Calling any ship "unsinkable" is always the kiss of death.

As a Pole it's always heart-warming to see some recognition for our efforts during the war, so thank you! And we love you too VTH!

By far, the best history react channel on KZfaq.

4:40 "the destruction of the largest battleship on Earth" That's only if you count Yamato and Musashi as their own separate class of super-battleship, which I suppose you could. But they were a solid 50% larger than the Bismarck and Tirpitz. Much love to Extra History and VTH for this awesome episode :)

The Polish are an incredible fighting force. I was in Afghanistan with them and when the enemy attacked, the Polish fight incredibly.

"They had to sink the Bismarck, the terror of the sea. Stop those guns as big as steers and those shells as big as trees"

The Justinian, the First Crusade and the Catherine the Great Extra History series are also pretty solid...You got a good one here too !

Well the Bismarck is about to enter its 80th anniversary of being sunk Oh and there are 4 parts to this search for the Bismarck

Just gotta say, After being on youtube for a long while I really appreciate your vibe. Its like hearing your friend talk about something really cool to them, and thats cool to me baybee

12:00 as a Polish guy I really thank you for understanding and appreciating our country! Also a Polish ORP "Piorun" (Thunder) was the one that located Bismarck and drew its fire, while other units of the Royal Navy task force caught up to finally sink the beast. Imagine a small N-class destroyer being able to keep fighting - it's a cool story on its own with some cunning, clever maneuvers and a lot of smokescreen. I wonder if it is there in the further Bismarck story (haven't seen it yet, prefer watching with you) :)

Sink the Bismarck was the first war movie I watched and it really cemented my love for naval history.

Pride of a nation, a beast made of steel, Bismarck on motion, king of the ocean! Thanks for posting!

For more naval history goodness I'd recommend Montemayor's The Battle of Midway 1942: Told from the Japanese Perspective. It's a long 3 part series but is very interesting and detailed.

*clears throat* TO LEAD THE WARMACHINE, TO RULE THE WAVES AND LEAD THE KRIEGSMARINE Anyway, love the reactions always and can't wait for part 2 :D

bismarck was found by same man that found the titanic and and ballard was part of a cold war mission to find 2 subs the us navy lost

As a Pole, I wholeheartly thank You for your input on our role in history and your warm words. Thank You.

If you're at all interested in naval technology from bygone eras the two channels to dive into are "Drachinifel" and "Battleship New Jersey", both are long format channels with a RIDICULOUS amount of information to share.

I was talking with a Polish employee at a museum about the history of Poland and we came to the conclusion that Poland was very popular in the 20th century, because everyone wanted a piece of it.

The Warsaw Uprising two part series is a good one I would review, very informative and showed how close yet how far victory was for the Poles

The loss of the Hood is a significant event not only was she well loved but she is also a personal part of my family as she is the resting place of my Uncle. Very cool documentary and it really is a srory that show's not just how good the intelligence was but also how old technology was the deciding factor in the Bismarcks ultimate demise. All her updated equipment and awesome firepower couldn't do anything to stop the old Swordfish aircraft from hitting her.

Woah man, this is super weird. I was looking yesterday for your reaction to this video and was upset you hadn’t done it yet. Good shit lol.

You're correct, the Tirpitz was sunk in a Norwegian fjord by Lancaster bombers, dropping huge "Tall Boy" bombs

By the way you’re workrate is insane !!!! You deserve a medal and pleased to see your channel continue to grow

I first learned about the Bismarck as a kid from the song "Sink the Bismarck" by Johnny Horton. Definitely some good stuff, man. Thoroughly enjoy your reactions and all the extra info you throw in!

This is such a good series. Please react all the way through it

The Bismarck was luckily hit by a torpedo by an old British plane. It didn’t sink it but it hit the propeller. The ship was then stuck going around in circles. Multiple British battleships then rain fire on it after that till it sank.

I highly recommend you give the video The Battle of Samar by Drachinifel. The video is about the navel Battle of Samar. Which is one of those battles that a sound like a bad screen play but is ture. I also recommend his video titled The Russian 2nd Pacific Squadron- Voyage of the Dammed.

