12 year old me, skipping lunch to read Time Life WW2 books is in heaven watching this documentary. Thank you.

@roywinchel3620

13 күн бұрын

Bravo, keep studying. I'm 60 and have studied WWII since I was your age

@dawnwennberg9884

13 күн бұрын

Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. Never stop learning.

@kylepalmer7187

2 күн бұрын

I have all those books. And I read them from cover to cover every chance I can get. I've loved world War II ever since I was in first grade. And I'm nearly 35 now lol

This should win an award. it's not only informative but very dramatic and expertly written.

@JPR3D

27 күн бұрын

It gives me similar vibes to when I was younger, chilling and watching History Channel when it was good. It's a pleasure seeing History Hit grow to where it is now.

@adamdudley8736

12 күн бұрын

relax.. its fine

That German Videography during the battle with Hood is nothing shy of completely fascinating and completly bleak. Seeing the flashes and realising 2 tons per shell of metal is flying towards you. That would be enough to put the shits up anyone and how all those crewman could be so brave like that is nothing short of completely courageous.

@andywomack3414

24 күн бұрын

However, I take issue with presenting the speed of sound as being the same as the speed of light. A minor issue compared to the overall quality of this presentation.

@namcat53

20 күн бұрын

@@andywomack3414 It would have been much better to delay the sound realistically.

@andywomack3414

20 күн бұрын

@@namcat53 " Master and Commander" gets it right with the opening sequence. I wonder if a Bismark shell might arrive before the sound of the guns.

@ewathoughts8476

20 күн бұрын

Each AP Bismacrk shell weighed 1764# not 2 tons which would be 4000 - 4400# depending on short or long tons. Yamato's shell weighed 3220#, yet still less than 2 tons.

@ashleygoggs5679

19 күн бұрын

@@ewathoughts8476 The weight is insignificant to my overall comment, the point is that it is a fucking heavy piece of metal hurtling towards you.

Starting to enjoy the KZread trend toward long format. Good to listen in the background.

@Lezzyboy87

28 күн бұрын

Great isn't it, learning while working and getting paid

@marionjohansson4235

28 күн бұрын

Excellent! Gripping report. Well done Dan Snow.

@pauldyson8969

27 күн бұрын

@@Lezzyboy87exactly what I do! 👍🏼😆

@JPR3D

27 күн бұрын

Same but these are so well put together I find that listening isn't enough, I really must watch.

I love the understated commentary from the old sailors who were there

it made me cry... a mix of pride and sadness, for all who died and their loved ones. great honour to both in the endeavors.

Andrew ,an aussie here . just want to compliment and thank you for your exceptional presentation and style in the bismark documentary . for me you really stood out .with your knowledge and your command and delivery of the english language .for me it was all class.

@andywomack3414

24 күн бұрын

Agreed, although I take issue with presenting the speed of sound as being the same as the speed of light.

In the voiceovers Dan sounds like he's just been mauled by a dentist! Poor Dan. Brilliant video thanks, highly entertaining and educational, very nicely done.

@Crow_Friend

28 күн бұрын

Sounds like he's been punched 😆

@jako1234567890jako

28 күн бұрын

I thought he was eating a cold toffee!

@MrShaneSunshine

28 күн бұрын

Curious!

@bennewnham4497

28 күн бұрын

He's struggling. The lisp has been getting worse the last few years.

@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg

28 күн бұрын

Dentists have many sharp Claws and Fang's

Navies all over the world should thank History Hit team for making these brilliant naval documentaries. Surely they will increase the fascination of navy in younger people and boost naval recruitment.

Dan Snow's material keeps getting better and better over time.

"in a minute we'll be getting our cutlasses and get out and board that" That would have been...EPIC.

@Crow_Friend

28 күн бұрын

They don't like it 'UP em! 😮

"Then you have problems"... understatement of the century. Gotta love British stoicism.

Brilliant documentary, and amazing to see ones of this quality on KZread considering they hardly get a look in on TV.

@colinthomas5462

18 күн бұрын

Completely agree 👍

'Rodney' is such a good name for a Battleship..

@Dave_Sisson

28 күн бұрын

Only if it has a brother ship called Del Boy.

@optimusprime7062

27 күн бұрын

However HMS Trigger keeps calling it Dave

@celston51

27 күн бұрын

You should have seen her sister ship, HMS Nelson.

