All language subtitles for U-Boat.Wargamers.S01E05.Stalemate.1080p.NOW.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-RAWR_track3_[eng]

MAN: Fire.

ROBERTS:
Donitz' fleet is expanding,

and he will not rest
until he's sent every convoy ship

to the bottom of the North Atlantic.

DONITZ: Heil Hitler.

ROBERTS: Donitz has 300 U-boats.
Monster wolfpacks.

- We need more ships.

CHURCHILL: You admirals are always
asking for more and more ships

and, when you get them,
things get no better.

DONITZ: This is war,
not a bloody board game.

LAIDLAW: We have designed
these tactics as tools

which will save you time
when you are at sea.

Seconds that can save lives.

DONITZ:
I want this convoy wiped out, Gott.

Destroyed.

LAIDLAW: What if...

What if we don't prevail out there?

DONITZ: I need results, Gott.

LAIDLAW: And ladies, remember,

the work we are doing here
is more important than ever.

Never forget that.

DONITZ: If there's going to be
an unconditional surrender,

it will be theirs not ours.

- (Morse code beeping)

NARRATOR: Admiral Karl Donitz,

head of the U-boat fleet
and rising star of the nazi party,

has been summoned by Hitler.

- (phone rings)

TOEPPEL:
Donitz was a dedicated nazi.

He was with the nazi cause.

He believed in the Fuhrer,

he loved the Fuhrer,
he admired the Fuhrer.

He said, "The Fuhrer is a genius."

- (Donitz clears throat)

Heil Hitler!

NARRATOR: After failing to stop
the convoys using surface ships,

the head of the German Navy
has resigned.

RICHIE:
And Donitz is waiting in the wings

to take his place.

He's absolutely thrilled.

- I won't let you down.

RICHIE: Because having nursed
these ideas and ambitions

of winning the Atlantic War
with U-boats,

he's all of a sudden in control.

And so, from January 1943,

he feels that he's invincible
and unstoppable.

NARRATOR: At WATU,

the Western Approaches
Tactical Unit,

Captain Gilbert Roberts
and Wren Jean Laidlaw

are tasked with devising
anti-U-boat tactics.

RICHIE: Churchill always said

that one of the things
that he most feared in the war

was the Atlantic War,
was the U-boat War.

Roberts and Laidlaw at WATU

feel this pressure enormously.

ROBERTS: Ladies,

I'm not gonna sugar-coat this.
We need food supplies.

Donitz' fleet is expanding,

and he will not rest
until he's sent every convoy ship

to the bottom of the North Atlantic.

And ladies, remember,
the work we are doing here

is more important than ever

and every one of you
plays an essential part.

Never forget that.

All of us, it's our job
to prove that these tactics work.

To teach these officers...
ROBERTS: Ah!

You two, here.
LAIDLAW: Good morning gentlemen.

NARRATOR: Officers attending
the WATU war gaming courses

learn the tactics
they will use at sea.

RICHIE: WATU now starts to give
these courses to many, many people.

They run from Monday til Saturday
every single week,

day in day out,

from February 1942
until the end of the war.

LAIDLAW: Below you
is the North Atlantic.

Each line marks a mile.

The U-boats
will be invisible to you,

as they would be
in normal conditions at sea.

If you could take your places
behind the screens please?

You have two minutes
for your first move.

Be decisive.

Communicate effectively.

Go.

STRONG: War gaming
has been used for centuries

to test how armies
might operate in a future war.

It is the only way to explore

how an enemy might think

without actually fighting
a battle with them.

New German reactions were explored,

they were then introduced
into the training process,

so that in the battle space,
in the Atlantic,

when an order was given,
everybody knew what to do.

This is not a game,
this is training for war.

LAIDLAW: Time.

NARRATOR: What scarce food supplies

do get past the U-boats
in the North Atlantic

are spread thinly

around the British Isles
and Soviet territories.

ROBERTS: Good morning.
- Morning sir.

LAWRENCE: Rationing hit Britain
incredibly hard.

In 1943, you were allowed
4 ounces of bacon a week,

2 ounces of butter.
This is a very small allowance.

One egg, one fresh egg a week.

LAIDLAW: One sausage,
one slice of toast.

ROBERTS: One egg,
one slice of toast.

