U-Boat Tank Killers - Battle of Hamburg 1945

Formed out of unemployed U-boat crew in Hamburg, the 1st Naval Anti-Tank Regiment saw extensive action against the advancing British during the battle for Northern Germany in April 1945. Specialists in stalking tanks with Panzerfausts, these U-boatmen proved to be very brave and tenacious infantrymen that won the respect of their enemy.

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Credits: US National Archives; Library of Congress; Imperial War Museum; Bundesarchiv

[marcaurel]

I'm from Hamburg myself, and my sister lives south in the small town you Mark mentioned, Vahrendorf, with my nieces. 25 years ago I read this article in a Hamburg newspaper (Hamburger Abendblatt) about the fight for the place. This report is particularly interesting because it sheds light on Hamburg's surrender without a fight. Here is the report:
"It was a terrible slaughter"
By FRANZ-JOSEF HUTSCH

Vahrendorf - The rattle of rifle volleys and the thunder of guns, the bizarre paths of flares and the clank of tank tracks - for many veterans of the Second World War, the long-ago battles come to life again on Remembrance Day. Then it's as if only yesterday they were racing through the African desert in Rommel's tanks or fighting with Guderian's grenadiers in the suburbs of Moscow. “Do you remember?” they ask everyone and get knowing nods. They rummage through their memories and even after hours they don't run out of stories.

Things are different in Vahrendorf (Harburg district). There is silence when the former soldiers gather under the wrought iron cross in the military cemetery - dead silence. The remains of their comrades lie beneath 47 gray stone crosses. Nobody wants to talk about men. Most were 17 or 18 years old, the youngest just 15. 44 of them died on the night of April 26, 1945, twelve days before the end of the Second World War, eight days before Hamburg's surrender. They were supposed to conquer the place where they are buried today. Wolfgang Buchwald, who survived the attack on Vahrendorf, once recalled: "It was just a terrible slaughter."

The war was actually long over on that April night. For weeks, the 7th British Armored Division had been driving the mostly ragtag German troops ahead of them. The attack came to a halt south of Hamburg. Civilians and Italian prisoners of war had dug trenches and bunkers in the Harburg mountains. The British feared the costly close combat. They just waited. Their commander, Major General Lewis D. Lyne, knew: "The war was over. Hamburg would fall into my lap like an overripe fruit. Why should I sacrifice my men anymore?"

Hitler declared the city a fortress on April 9th. The population, 680, 000 people, could no longer be evacuated. Defense should be carried out until the last cartridge - once again. Hamburg's combat commander Alwin Wolz ordered attacks, including the night attack on Vahrendorf. There was no significant help for the soldiers of the 7th company of the training and replacement battalion of the 12th SS Panzer Division. Most of them had been drafted as conscripts; only two had front-line experience. They were supported by submariners who had unscrewed the cannons from their boats and mounted them on carts. A few anti-aircraft guns were supposed to fire over from Wilhelmsburg, and three assault guns had been found somewhere. "Such attacks were considered stupid even back in 1945, " says Hans Umbreit from the Bundeswehr's Military History Research Office in Potsdam.

At around one o'clock in the morning, the young people left their trenches and bunkers, which can still be seen today in the deciduous forest east of Vahrendorf. The British were surprised and the Germans captured the village for a few hours. Chaos reigned, no one knew where the enemy or their own people were. At dawn the British pushed the attackers back again. 63 German soldiers who died in the battle are buried in the cemeteries in Vahrendorf, Harburg, Hittfeld, Jesteburg and Buchholz. The British "Devonshire" Regiment complained of 90 deaths.

What was the point of this hopeless and, from a military point of view, insignificant undertaking? At the beginning of April, Hamburg's Gauleiter Karl Kaufmann and Alwin Wolz agreed "never to allow a serious defense of Hamburg to take place." The city was to be handed over without a fight. In order not to jeopardize this plan, it was necessary for Wolz to play the “wild man” so that he would not be replaced. The Waffen SS was another problem. Wolz racked his brains over "the withdrawal of the 'Panzeteufel' unit, whose behavior during the surrender was unclear." From his point of view, there was only one solution: a night attack with heavy losses should prove his grit in Berlin and at the same time get rid of the unpredictable Waffen-SS.

The remnants of the 7th Company had hardly been rushed back into their positions when they were moved to Schleswig-Holstein. Suddenly there was gas again for their armored personnel carriers, which had not been available for weeks before. At the same time, secret negotiations for Hamburg's surrender began behind British lines. Nobody was interested in the outcome of the night attack, nobody wanted to know about the losses. “They died so that Hamburg would live, ” Wolz is said to have said later. The city surrendered on May 3rd.

