Midget U-Boats: Germany's Tiny Submarines

[@BrettonFerguson]

@5:10 "A Biber accidentally fired a torpedo in a port, sinking 11 other Biber submarines." Are you sure that was an accident? The pilot probably saved the other Pilot's lives by sinking their Bibers before they were sent out to the ocean.

[@christopherconard2831]

My first thought too. Risk one court martial vs eleven friends saved. Seems like a fair trade.

[@tnbspotter5360]

Bibers also sunk the quality of music in 2010.

[@MrSGL21]

oh. BURN!

[@patriotenfield3276]

So, you up against Bieber and UBFA.... Well then Good luck 😆😆😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣

[@StephenFarthing]

Tnb Spotter they got it Justin time :-)

[@anthropoid2405]

drum drum symbol 😂

[@david_fisher]

Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber was one of the greats of baroque music. But not 2010.

[@mikewright84]

So Grandpa, what did you do in the Navy? Well sonny, I was deep in a Beaver!

[@MrSteveo114]

I vas deep in zee beavers.

[@clifffox9329]

@@MrSteveo114 nu nu Uiui gy hi

[@clifffox9329]

U

[@clifffox9329]

CF.

[@Roy-mk9zl]

I vaz deep in zee veeverz.

[@hanzykrupps6383]

Can NEVER get enough of this channel!!! He puts even the old school History Channel to shame. ❤️

[@soylentgreen6727]

“They also had the rather annoying habit of getting sunk” lol dry British humour

[@hshs5756]

That's the fascinating thing about submarines we try not to think about: They ALL sink -- it's what they're designed to do. The question is whether they ever make it back to the surface. Every time a sub goes out it's skating on the thin edge of disaster, knowing that the controlled sinking could suddenly become an uncontrolled sinking.

[@jonnibegood1]

...dry! 🌊👊🏼😂🇬🇧🤣

[@MrBioniclefan1]

I found it funny

[@tanksgobrrrr]

Legendary

[@General_Eisenhower1945]

I read that in Bob Newharts voice

[@ddegn]

This is a great history of *burial at sea coffins.*

[@Josh-hr5mc]

Correction - Live burial at sea coffins

[@bigblue6917]

Self inflicted burial at sea. 😊

[@tonypepperoni3679]

Must've been hard to maintain morale being ordered to pilot a coffin with a bomb.

[@ajjamz]

I think they prefer to be called Small Stature Submarines!

[@bigblue6917]

Horizontally challenged I think the phrase is.

[@shaunwild8797]

I just posted and saw you had beat me to it. lol.

[@me262talon2]

funny

[@AgencyIsland]

@@bigblue6917 we had the exact same response to this comment lol

[@hshs5756]

Next they're going to have preferred pronouns.

[@tncorgi92]

Sounds like they were their own worst enemy.

[@RollingSherman505]

I believe you mean wurst enemy, ja?

[@jonnibegood1]

👊🏼🤣

[@LiftOffLife]

I agree 😬

[@barfuss2007]

yes, more or less a suicide commando, more than 50% died during the first mission.

[@andrewroberts1082]

those pilot were very often on pervitin to stay awake for so long

[@foximacentauri7891]

The brother of my grandmother actually got trained with a Bieber. Luckily, the war ended before he got sent to combat.

[@krispybacon9285]

a brother of your grandmother? so.. Granduncle?

[@David-eh9le]

@@krispybacon9285 the Term granduncle isnt used a Lot in Germany

[@howiebouthat3435]

My grandad was a midget submariner and jailed after the war. His crime? Small arms offences

[@finnishwehraboo8377]

HEHEHEHEH

[@secretagent4445]

Is that what he told you ?

[@Fowlgun]

My great, great, great, great, great, great granddad was a T-Rex and was a similar criminal...

[@Roller_Ghoster]

I had a small relative. He was an amateur psychic and a thief and escaped jail too. The message they put out was that there was a small medium at large.

[@matiasgazzarri4959]

What does that mean?

[@soylentgreen6727]

Imagine if the Seehunds were able to be deployed in numbers during the D-day landings? They could have caused catastrophic losses

[@johndo3930]

to whom? the german sailors?

