All language subtitles for U-Boat Wargamers - S01E03 - The WRENS
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1
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Bull's eye.
2
00:00:05,330 --> 00:00:06,990
Action! Action!
3
00:00:09,270 --> 00:00:10,710
Die! Die!
4
00:00:11,110 --> 00:00:12,550
Why the hell have you died?
5
00:00:15,850 --> 00:00:18,930
Britain may have dealt with Dönitz's
aces.
6
00:00:19,450 --> 00:00:21,390
No way back to Germany this time.
7
00:00:21,810 --> 00:00:24,070
But his U -boats keep coming.
8
00:00:24,510 --> 00:00:25,510
Fire!
9
00:00:26,730 --> 00:00:29,050
New orders for Group Paukenschlag.
10
00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:35,820
Attack at will in all coastal areas.
11
00:00:36,900 --> 00:00:40,300
They think ships faster than Britain can
build them.
12
00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:46,020
If we keep losing ships at this rate,
the country will be down to just a few
13
00:00:46,020 --> 00:00:47,020
weeks of supplies.
14
00:00:47,100 --> 00:00:49,080
People will be starving to death.
15
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Happy hunting.
16
00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:57,800
The Royal Navy turned to retired
wargamer Commander Gilbert Roberts and
17
00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,040
a group of young women.
18
00:01:05,140 --> 00:01:10,080
Sir? Ladies, if we lose the Battle of
the Atlantic, we lose the war.
19
00:01:10,900 --> 00:01:14,420
Our job is to find a way to sink the U
-boats.
20
00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:16,860
That is what we will do here.
21
00:01:17,820 --> 00:01:22,380
They're the bodies that... By recreating
battles and playing through scenarios
22
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in a war game.
23
00:01:25,980 --> 00:01:28,140
Is that Donitz's master tactic?
24
00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:31,660
We need to work out how to destroy them.
25
00:01:51,370 --> 00:01:56,770
Gilbert Roberts reports to Western
Approaches Command, the Royal Navy's
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00:01:56,770 --> 00:02:01,290
of operations for North Atlantic convoys
in Liverpool, England.
27
00:02:02,610 --> 00:02:05,310
Gilbert Roberts could be doing so much
more at this point.
28
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Here's a man who's had two years'
training in war games.
29
00:02:09,430 --> 00:02:15,730
War gaming allows you to understand how
tactics work and it allows you to
30
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explore new tactics.
31
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Churchill couldn't be less pleased with
how the battle of the Atlantic is
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turning out. The fact that they're
losing hundreds of thousands of tons of
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merchant shipping to U -boats.
34
00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:32,020
Enter. What Churchill has to do is not
just stay in the war, but win it. You
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only win it if you're going to win the
battle of the Atlantic.
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Sir, Commander Robert.
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Thank you. That will be all.
38
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Commander Roberts retired.
39
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I thought London was sending me a
captain.
40
00:02:55,550 --> 00:02:56,970
A no -sir sector commander.
41
00:02:57,530 --> 00:03:00,230
Portsmouth Naval Anti -Invasion
Battalion.
42
00:03:01,150 --> 00:03:02,350
The Home Guard.
43
00:03:07,470 --> 00:03:11,470
Instructions from the Admiralty say that
I'm to give you the top floor of the
44
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Exchange Building.
45
00:03:12,770 --> 00:03:15,130
For? A school, sir. A school.
46
00:03:15,390 --> 00:03:16,530
A tactical school.
47
00:03:17,550 --> 00:03:22,310
The Prime Minister has asked me
personally to analyse U -boat attacks,
48
00:03:22,310 --> 00:03:26,250
their tactics, and develop counter
-tactics to think them.
49
00:03:26,790 --> 00:03:30,210
These would then be taught to escort
commanders at the school.
50
00:03:31,190 --> 00:03:34,150
We already have a counter -tactic,
Robert.