Have you ever seen Poland: The Unconquered? It's an amazing video about how Poland stood strong through WW2 and the Cold War

I'd love to see someone taking a naval battle sim and make a custom game in which the Bismarck surprises one the larger convoys that were going to Britain in June 1941.

It is amazing that they could find 1 ship that was trying to hide when you had to hear or see it. No satellite's and limited aircraft support. An astonishing feat. As for the battleships, the Iowa class (which i dont believe were around at the time) to this day is still the most bad ass ship built to me.

I think the most fascinating thing about WW2 is the fog of war. It is so easy to forget in the modern era just how much the fog of war affected everything. Note: I know the fog of war has been a huge issue throughout history, but WW2 has so many examples of it and it really was not that long ago.

I’d love to see a reaction one of “The Operations Rooms” videos. He does detailed breakdowns of important battles and missions and gives a great perspective.

The naval aspect of both world wars has always been fascinating to my dad and I. Another cool event from this era is the Russian Baltic fleet‘s journey to Port Arthur leading to the battle of Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War. There‘s a name for it, but I don’t remember it now. Basically plays out as a naval comedy of errors.

Thank u for making Poland just as important

9:34.. that's Hitler craying three bags full of cash he probably hit the jackpot at near by casino.

The Bismarck is what sparked my love of history when I was a kid, I was blown away by the whole thing and couldn’t believe it, now I’m 26 and absolutely love anything history! Absolutely fascinated by our pasts.

This is some of your best commentary.

Just got a chance to see this. Great job! Can’t ever miss an opportunity to shout out the Winged Hussars!!!

I really love that he has "GERMAN SHIP" in Morse Code at the top at 16:50.

Epic video! Fun fact here. The Bismarck was actually spotted by a pilot flying a PBY plane that took off leaving from Ireland, lough Erin. Spotted by an American pilot and he was accredited with being the first American in a combat mission in world war two.

ive never heard of this before. thank you for the conversation pieces

Chris, HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Renown were sunk by the Japanese 70 miles off the coast of Malaya. Unfortunately the wrecks are now being violated by criminals, who are looting true vessels for the "valuable" scrap metals. The propellors, the pre-atomic era steel armour plate etc.

My great-uncle was a gunnery officer on the HMS Hood, he (along with many of the people on board) died trying to help his subordinates escape

I watch your gaming channel since you had like 5k subs. It's great to see your channels grows that much. Keep up good work.

Tirpitz was eventually sunk by Lancasters from 617 Dambusters and 9 sqn flying from RAF Lossimouth and RAF Kinloss in morayshire Scotland

the hunt for bismarck 6 battleships, 2 aircraft carriers, 3 battlecruisers, 16 cruisers, 33 destroyers and 8 submarines. The hunt was definitly on.

The tirpitz was sunk in my hometown. I can't imagine what it was like to see such a giant ship in the small fjord

You're the best history reactor on KZfaq fan since 11/25/2021 but learning from you

Note: At 4:46 the Extra History graphic incorrectly shows a date of 1940. It should be 1941, of course.

Bismarck in motion, king of the ocean He was made to rule the waves across the seven seas

cool to learn so much about this ship, even though my grandma's brother died on it i dont know much about it

Tirpitz was indeed sunk eventually by the raf using Lancaster bombers from 617 squadron (famous for the dambuster raid) using the Barnes Wallis tallboy bomb. Previous attempts included a navy attack with midget submarines (there's a pretty good war movie about this). Those bombers had to fly from Russia and also dropped a rather unique mine that proved a failure, but it was an interesting concept (basically it would right itself and sink before rising and sinking whilst being swept by the current, and the hope was it would hit the underside of a ship). As for Polish in the war, Britain owes them (and Czech (who were the highest scoring during the battle of Britain) and others) a lot.

The second Bismarck (Tirpitz), is an interesting story also.