[@SpudEater]

John do In large enough numbers they certainly could’ve cut the allied supply lines and halted further advances. Germans took a moment to get the “over-engineering” bullshit out of their heads but when they did, the devised some of the most dangerous weapons of war and devices that we based our entire space program on. WW2 era Germany single handedly brought about some of the most important advances in military and scientific history.

[@freddyfox5002]

Only problem is I´m running out of your videos. They are outstanding. Keep being Steady as a Rock. That´s why I like your channel. It´s comforting to know what you sort of presentation I will get.

[@Theogenerang]

Makes the CSS Hunley look like an exercise in workplace health and safety.

[@varovaro1967]

I am always afraid that Mark will run out of amazing stories....

[@MarkFeltonProductions]

That's not going to happen!

[@vindobonaification]

Never was the term "death traps" more fitting than for those german midget submarines.

[@MrSteveo114]

I prefer the term submersible suicide xD.

[@verrelrafiano6564]

Edelbrandfreund there’s actually a literal suicide submarine called the kaiten that was used by the japanese navy

[@W1se0ldg33zer]

'You're gonna climb inside that and attack battleships??' ~Americans at the time

[@StylinandRaciallyProfilin]

*laughs in C.S.S. Hunley*

[@flyer11234]

“I shall call him mini U”

[@setoki2838]

You mean "mini u"

[@SupermarineSpacefire44]

Bdm tsssss

[@build2270]

Me and my minions have done it again!

[@legionary2953]

69 likes

[@linnharamis1496]

Daniel Loughery - hahahahaha! Good one😉👍

[@foxu8581]

Its 12:37am here in Saudi Arabia Mark but im still alive by watching your videos A Filipino subscriber here! Godbless sir

[@OrdinaryJack1912]

I don't know what it is, but World War Two is so fascinating to me. The vast types of new vehicles that I learn about by watching these videos amazes me.

[@darkodjogo96]

1:27 "they had a rather anoying habbit of getting sunk" I really like this sense of humour :)

[@jonnibegood1]

Dry humour...🌊🇬🇧👊🏼🤣

[@Peoples_Republic_of_Devonshire]

A very British sense of humour. Smashing 👍

[@WernerGrundling]

“Too little, too late” I saw what you did there!

[@Bill23799]

When I was a boy in the mid 60's I ordered a German Seehund Midget Submarine from an ad in the back of my Superrman Comic Book.

[@IronViking88]

this channel reminds me of the good old days of the History Channel before it was all aliens, ghosts and Alaska

[@CounterClaws]

Don't forget bigfoot lol.

[@redsorgum]

Rex Coolguy Yep, I’m surprised the Food Channel isn’t broadcasting the same crap......

[@airsoftalgerie3302]

Last time i was this early the Tirpitz wasnt hiding in norwegian fjords

[@hootsmon4723]

I was 7 minutes late myself 🤣🤣

[@bigblue6917]

Not sure you got that bit right. The Tirpitz isn't hiding in the fjords now. Well most of it isn't anyway.😊

[@pierresihite8854]

Last time I was this early Bismarck conducted its maiden voyage

[@AyatollahS9430]

>Intro Music starts AAAAAAWWWWWW YEEEEAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! ITS TIME TO LEARN!!!!

[@johngibson2884]

Love the story of the bold attack by Japan on Australia with midget subs...and how the remains of the naval men of Japan were returned with full military honors to Japan ...during the war. Men can fight each other and still show respect with dignity, alrhough sometimes we forget this 🙏

[@simonkevnorris]

I knew there was a large loss of crew in the U-Boats during the war but the percentage of losses must have been un-sustainable in these mini-submarines. Great video and interesting story as usual.

[@MaskHysteria]

Not the only Bibers that were terrible...

[@Lockbar]

"Sea-Hunds are Us!"

[@chrisneedham5803]

Better name "Death wish sea-dogs"

[@lilrip2691]

Another excellent presentation. Thank you for your dedication.

[@SupesMe]

Doc the scary part here is you talked about the dozens of these things that got sunk...and next to nothing about the crews getting out 😕

[@strattabyte683]

Those poor poor Nazis

[@bigblue6917]

I think the fact that he talked about them being sunk and nothing about the people getting out may be connected.