51
00:03:34,750 --> 00:03:35,750
Buttercup.
52
00:03:36,210 --> 00:03:41,330
Developed by our own Commander Walker, a
man who has actually sunk U -boats.
53
00:03:42,210 --> 00:03:43,210
Have you?
54
00:03:43,830 --> 00:03:44,830
No, sir.
55
00:03:45,930 --> 00:03:47,790
And I'd very much like to begin with
Buttercup.
56
00:03:48,010 --> 00:03:52,250
By analysing Commander Walker's actions,
I can then play through other scenarios
57
00:03:52,250 --> 00:03:56,670
in a war game and identify any tactical
weakness that we all gain.
58
00:03:56,970 --> 00:03:57,990
Tactical weakness?
59
00:03:58,850 --> 00:04:03,290
I'm sorry, but what does affect a
commander of the Home Guard know of
60
00:04:04,510 --> 00:04:07,370
I spent two years at the Portsmouth
Tactical School, sir.
61
00:04:08,030 --> 00:04:09,030
War gaming.
62
00:04:11,030 --> 00:04:12,190
Back before retirement.
63
00:04:12,970 --> 00:04:14,930
School to play games.
64
00:04:15,580 --> 00:04:20,079
And I'll need men to staff the unit,
too. Men with good analytical minds.
65
00:04:20,420 --> 00:04:21,420
Good with records.
66
00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:23,780
But mostly good at playing the game.
67
00:04:25,780 --> 00:04:28,060
Commander, I'm in the middle of fighting
a war.
68
00:04:28,660 --> 00:04:30,760
All my best men are at sea.
69
00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:35,840
You might be able to scrape together a
couple who are unfit for active service,
70
00:04:35,940 --> 00:04:39,860
but if you need more to play your game,
you should speak to London.
71
00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:42,880
Thank you, sir.
72
00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:45,980
Owen Roberts, this is school.
73
00:04:46,940 --> 00:04:51,200
Perhaps you can run occasional courses
for half a dozen reserve officers, but
74
00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,260
don't bother me with it. I'm a busy man.
75
00:04:55,820 --> 00:04:59,940
Dismissed. Percy Noble doesn't seem to
be taking on board the importance of
76
00:04:59,940 --> 00:05:02,000
finding new tactical ways forward.
77
00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:05,680
Donuts is a tactical master.
78
00:05:05,900 --> 00:05:10,240
This is a time where it's more crucial
than ever that he listens to Roberts.
79
00:05:10,660 --> 00:05:11,660
Sir.
80
00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:14,680
Because he is paramount.
81
00:05:14,940 --> 00:05:16,320
Yeah, quite right.
82
00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:23,200
And for the Royal Navy, help arises from
an American tragedy.
83
00:05:24,140 --> 00:05:29,520
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the
USA declares war on Japan.
84
00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:37,040
Four days later, Germany sides with
their Japanese ally and declares war on
85
00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:38,040
USA.
86
00:05:39,850 --> 00:05:44,310
The Americans have already been
unofficially supporting Britain through
87
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Now they mobilize at full strength.
88
00:05:49,930 --> 00:05:55,930
The idea was to get to Germany, to
defeat it first, but of course doing
89
00:05:55,930 --> 00:06:01,710
meant getting supplies and equipment and
now manpower as well to the British
90
00:06:01,710 --> 00:06:05,790
Isles in preparation for an eventual
invasion of Nazi Germany.
91
00:06:06,870 --> 00:06:08,330
But the American...
92
00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:13,380
Involvement created new opportunities
for the German U -boats to attack
93
00:06:13,380 --> 00:06:16,200
shipping. Donitz saw this immediately.
94
00:06:17,340 --> 00:06:22,460
The United States Navy should have been
prepared for a submarine campaign. But
95
00:06:22,460 --> 00:06:25,840
the problem they have in early 1942 is
they don't have enough destroyers trying
96
00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:28,960
to protect merchant shipping. Most of
them have gone to the Pacific to fight
97
00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:29,960
Japanese.
