1 00:00:11,094 --> 00:00:14,179 (narrator) The Atlantic. Britain's lifeline. 2 00:00:16,641 --> 00:00:18,892 Treacherous enough in peacetime, 3 00:00:18,977 --> 00:00:22,104 in war, black with menace. 4 00:00:26,067 --> 00:00:28,277 U-boat packs stalk through the night. 5 00:00:28,361 --> 00:00:32,990 Knowing the danger, their victims still plough on. 6 00:00:35,493 --> 00:00:37,578 (speaking German) 7 00:01:07,358 --> 00:01:09,651 (narrator) Ships and cargoes go down. 8 00:01:09,736 --> 00:01:12,571 Their crews - some of them - surVive, 9 00:01:12,655 --> 00:01:15,699 but early in 1943 it is Britain's surVival 10 00:01:15,784 --> 00:01:20,287 and the Allied hopes for victory over Germany which are in doubt. 11 00:02:20,974 --> 00:02:24,017 When war began, Britain saw Germany's big ships 12 00:02:24,102 --> 00:02:26,186 as the main threat to her sea trade. 13 00:02:27,939 --> 00:02:30,065 So did the Germans. 14 00:02:43,496 --> 00:02:46,665 Germany's surface raiders savaged the merchant fleet 15 00:02:46,749 --> 00:02:49,918 on which Britain depended for much of her food, 16 00:02:50,003 --> 00:02:53,005 most of her raw materials, and all of her oil. 17 00:03:01,931 --> 00:03:05,267 Germany's U-boats were to operate in coastal waters, 18 00:03:05,351 --> 00:03:08,687 sweeping up anything leff by the battleships. 19 00:03:10,815 --> 00:03:13,692 Both Britain and Germany were wrong. 20 00:03:13,776 --> 00:03:17,279 The real naval menace was to be the U-boat. 21 00:03:17,363 --> 00:03:22,159 At least one man knew this - Karl Doenitz, chief of the U-boat arm. 22 00:03:22,243 --> 00:03:26,997 He could've been wrong too, if Hitler had delayed his war with Britain 23 00:03:27,081 --> 00:03:31,752 until all the battleships planned for the German Navy had been built. 24 00:03:31,961 --> 00:03:34,588 As it was, Doenitz was certain 25 00:03:34,672 --> 00:03:39,843 that with enough submarines, he could win the war at sea. 26 00:03:39,928 --> 00:03:42,346 He had proved it to himself 20 years before. 27 00:03:42,430 --> 00:03:45,807 ln October 1918, 28 00:03:45,892 --> 00:03:50,437 (Doenitz) l was captain of a submarine 29 00:03:50,521 --> 00:03:53,899 in the Mediterranean near Malta. 30 00:03:53,983 --> 00:03:59,196 ln a dark night l met a British convoy 31 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:02,741 with cruisers and destroyers 32 00:04:02,825 --> 00:04:04,993 and l attacked 33 00:04:05,078 --> 00:04:07,996 and l sank a ship, 34 00:04:08,081 --> 00:04:12,501 but the chance would have been very much greater 35 00:04:12,585 --> 00:04:15,462 if there had been a lot of submarines. 36 00:04:15,546 --> 00:04:22,636 That's why the idea of a wolf pack, 37 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:28,308 to put the submarines together that they could attack together, 38 00:04:28,393 --> 00:04:31,603 was very impressive, 39 00:04:31,688 --> 00:04:37,985 and that's why in all the years from 1918 40 00:04:38,069 --> 00:04:42,406 until the year 1935 41 00:04:42,490 --> 00:04:46,660 when we had the first submarines again in the German Navy 42 00:04:46,744 --> 00:04:48,996 l never had forgotten this idea. 43 00:04:50,748 --> 00:04:55,127 (narrator) Underwater, the 1939 U-boat was slow. 44 00:04:58,172 --> 00:05:02,968 On the surface, it was faster than any convoy of merchant ships. 45 00:05:03,052 --> 00:05:08,515 With its low silhouette it could not be seen easily, especially at night. 46 00:05:15,231 --> 00:05:20,068 But its targets were outlined clearly against the sky... 47 00:05:22,447 --> 00:05:27,242 and with radio, the U-boats could quickly assemble into hunting packs. 48 00:05:36,502 --> 00:05:40,630 Doenitz knew Britain would try to protect essential Atlantic trade 49 00:05:40,715 --> 00:05:44,760 by a system of convoys escorted by warships. 50 00:05:44,844 --> 00:05:48,305 To attack these convoys, Doenitz wanted 300 U-boats. 51 00:05:48,431 --> 00:05:50,766 When the war started he had only 26. 52 00:05:50,850 --> 00:05:54,227 And these boats had long, dangerous voyages from base 53 00:05:54,312 --> 00:05:56,938 before they could reach their targets. 54 00:05:57,940 --> 00:05:59,775 When France fell, 55 00:05:59,859 --> 00:06:03,528 Doenitz gained new bases much nearer the shipping routes. 56 00:06:08,493 --> 00:06:13,372 His Sea Wolves returned to these French ports as heroes. 57 00:06:15,124 --> 00:06:17,793 One especial hero was Otto Kretschmer. 58 00:06:17,877 --> 00:06:22,214 ln all, Kretschmer sank over a quarter of a million tons of British shipping. 59 00:06:22,298 --> 00:06:26,676 ln October 1940, he joined the first real wolf pack. 60 00:06:26,761 --> 00:06:32,474 l remember that there was a signal that a convoy was coming in 61 00:06:32,558 --> 00:06:34,726 from America to England 62 00:06:35,311 --> 00:06:39,648 and that its position was not known 63 00:06:39,732 --> 00:06:44,611 and that Doenitz ordered all the submarines there, 64 00:06:44,695 --> 00:06:46,905 to the west of lreland, 65 00:06:46,989 --> 00:06:52,702 to form a sort of recce line, a stationary recce line, 66 00:06:52,787 --> 00:06:56,123 to let the convoy pass through. 67 00:06:56,207 --> 00:07:00,043 And when the first submarine was sighted 68 00:07:00,128 --> 00:07:03,380 the convoy made a signal, its contact signal, 69 00:07:03,464 --> 00:07:06,883 and this recce line was dissolved automatically, 70 00:07:06,968 --> 00:07:10,303 and every boat was free to go in for the attack. 71 00:07:11,514 --> 00:07:16,101 (narrator) Convoy SC-7 , on the night of 17 October 1940, 72 00:07:16,185 --> 00:07:18,270 was passing Rockall. 73 00:07:19,313 --> 00:07:23,066 34 merchantmen, four small escort ships. 74 00:07:23,192 --> 00:07:25,360 Seven U-boats attacked on the surface. 75 00:07:25,445 --> 00:07:30,323 The attack took the same form as that we were used to, 76 00:07:30,408 --> 00:07:34,578 which was a single ship being struck. 77 00:07:35,413 --> 00:07:39,249 Very shortly affer that a second one was struck, 78 00:07:39,333 --> 00:07:44,713 and then, within a matter of five to ten minutes, 79 00:07:44,797 --> 00:07:47,841 further ships were struck. 80 00:07:48,134 --> 00:07:53,013 l tried to get through the escorts into the convoy, 81 00:07:53,097 --> 00:07:57,517 which was my own peculiarity of attacking, 82 00:07:58,644 --> 00:08:01,980 and failed the first time. 83 00:08:02,064 --> 00:08:07,444 They saw me and shot star shells so that l had to draw away again. 84 00:08:08,196 --> 00:08:12,324 But the second time l succeeded and was inside the convoy 85 00:08:12,408 --> 00:08:18,580 going up and down the lanes looking for the most important, valuable ships 86 00:08:18,664 --> 00:08:22,459 and had the opportunity to expend all torpedoes. 