@richdurbin6146

24 күн бұрын

Hood initially was supposed to have a sister ship named Rodney.

@celston51

24 күн бұрын

@@richdurbin6146 Hood was meant to be one of four Admiral-class battlecruisers. None of the others were constructed but their names were used for King George V-class battleships Anson and Howe.

Just what the world needs, quality long videos on interesting subjects. Entertaining and relaxing. Thank you very much

The most comprehensive and complete recounting of the sinking of the Bismarck yet produced. Very well done. 1:35:56

Thank you for the reminder of the thin threads that have kept us from oblivion, and the courage of the unsure yet determined young fighters who have pulled those threads to bring us to where we are.

@cubismo85

23 күн бұрын

:)

I especially like the fact that the decryption also is mentioned, as that has often been missed in this epic story.

You know this isn't a new History Hits production... Right? Drachinifel has a great YT episode on Hood's sinking. He favours the "short round" theory of the fatal strike. Due to Hood's hull design, at high speed the bow wave creates a water void just forward of X trurret. Thus allowing a 15" shell to strike below the armour belt, with easier access.

@MrEnvirocat

28 күн бұрын

Drach did an excellent job with that video. Very convincing.

@KennethMachnica-vj3hf

25 күн бұрын

​@@MrEnvirocatHe's a cool dude. He met up with that guy who does the New Jersey videos.

@jasonwomack4064

22 күн бұрын

Drach does amazing content. I haven't found another naval channel that comes anywhere near what he does.

Excellent documentary! It’s so important to have this. Old stories, but new information and presentations, cultural changes in how history gets presented and shown, biases changes or lessening or disappearing- and making history accessible is incredibly valuable to society, I think. And- an extra thank you, from a personal perspective! This war is such a huge part of my family history and family creation on both sides- it’s just fascinating to learn more and more about what they were living with- the events and upheaval, survival tactics both physical and psychological- that helped form them and trickled down the family line. I’m quite grateful for History Hit and appreciate the wide range of things offered.

I'm a Dan Stan. I see him in a thumbnail, I click.

@glenmarshall5039

28 күн бұрын

Same.

A very well done telling of the tale...Kudos to History Hit !

I've been watching documentaries about the sinking of the Bismarck for a long time. Yup, I'm old. This is epic on top of epic. The ferocity. Kids who became people like my grandparents. On giant boats with massive guns. It's hard to get my head around. Absolutely fearless.

my most sincere compliments to all involved to produce such a superb piece... 👏👏👏

Wow, that was a very Impressive Informative video. Such a fascinating story of the legendary Bismarck. Very well put together. 10/10

One of, if not, the best video I have ever watched on this channel. Very informative and detailed. Thank you so much for making this video.

It feels like yesterday when I was in my OACS interview to join the RAF. They asked, “Why the RAF, why not the army or the Royal Navy?” I replied, “the RAF can go anywhere in any plane. The army can only move on the ground. The navy can only move on the sea, and you can’t run over the sea.”

I gave up my subscription to Hh last year because most of the programming, as excellent as it is, you can now get on KZread ! Plus these are without the issues I continously experienced trying to watch these exact shows I was paying for!

This is just a wonderful show. The spine tingles at the British mastery of exposition. What a story!

What a wonderful exciting and gripping story of unbelievable circumstances. Your production was of massive professionalism. Thank you for the most exciting video I have ever seen.

Excellent documentary, found it fascinating, thanks for posting. Please keep up the good work and keep them coming.

Prinz Eugen was a very good ship , Much underrated by the senior service.

@cubismo85

23 күн бұрын

It was, but at that time the size of the barrel was most important.

@barbararice6650

19 күн бұрын

The American crew who had to sail it across the Atlantic thought it was a bag of bolts

@stephenholmes1036

19 күн бұрын

​​@@barbararice6650Their ships were nothing and it took some sinking

@hernerweisenberg7052

18 күн бұрын

@@barbararice6650 The ship was likely either sabotaged by the germans, or the american crew not properly instructed in her complicated high pressure steam turbin engines operation. That said tho, german surface ships were very inefficient, allied ships achieving the same amount of protection and armament on ships thousands of tonnes lighter.

