- 5 months ago
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00It's the afternoon of June the 24th, 1944 and Flight Lieutenant David Popp Hornal pilots his
00:06cattle in a flying boat. He's on an anti-submarine patrol over the rough Norwegian seas when over
00:11the intercom the port gunner asks, Hey, you seeing what I see on the port side? He checks to his left
00:16and sure enough, in the distance there's the distinct form of a U-boat floating in the sea.
00:23I sure do. Hornal activates the action station's alarm and the flying boat turns towards the enemy
00:28with four depth charges at the ready. Below spotters in the German U-boat 1225 see the incoming aircraft
00:37and sound the alarm. Oberleutnant zur See Ernst Sauerberg doesn't waste a second. The submarine
00:45turns in evasive maneuvers as twin 20mm cannons and a single 37mm flak cannon are turned towards the
00:53Catalina. The Catalina is rocked by a 37mm flak. The plane is already shuddering
01:01under hits on the fuselage. Kohl, radio the base. Keep them updated. Copy that.
01:06Hornal orders the radio operator, Sidney Kohl, to tell the base their location and situation.
01:12But before Kohl has a chance to send the first message, a flak shell punctures the radio compartment.
01:17Kohl groans and puts pressure on his wound but doesn't report it. Instead, he pushes through the
01:23pain and keys the transmission. Little does he know that the radio equipment has been damaged by the German fire.
01:30Hornal dives towards the target, unaware that none of their transmissions are being sent.
01:37As they get closer, 20mm cannons join the fray and tracers zip all around.
01:42The impacts get ever more frequent, punching holes in the aircraft's thin skin.
01:47The crew feel a violent shake and are horrified to see pieces of the right wing being torn off.
01:53Flak bursts by the right engine and it starts shaking violently.
01:59Hornal fights with the aircraft as it starts to drift off course, the mounting damage making it ever harder to steer.
02:05At the nose of the aircraft, the front gunner opens fire at the U-boat with his twin .303 Brownins.
02:12Bullets rain around Sauerburg.
02:16The Catalina's fire zeroes in on the conning tower as they get closer.
02:21Sauerburg's men are struck and the guns go silent.
02:26But the incoming fire is too accurate.
02:33The Germans can't move as the Catalina's machine guns rip into the conning tower.
02:37But then, one of the Catalina's guns jams.
02:40The U-boat commander, hearing the strike slow, seizes the opportunity.
02:45The crew jump into position and they open fire on the incoming Catalina.
02:50Hornal's blood runs cold as he sees once more a wall of traces coming up of them.
02:54The Catalina's hit again with German fire ripping through the wings and fuselage.
02:58A glow comes from above and Hornal looks up to see the damaged engine with flames gushing out of its cowling.
03:05Starboard engine on fire, shoving it down.
03:07The second pilot shuts off the engine, but it doesn't stop the fuel leak.
03:11The ball of fire grows as a plane barrels towards the enemy submarine.
03:15Sauerburg is staring at a rapidly approaching ball of fire and orders evasive maneuvers.
03:21Above, Hornal is fully committed.
03:24Seeing the submarine turn left, he makes an adjustment at the last possible moment.
03:28And then, he releases the depth charges.
03:33Below, Sauerburg watches the Catalina roar overhead as it drops its payload.
03:40The depth charges splash perfectly around the submarine.
03:51It's ahead! It's ahead!
03:53The aircraft shakes even more violently.
03:55Hornal looks up at the flaming engine spinning in the wind.
03:58He sees it shake its own mounts apart.
04:01The rivets and bolts come undone.
04:03The fuel and parts of the engine rip away from the wing.
04:09Hornal knows they're not going to make it home.
04:11We're going down! Brace yourselves, men!
04:14The men all hold on, except Cole, who frantically signals SOS messages as Hornal prepares to land.
04:21The sea below is rough, but they've no other choice.
04:24Hornal turns his Catalina into the wind and prepares for landing.