87 00:08:22,543 --> 00:08:24,503 l had 12 in all. 88 00:08:26,130 --> 00:08:32,260 (Sherwood) l could see ships in various stages of sinking. 89 00:08:32,386 --> 00:08:35,347 A Dutch ship had stopped 90 00:08:35,473 --> 00:08:38,642 and was attempting to pick up surVivors, 91 00:08:38,726 --> 00:08:41,645 and whilst l actually watched her doing this 92 00:08:41,729 --> 00:08:44,231 and was considering what to do about it, 93 00:08:44,315 --> 00:08:47,776 she also herself was torpedoed. 94 00:08:47,860 --> 00:08:51,821 This, along with another torpedoing, 95 00:08:53,199 --> 00:08:55,742 set the whole place ablaze. 96 00:08:56,786 --> 00:09:01,957 (narrator) That night 17 merchantmen, exactly half the convoy, were sunk. 97 00:09:02,041 --> 00:09:05,126 The escorts had not been able to damage a single U-boat. 98 00:09:05,211 --> 00:09:10,215 l don't think l had ever seen more than one ship sunk at a time before, 99 00:09:10,299 --> 00:09:13,718 and this was something very different indeed. 100 00:09:13,803 --> 00:09:17,681 This really was the first time 101 00:09:17,765 --> 00:09:23,228 that these tactics could be experienced by all of us 102 00:09:23,312 --> 00:09:25,689 and also by Doenitz himself, 103 00:09:25,773 --> 00:09:29,568 who, of course, knew it only from our peacetime training. 104 00:09:29,652 --> 00:09:32,654 And the whole night, l think, was a success. 105 00:09:32,738 --> 00:09:35,782 lt was called the Night of the Long Knives 106 00:09:35,866 --> 00:09:38,326 because so many ships were sunk. 107 00:09:42,164 --> 00:09:44,874 (narrator) ln the first nine months of the war, 108 00:09:44,959 --> 00:09:49,212 the Allies lost over 2 million tons of merchant shipping. 109 00:09:50,673 --> 00:09:54,217 ln the next six months, with the U-boats operating from France, 110 00:09:54,302 --> 00:09:57,721 nearly 2.5 million tons more went down. 111 00:10:05,938 --> 00:10:08,857 There were medals galore. 112 00:10:22,371 --> 00:10:25,749 U-boat crews called this "the happy time". 113 00:10:26,334 --> 00:10:29,252 (man) l saw the ship going up, the stern going underwater. 114 00:10:29,337 --> 00:10:31,796 She went right up on end, then backwards. 115 00:10:31,881 --> 00:10:34,966 And l went down with her. Affer a bit l came to the surface, 116 00:10:35,051 --> 00:10:38,345 and l was still sitting on the overturned bridge boat, 117 00:10:38,429 --> 00:10:40,722 when l saw the submarine surfacing. 118 00:10:40,806 --> 00:10:44,476 He went round and started picking up cases out of the water - 119 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:50,231 general cargo, possibly spirits, foodstuff and so forth. 120 00:10:50,775 --> 00:10:53,193 They looked at us, circled round for a bit, 121 00:10:53,277 --> 00:10:55,945 laughed at us and went away to the northeast. 122 00:10:56,030 --> 00:11:00,116 They never asked if we had any water, if we had any damages or anything else. 123 00:11:00,201 --> 00:11:03,828 And we were leff floating amongst wreckage in one boat. 124 00:11:03,913 --> 00:11:07,415 We were halfway between Brazil and North Africa. 125 00:11:07,500 --> 00:11:09,834 The only thing l could think about 126 00:11:09,919 --> 00:11:13,380 was trying to get to the land as near as possible, 127 00:11:13,464 --> 00:11:17,133 so l set the course as near as l could to the northeast. 128 00:11:17,259 --> 00:11:21,388 All we had was the one lifeboat, which was made for 48 people. 129 00:11:21,472 --> 00:11:24,015 We picked up 58. 130 00:11:24,100 --> 00:11:28,311 There wasn't really room enough for anybody to sit down. 131 00:11:28,396 --> 00:11:34,234 The boat was leaking badly through being on the chocks for some time. 132 00:11:34,318 --> 00:11:38,196 You had quite a bit of trouble getting the crew to move so you could bail, 133 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:40,907 and you bailed for nearly two days 134 00:11:40,991 --> 00:11:46,329 until the wood of the boat started to swell and to tighten up. 135 00:11:46,414 --> 00:11:49,082 Affer that it wasn't so bad. 136 00:11:49,166 --> 00:11:51,876 The worst days, of course, 137 00:11:51,961 --> 00:11:54,379 were when there was no wind. 138 00:11:54,463 --> 00:11:57,424 Absolutely becalmed. 139 00:11:57,508 --> 00:11:59,384 The sun was terrific. 140 00:11:59,468 --> 00:12:03,012 So we started off by giving 4oz of water - 141 00:12:03,139 --> 00:12:07,225 2oz in the morning and 2oz at night - and one biscuit. 142 00:12:07,309 --> 00:12:10,353 There was a lot of noise in the boat. There were Chinese. 143 00:12:10,438 --> 00:12:12,397 l said, "What's all the bobbery?" 144 00:12:12,481 --> 00:12:15,358 Which is a lot of talky-talky, you know. 145 00:12:15,443 --> 00:12:18,862 He said, "l think number one fireman go crazy." 146 00:12:19,822 --> 00:12:24,409 So he eventually jumped over the side with a lifejacket on. 147 00:12:24,493 --> 00:12:28,121 And affer a wee while we got him back again. 148 00:12:30,082 --> 00:12:34,711 And later that night in the darkness he jumped again. 149 00:12:34,795 --> 00:12:39,090 We didn't get him back because the sharks got him. 150 00:12:39,175 --> 00:12:40,884 On the morning of the 13th - 151 00:12:40,968 --> 00:12:45,138 l'd sit on the water barrel to make sure nobody helped themselves - 152 00:12:45,222 --> 00:12:49,642 and somebody shook me and said, "Hey, Captain, we see lights, green lights." 153 00:12:49,727 --> 00:12:52,771 "Oh," l said, "you're dreaming, you're dreaming." 154 00:12:52,855 --> 00:12:55,565 And l looked round and l saw some green lights. 155 00:12:55,649 --> 00:12:59,235 lt looked to me like New Brighton pier. l couldn't make it out. 156 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:01,613 So l said, "Well, burn a flare." 157 00:13:01,697 --> 00:13:05,700 They burned a flare. Jimmy said, "Burn another flare." 158 00:13:05,785 --> 00:13:07,786 They burned another flare. 159 00:13:07,870 --> 00:13:13,166 And affer a bit l saw the green lights getting closer. More visible. 160 00:13:13,250 --> 00:13:16,419 Then affer a bit l saw a red light above the green, 161 00:13:16,504 --> 00:13:19,881 and then it dawned on me that it was a hospital ship. 162 00:13:22,176 --> 00:13:24,761 (narrator) The U-boats had eyes in the air. 163 00:13:24,845 --> 00:13:29,390 Focke-Wulf Condor aircraff could range 1,000 miles out to sea 164 00:13:29,475 --> 00:13:31,100 to scout for convoys. 165 00:13:35,856 --> 00:13:40,693 When used to bomb shipping, the Condors sank 30 ships in two months. 166 00:13:40,778 --> 00:13:42,111 Luckily for Britain, 167 00:13:42,196 --> 00:13:46,241 this partnership with the U-boat was never properly exploited. 168 00:13:49,787 --> 00:13:53,456 But Doenitz did exploit the fact that German naval intelligence 169 00:13:53,541 --> 00:13:56,459 had broken the British codes. 