One of the best documentaries I have seen for a long time. Brilliant.

Hooray! The full video😊😊😊

my 18 year old grandad was onboard ark royal. he told me they were scared of bismark unsurprisingly

@tomhenry897

22 күн бұрын

German surface ships already sunk one British air craft carrier

@eatthisvr6

22 күн бұрын

@@tomhenry897 glorious? i dont know if he knew about that

Sorry to be pedantic, but the verb in your title should be "sank," not "sunk". Long live English grammar.

Well done, the oscilloscopic trace of the playback of eye witness audio superimposed on the horizon of the video of the grey unforgiving North Altantic backdrop adds a sobering artistic touch.

Great video, excellent, very informative Dan Snow always does a great job

Great Wednesday night viewing

Splendid treatment of the subject matter. Peerless presentation of the narrative by subject matter experts. An engrossing story. Thank you.

Loved this video! was waiting for it since the first part!

Damned fine vid! Thank You!

The English had mobile radar towers mounted on trucks that could replace some of those bombed. But it is correct that the German high command failed to understand the importance of the technology. Oddly, much of the technology was of German origin, but Goring failed to comprehend it's correct usage and application. My mother lived next door to one of the scientists involved in setting up the radar towers, and she recalled him telling her a story of how on a cold day, he had worked in the tower, and a chocolate bar that should have been frozen had melted completely. He went on to speculate that one day food might be cooked by such a method.

@iansneddon2956

23 күн бұрын

The towers were remarkably resilient to bombing and the more vital buildings with equipment were generally missed. There was also a fair bit of redundancy in the system. The British were preparing for attacks. Another German waste was in their efforts to go after RAF airfields. Incorrect intelligence as to which airfields were active and a generous deployment of decoy models of aircraft meant German attacks were often pointless.

Great documentary, thank you. May all RIP.

the torpedo did quite a bit of damage the area that the crew needed to get to fix the rudder kept flooding in the heavy seas

thank you for breaking down the barriers to learning complex subjects!

Lutjens considered using explosive charges to blow the damaged rudder off the ship, but the possibility of damaging the propellers and hull put the kibosh on that idea.

@dovetonsturdee7033

14 күн бұрын

There was more damage than simply to the rudder. Several compartments were also flooded and the entire stern, always a weakness in large German WW2 warships, severly compromised.

Having watched the Movie Sink the Bismarck and wondering whether it compared favourably with the actual events and accounts of the Navy. This brought home just how accurate a portrayal of events that took place. in the movies depiction of it. I thuroughly recommend watching it after seeing this documentary as i will be rewatching it here on YT in the next few days. Thank you time team for giving us the true accounts through survivors narration and the valuablle experts giving much needed cllarity.

@dovetonsturdee7033

20 күн бұрын

A shame about the false and nonsensical sinking of a destroyer, however.

@colinthomas5462

6 сағат бұрын

Agreed Sink the Bismarck is an excellent film, Kenneth Moore great British actor 👍

great experts! learned a great deal of details that were very interesting!

@Crow_Friend

28 күн бұрын

I was gonna say the same, the historians were excellent in this.

What a superb historical documentary, just the best!

Massive congratulations. To start a project of this scale and to be here now is amazing.

These Time-Life documentaries really are the very best there are currently available, and WELL worth the investment of one's time.

Bismarck Bismarck Bismarck. When will we get documentaries of ships that are truly legendary, like Warspite, Ajax, or Illustrious?

@barbararice6650

19 күн бұрын

Surely HMS Warspite is the most illustrious warship of WW2

@milesalpha1

2 күн бұрын

@@barbararice6650 It wasn't even illustrious in the the war it was built in, let along WWII.

@milesalpha1

2 күн бұрын

I guess we use the word legendary in two completely different ways.

A new Bismarck vid. It never gets old, even though you know what happened. You can't help but root for her too, she was so badass and cool-looking.

Kept my interest throughout Even after many WWII books and documentaries, I heard some facts I had not known before. Well done.

Amazing documentary. A must see video. Thanks to all those who made this possible. Thanks to KZread too for making this possible for us to see.

Dan been to the dentist?

@Crow_Friend

28 күн бұрын

Sniff comedown.

@gordonbartlett1921

26 күн бұрын

Have you been to a psychiatrist?

