Ridiculous History: "How a Broken Toilet Foiled a German Sub" (Oct 25, 2025)

Episode Overview

Ben Bowlin and Noel Brown return with a classic tale from WWII history: the unbelievable but true story of how a high-tech toilet led to the destruction of the German submarine U-1206. Through their signature mix of humor and detail, they walk listeners through how a marvel of Nazi engineering—meant to give the Germans a tactical advantage—ultimately caused catastrophe due to a complicated plumbing mishap. It’s an episode that explores the absurdities of innovation, the perils of overcomplicating technology, and how one bad decision in the bathroom can sink even the deadliest war machine.

1. Setting the Scene: Submarine Life & WWII Context

• Maritime Movie Shoutouts
  • Opens with references to submarine movies like Das Boot and The Hunt for Red October to set the mood for maritime disaster tales.
    • “Welcome to the show Ridiculous historians as well as fans of the Hunt for Red October.” – Ben [05:00]
• Life—and Toilet Woes—on WWII Subs
  • The story centers on the German U-boat U-1206, one of the most advanced submarines of its time.
  • Details the technological arms race of WWII and the unique difficulties of submarine design, especially waste disposal at sea.
    • “People figured out how to make submarines work way before they figured out how people could enter or exit submarines safely.” – Ben, quoting Dr. Rachel Lance [00:49]

2. The U-1206: Engineering Marvel and Flawed Design

• Submarine Facts

  • U-1206: 220 ft 7 in long, 31 ft high, able to dive to 750 ft, and emblazoned with a white stork emblem. [08:44]
  • State-of-the-art for stealth, speed, and operational depth in 1944–1945.

• The Toilet: A "Technological Breakthrough"

  • Previous submarine toilets couldn't flush safely while submerged.
  • U-1206 boasted a complex new system, engineered to solve this but so tricky it required a toilet specialist to operate.
    • “It was so complicated they had to designate a toilet specialist to be on board who could assist with the flushing of this latrine. Can you imagine that, Ben?” – Noel [10:15]
  • The high-tech commode was directly above the boat’s massive battery banks, an unfortunate placement.

3. The Catastrophic Flush: Disaster Strikes

• A Fateful Day (April 14, 1945)

  • Eight days into patrol, roughly 200 feet below the North Sea and eight miles off Scotland, Captain Karl-Adolf Schlitt faces a commode conundrum.

• Too Much Confidence, Not Enough Training

  • Schlitt forgoes the toilet technician and attempts to operate the head himself, aided only by an instruction manual.
  • He botches the flushing procedure, necessitating the specialist’s intervention; the sequence is further disrupted, triggering an unintended opening of both inside and outside valves to the sea.

• Disaster Unleashed

  • Seawater floods into the sub, dousing the battery banks and causing a dangerous chemical reaction.
    • “The specialist opens the outside valve of the commode, the one that goes directly to the sea, while the inside valve is still open. And this causes a deluge of seawater into the sub…” – Ben [21:29]
  • Chlorine gas (deadly poison), lye, and hydrogen gas are produced as batteries react to saltwater.
    • “The water and the salt in the seawater hit the sub battery, and... produces lye plus hydrogen gas plus, most importantly, chlorine gas.” – Ben [23:32]
  • The crew immediately realizes the lethal danger; the only option is to surface and vent the gas.

4. The Aftermath: Sunk by Plumbing

• Surfacing into Enemy Waters

  • The U-boat surfaces in sight of Allied forces off the Scottish coast. [31:04]
    • “They surface within sight of the Scottish coastline… so close to shore that they were quickly spotted by allied aircraft.” – Ben [31:04]
  • Attacked by aircraft, the sub is badly damaged, can’t dive, and must be abandoned.

• Fate of the Crew

  • 3 drowned, another killed during the chaos, but 36 crew members survive and are captured by Allies.
    • “So we were right at 40 crew members then because 36 survived.” – Noel [31:35]

• Final Act: Scuttling the Sub

  • Captain Schlitt orders the ship scuttled (deliberately sunk) to prevent capture.
    • “He scuttles the ship.” – Ben [32:04]

5. Reflections, Wit, and Notable Moments

• Historical Irony & Humor
  • “He also entered into history, the annals of history, as the captain of the only warship in the entirety of naval history to be doomed by its own malfunctioning toilets.” – Ben [32:46]
  • Running puns about Captain Schlitt’s name and "taking a Schlitt" deliver classic Ridiculous History wordplay.
  • Mental image of the captain’s frantic situation, possibly “scooting... doing the little penguin run,” draws laughs. [24:48]
• Quotes about Military Slang
  • Introduction to wild submarine slang terms, e.g., “broke dick,” “bull George,” and “the canner,” ties the episode together with their ongoing interest in linguistic oddities. [36:01]

6. Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [07:44] — Introduction of the U-1206 and the "uber toilet"
• [10:15] — Complications of the toilet system and the need for a specialist
• [19:42] — Enter Captain Karl-Adolf Schlitt (and unfortunate name jokes)
• [20:28] — The catastrophic flush: incident breakdown
• [23:32] — Explanation of the chemical reaction: lye, hydrogen, and chlorine gas
• [31:04] — Surfacing near Scotland, Allied attack, and crew fate
• [32:04] — Scuttling (deliberate sinking) of the U-1206
• [32:46] — Summary: "only warship doomed by its own malfunctioning toilets"
• [36:01] — Amusing submarine slang segment

7. Takeaways & Significance

• The U-1206 is an infamous example of how overcomplicating technology without adequate training and planning can have disastrous (even absurd) consequences.
• Even the most advanced (and dangerous) military platforms can be undone by seemingly minor flaws—or moments of human hubris.
  • “Maybe he thought, I should have just contacted the toiletsman when I was supposed to.” – Ben [32:39]
• The story remains an enduring naval legend, a cautionary tale, and a punchline in both military and podcast circles.

8. Memorable Quotes

• “If I could turn back time, the only thing I would change is a little bit more energy at the opening of this episode because we totally forgot it's our first episode of 2019.” – Ben [34:41]
• “He also entered into history, the annals of history, as the captain of the only warship in the entirety of naval history to be doomed by its own malfunctioning toilets.” – Ben [32:46]
• “The toilet tinkerer was either not desired or not around... And the instruction manual is right here by the toilet. Did we mention that it had a comprehensive instruction manual?” – Ben [20:28]
• “Broke dick. Anything that doesn't work, that pump has been broke dick for a week.” – Ben [36:01]

9. Ridiculous History’s Signature Tone

• Affectionately irreverent, peppered with puns and historical asides.
• Banter-heavy style blends genuine curiosity, research, and pop culture nods.
• Accessible for history buffs and newcomers alike—makes even WWII and engineering mishaps approachable and hilarious.

10. Further Exploration

• The hosts encourage listeners to share military slang or funny naval anecdotes on social media and their Facebook group “Ridiculous Historians.”
• Acknowledgement of the research team and shout-outs to listeners round out the episode.

In summary:
This episode of Ridiculous History unpacks the perfect storm of innovation gone awry, where a complicated commode scuttled a Nazi submarine. Full of facts, chemistry lessons, and laugh-out-loud moments, Ben and Noel turn a maritime disaster into a legendary tale of historical absurdity.