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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
00:16left
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
00:36and 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
00:52Catalina. The Catalina is rocked by a 37mm flak. The plane is already shuddering under hits on the
01:02fuselage. Kohl, radio the base. Keep them updated. Copy that. Hornal orders the radio operator, Sidney
01:08Kohl, to tell the base their location and situation. But before Kohl has a chance to send the first
01:14message, a flak shell punctures the radio compartment. Kohl groans and puts pressure on his wound but
01:20doesn't report it. Instead, he pushes through the pane and keys the transmission. Little does he know
01:26that the radio equipment has been damaged by the German fire. Hornal dives towards the target, unaware
01:34that none of their transmissions are being sent. As they get closer, 20mm cannons join the fray
01:41and tracers zip all around. The impacts get ever more frequent, punching holes in the aircraft's thin
01:47skin. The crew feel a violent shake and are horrified to see pieces of the right wing being torn off.
01:54Flag bursts by the right engine and it starts shaking violently. Hornal fights with the aircraft as it
02:01starts to drift off course, the mounting damage making it ever harder to steer. At the nose of the aircraft,
02:07the front gunner opens fire at the U-boat with his twin .303 Brownins. Bullets rain around Sauerberg.
02:16The Catalina's fire zeroes in on the conning tower as they get closer. Sauerberg's men are struck
02:23and the guns go silent. But the incoming fire is too accurate. The Germans can't move as the
02:34Catalina's machine guns rip into the conning tower. But then one of the Catalina's guns jams.
02:40The U-boat commander hearing the strike slow seizes the opportunity. The crew jump into position and they
02:47open fire on the incoming Catalina. Hornal's blood runs cold as he sees once more a wall of traces
02:53coming out of them. The 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
03:04cowling. Starboard engine on fire, shoving it down. The second pilot shuts off the engine but it doesn't
03:10stop the fuel leak. The ball of fire grows as a plane barrels towards the enemy submarine. Sauerberg is
03:16staring at a rapidly approaching ball of fire and orders evasive maneuvers. Above, Hornal is fully
03:23committed. Seeing the submarine turn left, he makes an adjustment at the last possible moment and then
03:28he releases the depth charges. Below, Sauerberg watches the Catalina roar overhead as it drops its payload.
03:42The depth charges splash perfectly around the submarine.
03:52The aircraft shakes even more violently. Hornal looks up at the flaming engine spinning in the wind.
03:58He sees it shake its own mounts apart. The rivets and bolts come undone. The fuel and parts of the
04:05engine rip away from the wing. Hornal knows they're not going to make it home.
04:12We're going down! Brace yourselves, men! The men all hold on, except Cole, who frantically signals SOS
04:18messages as Hornal prepares to land. The sea below is rough, but they've no other choice. Hornal turns
04:24his Catalina into the wind and prepares for landing. The floats lower and the remaining engine is brought to
04:30idle. The waves only appear to get bigger as the plane gets closer to the surface.
04:37Cole keeps keying SOS until the last possible moment when he stops and braces for impact.
04:43The Catalina hits the first wave, but there's a strong headwind. The force bounces the airplane and
04:50it surges 150 feet back up into the air. Hornal wrestles with the controls and in a split second,
04:56he aligns the Catalina for a second impact. They slam into the next wave and the plane once again
05:03launches, reaching 50 feet before plunging back down towards the water. The still-burning Catalina
05:10bursts through multiple waves before finally coming to a rest.
05:17Hornal urges on his men as he knows the Catalina can explode at any second. Flight engineer Donald Scott
05:24inflates a dinghy out of the left blister while fellow engineer Fernand Laurent inflates one from
05:29the right. You all get on board! I'll push it! Hornal and some of the men jump into the freezing
05:34cold
05:34water to push the dinghy away. Cole bundles onto the dinghy and makes sure to secure the survival rations
05:40as the men start pushing. But then he remembers the radio. Wait, the radio! Hornal barely has time to
05:47understand what Cole has just said before Cole starts swimming back towards the Catalina. What are you
05:52doing? We need the radio! They won't find us! Don't! It's too late! Hornal is right. The men watch
06:00painfully as the Catalina is engulfed in flames and sinks under the waves. They begin helping one
06:08another onto the dinghy. The inside of the dinghy is already beginning to flood as the men try to board.
06:13Hornal uses a helmet to throw water overboard. But then there's a cry. We're missing someone!
06:19Hornal is filled with dread and immediately gets to the edge and counts the heads. There's only seven.
