▶ "One Step Beyond": The Haunted U-Boat.

the amazing drama you're about to see is a matter of human record you may believe it or not but the real people who lived this story they believe it they know they took that one step beyond this is one of the storerooms of a salvage company in connecticut may seem a most unlikely place to begin the incredible saga of german u-boat 147 but there's a reason for my being here a fantastic reason which i'll explain later actually the story began some years ago and a long way from connecticut it was early spring 1945 and hitler's third reich was dying [Applause] [Music] 147 was one of the last u-boats to survive now it waded off the coast of northern germany to begin its final voyage there hide hitler hitler be careful with those briefcases an honor to have you aboard sir i shouldn't be on board i should be with a fuhrer fighting until the end put them in my cabin may i show you to recorders the captain is generous my orders from the admiralty are part specific so long as you are aboard this boat you are in command her partner my orders are not so specific we must somehow somehow keep this dream alive [Music] that's secure we'll be underwater in 30 seconds [Music] oh my god what is it someone is trapped on top surface at once service at once captain what are you doing i'm going up after him you can't the plane will kill us all one of my money's drowning up there you cannot surface i will not allow it that is an [Music] order resume driving position to 40 meters 40 meters captain this is the captain check all personnel and report oh uh i have never been on a u-boat is smoking permitted no head bobbin no no there is a board it might explode what a ball what a beautiful cigarette case yes it is isn't it the inscription on the inside might interest you [Music] the fuhrer it was given to me at nuremberg in 1938 a million voices singing the horse vessel song [Music] the torches turning their faces red those were days my boy [Music] engine room reporting captain on handed station after beetle room old are stationed waiting room at station forbes room all hands at station captain that leaves only the control room captain you must understand that the life of every german is as dear to me as it is to you but on this voyage my dear captain you're carrying something more precious than life and that is you are carrying the last hope of the third rice all that is left of germany are a few u-boats such as this one moving under the sea with a half a dozen leaders like myself this is not vanity and this is a historical fact when did you see the fuhrer last i do not want to talk about that he's become an old man [Music] his vitality all gone his whole body trembles imagine those wonderful eyes dead i wept i admitted i went captain our hands at stations in control room are you certain sergeant captain no one missing how can that be could it have been the bullets from the plane and possibly some sealy caught on the cables and we crash dived captain i suppose it's possible well then we're upset about nothing it's all as well that is a good omen i feel rather tired would somebody take me to my cabin please freedom yes captain show her bachmann to my quarters [Music] what is it [Music] check every valve bolt and sitting on this boat [Music] nothing absolutely nothing keep looking i checked the engine room the aft torpedo room and the forward torpedo room everything is working perfectly oh i found a loose sprocket one of the ventilator fans but that could not cause the noise well let's hope we are through with the sound what's that a little party i gave the man permission but they'll wake him up before a man finally fell asleep i'll tell him to stop lieutenant didn't you hear me i gave them permission [Music] is [Applause] [Music] no no don't get up for me i'm not a worship of dignity like the good captain some of my best memories of being with young people at party meetings they were like my own boys well now whose birthday is it my wife sir [Music] your wife how charming did they wake you up heaven no it's all right the sound has stopped yes it's more pleasant to be awake now uh go to my cabin you will find a bottle of cognac there bring it here advanced your wife huh well how old is he hey is 21 i hope you hope she's been reported missing dog come now come now let's cheer up i may have to send a message to her gobbles saying that we have discovered a defeatist among us algorithms would say shoot him right away ah thank you huh it's better than beer isn't it here we go little kanyak for you little cognac for you all right here my [Music] boy [Music] what kind of stupidity is this there must be some way of finding out where this is coming from we've checked everything inside a hull every piece of machinery is working perfectly then why is there this pounding when we surface to recharge batteries we'll check the superstructure maybe it's up there and when will that be when it's possible oh it's bad enough to be sealed up in this coffin choking on the smell of oil and men but to endure this idiotic no no no it's coming from here yes but there is nothing wrong it's tight it's a drum captain i want to ask you a question well is it possible that one of the men in your crew is doing this deliberately deliberately why should anyone oh come now don't be that simple-minded i don't understand to shatter my nerves of course to make it impossible for me to carry out my mission that's ridiculous i do not think so even if anyone wanted to how could they what do i know about you i would make a very