Join the TimeGhost Army: bit.ly/SPECIAL_089_PI Did you know that our studio isn't far from the Buchheim Museum of Phantasy? That's pretty cool. Lothar-Günther Buchheim wrote Das Boot.
Okay that's pretty awesome! I have the book and the TV series on DVD. One more final piece that, if it had taken part earlier in the war or in bigger numbers, would also have had a massive impact and that is the Type XXI submarine en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_XXI_submarine This virtually switched how the submarine was operated, no more spending the majority of its time on the surface but submerged. And it had a speed of 17 knots, submerged. One final note about the u-boat which seems completely unrelated and that is this, you could predict when a submarine was launched. You see the Germans were, initially, very predictable with building their submarines. First would be the conning tower and hull directly beneath. This would then have a camouflage covering it so the Allies could not see what was going on. Then building outwards of that, on either side, the construction would continue. Because photographic reconnaissance Spitfires (and other aircraft) often flew over the ports, you knew how long it would take for a sub to be built. So as soon as you saw that initial construction start you knew when it would launch. And from launch to patrolling was also known, so the Allies knew the German's production rates and when these vessels would be at sea. You could intervene (bombing), increase your production (freighters/tankers or naval vessels) or sow mines outside ports when it would put to sea.
Indy, how could you summarise the Battle of the Atlantic without mentioning the Western Approaches Tactical Unit (WATU) established in 1942. They interviewed all returning convoy captains, developed "wargaming", simulators, new tactics and established an "Anti Submarine Warfare" course (that Admiral King refused to let US officers attend). The tactics developed were a key turning point, along with the establishment of the "Hunter-Killer" groups by Cmdr Frederic John Walker of the 36 Escort Group - the most successful sub killer of the war.
I would tell you you're wrong but then I'd be wrong so I won't....i don't even use the subtitles anymore iv seen it so many times I fuckin love that movie
You are so right. I saw the original release in German with subtitles at a cinema in Berkley. I later saw an English dubbed version and it just wasn't the same.
I had heard the hedgehog was a massive improvement for surface ships attacking submarines over depth charges that can’t be underestimated. Not only could it fire away from the ship and also covered a wide area but most importantly the bombs only detonated if they actually hit something. Not only did this not disrupt sonar/asdic function with continuous explosions but if there actually was an explosion then it was a pretty good indication the sub was done for.
More than that, the Hedgehog was fired ahead of the ship. The ship would slow down, fire the hedgehog and either sit and wait or back away. No more sailing over the sub. This is very important as the sub could hear when the destroyer/corvette etc was overhead and dodge away at the last second. And yes you are right, depth charges created so much underwater sound they 'washed out' the sonar/asdic.
Pit Friend is right. The hedgehog was a huge step forward. One factor is that the depth charge was a huge explosive, which was dangerous to the launching ship unless the ship was moving fast - many U.S. Navy ships had to be doing 23+ knots to release depth charges. Plus, this kind of speed meant the sonar lost the ability to detect the return echo from the target due to own ship's noise. So the depth charge was very poorly effective. By contrast the hedgehog allowed the launching ship to proceed at low enough speed to maintain contact during the attack approach, then because the hedgehog used a shaped charge, it could penetrate the pressure hull with a much smaller charge, hence was much less lethal to the attacking ship. Ultimately the sonars were developed with a "short range" mode which had short enough pulse length to allow it to function down below 300 yards range, which was limited by the pulse length which had to be short enough to allow the pulse to end before the echo returned. This short range mode allowed the attacking ship to maneuver during the final phase of the attack run for more accurate attack. This tactic was taught by the U.S. Navy ASW school in Key West and was used by the famous USS England (DE-635) which destroyed five Japanese submarines in two weeks.
It was a much better weapon but initially less popular with a lot of sailors because they felt it wasn't as effective. Depth charges always exploded but hedgehog only did if it hit something, so often would be fired and then nothing happened. Eventually the Royal Navy told captains they had to start explaining why they hadnt used the hedgehog if they had the chance to use it.
@@firingallcylinders2949 The editors of this show are incredible. You’re probably some kid online who has not watched a single other episode of this amazing show. Also, it’s a simple mistake. It’s not like they’re gonna kill them selves over it.
@@gaussmanv2 Then you would be a very poor employer. People make mistakes, that's just part of life. The important question is do they learn from their mistakes? If they don't, then yes, maybe you do fire them, if they do, then they become a greater asset to your organisation because they have learnt.
One aspect of the Battle of the Atlantic that crippled the U-boat arm was that the Luffewaffe lost control of the skies over their bases in Western France. The Bay of Biscay outside of those French ports turned into a gauntlet U-boats had to pass through while Allied aircraft did whatever they could to make their lives hell. Subs were either forced to submerge and practically crawl into the open Atlantic, charging their batteries when they could or try to rush across the Bay of Biscay on the surface and either dive or fight it out when Allied aircraft found them.
The Lockheed Hudson deserves more respect. 2,941 were built, and crewed by people like my Principle in Elementary school. Of note, on 27 August 1941, a Hudson of No. 269 Squadron RAF, operating from Kaldadarnes, Iceland, attacked and damaged the German submarine U-570 causing the submarine's crew to display a white flag and surrender - the aircraft achieved the unusual distinction of capturing a naval vessel. The Germans were taken prisoner and the submarine taken under tow when Royal Navy ships subsequently arrived on the scene.
My father was a WOP/AG in Coastal Command Hudsons and Venturas from 1943 to the end of the war. He said they were great aircraft to fly in (he also got to do some relief flying whilst the pilot had a break) but not great aircraft too little range/endurance and too light a bomb load. Still, they did good service around the coasts of Africa. They never saw a sub though and the only action he got to use his guns for was when they were trying to force Spanish fishing boats away from shipping lanes to minimise reporting to Axis forces.
The great thing about the Enigma capture was that it was a Navy Enigma, with 4, not the usual 3, code wheels. That made it almost impossible to break the codes back then, so a machine in Bletchley Park, with the rotor and plugboard settings, was invaluable.
The main issue here is double encryption. Poles cracked code wheels relatively quickly. But each message began with what 'messege key' to set the rotors for the messege. In land Enigma this was encrypted with 'daily' code (it was then changed every 8h). The naval version had additional step of swapping pairs of letters of that, according to codebook. Also, the Germans used codebook to make messeges shorter.
I loved that you did this. March to May of 1943 marked one of the greatest turning points of the war as the battle of the Atlantic was won by the allies. If the Germans had more subs in 1940 and 1941 Britain could have been starved...but drawing the USA into the war, with all of her resources, and the focus on technology and bravery by the sailors and merchant marines the u-boat menace was broken. Stalingrad, North Africa, Guadalcanal and Kokoda (last year), all marked the beginning of the end for the Axis.
