200 Medals Won in an Hour - Raid on Zeebrugge 1918 Documentary

[@historigraph]

Go to squarespace.com/historigraph to get a free trial and 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain

[@derrickstorm6976]

weird question, but what microphone do you use? :)

[@historigraph]

@@derrickstorm6976 rode podcaster

[@jacobmorris1400]

This is probably one of the most accurate Battlefield 1 maps in terms of casualties numbers, and length of the operation. I never knew why the bridge was destroyed, I assumed it was a creative decision.

[@rhysgoodman7628]

@@jacobmorris1400 that’s what I thought too! It took me a moment to realize that bridge being destroyed is from the sub! Further evidence that BF1 is the greatest FPS game ever made!

[@LostShipMate]

Nice to see you working with Drachinifel.

[@LegitimateCK4120]

So this is the map I've always been fascinated by on Battlefield 1. What an extraordinary piece of WW1 history and I thank you for teaching us this!

[@ivanvalverde7018]

You said it!

[@Heatx79]

Yes many steampunk bionics and women fought in this battle with weapons from a decade in the future

[@yuchenchen8012]

@@Heatx79 huh? There's no women on Zeebrugge in bf1

[@ronanmcdonald6386]

@@yuchenchen8012 He's talking about the controversy over one of the BFV trailers

[@LegitimateCK4120]

@@Letsberealish cause I'm not a loser???

[@jackthecrackak8515]

This really just gave me context for the zeebrugge raid in BF1. The maps shows every objective and how the battle actually went which really makes it enjoyable. Good on ya mate keep up the good content.

[@Superbl0bby]

no wonder it looked so familiar

[@romanrat5613]

Although the troops didn’t actually go down the full length of the mole, as most of the guns were on the end

[@nonbigbrain9662]

You lucky people I ain’t got the money for the DLC

[@Cleansquire]

@@nonbigbrain9662 you can play it for free

[@Cleansquire]

@@nonbigbrain9662 Just play shock ops and hope that you get the map in rotation

[@not-a-theist8251]

fascinating story. Never heard of it before. In public memory WW1 is associated with trench warfare so much and its always good to see it from a different perspective

[@hammer1349]

Agreed. The earliest moments of the western front are also forgotten. Most remember the gruelling trench warfare but forget the initial mobile warfare battles that saw some of the single bloodiest days, the French had some 28,000 killed in a single day, not including wounded, prisoners or missing

[@chickenmonger123]

Not in my education. They always talk about the precarious state of naval tech. Forays into what was possible. Always. They also speak of gas, planes, and bombardment. Which are a part of a whole narrative including trenches.

[@facemcshooty6602]

@@hammer1349 That's because they still had the napoleonic style "walk in an open field" strategy, wich didn't work too well against german MGs

[@L5GUK]

The ability for man to muster up such courage in the face of what they must surely have known was almost certain death never fails to astound me. War is dispicable, it brings out the worst in the human condition, but it also brings out the best. The sheer audacity of this raid is frankly astounding. And for it to be arguably considered a success militarially despite the things that went wrong (no plan survives first contact with the enemy!) shows how well planned and rehersed the operation was. Bravo to all involved, even on the defending side who often are forgotten as fellow humans in narrations such as this. Forced to fight a war that never made sense by old men, but doing their very best regardless.

[@morgan97475]

"The ability for man to muster up such courage in the face of what they must surely have known was almost certain death never fails to astound me."...........I'd say most soldiers just don't want to be left out of the fun. They want their efforts to count for something, don't they...?

[@Bishop1664]

As a royal marine this is one of the corps battle-honours I was 'encouraged' to learn about during training. I've never seen it explained in such great detail though, amazing! Also, I had no idea that the infamous Terror and Erebus were present during this raid!

[@Peoples_Republic_of_Devonshire]

The 4th Battalion Royal Marines Light Infantry were disbanded not long after, and no subsequent unit would be given that number to immortalise the valour of those brave men. It said "the 4th were special, we'll not see the like again". The entire 4th Battalion Royal Marines was awarded the Victoria Cross for the action, triggering Rule 13 of the Victoria Cross warrant stipulating that a ballot must be drawn to select the recipients. Although the Victoria Cross rules specify that four Victoria Crosses should be awarded this way (one to an Officer, one to an NCO, and two to other ranks) they were not observed and only two Victoria Crosses were awarded - one to Sergeant Norman Augustus Finch RMA and the other to Captain Edward Bamford RMLI. This was the last time that Victoria Crosses were awarded by ballot, although the rule still exists within the Victoria Cross warrant.