[@jerryudonneedtoknow3903]

You most likely dont live if your in a submarine and it is hit

[@CarLos-yi7ne]

Mark talking about "Death traps" is saying enough I guess..

[@DAndyLord]

@@strattabyte683 I'm pretty sure that most Kriegsmarine sailors weren't Nazis.

[@napster7825]

I now know so much more about midget subs. So many things I didn't know before. Thank you Mark.

[@rawbacon]

Neat old truck pulling that sub.

[@DamoBloggs]

Another deeply saddening example of the desperate insanity that beset Germany in it's final years of the war. Great video!

[@StartledPancake]

Hope you enjoy making these superb documentaries as much as we enjoy watching them Mark.

[@AussieVet]

Havent even watched the whole video yet ........know that I would love it because it's Mark.

[@Darrylx444]

Utterly fascinating, and very well presented (as usual).

[@benshark94]

The settle way that Mark said "these death traps" goes to show that Germany during world war 2 were insane with weapon projects. 😏

[@kingaroykid]

this is a great video and I had a good laugh at Mark's repeated comments "the Kriegsmarine built 300 of these deathtraps"

[@gl1tch8]

Been watching this channel since you had around 100subs on my other account and this one recently. The research you do is amazing. One gets tired of the same old basic info on TV and in documentary's. You somehow find info on rare events everything is well researched informed and put together. Truly one of my fav ww2 channels and I watch almost all history channels on KZbin..

[@cmonkey63]

I'm gonna watch this again, and do a shot every time I hear the words "death trap". Wish me luck.

[@Pique147]

A diesel engine sharing space with a human in a big torpedo. What could possibly go wrong?!

[@1pcfred]

Less than a gasoline engine in the same place.

[@my_negative_world]

Oh finally! Not only is it Mark Felton but also its midget submarines. Exactly what I was looking for.

[@linnharamis1496]

I’ve been studying World War II for 60 years and I’ve never heard of this particular fascinating segment of World War II history. Thanks👍

[@peonui]

Damn you Mark! Am trying to sleep. It’s 1:00am here. Guess I got to sleep later then.

[@Michaelk-y5z]

und wo ist es jetzt 2 Uhr morgens?

[@bigblue6917]

Sleeps for the weak and uneducated. Now put the coffee on and enjoy the video.😊

[@r2gelfand]

I had no idea about German mini subs! Thank you for your excellent research.

[@konradheumann8342]

Slightly off-topic, but I always appreciate how you go out of your way to pronounce foreign names correctly, Mark - it's rare among English-speaking documentarians! Keep up the good work!

[@richardmiller8028]

Yet another superbly presented and informative gem Mr Felton. Thank you.

[@johnk1639]

Getting close to 100,000,000 views for all your videos! Well done sir.

[@C.Brock3rdID]

Growing up hearing both my grandfathers' war stories, I started studying World War II not long after I began to read. I remember spending much of 5th grade dreaming of sneaking around the Chesapeake Bay in a Seehund. I'd scan military surplus magazines (this was several years before the introduction of the WWW) for midget subs to no avail. I imagine that even a poorly maintained example would've cost several hundred thousand US dollars back then, but boys will be boys. Thanks for the vid!

[@paintnamer6403]

Reconnoiter the Bainbridge naval training center on the Susquehanna River close to mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

[@David_Brinkerhoff93]

Somehow I doubt the friendly fire incedent was an accident...

[@Collectorfirearms]

German history can be summed up by, "too little, too late"

[@WanderfalkeAT]

You ment off course German Late War History, yes? When they totally run out of everything and still managed to build advanced Jets, Rockets and Submarines! Today Germany leads Europe, and the Brits can't even get that Brexit working. British History can be summed up by: Once an Empire now a small Kingdom that Nobody cares about! Even your Royals are German - The longest Dynasty yet, because Germans know how it's done! I also don't like NAZI's but if you want to see some - Go to the US - They live there now - Brought over by your former Colony. The one that kicked you out! Damn, I could go on, and on, and on, and on...

[@yuppy1967]

John maybe in the end against impossible odds. The beginning was quite different though. Look at an early war map and look at one in April 1945. That they even lasted as long as they did is confounding.

