Home > Documentary TV Show > Battle of the Atlantic

Battle of the Atlantic

2002

Seasons & Episodes

  • 1

EP1 The Grey Wolves Jul 07, 2002

New testimony from British sailors and the U-boat men who hunted them, plus archive material and dramatic reconstructions, illustrate the threat from Churchill's one fear, the hidden enemy under the sea.

EP2 Keeping Secrets Jul 14, 2002

In the first 18 months of war, German U-boats sank more than three million tons of shipping. Eyewitness testimony, archive film and reconstructions illuminate the story of how Allied intelligence fought back against the killers in the deep, helped by the seizure of an Enigma code machine and cipher material.

EP3 The Hunted Jul 21, 2002

In the first three years of war, German U-boats threatened to starve Britain into submission, but by the spring of 1943 the tide had turned and the hunter had become the hunted. Eyewitness testimony, archive film and reconstructions illuminate the remarkable story of how, in just months, the Allies destroyed the U-boat fleet.
8| 0h30m| en
Synopsis

Explores the desperate struggle for survival on a hostile ocean during the longest and bloodiest battle of the Second World War.

Director

Producted By

BBC Film

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Reviews

Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life
Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;
Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
Lester May Winston Churchill gave the first public expression to the phrase "Battle of the Atlantic": "Battles might be won or lost, but our power to fight, to keep ourselves alive, rested on the outcome of the struggle for control of the Atlantic." This excellent three-part documentary tells the story of the Battle of the Atlantic which lasted for the duration of World War II, from 1939-1945.It begins with "The Grey Wolves", the story of Hitler's submarines, the U-boats, and their threat to starve Britain into submission. With the leadership of Admiral Karl Donitz, and his 'wolf packs', they nearly succeeded. Huge numbers of merchant ships were sunk between 1939 and 1942.The second part, "Keeping Secrets", describes the capture of an Enigma machine - the true story, not that of the feature film "U571" - and the invention of radar.Lastly, "The Hunted" describes how the tide turned and the tactics of Captain "Johnny" Walker, in HMS Starling, and Admiral Sir Max Horton ashore in Liverpool, together with RAF Coastal Command, and comparable allied services, prevailed to win the Battle of the Atlantic.Both the Allies and the Germans had a common enemy, of course - the Atlantic Ocean - and the graphic archive footage leaves the viewer in no doubt about the Cruel Sea. Churchill is seen meeting Jolly Jack and US Navy sailors and Hitler meets some of the top U-boat commanders.As ever, best of all, are the stories told by the men, and women, themselves - the eye-witness accounts of the U-boat commanders, the Royal Navy hunters, the merchant seamen, airmen and code-breakers. This is truly a sea story and the tale of the under-stated heroism that underpinned the Allied victory in Europe. The cost was the loss of more than 30,000 merchant seamen, over 4,700 British flagged merchant ships and many allied surface warships and men. Over 85% of U-boat crews would lose their lives.The three-part series is available on one DVD as part of the 12-disc boxed set "World War II Collection" (BBC Worldwide, 2005). See also the BBC Timewatch documentary "Forgotten Heroes" (1994), an extra feature on the DVD; in their own words, it tells the story of the merchant seaman in World War II.The drama documentary "Western Approaches" (1944) will be of interest to those who wish to know more about the Battle of the Atlantic as will, of course, the feature films "Lifeboat" (1944) and "The Cruel Sea" (1953).