98
00:06:33,710 --> 00:06:37,890
This lack of protection presents Dönitz
with a golden opportunity.
99
00:06:38,510 --> 00:06:43,950
He measures his U -boat captain's
success by the number of ships they send
100
00:06:43,950 --> 00:06:44,950
the bottom.
101
00:06:45,810 --> 00:06:47,290
Admiral Stubbs, officer.
102
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Orders for Group Parkenschlag.
103
00:06:53,250 --> 00:06:55,910
Proceed to Naval Square CA -28.
104
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New York.
105
00:06:59,290 --> 00:07:00,470
Yes, Herr Admiral.
106
00:07:00,940 --> 00:07:05,200
He knew that the shipping would
concentrate off New York, off Cape
107
00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:06,200
Cape Cod.
108
00:07:06,940 --> 00:07:12,160
American involvement in the war gave the
U -boats a lot of new targets off the
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American coast.
110
00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:15,320
Hey, Admiral.
111
00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:26,280
Have the Americans learned nothing from
the British?
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00:07:30,220 --> 00:07:31,360
Very heavy traffic.
113
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Mainly north -south.
114
00:07:35,800 --> 00:07:37,340
Very many tankers.
115
00:07:38,740 --> 00:07:39,900
Occasional neutrals.
116
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No surveillance.
117
00:07:45,940 --> 00:07:48,140
They're not even trying to protect their
ships.
118
00:07:49,860 --> 00:07:54,120
The United States Navy don't have the
escort vessels they need to establish a
119
00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:57,360
system of convoy, so they decide not to
do that.
120
00:07:57,900 --> 00:08:00,860
There's a marvelous directive that comes
from the Office of War Information.
121
00:08:01,100 --> 00:08:05,520
Quite simply, the Germans can sink as
many ships as they like. It really
122
00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:09,160
matter, because American industry is
just going to bury them in new shipping.
123
00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:13,040
All the more prey for the wolves to feed
on.
124
00:08:17,740 --> 00:08:19,880
New orders for Group Paukenschlag.
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00:08:21,860 --> 00:08:25,200
Attack at will in all coastal areas.
126
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January of 1942, they sank 41 ships, 250
,000 tons in just two weeks.
127
00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:46,200
And a lot of those sinkings were just
off the coast of the United States,
128
00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:49,700
literally within sight of American home
territories.
129
00:08:53,460 --> 00:08:58,260
German success is so profound that it
becomes known as the second happy time
130
00:08:58,260 --> 00:08:59,260
the U -boat fleet.
131
00:08:59,980 --> 00:09:04,580
With the Americans being destroyed in
such numbers, it's more and more
132
00:09:04,580 --> 00:09:09,720
that the convoys that do survive are
protected, that the Royal Navy gets
133
00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:10,720
ships across.
134
00:09:18,420 --> 00:09:21,020
The scale of the task is enormous.
135
00:09:21,660 --> 00:09:26,300
Every available man is put to work, but
there aren't enough.
136
00:09:27,850 --> 00:09:30,710
Without women, we realise we can't win
the war.
137
00:09:30,970 --> 00:09:37,190
Now, that is a whole new ballgame for
men to get their heads around and for
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00:09:37,190 --> 00:09:38,530
young women to engage with.
139
00:09:39,330 --> 00:09:45,170
The Royal Navy are forced to rely more
and more on Vera Lawton Matthews' wrens.
140
00:09:45,690 --> 00:09:47,910
I do appreciate having your wrens here.
141
00:09:48,510 --> 00:09:50,370
Certainly brighten the place up.
142
00:09:51,570 --> 00:09:53,170
They can do more than that.
143
00:09:54,470 --> 00:09:55,470
Much more.
