The podcast episode of "Stuff You Should Know" delves into the little-known history of Nazi saboteurs who invaded the United States during World War II. Hitler had a fantasy of destroying New York City and devised a plan to send saboteurs to infiltrate and wreak havoc on the US. The operation involved two teams of four spies who were given assignments to destroy hydroelectric plants, aluminum factories, locks on the Ohio River, railroads, and other targets. They were also instructed to carry out acts of general terrorism to create fear among Americans. The spies were given 18 days of intensive training before being sent to the US via two U-boats from Lorient, France with a total of 4 boxes of explosives and detonators, as well as a million dollars in cash.
One team, Team Eins, landed on the shore of Long Island but was discovered by a coast guardsman, who reported the incident to the authorities. The FBI was able to recover the explosives and uniforms, but the German saboteurs, unaware that their plan had been foiled, went to New York City to carry out their mission. However, the FBI caught the saboteurs before they could carry out their attacks. The podcast hosts discuss the details of the operation and the incompetence of the saboteurs.
The podcast also discusses the story of a German spy named Dosh who betrayed his team and turned himself in to the FBI during World War II. He had a plan to sabotage Germany and wanted to work with the US. He threatened to kill his teammate, Burger, if he didn't agree to the plan. Dosh arrived in Washington, DC, and called the FBI to set up a meeting with J. Edgar Hoover. He was bounced around from agent to agent until he met with Mickey Ladd, who was running the Manhunt for the spies. Dosh told the FBI about Burger and where he was staying, leading to the arrest of all three members of the team.
The story also includes the tale of a two-year-old boy named Archer who is a big fan of the podcast "Stuff You Should Know." His mother shared an audio clip of him requesting to listen to the podcast before his nap time.