In 1971 Ludovic Kennedy fronted a similar documentary, Battleship Bismarck, marking the 30th (!!!) anniversary of the pursuit of the mighty warship. Four years later much of the material was produced in print in his magnificent book, Pursuit. The documentary cannot now be found anywhere, which is a great pity
Fascinating documentary. As a Briton I am proud of the role the RN played in WWII, but I readily admit that the German Navy had some excellent capital ships and skilled sailors to crew them.
One of the best documentaries i have seen for many years and i am well over 60+ yrs old and my father fought in North Africa and Europe in 39-45.. It literally took my breathe away. I am in full awe and respect for naval ratings on both sides. I am of course biased but what makes this TV film stand out is that instead of ancient 98yr old seamen ( which is what we have seen for last 20 yrs) these are the actual decision makers and commanders of both sides. It is truly the last ever Royal Navy engagement by Battleships of the Royal and German Navies. My heart goes out to these brave souls on both sides. Perhaps the worse aspect is the loss of respect for which the new generation holds these sacrifices. Many young men and women do not read this history or have any concept of why they are able to live free lives as they do. It is the greatest shame that so many men sacrificed their lives for this appalling reality in 2024.
@mediantrader…appalling is well put to describe the current times. It’s as if the events from the times portrayed in this video and the men who participated so nobly in them and sacrificed so much never existed.
My late father met them in the Channel, he was on one of Lt. Commander Pumphrey's MTBs. An excellent documentary recall seeing it back when it was screened on this Boxing Day.
In a huge stroke of coincidence, I was just reading about his dad’s fight against the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in a book. Also, yes! Tom and Jerry! Who better to lighten the mood after such a serious documentary than those two?
A good documentary, especially as it was made in 1971 and included a number of interviews, most of these men I suspect are dead by now. The only disappointment was not enough mention in dispatches of the role of HMS Belfast, which I understand had been fitted out with a state-of-the-art radar system that was instrumental in locating the Scharnhorst at night.
Travis Thacker Personally I don’t understand the “lucky shot” phenomenon. It’s said to have happened in the sinking of HMS HOOD, QUEEN MARY, INDEFATIGABLE and the supposed longest range shot ever from WARSPITE etc. the German battleship/cruiser SCHARNHORST......the list goes on. I think it comes down to either good gunnery, the fog of war, poor ship design or crews ignoring safety measures. I could understand if these events were extremely rare but they weren’t. Germany was just better at putting shells on the target than their British counterparts.
apiece ofdirt apiece ofdirt I think it’s mainly just a humongous case of “right/wrong place, right/wrong time”. Yes, you can have excellent gunnery, and all that, but there will still be that one shot that hits the sweet spot. Sometimes, the sweet spot is in fact due to poor ship design (see Taihou, who if I remember correctly, was sunk by a single torpedo). Other times, it’s just the way things went. I think Hood wasn’t poorly designed. No ship could be completely armored, mainly because there are limits both physical and political (naval treaties restricted tonnage), so designers had to work around them, putting armor in certain areas. TL; DR: what some call a stroke of luck, I chalk it up to an exercise in coincidence.
@@apieceofdirt4681 It's not like target shooting with a rifle. The target is moving and often changes course after your shells have been fired. And even as big as these ships are, the distance makes them small targets. You don't aim for where they're at; you aim for where you think they'll be when your shells arrive. Many salvos straddle- that's perfect aim- but you get no hit and you have to try again. In a long-range naval gunnery battle any hit has some luck involved and the best that can be done is to fire enough straddles knowing that odds are one will hit eventually. As to the 'lucky hit' that is true; there are many places on a warship where a shell burst won't much lessen their immediate fighting ability; crew berths, mess halls, ward rooms, etc are all over the place. And there are places where one hit can change everything, reducing speed or controllablility, knocking out turrets, destroying the vital electricity, and blowing up magazines. Sometimes such a hit doesn't affect a battle situation and sometimes there's no possible recovery with the only question left being how long till it's sunk. It does take skill to land a hit, but to land it exactly where it's needed at exactly the right time it's needed is like winning the lottery- the numbers of tries increases the odds but it's as much luck as it is anything else and the odds very much against that. Every warship's Captain know this and prays that the lucky hit will belong to him and not be the other way round, then strives as best he can to take advantage of every opportunity he can find to get lucky. At the beginning of the war Germany had a technological advantage which was out-paced by British radar and sonar development in time. And yes, their gunnery was far more accurately laid because they used a very precise optical rangefinder, but it required very careful and precise operation while the British chose a much easier to use type that wasn't as accurate initially. That gave them the ability to accurately fire at extreme ranges skillfully. British guns had equal range but wouldn't be likely to hit at the extremes so they tended to withhold their fire till distances closed instead of wasting shells, which gave the Germans plenty of time to shoot at them. Britain's ability to field more ships, their rapidly advancing radar and sonar technology, and their better-placed radio-direction-finders eventually made it impossible for Germany to win the Atlantic, especially with Germany focused on U-boats winning the naval war which left them short on surface ships. Plus short and simple Britain had better luck most of the time, and luck matters a lot.