Indy, I don't wish to be critical but unless you have another special coming up shortly, you have missed the _most_ serious part of why May 1943 was _the_ turning point of the U boat war! The German navy began switching all of their vessels over to the four rotor Enigma machine in February 1942 and this plunged the Allies into almost complete darkness with regard to German naval communications. Simply put, no one could read the four rotor Enigma machine, and the U boats again went on a rampage! The Germans called this the "second happy time" of U boat dominance during the war. This is why the Allies mounted their raid on Dieppe on August 19, 1942 and took such heavy losses. They were desperate to get their hands on the four rotor Enigma and its code books, so they kept sending in more and more troops even when their losses grew prohibitive, with more than 1000 men killed trying to capture one of them. This is related in David O'Keefe's "One Day in August." Finally on the night of October 30, 1942 the destroyer _HMS Petard_ depth charged _U 559_ to the surface in the far eastern Mediterranean, between the Nile Delta and Haifa in modern day Israel, capturing her four rotor Enigma code books, and losing two very brave Royal Navy sailors who went to the bottom with the doomed submarine. From these code books the four rotor Enigma could be cracked and finally by May 1943 the Allies were once again reading the Enigma's transmissions and intercepting their U boat positions. This was the end for the U boats and the Allies never lost their supremacy at sea again. This is one of the most vital, interesting and heart-wrenching stories of WW2, so I do hope you will do a special episode on it! 👌
Indeed, from what I've read in May 1943 the Kriegsmarine lost 25% of their operational u-boats and allied air superiority meant that in many ways the most dangerous part of a U-boat's patrol was actually leaving or returning to their bases on the Bay of Biscay,
The Allies were aware of the four-rotor enigma since 1941. The fourth "rotor" doesn't work in the same way the regular three do, as it's not advanced by the previous rotor. The cryptoanalysis of the four-rotor enigma is explained here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptanalysis_of_the_Enigma#M4_(German_Navy_4-rotor_Enigma)
@@leonardopereirasantos9382 Yes, I am amazed by how few people know of this serious problem the Allies faced with the four rotor Enigma, and the courage and sacrifice of those brave Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen who were called upon to die in overcoming it. 🤷♂
Personally, I feel like RAF Coastal Command gets no where near the recognition it deserves in the Second World War. Also, I had the pleasure of visiting the Western Approaches Museum in Liverpool the other week. It's an excellent museum where the Battle of the Atlantic was run and overseen, inter-service co operation between the Royal Navy and the RAF, as well as simulating/wargaming scenarios of U Boats and their known strategies as a way of making counters for them. The vast majority of this work was done by WRENS, Women's Royal Naval Service, and convoy officers would be taught the theory/the findings and information disseminated and implemented.
Allied bomber crews suffered almost the same number of deaths. Neither service would have been pleasant for most who served. Death at 25,000 ft by fire or drowning at 400ft.
One of the best antisubmarine tactics used to protect Allied convoys later in the war, given suitable weather conditions, was a simple suppression of a submarine's underwater movements once it had been detected. This required many more escorts, which then had to continually attack and then "hold down" all possible enemy contacts made prior to, during, and even after a convoy passed through a given danger zone.
5:10 - Convoys had another huge advantage: Bundling up many ships into one compact mass left much of the ocean empty; the Atlantic Ocean is a very large place and hiding in it is easier than one might think.
Bingo. If 10 ships are passing along individually the U-boat might not see the first one and might have trouble lining up a good shot on the second, might have to crash dive to avoid an airplane when the third comes by, etc but more opportunities will come along. If those 10 ships are traveling together in a convoy if anything goes wrong the U-boat misses all of them. Reading the U-boat war diaries for their "Happy Hunting Time" off the Atlantic Coast in early 1942 makes it clear the U-boats got skunked more often than they got to shoot at something.
@@jliller if fact, the bigger the convoy the safer - even with inadequate escorts! - the world’s largest convoy out of NYC-Hfx, was still a dot in a huge ocean and u-boats are very slow, in comparison to a huge ocean. Once on site, if they do get on site, the perimeter distance does not increase as fast the the growing area inside holding ships, so escorts protect more ships per escort. A winner all around - provided you can time the departure of300 merchant ships to a tight timeline - which only happened with masses of rail and wharf co-ordination and a really big port like NYC …
One man who vehemently disagreed was USN Admiral King. He loathed the British and all things British, including convoys. When he was in charge of the East Coast early in WWII, even before America entered, he forbid American merchant ships to sail in convoy. He also refused to order "lights out' along the eastern Seaboard. U-boats had a field day, lining up merchantmen at night against the bright lights of pre-war American coastal cities. He knew that convoys were a good idea. He had to know. British and Canadian figures were unmistakable. Convoys reduced ship losses. But... they were a British notion and King was damned if he was going to use British tactics. "What??? Use British tactics??? I'd rather American merchant sailors and ships be lost than admit a Brit can have a good idea!!" After the disastrous results of his intransigence were clear to even US Navy higher-ups (it took a year or so), they did the right thing and promoted King, sending him to the west coast where convoys were not necessary. I read that general Eisenhower once remarked that WWII would have ended a year or so earlier if someone had merely shot King early in the conflict. As for his numerous other personal failings (like forcing himself onto the wives of subordinate officers as a preconditio0n of their promotion), the less said the better.
@@stephenland9361 - You're probably right that Admiral King made decisions that unnecessarily cost the lives of many American sailors and merchant seaman. Yet FDR refused to let him quit when he reached mandatory retirement age. He might be the most contradictory flag officer in American history. Nimitz replaced him, but not until the war ended.
Hello Indie great video. The British have been ramming U-Boats since World War I as an anti-submarine counter measure , I found you video informative about the Atlantic Gap in the Second World War.
Hi Indy suggesting a correction for your animators they put a ring around the Cabo Verde Islands the Azores is directly north and in line with Lisbon .Fantastic work guys
You left out the British coastal Minefields, they weren't as well publicized but they took many subs near Britain. The Minefields were at depth below the Draft approved for British coastal shipping, many deep diving u-boats hit the mines.
have two shoe boxes of pictures my dad took in the battle of the Atlantic, the Med and the runs to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. Those Canadian Corvettes got around. oh ya, pics of the Bermuda run too. Love your show, dedicated fan.
The naval history RUclipsr Drachnifel has a project to digitise photo collections like that and put them on line. He is actually visiting Canada fthis week. It would be great if your fathers effort was preserved for all time. If you're interested, go to his RUclips channel and follow the link to his website which will have contact details.
hey my grandpa was also on a canadian corvette, wonder what the odds are that they knew each other. he was a telegrapher on a ship called the Morden. he was on the newfie dairy run so it wouldnt have been the same ship but maybe theyd met. his name was Donald Williams and his nickname was "Shiney". Anyways cheers man, all the best to you and yours. Those photos sound like quite the treasure.
My dad was a Canadian pilot who flew with Coastal Command. He flew a twin engine Wellington Mk XIV equipped with radar and a very powerful search light that could be lowered from the fuselage called a Leigh Light. He flew out of Gibraltar on night time patrols over the Bay of Biscay when the U-boats were on the surface re-charging their batteries. He and his crew eventually accounted for 3 U-boats, 2 sunk and the other damaged so badly that it was interned in a Portuguese port.
At the beginning of the US war, it wasn't not having enough resources to convoy, it was that Admiral King wouldn't allow convoys. He hated the British and I suspect that anything that the limeys liked (i.e. convoys) was therefore discounted. Only after a slaughter of merchant ships in US waters did King re-evaluate convoys.
Admiral King single handedly prolonged the war in the Pacific as well as causing American and the Allied UK suffering. He was invested in torpedoes that didn't work and strategies that also didn't work.
@@TranscendianIntendor The admiral was arrogant ,self centered,self diluted,stubborn,and had no understanding of navy tactics to be in a position as he was.His position was political and NOT a military one!
Here is an idea for a special episode, Indy, the American submarine fleet. They created havoc in the Pacific theatre with Japanese merchantmen but they also went after the escort vessels, troop carriers and even sank two aircraft carriers in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, starting with the newly commissioned flagship with its specially reinforced flat top. One torpedo of 4 launched took it out, with a Japanese pilot diving on one of the torpedoes. Some of the stories of the swashbuckling submarine commanders were amazing.
Not to mention they sank the largest warship ever sunk by a submarine when USS Archerfish sent Shinano to the bottom. Though my favorite US sub story is that of LCDR Eugene “Lucky” Fluckey and the USS Barb.
@@paultyson4389 I believe she’d already been commissioned. However, some of her watertight doors hadn’t been installed and her compartments hadn’t been tested for seaworthiness before she set sail. This of course came back to haunt her.
@@hourlardnsaver362 Thanks, she was heading for another port for additional work. The Americans were not a big fan of mining. The Australians did a lot of it but finally in 1945 they really embraced it and more Japanese ships were sunk in 1945 by mines than any other method.
And yet, despite the enormous advances in Allied aviation spurred by the Nazi menace, the slow and outdated Swordfish and Catalinas actually did more to counter that menace, at least in terms of spotting and interdiction in the war against the U-boats, and in the rescue of downed fighter pilots, than anything else until the B-24s closed the Atlantic gap. It was the lowly, hopelessly out of date Swordfish and Catalinas who destroyed the Italian fleet at Taranto sank the Bismarck, after all.
