1945: The Last Surviving Ancient Battleships of the Kriegsmarine

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Thanks for watching! I know I know, I messed up some German pronunciations, who would've guessed!?! It's not on purpose, I just mess up with other languages and sometimes my own, I'm only human. Which, some might say is an added bonus considering the amount of AI channels now.

[@CliveN-yr1gv]

I jsut searched for some American place names: La Jolla, Acequia, Hahira, Bucyrus ... I have no clue how to say these, so please don't concern yourself too much. FYI you were pretty close most of the time!😄

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Lol out of the places you named I can only confidently do Bucyrus off the top of my head, an excellent place to get some bratwursts and other sausages.

[@max-imal8588]

You pronounced Schleswig-Holstein relatively well, but please never say Schlesien like that again xD

[@kidmohair8151]

don't picnic...I mean, panic. (HH'sGTTG reference) now you know. it's what you do going forward that counts.

[@brittakriep2938]

Les mots en langue allemand sont parlez bon. The words are not spoken perfect, but totally understandable. So schwierig ist Deutsch nicht, wenn man eine verwandte Sprache spricht.

[@BHuang92]

It's ironic that the Schleswig-Holstein, the first to start WW2, was one of the last ships Germany had at the end of WW2.

[@jamesricker3997]

She was so old the allies didn't consider her worth sinking

[@automatic6216]

It's like that American dude from Virginia named Wilmer McLean. McLean lived near this place called Manassas Junction in Virginia where a small stream called Bull Run meandered about. That's where the Union and Confederate armies fought their first major engagement of the American Civil War. Wilmer, understandably terrified by this, packed up and left Manassas to settle in a more quiet part of the state, a place called Appomatox Court House - which is where General Lee surrendered to General Grant at the end of the American Civil War. The War started in his backyard and ended in his living room.

[@brianmutcher9585]

It would have been great to preserve it as a museum ship

[@brianmutcher9585]

@@automatic6216that was interesting story dude

[@cliphound80]

I wish the Schleswig-Holstein survived to become a museum ship. I love her classic pre-Dreadnaught lines.

[@TrangleC]

My grandfather served on the Schleswig Holstein when it fired the first shots of the war, shelling Polish troops surrounding the city of Danzig. He later transferred to a Motor Torpedo Boat and he successfully had applied to become part of the Bismarck's crew, but luckily for him (and subsequently me), he got wounded shortly before transferring and another unlucky bastard took his place and went down with the ship. My grandfather's Motor Torpedo Boat crew refused to surrender when the war officially ended. They sneaked into a already allied occupied Luftwaffe base to steal ammo for their MGs and kept raiding allied ships for about 2 weeks after the surrender, without killing anybody. That was why they were "only" sentenced to 20 years of hard labor for "piracy" when they were eventually caught, but they were released early after 2 years because they had volunteered to clear sea mines. He had a pretty adventurous life. After being released he became a engineer working for a company that installed and maintained coffee and cocoa bean roasting ovens and traveled all over Africa, South-America and Asia in the 50s and 60s. Apparently he almost got jailed again for smuggling medicine into Haiti or something like that. His oldest son, my uncle, followed in his footsteps by becoming a merchant sailor and ending up living as a fugitive in Mexico, working odd jobs after beating up a police man while on shore leave.

[@the_mistery1999]

Lol the hell is going on with your family backstory. Even with all that madnes still great

[@bigships]

Bro you got some amazing family lore

[@TrangleC]