I keep reading and watching books and vids about the breakout and dash up the channel........an almost comedic laughable saga that seems so unlikely that its incredible its true and not some made up Hollywood script......if it wasn't for the loss of life......especially the futile attack by the Swordfish.....I could laugh.....instead I always end up shaking my head dumbfounded......theres a great little book on it titled "Fiasco" by John Deane Potter that won't take much out of a day to read.
As a British production you could bet on it they would not give credit where it was due. There was no mention at all of the phenomenal accuracy of the gunfire from the Duke Of York . Out of 52 broadsides fired , 32 of them were straddles or on target. This is just about the best gunnery possible at the time. Also no mention of the fact that it was one of DOY last shells of the first encounter that hit Scharnhorst in the engine room and slowed her down in order for DOY to catch up. Us British will give praise and credit to anyone - except ourselves !!
The Duke of York's very first 14'' salvo which who was smashed into Scharnhorst's Anton-turret wrecking it To preventing a major ammunition-explosion the 1ST Gunnery-Officer which who was forced to flood Bruno-turret cordite-propellant to preventing deflagration After the threat ended they were pumped out for the remaining Bruno-turret to get back into action fate was on the Royal-Navy's side
@@TheTomojiro I'm sorry to answer you now but I honestly forgot it. Thanks you for your time and help. I felt in love with this music track. When you watch the entire document and this music plays at the end I don't know how to describe it. Those two flags with the music in background it's not just history it's more than that. ruclips.net/video/M49u848iy_w/видео.html 23.35 to 24.38 is the part.
Such a kind and thoughtful leading admiral,,he knew we could blow her from the water, but you never know in a naval battle,,I would have been proud to full steam ahead,, right lads,,wack her out of it,,,yeeeeeee,,,haaaaaa
Around the 13 minute mark on the film the funeral of Charlie Hughes was my Grandad.
Rest In peace.
In 1971 Ludovic Kennedy fronted a similar documentary, Battleship Bismarck, marking the 30th (!!!) anniversary of the pursuit of the mighty warship. Four years later much of the material was produced in print in his magnificent book, Pursuit. The documentary cannot now be found anywhere, which is a great pity
They have the audio broadcast
Fascinating documentary. As a Briton I am proud of the role the RN played in WWII, but I readily admit that the German Navy had some excellent capital ships and skilled sailors to crew them.
One of the best documentaries i have seen for many years and i am well over 60+ yrs old and my father fought in North Africa and Europe in 39-45.. It literally took my breathe away. I am in full awe and respect for naval ratings on both sides. I am of course biased but what makes this TV film stand out is that instead of ancient 98yr old seamen ( which is what we have seen for last 20 yrs) these are the actual decision makers and commanders of both sides. It is truly the last ever Royal Navy engagement by Battleships of the Royal and German Navies. My heart goes out to these brave souls on both sides. Perhaps the worse aspect is the loss of respect for which the new generation holds these sacrifices. Many young men and women do not read this history or have any concept of why they are able to live free lives as they do. It is the greatest shame that so many men sacrificed their lives for this appalling reality in 2024.
@mediantrader…appalling is well put to describe the current times. It’s as if the events from the times portrayed in this video and the men who participated so nobly in them and sacrificed so much never existed.
Awesome show, I have wanted to see something like this for a long time, very well done !!
My late father met them in the Channel, he was on one of Lt. Commander Pumphrey's MTBs. An excellent documentary recall seeing it back when it was screened on this Boxing Day.
Nice to see a film in which Gneisenau is pronounced properly.
Thanks for uploading.
The Scharnhorst ,Kriegsmarine lucky ship ! A very good doc about the Scharnhorst was made by Ocean designs - "the sink of the Scharnhorst "
What an incredible opening set!!! Bravo!!!!
Heartfelt thanks.
In a huge stroke of coincidence, I was just reading about his dad’s fight against the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in a book.
Also, yes! Tom and Jerry! Who better to lighten the mood after such a serious documentary than those two?
Excellent 😢😢😢
She was a Battle Cruiser ... Not a Battleship ...
They said within the the first 30secs of the video.
Good documentary, but was marred by it being cut off right before Cartoon Time.
Really like Tom and Jerry. Pity.
A good documentary, especially as it was made in 1971 and included a number of interviews, most of these men I suspect are dead by now. The only disappointment was not enough mention in dispatches of the role of HMS Belfast, which I understand had been fitted out with a state-of-the-art radar system that was instrumental in locating the Scharnhorst at night.