144
00:09:55,980 --> 00:10:01,560
To begin with, the Wren have just nine
roles, and they are fairly humdrum. If
145
00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:04,760
you're lucky, you're a typist, all
right, or a driver. Those minimal
146
00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:08,540
opportunities expand to over 125 roles.
147
00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:14,920
One of those are as codebreakers of the
highly secretive Bletchley Park,
148
00:10:15,260 --> 00:10:21,660
deciphering radio messages between
Durnitz and his U -boats, providing
149
00:10:21,660 --> 00:10:24,660
intelligence on when to expect U -boat
attacks.
150
00:10:25,710 --> 00:10:31,210
But despite the best efforts of the men
and women of the Royal Navy, they still
151
00:10:31,210 --> 00:10:33,430
haven't deciphered the enemy's tactics.
152
00:10:39,330 --> 00:10:45,130
Even though Roberts initially gets a
very frothy reception, he is delighted
153
00:10:45,130 --> 00:10:49,570
be back. He'd been cast out of the Navy
due to having TB just four years
154
00:10:49,570 --> 00:10:50,570
earlier.
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00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:56,060
This is a man who had spent quite a lot
of time in the interwar period thinking
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00:10:56,060 --> 00:10:57,060
about these problems.
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00:10:57,220 --> 00:11:02,580
He can use his skills, he can contribute
to naval success, and if possible, he
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00:11:02,580 --> 00:11:03,620
can contribute to victory.
159
00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:11,020
As if to undermine Roberts's position
even further, he isn't put in the main
160
00:11:11,020 --> 00:11:16,160
headquarters. His offices are in a
different building, which hasn't even
161
00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:19,740
finished. It's still under construction
and it's been bombed.
162
00:11:19,980 --> 00:11:20,980
What's this?
163
00:11:22,350 --> 00:11:25,510
A gift from Herman Goering. Damaged from
an incendiary bomb.
164
00:11:25,970 --> 00:11:26,970
He needs to go.
165
00:11:27,090 --> 00:11:28,170
Arrange for it to be cleared.
166
00:11:28,510 --> 00:11:29,510
Yes, sir.
167
00:11:41,350 --> 00:11:42,750
I'll need battle reports.
168
00:11:44,950 --> 00:11:47,670
Anything detailing a successful U -boat
kill.
169
00:11:48,390 --> 00:11:50,050
Including convoy HG -76.
170
00:11:50,650 --> 00:11:51,650
Commander Walkers.
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Buttercup, try up.
172
00:11:53,730 --> 00:11:54,730
Yes, sir.
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He needs as much information as he can
get about what's really facing
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00:12:00,690 --> 00:12:06,550
when they're out in combat to figure out
what the U -boats are doing and how to
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00:12:06,550 --> 00:12:07,550
defeat them.
176
00:12:07,790 --> 00:12:10,730
I also need supplies to build the game
board.
177
00:12:16,390 --> 00:12:21,350
Canvas sheets, roll of linoleum. Chalk,
string, paint.
178
00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:23,560
And model ships, yes?
179
00:12:23,900 --> 00:12:24,900
Yes, sir. Very good.
180
00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:29,440
These requests raise eyebrows at Western
approaches.
181
00:12:29,820 --> 00:12:35,540
I mean, here is this newcomer who wants
to play games while battle rages in the
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00:12:35,540 --> 00:12:36,540
Atlantic.
183
00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:42,080
Anyway, sir, all this tactics and
wargaming might be for naught.
184
00:12:42,940 --> 00:12:46,420
We already captured that also
Kretschmer, and they already started
185
00:12:46,420 --> 00:12:50,140
him. Surely he'll spill the beans and
give up all of Donnett's secret tactics.
186
00:12:51,860 --> 00:12:52,860
Surely.
187
00:12:57,160 --> 00:13:04,000
From 1939 to 1941, Kretschmer unleashed
a reign of terror against
188
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Allied shipping.
