literally went on KZbin and this video was already on lol

[@willykaranikolas2391]

*sees Mark Felton notification* *clicks Mark Felton notification* It's become a recurring theme in my life

[@1977Yakko]

Japanese Kaiten (I think that's what their human torps were called) pilots might've preferred these instead.

[@multitoolish]

Another tremendous history lesson!! Thank you so much sir! Your the best KZbinr for WW2 history!!

[@steveshoemaker6347]

Wow...Nice...l enjoy you video better than anything on KZbin...l really do....l love war History..You are the very best at it ever...Thanks Doc...! From Kentucky USA...Good day..

[@blueeyeswhitedragon9839]

At least they were not designed to be suicide attack craft.

[@foximacentauri7891]

But they weren't really designed to let the crew survive either. High rank nazis new those vehicles could be lethal, but they told the soilders that they were totally save.

[@bluef1sh926]

That would be unlikely in Germany (there was only one squadron and if I remember correctly very lately, when the policy was to let allies conquer only ashes, so when defeat was inevitable) since from the start of war Germany experienced lack of men. Japan on the other hand had as many men as it needed and more, but not enough raw materials.

[@TheTeufelhunden68]

There were quasi suicide attacks. Late in the war, the Nazi's employed a tactic by which they would use their wings to damage and destroy the control surfaces of enemy aircraft. Upon making contact, the pilots would bail out. Of course that's what the pilots were instructed to do. Command knew that such a strategy was likely suicide.

[@alswann2702]

Wink wink nod nod ya ya of course it's safe Hans!! Iwould never ask you to do something I wouldn't do!

[@visi7754]

Thanks ~ I never Stop Learning!

[@scoutsnkniv]

Kriegsmarine: Can we get human torpedoes and spec ops units like X Mas? Mohr: We got human torpedoes at home *The Human torpedoes at home*

[@pateryoda]

love it when i wake up to a new video

[@elcheapo9444]

A swarm of 10,000 of these would have been useful on D-Day.

[@mtgAzim]

Me: "You should have published this video in Febru..." My inner dialogue: "SHUT UP! NO ONE ELSE THINKS THAT'S FUNNY"

[@louisalectube]

Oh geez...

[@lingerslongest]

06:22 Just thought that I'd add my grain of salt : " Lieutenant-Commander G. Leslie Carlton, RNVR, commanded LCF 33 in the Trout Line. 'I was Lucky enough one night to spot a human torpedo just underwater passing my craft - I had managed to scrounge a Lewis gun for mounting on the wing of the bridge and with this I let fly into the plastic dome of the HT. I could clearly see the German inside and the horror on his face. It was like a nightmare afterwards, as he could not retaliate.' " "Lieutenant Derek Parry … We could not help admiring the courage of the German pilots. It took a brave man to pilot these delicate and unseaworthy machines with no protection except a Perspex canopy. Some days later a human torpedo surfaced immediately ahead of us but we were unable to depress our forward Oerlikons sufficiently. We waited as it crossed our bow and could see the German desperately attempting to dive. After what seemed an agonising suspense the HT entered our arc of fire and we sank it."

[@r2gelfand]

Not too many enlisted received the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross. Brave men indeed.

[@mikebrase5161]

Hey Mark, I'm a Propeller repair technician by trade. Anyhow while doing work in the old naval dry dock at Mare Island I had some down time and got to inspect one of these one man death traps on display in front of the old Admirals Quarters.

[@patrickmorgan2798]

Another excellent video

[@oveidasinclair982]

I would love to have seen the Jerry's face who launched his torpedo only to realize the it didn't detach and he was off on the E-ticket ride to Valhalla. These Krauts never really accomplished anything, there mission was suppose to be to attack the supply ships, thus making thing easier for the army on shore, nothing but a hand full of out dated destroyers, mine sweepers and a WWI Cruiser were taken out. I feel for the men lost on those ships, but their mission was every bit as dangerous as the airman and the ground pounder and they did drive off a good many of these mini subs. I think the missions of these subs were a failure, supplies were coming ashore unabated.

[@schifflein9103]

Says someone who makes bird edits

[@obelic71]

The name Mohr has also another meaning and comes from Moor what means bog or swamp in German. Such a bog or swamp is often filled with black water.

[@gunner2225]

Sounds to me like they were very effective. The Allied loses were far more expensive in terms of life and warships. Death traps for their operators no doubt, but that doesn't mean they weren't effective. Of course, they didnt change the war's outcome though.

[@boykinmanman4443]

Very interesting especially the dragon attack and the hitler youth part.