@@bigships I think most people have, they just rarely know enough about it. I personally don't know that much either, but one day I want to look into it all some more. There is a book that was written about the origins of the family, so to say. I've never read it and last saw it as a kid. I think one of my uncles inherited it when my granny died. Have to ask him one day. From what little I heard it was a interesting story. I'm from an impoverished side-arm of a rich land owner family. They had a castle and my grand-grandmother, the mother of the grandfather who was in the navy, was the last child born in that castle. It was kind of abandoned, turned into a military hospital during WW2 and then bombed by the Allies and never rebuilt. The story how that castle ended up in the possession of the family is funny. They were squatters who stole it. It was during one of the Crusades in the 12th century when 3 Swedish brothers, all knights traveled through Germany on their way to the Middle East to join the Crusade. They stumbled over a castle in the South-West of what would later become Germany that was kind of vacant because the owner, a German knight, had run off to the Crusades himself and was MIA. The 3 Swedish brothers just decided to forget about the Crusade and take over that castle and they started robbing people in the area. The Duke who ruled the place didn't have the manpower to get rid of them, so he offered them a deal. They were allowed to keep the caste if they agreed to stop robbing people and become tax and toll collectors working for the Duke, which they did. I know less about my mother's side of the family, but what I know is a bit interesting too, at least to me. My mother was from Croatia, but she was only half Croatian herself. One of her grandfathers had been a Austrian river sailor who shipped cargo up and down the Danube. When WW1 broke out, he was interned in Serbia and his ship was confiscated. In the internment camp he fell in love with a Swiss nurse and married her. When the war was over he was bankrupt because he didn't get his ship back, so they stayed at the Croatian coast where he worked as a fisherman and sailor. I bet most people have such stories to tell about their families, especially when those families went through turbulent times like wars and which family hasn't?

[@ThePeterd13]

My grandfather (mother´s father) served as an officer aboard the Schlesien - he accidentaly went overboard in heavy seas and was never found again.

[@CliveN-yr1gv]

Thank you for researching and delivering this; another great doco. I love how older weapon systems/ships are re-lifed to make meaningful contributions to their fleets. We see it now, with older rifles being brought out of storage in Ukraine. I briefly served in a Centurion tank (they were introduced in 1945) that had seen service in Korea, Suez, and Germany, completing its last operational tour in Iraq. It had been part of a the Royal Tank Regiment as a 'gun' tank, then an artillery regiment (as an Observation Post Royal Artillery (OPRA Tank), and latterly as an Assault Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE). I believe it is now in the tank museum in Munsterlager. Maybe not that particular tank, but this type managed to provide useful (if troublesome and increasingly slow) service for almost half a century. Whether as training ships, target ships, or even battery ships, these three ships had long and interesting careers (regardless of which side they were on). Well done.

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Thank you for your kind words as always! It’s always interesting to see older technologies used long after their heyday. I can recall my grandfather discussing his Army training and the World War 2 equipment he was issued in the early 1960s. The rifles and vehicles weren’t exactly top notch for some Midwest national guard! Also, what a tour for that Centurion!

[@gone547]

Regarding your comment on the Centurion. You left out the Australian's use of the Mark 5 in South Vietnam where it served for 4 years. Equally at home in the sands along the coastline, across the rice paddies, jungle bashing, to the hills and mountains within. In dusty searing heat, to the humid, muddy drenching monsoon, it gave an excellent account of itself despite reservations that were expressed before it's deployement. It saved many a bacon and struck fear into an enemy that learned not to tangle with it. An excellent tank that never let it's crew down or the infantry it supported. Even today, properly crewed, in certain scenarios it would be a force to be reckoned with.

[@CliveN-yr1gv]

​@@gone547good point. Thanks

[@JukeboxOddities]

The reichmarine of the inter war time had no other choice. Germany had to give away all of their linienschiffe minus a few of the smaller ones. Then Versailles contract limitted the size and weight of new ships. Technology to build some of the bigger guns was lost too!

[@nxs3374]

Thankyou. This is first video where I hear my Granfathers ship mentioned “ Hannover” That brought a smile to me. Thanks

[@piergaay]

Respect for the serious attempt to pronounce the German names! And for the interesting piece of history!

[@CaptainColdyron222]

I like when you use the “war situation developed not necessarily to their advantage” line. The understatement of the century from Hirohito.

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Oh my goodness, someone finally gets it! I’ve had so many comments calling me a moron over that statement. Thank you sir!

[@stevenwestswanson9263]

Great Video!

[@russeljohn3471]

Interesting and informative video. Thanks for all your hard work. 👍

[@AnchoredPast]

Great video & Very well researched!!!! Howerver this is kinda gonna go off topic from the video. Its more of a request in a sense. I would like to put in a ship that can be added to the weird & wacky german list. I know I made a playful jab about the Scharnhorst-class Armored Cruisers being added, but this one is diffrent. I would like to suggest the SMS Blücher. She for all intensive purposes is a very weird design, and was the last Armored Cruiser to be commissioned in Germany. She was obsolete for her time even from the drawing board. Her turret configuration was that of a Nassau-class Battleship while only being 8in guns. But yet her armor held while facing Battlecruisers at the Battle of Dogger Bank, at least long enough to let the rest of squadron retreat. She was for everything its worth a very weird, and wacky ship.