Travis Thacker Personally I don’t understand the “lucky shot” phenomenon. It’s said to have happened in the sinking of HMS HOOD, QUEEN MARY, INDEFATIGABLE and the supposed longest range shot ever from WARSPITE etc. the German battleship/cruiser SCHARNHORST......the list goes on. I think it comes down to either good gunnery, the fog of war, poor ship design or crews ignoring safety measures. I could understand if these events were extremely rare but they weren’t. Germany was just better at putting shells on the target than their British counterparts.
apiece ofdirt apiece ofdirt I think it’s mainly just a humongous case of “right/wrong place, right/wrong time”. Yes, you can have excellent gunnery, and all that, but there will still be that one shot that hits the sweet spot. Sometimes, the sweet spot is in fact due to poor ship design (see Taihou, who if I remember correctly, was sunk by a single torpedo). Other times, it’s just the way things went. I think Hood wasn’t poorly designed. No ship could be completely armored, mainly because there are limits both physical and political (naval treaties restricted tonnage), so designers had to work around them, putting armor in certain areas.
TL; DR: what some call a stroke of luck, I chalk it up to an exercise in coincidence.
They were actually extremely rare when you take into account the number of shells that usually got fired in a naval engagement.
@@apieceofdirt4681 It's not like target shooting with a rifle. The target is moving and often changes course after your shells have been fired. And even as big as these ships are, the distance makes them small targets. You don't aim for where they're at; you aim for where you think they'll be when your shells arrive. Many salvos straddle- that's perfect aim- but you get no hit and you have to try again. In a long-range naval gunnery battle any hit has some luck involved and the best that can be done is to fire enough straddles knowing that odds are one will hit eventually.
As to the 'lucky hit' that is true; there are many places on a warship where a shell burst won't much lessen their immediate fighting ability; crew berths, mess halls, ward rooms, etc are all over the place. And there are places where one hit can change everything, reducing speed or controllablility, knocking out turrets, destroying the vital electricity, and blowing up magazines. Sometimes such a hit doesn't affect a battle situation and sometimes there's no possible recovery with the only question left being how long till it's sunk.
It does take skill to land a hit, but to land it exactly where it's needed at exactly the right time it's needed is like winning the lottery- the numbers of tries increases the odds but it's as much luck as it is anything else and the odds very much against that. Every warship's Captain know this and prays that the lucky hit will belong to him and not be the other way round, then strives as best he can to take advantage of every opportunity he can find to get lucky.
At the beginning of the war Germany had a technological advantage which was out-paced by British radar and sonar development in time. And yes, their gunnery was far more accurately laid because they used a very precise optical rangefinder, but it required very careful and precise operation while the British chose a much easier to use type that wasn't as accurate initially. That gave them the ability to accurately fire at extreme ranges skillfully. British guns had equal range but wouldn't be likely to hit at the extremes so they tended to withhold their fire till distances closed instead of wasting shells, which gave the Germans plenty of time to shoot at them. Britain's ability to field more ships, their rapidly advancing radar and sonar technology, and their better-placed radio-direction-finders eventually made it impossible for Germany to win the Atlantic, especially with Germany focused on U-boats winning the naval war which left them short on surface ships. Plus short and simple Britain had better luck most of the time, and luck matters a lot.
Interesting!🤘
I thought she lavished in Norway like Tirpitz until bombed. How wrong I was!!
He is so calm talking about is Father. Stiff upper lip guys.
I keep reading and watching books and vids about the breakout and dash up the channel........an almost comedic laughable saga that seems so unlikely that its incredible its true and not some made up Hollywood script......if it wasn't for the loss of life......especially the futile attack by the Swordfish.....I could laugh.....instead I always end up shaking my head dumbfounded......theres a great little book on it titled "Fiasco" by John Deane Potter that won't take much out of a day to read.
As a British production you could bet on it they would not give credit where it was due. There was no mention at all of the phenomenal accuracy of the gunfire from the Duke Of York . Out of 52 broadsides fired , 32 of them were straddles or on target. This is just about the best gunnery possible at the time. Also no mention of the fact that it was one of DOY last shells of the first encounter that hit Scharnhorst in the engine room and slowed her down in order for DOY to catch up. Us British will give praise and credit to anyone - except ourselves !!
The Duke of York's very first 14'' salvo which who was smashed into Scharnhorst's Anton-turret wrecking it To preventing a major ammunition-explosion the 1ST Gunnery-Officer which who was forced to flood Bruno-turret cordite-propellant to preventing deflagration After the threat ended they were pumped out for the remaining Bruno-turret to get back into action fate was on the Royal-Navy's side
My ass. That's what them stuck up fools do best is brag
No idea in 1971 about ultra.
Does anybody know the music track name of the music played at 49.00 minutes. Thank you for helping me to find it out.
It is the 3rd movement of Anton Bruckner's, Symphony No.8
@@TheTomojiro
I'm sorry to answer you now but I honestly forgot it. Thanks you for your time and help. I felt in love with this music track. When you watch the entire document and this music plays at the end I don't know how to describe it. Those two flags with the music in background it's not just history it's more than that.
ruclips.net/video/M49u848iy_w/видео.html
23.35 to 24.38 is the part.
Such a kind and thoughtful leading admiral,,he knew we could blow her from the water, but you never know in a naval battle,,I would have been proud to full steam ahead,, right lads,,wack her out of it,,,yeeeeeee,,,haaaaaa
01:54 instant demonetisation