The first trailer of «The Heavy Water War» - English subtitl

[S8 Booster]

coming to a TV near you......;)

this looks promising despite some digitising acrobatics....

Norwegian TV series based on a real story:
http://www.nrk.no/video/PS*183061

the first two episodes here but i am not sure if it is available outside Norway: http://tv.nrk.no/serie/kampen-om-tungtv ... /episode-1

based on a true WWII story .. a really tough story about how the allies worked hard to prevent the German Nazis to make an atom bomb during WWII. the essence is quite clearly seen in this trailer. it has just began on Norwegian TV but it looks promising because this one stretches the storyline from the early 1930s to the end so it is much more complete than the previous films i have seen made.

earlier versions: http://youtu.be/cwjiETe8Dsw 1948 norwegian french version 1948 sample.

hollywood film version 1965 "Heroes of Telemark" - romanticised version full movie http://youtu.be/E5y-A3LFSS0
trailer: http://youtu.be/7kkgIe1TI5k

reviving the real story: http://youtu.be/7kkgIe1TI5k

This video tells the story of the saboteurs who prevented the nazis creating an A-bomb during world war 2, and a group of men attempting to relive the way the real heroes of telemark did so many years ago.

the saboteurs did climb down and up this gorge under the bridge to and from the raid in winter/icy conditions while german guards guarded the bridge.



better overview of the arena:


well, shoot... rubber bands....

[aj]

Nice filming and a necessary precaution at the time.

The German atomic would never come to being as they had adopted the wrong method which would never have worked. A hindsight of course but the battles and doings made no difference.

Who knew? The Brits weren't even aware of the American Manhattan project. The Sovjets knew though As now revealed by BBC from the freshly disclosed British archives the Sovjets even warned Roosevelt about the secret intend of Churchill to mind the British interest in the Mediterranean Sea first before going to attempt to defeat the Germans. I.e. the war in Europe (and thus Asia) could easily have lasted another year or two had Roosevelt not redirected efforts.

[S8 Booster]

you are a bit inacurate here AJ.

the brits and the US signed an agreement on a nuclear programme in Quebec in August 1943 and Roosevelt was surprisingly open treating Germany, Italy and Japan about what was to come.

check this BBC documentary from 1973 which is pretty good anyway at 37:00. http://youtu.be/nwbiRrVAJzw
short version of the story with interviews of some of the saboteurs who actually participated. recommended.

http://www.unmuseum.org/nbomb.htm

Incompetence, Conspiracy, or Neither?

In the half-century following the war, several theories arose to explain the lack of German success. Samuel Goudsmit, a member of the Allied scientific intelligence mission that investigated German progress on a bomb, came to the conclusion that the German scientists working on the project simply didn't have the understanding necessary to build such a weapon. In other words, Goudsmit claimed that these scientists, all approved to work on the project by the Nazi government, were simply incompetent.


German physicists were surprised by the Allies atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

His thinking may have some support in recordings made in 1945. After Germany surrendered, German physicists involved in uranium research were rounded up and detained at Farm Hall in England. Their conversations were secretly recorded in hopes of finding the state of Nazi research in physics. Of tremendous interest to the British was the scientists' reaction to the news that the Allies had dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Werner Heisenberg, the head of the German program at Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, was initially amazed at the success of the Allies program. He immediately tackled the question of how much uranium 235 (the only isotope of uranium which would work as a nuclear explosive) would be needed to build a bomb and came up with a figure of over a ton - way too high. It is from this mistake that many experts have formed the opinion that Heisenberg did not really understand how a bomb would work. However, Heisenberg corrected his estimate within a few days. Also, comments by Otto Hahn, who was another scientist interned at Farm Hall, suggests that Heisenberg had earlier, back in Germany, made the correct calculations. Perhaps he was now hiding his knowledge thinking that he and the other scientists were under surveillance, which indeed, they were.

there is actually a documentary on the tube about how the british collected Heisenberg and his crew even before the war ended and put them in a safe house in the UK - which was bugged of course. there is a lot more info on this on the net..

well, i am only the piano playa...

[aj]

Not to stir up a WW2 discussion but I doubt Roosevelt made public and filmed statements about the Manhattan project and announces to let the axis know about the coming available of a bomb. It was merely a generic talk for propaganda to let know they were on it and to give the Brits a feel of importance.

When Truman was inaugurated as president first thing was that he needed to be briefed on the status of Manhattan and upcoming test-explosion. I.e. he was not in the loop before as were only a few. Roosevelt must not have trusted him with the secret (and the presidency possibly).

Considering this old documentary it is all very much what they still believed then. The broken Enigma coding was still secret in 1973. Let alone Manhattan or the recent revealing of the Churchill papers.

Almost funny how they would need 5 barrel wagons to transport 15 ton of heavy water. It is not so heavy that the weight of litre changes much. It would fit in one. Or two or three barrel trucks. Did they use a new ferry to reanact the documentary.

Even by standards of then this air-bombing shows that were desperate attempt with contempt for the risk of the people on the ground. Dropping 1000 bombs without a single hit and the interviewed pilot still taking pride in it and pretending it was a joly success.

Sinking the ferry with all these random citizens onboard is just sick. And this guy is just smug about his cleverness and about the poor guarding by the germans. The captain yapping about his boots rather then his passengers drowning with the ferry.
What was the need to sink it all and then with the people onboard? Damage would just have been as great had they sunk it while docked.

The Dambuster raid was more of less analysed as a waste of resources and a war crime on BBC television just last year. Drowning thousands of citizens, some 3000 prisoners of war and forced labourers etc with so little lasting result.

Here in Netherlands there were accidental bombings where for example 2000 people died in a stroke of bad navigation or decision making. Most of 80.000 civilian deaths (not counting the deported) were caused by allied arms.

With such poor planning and targeting it is a miracle that they ever could win the war. And so quickly by current standards. Which was in essence only possible thanks to the absorbing powers and perseverance of Russia and the resources from the USA. And the strategic stupidity of Hitler himself of course.

[nikonr10]

There was a book called 1000 SUNS which was photos on the tests there had done ,
Robert Oppenheimer / and his Quote from the Bhagavad Gita ,

We see it in films time and time again ?