[@LiftOffLife]

Same as the establishment of the state of Germany Lol 😄

[@dellawrence4323]

@@WanderfalkeAT You lost both wars you started and your country is being ripped apart by Merkills muslims, get over it.

[@BrianAchterberg928]

Another excellent video Mark. Keep up the great work!

[@mr.duckplucker5353]

Another fantastic job Mark.

[@shatterdreamz2325]

Mark! Please do the Feldgendarmerie!!! Guys up vote so he sees this!

[@davidthefirst6195]

You can't dispute the bravery of the crews that sailed in these death traps

[@oveidasinclair982]

Who in their right mind would pilot these death traps, the Jerry's were not know for a Kamikaze mentality.

[@yuppy1967]

Oveida Sinclair they were proud and wanted to serve their country. Back that that was considered an honor. Many fought to the last bullet and torpedo, and many sacrificed their lives shuttling civilians from east Prussia to German territory at the end of the war.

[@herrakaarme]

Would you rather take the 5% chance of surviving in a mini sub or the 0% chance in front of a firing squad? In addition to maybe coming back alive, at least dying in the sub would be an honourable death in combat. We aren't talking about refusing an order to mass murder civilians or prisoners here. Other than that, the operators weren't probably told the truth of the dangers. Maybe they were told it's 50-50 and depends on their skills and dedication.

[@aceous99]

Thier asian allies probably gave them the idea.

[@stefanschleps8758]

Another example of German technology. Another opportunity squandered by the German high command. With so much advanced armament we were lucky that Hitler bungled along the way he did. With slightly different circumstances. The world would have a much altered landscape. All fantasies aside. They lost, and the Allies won. Both my uncle, who was a sargent in the SS, and my father who was with American 3rd Armored. Told me a few stories about the war era. My mother and grandfather in Vienna told me of the social significance and attitude from a civilian perspective of the times. Thank you Mark. Awsome as usual. Peace.

[@andrewstrongman305]

This is new information I've never even imagined! This is an amazing contribution, thank you Mark!

[@travisbickle5984]

My favorite you tube channel, hands down.

[@paulkirkland3263]

The Biber on display at Duxford is particularly interesting. The 'pilot' , found dead inside, was Joachim Langsdorff, son of Captain Hans Langdorff of the 'pocket battleship' Graf Spee. The damned thing makes me shudder every time I walk by. Great video, Mark.

[@loganb7059]

Lol didn’t know the Germans were besieged at Dunkirk until the end of the war. Probably the British: “Well well well how the turn-tables”

[@vk2ig]

In other words: "What goes around comes around ..."

[@rarevhsuploads4995]

They had besieged garrisons in the Channel Islands & St Nazaire as well.

[@fobstaa]

'tables turn' even better would be 'tables turned'

[@wubuck79]

“Trim was controlled using adjustable weights, which was an extremely bad idea.” I don’t think he’s impressed.

[@jangamaster8677]

Another great video!! Glad too see all the sub growth in your channel, you deserve it all!

[@markbarraclough3567]

Just brilliant yet again! Mark..Where on earth does your amazing & simply brilliant research come from? I love this! Mark Barraclough.

[@geoben1810]

First time hearing about German and British mini subs. HG you're the man!

[@ciuyr2510]

The Intro is just perfectly long enough for one to Like the video & set-up for the story

[@terrystephens1102]

Excellent presentation, thanks.😃👌👏👏👏👏

[@Mugdorna]

“1 shot, 11 kills” An outstanding record.

[@axlealter8585]

Splash damage XD

[@rosspro8153]

Dude, awesome presentation, I love your opening, reminiscent of old history channel show's, very professional!!!

[@ianmacfarlane1241]

(04:00) Jeez, imagine slipping on that jetty. "How did my husband die? A hero on the Eastern Front?" "No, fell under a midget submarine."

[@asheland_numismatics]

Excellent programming!!!

[@jameshoberg1609]

Yet another topic of great interest to me. Thank you sir.