[@andysmodelandstuff4306]

My man, your video quality and method of providing a suberb overview is unmatched. I come back to these videos several times over, they are so well made. Please keep ding what you do, this is fantastic!

[@daanflier6166]

I completely agree! It might be a good idea to show the date or other numbers on screen when you mention them, that way it might be easier to follow

[@djmicrowave6073]

That one guy in the british planning room: "Why don't we just use EVERYTHING"

[@nickdarr7328]

Having 2 ww1 ships named Erebus and Terror is worth explaining. Most people recognize both names from the Franklin expedition in the 1840s I believe. They were both lost so this Erebus and Terror were built in 1916

[@TheHistoman]

My grandfather, Levi Thomas Atkinson (able seaman) was on HMS Vindictive as a gunner. He was only 20 years old at the time and was gazetted along with the entire crew for the VC. All of the men who took part in this raid were beyond brave. He survived the raid but was changed for ever by the experience and struggled with survivor guilt for the rest of his life. For all the men who fought on that day and sadly paid the ultimate sacrifice, I salute you and will never forget. RIP. DAVID ATKINSON

[@1997MCW]

This raid was a part of my dissertation 3 years ago (I did get the idea to study it more from BF1) and I don't understand how it isn't known more as it is an extraordinary story

[@maxdecphoenix]

I'm only asking because you claim to have written a scholarly article about this, what was the official objective of the landing party?

[@MissionaryInMexico]

I remember when I was stationed in the UK, winning a spot in an international 5 country military track and field competition. Then, going on a bus from England to Felixstowe, the hopping a Townsend Thorreson Ferry with 150 cars, trucks and buses under the floor... Then reloading on our buses again after we docked in Zeebrugge, and headed straight line to Muenster / Roxel, Germany. When we arrived in Zeebrugge, our leader, a US Air Force captain, on board with us (he was also a track and field competitor) asked us to take off any hats we would be wearing, and give a moment of silence up on the top deck of the ferry before we went down to board our bus. We ask him why, he said "Respect for the dead."

[@tonyb1223]

Depending what year that was, it could have been for the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster.

[@MissionaryInMexico]

@@tonyb1223 That happened in 1987. Our event was a few years before that.

[@sampackman69]

Glad to see the heroism of those brave sailors and marines are recognised worldwide I used to live in Dover, and there is a plaque on the town hall commemorating the raid, as well as another one in the Eastern Dock train station of the harbour

[@MissionaryInMexico]

@@sampackman69 Been to Dover several times on my way to France. Beautiful cliffs, beautiful town.

[@billyponsonby]

You’ve got to admit British destroyers have the best names.

[@trooperdgb9722]

British warships generally! IMPLACABLE. INDOMITABLE INDEFATIGABLE (Although the Flower Class Corvettes names might be seen as an aberration!)LOL

[@woods457]

There was one more award that you didn't mention, Iris, the Mersey ferry was bestowed the title "Royal", so all subsequent ferries with that name were named Royal Iris.

[@billwilson7841]

Hermann Künne (December 12, 1897 in Wierthe, † April 23, 1918 in Zeebrugge) was a German sailor from the torpedo boat SMS S 53, who was stationed in Flanders at the time with the III. Torpedo Boat Flotilla. Künne fell defending the Zeebrugge mole battery on April 23, 1918 during the raid on Zeebrugge and Ostend. He killed a commanding officer, presumably Wing Commander Frank Arthur Brock (1888-1918), of the landing corps of the cruiser HMS Vindictive with his boarding knife and died in the ensuing scuffle. This act played a major role in preventing the capture of the important pier battery and is ultimately one of the reasons why the British attack on Zeebrugge failed. The British side told the story as such: "Künne attacked a British officer who was armed with a revolver and a cutlass. Künne was similarly armed with a cutlass. He slashed his opponent across the neck and grabbed the revolver. The British officer, desperately wounded, stabbed Künne as he fell. Given that the Victoria Cross citation for Lieutenant Commander Harrison makes no mention of a sword fight, there are those who believe that Wing Commander Brock was the British officer killed by Künne." Wing Commander Brock was mentioned in dispatches and received a memorial at zeebrugge with 2 other officiers and a mechanic. The inscription reads: "To the glory of god and in memory of these three officiers and one mechanic of the royal navy who fell on the mole at zeebrugge on st. georges day 1918 and have no known grave" The Kriegsmarine named the destroyer Z 19 of the 1936 series after Hermann Künne. His body was never found as well.