189
00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:06,760
A hunter's moon.
190
00:13:07,420 --> 00:13:09,100
Just as I like it.
191
00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:11,200
Prepare for attack.
192
00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:12,720
Yes, sir.
193
00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:14,560
Fire bowed, torpedo.
194
00:13:16,900 --> 00:13:20,360
Tringing 47 ships across the North
Atlantic.
195
00:13:21,050 --> 00:13:24,310
Over 273 ,000 tons.
196
00:13:25,050 --> 00:13:27,790
More than any other U -boat ace.
197
00:13:28,150 --> 00:13:29,390
That's as good as it gets.
198
00:13:30,490 --> 00:13:34,530
The human toll is 830 lives.
199
00:13:36,350 --> 00:13:42,050
For his service to the Third Reich,
Hitler awarded him the Knight's Cross of
200
00:13:42,050 --> 00:13:45,270
Iron Cross with oak leaves and swords.
201
00:13:46,070 --> 00:13:47,070
Thank you, sir.
202
00:13:48,750 --> 00:13:52,830
At the time, Nazi Germany's highest
naval award.
203
00:13:53,490 --> 00:13:54,930
Action! Action!
204
00:13:57,870 --> 00:13:59,350
Die! Die!
205
00:13:59,710 --> 00:14:01,330
Why the hell have we dived?
206
00:14:01,710 --> 00:14:03,950
Are you sure we couldn't have gotten
away on the surface?
207
00:14:04,690 --> 00:14:09,210
But in March 1941, his luck ran out.
208
00:14:15,510 --> 00:14:17,950
Sir, we've lost all thrust in the
propellers.
209
00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:22,160
Blow the ballast tanks. Everything we've
got. We have to lose depth.
210
00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:32,080
Prepare scuffling charges and destroy
all documents and ciphers.
211
00:14:35,460 --> 00:14:37,340
No way back to Germany this time.
212
00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:53,680
Otto Kretschmer's this extraordinary U
-boat ace.
213
00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:57,740
He's caught alive. That is such a win
for the Allies.
214
00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,180
The MI9 have got hold of him.
215
00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:07,260
MI9 is a unit established to interrogate
prisoners of war. It's like, if you
216
00:15:07,260 --> 00:15:09,040
like, a latter -day Guantanamo Bay.
217
00:15:09,460 --> 00:15:10,780
Here's your chance, boys.
218
00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:16,960
Drill into him, download his microchip
of knowledge, and you are going to turn
219
00:15:16,960 --> 00:15:18,380
the tide of this war.
220
00:15:24,319 --> 00:15:25,440
No. It's English.
221
00:15:26,780 --> 00:15:28,040
Would you rather we spoke German?
222
00:15:28,380 --> 00:15:30,020
No. English is good.
223
00:15:30,660 --> 00:15:32,280
I might as well get you into it now.
224
00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:37,700
Quite an impressive tonnage, Charlie,
Commander Krebschmer.
225
00:15:38,260 --> 00:15:39,600
You're very popular back home.
226
00:15:39,900 --> 00:15:42,460
The tonnage king, as an apple gravels
call you.
227
00:15:43,580 --> 00:15:44,800
It's just propaganda.
228
00:15:45,940 --> 00:15:47,840
I'm a good copy for the Nazi papers.
229
00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:52,760
My picture gets more women waving flags,
more men signing up to the U -boat
230
00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:53,760
corps.
231
00:15:53,980 --> 00:15:54,980
What for?
232
00:15:55,780 --> 00:15:57,220
To sink more ships?
233
00:15:57,560 --> 00:15:58,560
For Hitler?
234
00:16:00,740 --> 00:16:03,060
Sorry if I don't seem too enthusiastic.
235
00:16:03,940 --> 00:16:05,960
I grew weary of this war long ago.
236
00:16:08,860 --> 00:16:10,260
You won't miss sinking ships?