170 00:13:58,337 --> 00:14:02,090 We were aware that the intelligence for some reason was good, 171 00:14:02,174 --> 00:14:07,929 but l myself put this down to very superior hydrophone equipment 172 00:14:08,013 --> 00:14:09,973 that the submarines had, 173 00:14:10,057 --> 00:14:12,934 that the U-boats had in their boats, 174 00:14:13,018 --> 00:14:17,188 probably being able to pick up the noise of a convoy's propellers 175 00:14:17,273 --> 00:14:20,692 up to 80 or even 100 miles. 176 00:14:20,776 --> 00:14:22,861 But in addition, 177 00:14:22,945 --> 00:14:26,489 l know that they would place their U-boats 178 00:14:26,574 --> 00:14:32,120 in a line across, at right angles to the expected line of the convoy. 179 00:14:32,204 --> 00:14:38,710 And this line for, say, five U-boats, could be 100 miles from end to end. 180 00:14:38,794 --> 00:14:41,004 And so with good hydrophones, 181 00:14:41,088 --> 00:14:46,342 very little disguise of the position of a convoy could be effected. 182 00:14:46,427 --> 00:14:50,555 lt was only affer the war that we knew that they were breaking the codes 183 00:14:50,639 --> 00:14:52,891 and that they knew very well 184 00:14:52,975 --> 00:14:56,102 the time of leaving port that the convoys had 185 00:14:56,228 --> 00:14:58,438 and how many escorts there were 186 00:14:58,522 --> 00:15:01,566 and how many merchant ships in each convoy. 187 00:15:01,650 --> 00:15:03,651 (ticking) 188 00:15:05,404 --> 00:15:07,155 (explosion) 189 00:15:13,787 --> 00:15:17,373 (narrator) The Royal Navy, searching for U-boats underwater, 190 00:15:17,458 --> 00:15:21,711 had pinned its faith on asdic, an echo-sounding device. 191 00:15:44,276 --> 00:15:47,487 But U-boats were attacking convoys on the surface. 192 00:15:47,571 --> 00:15:49,656 The navy was not prepared for this. 193 00:15:49,740 --> 00:15:52,033 (man) Convoy defence is not very glamorous 194 00:15:52,117 --> 00:15:54,744 and between the wars, l think rather naturally, 195 00:15:54,828 --> 00:15:59,290 the navy were inclined to concentrate on more glamorous activities 196 00:15:59,375 --> 00:16:01,960 like great mass torpedo attacks 197 00:16:02,044 --> 00:16:03,920 and that sort of thing. 198 00:16:04,004 --> 00:16:07,006 All the information about the lessons 199 00:16:07,091 --> 00:16:09,467 of World War l were available. 200 00:16:09,593 --> 00:16:13,137 For those who wanted to read them, the lessons were there. 201 00:16:13,222 --> 00:16:15,181 But l'm afraid no one bothered. 202 00:16:15,265 --> 00:16:19,894 And as a result trade defence as a whole, was very badly neglected. 203 00:16:19,979 --> 00:16:22,438 (narrator) The neglect continued. 204 00:16:22,523 --> 00:16:26,192 ln the early days, convoys could only be escorted 205 00:16:26,276 --> 00:16:29,696 for about 300 miles from each Atlantic coast. 206 00:16:34,159 --> 00:16:37,245 There just weren't enough escort ships. 207 00:16:37,329 --> 00:16:41,833 Those available lacked endurance and their crews were virtually untrained. 208 00:16:41,917 --> 00:16:45,420 (Sherwood) My officers were RNVR officers. 209 00:16:45,504 --> 00:16:49,424 One was a civil engineer by profession. 210 00:16:49,508 --> 00:16:54,512 The other two were Canadian sublieutenants, 211 00:16:55,597 --> 00:17:00,727 both of the age of between 20 and 21 , 212 00:17:00,811 --> 00:17:04,063 who had come from Canada as passengers 213 00:17:04,148 --> 00:17:08,401 and that was their seagoing experience. 214 00:17:08,485 --> 00:17:12,947 The heads of department were regulars - 215 00:17:13,032 --> 00:17:16,117 some of them had retired and called back - 216 00:17:16,201 --> 00:17:21,039 and there were two or three seamen who were of the pukka serVice, 217 00:17:21,123 --> 00:17:24,459 and the rest were straight in. 218 00:17:32,509 --> 00:17:36,596 (narrator) Air cover was to prove all-important, 219 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:40,349 but surprisingly the navy's carriers did not at first supply it. 220 00:17:40,434 --> 00:17:44,353 That task went to the RAF, although Coastal Command was ill prepared. 221 00:17:44,438 --> 00:17:48,983 (man) With the exception of Sunderland flying boats, a very small number, 222 00:17:49,068 --> 00:17:52,528 all the other aircraff except the Anson were lash-ups. 223 00:17:52,613 --> 00:17:56,741 They were borrowed from entirely dissimilar functions 224 00:17:56,825 --> 00:17:59,160 in order to do this job in Coastal Command. 225 00:17:59,244 --> 00:18:02,497 Secondly, the navigation aids were not there. 226 00:18:02,623 --> 00:18:05,041 lt was entirely dead-reckoning navigation. 227 00:18:05,125 --> 00:18:08,336 And whereas an experienced navigator can look at the sea, 228 00:18:08,420 --> 00:18:11,881 estimate the wind and where he's likely to be in an hour's time, 229 00:18:11,965 --> 00:18:14,884 this is very difficult for a new boy. 230 00:18:14,968 --> 00:18:21,015 And since the point to be navigated to, the convoy, was offen equally at error, 231 00:18:21,100 --> 00:18:23,976 it was no wonder that we failed to meet many convoys. 232 00:18:24,061 --> 00:18:28,898 So lack of equipment, lack of training and unsuitable aircraff 233 00:18:28,982 --> 00:18:32,360 were certainly severe handicaps at the beginning of the war. 234 00:18:32,444 --> 00:18:36,447 What is more, cooperation between the navy and the air force in the field, 235 00:18:36,532 --> 00:18:40,743 while they're at sea, was very bad indeed, 236 00:18:40,828 --> 00:18:45,331 mainly due to stupid quarrels between senior officers in Whitehall. 237 00:18:47,709 --> 00:18:52,171 lt took nearly two years before we had anything like the right cooperation 238 00:18:52,256 --> 00:18:54,549 between ships and aircraff. 239 00:18:54,633 --> 00:18:56,759 lt was a disgrace and a tragedy. 240 00:18:56,844 --> 00:19:00,429 So many ships were sunk and so many lives lost unnecessarily 241 00:19:00,514 --> 00:19:02,348 during those first few years. 242 00:19:02,891 --> 00:19:04,767 (narrator) So seamen suffer 243 00:19:04,852 --> 00:19:09,939 from quarrels in Whitehall, from the U-boats and from the sea. 244 00:19:10,023 --> 00:19:14,443 (man) Now by popular request, the Western Approaches signature tune. 245 00:19:15,070 --> 00:19:20,199 ♪ Someone's rocking my dream boat 246 00:19:20,284 --> 00:19:24,912 ♪ Someone's invading my dream 247 00:19:24,997 --> 00:19:30,334 ♪ We were sailing along so peaceful and calm 248 00:19:30,419 --> 00:19:35,339 ♪ Suddenly something went wrong 249 00:19:35,424 --> 00:19:41,596 lt's very hard to describe to someone on the land affer a tough convoy - 250 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:43,890 by tough l mean bad weather, 251 00:19:43,974 --> 00:19:46,559 especially in the wintertime - 252 00:19:46,643 --> 00:19:49,103 what just over two weeks at sea is, 253 00:19:49,188 --> 00:19:51,856 living on corned beef and hard tack. 254 00:19:51,940 --> 00:19:55,151 And this is not a fallacy. 