[@arandomdudewithhobbies3318]

Graphics by Histy, Storytelling by Drach (not that I'm discounting the amount of effort you did for the narration.) Anyway, great stuff

[@historigraph]

More than happy to say that Drachs knowledge and research ability on naval topics is unparalleled on KZbin

[@lairdcummings9092]

I'd never really considered the implications of German access to the channel coast in WWI. Eye-opening!

[@ivanvalverde7018]

It’s impressive and horrendous how the raid only lasted an hour. Also, this provides more context on the same raid from Battlefield 1.

[@silvanski]

This and the raid on St Nazaire in WW2 are some of the most spectacular operations.

[@fishtank9521]

My great grandfather was part of this operation! He never spoke about it or what he experienced, I can see now why. Thanks for this video.

[@linusfehr4837]

The germans had less than 30 casulties, gives you an idea what kind of fire must have come down on Vindictive and the landing party.

[@KingUsyk]

My great great uncle was in the 4th Battalion, he was killed in action.

[@fishtank9521]

@@KingUsyk we will remember them!

[@Aelxi]

Drach and Histrograph collab on the same subject today. *This is where the **-fun-** raid begins*

[@russwoodward8251]

As you said, Drach covered this, your video adds great detail to his. Great graphics. Thanks!

[@davidk6269]

Both this channel and Drachinifels put out videos about this battle within a minute of one another. A buffet of content about this very interesting battle!

[@smeghead765]

I was about to say the same thing.

[@riccardobalbo234]

Others may have already said it but thanks to BF1 for making me learn about this battle. It may not be a 100% historically accurate game but find me a triple A game which makes a title about ww1 with forgotten battles like this and an ingame encyclopedia

[@marvinm8343]

It's amazing that HMS Vindictive stayed afloat with weight of the brass balls of those brave men. Same for the HMS Campbeltown in 1942.

[@hmsrenown7801]

Nah man, you forgot when the Royal Marines had to take A and B point on the beach from the Germans, while they only had 100 tickets left (I love your vids btw).

[@Deevo037]

Very interesting, I had a look at this after seeing Drachinifel’s video. Nicely done.

[@populistrevolution5197]

I thought I knew so much compared to my colleagues but despite my huge interest in history I never knew this raid existed, thank you

[@brunoethier896]

Very nice collaboration with Drachinifel indeed! While his video does indeed provide lots of photos, context and anectodes, your animations make it much easier to follow the multiple action locations.

[@Badpak.]

I did not know there were so many machine guns in the Zeebrugge raid :)

[@thomastheisman1751]

Visitor here from Drach. Excellent work, both of you.

[@walhalladome5227]

Battlefield 1 has a pretty good representation of this. Thanks for this video.

[@thomasmarren2354]

I enjoyed playing this map in Battlefield 1. I am glad it was almost spot on.

[@NonSektur]

Drach brought me here. Very nice video, thanks!

[@drawingdead9025]

Great video, never new about this battle.

[@yuchenchen8012]

Man, this map on operations for BF1 is absolute chaos (especially with the 64 player version). The most inaccurate part of the map is probably the concrete submarine pen. There apparently was one of them in the port of Brugges Zeebrugge, but it wasn't located in the specific raiding location. The cannons at the tip also got spread out across the map.

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

You think a computer game is chaos? Join the military. When the shooting starts, you'll have a whole new appreciation for the term.

[@Hollows1997]

Amazing video as always.

[@Sky_Guy]

Wonderful presentation of yet another daring raid perpetrated by the brave souls of our friends across the pond. I also do love the redemption of the pair _Erebus_ and _Terror_ after their tragic loss in search of the Northwest Passage.

[@rhysgoodman7628]

I noticed that as well. I haven’t seen another comment mention it. :) But yes, the British are certainly the go-to people when it comes to impossibly risky raids.

[@restitvtororbis5330]

I was about to comment about that too. Naming a ship after a lost one is a bad omen, naming 2 ships after ships that (along with all their crew) suffered such a prolonged and miserable end... There's a lot of names out there, they probably could have retired those names just in case

[@Galactipod]

The raid was indeed daring. This particular dare ended in disaster. It was a German victory.

[@talleywa5772]

>Sail to heavily defended enemy port. >Carry out extensive sabotage >Refuse to elaborate >Sail away

[@BigMek456]

>have 600 casulaties while the enemy has like 20 >the sabotage has almost no effect >claim its a great success

[@Galactipod]

This was a German victory.