Together they make
quite a decent breakfast.

LAIDLAW: And we're the lucky ones.
- True. True.

I see the queues.

- Mothers having to say "no"
all the time.

Are you not going to eat that,
Gilbert?

- I don't seem to want it.

LAWRENCE: Gilbert Roberts
was cast out of the Navy

because he had TB, and his health
has been an issue for him

all through the war.

To the point where,
by the time 1943,

his weight was down to 8 stone

and on a man,
that is dangerously underweight.

LAIDLAW: But you have to eat.

ROBERTS: I know I should.
I just can't find my appetite.

RICHIE: They realized

that every single day that
they don't come up with a solution,

more and more ships
are going down.

Ships not only means material,

it also means
human lives are being lost.

SYMONDS: One of the victories
by Donitz's U-boat wolfpacks

comes in March of 1943.

In mid-Atlantic,

there were nearly 100

Allied surface transports.

What the U-boats might have called
a target rich environment.

And Donitz vectored
several wolfpacks in their direction

and they had
something of a field day.

- Another hit.

ROBERTS: Donitz has 300 U-boats.

Monster wolfpacks.

We have nowhere near enough escorts
to match that.

NARRATOR: But Roberts and Horton
will not be out-gamed.

The Wrens are set the task

of war-gaming the battle
in real time.

They add extra naval support ships

to assess how many merchant vessels
could be saved.

- Wren?
What's the tonnage lost so far?

What are you waiting for?
Find out.

LAWRENCE: These two convoys,
travelling in tandem,

lost 22 ships to U-boat attack.

That's over 300 lives.

All of these men
struggling desperately

to get out of the boats
before they slip underwater.

These boats go down in seconds.

Not only was it a devastating loss
to the war effort,

but it was a tragic end
to so many seamen's lives.

HORTON:
If we had those support ships,

we could have saved eight ships,

as I've been telling the Admiralty
for months.

I can't wait for them
to make up their bloody minds.

If you want something done,
do it yourself.

I'm gonna tell Churchill myself.

- There are times...

...when I wonder "Is this
how it's going to be for us?"

Losses, defeats.

WREN: Don't think like that.
Give it time.

We'll show them.

LAIDLAW: We will.

But there must be times
when you think, "what if?"

What if we don't prevail out there?

WREN: Of course.

Everyone thinks about that
from time to time, but...

...we have to fight those thoughts.

LAIDLAW: Believe me, I do.

The dark nights of the soul
and all that.

"Blood, toil and sweat"
as Churchill said.

- And he also said, "We must..."
TOGETHER: "..never surrender."

OWTRAM: We certainly realized
that this was a serious war.

And then Churchill was doing
these inspiring broadcasts,

so we had considerable confidence

in how we were going
to cope with it.

"We would fight them on the beaches

and fight them
on the landing grounds.

Never surrender"

and that's the sort of way
we felt, really.

NARRATOR: Despite his elevated rank,

Karl Donitz maintains direct contact

with his U-boat fleet
in the North Atlantic.

DUNLOP: He's now
the Grand Admiral Donitz,

but first and foremost
he's a submariner.

How do you win the war at sea?

You win it under the ocean
with your U-boats.

The Sea War
IS the war of the U-boats.

It is a massive problem
for western approaches.

NARRATOR:
Following Donitz's promotion,

Rear Admiral Eberhard Gott
is now Head of U-boat Operations.

- This isn't Stalingrad.

This isn't North Africa.

In the North Atlantic
we win our battles.

- 100 U-boats here,

stalking the Black Pit.

100 being repaired.

100 ready to be deployed.

They don't stand a chance.

They think
they're going to invade France.

How?

How will they get
their troops across.

DONITZ: The Sea War
is the U-boat War.

If there's going to be
an unconditional surrender,

it will be theirs, not ours.

TOEPPEL: March 1943

really was a very successful month
for the U-boat force,

and it looked like if it's really
going on like that every month

then maybe we really have the chance

to bring Britain to her knees.

NARRATOR: Following the loss

of over 300 lives
in the March battles,

Admiral Horton
is determined to increase his fleet.

CHURCHILL: Horton?
- Prime Minister.

CHURCHILL: Drink?

- No thank you.