The poles didn’t fully break enigma but they did lay the crucial foundation that allowed to be fully broken later

The bismarck was just a huge symbol. Its a fascinating story. Thanks for this series…

What I find most fascinating: The Bismarck has a fair run for the title "unluckiest battleship in history": - First, during the official launch, it collided with the passenger ship "Vaterland" (this was not so bad, since it didn't damage the Bismarck) - Then, after the first tests, it came back to Hamburg for slight adaptations, but before it could "set sail" again, it was blocked inside the port because a freighter was sunk right inside the "Kaiser Wilhelm Kanal" - During this time Captain Herbert Wolfarth (Captain of the newly built sub U-556) promised by "Neptune" that he and his ship would help and support the Bismarck under any circumstance, after the board chapel played for the launch of U-556. Ironically, U-556 made contact with the HMS Ark Royal (the carrier of which the plane started which damaged the Bismarcks rudder system) the night before they made contact with the Bismarck, but couldn't sink or harm it due to a torpedo defect. - Then, the whole "Rheinübung" (the operation which should bring the Bismarck into open water) had to be changed and delayed multiple times: First the "Gneisenau", which should escort Bismarck and Prinz Eugen was defect and needed repair. Then they forgott to fully refill the fuel reserves, which would have allowed Bismarck to hide deep in the Norwegian Fjords. Then they wanted to delay until the Gneisenau, Tripitz and Scharnhorst (also three big battleships) would be repaired for escort. - Then (after they decided that they'd still try to reach open waters, but only with Prinz Eugen, Bismarck and some Destroyers for the first miles), they realized that the Bismarck was lacking fuel, so they could not hide deep inside a Fjord but were spotted while refueling in Bergen - Then, they didn't manage to hit the Norfolk and/or Suffolk which should have been easy targets, but managed to get away into the fog - Then the Prince of Wales had to do a special move to avoid crashing with the sinking hood, which saved it from the 6th salve of the Bismarck, which would have sunk it. - During the battle, the Prince of Wales landed lucky shot #1, which reduced the Bismarcks speed from 30 Knots to around 25 (making it an easier target), and made it leak oil (which made it easier to track) - Then, Lütjens made a radical decision (which I still don't understand): Instead of turning around, facing two unmatched cruisers and go back to repair, he wanted the Prince Eugen to move into open water by itself, while the Bismarck should go all the way around the British Iles to get repaired in a french port. - and last but not least: Even that could have worked, if it was not for lucky shot #2, which damaged the rudder, thus creating target practice for the Spitfires and battleships. And even they had a hard time actually sinking it, since it is still not clear if the Bismarck would have gone down without the scuttling. Now, do I think that the Bismarck would have made an actual impact in the open Atlantic? Not really. This whole ocean was simply too big for a single ship to controll/observe, and with their advanced radar technology, the allies could have avoided it on their routes. But looking at everything that had to go right/wrong for the Bismarck to sink still baffles me.

Here is a little of the wider context. The voyage of the Bismarck lasted from 19 to 27 May 1941. This coincided with the Battle of Crete from 20 May to 1 June 1941. During the battle, the Royal Navy lost several ships, often through incompetent leadership. One example from 22 May was sending two cruisers to provide anti-aircraft cover for an operation when both ships had already reported their anti-aircraft ammunition was almost exhausted. Both cruisers were sunk by dive bombers after resorting to firing blank training ammunition at the planes. The naval battle at Crete is often overshadowed in history books by the land battles on the island and the more eye-catching hunt for Bismarck. However, I've always wondered whether the losses at Crete on 22 May were running through the minds of Royal Navy officers as the Hood intercepted Bismarck on 24 May.

Fleet in being is also basically what happened to the German high seas fleet in ww1

Alternative title: THE HUNT FOR BIZ MARKIE #1 A Historian Raps

My Granddad was the Chief Petty Officer on the King George V battleship that went after the Bismarck. He never liked to talk about the war unfortunately. I would have liked to have learned more.

I have been subscribing to your channel for about a month now, and no regrets! It's so great to get that extra historical context to some of my favorite channels on YT. If you are interested, you should really react to History Buff, he makes reviews on movies, based on their historical contexts, such as the Patriot and the Last Samurai.