The Swordfish was actually extremely well suited to flying operations from MAC ships, slow take off and landing speeds meant you didn't need a large flight deck, and the Swordfish could, and did, get into the air in weather conditions that would have defeated any other aircraft type the Allies had. So, no bad weather cover for the u-boats, the Swordfish would be up and searching with ASV radar, forcing the u-boats to submerge, at which point they can't keep up with the convoy. Job done. I will argue that in the convoy protection role in the North Atlantic the Swordfish was not outdated, it was fit for purpose.
Two point on Catalinas one british plane but had a usa pilot on board when they found the Bismark again in May of 40. Also over Kiska they were used as dive bombers after the japaneese captured the island
A thumb up but I do want to say that the evolution, chronologically from the desperation of a one-way, rocket rail-launched war-weary Hurricane to the Escort carriers is a story all to itself. Those Fw200 Condors had to Go.
The Wellington lee lights were made by the Daunzer company, and became so famous they wrote a song about them... "Oh say, can you see By the Daunzer's lee light"
A problem with ASDIC/SONAR is the thermocline. That's differences in salinity and temperature that basically causes sonar waves to reflect off the layer instead of solid objects such as fish and submarines.
It’s an escape route. But you need to operate at or near the surface if you want to fight, so generally your sub will stay above the thermocline unless evasive action is required and you’ve used up your other stratagems.
Nice job,and thanks, Indy Neidell, Keep them coming . This report about U boats and depth charges goes into nice detail, making it all very interesting and learning to the viewer . Thanks again !
@@aleksazunjic9672 Both combatants had (crude) radar. But you're right, the British and Americans were more effective utilizing (it). Radar played a big roll in neutralizing the Japanese Navy, especially 1942-3 when there was a numerical balance. In short I agree with you. Thanks.
An often over looked aspect of the Battle of the Atlantic was the fact that the Germans had broken the Merchant Navy codes so were reading our mail as it were. An old film that is a good view of it - The Cruel Sea - done in the 1950's but still a good movie.
A cruise ship sails on the high seas. Suddenly, to the suprise of the tourists abord, a rusty U-Boat surfaces next to it. The hatch opens and an old man with a long beard appears. He asks the tourists: "Is the war over?" One tourist: "Yes." Old man: "Did the Germans win?" Tourist: "No, they didn't." Old man: "Damn Kaiser!"
Interesting program. I think its hard to talk of the U-boat war without thinking of Capt. Johnny Walker, he influenced methods and systems development dramatically and died before the end of the war from what was believed to be simple exhaustion.
1943 - the year of turning for all parties in WWII. During the war, America built 106 escort carriers. These proved very useful in the Atlantic and the Pacific. 2,711 Liberty ships were built during the war. Today, submarines and aircraft carriers are the backbone and tip of the naval spear. When I was in high school I read the series 'World Wat Two' by Winston Churchill. The grimness of the Battle of the Atlantic is vividly recounted there. At the end, Churchill wrote this: "In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Goodwill". I love this series, as it reminds us of the importance of the sacrifices that keep us free today.
5:19 "Even ramming a sub was a totally viable tactic." It's worth explaining why this was so. Ramming a sub would inflict damage on both the submarine and on the surface ship that rammed it. But while the surface ship might still limp home or even continue in combat with a damaged bow, a similarly damaged submarine might either sink outright or lose its ability to submerge. A submarine unable to submerge would then be a sitting duck for other escorting vessels to finish off with their guns or torpedoes or for a patrolling Allied aircraft to bomb.
@@markwilson6237 I would bet most of the escort's crew were rescued while the U-boat would likely be lost with all hands, and anyone who did survive would spend the rest of the war in a POW camp.
@@michaelmichael4132 The depth charge's range from the ship is determined by how far it can fly through the air, if being launched from a K-gun (the standard launcher from 1942 onwards).
Another great piece. Yet you omit to mention the huge role the Royal Canadian played in the Battle of the Atlantic or the huge role Canadian shipyards played in building merchant ships or the huge role the Royal Canadian Air Force played in the Battle of Atlantic. Hopefully you will talk about the role Canada played in the Sici!Ian and the Italian and campaign in Northwest Europe including the liberation on Holland in 1944 and 45.
By the summer of 1942, 35 per cent of merchant ship convoy escorts operating between Newfoundland and Great Britain were RCN. During the last six months of that year the full weight of German U-boat wolf-pack operations fell on them. In November and December alone 80 per cent of ships hit by torpedoes in transatlantic convoys were under Canadian escort. At the end of 1942 the British formally requested that Canadian escort groups with the Mid-Ocean Escort Force (MOEF) be withdrawn from the North Atlantic Run for re-equipping and retraining. Legion Magazine Trying To Stay Ahead Of The Pack page
Couple of minor corrections: - Depth charges used hydrostatic fuzes, not timed fuzes, so that they would explode at a set depth. - Depth Charge throwers existed before the war These two things together meant that standard practice was to throw/drop a pattern of charges with different depth settings to create an area effect to either sink or force a submarine to the surface.
Wish I had your guys stuff when I was at school. The nearest I got to what you have been showing is an old BBC program, I saw it back in the late 80's early 90's and even then I think it was quite old. It was called The world at war.
That series is from 1973 and consists of 26 regular episodes, as well as 10 additional episodes that delve further into specific subjects and interviews. It's an incredible documentary series as well, thanks for the recommendation and thanks for watching.
Matt THANK YOU!! We can't thank you enough for your support, we couldn't do this channel without amazing TimeGhost Army members like yourself. Stay tuned!
Thanks for mentioning HF/DF! Lots of people have heard of Enigma; most have not heard of Huff Duff. The site where I work is, among other things, a former HF/DF station.
Surface vessels and aircraft with the technical developments of radar, radio location, and acostics virtually made the Type 7 and Type 9 Uboats were obsolete by the spring of 1941. Depth charges were upgraded, and hedgehog when crews became familiar with it, and more experienced with its operation became lethal.
The Canadians Used to bring down a Swordfish To Geneseo , that is a Big Plane . One Year the Guy just could not get it started at the Time it was to fly in the Show . Itried to cheer him up by saying its o.k and Thanking him for just having The Plane there . It Did not Cheer him up but I think he understood how nice it was to be able to walk up close to the Awesome Machine . Thank you for the Video .
Another good episode. I was crew on a sail boat crossing from the Bahamas to northern Florida. We landed two days ago. Of course on watch at night, I was thinking about the U.S. ships backlit against the cities on our coast that were sunk by U-Boats. Like the tanker GulfAmerica that was sunk off Jacksonville where we were headed.
I read of a trick to keep an attacking plane almost invisible to a sub on the surface. The forward edge of the wings had bright lights. That would mask the dark shape of the aircraft long enough for an attack and the sub had less time to submerge.
Again, I thank you for your superior content. Nobody covers this better than you guys do. A question: With all of the very good WW2 films out there, I am wondering if you will ever cover some of them in detail or maybe showcase ones you really enjoy. Films like "Stalingrad", "Downfall", or "Das Boot" to name just a few. I think that you could really add context and depth to them especially for those who haven't seen them.
@Jon Boger Thankyou for your kind words! We get asked about our opinions on WW2 films pretty often and, unfortunately, we haven't really had the space to make that sort of content. However, we recently launched a podcast series so perhaps we will finally get round to nerding out over some films on there in the future.
40,000 men called to live in a submersible coffin, 30,000 never to emerge from the deep. In the grand sweep of millions it is a rounding error, but I cannot help shivering at the thought of those men, consigned to their watery graves by the madmen in Berlin.
2:36 - The film does not show a depth charge, which look like steel drums and are usually literally rolled off the end of a ship, as Indy says in the narration. I think the film shows a "Hedgehog" in operation, which came out much later in the war. That may explain why the film includes a note in the upper right corner, "1943." I'm surprised there wasn't any available footage of a depth charge in operation.