04:27The float's lower, and the remaining engine is brought to idle.
04:32The waves only appear to get bigger as the plane gets closer to the surface.
04:36Brace for impact!
04:37Cole keeps keying SOS until the last possible moment,
04:40when he stops and braces for impact.
04:43The Catalina hits the first wave.
04:46But there's a strong headwind.
04:48The force bounces the airplane and it surges 150 feet back up into the air.
04:54Hornal wrestles with the controls,
04:56and in a split second, he aligns the Catalina for a second impact.
05:00They slam into the next wave and the plane once again launches,
05:04reaching 50 feet before plunging back down towards the water.
05:08The still-burning Catalina bursts through multiple waves before finally coming to a rest.
05:18Hornal urges on his men as he knows the Catalina can explode at any second.
05:22Flight engineer Donald Scott inflates a dinghy out of the left blister
05:26while fellow engineer Fernand Laurent inflates one from the right.
05:30You all get on board! I'll push it!
05:32Hornal and some of the men jump into the freezing cold water to push the dinghy away.
05:36Cole bundles onto the dinghy
05:38and makes sure to secure the survival rations as the men start pushing.
05:42But then he remembers the radio.
05:44Wait, the radio!
05:45Hornal barely has time to understand what Cole has just said
05:48before Cole starts swimming back towards the Catalina.
05:51What are you doing?
05:52We need the radio!
05:54They won't find us!
05:55Don't!
05:56It's too late!
05:58Hornal is right.
06:00The men watch painfully as the Catalina is engulfed in flames and sinks under the waves.
06:06They begin helping one another onto the dinghy.
06:09The inside of the dinghy is already beginning to flood as the men try to board.
06:13Hornal uses a helmet to throw water overboard.
06:16But then there's a cry.
06:17We're missing someone!
06:18Hornal is filled with dread and immediately gets to the edge and counts the heads.
06:23There's only seven.
06:24There's meant to be eight.
06:25It's Laurent!
06:26Fighting down panic, Hornal scours the rolling waves for his missing man.
06:31They see nothing as the dinghy rises and falls in the heavy waves.
06:35They catch a glimpse of a second dinghy.
06:38It's also cresting a wave in the distance.
06:41There he is!
06:43They push furiously through the swell, rushing to catch up with their friend.
06:47The men on the dinghy direct as they see their friend also paddling towards them.
06:52But then they crest another wave and see Laurent's dinghy empty.
06:56Go!
06:57Go faster!
06:58They redouble their efforts and reach Laurent who's managed to struggle back onto his dinghy.
07:02The relief of having two dinghies is palpable and two of the crew move to get onto Laurent's dinghy.
07:08But then Laurent's dinghy explodes and drops the men into the ice-cold seawater.
07:13They all start to pile onto the remaining dinghy, but they can't fit.
07:17Hornal volunteers to stay in the freezing water with two more men.
07:21Hang on.
07:22We sent those distress calls.
07:24Rescue will be here soon.
07:25But he doesn't know that none of them were sent.
07:30For three hours, Hornal organizes a rotation, swapping who waits in the water,
07:36hoping to delay hypothermia.
07:38Hornal assigns himself to stay in the freezing water the longest.
07:41But it's unbearable.
07:43His strength is fading.
07:44We have to figure out how to get everyone aboard.
07:47Look!
07:48There!
07:49An aircraft is spotted in the sky.
07:50It's another Catalina.
07:51Get the flare gun!
07:52The flare fires off into the sky, lingering in the air for a minute,
07:56before falling into the sea.
07:58But the Catalina keeps on its path.
08:00Another!
08:01They send out a second flare, and yet again, the aircraft doesn't react.
08:05Come on!
08:06Come on!
08:07Another!
08:08A third flare is shot into the air.
08:10Seconds drag on.
08:12And finally…
08:13They saw us!
08:14The Catalina turns towards them.
08:16We have survivors' drift.
08:1763 degrees north, 0 degrees, 30 minutes west.