Prime Minister,

we war-gamed a scenario
with two convoys in March.

We added three groups
of support ships,

rapid response units that...

LAWRENCE: Horton has an ace
up his sleeve,

and he can prove that the ships
will make a difference,

because he has the strategy.

He has the war game
that proves extra ships

can turn the war around for Britain.

- 22 ships were lost in that battle.

If we'd had the extra support ships,

as I've been proposing
to the Admiralty for months,

we could have saved eight ships.

Eight ships.

Give me 15 destroyers

and we WILL beat the subs
at their own game.

- You admirals!

You admirals are always asking
for more and more ships

and when you get them,
things get no better.

NARRATOR: But the war game
does convince Churchill.

By the end of the month,

Horton is granted
his extra 15 warships,

which he forms
into five rapid response units.

Amongst them
is the destroyer HMS Oribi.

In April 1943,

it arrives in Belfast for repairs.

A young Wren is watching
from the plotting room

in Belfast Castle that day.

LAMB: HMS Oribi came in one day

because she'd been so damaged
during the storm.

The first thing they did
was to send a message to say,

"Send us half a dozen Wrens down
to have a drink."

So, half a dozen of us went down
to the Oribi to have a drink.

That's how it all began.

NARRATOR: The 22-year-old Christian

is about to meet someone
who will change her live forever,

and involve her
in one of the most ferocious battles

of the North Atlantic.

- Another three depth charges.

He'd already used every single
depth charge on his ship.

Where did he think
he was getting another three from?

(sighs)

Thankfully,
they can make their mistakes here

and not at sea.
- Hmm.

Could I ask you something?

Do you think, I mean...

...should I talk more slowly?
Or more quietly?

I just tend to boom somewhat,
wouldn't you say?

- At times, perhaps.

STRONG:
In Roberts' early lectures,

it was remarked upon
that some of his speeches

were garbled or unclear.

His solution is brilliant.

He goes to Liverpool Theatre
where Tommy Handley is performing.

- Now go on, buzz off.
Bait your fishing rod with a sausage

and catch a tittler.
- A tittler?

- Yes, an Adolf Tittler.
- (laughter)

LAWRENCE: Tommy Handley
had a satirical radio show,

which took the mick out of Hitler

which, of course, allowed him
to teach Roberts, you know,

these little, you know, references
he could put into his talks

to make them
more interesting and engaging.

ROBERTS: You know, I would like
to get this thing right.

Get the message through.
Make them understand

how important it is
when they're out there.

LAIDLAW: I think
they do understand that.

ROBERTS: You know I like
to send them on their way

with a memorable line,
give them courage?

I want to know I'm doing it right.

LAIDLAW: The Prime Minister,
he's rather fond of pauses.

ROBERTS: Yes?
- Hm.

- Very well.

Would you mind listening?
- Of course.

(very loud)
- The Battle of the Atlantic...

(quieter)
The battle for the Atlantic.

STRONG: The WATU course

is teaching communications
and coordination.

What it's doing,
it's enabling the escorts

to work together more efficiently.

To communicate more clearly

and to trust each other better.

NARRATOR: The escort commander,
Peter Gretton,

is a firm believer
in the WATU courses.

MILNER:
Gretton was an exceptional officer

and clearly one of the bright lights
and one of the great escort captains

and anti-submarine captains
of the Second World War.

LAIDLAW:
If you had used half raspberry,

rather than raspberry,

this would not have happened.

Have I made myself clear?

- Half raspberry. Aye aye sir.

STRONG:An error made in a war
game...

- Good.
STRONG: ...can often give you

greater insight,
than complete success.

If everything runs smoothly,
and everything works,

what have you learnt?

- We have designed these tactics

as tools which will save you time
when you are at sea.

Time that is crucial.

Seconds that can save lives.

Sir?

The Battle of the Atlantic
is unlike any other.

It is the war of the little ships,
and the lonely aircraft.

Long, patient, and unpublicised.

Against our two great enemies...

...the U-boat and the cruel sea.

Good luck... and God speed.

SYMONDS: One of the most important
convoy battles

of the entire
Battle of the Atlantic,

and for that matter
of the entire war, was ONS-5.

Donitz decided that he wanted
to annihilate this convoy entirely.

To demonstrate to the Allies

that they could not venture
onto this ocean.