255 00:19:55,235 --> 00:19:56,986 We used to do this quite offen 256 00:19:57,070 --> 00:20:00,072 when the seas came in and put the galley fires out. 257 00:20:00,157 --> 00:20:03,117 You couldn't just cook anything hot. 258 00:20:03,202 --> 00:20:04,911 The lucky ones had hammocks 259 00:20:04,995 --> 00:20:08,080 and the unfortunate ones had to lie on the lockers, 260 00:20:08,165 --> 00:20:10,082 and it was very discomforting. 261 00:20:10,167 --> 00:20:14,795 You used to get chaps coming down from the middle watch, four o'clock, 262 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:17,715 wet through, just cgambering on a gocker 263 00:20:17,799 --> 00:20:21,260 and the poor chap already trying to sleep would get soaked. 264 00:20:21,345 --> 00:20:23,304 There was no hygiene there. 265 00:20:23,388 --> 00:20:28,643 We really started smelling affer about a week if you didn't watch it. 266 00:20:28,727 --> 00:20:31,103 We had a feeling that it was a necessary job. 267 00:20:31,188 --> 00:20:34,440 l'm not sure we realised that it was all that important. 268 00:20:34,524 --> 00:20:36,817 To us it was a very boring job. 269 00:20:36,902 --> 00:20:43,115 We were on lookout for anything that might come up and it was bitterly cold. 270 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:46,577 lt was an open bridge, open to all weathers, 271 00:20:46,662 --> 00:20:51,249 and we were more, really, trying to keep warm, 272 00:20:51,333 --> 00:20:55,336 trying to keep the cold out, trying to keep dry, 273 00:20:55,420 --> 00:20:59,215 rather than realise that we were doing an important job. 274 00:20:59,299 --> 00:21:03,010 (narrator) But they were doing an important job. 275 00:21:05,847 --> 00:21:12,103 They brought the cargoes, without which Britain could not have kept going. 276 00:21:16,733 --> 00:21:19,735 (man) You sit down in the cabin. That's when you think: 277 00:21:19,820 --> 00:21:22,738 "We're in the open sea, we can catch a pack at any moment." 278 00:21:28,078 --> 00:21:30,871 (Butler) Many times we saw little lights in the water 279 00:21:30,956 --> 00:21:36,711 and we assumed these were surVivors, but we couldn't stop and pick them up. 280 00:21:38,380 --> 00:21:42,008 (man) The normal comparison that seamen made with their wage 281 00:21:42,092 --> 00:21:46,262 for the hours that they worked was with the ammunition workers, 282 00:21:46,346 --> 00:21:49,140 who were making a fabulous amount of money, 283 00:21:49,224 --> 00:21:52,935 with no more risks than our housewives leff at home. 284 00:21:57,899 --> 00:22:01,736 (Eyton-Jones) We lost one out of every three men, and without them 285 00:22:01,820 --> 00:22:05,781 this nation wouldn't have surVived more than three or four months. 286 00:22:07,659 --> 00:22:10,494 (narrator) But the Germans were still celebrating. 287 00:22:11,621 --> 00:22:17,251 ln the first half of 1941 they sank nearly three million tons of shipping. 288 00:22:17,336 --> 00:22:20,421 Ships were harder to replace than cargo. 289 00:22:20,505 --> 00:22:26,427 lf they could be sunk faster than they could be built, Britain would starVe. 290 00:22:33,352 --> 00:22:36,687 But now the Canadian navy, tiny at the outbreak of war, 291 00:22:36,772 --> 00:22:39,440 was expanding to 50 times its original size. 292 00:22:39,524 --> 00:22:45,821 lt would take on nearly half the burden of convoy escort in the north Atlantic. 293 00:22:58,210 --> 00:23:00,753 More and more convoys were leaving Canada, 294 00:23:00,837 --> 00:23:03,923 decks laden with tanks, holds full of supplies 295 00:23:04,049 --> 00:23:07,385 from the neutral United States under lease-lend. 296 00:23:15,352 --> 00:23:18,562 Alarmed at continuing losses, the British war cabinet 297 00:23:18,647 --> 00:23:23,067 set up a new Western Approaches Command to reorganise convoy defence. 298 00:23:23,151 --> 00:23:29,407 For the first time, the RAF and the navy worked closely together. 299 00:23:34,704 --> 00:23:39,333 And in March 1941 , Doenitz lost three of his ablest men. 300 00:23:44,923 --> 00:23:50,177 Günther Prien, who had sunk the Royai Oak at Scapa Flow... 301 00:23:50,804 --> 00:23:54,014 depth-charged and killed. 302 00:23:54,099 --> 00:23:57,393 Joachim Schepke, rammed and drowned. 303 00:24:01,314 --> 00:24:05,317 And Kretschmer, depth-charged to the surface... 304 00:24:11,074 --> 00:24:13,409 and taken prisoner. 305 00:24:17,706 --> 00:24:22,251 Only one third of Doenitz's fleet could be on patrol at any one time. 306 00:24:22,335 --> 00:24:25,337 His best captains had suddenly gone. 307 00:24:25,422 --> 00:24:28,757 Now he could only keep some half dozen U-boats at sea. 308 00:24:28,842 --> 00:24:31,427 With this small number of U-boats, 309 00:24:31,511 --> 00:24:35,306 of course any decisive success 310 00:24:35,390 --> 00:24:38,934 in the battle of the Atlantic was not possible. 311 00:24:39,769 --> 00:24:45,524 That's why it was necessary for the building of submarines 312 00:24:45,609 --> 00:24:51,697 to get first place in the German armament plan. 313 00:24:51,781 --> 00:24:54,325 But this was not done, 314 00:24:54,409 --> 00:24:58,162 in spite of all the requests 315 00:24:58,246 --> 00:25:01,081 made by Admiral Raeder, 316 00:25:01,166 --> 00:25:04,668 who then was chief of the German navy. 317 00:25:05,712 --> 00:25:08,088 (narrator) Worse was to come for him. 318 00:25:08,215 --> 00:25:11,550 The United States was still officially neutral. 319 00:25:11,635 --> 00:25:15,179 (PA) General quarters, general quarters. On the double. 320 00:25:15,889 --> 00:25:19,808 (narrator) But affer Churchill's Atlantic meeting with Roosevelt, 321 00:25:19,893 --> 00:25:24,104 September 1941 , America announced she would protect ships of any nationality 322 00:25:24,189 --> 00:25:27,358 plying between her shores and lceland. 323 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:34,949 There were now enough warships 324 00:25:35,033 --> 00:25:37,910 to provide continuous escort across the Atlantic. 325 00:25:37,994 --> 00:25:39,870 lt was time to counterattack. 