237
00:16:11,940 --> 00:16:13,320
I have sunk enough ships.
238
00:16:14,420 --> 00:16:16,820
The thrill of the hunt left me long ago,
too.
239
00:16:20,490 --> 00:16:22,610
And how do you hunt?
240
00:16:23,810 --> 00:16:25,130
You've sunk more ships than anyone.
241
00:16:26,090 --> 00:16:27,090
How do you do it?
242
00:16:27,690 --> 00:16:28,690
What are your tactics?
243
00:16:32,750 --> 00:16:39,350
A U -boat captain, I mean a real
captain, has to be able to take
244
00:16:39,350 --> 00:16:41,210
whatever the passing moment offers.
245
00:16:42,230 --> 00:16:44,570
You never know when you'll stumble upon
a convoy.
246
00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:51,720
A real captain is born with the
intuition to know when to attack and how
247
00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:52,840
press home your advantage.
248
00:16:55,940 --> 00:16:56,940
Smashing.
249
00:16:58,540 --> 00:17:04,980
Do they get the key to Otto Kretschmer's
knowledge? Do they find a way in? Do
250
00:17:04,980 --> 00:17:05,980
they hellas like?
251
00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:08,900
This guy ain't the top U -boat captain
for no good reason.
252
00:17:09,859 --> 00:17:12,619
Kretschmer reveals very little to his
captors.
253
00:17:13,579 --> 00:17:16,900
Cernet says U -boat tactics remain a
mystery.
254
00:17:21,260 --> 00:17:26,319
That Western approaches command, Roberts
tries to decipher them.
255
00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:31,300
Sir, it's the report you requested.
256
00:17:31,920 --> 00:17:32,920
Ah.
257
00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:36,820
Convoy HT -76.
258
00:17:37,920 --> 00:17:40,380
Commander Walker's famous buttercup
tactic.
259
00:17:43,820 --> 00:17:44,900
Thank you, sir.
260
00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:50,760
The report of proceedings was a standard
report that was written by anybody in
261
00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:55,520
the Navy who had encountered the enemy.
It explains what the enemy has done, but
262
00:17:55,520 --> 00:18:00,860
it also explains what the commander from
the Allied side has done.
263
00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:02,320
Buttercup has turned.
264
00:18:02,900 --> 00:18:08,660
HG -76 is important because Walker had
some success during it. He wants to
265
00:18:08,660 --> 00:18:11,400
understand why Walker was successful.
266
00:18:12,500 --> 00:18:18,640
Sir. What has he thought up? Why did he
behave the way he did? But if you're
267
00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:23,480
looking at a report, any kind of report,
they're very, very dry. They don't
268
00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:28,140
really tell you anything about the human
side of decisions that are being made.
269
00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:34,600
Enter.
270
00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:37,440
Sir, Commander Roberts.
271
00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:41,560
What is it, Robert?
272
00:18:42,300 --> 00:18:46,420
Sir, I'd like permission to speak with
Commander Walker about convoy HT76.
273
00:18:48,740 --> 00:18:50,520
Don't you have his report of
proceedings?
274
00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:52,040
Yes, sir, I do.
275
00:18:52,460 --> 00:18:54,280
And you've read it? Yes, sir.
276
00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:59,240
But to truly understand how Buttercup
works, I need to speak with the
277
00:19:00,180 --> 00:19:02,240
What assumptions did he make?
278
00:19:02,580 --> 00:19:04,400
Why deploy his escorts where he did?
279
00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:11,000
Robert, Buttercup works. It's a sound
tactic.
280
00:19:11,770 --> 00:19:15,210
which is why I ordered for it to be put
into group operational instructions.
281
00:19:15,830 --> 00:19:16,830
I'm aware, sir.
282
00:19:19,910 --> 00:19:23,650
And now our escorts are being fitted
with a new piece of technology.
283
00:19:26,690 --> 00:19:27,990
Ship -mounted radar.