That that convoy
could lose every ship in it.

- So...

ONS-5.

It's one of the largest
single convoys ever undertaken.

43 ships bound for Halifax.

On its return it will be carrying

tons of vital food
and raw materials.

If you have something to say man,
say it to me.

- We will be taking the north route.

Northwest to 61 degrees 45 north,

29 11 west,

east of Ivigtut here

and then southwest along
the Great Banks of Newfoundland.

GRETTON: I know, I know. Ice.

It's a risk, yes.

Pack ice more so than bergs.

It can slow us down, damage ships.

But what would you rather have,

ice or more time in the Black Pit?

NARRATOR: The Atlantic Air Gap,
known as the Black Pit,

is so far from any air bases,

the convoys travelling through it
have no air support.

GRETTON: As you know,
we're on our own here.

This is where the wolfpacks prowl.

They'll shadow us,
they'll attack at night.

That's their MO.

- There is some good news.

A number of long-range aircraft
have been allocated to the convoys,

but the weather is bad out there.

Not even the VLRs
can fly in those winds.

- If they could,
there's a very small area, here,

even they can't reach.
We must have our wits about us.

- The WATU tactics, Raspberry,

Half Raspberry, Artichoke,
all of them. Drill them in.

Know them
like the back of your hand,

because out there we will need them.

- So, observant...

...what's the formation?

MILNER: He was a pretty hard driver.

He could be quite clipped
and quite sharp,

even dealing
with a young graduate student

asking him questions.

GRETTON: Why don't you know this?

It should be second nature by now.
Sharpen up man!

NARRATOR:
At the drinks party on HMS Oribi,

Christian Oldham
meets First Lieutenant John Lamb.

CHRISTIAN: One of the things
that I liked about him

was his sense of humour,
as we find a lot of things funny,

which a lot of people
don't find funny.

John and I got engaged
after ten days

and, of course, we were only
visiting each other part of the day.

It wasn't like ten days
in a hotel or something.

It was just enough for us to realize
that we liked each other enough.

NARRATOR: The feelings
of the newly engaged couple

are about to be tested
to their very limit.

On April 22nd,
off the coast of Scotland,

ONS-5 assembles.

43 merchant vessels
and seven escorts.

In formation,
it covers over 81⁄2 miles.

With annihilation as their goal,

Donitz and Gott
reconfigure their wolfpacks.

SYMONDS:
Donitz laid out the North Atlantic

into a series of squares,

so that he could indicate
to the U-boats in the Atlantic

which grid
was likely to be target rich.

- I think we move Meise.

Meise has 30...
DONITZ: Correct.

We'll reconfigure Meise.
It's obvious.

We take 16 boats from here

and we'll form a new patrol line
north-south

between latitude 61 degrees 50
and 57 degrees north.

400 miles east of Greenland.

We'll call it Group Star,

and they'll assemble
at 0900 hours tomorrow morning.

I want this convoy wiped out, Gott.

Destroyed.

RICHIE: The convoys facing,
of course,

the threat of Donitz's U-boats,

this coming right after
the mass sinkings in March,

everybody is very fearful
that this is going to happen again.

But then the weather
turns against them as well

and gale force winds
start to hit the ships.

NARRATOR: The day after Christian
gets engaged to John Lamb,

HMS Oribi sails out
into the North Atlantic

on a secret mission.

CHRISTIAN: The next morning,

after we'd seen the ship
sail down the estuary,

to imagine his going out
into this dreadful storm,

the ships were in great danger
all the time.

It was really
the morning after he left

when I realized a feeling of...

...real fear of what you might lose,

which was so dreadful to think of.

NARRATOR: As ONS-5
also heads into the storm,

there is another serious setback.

The news
from submarine tracking is bad.

- Expect U-boats
in the general area of Newfoundland.

What?
- That's a large area sir.

Are there any bearings?

- If I had bearings, Wren,
I would give you bearings.

Now get on.

NARRATOR: Code breakers
at Bletchley Park

are unable to decipher

the enigma-coded messages
from the U-boats.

- What's going on?

Why does this keep happening?

DUNLOP: If Horton
knows where the U-boats are,

he can get in contact
with the escort commander of ONS-5

and they can avoid the threat.