[@blackvic5157]

Outstanding - as usual for Mark Felton. Here I was thinking I was quite well versed in German armament of the era, when actually I had never heard of these weapons, and often denied that any German midget sub program existed. Yet they'd built over a thousand of their various types. That's not the only thing that surprises me about the German midget sub. The fact that they persisted in operating obviously inferior equipment raises a moral conundrum.

[@thiago.ramos.sousa1]

Mark, please talk about the role of Brazil during WW2. German U boats sank hundreds of brazilian merchants ships, forcing the country to send the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB), the Smoking Snakes, to the Italian Front.

[@serioussquad8809]

*Little people u-boats

[@ianmacfarlane1241]

Different times. Nowadays you'd have to think of a less offensive name for your killing machine. "A midget submarine sank a 50,000 tonne tanker with the loss of 30 seamen" "That's horrendous - I can't believe you said midget"

[@bigblue6917]

You make it sound like they were crewed by leprechauns. I think you will find they had more sense then to climb inside them deathtraps.

[@nicholas1130]

You're the only youtube channel that I actually have the notifications on

[@peachtrees27]

Had no idea Germany had midget subs. Excellent piece thank you

[@Paris.Kalachnikov]

What excellent information. Thank you Mark.

[@ruturajatigre5646]

Mark this knowledge is priceless

[@tonygreene81able]

Why am I so fascinated with midget submarines? ... I really can't go into it with y'all, nothing personal but I'll just keep that to myself. Mark good shit as always, my dude.

[@htos1av]

The Seehund was cool. I'd like to have one!

[@mistifalcon3332]

So impressed with this channel

[@scottfuller5194]

Sorry Mark....the Enigma was a cipher machine NOT a "code" as it took plain text codes and encrypted/decrypted them....those codes were, in number, several hundred, changed almost daily.....!

[@MiKeMiDNiTe-77]

Very cool love the Seehund, good escape and clandestine craft

[@RaiderLeo69]

Just when you thought you knew everything about WW2 here comes Dr. Mark Felton to remind you why he’s the professor and we the students!

[@Alftura]

Another great film! Thanks so much. :)

[@kevinwatts73]

The "Own Goal" comment was my favourite. What a stunning fail.

[@OatBread]

Looks Great keep up the work

[@walterseaman2556]

I'd love to own a Seehund myself...and sail it on weeekends ! beautiful little sub.

[@titanicman9329]

Another quality video from a quality historian

[@paulbelcher7059]

Imagine your fear knowing you were going to sea and weren't coming back, that you were going to be killed by poor equipment. Almost kamikaze but less effective.

[@ancilodon]

What's that vague sensation of breathlessness I'm experiencing? Oh yeah. Claustrophobia. And fears of freezing, drowning, being bombed, and asphyxiated by one's own exhaust fumes.

[@mrs.dairycow62]

People pay for this stuff!!! Love ya mark!

[@trevorgoebel1211]

You spoil us with all these video's my dude.

[@steveshoemaker6347]

Priceless..Thanks ever so much once again...Torpedoes have always been a odd deal for me...How thay work and all...!

[@Sircliffe]

Uploaded 14 seconds ago. Let's go!

[@bigblue6917]

Still had time to put the makeup on though. Very fetching

[@EdMcF1]

'What is your misson now, Leutnant?' 'Herr Kapitän, I am just in a Biber.'.

[@cinjonsmythe6318]

We need to have this in WOWS so it can be sunk by all of us ;)

[@Canofasahi]

Poortershaven is just a few km from where I live on the edge of my hometown, back in 1944 it had a small harbor, some of the bunkers are still standing these days. The Kriegsmarine had some 30 Biber subsmarines stationed there, on the 7th of February 1945 the RAF bombed the harbor with Tallboys, the subs where undamaged but the harbor was blocked. On the 20th a munitions bunker exploded and the last Bibers where send into action on march 25th 1945 (edit: This was from Rotterdam, they where transferred from Poortershaven before the bombardment of February the 7th). The harbor closed on august the 5th 1946. The bunkers, especially the large one was used a cold store facility for a while.

[@hootsmon4723]

Amazing two sub posts so close together 👍👍👍👍👍. And here was me thinking i could comment first.but alas everone is waiting For more posts from the best documentary sites . Calling mark Felton a youtuber does give him the respect he deserves .