284
00:19:28,490 --> 00:19:31,510
We'll be able to spot U -boats on the
surface miles away.
285
00:19:32,530 --> 00:19:34,050
That would be a great help, sir,
undoubtedly.
286
00:19:34,810 --> 00:19:37,910
But to complete my work, I will still
need to speak with Commander Walker.
287
00:19:45,770 --> 00:19:46,770
Very well.
288
00:19:47,870 --> 00:19:52,970
When Walker gets back from sea, if he
can spare the time, you may.
289
00:19:55,070 --> 00:19:56,070
Thank you, sir.
290
00:19:56,870 --> 00:20:00,590
Now, if you don't mind...
291
00:20:00,590 --> 00:20:07,550
And Noble has
292
00:20:07,550 --> 00:20:09,110
another reason to be confident.
293
00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:15,020
The work of the Wrens is turning Western
Approaches Command into an intelligence
294
00:20:15,020 --> 00:20:16,020
hub.
295
00:20:16,460 --> 00:20:21,660
Up and down the country, Wrens working
in radio listening sites, known as Y
296
00:20:21,660 --> 00:20:24,900
stations, are tracking U -boat
positions.
297
00:20:26,660 --> 00:20:32,560
My first station was on the Yorkshire
coast, not very far from Scarborough,
298
00:20:32,700 --> 00:20:35,820
where there was a very big listening
centre.
299
00:20:36,750 --> 00:20:41,530
By comparing the bearing of the U
-boat's radio signal with another Y
300
00:20:41,870 --> 00:20:45,070
the U -boat's position can be
triangulated.
301
00:20:46,110 --> 00:20:51,730
U -boats, of course, very seldom spoke,
but now and then one would come up and
302
00:20:51,730 --> 00:20:56,830
would do a signal to its base or to
other U -boats.
303
00:20:57,050 --> 00:21:01,910
When they did, it was a very, very tense
atmosphere because they were such a
304
00:21:01,910 --> 00:21:05,010
menace to our convoys and ships.
305
00:21:05,740 --> 00:21:10,860
I worked out when the U -boat came up,
while they got the signal from the U
306
00:21:10,860 --> 00:21:15,100
-boat down, and particularly the
position of the U -boat, because they
307
00:21:15,100 --> 00:21:19,340
then report this back to Admiralty and
they might be able to take action.
308
00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:20,560
Very good.
309
00:21:20,780 --> 00:21:27,040
That intelligence arrived pretty pronto
via radio to weapon approaches, telling
310
00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:31,860
you the real -time position of U -boat
flotillas. So you plot them, you mark
311
00:21:31,860 --> 00:21:33,800
them on your giant map on the wall.
312
00:21:34,430 --> 00:21:39,470
And Western approaches are also
benefiting from long -range aerial photo
313
00:21:39,470 --> 00:21:40,470
reconnaissance.
314
00:21:41,910 --> 00:21:47,130
A lot of the analysis of these
photographs was done by women. They
315
00:21:47,130 --> 00:21:50,090
see, for example, the U -boat pens along
the French coast.
316
00:21:50,330 --> 00:21:54,730
By looking at these sorts of images, you
had more of an idea of when they were
317
00:21:54,730 --> 00:21:57,690
going to leave the pens, when did they
get back, how long were they out at sea,
318
00:21:57,890 --> 00:21:59,530
and what was their direction.
319
00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:05,540
It means Western approaches are much
more aware of when to expect attacks.
320
00:22:06,440 --> 00:22:08,700
Excellent, thank you. That's good work.
321
00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:17,100
But they still can't work out how the U
-boats are attacking the convoys.
322
00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:19,220
Sir, this is the room.
323
00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:22,980
The candidate will be with you shortly.
324
00:22:23,180 --> 00:22:24,180
Thank you.
325
00:22:26,620 --> 00:22:30,840
Before he can begin his work, Roberts
clearly... Needs a team.