satisfactory victim for the trip is there no way to stop this pounding [Music] i do not need a sedative i want the records of every man sent to my cabin all the records are captain admiralty in berlin oh that's most unfortunate it might have been interesting to look into the captain's records also [Music] me [Music] the poundings in my cabin right outside the wall surface at once and find out what it is we can't it will be too dangerous serve it at once [Music] serve the plants service at once [Music] [Music] everything's still all right no signs of anything so far captain keep a sharp watch yes captain [Music] nothing radio message captain thank you where was this picked up shortwave from london [Music] here batman we haven't found the trouble yet but i assure you yes yes yes yes we will stay up here until we do find it ah i didn't know that fresh air could taste so sweet for me it is a lie i doubted her batman who gave you this the radio man of course it is another deliberate attempt to harass me her batman i assure you who is this radio man what is his background literally friday is in charge of personnel i i found him reliable admiral dearness announced today that adolf hitler died during the night of april 30th writer's dispatch reports that hitler killed himself it's a lie it's a lie it's a good night it's a filthy lie the fuhrer would never do anything like that no sir i do not believe in the reliability of your radio man but hip hop and i was why do you insist on defending him not defending his [Music] life why are we fighting among ourselves [Music] we're all that is left captain i wish to speak to the men attention this is the captain attention [Music] this is baudman i bring you terrible news my comrades the fuhrer is dead he died like a hero leading his troops into battle we are germany now we must be worthy of the fear of courage [Music] captain attention this is the captain everybody to dive stations what are you doing a boat is approaching from the south we haven't found out about the pounding we haven't talked about the conditions away oh no no no no the propeller noises are stronger now one two five revolutions sounds like a destroyer how close between three thousand and four thousand meters lieutenant this is the captain what is our depth 90 meters an enemy destroyer is approaching we will be under that charge attack in approximately four minutes you are to begin procedures for silent routine yes captain this is lieutenant schneider all electrical equipment except battery for lights will be shut off shoes are to be removed there will be no unnecessary talking and what do we do if the ponding starts again power room will turn off motors chief engineer will disconnect ventilating system that is all [Music] so even further information 2500 meters still closing propeller one two five revolutions if that is the only sound you make we will be all right captain how close 2200 meters closing now wait waiting over to new cars approximately 228. he may be losing us he's bearing away [Music] well well four thousand meters still moving away now on course 206. [Music] he's all over the ocean he's lost us where am i oh i'm suffocating i'm suffocating i'm suffocating i'm suffocating i can't breathe what is it what is it i can't breathe i can't i can't breathe i must have air the destroyer will pick up the pounding and come back indeed what is it what can [Music] he's doing it can't you see [Music] oh [Music] right all stations this is the captain read for deep charges are we going to try to run for it captain run where can you run we're setting ducks it stopped he's unconscious now will somebody give me a hand [Music] dear god only when he's conscious but we hear the pounding only when he's awake when it's asleep it's gone it's gone now don't you see somehow it comes from him that could not be it follows him from place to place no no it's not possible it's it's not possible all stations [Music] this is the capitan it's store and prepare to surface end forward tank left rudder surrender the war is over do you want to die down here with her bartman what what could it have been wonder about it for the rest of your days just as i shall who knows it might be good for our souls all hands this is the captain we are going to surrender so the courtesy of the hornsby salvage company in connecticut i offer this wrench as one of the strangest mementos of world war ii in 1946 the hornsby people bought u-bolt 147 for scrap when the outside hull of the ship was cut away this wrench was found in the hands of a skeleton during the frenzied war effort of the german u-boat yards sometimes a workman died unnoticed inside the tank spaces which then became his unmarked tomb now that explains the skeleton but it doesn't explain the pounding however i have a theory it's my own of course [Music] what about the man who held this wrench what was he was he a slave laborer from the balkans of france poland or was he a german whose hatred of the nazis did not end with his death what was he in a moment something about next week [Music] next week we travel to the chateau country of france and the scene of some very dark durings indeed the villagers still whisper about the murdered wife whose tortured image has a way of appearing on the stone wall of the lovely chateau try to be with us [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: One-Step-Beyond

Views: 310,814

Rating: 4.8622518 out of 5

Keywords: One Step Beyond

Id: 5Cxna5wjK-s

Length: 25min 27sec (1527 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 27 2016