[@Legitpenguins99]

*intents and purposes. Not intensive purposes. I get it, I thought that for years because that's how it sounded to me

[@jackcade68]

Great episode! I enjoyed it.

[@Burninhellscrootoob]

Ive always had an eye for the 1905 Deutschland class battleships, i wish someone would come out with a dual model kit of these ships as originally produced, and in their post 1924-45 refits.....sort of like the Emden/ Dresden dual Revell kit of 2 in one box.

[@lawrencelewis2592]

I have a 1/250 scale model of the S.W. that I built over 50 years ago. It's a paper kit and is now looking a bit tattered. Paper or card models are a lot more fun to build than plastic in my opinion. I could almost have my own battle of Jutland with the ones that I have.

[@matthewnewton8812]

The German pronunciation rules for ie/ei are quite simple. Once you know them, you can pronounce any German word where it appears. If the grouping is “ie” it’s pronounced “eee”. If the grouping is “ei” it’s pronounced “aye”. And also the “s” followed by a vowel is typically propounded like the English “z”. So Schlesien would therefore be “shlay-zeen”.

[@RayyMusik]

No, Schlesien is an exception; the e doesn’t just prolong the i but is pronounced separately.

[@callsigndd9ls897]

@@RayyMusik "Shley-zee-an" and "Shlayzvig Holstein" would youbhave to pronounce it in English to make it sound German. Yes, it's this stupid sound shift between the English and German language, which makes it difficult for English speakers to learn German.

[@uwepomeranus3137]

​@@RayyMusikcorrect, 'shlay-ze-an'. This way it is at the end of at least two syllab words (like 'Italien'/Italy, 'Ferien'/holidays).

[@stefanurich8562]

You forgot to mentio SMS Goeben, a battlecruiser which was in service until 1973 in the turkish navy

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Did you watch until the end?

[@tylermcneill]

Great video

[@hazchemel]

Really interesting story, thank you.

[@bigsarge2085]

Interesting!

[@raymondromanos1479]

Schlesien is pronounced Schlay-zee-en. Otherwise great video. Keep up the good work.

[@gone547]

It's a pity a severly damaged, unrestored, but made safe fighting ship hadn't been turned into an unmolested floating museum/memorial in honor of those who died on it and other ships, and as a visual testament to the ferocity/brutality of war. I have toured a number of restored giants that leave no trace of their wounds and their valiant service and quite frankly, for other than their size and technical marvel, leave me cold and wanting. I'm not saying all of the ship, but some of the more dramatic battle damage onboard should be left intact. I have also during my time, visited a number of famous battlegrounds, before they were turned into Disney-style theme parks and confected tourist attractions by the arty/farty crowd, and I have found those visits quite sombre, sobering and an honor to the men from both sides, who fought and died there. R.I.P.

[@dandrakenholt5455]

Really interesting, good work. I will follow you!!!!

[@richardwolf8024]

Goeben was offered by the Turks to West Germany for use as a museum ship. The West Germans declined, and Goeben was scrapped. I think the West Germans should have accepted, but no doubt they had their reasons.

[@johnlavery3433]

Two reasons, one, it could be interpreted as glorifying their imperial past, would have been a big no go, the other is money. Museum ships burn through a lot of money, and if they should it wasn’t viable in the long run then it was better to get the scrapping over and done with

[@richardwolf8024]

@@johnlavery3433 both of those are possibilities.

[@callsigndd9ls897]

No, the Turks did not offer it to German government, but to a German shipbreaking yard, which was to scrap it. The yard was to pay over 8 million DM for it, which was too expensive for them. It was not until the 1970s that a private initiative was launched to turn it into a museum ship, but that too failed because of the selling price and the possible follow-up costs. On the other hand, the ship has been heavily modernized and rebuilt over the years, so that only the hull of the former cruiser was actually original.

[@daveanderson3805]

Great video. And your pronunciation of german words is okay. And I appreciate your not using AI generated voice over

[@Jedi.Toby.M]

KZbin loves comments and likes! SO... I have...by years of hard work, and countless security checks....an armed, and mostly under reported, or tracked drone.... YOU WILL LIKE and FULLY WATCH this upload.