326 00:25:39,955 --> 00:25:45,042 l got hold of a number of escort commanders, 327 00:25:45,126 --> 00:25:48,128 who l asked the question: 328 00:25:48,213 --> 00:25:52,341 "When a U-boat is known to be attacking a convoy, 329 00:25:52,425 --> 00:25:54,510 as they do now by night", 330 00:25:54,594 --> 00:25:57,638 l asked them what they did, 331 00:25:57,722 --> 00:26:02,518 and the answer in most cases was, "Well, what can you do?" 332 00:26:02,602 --> 00:26:06,021 "lt's a very tiny little thing and we can't see them." 333 00:26:06,106 --> 00:26:12,486 Radar, of course, in those days was very elementary and we had very few sets. 334 00:26:12,571 --> 00:26:17,283 But in fact there was one escort commander 335 00:26:17,367 --> 00:26:19,994 who had the idea, 336 00:26:20,078 --> 00:26:22,454 which is still absolutely relevant, 337 00:26:22,539 --> 00:26:28,794 that when an attack, of which there is no warning, takes place, 338 00:26:28,878 --> 00:26:33,382 that all of the escort should do the same sort of thing 339 00:26:33,466 --> 00:26:36,051 on a planned line 340 00:26:36,136 --> 00:26:38,554 at exactly the same time 341 00:26:38,638 --> 00:26:45,185 so that it has the maximum effect over the broad ocean around that convoy. 342 00:26:45,270 --> 00:26:49,315 And this, of course, was the then Commander Walker. 343 00:26:49,399 --> 00:26:51,984 (narrator) Although he did not surVive the war, 344 00:26:52,110 --> 00:26:55,112 Walker was to sink more U-boats than anyone else. 345 00:26:55,238 --> 00:26:59,366 At the end of 1941 he set a new style for convoy defence. 346 00:26:59,451 --> 00:27:02,369 The convoy was HG-76. 347 00:27:02,454 --> 00:27:05,873 ln it were 36 merchantmen from all parts of the world. 348 00:27:05,957 --> 00:27:10,586 They assembled in Gibraltar for the trudge to Britain. 349 00:27:17,844 --> 00:27:21,472 The navy knew there were at least six U-boats on the convoy's route - 350 00:27:21,556 --> 00:27:25,100 their signals had been picked up by the admiralty. 351 00:27:27,604 --> 00:27:32,024 When HG-76 sailed on 14 December 1941 , 352 00:27:32,108 --> 00:27:37,279 it had an exceptionally large escort - 17 ships commanded by Walker. 353 00:27:37,364 --> 00:27:42,201 Among them, for the first time, an auxiliary aircraff carrier, 354 00:27:42,285 --> 00:27:43,327 the Audacity. 355 00:27:45,664 --> 00:27:49,958 Three days out, Audscity's plane spotted U-131 . 356 00:27:55,548 --> 00:27:57,800 The escorts quickly sank her. 357 00:28:06,810 --> 00:28:10,771 Doenitz homed five more U-boats on the convoy. 358 00:28:13,692 --> 00:28:16,235 Walker's team soon sank one. 359 00:28:17,737 --> 00:28:20,406 But that night the U-boats attacked again. 360 00:28:22,617 --> 00:28:27,329 An escort and a merchant ship were sunk. Walker counterattacked. 361 00:28:40,135 --> 00:28:44,221 Walker's own ship rammed and sank U-574. 362 00:28:45,348 --> 00:28:49,601 ln the air, Audscity's fighters harried the German Condors. 363 00:28:50,895 --> 00:28:54,481 One was destroyed. Others were damaged. 364 00:28:57,193 --> 00:29:01,238 But some escorts were running out of fuel. They had to leave. 365 00:29:01,322 --> 00:29:04,616 A U-boat penetrated the gap. 366 00:29:04,701 --> 00:29:07,244 Audscity was the next victim. 367 00:29:12,542 --> 00:29:16,879 Another hectic night followed. The convoy lost one more ship. 368 00:29:16,963 --> 00:29:21,383 But Endrass, another U-boat ace was sunk in U-567. 369 00:29:21,468 --> 00:29:24,887 Next day, for the first time, a long-range Liberator 370 00:29:24,971 --> 00:29:26,513 appeared and attacked. 371 00:29:29,642 --> 00:29:32,561 Doenitz decided he must withdraw. 372 00:29:35,899 --> 00:29:38,400 Walker had justified his tactics. 373 00:29:38,485 --> 00:29:41,403 Aircraff had proved their worth. 374 00:29:43,531 --> 00:29:46,617 Four U-boats had been sunk. 375 00:29:46,701 --> 00:29:51,789 But Doenitz was about to be given his greatest opportunity. 376 00:29:52,999 --> 00:29:56,460 (♪ "Moonlight Serenade") 377 00:29:56,544 --> 00:30:01,048 ln December 1941 , the United States came fully into the war - 378 00:30:01,132 --> 00:30:03,258 but leff her peacetime lights on. 379 00:30:15,188 --> 00:30:16,438 (explosion) 380 00:30:17,315 --> 00:30:20,651 Doenitz's U-boats never had it so good. 381 00:30:23,404 --> 00:30:26,323 This was the second "happy time". 382 00:30:30,203 --> 00:30:34,248 The Americans did not have enough warships available for offshore escort 383 00:30:34,332 --> 00:30:36,667 so there were no convoys there. 384 00:30:36,751 --> 00:30:39,920 Many ships were convoyed safely across the ocean 385 00:30:40,004 --> 00:30:44,174 to be torpedoed alone and unescorted offshore. 386 00:30:49,973 --> 00:30:52,057 The slaughter went on. 387 00:30:52,141 --> 00:30:53,934 ln the second half of 1941 388 00:30:54,018 --> 00:30:57,354 nearly 1 .5 million tons of shipping were lost. 389 00:30:57,438 --> 00:31:03,235 ln the first half of 1942 over 4 million tons of shipping were lost - 390 00:31:03,319 --> 00:31:06,113 1 ,000 ships. 391 00:31:07,991 --> 00:31:11,410 At this rate, the Allies would lose the war. 392 00:31:11,494 --> 00:31:16,498 We had to sink as many ships as possible 393 00:31:16,583 --> 00:31:20,961 before our Anglo-American opponent 394 00:31:21,045 --> 00:31:27,801 could develop an effective antisubmarine defence 395 00:31:27,886 --> 00:31:33,682 and could replace the merchant ships which had been sunk. 396 00:31:36,561 --> 00:31:40,564 (narrator) But most of Germany's U-boats were not in the Atlantic. 397 00:31:40,648 --> 00:31:44,902 They were patrolling off Norway, defending Germany's supply lines, 398 00:31:44,986 --> 00:31:46,987 or confined in the Mediterranean. 399 00:31:47,071 --> 00:31:50,115 These dispositions infuriated Doenitz. 400 00:31:51,618 --> 00:31:54,661 He had no doubts where the U-boats ought to be. 401 00:31:54,746 --> 00:32:01,126 (Doenitz) The German submarines must not be used for any other purposes. 402 00:32:01,210 --> 00:32:07,341 Their main strategic purpose was to sink as many ships as possible 403 00:32:07,425 --> 00:32:09,509 in the Atlantic. 404 00:32:12,013 --> 00:32:16,099 But Hitler and the high command would not listen. 405 00:32:16,851 --> 00:32:19,770 (speaks German) 406 00:32:30,490 --> 00:32:33,325 (narrator) Although preoccupied with the Pacific, 407 00:32:33,409 --> 00:32:36,870 the US naval staff were now willing to rethink Atlantic tactics. 408 00:32:38,498 --> 00:32:42,000 They finally established a system of offshore convoys. 409 00:32:48,132 --> 00:32:50,801 Sinkings of merchantmen dropped off. 410 00:32:50,885 --> 00:32:53,387 Sinkings of U-boats began. 411 00:33:02,188 --> 00:33:04,898 Doenitz now switched his boats to the Caribbean, 412 00:33:04,983 --> 00:33:09,111 where many ships were still sailing independently. 413 00:33:29,048 --> 00:33:33,593 (narrator) ln two months, 78 ships were sunk, 414 00:33:33,678 --> 00:33:36,805 more than half of them oil tankers. 415 00:33:36,889 --> 00:33:40,475 (man) lt was a very long time ago, but l can see it now - 416 00:33:40,560 --> 00:33:44,479 the people that lived aff running around on fire 417 00:33:44,605 --> 00:33:48,442 and throwing themselves straight over the side into the oil 418 00:33:48,526 --> 00:33:50,485 which was on fire all round. 