08:20Unable to land due to bad weather.
08:22We need a boat.
08:23100 miles away in the Shetland Islands.
08:26Rescue boat HSL 2507 is deployed.
08:29The Catalina stays circling over the stranded men.
08:32And they signal in Morse code.
08:34High speed launch on the way.
08:35Help coming!
08:37And sometimes later it signals.
08:39You boat killed.
08:40The men cheer.
08:42They might just make it out of this.
08:46Every wave is torture, and they're having trouble holding on.
08:49A wave lifts up their dinghy and throws the entire crew overboard.
08:53Hornel emerges from the water, disoriented.
08:55The dinghy is getting pushed by the wind, and his men lay scattered around him.
08:59He clings to the lifeboat, counting heads.
09:01Everyone's here?
09:03They struggle to turn it over in heavy waves.
09:06And one by one, they help each other climb aboard and rebuild their barely stable set-up.
09:11Water starts to fill the dinghy, and without the bucket and their strength fading,
09:14the small dinghy floats lower and lower, partially submerging some of the men in the freezing sea.
09:20The situation is desperate.
09:24Hornel's vision starts to blur.
09:26The men huddle in search of any warmth.
09:29Laurent starts to go delirious.
09:31Laurent, stay awake.
09:34Please, Laurent!
09:35Hornel and his men try to talk with him, to keep him focused.
09:39But it's no use.
09:41He's gone.
09:43The men are devastated.
09:47Hornel makes a difficult decision to push Laurent's body overboard.
09:52Up above, the Catalina's running out of fuel.
09:58There's no choice.
10:02The crew radios the men's position one last time and turns for home.
10:08The men stifle back tears as they watch their hope fly away.
10:19They float alone in the sea.
10:21But then they see something in the sky.
10:24It's a huge aircraft.
10:26The men perk up.
10:27They start waving their hands and they see a big bomber turn towards them.
10:31It drops something from its belly.
10:34The men watch.
10:36It's a wooden boat!
10:38But the wind is strong and the boat gets carried away.
10:43Flying off until it disappears from sight behind a wave.
10:47They bob up and down in the waves and see it floating 500 yards away.
10:53Let's swim.
10:55We can make it.
10:56No!
10:57It's too far!
10:58Despite being completely blind from the salt water and having no idea where the boat is,
11:01Hornel drags himself towards the water.
11:04The men swim after him, reaching out, grabbing his arms,
11:08trying to hold him back.
11:09Hornel pleads but his men know it's no use.
11:12And they watch their lifeboat float away.
11:20A spotlight appears over the waves, illuminating the men.
11:23The rescue boat has finally arrived.
11:26Contact.
11:27We found them.
11:29After 21 long hours, the survivors of the Catalina are pulled from the sea.
11:35Laying on the dinghy, Hornel looks up.
11:38Daring through his blurred eyes at the scene of his men being lifted out of the water.
11:42A sense of accomplishment washes over him.
11:45And with the last of his strength, he musters the smallest of smiles.
11:49The sailors on the rescue boat attempt to revive him for four hours, but it's no use.
12:01Thanks to Hornel, five survivors would all make a full recovery and survive the war.
12:07David Ernest Hornel was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross and it was received by his wife.
12:14Of his late commander, second pilot Denomi later stated,
12:18Outstanding about flight Lieutenant Hornel was his marvellous ability in flying such a badly damaged aircraft,
12:25especially in the face of strong enemy fire.
12:27His courage and bravery throughout marked him as a great man.
12:31Words cannot do justice to the fine job he's done.
12:34Poor souls, those U-boat hunters have a devil of a job.
12:38Have you heard how an American destroyer had a fistfight with the U-boat crew?
12:41Watch this story and see the whole thing.
12:43Oncep fundamenters.
12:50You have a good life.
12:59I've seen many more people.
13:01You have, I've seen many more people.
13:03I've seen many more people.
13:05There's a great man that is working with one person.
Comments