7 Things German Pilots Found Strange About British Sunderland Flying Boats

Why did German pilots hesitate when they spotted a Short Sunderland over the Bay of Biscay? On paper it was slow, enormous, and an easy target. In practice, the Luftwaffe found it one of the hardest aircraft to deal with. In this video, we look at seven things about the Sunderland flying boat that German airmen found strange: its ship-like size and two-deck hull, the defensive guns that earned it the nickname “flying porcupine”, its ability to live on the open sea, its marathon patrols with bunks and a galley, its bomb room and wing racks, its radar, and its reach across every theatre of the war. We also compare it with Germany’s own Blohm und Voss BV 138 to see how two very different ideas of the flying boat met over the water. If you enjoy detailed, fact-based WW2 history from the German point of view, subscribe for more. #WW2 #Sunderland #WWIIHistory 0:00 The unexpected opponent 1:32 Origins and development 2:56 Size and crew philosophy 4:41 Defensive firepower 6:43 Sea-worthy design 8:16 Endurance and patrols 9:50 Offensive weapons 11:17 Integrated radar technology 12:49 Versatility in theater 14:17 Patience as a strategy