The thing about the hedgehog and depth charges was that they exploded underwater, since water has a much higher density than air, the explosion would be more compressed and be much deadlier to submarines than if they were above water. While this might have limited the explosion radius, it meant that the blast or perhaps even the pressure from the explosion would be enough to rupture the hull.
the aerodynamics of a fridge.. damn that caught me off guard and I had to stop the video cause I was laughing so hard.. Now to back it up a bit and carry on.. It is very interesting..
You and your whole team are AWESOME.... after WWII ... have you thought about the American Civil War ? ... tons of content and side projects on that could be done !!
Enigma is often described as the weapon that won the Battle of the At Atlantic. I think it was a weapon that helped us not to lose: by avoiding crippling losses in 1941/42. However, by 1943, the unity of aircraft, HD/DF, radar, and better attack weapons meant that in some ways the Allies actually wanted the UBoats to find the convoys: so they could be attacked and sunk. Enigma - whose primary purpose was to help evasion - then becomes less important im the story, and the Allied Navies (British, US and Canadian) their commanders, warships and weapons, become more so.
Speaking of US Destroyers ramming German U- Boats . The movie " Enemy Below " with Robert Mitchum , is based on the factual encounter of the " USS Buckley " that took on a U - Boat alone and subsequently ramming it . The USS Buckley wasn't even a Destroyer she was a Destroyer Escort otherwise known as a DE . Then came the order that hadn't been heard in over a hundred years . " Prepare to Repel Boarders " and Hand to Hand Combat Initiated . Were everything from Small Arms , Knifes , Fists and get this even Coffee Mugs . Sometime later Other US Destroyers showed up to see the aftermath and carnage .
There is another island nation that had their shipping threatened by submarine activity. Although less well known than the U-Boats, the American Silent Service was very active during the war.
American submarines deserve a lot more recognition. Hopefully we’ll see more coverage of their exploits from this year on, since mid-to-late ‘43 is when they really start wreaking havoc on Japan’s merchant fleet and they start doing a number on the IJN. Worst case, there’s always Drachinifel. He’s already covered the US submarine campaign from late 41 to early 42, and I believe he plans to cover the rest of it. He’s also covered the Gato and Balao class submarines, the USS Tang, and the troubled life of the Mark 14 torpedo. I’m personally looking forward to his video on the wacky career of the USS Barb.
The CAM ships actually preceded the MAC ships by almost a year. Easier, less material to build a simple catapult, rather than a full-length flight deck. Your excellent talk might lead some to interpret that both features happened simultaneously. Also, most MAC ships had no hanger, so 4 Swordfish was the maximum number of aircraft. They were permanently housed topside (must have been a fun job mid-winter). The escort carriers built in US yards did have a hangar, did not carry cargo, and became the strong right arm of the U-boat killer groups. Once available in greater numbers, the UK ceased converting merchant ships to MAC ships.
@@benwilson6145 I am aware of that, We all read the same books, I presume) but it made the mod more expensive to implement . Only a minority were so equipped.
Much is made of German wonder weapons. Not nearly enough credit is given to the British for developing technology and tactics that made a genuine impact on the war effort. In ASW alone, much of what they developed during WWII is still used today, albeit in updated form.
Well, don't forgot to play *Das Boot* when under depth charge attack in a U-boot, ja? Those techno grooves could sure help calm nerves during an intense battle situation. Seriously though, great video on the countermeasures Indy!
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Join the TimeGhost Army: bit.ly/SPECIAL_089_PI
Did you know that our studio isn't far from the Buchheim Museum of Phantasy? That's pretty cool. Lothar-Günther Buchheim wrote Das Boot.
Okay that's pretty awesome! I have the book and the TV series on DVD. One more final piece that, if it had taken part earlier in the war or in bigger numbers, would also have had a massive impact and that is the Type XXI submarine en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_XXI_submarine This virtually switched how the submarine was operated, no more spending the majority of its time on the surface but submerged. And it had a speed of 17 knots, submerged.
One final note about the u-boat which seems completely unrelated and that is this, you could predict when a submarine was launched. You see the Germans were, initially, very predictable with building their submarines. First would be the conning tower and hull directly beneath. This would then have a camouflage covering it so the Allies could not see what was going on. Then building outwards of that, on either side, the construction would continue.
Because photographic reconnaissance Spitfires (and other aircraft) often flew over the ports, you knew how long it would take for a sub to be built. So as soon as you saw that initial construction start you knew when it would launch. And from launch to patrolling was also known, so the Allies knew the German's production rates and when these vessels would be at sea. You could intervene (bombing), increase your production (freighters/tankers or naval vessels) or sow mines outside ports when it would put to sea.
Das boot one of my all time favorits
Indy, how could you summarise the Battle of the Atlantic without mentioning the Western Approaches Tactical Unit (WATU) established in 1942. They interviewed all returning convoy captains, developed "wargaming", simulators, new tactics and established an "Anti Submarine Warfare" course (that Admiral King refused to let US officers attend). The tactics developed were a key turning point, along with the establishment of the "Hunter-Killer" groups by Cmdr Frederic John Walker of the 36 Escort Group - the most successful sub killer of the war.
@@DavidW27 There is an excellent book on him too simply 'Walker R.N.' by Terence Robertson. I still have my copy :)
@@DavidW27 Lindybeige did a good video on this
ruclips.net/video/fVet82IUAqQ/видео.html
Das Boot - Directors Cut in native German with subtitles = Best War Film of all time. Tell me that I am wrong.
I would tell you you're wrong but then I'd be wrong so I won't....i don't even use the subtitles anymore iv seen it so many times I fuckin love that movie
"Sharks and Little Fish" a novel written by German author Wolfgang Ott is worth reading.
You are so right. I saw the original release in German with subtitles at a cinema in Berkley. I later saw an English dubbed version and it just wasn't the same.
You are correct. No argument from me.
I had heard the hedgehog was a massive improvement for surface ships attacking submarines over depth charges that can’t be underestimated. Not only could it fire away from the ship and also covered a wide area but most importantly the bombs only detonated if they actually hit something. Not only did this not disrupt sonar/asdic function with continuous explosions but if there actually was an explosion then it was a pretty good indication the sub was done for.
More than that, the Hedgehog was fired ahead of the ship. The ship would slow down, fire the hedgehog and either sit and wait or back away. No more sailing over the sub. This is very important as the sub could hear when the destroyer/corvette etc was overhead and dodge away at the last second. And yes you are right, depth charges created so much underwater sound they 'washed out' the sonar/asdic.
Pit Friend is right. The hedgehog was a huge step forward. One factor is that the depth charge was a huge explosive, which was dangerous to the launching ship unless the ship was moving fast - many U.S. Navy ships had to be doing 23+ knots to release depth charges. Plus, this kind of speed meant the sonar lost the ability to detect the return echo from the target due to own ship's noise. So the depth charge was very poorly effective. By contrast the hedgehog allowed the launching ship to proceed at low enough speed to maintain contact during the attack approach, then because the hedgehog used a shaped charge, it could penetrate the pressure hull with a much smaller charge, hence was much less lethal to the attacking ship. Ultimately the sonars were developed with a "short range" mode which had short enough pulse length to allow it to function down below 300 yards range, which was limited by the pulse length which had to be short enough to allow the pulse to end before the echo returned. This short range mode allowed the attacking ship to maneuver during the final phase of the attack run for more accurate attack. This tactic was taught by the U.S. Navy ASW school in Key West and was used by the famous USS England (DE-635) which destroyed five Japanese submarines in two weeks.
Aspic is what larks' tongues go in.
A weapon system so good it works on subs and Japanese bunkers.
It was a much better weapon but initially less popular with a lot of sailors because they felt it wasn't as effective. Depth charges always exploded but hedgehog only did if it hit something, so often would be fired and then nothing happened. Eventually the Royal Navy told captains they had to start explaining why they hadnt used the hedgehog if they had the chance to use it.