419 00:33:50,570 --> 00:33:54,448 ln the meantime, l shouted to the remaining people in the boat 420 00:33:54,532 --> 00:33:57,492 to get the oars out and push her off from the ship's side 421 00:33:57,577 --> 00:34:01,538 because the rivets of the ship's side had burst out and they were on fire. 422 00:34:01,622 --> 00:34:05,542 We rowed around for a wee while and we heard some screams for help, 423 00:34:05,626 --> 00:34:12,257 and we pulled out of the water a fireman, or greaser as we call them, 424 00:34:12,341 --> 00:34:17,054 and he was terribly burned, so much so that when we pulled him in 425 00:34:17,180 --> 00:34:21,808 the skin of his body and arms came off in our hands like gloves. 426 00:34:21,893 --> 00:34:28,148 We set sail and course for Trinidad. l had a rough idea where it might be. 427 00:34:28,232 --> 00:34:31,443 And so we tidied up the boat and set off. 428 00:34:31,527 --> 00:34:34,696 But shortly affer that the greaser, 429 00:34:34,781 --> 00:34:38,575 who'd been in terrible agony all night, he died, 430 00:34:38,659 --> 00:34:41,453 and we laid him on the thwart for a wee while. 431 00:34:41,579 --> 00:34:47,667 And then shortly affer that they told me that the third steward had died too, 432 00:34:47,752 --> 00:34:53,256 so l went to have a look at him, and he was wrapped up in a blanket, 433 00:34:53,341 --> 00:34:55,175 and l took the blanket away 434 00:34:55,259 --> 00:35:00,013 and the whole of his stomach was severely damaged and hanging out. 435 00:35:00,098 --> 00:35:02,265 He'd been very patient during the night 436 00:35:02,350 --> 00:35:05,060 and the only thing he'd complained of was cold. 437 00:35:05,144 --> 00:35:10,982 So we laid him on the thwart and covered him with a blanket for about an hour, 438 00:35:11,109 --> 00:35:14,361 because l wanted to really make sure that they were dead, 439 00:35:14,779 --> 00:35:17,322 because we had nothing to indicate... 440 00:35:17,406 --> 00:35:20,534 Everything l did indicated that they were so. 441 00:35:20,618 --> 00:35:25,288 Eventually, affer about an hour, we committed them to the deep. 442 00:35:25,915 --> 00:35:28,750 Morale in the boat at this time was very low 443 00:35:28,835 --> 00:35:35,215 because these were all young boys - 17, 18, 19, 22. 444 00:35:35,299 --> 00:35:41,555 And by this time it was a boat-load of miseries, pain and death. 445 00:35:42,807 --> 00:35:47,477 (narrator) Only eight men surVived from the San Emiliano's crew of 40. 446 00:35:53,109 --> 00:35:58,446 To Allied seamen the U-boat crews were heartless killers, 447 00:35:58,531 --> 00:36:01,032 but the Germans were brave men too. 448 00:36:01,117 --> 00:36:04,619 They needed courage when depth charges exploded around them, 449 00:36:04,704 --> 00:36:07,914 sometimes for 12 hours at a stretch. 450 00:36:11,294 --> 00:36:16,381 Eight of every ten U-boat crewmen were to die in action. 451 00:36:16,465 --> 00:36:18,550 (explosion) 452 00:36:21,012 --> 00:36:23,096 (man shouts in German) 453 00:36:38,487 --> 00:36:41,698 They called their U-boats iron coffins. 454 00:36:42,116 --> 00:36:46,203 (German man) The destroyer l met had radar 455 00:36:46,287 --> 00:36:49,539 so he had me on his screen 456 00:36:49,624 --> 00:36:54,085 and with full speed ahead 457 00:36:54,170 --> 00:36:58,006 he rammed me for the first time. 458 00:36:58,090 --> 00:37:01,551 And when l saw him it was too late to dive. 459 00:37:01,636 --> 00:37:04,304 l tried to torpedo him, 460 00:37:04,388 --> 00:37:10,852 but the distance, 150 yards round about, 461 00:37:10,937 --> 00:37:16,608 was too close, so the torpedo wouldn't explode. 462 00:37:16,692 --> 00:37:21,738 So l tried to get a bigger distance 463 00:37:21,822 --> 00:37:24,241 between the destroyer and the boat. 464 00:37:24,325 --> 00:37:29,913 And he was shooting during one hour or two hours with machine guns. 465 00:37:29,997 --> 00:37:34,125 An officer next to me was dead 466 00:37:34,210 --> 00:37:38,880 and another officer, he had got a bullet through his throat 467 00:37:38,965 --> 00:37:41,675 and l had got a bullet in my chest 468 00:37:41,801 --> 00:37:47,973 and l had some 30 shell splinters in arm and leg 469 00:37:48,057 --> 00:37:50,267 and a bullet in my head. 470 00:37:50,351 --> 00:37:53,228 Affer one hour of stress 471 00:37:53,312 --> 00:37:55,897 the sailors were very anxious 472 00:37:56,023 --> 00:37:59,609 and one of the petty officers, he lost his nerVes 473 00:37:59,694 --> 00:38:04,864 and said, "Oh, this madman!" and, "Why don't we surrender?" 474 00:38:04,949 --> 00:38:06,908 But this was the only one. 475 00:38:06,993 --> 00:38:11,371 (narrator) But the time was coming when courage was no longer enough. 476 00:38:11,455 --> 00:38:13,540 (speaks German) 477 00:38:16,502 --> 00:38:19,713 Radio had remained essential to wolf-pack operations. 478 00:38:19,797 --> 00:38:23,883 But new Allied direction-finding equipment could pick up German signals 479 00:38:23,968 --> 00:38:26,761 and plot where they came from. 480 00:38:46,741 --> 00:38:53,079 With short-wave radar, escorts could now locate a U-boat on the surface... 481 00:38:54,540 --> 00:38:59,294 offen sighting the U-boat before her crew could see them. 482 00:39:00,671 --> 00:39:04,132 The low silhouette was no longer such an advantage. 483 00:39:04,258 --> 00:39:05,800 (rings) 484 00:39:05,885 --> 00:39:07,886 (speaking German) 485 00:39:16,228 --> 00:39:19,022 (narrator) Asdic equipment too was improving. 486 00:39:19,106 --> 00:39:21,775 Escort ships could track a submerged U-boat 487 00:39:21,859 --> 00:39:26,196 as she twisted and turned at low underwater speed. 488 00:39:32,328 --> 00:39:36,706 There were new weapons, like the hedgehog, for the kill. 489 00:39:55,267 --> 00:39:59,562 The Germans did not realise the extent of British and US technical advances, 490 00:39:59,647 --> 00:40:01,439 nor did they match them. 491 00:40:01,524 --> 00:40:04,234 The Germans had some very high-class scientists 492 00:40:04,360 --> 00:40:06,111 and some excellent engineers, 493 00:40:06,195 --> 00:40:09,656 but they didn't achieve the results they ought to have done. 494 00:40:09,740 --> 00:40:12,492 Firstly, l think, because they were mucked around, 495 00:40:12,576 --> 00:40:15,078 and the Germans kept altering the priorities, 496 00:40:15,162 --> 00:40:18,665 and secondly because l don't believe they were ever allowed 497 00:40:18,749 --> 00:40:22,502 to take any interest in the operational side, 498 00:40:22,586 --> 00:40:25,588 as opposed to what happened with us, 499 00:40:25,714 --> 00:40:30,593 where the scientists were made to feel full members of the operational team. 500 00:40:30,678 --> 00:40:34,722 l believe this, much more than the question of weapons and devices, 501 00:40:34,807 --> 00:40:40,103 was the reason why the Germans fell so far astern in technological matters. 