[@calebbarnhouse496]

​@@BigMek456i really don't get why they wanted infantry landing and blowing the bridge, sure blowing the bridge protects your infantry, but you didn't really need the infantry to draw attention, I feel like the whole thing could have been accomplished better if they just used there guns to draw attention to it

[@kassiperpro1378]

Your most interesting video in a long time! Love this one

[@haveraygunwilltravel]

Another great video. I impatiently wait for your new one's.

[@lobaandrade7172]

I like to think of Zeebrugge as one of the first ever Spec Ops missions in history

[@Sky_Guy]

Under what criterion? Seaborne landings, raids, and behind-the-line sabotage by specialized forces is not a new concept by any means, look to the Portugese marines, the Vikings, hell the speculatores of Rome. The only thing that sets Zeebrugge apart from them is there's a Battlefield map for it, if that's the criteria for a "spec ops missions" then sure.

[@juanzulu1318]

The US civil war included various spec ops, including naval ones with subs.

[@johncarter4956]

Spy and assasination missions exist as long as mankind itself. Naval raiding is the same starting from mere raiding of warehouse and storage for seafood of another tribe to the attempt of disrupting a construction of ships during the days of empire.

[@dehavillandvampire]

Considering that the Victoria Cross award requirements were raised in 1914 due to the new intensity of modern warfare potentially "diluting" the medal's effectiveness in the eyes of the War Office the fact that Zeebrugge has the 2Nd most VCs for a single action is all the more impressive, by the old standards which Rooke's drift operated under it probably comes out on top.

[@Dave_Sisson]

There's also the fact that at Rourke's Drift a small group were surrounded by a large enemy contingent and they had been told what happened at Isandlwana where all British soldiers had been killed. So they did not have the option to hide or run away, if they all didn't fight to their utmost, they knew they would die, so bravery was their only option. That's not denigrating those who fought at Rourke's Drift, but rather to praise those at Zeebrugge who fought in extreme conditions when many could have avoided putting themselves in such extreme danger by not pressing the attack as hard as they did.

[@Peoples_Republic_of_Devonshire]

The entire 4th Battalion RMLI was awarded the VC which triggered a rule that recipients must be chosen by ballot. The rules stipulated that one officer, one NCO, and two other ranks should be selected but for whatever reason only Captain Edward Bamford RMLI and Sgt Norman Finch RMA were selected

[@amptechron]

Excellent as always!

[@MrBrian4109]

Thank you for the history plus you honor those men !

[@Thecrownswill]

You and drachinifel both at the same time? Yay!

[@The3Lego3Freak]

Amazing work as always guys

[@bobbrown5460]

Great 👍

[@peregrinemccauley5010]

Fantastic raid . Another gutsy effort from British and Commonwealth personal and forces .

[@anttitheinternetguy3213]

Came here after watching drachinifels video on a subject. Very entertaining, you two should do More collabs together

[@sfs2040]

Who else got excited when he mentioned Drachinifel?

[@juanzulu1318]

Very interesting. Never heard about this operation.

[@kevindavidson8802]

I was wondering how both you and Drachinifel had the same content come out so close together. Im watching this video after I got done with his.

[@micahistory]

Heard of it before but nice to see it in more detail here

[@iainmalcolm9583]

Great stuff. And I get to watch a Drachinifel video as well.

[@72Jspencer]

Excellent video. It should be noted that HMS Vindictive's bow still exists at Ostend.

[@marvwatkins7029]

Nice to coordinate with Drach.

[@jamesbugbee9026]

The Apollo class were 'protected cruisers', not 'armored cruisers'; this may seem a nitpick, but the Apollos displaced only ~3000 tons, whereas British CAs of the age were over 7000 tons. Vindictive was ~6000 tons

[@beachboy0505]

Amazing video 📹 Amazing graphics 👌

[@bluephoenix8470]

No matter what war, the British always do stuff like this.

[@FKHendy]

Holy shit, thought I recognised the name Albert McKenzie. I used to live next to the memorial to him in Bermondsey

[@maxdecphoenix]

... you don't 'win' a medal, you EARN it. And a Medal isn't 'given', it is awarded.