HORTON: I've got a convoy
about to enter the Black Pit.

No air cover, no...

What?

Well, as soon as you know,
I need to know.

DUNLOP: But in April 1943,

he doesn't have the intel.

He has no idea where the U-boats are

and that means that the convoy
is heading into the unknown.

GRETTON: They're like
corks out there without cargo.

We've already had one collision.

CREW MEMBER: Fuel is 62% sir.
- Speed?

CREW MEMBER: Four knots.

- I shouldn't have
to be dealing with this.

A ship that guzzles fuel.

8% a day! It's a farce.

This is the North Atlantic.

- We'll never be able to fill her
with these waves.

We've got a few more days
and that's it.

STRONG: HMS Duncan
had boiler problems,

so she was using
more fuel than usual anyway.

In addition,
she was a fast destroyer,

so her fuel use was very high.

NARRATOR: As Gretton
heads towards the Black Pit,

the largest wolfpack
of the Second World War

begins to assemble.

The captain of U-boat 650
is hunting for prey.

- Masthead spotted!

- Message to U-boat headquarters.
Convoy spotted.

Speed eight to ten knots,
bearing 2-7-0.

NARRATOR: The message
is ciphered on the enigma machine

and radioed to U-boat Command.

SYMONDS: That message
would tell Donitz what was coming,

where it was coming, at what speed.

He would then use
the grid coordinates

of the North Atlantic

to send his own messages

out to other U-boats in the area,

ordering them to congregate
in the appropriate spot,

so that they could all
attack the convoy as a wolfpack.

NARRATOR:
Spotting a U-boat conning tower,

Gretton calls on his WATU training.

GRETTON: U-boat sighted at a range
of about 2 miles, bearing 146.

Expect U-boat contact at any time.

Observant, observant, observant.

ROBERTS: Also known
as the square search,

the escort ships
conduct a 2-mile sweep

in a square shape around
the last known U-boat location.

If the U-boat
tries to escape the square,

ASDIC will detect it
and the U-boat can be depth charged.

- Convoy, full speed ahead.

Duncan and Tay observant.

STRONG: The escorts that are
in the area,

assigned by that tactic,

then search that square
in the good knowledge

that a U-boat is probably operating
within that area.

DUNLOP: In order to identify
where it is,

you need to flush him out
with your sonar, your ASDIC.

This is the sound wave that's gonna
ping off the shell of the U-boat.

The dreaded sound

that no U-boat captain
wants to hear.

- (rhythmic pinging)

STRONG: When they're getting
pinged by ASDIC,

they know the British
are getting close.

Where they can hear
escorts getting closer,

they know their risk is increased.

- Dive.

STRONG: This causes them
to go deep, go deeper,

to evade the convoy.

NARRATOR: Once the ships
are in the observant formation...

...Gretton launches a pattern
of ten depth charges.

- (muffled underwater explosions)

NARRATOR: The convoy
doesn't hit any U-boats that day,

but a potentially lethal attack
is successfully deterred.

STRONG:
If you're a U-boat commander,

you definitely want to avoid

getting trapped
by one of these tactics.

As a result, most of the tactics
used by WATU,

even if they don't sink a U-boat,
will dissuade it from attacking.

WITT: And this was the basic rule
in anti-U-boat warfare.

It's not necessary
to actually sink a U-boat.

Take away the chance of success

and bring your ship and cargo home.
That’s what it’s all about.

TOEPPEL: Even though Donitz
was head of the Kriegsmarine now,

when there was
an important operation going on,

then he tried to do
as much as possible himself.

- 16 boats were supposed to be
in position by 0900 hours.

Where are they?

- Yes sir.

Yes sir? Yes sir?

16 boats, sir(?)

Where are they?

- They can't move. The wind-

- Don't whimper to me
about bad weather and strong winds

like some little French girl.

Do you want to tell that
to the Fuhrer?

This is war,
not a bloody board game.

Do your job!

Get the boats there. Now.

Attack.

NARRATOR: Although there is still
no intelligence from Bletchley Park,

the on-board technology
on HMS Duncan

picks up enemy radio frequencies.

- Bloody magpies chattering.

STRONG: Gretton's use of the term
"chattering of magpies"

merely indicates
there were multiple signals.