Indy mentioned that the expanded U-boat free zone includes the Azores, but the islands that are circled on the map are Cape Verde.
The editors are throwing
@@firingallcylinders2949 The editors of this show are incredible. You’re probably some kid online who has not watched a single other episode of this amazing show. Also, it’s a simple mistake. It’s not like they’re gonna kill them selves over it.
What are we supposed to believe, that this is some sort of magical island? I really hope someone got fired over that blunder.
@@gaussmanv2 Then you would be a very poor employer. People make mistakes, that's just part of life. The important question is do they learn from their mistakes? If they don't, then yes, maybe you do fire them, if they do, then they become a greater asset to your organisation because they have learnt.
@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 I feel like you let a joke go over your head. Either that or you're trolling me...
One aspect of the Battle of the Atlantic that crippled the U-boat arm was that the Luffewaffe lost control of the skies over their bases in Western France. The Bay of Biscay outside of those French ports turned into a gauntlet U-boats had to pass through while Allied aircraft did whatever they could to make their lives hell.
Subs were either forced to submerge and practically crawl into the open Atlantic, charging their batteries when they could or try to rush across the Bay of Biscay on the surface and either dive or fight it out when Allied aircraft found them.
Fantastic thumbnail, that pic of Johann, "the ghost" as he shouts at the Diesel engines to hang in there. Best movie ever.
Thanks and indeed, a great movie.
@@WorldWarTwo I watched “Das Boot” at age 7 and oh boy that shook me as a kid
The Lockheed Hudson deserves more respect. 2,941 were built, and crewed by people like my Principle in Elementary school. Of note, on 27 August 1941, a Hudson of No. 269 Squadron RAF, operating from Kaldadarnes, Iceland, attacked and damaged the German submarine U-570 causing the submarine's crew to display a white flag and surrender - the aircraft achieved the unusual distinction of capturing a naval vessel. The Germans were taken prisoner and the submarine taken under tow when Royal Navy ships subsequently arrived on the scene.
My father was a WOP/AG in Coastal Command Hudsons and Venturas from 1943 to the end of the war. He said they were great aircraft to fly in (he also got to do some relief flying whilst the pilot had a break) but not great aircraft too little range/endurance and too light a bomb load. Still, they did good service around the coasts of Africa.
They never saw a sub though and the only action he got to use his guns for was when they were trying to force Spanish fishing boats away from shipping lanes to minimise reporting to Axis forces.
Is this the U-boat that is on display in Chicago?
@@Ryan-0413 U-505 is in Chicago.
@@julesjames593 ah yes!
@@DraigBlackCat We tend to forget Franco and his evil Spanish Fascist dictatorship - it lasted until the 1970s!
The great thing about the Enigma capture was that it was a Navy Enigma, with 4, not the usual 3, code wheels. That made it almost impossible to break the codes back then, so a machine in Bletchley Park, with the rotor and plugboard settings, was invaluable.
U110 captured May 41. Four rotor in use 1 February 1942.
The main issue here is double encryption. Poles cracked code wheels relatively quickly. But each message began with what 'messege key' to set the rotors for the messege. In land Enigma this was encrypted with 'daily' code (it was then changed every 8h). The naval version had additional step of swapping pairs of letters of that, according to codebook.
Also, the Germans used codebook to make messeges shorter.
I loved that you did this.
March to May of 1943 marked one of the greatest turning points of the war as the battle of the Atlantic was won by the allies. If the Germans had more subs in 1940 and 1941 Britain could have been starved...but drawing the USA into the war, with all of her resources, and the focus on technology and bravery by the sailors and merchant marines the u-boat menace was broken. Stalingrad, North Africa, Guadalcanal and Kokoda (last year), all marked the beginning of the end for the Axis.
Early Riser Thanks, great perspective.
Indy, I don't wish to be critical but unless you have another special coming up shortly, you have missed the _most_ serious part of why May 1943 was _the_ turning point of the U boat war!
The German navy began switching all of their vessels over to the four rotor Enigma machine in February 1942 and this plunged the Allies into almost complete darkness with regard to German naval communications. Simply put, no one could read the four rotor Enigma machine, and the U boats again went on a rampage! The Germans called this the "second happy time" of U boat dominance during the war. This is why the Allies mounted their raid on Dieppe on August 19, 1942 and took such heavy losses. They were desperate to get their hands on the four rotor Enigma and its code books, so they kept sending in more and more troops even when their losses grew prohibitive, with more than 1000 men killed trying to capture one of them. This is related in David O'Keefe's "One Day in August." Finally on the night of October 30, 1942 the destroyer _HMS Petard_ depth charged _U 559_ to the surface in the far eastern Mediterranean, between the Nile Delta and Haifa in modern day Israel, capturing her four rotor Enigma code books, and losing two very brave Royal Navy sailors who went to the bottom with the doomed submarine. From these code books the four rotor Enigma could be cracked and finally by May 1943 the Allies were once again reading the Enigma's transmissions and intercepting their U boat positions. This was the end for the U boats and the Allies never lost their supremacy at sea again. This is one of the most vital, interesting and heart-wrenching stories of WW2, so I do hope you will do a special episode on it! 👌
Indeed, from what I've read in May 1943 the Kriegsmarine lost 25% of their operational u-boats and allied air superiority meant that in many ways the most dangerous part of a U-boat's patrol was actually leaving or returning to their bases on the Bay of Biscay,
The Allies were aware of the four-rotor enigma since 1941. The fourth "rotor" doesn't work in the same way the regular three do, as it's not advanced by the previous rotor. The cryptoanalysis of the four-rotor enigma is explained here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptanalysis_of_the_Enigma#M4_(German_Navy_4-rotor_Enigma)
Fascinating. 😃😃😃😃
@@leonardopereirasantos9382 Yes, I am amazed by how few people know of this serious problem the Allies faced with the four rotor Enigma, and the courage and sacrifice of those brave Allied soldiers, sailors and airmen who were called upon to die in overcoming it. 🤷♂
Top stuff!
Admiral Huff Duff and Admiral Fog, victors of black May
Flying off a cam ship to do battle with a condor out of range of land was just insanely brave.
Personally, I feel like RAF Coastal Command gets no where near the recognition it deserves in the Second World War.
Also, I had the pleasure of visiting the Western Approaches Museum in Liverpool the other week. It's an excellent museum where the Battle of the Atlantic was run and overseen, inter-service co operation between the Royal Navy and the RAF, as well as simulating/wargaming scenarios of U Boats and their known strategies as a way of making counters for them.
The vast majority of this work was done by WRENS, Women's Royal Naval Service, and convoy officers would be taught the theory/the findings and information disseminated and implemented.
eagleclaw Thanks for sharing about that museum and the work of the WRENS. Their history deserves to be remembered.
@@WorldWarTwo
The control room is still intact with the large wall just one large map. Well worth a visit.
They didn't call them iron coffins for nothing. 75% casualty rate for U Boat crews. Probably the most dangerous job in the war or one of them.
Be interesting to compare with Soviet penal battalions.
@@kemarisite True, that was the other one I thought about along with the German punishment battalions and the Kamikazies.
Allied bomber crews suffered almost the same number of deaths. Neither service would have been pleasant for most who served. Death at 25,000 ft by fire or drowning at 400ft.
One of the best antisubmarine tactics used to protect Allied convoys later in the war, given suitable weather conditions, was a simple suppression of a submarine's underwater movements once it had been detected. This required many more escorts, which then had to continually attack and then "hold down" all possible enemy contacts made prior to, during, and even after a convoy passed through a given danger zone.
Winning the battle for the Atlantic was crucial to opening the second front by the western allies.
it was crucial to winning the war in Europe. Full stop.
My Great Uncle, Wallace Turner, served as an American Merchant Marine. He had 3 ships torpedoed.
Thank you for sharing about him, Wallace.
My uncle was torpedoed twice.
5:10 - Convoys had another huge advantage: Bundling up many ships into one compact mass left much of the ocean empty; the Atlantic Ocean is a very large place and hiding in it is easier than one might think.