502 00:40:40,688 --> 00:40:43,690 (narrator) And the Allies were still behind in using 503 00:40:43,774 --> 00:40:46,943 what would be the most effective counter to the U-boat - 504 00:40:47,027 --> 00:40:48,987 aircraff with radar. 505 00:40:58,289 --> 00:41:03,877 Convoys could seldom be given continuous long-range air cover. 506 00:41:05,212 --> 00:41:09,716 When they were, losses were reduced and U-boat kills increased. 507 00:41:21,228 --> 00:41:26,357 The problem was range. Planes now flew to the convoys from North America, 508 00:41:26,442 --> 00:41:30,069 from lceland, from the United Kingdom. 509 00:41:30,154 --> 00:41:33,198 But there was a vast gap in mid-Atlantic 510 00:41:33,282 --> 00:41:36,659 which these escort planes could not reach. 511 00:41:36,744 --> 00:41:39,245 The U-boats could and did. 512 00:41:42,374 --> 00:41:46,878 ln the second half of 1942 over 3.5 million tons went down, 513 00:41:46,962 --> 00:41:50,965 nearly 700 ships, many of them in the Atlantic gap. 514 00:41:52,676 --> 00:41:56,679 To close this gap, escort carriers were needed 515 00:41:56,764 --> 00:41:58,932 to sail with the convoys. 516 00:42:01,727 --> 00:42:04,229 But few were yet available. 517 00:42:05,773 --> 00:42:09,025 Or very long-range planes like the Liberator. 518 00:42:09,109 --> 00:42:13,905 But in 1942 the Americans needed most of these in the Pacific. 519 00:42:14,740 --> 00:42:18,117 Or Lancaster bombers, but despite admiralty appeals 520 00:42:18,202 --> 00:42:21,538 the RAF kept them all bombing Germany - 521 00:42:21,622 --> 00:42:25,708 although they did release other aircraff. 522 00:42:25,793 --> 00:42:29,879 Bomber Command diverted six squadrons to Coastal Command, 523 00:42:29,964 --> 00:42:33,841 and if you'd said it would've been better if they'd made that ten, yes, 524 00:42:33,926 --> 00:42:36,553 but the line had to be drawn somewhere. 525 00:42:36,637 --> 00:42:41,724 As a Coastal type l would've liked to see a few more squadrons in Coastal, 526 00:42:41,809 --> 00:42:45,228 but Bomber Command were pitifully short of aeroplanes, too, 527 00:42:45,354 --> 00:42:46,771 for the job they had to do. 528 00:42:46,855 --> 00:42:51,526 Surely, if there had been more Liberators allocated from America 529 00:42:51,610 --> 00:42:54,529 we could have improved the situation much earlier 530 00:42:54,613 --> 00:42:57,740 and have saved the lives of a lot of seamen. 531 00:43:02,204 --> 00:43:07,834 (narrator) More and more, the war effort depended on the United States. 532 00:43:16,135 --> 00:43:18,720 Merchant ships and escorts were mass-produced 533 00:43:18,846 --> 00:43:22,765 to carry the material and men for the invasion of Europe. 534 00:43:22,850 --> 00:43:27,145 Unless the Atlantic was secured, all else could fall apart. 535 00:43:27,229 --> 00:43:30,940 ln January 1943, Roosevelt and Churchill decreed 536 00:43:31,066 --> 00:43:34,527 that the defeat of the U-boat be given top priority. 537 00:43:38,365 --> 00:43:41,075 lmproved escort vessels were built. 538 00:43:45,998 --> 00:43:50,043 There were now enough of these to go over to the attack. 539 00:43:51,545 --> 00:43:56,549 But also in January 1943, Doenitz took over as chief of the German navy. 540 00:43:56,634 --> 00:43:58,843 He paid off most of the big ships 541 00:43:58,927 --> 00:44:02,889 and released their crews for the submarine serVice. 542 00:44:09,313 --> 00:44:12,523 At last he could have U-boats mass-produced. 543 00:44:12,608 --> 00:44:16,569 17 new U-boats were commissioned each month. 544 00:44:25,329 --> 00:44:31,376 By early spring 1943, Doenitz had over 400 U-boats in serVice. 545 00:44:34,630 --> 00:44:37,382 Once again, the convoys might be overwhelmed. 546 00:44:43,222 --> 00:44:46,974 ln May came what was to prove the decisive battle, 547 00:44:47,059 --> 00:44:48,726 around convoy ONS-5. 548 00:44:48,811 --> 00:44:54,107 ONS-5 was a rather small, very slow 549 00:44:54,191 --> 00:44:57,985 and, of course, unladen, empty convoy. 550 00:44:58,070 --> 00:45:00,279 And we had a lot of trouble. 551 00:45:00,364 --> 00:45:04,951 The weather was very bad, the ships got disorganised, 552 00:45:05,035 --> 00:45:08,663 and south of lceland affer three or four days 553 00:45:08,747 --> 00:45:11,999 we had several attacks by submarines, 554 00:45:12,084 --> 00:45:17,714 most of which we drove off successfully, and only had one ship sunk. 555 00:45:17,798 --> 00:45:23,970 Then affer a spell we had a long series of very bad gales indeed, 556 00:45:24,096 --> 00:45:29,642 combined with a little nip into the ice pack off Greenland, 557 00:45:29,727 --> 00:45:34,731 and at this stage my ship was running short of fuel, 558 00:45:34,815 --> 00:45:38,943 l couldn't fuel from the tanker because of the weather, and l had to leave. 559 00:45:39,069 --> 00:45:41,028 l got the signal from Gretton 560 00:45:41,113 --> 00:45:46,659 that he had to push off to Newfoundland to get fuel 561 00:45:46,744 --> 00:45:50,204 and would l come back and take over the escort? 562 00:45:50,289 --> 00:45:53,458 Well, he didn't say "would l?", he said, "You're in charge." 563 00:45:54,460 --> 00:45:58,129 (narrator) May 3. Four escort ships have leff to refuel. 564 00:45:58,213 --> 00:46:01,299 ln bad weather ten merchant ships have lost contact. 565 00:46:01,383 --> 00:46:03,968 A line of U-boats is waiting. 566 00:46:04,052 --> 00:46:05,636 As they move in on 4 May, 567 00:46:05,721 --> 00:46:09,223 aircraff from Canada sink one and damage another. 568 00:46:09,308 --> 00:46:13,853 At about half past four to five o'clock in the affernoon 569 00:46:13,979 --> 00:46:16,939 the torpedoing started. 570 00:46:17,065 --> 00:46:19,650 Well, l torpedoed two ships, 571 00:46:19,735 --> 00:46:22,069 each with two torpedoes, 572 00:46:22,154 --> 00:46:25,031 and one of these ships... 573 00:46:26,992 --> 00:46:28,951 Well, it didn't explode, 574 00:46:29,036 --> 00:46:34,749 but affer the explosion of the torpedoes another big explosion happened. 575 00:46:34,833 --> 00:46:36,834 l looked back and l saw the captain. 576 00:46:37,252 --> 00:46:40,338 l would suggest the bridge was probably... 577 00:46:40,464 --> 00:46:43,841 oh, 10 or 15 feet, might be a little more, off the water 578 00:46:43,926 --> 00:46:46,761 when he jumped off the wing of the bridge into the sea. 579 00:46:46,845 --> 00:46:49,263 There was a life raff nearby, l know that. 580 00:46:49,348 --> 00:46:52,058 Well, l couldn't stop and pick him up. 581 00:46:52,142 --> 00:46:55,061 And, well, it was in... 582 00:46:56,522 --> 00:46:59,816 l suppose a matter of half a minute that l got one myself. 