Fighting Hitler's U-Boats

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 18 December 2023

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Second World War is remembered for its colossal battles in the air, on land and at sea. But perhaps the most terrifying were those waged UNDER the ocean, against an unseen enemy. By the end of 1941, cumbersome shipping convoys were Britain's only lifeline. Protecting them proved a difficult task, and German U-boats hunting in wolf packs sank merchant ships faster than they could be built. But into this loosing battle stepped the British naval officer and pioneer of anti-submarine warfare, Frederic 'Johnnie' Walker.

Dan is joined by Angus Konstam, author of The Convoy, to take us through the remarkable story of Convoy HG-76, and explain how Captain Walker turned the hunted into the hunters.

Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Ella Blaxill.

Discover the past with exclusive history documentaries and ad-free podcasts presented by world-renowned historians from History Hit. Watch them on your smart TV or on the go with your mobile device. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up now for your 14-day free trial.

We'd love to hear from you! You can email the podcast at [email protected].

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Try royal opera house stream this Christmas for just one pound and watch enchanting productions including the nutcracker
0:07.0	enjoy unlimited access to over 80 extraordinary ballets, operas and exclusive behind-the-scenes features.
0:15.0	Sign up for Royal Opera House Stream now with your first month for just one pound.
0:19.0	For details, visit R.OH.org. UK forward slash offer.
0:23.0	One pound for the first month after 14 free days,
0:26.0	and 999 a month thereafter,
0:28.0	cancel any time, tease and seize apply.
0:30.0	A year ago, I had to sleep wherever I could. I thought well I'll be out here on Christmas Day.
0:37.0	Thousands in the UK are facing homelessness this Christmas.
0:41.0	At crisis I was safe.
0:43.0	I had someone in my corner.
0:45.0	My first day at crisis was my last day on the streets.
0:49.0	Give £29.73 now to help provide urgent care, housing advice and long-term support.
0:55.8	Make this the first day of a life beyond homelessness.
0:58.7	Search crisis Christmas appeal.
1:00.1	Hello everybody, welcome to Dan Snow's history hit the Battle of the Atlantic
1:06.5	it ran from the first day of the Second World War pretty much to its last it was the German attempt to starve, to blockade, to bring Britain to its knees,
1:18.0	by shutting off its ports to the trade of the world, sinking ships usually using submarines or U-boats.
1:26.6	The first casualty of the Battle Atlantic was just a few hours after war was declared, the
1:30.6	Athenia was sunk. They were sailing off to Canada. I once met a
1:34.8	survivor, the last survivor of the Athenia. She was a young girl at the time. She was
1:38.9	placed in a life raft. Her parents stayed aboard very bravely as the ship went down. They were subsequently
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from History Hit, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of History Hit and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.