[@wojo44frompl]

Note: ORP Dragon and it's successor ORP Conrad were biggest vessels of Polish Navy during WW2. About Hitlerjugend part - probably it was propaganda show with intend to recruit 'poor' suckers into service...

[@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry]

Another excellent film, Dr. Felton. However, I must take exception with your characterization of Allied losses to these weapons as "insignificant".

[@chrthiel]

The local maritime museum has a Newer on display

[@foximacentauri7891]

So does the Technikmuseum Speyer.

[@subscribeorsus6862]

Amazin

[@oj1587]

can you do video on polish bear wojtek, its amazing story and i want your take on it

[@TheTeufelhunden68]

As soon as I click on your videos, I automatically hit like. I know it's going to be good, and I might forget to afterwards.

[@__hjg__2123]

Germany: we'll ride a bomb until the last minute Japan: Hold my Saporo

[@Leo3ABPgamingTV]

9:53 How come did it prove ineffective and more lethal for Germany than for allies? Measuring by the total amount of scored kills and tonnage sunk, they returned their value by tenfold. That last conclusion seems to be way off the information presented in earlier parts of the video.

[@interstellarsurfer]

Propaganda, of course. 🙄

[@no1DdC]

Let's go through the numbers (I'm not including prototypes): Biber: 324 built. Of those that were deployed (at least half of that number), only one ever returned from a mission. They sunk one Danish cargo ship (of which all 65 crew survived). Hecht: 53 built. None were used in combat, because they were deemed utterly useless. Marder: 300 built. In their only major operation in Normandy, they sunk two ships and one landing craft, while 41 of the midget submarines and 22 Linse kamikaze boats were lost. Molch: 393 built. 12 out of 12 sunk in their first operation in Italy and in 102 operations that followed in the Netherlands (which used up most of the remaining craft, with the surviving craft being used for training), only seven small ships were sunk. Almost all Molch were lost during these operations, with next to no survivors. Neger (this video): 200 built. Wikipedia names a loss rate of 80% (without sourcing it), which appears to be a rather generous estimate given the numbers we've seen so far. The most successful kind of midget submarine up to that point, but still a suicide weapon that only managed to sink an insignificant number of insignificant ship. Seehund: 285 built. This is a two-man submarine, so take this into account. The first operation in the Netherlands saw 16 out of 18 craft sunk in a storm. The remaining losses (totaling 35 out of 138 in service - the rest were just built and rusted away unused) occurred during 142 operations, which sank between 93000 and 120000 tons of shipping. Sounds like much, but its such a tiny fraction of the total tonnage under the command of the Allies at the point that this most sophisticated and successful of all midget submarines still remains nothing but an insignificant footnote and a total waste of resources. These submarines never retained their value. You have to take into account that extensive numbers of support vessels, vehicles, command centers, large pools of officers that were needed elsewhere were required to launch these vessels, prepare and plan their missions. A single operation of a handful of the most primitive of these boats required hundreds of men to pull off, with the unlucky pilots being merely more than the tip of the spear, so to speak. All of this is without even mentioning the amount of manpower and labor required to build and ship these submarines. Their construction used up precious resources, they clogged up transport networks when they were sent from one coast to another, they were just a huge hassle all around. It's not just that most of their operations were utter failures, it's the enormous tail they dragged behind just to get to the point where they could be launched. Just like every other German wonder weapon, they were largely used for propaganda and their effect was at best psychological.

[@calvinfernandez1956]

* Enter intelligent history fact that no one knows here *

[@Teleoceras]

I need to correct something, the name of the fellow at 7:00 is Walther Gerhold, not Werner Gerhold. There are many sources online that will verify that is his real name. Excellent video outside of that oppsy!

[@StuSaville]

I always assumed that they were named after Guy Gibson's dog...

[@sunnyray7819]

Always Epic!!!!

[@nedthegreat6]

i couldn't imagine the conditions inside that sub, depending on time of year the cold would be hard to deal with, no movement for days and the chance that it sends you with the torpedo

[@marks_sparks1]

@MarkFeltonProductions Can you please do a video on the German Fritz-X radio guided bomb?

[@Lockbar]

Btw: in my youth I saw one of these set ups at the Royal Armory Museum in Copenhagen. Dont know if its still there.

[@mrhamburger6936]

Excellent video I'd never new the Germans had such one man sub like that

[@grandimehu]

This is like something out of Tintin comics

[@iasongeorgiou5619]

My profound respect for those great submariners!!! A Greek submariner

[@microtonalmilio5233]

If you aren't a history major but watch all of these videos it's safe to say you know more than the average joe about world war 2 german history.

[@viktorforslund3701]

This is gonna get soooo demonitized sadly :(