Bingo. If 10 ships are passing along individually the U-boat might not see the first one and might have trouble lining up a good shot on the second, might have to crash dive to avoid an airplane when the third comes by, etc but more opportunities will come along. If those 10 ships are traveling together in a convoy if anything goes wrong the U-boat misses all of them.
Reading the U-boat war diaries for their "Happy Hunting Time" off the Atlantic Coast in early 1942 makes it clear the U-boats got skunked more often than they got to shoot at something.
@@jliller if fact, the bigger the convoy the safer - even with inadequate escorts! - the world’s largest convoy out of NYC-Hfx, was still a dot in a huge ocean and u-boats are very slow, in comparison to a huge ocean. Once on site, if they do get on site, the perimeter distance does not increase as fast the the growing area inside holding ships, so escorts protect more ships per escort. A winner all around - provided you can time the departure of300 merchant ships to a tight timeline - which only happened with masses of rail and wharf co-ordination and a really big port like NYC …
One man who vehemently disagreed was USN Admiral King. He loathed the British and all things British, including convoys. When he was in charge of the East Coast early in WWII, even before America entered, he forbid American merchant ships to sail in convoy. He also refused to order "lights out' along the eastern Seaboard. U-boats had a field day, lining up merchantmen at night against the bright lights of pre-war American coastal cities.
He knew that convoys were a good idea. He had to know. British and Canadian figures were unmistakable. Convoys reduced ship losses. But... they were a British notion and King was damned if he was going to use British tactics.
"What??? Use British tactics??? I'd rather American merchant sailors and ships be lost than admit a Brit can have a good idea!!"
After the disastrous results of his intransigence were clear to even US Navy higher-ups (it took a year or so), they did the right thing and promoted King, sending him to the west coast where convoys were not necessary. I read that general Eisenhower once remarked that WWII would have ended a year or so earlier if someone had merely shot King early in the conflict. As for his numerous other personal failings (like forcing himself onto the wives of subordinate officers as a preconditio0n of their promotion), the less said the better.
@@stephenland9361 - You're probably right that Admiral King made decisions that unnecessarily cost the lives of many American sailors and merchant seaman. Yet FDR refused to let him quit when he reached mandatory retirement age. He might be the most contradictory flag officer in American history. Nimitz replaced him, but not until the war ended.
Hello Indie great video. The British have been ramming U-Boats since World War I as an anti-submarine counter measure , I found you video informative about the Atlantic Gap in the Second World War.
Interestingly the Titanic’s sister ship rammed a U boat in WW1. Not Iceberg proof but U Boat proof
HMS Dreadnaught rammed and sank a U-Boat in 1915. The only battleship to deliberately do so.
James thanks very much for watching
Depth Charges had hydrostatic fuses, and the later Hedgehogs system had impact fuses.
Hi Indy suggesting a correction for your animators they put a ring around the Cabo Verde Islands the Azores is directly north and in line with Lisbon .Fantastic work guys
Thanks Carlos
You left out the British coastal Minefields, they weren't as well publicized but they took many subs near Britain. The Minefields were at depth below the Draft approved for British coastal shipping, many deep diving u-boats hit the mines.
My great uncle Jürgen Auffermann was an uboat Captain and his ship sunk in 1943 by a liberator plane.
Are his medals still in your family?
Bitte, raten Sie mir das U-Boot nummer.
have two shoe boxes of pictures my dad took in the battle of the Atlantic, the Med and the runs to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. Those Canadian Corvettes got around. oh ya, pics of the Bermuda run too. Love your show, dedicated fan.
The naval history RUclipsr Drachnifel has a project to digitise photo collections like that and put them on line. He is actually visiting Canada fthis week. It would be great if your fathers effort was preserved for all time. If you're interested, go to his RUclips channel and follow the link to his website which will have contact details.
Very nice archive of material.
Chuck Those photos must be amazing, I hope you take good care of them. Thanks for watching
hey my grandpa was also on a canadian corvette, wonder what the odds are that they knew each other. he was a telegrapher on a ship called the Morden. he was on the newfie dairy run so it wouldnt have been the same ship but maybe theyd met. his name was Donald Williams and his nickname was "Shiney". Anyways cheers man, all the best to you and yours. Those photos sound like quite the treasure.
My dad was a Canadian pilot who flew with Coastal Command. He flew a twin engine Wellington Mk XIV equipped with radar and a very powerful search light that could be lowered from the fuselage called a Leigh Light. He flew out of Gibraltar on night time patrols over the Bay of Biscay when the U-boats were on the surface re-charging their batteries. He and his crew eventually accounted for 3 U-boats, 2 sunk and the other damaged so badly that it was interned in a Portuguese port.
Bob That's amazing, thank you for sharing about your dad's experience as a pilot.
At the beginning of the US war, it wasn't not having enough resources to convoy, it was that Admiral King wouldn't allow convoys. He hated the British and I suspect that anything that the limeys liked (i.e. convoys) was therefore discounted. Only after a slaughter of merchant ships in US waters did King re-evaluate convoys.
Source?
Admiral King single handedly prolonged the war in the Pacific as well as causing American and the Allied UK suffering. He was invested in torpedoes that didn't work and strategies that also didn't work.
@@TranscendianIntendor Drachinifel Fleet Admiral Ernest King - Semper Iratus
ruclips.net/video/Zm-GrI-BuLM/видео.html
@@TranscendianIntendor The admiral was arrogant ,self centered,self diluted,stubborn,and had no understanding of navy tactics to be in a position as he was.His position was political and NOT a military one!
@@markpaul8178 - Thank goodness it's rare for people like that to advance in the military -- oh, wait a minute ... Never mind.
Thanks!
Here is an idea for a special episode, Indy, the American submarine fleet. They created havoc in the Pacific theatre with Japanese merchantmen but they also went after the escort vessels, troop carriers and even sank two aircraft carriers in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, starting with the newly commissioned flagship with its specially reinforced flat top. One torpedo of 4 launched took it out, with a Japanese pilot diving on one of the torpedoes. Some of the stories of the swashbuckling submarine commanders were amazing.
Not to mention they sank the largest warship ever sunk by a submarine when USS Archerfish sent Shinano to the bottom.
Though my favorite US sub story is that of LCDR Eugene “Lucky” Fluckey and the USS Barb.
@@hourlardnsaver362 They took it out before it had even been commissioned.
@@paultyson4389 I believe she’d already been commissioned. However, some of her watertight doors hadn’t been installed and her compartments hadn’t been tested for seaworthiness before she set sail. This of course came back to haunt her.
@@hourlardnsaver362 Thanks, she was heading for another port for additional work.
The Americans were not a big fan of mining. The Australians did a lot of it but finally in 1945 they really embraced it and more Japanese ships were sunk in 1945 by mines than any other method.
Excellent coverage of a topic.
Well done as usual.
And yet, despite the enormous advances in Allied aviation spurred by the Nazi menace, the slow and outdated Swordfish and Catalinas actually did more to counter that menace, at least in terms of spotting and interdiction in the war against the U-boats, and in the rescue of downed fighter pilots, than anything else until the B-24s closed the Atlantic gap. It was the lowly, hopelessly out of date Swordfish and Catalinas who destroyed the Italian fleet at Taranto sank the Bismarck, after all.
The Swordfish was actually extremely well suited to flying operations from MAC ships, slow take off and landing speeds meant you didn't need a large flight deck, and the Swordfish could, and did, get into the air in weather conditions that would have defeated any other aircraft type the Allies had. So, no bad weather cover for the u-boats, the Swordfish would be up and searching with ASV radar, forcing the u-boats to submerge, at which point they can't keep up with the convoy. Job done. I will argue that in the convoy protection role in the North Atlantic the Swordfish was not outdated, it was fit for purpose.
Two point on Catalinas one british plane but had a usa pilot on board when they found the Bismark again in May of 40. Also over Kiska they were used as dive bombers after the japaneese captured the island
@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 The Swordfish also had airborne radar, as well as not being so vulgar as to fly fast...