[@michaelramsey3986]

What about Prinz Eugen?

[@VersusARCH]

Heavy cruiser. Not a battleship.

[@michaelramsey3986]

@@VersusARCH I understand, but you did mention the Graf Zeppelin.

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

It's a couple of things. 1. I did cover Prinz Eugen in another video. 2. She was a heavy cruiser, and was constructed in the late 1930s, and this video was specifically about the Kaiser's remaining battleships left in German service at the end of the Second World War. Here's a link to the Prinz Eugen video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGKymYCuf7Nqh9k Hope I cleared some things up.

[@michaelramsey3986]

@@ImportantNavalHistory thank you, I loved you vid.

[@ericvantassell6809]

remants is 2 syllables. ruminants is 3

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Thanks, appreciate it. Have a great week :)

[@michaelnaisbitt7926]

The Schleswig Holstein was supposed to be on a peace mission in Poland when it opened fire on the Poilish fortifications and started WEW 2

[@Viking88Power]

Quite interesting!

[@nico.bruhwiler1280]

Possible en français ?!

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Sorry friend, I don’t have the resources for that.

[@callsigndd9ls897]

Use Google Translator, works great between English, German and French.

[@okanolin70]

your information about the Hessen is not entirely correct, they served in 4 navies. Kaiserliche Marine-German Empire Reichsmarine-Weimar Republic Kriegsmarine-Third Reich Red Fleet-Soviet Union

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

I’ll grant you the wording could’ve been better. However taking from Aidan Dodson in the Kaiser’s Battlefleet German Capital Ships 1871-1918, “Here she commissioned on 3 June under the name Tsel, and continued to serve until 1960, along with the former Blitz (now Vystrel), when they were stricken, almost 60 years since the former Hessen’s keel had been laid and after active service in four fleets and two navies.” Four fleets in what you are describing, but two navies in the sense of nations she served in. Hope this clears things up. Have a great week.

[@callsigndd9ls897]

Yes, the German navy change his name 5 times. Also after WWII two times. German navy 1955 to 1990: Bundesmarine (Federal Navy) German navy after reunion 1990 Deutsche Marine (German Navy)

[@okanolin70]

@@callsigndd9ls897 It is not just the name that changes, but also the form of government and the subsequent docking of the respective navy. You cannot therefore simply describe them as German, that would be too simplistic.

[@callsigndd9ls897]

@@okanolin70 logisch

[@okanolin70]

@@callsigndd9ls897 Furthermore, you have forgotten another navy, the 'Volksmarine' of the GDR

[@benperry2412]

How sad this made it so far.

[@mikecoglione1308]

I would give someone else's left arm to be able to have visited some of the WW-2 capture prize ships like these, the Prinz Eugen, Gneisenau or even some of the Japanese ships like Nagato, Takao or even the Italian ships. Feel grateful that I volunteered on a museum ship and had access to all kinds of spaces not open to the public or did some of these expensive tours for free because of my connections and visits.

[@RolfHarms-dm1bm]

Schleswig Holstein war kein Schlachtschiff,sondern ein Linienschiff.

[@callsigndd9ls897]

Ich glaube die Briten verwenden den Begriff Linienschiff (line ship) nicht. Es gibt nur den Begriff "Ship of the Line" aus der Segelschiffzeit. Das konnten aber alle Schiffstypen sein, wenn sie in Linie hintereinander segelten um feindliche Schiffe mit allen Kanonen bei der Vorbeifahrt zu beschießen. Es war eher eine Seeschlachtstrategie, aber kein Schiffstyp.

[@RolfHarms-dm1bm]

@@callsigndd9ls897 die Royal Navy hatte die Linienschiffe in Klassen unterteilt 1.Klasse 3 Decker mit 90 bis 120 Kanonen 2.Klasse 2.Decker 80 bis 90 Kanonen 3.Klasse 2.Decker 74 bis 80 Kanonen Wobei die 74 das Standart Linenschiff bildeten. 4.Klasse 2.Decker 64 Kanonen(veralterter Schiffstyp) Den 64er wurde später um schnell gleichwertige Fregatten gegen die US Navy Fregatten (USS Constetution)mit starker Feuerkraft zubekommen das obere Batteriedeck entfernt.

