The worst naval defeat in United States history is all but forgotten, even though 4,000 people lost their lives and 400 ships were destroyed. It was called "Operation Drumbeat," and it was one of Germany's greatest victories in World War II.
On Jan. 13, 1942, German U-boat attacks officially started against merchant ships along the Eastern Seaboard of North America. From then until early August, German U-boats dominated the waters from Nova Scotia to North Carolina off the East Coast, sinking fuel tankers and cargo ships with impunity and often within sight of shore. In less than seven months, U-boat attacks would destroy 22 percent of the tanker fleet and sink ships in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Inexplicably, even though the U.S. Navy was warned in detail about U-boat attacks, little offensive or defensive action was taken.
Kapitanleutnant Reinhard Hardegen remembers gliding silently near New York Harbor just six weeks after Pearl Harbor. Hardegen, who was personally decorated by Hitler, commanded U-123 and was responsible for sinking 19 ships.
With the help of his recollections and archival footage from the war, EXPLORER pieces together the untold story of this massive Nazi nightmare inflicted on America's East Coast.