06:25There's meant to be eight. It's Laurent! Fighting down panic, Hornal scours the rolling waves for his
06:31missing man. They see nothing as the dinghy rises and falls in the heavy waves. They catch a glimpse of
06:38a
06:38second dinghy that's also cresting a wave in the distance. They push furiously through the swell,
06:45rushing to catch up with their friend. The men on the dinghy direct as they see their friend also
06:50paddling towards them. But then they crest another wave and see Laurent's dinghy empty.
06:56Go! Go faster!
06:57They 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.
07:07But then, Laurent's dinghy explodes and drops the men into the ice-cold sea water. They all start to
07:14pile onto the remaining dinghy, but they can't fit. Hornal volunteers to stay in the freezing water
07:20with two more men. Hang on, we sent those distress calls. Rescue will be here soon.
07:26But he doesn't know that none of them were sent. For three hours, Hornal organizes a rotation,
07:34swapping who waits in the water, hoping to delay hypothermia. Hornal assigns himself to stay in the
07:40freezing water the longest, but it's unbearable. His strength is fading. We have to figure out how to
07:45get everyone aboard. Look there! An aircraft is spotted in the sky. It's another Catalina.
07:51Get the flare gun! The flare fires off into the sky, lingering in the air for a minute,
07:56before falling into the sea. But the Catalina keeps on its path. Another!
08:01They send out a second flare and yet again, the aircraft doesn't react. Come on! Come on! Another!
08:07A third flare is shot into the air. Seconds drag on. And finally, the Catalina turns towards them.
08:16We have survivors to drift. 63 degrees north, 0 degrees, 30 minutes west. Unable to land due to bad
08:21weather. We need a boat. Over 100 miles away in the Shetland Islands, rescue boat HSL 2507 is deployed.
08:29The Catalina stays circling over the stranded men and they signal in Morse code. High speed launch on the
08:35way. Help coming! Then sometimes later it signals, you boat killed. The men cheer. They might just make
08:42it out of this. Every wave is torture and they're having trouble holding on. A wave lifts up their
08:50dinghy and throws the entire crew overboard. Hornel emerges from the water, disoriented. The dinghy's
08:56getting pushed by the wind and his men lay scattered around him. He clings to the lifeboat, counting heads.
09:02Everyone's here? They struggle to turn it over in heavy waves. And one by one, they help each other
09:08climb aboard and rebuild their barely stable setup. Water starts to fill the dinghy and without the
09:13bucket and their strength fading, the small dinghy floats lower and lower, partially submerging some
09:19of the men in the freezing sea. The situation is desperate. Hornel's vision starts to blur.
09:26The men huddle in search of any warmth. Laurent starts to go delirious.
09:32Laurent, stay awake. Please, Laurent. Hornel and his men try to talk with him to keep him focused.
09:40But it's no use. He's gone. The men are devastated.
09:48Hornel makes a difficult decision to push Laurent's body overboard.
09:56Up above, the Catalina's running out of fuel.
10:01There's no choice. The crew radios the men's position one last time and turns for home.
10:07The men stifle back tears as they watch their hope fly away.
10:19They float alone in the sea. But then they see something in the sky. It's a huge aircraft. The men
10:26perk up. They start waving their hands and they see a big bomber turn towards them. It drops something
10:33from its belly. The men watch. It's a wooden boat. But the wind is strong and the boat gets carried
10:42away,
10:43flying off until it disappears from sight behind a wave. They bob up and down in the waves and see
10:49it
10:50floating 500 yards away. Let's swim. We can make it. No, it's too far. Despite being completely blind from the
10:58salt water and having no idea where the boat is, Hornel drags himself towards the water. The men swim
11:05after him, reaching out, grabbing his arms, trying to hold him back. Hornel pleads, but his men know
11:11it's no use. And they watch their lifeboat float away.
11:20A spotlight appears over the waves, illuminating the men. The rescue boat has finally arrived.
11:27Contact. We found them. After 21 long hours, the survivors of the Catalina are pulled from the sea.
11:35Laying on the dinghy, Hornel looks up, staring through his blurred eyes at the scene of his men being
11:40lifted out of the water. A sense of accomplishment washes over him. And with the last of his strength,
11:46he musters the smallest of smiles.
11:52His eyes close, never to open again.
11:56The sailors on the rescue boat attempt to revive him for four hours, but it's no use.
12:02Thanks 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
12:23damaged aircraft, especially in the face of strong enemy fire. His courage and bravery throughout
12:29marked him as a great man. Words cannot do justice to the fine job he's done.
12:34Poor souls. Those U-boat hunters have a devil of a job. Have you heard how an American destroyer had
12:39a
12:40fistfight with the U-boat crew? Watch this story and see the whole thing.
12:42God bless you.
12:44And yet we are the first one.
12:48Are you there?
12:57Are you there?
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