This cascade tells him

that there's a major wolfpack
converging on him.

GRETTON:
Message to western approaches.

Submarine sighted.

Position, course, and speed

6-1 3-7 north

3-2 4-9 west.

Huff Duff activity suggests
several more in the vicinity.

LAWRENCE: It's even worse
than they thought.

They're surrounded.

It's a bit like being in a camp
at night

in the moonlight and you can hear
the wolves howling in the distance.

Gretton immediately messages
western approaches

and tells them to send help

and this is the beautiful thing,

Horton, because he's already asked
Churchill for his support groups,

is able to send
some extra destroyers

to help the convoy.

- Wren?

Message to Oribi.

Detach to support ONS-5.

Position, course, and speed

21-20 hours, 6-1 degrees 3-7 north,

3-2 degrees 4-9 west.

Proceed at 20 knots,
weather permitting.

STRONG: If he's wrong,

then that support group
has expended fuel

getting to that location

and may not end up
fighting any U-boats at all.

If he's correct, they can make
a decisive difference to the battle.

It's a vital decision
that Horton is making.

NARRATOR:
In the mountainous waves,

the Oribi travels slowly.

It will be nearly two days
before it reaches the convoy.

Although there had been
no direct hits on Donitz's fleet,

two U-boats
have returned to base for repairs.

Imbecility.

The magnitude of it.

GOTT: It's gale force ten.
The waves-

- You don't get it, do you?

It's this.

What Kretschmer had,

what Prien had

what Schepke had,
what I have!

I need results Gott!

Not tomorrow, when the sun shines.

Now.

TOEPPEL: The dark side
of Donitz's discipline

was that he demanded a lot
from his U-boat crews,

from the commanders,
and he put a lot of pressure,

especially
when they were not successful.

DUNLOP: We know
what the standard U-boat tactic is,

the ideal tactic.

Get in among the convoy
shipping lanes

on the surface, late at night,
when you can't be spotted.

But the game has changed.

We know we've got
the hard weaponry of technology,

we've got the soft,

incredibly ingenious
tactics of WATU,

the U-boats are up against it,

and they are being pushed.

The pressure on them
is like never before.

U-BOAT CREWMAN:
Angle 30 degrees.

Range 2,000.

Torpedo depth five.

RICHIE: They go
in between the convoy rows.

- Open bow caps.

RICHIE: Into the fourth row.

CREWMAN: Tube one and two ready.

RICHIE: And they attack point blank.

NARRATOR: The McKeesport,

a merchant ship carrying 68 men,

takes a direct hit.

GRETTON: Convoy, full speed ahead.

Be on the lookout for survivors.

Artichoke. Artichoke.

- (distant explosion)

Artichoke. Artichoke.

LAIDLAW: Operation Artichoke.

To be used when a U-boat attacks
by day or by strong moonlight.

The escort astern the convoy

immediately proceeds
to the torpedoed ship,

scanning with ASDIC.

All other escorts
turn and speed astern the convoy

until 6,000 yards
past the stricken ship.

STRONG: The rest of the escorts
move to the rear of the convoy

and then basically scan forwards.

The evading U-boat
will hopefully run into the line

created by the artichoke tactic.

Again, they are using the fact

that the U-boats are concerned
about being hunted.

- (launcher thumping)

CREW MEMBER:
Throwing depth charges.

NARRATOR: Once the escort ships
are in the artichoke formation,

another pattern
of depth charges is dropped.

Again,
there are no direct U-boat hits,

but Operation Artichoke
deters further attacks.

RICHIE: The McKeesport,
there's 68 crew members on board,

and it becomes obvious the ship's
just not going to make it.

So the order is given
for them to abandon ship.

To leave the vessel to its fate.

GRETTON: Convoy, full steam ahead.

Northern Gem,
be on the lookout for survivors.

RICHIE: One of the reasons
the Atlantic War

is really so terrible
is because of the fact

that human beings
are going overboard

and they're going into
this terrible icy water.

Sometimes into pools of oil,
and sometimes in flames.

You have a life expectancy
of only a few minutes.

- Survivors?

- All crew. 68 men,
rescued by Northern Gem.

- Good.

Good.

A few years ago
we'd have lost them all.

