Video Description

For years, German U-boat crews feared one sound above all others — the thunder of British depth charges exploding around them. But in 1943, a new weapon appeared in the Atlantic. Silent. Precise. And far deadlier. The British called it the Hedgehog. Unlike depth charges, which exploded blindly, the Hedgehog fired a spread of 24 contact bombs that detonated only when they hit a submarine. No more losing sonar. No more guessing. No more U-boats slipping away in the chaos. To German captains, the first Hedgehog attacks were terrifying. There were no warning booms, no pressure waves — just a sudden impact, a violent explosion, and then nothing but collapsing bulkheads and rushing water. In this episode, discover: Why depth charges often failed—and how Hedgehog fixed every flaw How British escorts turned U-boat hunting from chance into science The shocking kill rate that made Hedgehog 10 times deadlier What German survivors wrote about encountering the new weapon How this silent launcher helped turn the Battle of the Atlantic in Britain’s favour This is the story of the humble British invention that changed anti-submarine warfare forever — and shattered German confidence beneath the waves. ⚓ Subscribe for more true stories of WWII naval innovation, underwater warfare, and the weapons that won the Atlantic.