@Stitchwitchstitch

24 күн бұрын

You’ve obviously not been to any etiquette lessons.

@TheZeusflea

18 күн бұрын

British people don't use dentists

@gordonbartlett1921

18 күн бұрын

@@Stitchwitchstitch I think you mean any etiquette class.

This really should be made into a movie.

@stephenconnolly3018

7 күн бұрын

It was.

@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684

4 күн бұрын

kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZH-Eo7KBh8Krm6Q.html

Fantastic work. i settled in to watch this before seeing how long it was, and suddenly doubted i'd feel like holding on the whole way through. instead, i found myself pulled right into the drama (and occasional absurdity) of classic modern naval warfare. one thing i especially love about this production - and about History Hit as a whole! - is the profoundly humane sensibility that it offers. it doesn't feel like propaganda the way so many warfare documentaries do. it feels like an honest, material explanation of the events as they happened - good, bad, and ugly. thanks for making these, and definitely keep it up.

@AnthonyOMulligan-yv9cg

28 күн бұрын

Ah the Graf Spee in the River Plate

Very good documentary... keep it up Dan..

The Swordfish was an excellent, seriously nimble aircraft that could duck and weave

@justonecornetto80

28 күн бұрын

The Italians certainly thought so after the raid on Taranto.

@GregWampler-xm8hv

27 күн бұрын

Eeeeeeeeeeeyeah uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh no. OK in it's time maybe I don't know but the "String Bag" was obsolete in 1941. Bob and weave initially but the torpedo run is die straight. This is not to impugn the obvious bravery and skill of the planes crew but the obsolete nature of the Swordfish. They managed to get one hit on the last few feet of an 800+ ft. ship.

@GregWampler-xm8hv

27 күн бұрын

I stand corrected on the number of hits. 😎

@justonecornetto80

27 күн бұрын

@@GregWampler-xm8hv The Fairey Swordfish was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

@robertpatrick3350

23 күн бұрын

@@GregWampler-xm8hvthe most successful torpedo bomber ofWW2

My Grandfather was on the Rodney, so i have a fond (if thats the right word!) attachment to this part of history, yes the Rodney put the last shells int0 the Bismark,but an almighty amount of work went into finding the Ship, sadly my Grandfather died when i was 2, in1962, so i never heard his side of the story, but i have all his paperwork, medals etc

@PBHitman1973

28 күн бұрын

HMS Rodney was a legendary ship. 🫡

This is what a documentary should look like! Thank you for posting! Keep up the great work, and a thank you to KZread this might be the only history some can learn.

As an Army Ranger, like any grunt, artillery and airstrikes were the things I feared most. You couldn't see em coming, and often had little if any warning. For us at least, we could seek/dig some kind of cover to protect ourselves. Naval combat is a whole nother kind of terrible. Nothing but flat sea and open sky, no mountains to shield you, no trees to conceal you, just an old school shootout at high noon on a wide open street. Those crews on WWII ships were the definition of brave, slinging steel at each other until one or the other emerged victorious. Sua Sponte you mad lads, Nothing but respect for the guts it took to sail the seas never knowing if you'd get wiped out by a sub or battleship just over the horizon.

Utterly brilliant video.

omg what a great video dan

Great post, thank you.

Another amazing video thanks Nigel I'm learning loads watching you build this lancaster thanks again

Outstanding documentary making.

2 things. 1, the slow W.W. 1 nylon winged planes they used were so light that the wind held them up, and 2, they got lucky in striking the rudder, jamming it, and the ship could only steer in circles.

@shipton51

23 күн бұрын

The Swordfish wasn't WW1 plane, having been introduced in 1936. It was in service for almost all of WW2, sinking a greater tonnage of Axis shipping than any other Allied plane.

@dovetonsturdee7033

20 күн бұрын

Odd that the torpedo hit was 'lucky' but the hit on Hood was entirely the result of skill, isn't it? Was the hit of the Italian battleship which led to Matapan two months earlier also mere luck?

@mikearmstrong8483

13 күн бұрын

Yeah, the 2 longest gun hits in battleship history were just "luck", because they were scored by the British. Cuz only Americans can intentionally score a hit with a gun, right? Unless you're a nazi fanboy, in which case the Germans can too, with their "most powerful" battleship ever built, which didn't get a single hit in its last battle, but that must have been because they sank their own ship too soon, as we all know the British couldn't have done it with more than twice the firepower.

