Hitler's Sunken Secret (2005)

Hitler’s Sunken Secret is a documentary film that was first shown on US television (PBS) in November 2005. It is an episode in the long-running program NOVA, which is devoted to the history of science (season 33, episode 5). Here is some basic information about it:

** Directed by Duncan Copp

** Narrated by Neil Ross

** Run time: 53 minutes

Hitler’s Sunken Secret is a film about an important chapter in the history of World War Two. German scientists were trying to develop a nuclear bomb. In order to do this, they needed heavy water, which was produced at a factory (Norsk Hydro) at Vemork in German-occupied Norway. A small group of Norwegian resistance fighters carried out an attack on the factory in February 1943 and an attack on the ferry (SF Hydro) that was transporting barrels of heavy water across Lake Tinn in February 1944.
 
These acts of sabotage crushed the German government’s hope of developing a nuclear bomb. Today they are regarded as some of the most important acts of sabotage that were carried out during the war.
 
This film focuses on the attack on the ferry that took place in February 1944. Before the attack, Norwegian resistance fighters had warned the British authorities that it might cause the death of some civilians. They were told to go ahead in spite of this concern, because the mission was considered to be very important. The mission was accomplished. The bomb exploded and the ferry sank to the bottom of the lake.

Afterwards there were doubts. Had it been too easy? Did the barrels in the railway carriages really contain the precious heavy water or was it just a decoy operation? In this film we follow a team of experts who try to find the answer to these questions.
 
A special device is lowered to the bottom of the lake which is 400 meters deep. With this device the team can locate the wreck of the ferry and find some of the drums that were loaded on it. One of them is recovered. It is still intact. The contents must be tested. Is it just plain water or is it really heavy water? The answer: it is heavy water.

However, we also learn that this shipment of heavy water was not enough for the German efforts to build a nuclear bomb. Even if this shipment had been delivered to the German scientists who were working on the project, it would not have been enough for them. With the benefit of hindsight we can see that the Germans were far behind the Americans in the global race to build a nuclear bomb, but nobody knew that at the time and nobody could know that until Germany had been defeated in 1945.

Several witnesses were interviewed for the film. Here are the names:

** Per F. Dahl (1932-2011), physicist, retired, Brookhaven National Laboratory; author of Heavy Water and the Wartime Race for Nuclear Energy (1999)

** Knut Lier Hansen (1916-2008), Norwegian saboteur, member of the team that sabotaged the ferry in February 1944

** Halvard Asskildt, Hydro survivor

** Solveig Asskildt, Hydro survivor

** Brett Phaneuf, Pro Mare

** Fredrik Soreide, Pro Mare

** Dave Wark, Imperial College, London

** Mark Walker, Union College

** Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker (1912-2007), German scientist, who worked on the top secret nuclear project (this interview was recorded in 1992)

As you can see from the above, some of the witnesses have passed away since this film was made. It is a good thing that their memories and testimonies are preserved in this film.

Norsk Hydro: the Vemork heavy water plant as it looked in 1930. When the sabotage action took place in February 1943, the whole valley was covered in snow.

 

Hitler’s Sunken Secret is an interesting film about an important chapter in the history of World War two.

If you are interested in the history of the modern world – in particular the history of nuclear power and nuclear bombs – this film is something for you.

PS # 1. In 1948, three years after the war ended, a French-Norwegian film about the case was produced. Translated into English, the title of this film is The Battle for Heavy Water. One interesting fact about this film is that many of the roles are played by Norwegian saboteurs, who play themselves. As far as I know, this old film has never been released on DVD. It is available on YouTube.

PS # 2. The Heroes of Telemark is a Hollywood movie from 1965 about the heavy water war (starring Kirk Douglas). Historical truth is violated many times in this film, but one important aspect of the film is true: it was shot in the right location: Telemark, Norway.

PS # 3. In 2003, the BBC aired a three-part documentary film about the case that was produced and narrated by Ray Mears. The title is The Real Heroes of Telemark. With a small group of experts, Mears re-enacted many parts of the operation that the saboteurs carried out during the war. According to Mears, the survival skills of the Norwegian saboteurs are an important aspect of the story. Mears has also written a book about the case, which has the same title as the film: The Real Heroes of Telemark (2003, 2004).

PS # 4. In 2015, a six-part drama produced by Norwegian television was aired and later released on DVD. The title is The Heavy Water War. In the UK, the mini-series is known as The Saboteurs. In this version several languages are spoken, which makes it more authentic and realistic than the Hollywood movie from 1965 where all characters speak English. However, one flaw is found in both of them: the Hollywood movie introduces a fictional female character played by the Swedish actress Ulla Jacobsen. The Norwegian miniseries from 2015 does exactly the same when it introduces a fictional female character played by the British actress Anna Friel.

PS # 5. Joachim Rønneberg (1919-2018) was the leader of the Norwegian team that sabotaged the factory in February 1943. The following articles about his role are available online:

** Gordon Corera, “Last hero of Telemark: The man who helped stop Hitler’s A-bomb,” BBC News, 25 April 2013

** Andrew Higgins, “WWII Hero Credits Luck and Chance in Foiling Hitler’s Nuclear Ambitions,” New York Times, 20 November 2015



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Surrounding their boss Leif Tronstad (front row, center) are most of the Vemork saboteurs, including (front row left to right) Jens-Anton Poulsson and Joachim Rønneberg, and (back row left to right) Hans Storhaug, Fredrik Kayser, Kasper Idland, Claus Helberg, and Birger Strømsheim.

 

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