Tirpitz was a big issue for the British during ww2 like you said with ship in presence, on top of having more anti aircraft guns installed on board as a result of Bismarcks sinking that I if I remember correctly was over 100 total by the end of its life. It also was protected by numerous flak cannons both on nearby ships and on land based units. Ship and land born smoke generators. And the fjord protected the ship from most submarines and ships. Numerous heavy bombers and a few Lancaster bombers carrying the tall boy "earthquake bomb". Eventually after many failed attempts finally brought her down.

Poland deserves more recognition as the nation and people that simply refuse to die. Despite the best efforts of half a dozen different empires throughout history Poland and it's people have survived

What I always find hilarious watching these reacts is when he goes off on a kind of tangent and I know that EH will cover that either in a few minutes or in the next episode or so.

Sink The Bismarck is a cracking film.

You’ve gotta watch Montemayor’s videos on the Japanese perspective of midway. I’d love to see your reaction to it

Bismark was extra unlucky as the cruiser Gotland was the only Swedish ship with an ultra short wave radio at the time. The Germans transmitted their Zig-Zag course for the fleet on ultra short wave and a curious Swedish radioman picked up on it as he had nothing to do.

Correct on Tirpitz - the Lancaster which caused the initial damage (on 15th September 1944) was I believe flown by Daniels, of the famed 617 "Dambuster" squadron, and the bomb used was another of Sir Barnes Wallis' creations, a 12,000lb Tallboy, smaller brother to the 22,000lb Grand Slam. That only damaged her though, and forced her move south to Tromso for repairs. Very few squadrons were equipped to carry those massive bombs, as they cost a fortune in time and material, both of which were in short supply - I think it was just 9 and 617 sqds who were equipped at the time, both of 5 Group Bomber Command, who had been tasked with dealing with the threat posed by Tirpitz after repeated unsuccessful attempts by the Royal Navy and its Fleet Air Arm. That earlier raid at such extreme range that they had to stage in the Soviet union by those two squadrons had damaged Tirpitz seriously enough that she was moved south for repairs and although German High Command had already decided to use her as a mobile shore battery, this wasn't known by the Allies, who still regarded her as a threat to the Arctic convoys. But that move south put her in direct range of raids from northern Scotland, so those squadrons were tasked with her destruction to the exclusion of all other activities until it was done. On 12th November 1944 she was destroyed by several Tallboys, the most destructive being the first dropped, by 617 sqdns commander Wing Commander Willie Tait. Much of the credit should also go to 617 sqdn's use of the Stabilising Automatic Bombsight (SABS) which worked on similar principles to the more famous Norden sight but without the autopilot features. These were all handmade, so few in number, and 617 were the only squadron to use it operationally, with exceptional results - better than the Norden ever achieved. For the time, 100yds probable from 16,000ft was exceptional, and frequently more accurate than the placing of the markers thhey aimed on. On at least one raid, Tallboys totally devastaded the area around the markers, which had been just over 200yds from the target, which was undamaged. Oops! The fighter cover which was to have protected Tirpitz never appeared, and the commander of the fighter group court-marshalled as a result. He escaped the death penalty (which was on the table), but was demoted, served a month of a three year sentence in jail, then was reassigned and died in action later.

Tripitz was sunk lancaster bomber raid. They started from Russia used a bomb designed to bust bunkers (since it's deck armor was to strong for any other bomb). The Bomb is called Tall Boy and had to be droped from a particular high height which made actually hitting quite a challange. The Squadron chosen was the "Dam Busters" who were used to deploy unconventional bombs. Their name comes from bombing raids deploying bombs that bounced on the warter like a skipping stone and then into dam takeing those out.

I love these kinds of videos!

A few comment about the Swedish contact with Bismark. Sweden has broken the code in the German telephone line between Norway and Germany. So when they hear someone say have so and so much oil ready by that and that time, they can do the math and find out the ships that are coming. So they deploy the cruiser Gotland on the West Coast. Gotland was Swedens dedicated survelliance asset. And the sea åt that place is not wider that one cruiser can cover the whole sea, considering that Bismark cant go to close to the Coast.

