The Fake Coal That Destroyed 1,000 German Trains | WWII’s Most Ingenious Sabotage Weapon
354K views · Dec 14, 2025 · People & Blogs
Comments · 746
@PeterHutter-q7g · 8 months ago (edited)
You definitely don't want to be on Santa's naughty list.
231
@walteri.9465 · 8 months ago (edited)
It's true that the Allies developed and used "explosive coal" devices of various types, however the images in this video are all over the place, and are unrelated to the subject. I don't know of any records that support 1,000 locomotives disabled by explosive coal.
68
@adamknopp6631 · 8 months ago (edited)
My grandfather was a railway driver in northern Poland in WW2 was also a member of the Polish resistance. He caused disruption by changing labels on important shipments and logged information on German movements of armaments and details of the V2 rocket factory Peenemünde. I guess I’m lucky that he survived the exploding coal..
117
@Alex_Doscious · 8 months ago
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdkkR4SCXL4&t=389">6:29</a> the inside of a locomotive firebox is way hotter than 160C lmao
99
@rbtyod · 8 months ago
Explosive lumps of coal were also used in the American Civil War.
89
@danwilliamson7394 · 8 months ago
A lot went on in that war we will never hear about
62
@Sacto1654 · 8 months ago (edited)
What's interesting was that the CIA did something similar during the Vietnam War, essentially "spiking" 7.62 mm x 39 cartridges and 82 mm mortar shells by quietly putting into these modified ammunition into NVA ammo boxes. NVA and Viet Cong forces ended up abandoning many thousands of tons of ammo boxes, and finding and disposing the abandoned ammo is still a major problem in Vietnam today.
112
@philipnesbitt3334 · 8 months ago
Drivers don't shovel coal into the firebox. The fireman/stoker does that!!
218
@marcgarrett5427 · 7 months ago
Breaking the coal apart by hand would have been practically impossible, BUT using a coal crusher or modified rock crusher would have been relatively simple, especially compared to what was lost by destroyed locomotives and shipments not arriving to their destination. As advanced as the Germans were in several aspects, someone definitely dropped the ball on this one.
1
@oxcart4172 · 8 months ago
Never heard of this before. Well done
30
@kalleklp7291 · 7 months ago
My Grandpa was one of the guys who placed this "coal" in Copenhagen.<br>Amongst blowing up railway tracks, loosening the clamps was popular. It looked like an accident when a train derailed due to some "faulty" track clamps.<br>These actions caused serious delays, and loss of material.
1
@skrotorr3223 · 8 months ago
Logistics disruption is a key strategy in any conflict. This was incredible.
9
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