STRONG:
What Roberts' war games identify

is that deploying a ship

that should be escorting the convoy
to rescue men in the water,

and sometimes women and children,

risks the defence
of the convoy itself.

NARRATOR: As a result, in 1942,

designated rescue ships
are added to the larger convoys.

STRONG: It means the escorts
can concentrate on the job in hand.

Protecting the convoy
and hunting the U-boats.

NARRATOR: In Belfast,

Christian Oldham finds herself
plotting the course

of her own fiance's ship
as it gets closer to the convoy.

LAMB: Well, I really felt
rather despairing

and anxious and worrying,

naturally, because it was just
an extraordinary experience

to become engaged to somebody

and thereafter,
find the whole thing was endangered.

It was something of a nightmare

to be living through
this extraordinary situation,

where you had nothing
you could do about it,

but just watch from a distance.

RICHIE: The weather is atrocious

and the Oribi, its compass breaks.

It's an absolute disaster.

It finally manages
to make it to the convoy

and finds that it's hove to.
It's stationary.

NARRATOR: The storm is now so bad,

neither the ships nor the U-boats
can move.

Until it passes,
the convoy can only watch and wait.

- Do you ever lose faith Jean?

I mean, in what we're doing here.

- I can't afford to lose faith.

How can I teach
what I don't believe?

ROBERTS: This year
has been catastrophic.

There's lots of people in this place

that would close us down
just like that.

- There are no guarantees.

We've never claimed that.

ROBERTS: We can drill them
all we like. We can... talk.

Set the stopwatch.

But we can't recreate the ocean,
the wind, the waves.

- The terror.

We will prevail.

I know we will.

- Yes, yes. Of course.

RICHIE: The relationship
between Roberts and Laidlaw

seems to be one
of very, very close cooperation.

A mutual trust, a mutual respect

and this is something
that's really quite unusual

for the age, for the era.

- I have every faith.

- I suppose
that's what we have now, faith.

- No. We have this.

What we teach them.

- We do.

NARRATOR:
As the storm begins to abate,

HMS Duncan's fuel
is now dangerously low.

- Western approaches
aren't gonna like it.

- Do you think I like it?

The last bloody thing I want to do,
leave my charge. The last thing!

I've lives to protect
on the ships and back home.

What choice have I got?

We've got just enough fuel
to get us to St Johns, if that.

Or... we stay and we're towed.

DUNLOP: It may seem odd to us
that any man, or indeed woman,

would want to remain

in a battle zone.

But Gretton, like most of the men
fighting in this war,

there to win it, come what may.

GRETTON: Duncan, to detach.

Steer course
for St Johns, Newfoundland.

Best speed.

NARRATOR: Forced to depart,
Commander Gretton knows

he is leaving the convoy
at the worst possible time.

STRONG: In the military,

if you are not able
to take part in a battle

that you yourself have influenced,

it can be incredibly emotional.

It must have been heart-breaking.

NARRATOR: News of Gretton's
departure from the convoy

soon reaches Admiral Horton.

- "Present weather conditions
preclude oiling at sea.

Intend detaching."

And he's taking
three other escort ships with him.

- That ship was built in the '30s.

It's not up to modern standards.

HORTON: Our commanders weren't
trained to leave their charge,

especially not
a commander like Gretton.

- With respect sir,
I don't believe he had a choice.

- We all have to live
with our decisions Roberts.

NARRATOR: It is now five days

since ONS-5
was spotted by U-boat 650.

As the convoy
reaches the Black Pit,

Donitz is desperate
for his wolfpack to attack.

- Message.

Utilise all means to listen.

Report every clue immediately.

Every chance must be taken.

Something can, and must, be achieved
with 31 U-boats.

End.

MILNER:
He's got his teeth into ONS-5

and by the time he's done
ordering up U-boats to attack it,

there's around 40, 41.

Four times larger than the escort.

I mean, it's an overwhelming number
of U-boats.

NARRATOR:
Knowing that three days ago

her fiance's ship HMS Oribi
joined the convoy,

Wren Christian Oldham
refuses to leave the plotting room.

CHRISTIAN: Naturally,
I needed to stay there.

There was no way
that I could leave the plot

until the battle was decided.

It was a nightmare
to feel so helpless,

waiting for news
which didn't ever come.

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