Extra History: Bismarck, the largest battleship on Earth. Yamato: Am I a joke to you?

Definitely a fascinating piece of history

You should absolutely look into the story of the Tirpitz. The RAF and Royal Navy tried a dozen or so times to sink her, and every attempt is as fascinating as the last.

Have you thought about doing the CSS Alabama or SMS Emden? Both fascinating naval warfare.

Actually the Italian navy was a paper tiger. It had enough fuel for ONE sorty. But don't forget the French navy as well.

Remember the original plan for bismark's sojourn was to be Bismarck Tirpitz and Prinze Eugen to meet up with Gniessenau and Sharnhorst that fleet would been horrible

This story is fascinating because it takes place in an era where battleships were still considered the most important ships in the fleet. In a little more than a year, the primary naval ship will indisputably be the aircraft carrier. Battleships will be 2nd class from then on.

The sengoku jidai ofJapan video dome by extra credit, though very brief, is a good introduction for people who aren’t familiar with East Asian history

The polish flag was waved on saint benedict in Italy. The sabaton song union is about that.

One of the biggest criticisms is of Norfolk and Suffolk, because whilst the 8 inch shells cannot penetrate the belt armour it can do a lot of damage to the superstructure which can destroy electronics and targeting systems. If they had joined when Hood and Prince of Wales engaged it could have been too much for the Bismark to deal with.

Since i live in Hamburg i have a huge picture/photo taken from the POV of Blankenese "Hills" (a suburb of Hamburg) wich shows the Bismarck shortly after being finished by Blohm & Voss (the Dockyard) and setting course for Kiel. Unfortunately the Dock in wich the Bismarck was build got destroyed after the war by the British. But Blohm & Voss still has a plate of Bismarcks armor in front of their HQ here in Hamburg

@12:04 The 303rd fighter squadron

Guns as big as steers and shells as big as trees

Speaking of Poland, and correct me if I am wrong. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, the Poles were reluctant to declared war on Japan because both Japan and Poland have a complicated friendship, despite being on deferent side of the war. And the funny thing is that when the Polish government in exile declared war on Japan, the Japanese government didn't accept their declaration due to an understanding of pressures by the other Ally powers.

There is an AMAZING videogame called "Rule the Waves" which covers earlier warships. Rather than being a simple strategy game, your country's research and development is somewhat randomized, as are the mood of the public, and you must satisfy your need for prestige in order to obtain funding. It's a wonderful exercise in crazy tech development, and is incredibly fun. If you're into naval videogames, it comes highly recommended, and there's a sequel I think coming soon!

The tirpitz never did alot before it was sunk, because if she were to be damages out in the Atlantic, she could only go to one dry dock on the french coast to be repaired and that was the dry dock in Saint Nazaire, which was destroyed by the HMS Campbelltown and the British Commandos