"1939 was not a good year for hunting submarines" gold!
Thanks Rick!
A thumb up but I do want to say that the evolution, chronologically from the desperation of a one-way, rocket rail-launched war-weary Hurricane to the Escort carriers is a story all to itself. Those Fw200 Condors had to Go.
The Wellington lee lights were made by the Daunzer company, and became so famous they wrote a song about them...
"Oh say, can you see
By the Daunzer's lee light"
A problem with ASDIC/SONAR is the thermocline. That's differences in salinity and temperature that basically causes sonar waves to reflect off the layer instead of solid objects such as fish and submarines.
It’s an escape route. But you need to operate at or near the surface if you want to fight, so generally your sub will stay above the thermocline unless evasive action is required and you’ve used up your other stratagems.
Nice job,and thanks, Indy Neidell, Keep them coming . This report about U boats and depth charges goes into nice detail, making it all very interesting and learning to the viewer . Thanks again !
Thank you for watching
The Titanic's sister, the Olympic sank a Submarine during the war. This would be a great episode, on old reliable.
Breaking the codes was the key. What could be more terrifying than being attacked in submarine.
@@aleksazunjic9672 Both combatants had (crude) radar. But you're right, the British and Americans were more effective utilizing (it). Radar played a big roll in neutralizing the Japanese Navy, especially 1942-3 when there was a numerical balance. In short I agree with you. Thanks.
An often over looked aspect of the Battle of the Atlantic was the fact that the Germans had broken the Merchant Navy codes so were reading our mail as it were.
An old film that is a good view of it - The Cruel Sea - done in the 1950's but still a good movie.
Thanks for the recommendation, Malcolm
A cruise ship sails on the high seas. Suddenly, to the suprise of the tourists abord, a rusty U-Boat surfaces next to it. The hatch opens and an old man with a long beard appears.
He asks the tourists: "Is the war over?"
One tourist: "Yes."
Old man: "Did the Germans win?"
Tourist: "No, they didn't."
Old man: "Damn Kaiser!"
Sprach,that was a long war indeed with the coming and going of 2 madmen!
Interesting program. I think its hard to talk of the U-boat war without thinking of Capt. Johnny Walker, he influenced methods and systems development dramatically and died before the end of the war from what was believed to be simple exhaustion.
Thanks for watching, Charles.
"Not dust, nor the light weight of a stone, but all the sea of the Western Approaches shall be his tomb.” Walker's epitaph.
1943 - the year of turning for all parties in WWII. During the war, America built 106 escort carriers. These proved very useful in the Atlantic and the Pacific. 2,711 Liberty ships were built during the war.
Today, submarines and aircraft carriers are the backbone and tip of the naval spear.
When I was in high school I read the series 'World Wat Two' by Winston Churchill. The grimness of the Battle of the Atlantic is vividly recounted there. At the end, Churchill wrote this:
"In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Goodwill".
I love this series, as it reminds us of the importance of the sacrifices that keep us free today.
Thanks for the great reflections you bring to the comments. Great quote too.
@@davidw.2791 It was a terrible thing for a couple of years. Then the tide turned, and America was producing two liberty ships a week, on top of that.
5:19 "Even ramming a sub was a totally viable tactic." It's worth explaining why this was so. Ramming a sub would inflict damage on both the submarine and on the surface ship that rammed it. But while the surface ship might still limp home or even continue in combat with a damaged bow, a similarly damaged submarine might either sink outright or lose its ability to submerge. A submarine unable to submerge would then be a sitting duck for other escorting vessels to finish off with their guns or torpedoes or for a patrolling Allied aircraft to bomb.
"RAMMING SPEED!"
At least one American escòrt ship was so damaged that it sank after ramming and sinking a U-boat.
@@markwilson6237 I would bet most of the escort's crew were rescued while the U-boat would likely be lost with all hands, and anyone who did survive would spend the rest of the war in a POW camp.
"Aerodynamics of a fridge" is a turn of phrase I am 100% going to steal.
Yeah, that caught my ear, too, because aerodynamics is an oxymoron below the surface of the sea, where hydrodynamics apply.
You can make a brick fly if enough thrust is applied.
@@michaelmichael4132 The depth charge's range from the ship is determined by how far it can fly through the air, if being launched from a K-gun (the standard launcher from 1942 onwards).
Another great piece. Yet you omit to mention the huge role the Royal Canadian played in the Battle of the Atlantic or the huge role Canadian shipyards played in building merchant ships or the huge role the Royal Canadian Air Force played in the Battle of Atlantic. Hopefully you will talk about the role Canada played in the Sici!Ian and the Italian and campaign in Northwest Europe including the liberation on Holland in 1944 and 45.
There’s also the fine job the RCN did with escorting convoys. The best example I can think of is the corvette HMCS Oakville vs U-94.
By 1944 the Royal Canadian Navy was running the North Atlantic convoy system. Something virtually no one realizes!
Too right Will. Arguably the greatest Canadian contribution to the war but it barely got mentioned.
By the summer of 1942, 35 per cent of merchant ship convoy escorts operating between Newfoundland and Great Britain were RCN. During the last six months of that year the full weight of German U-boat wolf-pack operations fell on them. In November and December alone 80 per cent of ships hit by torpedoes in transatlantic convoys were under Canadian escort. At the end of 1942 the British formally requested that Canadian escort groups with the Mid-Ocean Escort Force (MOEF) be withdrawn from the North Atlantic Run for re-equipping and retraining.
Legion Magazine Trying To Stay Ahead Of The Pack page
Couple of minor corrections:
- Depth charges used hydrostatic fuzes, not timed fuzes, so that they would explode at a set depth.
- Depth Charge throwers existed before the war
These two things together meant that standard practice was to throw/drop a pattern of charges with different depth settings to create an area effect to either sink or force a submarine to the surface.
Wish I had your guys stuff when I was at school. The nearest I got to what you have been showing is an old BBC program, I saw it back in the late 80's early 90's and even then I think it was quite old. It was called The world at war.
That series is from 1973 and consists of 26 regular episodes, as well as 10 additional episodes that delve further into specific subjects and interviews.
It's an incredible documentary series as well, thanks for the recommendation and thanks for watching.
I have all of the movies which are on VHS tape movies.
Great episode! Very happy to be a contributing TG Army member.
Matt THANK YOU!! We can't thank you enough for your support, we couldn't do this channel without amazing TimeGhost Army members like yourself. Stay tuned!
Thanks for mentioning HF/DF! Lots of people have heard of Enigma; most have not heard of Huff Duff.
The site where I work is, among other things, a former HF/DF station.
jliller Thank you for watching! Stay tuned for more lesser-known stories from the war
Surface vessels and aircraft with the technical developments of radar, radio location, and acostics virtually made the Type 7 and Type 9 Uboats were obsolete by the spring of 1941. Depth charges were upgraded, and hedgehog when crews became familiar with it, and more experienced with its operation became lethal.
The waterbombs used pressure to set point of detonate, not time
The Canadians Used to bring down a Swordfish To Geneseo , that is a Big Plane . One Year the Guy just could not get it started at the Time it was to fly in the Show . Itried to cheer him up by saying its o.k and Thanking him for just having The Plane there . It Did not Cheer him up but I think he understood how nice it was to be able to walk up close to the Awesome Machine . Thank you for the Video .
Really good and concise narrative on a huge topic. Love the thumbnail picture for this episode. Thanks.
Cris Thanks for watching
Merci!
De rien mon ami!
You're right, this is good stuff.
Bill Thanks for watching
The Thumbnail further proof that Lindybeige time travels.
Valeu!
Another good episode. I was crew on a sail boat crossing from the Bahamas to northern Florida. We landed two days ago. Of course on watch at night, I was thinking about the U.S. ships backlit against the cities on our coast that were sunk by U-Boats. Like the tanker GulfAmerica that was sunk off Jacksonville where we were headed.