[BernieODuffy]

I live in the Hamburg suburbs. Every few months, there's another bomb scare in my neighbourhood, once in an adjacent garden to mine. Bomb disposal teams come in and everyone is evacuated until it's sorted. Nearly 90% of the time, these unexploded bombs turn out to be buried Panzerfausts. In the final weeks of the war, Nazi party officials went door to door distributing tens of thousands of them to households. The men in each household were given a quick demonstration, and told to "do their bit for the fatherland" once enemy tanks started rolling down their street. Needless to say, it didn't come to that... nor did anyone particularly feel like walking up to a British checkpoint to try and turn in such a weapon after the city surrendered... so they buried them in their gardens and tried to forget about them.
But, with renovations, and new builds, they keep turning up...

[NunyaBizznaz]

Your ability to find unique angles of WWII history never ceases to amaze me.

[kennethrouse]

Hi Dr. Felton, Many thanks for this most interesting video. For several years at the end of his life, I was fortunate enough to have been friends with a former U-Boat commander, his wife, and many of his crews. I say crews as he first commanded a Type VIIC, and then a Type XXI. His boat, U-3506, is one of the 3 that remains sunk today in Hamburg's "lost bunker." After his boat was put out of action, he was assigned to Craemer's land anti-tank detachment. That may even be him at the far right of the picture of the 4 officers, with Craemer being 2nd from the left in the leather jacket. He told me that he attacked a British tank with his Panzerfaust and managed to knock one of its tracks off. It stopped the tank's forward movement but also attracted the attention of the gunner in the turret, at which juncture my friend decided that his war was over and he had better places to go. 😊 I have to say that they were all warm, kind, friendly people when I knew them, and it just underscores the futility of war. 😢

[SchattenSeiten]

Mark, when I left highschool (Gymnasium, I am living in Germany) I scored 0 points in my history exam. I just did not care. A couple of months later i stumbled upon your videos, today I am extremely into history, especially ww2 and the middle ages. I even go out and search for relics in the field.

In this journey you played an important part and really were the first creator that sparked my interest in history.

[UCN]

In 2008 I had the opportunity to make an interveview to a Berlin battle veteran. He told me about the diverse of uniforms that were fighting in the streets during the last days. Navy recruits, Air force mechanics, army musicians, political agents, firebombers, policemen and even frenchs, croatians and arabs recruits.

[shed]

Many a WWII history programme on the TV often uses archive footage that is totally out of context with the story being related...not so Dr Felton, everything in the right place visually and always told with clarity. Excellent as always.

[allegrajane]

As the granddaughter of two sailors (one of whom could have been sent to the depths by a U-boat), I particularly appreciated this video, Dr. Felton. Respect to all naval personnel! 🔱⚓️

[GhanaianBliss]

One of my favorite things to hear is the soundtrack in the intro. I get giddy every time I hear it.

Thanks for this masterpiece Dr. Felton

[varrick]

Thank God for teachers/educators like yourself, I sometimes lose interest in reading WW2 history but you keep me coming back. Thanks and God bless.

[rexwinton]

Another installment of the best history channel on YouTube, keep it up mark

[Cheduepallottole]

So much fight, so much bravery, so much pain, so many distinguished real military leaders. Thanks again Dr. Felton

[garylawson]

I was unaware of German Navy infantry units, Mark Felton Productions. Thanks again Dr Felton!

[nortoncomando]

This is an outstanding video of an area I was not familiar. These submariners would on be on average highly intelligent. Possess physical bravery from their previous experience at sea. One could imagine if paired with their trusted officers, they could make up a lack of infantry training and with natural abilities to adapt to new situation. Plus they had the additional motivation to buy time for civilians and military personnel to be evacuated from the brutal Soviet advance. I would enjoy seeing a similar history of USN personnel trapped at Bataan fighting as ad hoc infantry. As well as British Naval forces trapped on land in various locations of Asia in the early months of the Pacific War.

[daveweiss]

As a history fanatic this channel continues to amaze with stories I had never heard before...imagine being a hero of the Submarine service fighting in the fridged Atlantic being a successful sailor...then becoming an infantryman fighting tanks...insane.

[staffanalinder]

My father in law was born in Germany. He left school in the spring of 1944 and applied to the Kriegsmarine Naval Academy in Hamburg, mainly to avoid the eastern front (his brother was killed in Russia in 1942). He spent the rest of the war studying navigation and naval warfare during the days and manning AA guns during the night.

[thecontraguy]

Just what I needed today. Dr. Felton is the best channel on youtube

[paulpowell]

Your honoring these men by pronouncing their names as correctly as you do is an honor for warriors. Many may say they do not deserve it, however most of these lived in a time that all they understood was what they were taught or told. You sir have an honor as a teacher without the constraints of political justification as History must be taught as pure without passion

[tempestvideos]

For those of us too lazy to read through and vet historical literature and media seeking discrete objective history: Mark Felton. Many Thanks.

[jerryjeromehawkins]

I have just finished reading "Iron Coffins!"... perfect timing, Dr. Felton.
Thank you!! 👍🏾