bismarck sister ship was sunk by dambusters in norway by the end of the war

You've become my favorite go-to channel for history content, and have made me interested in so many topics I had ignored in the past. I love the channel and try to catch every video! I don't fully agree on the video's claims that the Bismarck was the biggest and baddest ship to ever sail in WWII. I actually think the Bismarck was severely overrated. She was designed using a WWI heavy cruiser (the Bayern class) as a template, which made many of it's design elements obselete the day it launched (steering and propulsion would be literal crippling weaknesses). She had sophisticated radar, but it was too delicate and got damaged after the ship was under way, which could not be repaired and was useless for most of the ships operation. Her weaponry was designed for a naval "knife fight" in an era where ships were engaging each other from as far away as possible, and her anti-air batteries were not suited to combatting the naval aircraft of the day. (Her half-sister Tirpitz would actually get a major upgrade to her anti-air weaponry, possibly because of the Bismarck's experience). Everyone needs to remember that, after WWI, Germany was not allowed to build up its navy. German shipwrights missed out on an entire generation of naval evolution, and, when Hitler reignited Germany's military industry, had to fall back on designs for the last ships they had built. These were the WWI era ships where ships were slower, engaged at much closer ranges, and had not yet begun to incorporate robust air defense into their armaments. Also keep in mind that the Kriegsmarine had very little money to work with compared to the other branches of the military, so they had to build ships without any sustained investment. A commerce raider that could threaten the 30-year-old battleships escorting commercial shipping was about the best they could hope for. While this was an effective way to hurt Britain, it's hardly the job of the most deadly warship of the day: German subs were quite up to the task and had better funding. So if the Bismarck really was deeply flawed the day it was launched, why do we still remember it today? Simple: it sank the pride of the Royal Navy the HMS Hood. Bear in mind that, at this point, the Hood herself was over 20 years old and in serious need of an overhaul (she was actually scheduled for a modernization, which had to be postponed so it could mobilize to pursue Bismarck). Germany was happy to claim the incident as a sign of the Bismarck's superiority. Britain, in order to save face, launched a determined hunt for the ship while also happy to claiming the Bismarck was an unrivaled menace rather than admit their most belovedand respected ship was sunk by a glorified cruiser with the displacement of an Iowa-class. Basically, everyone involved had their reasons for feeding in to the ship's mythological status. In reality, commerce raiding was about the only thing the ship could do effectively because it was outclassed by more modern British ships like the King George V class. As a naval history nerd, I do love the story of the Bismarck, and have the utmost respect for the courage and tenacity of men who served on her as she singlehandedly took on the Royal Navy. I also find the Kriegsmarine in general a fascinating study in how engineers tried to build cutting-edge modern warships despite missing out on decades of innovation But a lot of the Bismarck's reputation really wasn't deserved. If you want to learn more about the Kriegsmarine, Drachinifel has an excellent video on Plan Z, which was Hitler's plans to build up a surface fleet in preparation for war in Europe. His video on the Battle of Samar is also amazing. Love the naval history and can't wait to see more!

It was indeed Lancaster bombers that sank the Tirpitz as part of Operation Catechism

The Royal Navy did heavily damage the Bismarck but they did not sink her. Bismarck's crew scuttled her.

My step-dad told me stories of going to watch the HMS Hood leave port, and how it was like a celebrity (like sporting heroes now) back then- this legendary hyped warship. Thing is, when it was launched in 1918, it was an extraordinary next-level warship and that's how its celebrity grew- but ofc by WWII it wasn't as spectacular, kind of like watching a sports legend who has aged past its prime but kids would still be hyped to see it because of its legend, and maybe disappointed to realise that it was outclassed by younger superstars, but ofc it was the hero of Britain all the hype and propoganda had been behind it for over 2 decades, the newspapers/radio/film-reels had built this legend, so the public couldn't realise that it had become outclassed in over 2 decades.

I also like how WW2 was a transition of sea warfare in real time. The world went from these massive battleships to smaller ships like destroyers and then to aircraft carriers and submarines taking over.

Anyone interested in learning what happened to Bismarck's sister ship Tirpitz should read up on the St Nazaire raid, in which British commandos attempted to blow up the ship's only viable Atlantic dry dock.

It was indeed Lancasters. The 617th, the Dam Busters, carrying Tallboys

If you want to know more about the hunt for Tirpitz you should watch Mark Felton Tirpitz he’s got hundreds of videos of war stories and history you’ll be surprised about things I didn’t know about the wars.

Italian navy was pretty strong but they didn't have fuel to run it. So most of the war italian ships stayed in ports.

Speed of light communication, via radio and cable. Not as available before WW2. Makes all the difference. Obvious, I know, but worth mentioning. I guess radar can be included.

"Can you imagine the horror of seeing this brand new battleship as a cruiser with 8 inch guns"... Yeah, tell that to Taffy 3

Poland, and I would submit the Netherlands, are two countries that punch above their weight. Even during the invasion on 10 May, 1940, the Dutch acted quickly and inflicted heavy casualties on the airborne units that were to seize bridges...