583 00:46:59,900 --> 00:47:04,111 Once more l was lucky by slipping through into a gap 584 00:47:04,196 --> 00:47:07,073 between two of the escort vessels 585 00:47:07,157 --> 00:47:12,203 and closing into the port column of the convoy, 586 00:47:12,287 --> 00:47:15,456 and l fired the two torpedoes 587 00:47:15,541 --> 00:47:19,502 and both torpedoes hit the target ship. 588 00:47:20,921 --> 00:47:26,509 (narrator) May 5. The U-boats make 25 attacks in eight hours. 589 00:47:26,593 --> 00:47:28,511 More ships are sunk. 590 00:47:28,595 --> 00:47:34,725 The outlook for the convoy is grim as Doenitz orders in still more U-boats. 591 00:47:34,810 --> 00:47:39,146 We picked up quite a lot of signals from other submarines 592 00:47:39,231 --> 00:47:42,900 also getting contact with this convoy. 593 00:47:42,985 --> 00:47:48,030 And so we thought that this convoy would be absolutely dead 594 00:47:48,115 --> 00:47:50,116 during the next night. 595 00:47:50,200 --> 00:47:56,080 Somewhere in the region of 10 o'clock the attack started 596 00:47:56,164 --> 00:48:00,293 and they became fast and furious. 597 00:48:00,377 --> 00:48:03,713 (Looks) Suddenly dense fog came up 598 00:48:03,797 --> 00:48:09,135 and so it was nearly impossible to find the convoy again. 599 00:48:09,219 --> 00:48:13,931 l tried to do it, but we couldn't find the ships again. 600 00:48:14,016 --> 00:48:19,353 (Sherwood) Escorts were reporting submarines coming in, 601 00:48:19,438 --> 00:48:23,232 not ships being torpedoed, 602 00:48:23,358 --> 00:48:27,904 and this, of course, was absolutely... 603 00:48:27,988 --> 00:48:30,781 lt was the first time it happened, certainly to me. 604 00:48:30,866 --> 00:48:37,121 Staying on the surface during the dark time, now in the dense fog, 605 00:48:37,205 --> 00:48:39,916 of course it was very dangerous. 606 00:48:40,000 --> 00:48:42,126 They were coming up all the time saying 607 00:48:42,210 --> 00:48:44,879 that a submarine was bearing so-and-so on radar 608 00:48:44,963 --> 00:48:49,091 and then the next thing you'd get: "Submarine close alongside." 609 00:48:49,176 --> 00:48:54,305 Another one: "Submarine just ahead of me. l'm ramming." 610 00:48:54,389 --> 00:48:56,265 And this went on all night. 611 00:48:56,350 --> 00:49:00,019 l got a very firm asdic contact 612 00:49:00,103 --> 00:49:01,395 about 800 yards 613 00:49:01,480 --> 00:49:04,482 from the nearest ship in the convoy. 614 00:49:04,566 --> 00:49:05,900 My immediate reaction, 615 00:49:05,984 --> 00:49:07,860 which l think was the correct one - 616 00:49:07,945 --> 00:49:09,904 in fact l know was the correct one - 617 00:49:09,988 --> 00:49:15,409 was to increase speed and give it a five-charge pattern straight away 618 00:49:15,494 --> 00:49:17,453 to keep the chap's head down 619 00:49:17,537 --> 00:49:21,749 so that it would put him off his stroke if he was going to fire torpedoes. 620 00:49:21,833 --> 00:49:24,961 But l was short of depth charges at that stage 621 00:49:25,045 --> 00:49:28,589 and l thought the conditions were perfect - 622 00:49:28,674 --> 00:49:32,343 the night was relatively calm, a bit of fog - 623 00:49:32,427 --> 00:49:34,887 perfect for a deliberate attack. 624 00:49:34,972 --> 00:49:40,518 And so l decided on a deliberate attack with our forward-throwing weapon, 625 00:49:40,602 --> 00:49:41,936 the hedgehog. 626 00:49:42,020 --> 00:49:44,939 We saw two distinct flashes 627 00:49:45,023 --> 00:49:48,818 a few seconds affer the hedgehog bombs hit the water, 628 00:49:48,902 --> 00:49:52,071 and as we passed over the position 629 00:49:52,155 --> 00:49:55,491 where our hedgehog bombs had hit the water, 630 00:49:55,575 --> 00:50:01,372 we were virtually... our bow was virtually liffed from the water 631 00:50:01,456 --> 00:50:07,378 as a result of the U-boat breaking apart and escaping air. 632 00:50:07,462 --> 00:50:10,464 And there was great exhilaration on the bridge 633 00:50:10,549 --> 00:50:13,592 because this was our first kill. 634 00:50:13,677 --> 00:50:19,056 We had no feelings at the time, l'm afraid, of destroying 70-odd people. 635 00:50:19,141 --> 00:50:26,647 One had control of one's emotions by then, affer three years of war 636 00:50:26,732 --> 00:50:29,567 and it was just the thought that it's us or them, 637 00:50:29,693 --> 00:50:31,736 and on that occasion it was them. 638 00:50:32,612 --> 00:50:36,073 (narrator) May 6. Although 11 merchantmen have been lost, 639 00:50:36,158 --> 00:50:41,245 the escorts have beaten off the largest wolf pack Doenitz can send against them. 640 00:50:41,329 --> 00:50:44,165 Seven U-boats have been sunk, others damaged. 641 00:50:44,249 --> 00:50:47,418 Demoralised by their failure to destroy the convoy 642 00:50:47,502 --> 00:50:51,297 with the odds so much on their side, the U-boats withdraw. 643 00:50:51,381 --> 00:50:57,136 l think we really felt that at last our training and technology 644 00:50:57,220 --> 00:50:59,889 had got on top of the U-boats. 645 00:50:59,973 --> 00:51:06,353 We sailed for the next convoy, SC-130, on the top of the wave, 646 00:51:06,438 --> 00:51:10,816 and despite the fact that we had a very heavy battle 647 00:51:10,901 --> 00:51:16,906 with about 20 U-boats, we sank three of them and didn't lose one single ship. 648 00:51:25,248 --> 00:51:30,044 (narrator) That month, May 1943, 41 U-boats were sunk. 649 00:51:34,216 --> 00:51:38,052 ln one of them, Doenitz lost his younger son. 650 00:51:38,136 --> 00:51:40,304 (Doenitz) ln May 1943, 651 00:51:40,388 --> 00:51:43,933 the German submarines had lost 652 00:51:44,017 --> 00:51:47,645 the operational and tactical quality 653 00:51:47,729 --> 00:51:51,857 of surface manoeuvrability. 654 00:51:51,942 --> 00:51:54,068 (narrator) They never regained it. 655 00:51:54,152 --> 00:51:59,949 Unable to range freely on the surface, the wolf packs were beaten. 656 00:52:00,033 --> 00:52:05,538 lt was time to celebrate a victory in North Africa and in the Atlantic. 657 00:52:05,622 --> 00:52:11,335 More than 30 U-boats were certainly destroyed in the month of May, 658 00:52:11,461 --> 00:52:17,299 foundering in many cases with their crews into the dark depths of the sea. 659 00:52:17,384 --> 00:52:22,638 Staggered by these deadly losses, the U-boats have recoiled 660 00:52:22,722 --> 00:52:26,433 to lick their wounds and mourn their dead. 661 00:52:26,518 --> 00:52:30,479 Our Atlantic convoys came safely through. 662 00:52:30,564 --> 00:52:33,524 And now, as the result of the May victory 663 00:52:33,608 --> 00:52:36,527 and the massacre of U-boats, 664 00:52:36,611 --> 00:52:41,198 we have had in June the best month from every point of view 665 00:52:41,283 --> 00:52:45,870 we have ever known in the whole 46 months of the war. 666 00:52:48,707 --> 00:52:53,085 (narrator) The Atlantic lifeline was, at last, secure.