WillN2Go1 Thank you for watching
Another great episode, Indy. Your shows are so much more enjoyable than Sparty's.
I read of a trick to keep an attacking plane almost invisible to a sub on the surface. The forward edge of the wings had bright lights. That would mask the dark shape of the aircraft long enough for an attack and the sub had less time to submerge.
Again, I thank you for your superior content. Nobody covers this better than you guys do. A question: With all of the very good WW2 films out there, I am wondering if you will ever cover some of them in detail or maybe showcase ones you really enjoy. Films like "Stalingrad", "Downfall", or "Das Boot" to name just a few. I think that you could really add context and depth to them especially for those who haven't seen them.
@Jon Boger Thankyou for your kind words! We get asked about our opinions on WW2 films pretty often and, unfortunately, we haven't really had the space to make that sort of content. However, we recently launched a podcast series so perhaps we will finally get round to nerding out over some films on there in the future.
I had to watch it twice to believe it…. Azores are further north in the Atlantic, the islands circled are Cabo Verde
Love your videos keep up the good work 👍.
Thank you for watching, please stay tuned
Loved the cover. Das Boot remains one of the best war movies ever. ALAAAAARRMMM
Thanks William
Indeed. But don't waste your time on the horrendously bad TV 'sequel.'
40,000 men called to live in a submersible coffin, 30,000 never to emerge from the deep. In the grand sweep of millions it is a rounding error, but I cannot help shivering at the thought of those men, consigned to their watery graves by the madmen in Berlin.
2:36 - The film does not show a depth charge, which look like steel drums and are usually literally rolled off the end of a ship, as Indy says in the narration. I think the film shows a "Hedgehog" in operation, which came out much later in the war. That may explain why the film includes a note in the upper right corner, "1943." I'm surprised there wasn't any available footage of a depth charge in operation.
They're Y-Guns, thrown depth charges. Hedgehogs were large mortar bombs by comparison, which had contact fuzes
@@HairTrigger223 - Thanks. An evolution toward the Hedgehog and other later-war systems.
I like the thumbnail with Obermaschinist Johann. Can't wait to watch this movie seroes with my friends again.
Very, very cool episode👍👍👍
Thank you David
@@WorldWarTwo :)
Another great discussion, as usual ! Thank you. RS. Canada
Thanks for watching, Richard. We appreciate your support & kind words
The thing about the hedgehog and depth charges was that they exploded underwater, since water has a much higher density than air, the explosion would be more compressed and be much deadlier to submarines than if they were above water. While this might have limited the explosion radius, it meant that the blast or perhaps even the pressure from the explosion would be enough to rupture the hull.
you guys are awesome.
the aerodynamics of a fridge.. damn that caught me off guard and I had to stop the video cause I was laughing so hard.. Now to back it up a bit and carry on.. It is very interesting..
Operations analysis played a big part too.
You and your whole team are AWESOME.... after WWII ... have you thought about the American Civil War ? ... tons of content and side projects on that could be done !!
James Thanks! But let's focus on one war at a time
How to kill a U-boat: very quietly, you sneak up behind it and . . .
Good episode, thanks!
Enigma is often described as the weapon that won the Battle of the At
Atlantic. I think it was a weapon that helped us not to lose: by avoiding crippling losses in 1941/42. However, by 1943, the unity of aircraft, HD/DF, radar, and better attack weapons meant that in some ways the Allies actually wanted the UBoats to find the convoys: so they could be attacked and sunk. Enigma - whose primary purpose was to help evasion - then becomes less important im the story, and the Allied Navies (British, US and Canadian) their commanders, warships and weapons, become more so.
So many technic, strategic and tactic changes to turn tide, and it came as a shock - not so long ago alied shipping was bitten so hard.
Speaking of US Destroyers ramming German U- Boats .
The movie " Enemy Below " with Robert Mitchum , is based on the factual encounter of the " USS Buckley " that took on a U - Boat alone and subsequently ramming it .
The USS Buckley wasn't even a Destroyer she was a Destroyer Escort otherwise known as a DE .
Then came the order that hadn't been heard in over a hundred years .
" Prepare to Repel Boarders " and Hand to Hand Combat Initiated .
Were everything from Small Arms , Knifes , Fists and get this even Coffee Mugs .
Sometime later Other US Destroyers showed up to see the aftermath and carnage .
Great show guys…heck of a spin on History. 👏 bravo! Well done. Love this channel.
Kawy Thank you! We love you too
Seeing a B-24 with radar looks like victory.
You really said that acronym for detection with a straight face numerous times .... what a consumate professional cause I would have LOST IT lol
There is another island nation that had their shipping threatened by submarine activity. Although less well known than the U-Boats, the American Silent Service was very active during the war.
American submarines deserve a lot more recognition. Hopefully we’ll see more coverage of their exploits from this year on, since mid-to-late ‘43 is when they really start wreaking havoc on Japan’s merchant fleet and they start doing a number on the IJN.
Worst case, there’s always Drachinifel. He’s already covered the US submarine campaign from late 41 to early 42, and I believe he plans to cover the rest of it. He’s also covered the Gato and Balao class submarines, the USS Tang, and the troubled life of the Mark 14 torpedo. I’m personally looking forward to his video on the wacky career of the USS Barb.
Terrific discussion. Thank you.
RS. Canada
Very informative video and well done. Thank you!
Enjoyed this on many levels.
Thanks Nick
These special episodes are fantastic.
You're fantastic.
Awesome episode Indy. Thanks to everyone who made is possible.
Andrew thank you for watching, the whole team appreciates your support
Good story,well presented. Thank you
Thank you Wayne
The CAM ships actually preceded the MAC ships by almost a year. Easier, less material to build a simple catapult, rather than a full-length flight deck. Your excellent talk might lead some to interpret that both features happened simultaneously. Also, most MAC ships had no hanger, so 4 Swordfish was the maximum number of aircraft. They were permanently housed topside (must have been a fun job mid-winter). The escort carriers built in US yards did have a hangar, did not carry cargo, and became the strong right arm of the U-boat killer groups. Once available in greater numbers, the UK ceased converting merchant ships to MAC ships.
studentjohn36 Thank you, that's excellent context.
The MAC Ships built on Bulk Carriers did have a underdeck hangar and a lift to deck and could carry six Swordfish.
@@benwilson6145 I am aware of that, We all read the same books, I presume) but it made the mod more expensive to implement . Only a minority were so equipped.
@@studentjohn35 All the Bulk Carriers which was six, its easy to find information.
Much is made of German wonder weapons. Not nearly enough credit is given to the British for developing technology and tactics that made a genuine impact on the war effort. In ASW alone, much of what they developed during WWII is still used today, albeit in updated form.
Indy: ramming a sub is a vailable tactic
HMCS Oakville: what if i raw throught it
The easiest way to sink a U-Boat is go the bathroom and expel the waste in the wrong sequence.
I still like the original WW1 "solution", rowing up in a small boat to smash the periscope lens with a hammer.
If you drop the depth charges close enough, the U-boat's crew will suddenly have the need to use the bathroom...
Pefect timing, just visited the only remaining VIIc-boat earlier this week.
Outstanding content guys!
Thank you Shawn!
Always thought it crazy how a sub can't just... keep going underwater and evade. Nicely summarised why that isn't always possible.
Thanks for watching!:)
U boats were quite slow underwater, and surface ships were much faster. End of story.
Well, don't forgot to play *Das Boot* when under depth charge attack in a U-boot, ja? Those techno grooves could sure help calm nerves during an intense battle situation.
Seriously though, great video on the countermeasures Indy!
Thanks for watching as always
Thanks again for the content
You are very welcome, thank you for your comment.
-TimeGhost Ambassador
Hey this was very well done. Kudos!! Look forward to more.
Thank you!!
Thank you for another excellent and informative video.
Thank you for watching, George
9:55 "the American Admiralty" otherwise known as the Department of the Navy.
_American Admiralty_ sounds better.
Enjoyed, thanks!
Thank you Richard!