[@old_guard2431]

Well scripted/illustrated/narrated/edited/etc. I am curious about where black-and-white film footage came from. Assumption: 1920’s or early 1930’s production. Re-creating a night scene with the slow stocks available would not have been an easy task. But it predates the classic 35mm format.😊

[@Mrbigleswirth]

All those men lost only to block the canal for a few days

[@VincentNajger1]

@9:00 ....Imagine surviving that Hellfire, only to be laid low by an invisible bug only months later.....if THAT isn't a Clarion Call to live every single day and moment as if it was your last, appreciate everything around you no matter how small or insignificant and enjoy literally every single second, well then I don't know what is....

[@bikenavbm1229]

OUTSTANDING

[@Ryuko-T72]

"8 Victoria crosses where awarded in total. the second most for a single action. Only Rorkes drift has seen more awarded." Thats an insane metric to think about. I don't have any other words. Absolutely incredible.

[@TankerBricks]

Excellent video!

[@51WCDodge]

Royal Daffodil, is worth her own story. Built as a train ferry , then used at Zebbrugge , she went on to take part in 'The Second Dunkirk' from St Malo and the Channel Islands , finally she took part in the Dieppe raid , where she was sunk HMS Erebus was also a bombardment ship on D-Day . HMS Terror was sunk in 1940 of Libiya.

[@jgadvphotographyvideo7936]

The bow of HMS Vindictive is still a memorial in Ostend

[@Wolfsong27FlyHalfFullHeart]

Why is this not a movie? This is an amazing assault

[@kingsleywray6632]

Thanks to the colas I found your channel. Subbed. Thanks for sharing

[@ee12321]

Great video

[@raymondtonns2521]

such tenacity under fire!!

[@micahistory]

wow 200 medals in an hour, that is quite impressive

[@MultiFallguy]

for a failed raid, yes.

[@KingUsyk]

​@@MultiFallguythey didn't fail

[@toptiergaming6900]

I love this map on battlefield 1

[@imperator9343]

HMS Vindictive. One of the most aptly named ships to ever sail.

[@scottessery100]

some seriously high ranking casualties on the butchers bill.... not everyone were like lord melchett

[@chrisholland7367]

Did hear the landing parties which consisted of Marines and saliors were armed with nothing more than cutlesses and coshes .

[@Rocketsong]

I am subscribed to both you and Drach. I knew two videos on Zeebrugge on the same day had to be coordinated.

[@perrinayebarra]

Those monitors are the strangest and most fascinating ships

[@Big_E_Soul_Fragment]

Drachinifel watchers also getting both notifications: This is getting out of hand now there are two of them!

[@Aelxi]

This is where -fun- raid begins

[@themightynanto3158]

You should do a video on the Battle of the Dardanelles Strait of 18 March 1915 when the British and the French tried to force the Dardanelles. And It should be titled: When 20 mines crippled a fleet.

[@legoium6022]

Will you ever do Napoleonic History? That’d be really interesting with your style of videos

[@christopherhanton6611]

wow what a video 200 medals that a record

[@ratagris21]

You don't win medals....you receive them.

[@unknownuser8228]

Basically the WW1 version of Operation Chariot

[@michaelcampin1464]

I have a picture of my father standing next to the monument to the British raid on Zeebrugge it is in the shape of St Georges sword

[@NareshSinghOctagon]

Was Royal Navy insane? Yes,in more ways then one!

[@lewiswestfall2687]

great video

[@wiretamer5710]

There are a few pieces of the puzzle that deserve mention. What happened to the stranded sub C1 and her crew? What happened to the fire support from the other larger ships in the raid? Clearly they were ineffective in silencing the defensive armour on the Zeebrugge mole? How long did it take to replace the bridge connecting the Zeebrugge mole to the mainland? Are there any stories of the entire ride from the German perspective? Surely the Germans regarded the defence of the mole as a success?

[@jonathanwilliams1065]

Why has no movie been made about this? Or hell a miniseries would likely be needed to tell many of the stories?!

[@AK-ky3ou]

Incredible

[@FiveLiver]

I just gave up on the Drachinifel version (what a name) - this looks more like it!

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

Britain clearly said, *Bonjour.*

[@frederickhaaken456]

That was some bad ass pirate raid level shit

[@wedgeantillies66]

Another brilliantly awesome and exquisitely terrific tale of operation in which the men and sailors of the royal marines and navy, showed supreme courage above and beyond the call of duty in carrying out said operation. Correct me if I wrong, didn't this raid provide the inspiration for the St Nazaire's raid of world war2?

[@LTPolasGlassII]

10:22 Distinguished Service -Crosses- Orders

[@whateverthisis389]

Why do I find “With their Comically large 15 inch guns” so funny-