[@CliveN-yr1gv]

@@callsigndd9ls897 das stimmt 👍

[@GarryBennett-x8p]

The great German empire what a shame it all went tits up.

[@kidmohair8151]

nothing like a former enemy's pre-dreadnaught being gobbled up by a soon to be nuclear powered and armed navy made up of mostly submarines... there is some sort of irony therein. (the previous comment was made to satisfy the tube'y'all's algo-deities who, fortunately, don't read them before they digest)

[@juansintierra2590]

What a blunder, man. at 19:43...! You say the Schlesien was in the war's last weeks THE ONLY vessel above destroyer size still operational "... Wow...what about the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen and the light cruiser Nurnberg ? Check your papers, dude.

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Yes, theoretically they could have been operational, but in reality they were not. Both of whom were laid up in Copenhagen and had been since April. I’ve discussed both of those cruisers previously. Schlesien was the only one still operating in the war. I do check my sources.

[@tombristowe846]

Only two syllables in "remnants".

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Thanks, appreciate it. Have a great week :)

[@tombristowe846]

@@ImportantNavalHistory I feel guilty now and a bit unkind. I'd probably had a bit too much to drink!

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Oh, don't feel bad. That comment wasn't even bad, it's just a fact I messed up. Trust me, I don't really take any of it to heart. If I did I would've had to quite a long time ago!

[@tombristowe846]

@@ImportantNavalHistory Thanks for your generous reply. It's sooo easy to be critical on line!

[@Historylord15]

Schlesien is pronounced Schlese-en

[@gabrielballester8357]

No me imteresa en idioma ingles

[@danschneider9921]

One small item "Schlesien" is pronounced more like "Schlee-sin" than 'Schley-see-on" My grandmother was from that province and that' how I remember hearing her pronounce it. Absolutely not trying to bust your b@lls over it. Just figured I would share.

[@raymondromanos1479]

No, it's pronounced "schlay-zee-en".

[@danschneider9921]

@@raymondromanos1479 Noted. Perhaps my grandmother had some local dialect, accent or who knows. Plus I am trying to phonetically type out pronunciation of a German word in English. Maybe we are actually on the same page. So cut me some slack.

[@brittakriep2938]

Schlesien is realy spoken Schlesien in german language!

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Oh yeah you’re fine, I pinned comment addresses it. I just goofed up.

[@callsigndd9ls897]

@@ImportantNavalHistory The reason for this is the stupid sound shift between the English and German language.

[@orjeetghrajshingbade-d3d]

Lee Betty Rodriguez Kevin Lee Robert

[@Stoertebekerxyz]

Ich hasse deutsche Videoüberschriften und englische Videos. Bevor Google KZbin übernommen hatte konnte man videos nach Sprache sortieren.

[@thomaskositzki9424]

"In early 1945 the war situation developed not necessarily to Germany's advantage." Yeah, no shit. 😂 Germany had lost the war on a strategic level for two years, had suffered the worst single military defeat on land in history (Operation Bagration, July 1944), had loss rates which defied any sound military reasoning and the general situation could be described as "apocalyptic" without exaggerating at all.

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

Love starting this series with that phrase lol. It’s a play on emperor Hirohito’s surrender speech, I figured the absurdity of the statement catches the attention of people.

[@thomaskositzki9424]

@@ImportantNavalHistory Wow, yes! I actually heard the speech with captions not long ago (WW2 in realtime, Indy Neidell)! It was so outrageous in distorting the actual facts, it makes the glorious moustache men of Europe (red & brown) look like champions of truth. 😳😂In all seriousness I got a little upset about it, it was such a horrendous lie from start to finish. Under these circumstances I applaud you, sir, on your level of knowledge and nerdiness! As I can't applaud physically, I smashed every like button I could find. 🙃🥰😃

[@minimax9452]

A few weeks later Lord Keynes was sent to USA to negotiate about the bancrupcy of the British. They had to pay back their debt to usa until 2011 and lost their Empire. Since the GB is the poodle of USA 😂

[@juansintierra2590]

Biased comment.

[@uwepomeranus3137]

​@@juansintierra2590but untrue?

[@seanparsons4649]

Mate, you need a lesson in basic English grammar and pronunciation.

[@ImportantNavalHistory]

I think I do just fine thanks, appreciate the comment, have a great week!