That was great. Thank you.

Quality educational entertainment. This took me right back to chilling watching documentaries on the History channel as a kid before the aliens took over. But even better in my opinion. Cheers!

Brilliant documentary

This is quality

3,600 men + combined... what a terrible waste... the absolute absurdity of war. god bless these fine men.

@tom-vf1xv

20 күн бұрын

Damn money folk

Amazing video, top work all

Wonderful work!

Excellent.

A well produced and informative video. I take issue with presenting the speed of sound as being the same as the speed of light.

Excellent documentary!

Interesting directorial choice to record this mid root canal.

Excellent!! Very interesting 👍🏻

I’ve fallen asleep three nights in a row watching this. Now attempting a fourth watch. I will get through it!

Great documentary!

When Germany built the Bismarck they built the biggest and best battleship their industry could produce paying no attention whatsoever to any treaties or agreements. In contrast the British KGV class had to be a compromise in every way in order to keep to a 35000 ton limit as dictated by international agreements. Despite this HMS Duke Of York went head to head with the scharnhorst and basically blew her out of the water!! The KGV class did magnificent service throughout the war and especially in the far East..

@jbepsilon

17 күн бұрын

Bismarck was also limited to 35000 tons via the Anglo-German Naval Agreement. They just lied about her real deplacement, just like they lied brazenly about the displacement of the Hipper class which ostensibly were limited to 10000 tons.

Great video

Greetings! Quite nice actually. Should have recounted the Destroyer action on the last night however. Philip Vian with some Tribals I believe, and a Polish crewed ship too. Should have been mentioned. Billi.

This should be a major motion picture - riveting

@1982nsu

28 күн бұрын

Not a bad video. But if you want to see an excellent video on Bismarck watch "Operation Rheinübung." kzread.info/dash/bejne/oGptzbhtl7nVdNo.html Enjoy.

@melanierhianna

27 күн бұрын

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sink_the_Bismarck!

@colinthomas5462

5 сағат бұрын

Sink the Bismarck with Kenneth Moore excellent movie from the 1950s.

Terrific stuff. Thank you. Question: When a ship is sunk, is it later replaced by a ship with the same name? Is or was there another Bismarck or Hood?

@535phobos

24 күн бұрын

Depends. Usually yes. Names get recycled. However names also fall out of fashion. Bismarck isnt terribly dominant in the german military tradition nowadays, so we wont see another "Bismarck" anytime soon, I am afraid. Germany now mostly focuses on its cities and provinces, so we will get for example another "Emden" (the sixth ship with that name). We havent got another Hood, probably because of the bad taste the last one left and out of respect for its fallen crew. But Warspite, Dreadnought, Queen Elizabeth,... are all in service right now.

The German Navy was so small because Raeder had been told he had about 5-6 more years than he got to build up his Navy.

@EllieMaes-Grandad

27 күн бұрын

It didn't help that it suffered major losses in Norway 1940.

@jbepsilon

17 күн бұрын

Also didn't help that the treaty of Versailles left Germany with a very small and obsolete navy. After the angry guy with the silly moustache took power and started rearming Germany there was only so much time to build it up again, steel and slipways were serious constraints.

Extraordinary detail…..but such tragic loss of life

Just 3 of 1,418 surviving is horrendous. 41:12 And that explosion was terrifying.

Do you think the captain and crew of the Bismarck look down from heaven and think: "Well that was pointless"?

Thanks

Amazing documentary. And its free. Just amazing! / sweden

Thanks for finally telling the small but vital role the US had in re-acquiring Bismarck. It’s an often overlooked part of the Royal Navy’s epic victory.

@squirepraggerstope3591

28 күн бұрын

"Oh, the Catalina 'Tuck' flew... Ensured she'd never get home!" 😁

@AdanClark-zx7pw

27 күн бұрын

It was kept secret because he was breaking US neutrality flying with the RAF

we need preserve to such information to make the next generation realise the horrors from the past and not to be done again

Loved this

Excellent

Bismarck was such a beautiful ship and Captain Lindemann was a great captain.

@dovetonsturdee7033

20 күн бұрын

Despite what seems to have been a nervous breakdown on his last night alive?