326
00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,280
He needs people who are, quote -unquote,
whip -sharp.
327
00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:39,480
He needs the finest brains, boys who are
going to knock the tactics back at the
328
00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:40,480
enemy.
329
00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:48,900
Please, take a seat.
330
00:22:52,460 --> 00:22:54,820
Lieutenant Commander Cousins, DSP, sir.
331
00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:57,080
DSP.
332
00:22:58,140 --> 00:23:01,920
Distinguished Service Cross awarded for
gallantry against the enemy.
333
00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:04,480
I see.
334
00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:07,580
What experience do you have of tactics?
335
00:23:09,940 --> 00:23:13,980
Tactics? We smash the U -boats with
depth charges.
336
00:23:14,500 --> 00:23:17,220
That's all we need. We hound them out of
the Atlantic.
337
00:23:20,500 --> 00:23:21,500
I see.
338
00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:23,840
Thank you.
339
00:23:48,680 --> 00:23:50,820
Lieutenant Commander Higham, sir.
340
00:23:53,380 --> 00:23:55,000
Your experience of tactics?
341
00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:59,440
Sir, I've served on both submarines and
ships.
342
00:24:02,380 --> 00:24:03,420
And tactics?
343
00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:05,300
My ship sunk.
344
00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:08,340
I had to be hauled out of the water on a
rope.
345
00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:22,840
Donuts is a genius. He needs men who are
able to think mathematically,
346
00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:26,560
tactically, very clear -headed, clear
-minded.
347
00:24:27,360 --> 00:24:31,600
These are clearly not the sort of men
that he's going to need to decipher
348
00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:32,960
Donuts' tactics.
349
00:24:40,460 --> 00:24:45,740
Commander Roberts, Vera Lawton Matthews,
Director of the Women's Royal Naval
350
00:24:45,740 --> 00:24:47,280
Service. The Reds.
351
00:24:56,970 --> 00:24:57,970
You're in need of staff.
352
00:25:00,810 --> 00:25:02,650
I can meet all your requirements.
353
00:25:02,890 --> 00:25:05,270
I've been recruiting the people you need
for three years.
354
00:25:06,270 --> 00:25:08,450
Wrens. I need naval officers.
355
00:25:08,830 --> 00:25:10,170
And how's that working for you?
356
00:25:10,510 --> 00:25:11,510
Hmm?
357
00:25:12,470 --> 00:25:14,370
Wren Drake, please enter.
358
00:25:19,370 --> 00:25:20,430
Please take a seat.
359
00:25:25,030 --> 00:25:26,030
Elizabeth Drake.
360
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:28,500
The daughter of an insurance factory.
361
00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:29,840
Yes?
362
00:25:30,100 --> 00:25:31,100
Yes, ma 'am.
363
00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:34,600
Measuring risk. Must run in your family.
Yes?
364
00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:35,960
Yes, ma 'am.
365
00:25:36,260 --> 00:25:38,040
Thank you, Drake. That'll be all.
366
00:25:38,780 --> 00:25:39,780
Yes, ma 'am.
367
00:25:42,260 --> 00:25:45,280
Sounds essential for your tactical game,
Commander.
368
00:25:46,540 --> 00:25:48,620
Next! Ren Nancy Wales, sir.
369
00:25:49,780 --> 00:25:53,020
Ren Wales, what experience do you have
of tactics?
370
00:25:53,900 --> 00:25:54,900
Well, sir...
371
00:25:55,630 --> 00:25:57,630
I captained the Yorkshire hockey team
for years.
372
00:25:57,950 --> 00:26:00,170
An expert in team tactics.
373
00:26:00,470 --> 00:26:01,510
Thank you, Wales.
374
00:26:05,390 --> 00:26:06,610
Janet Oakle.
375
00:26:06,830 --> 00:26:09,550
I hear you're a formidable bridge
player.
376
00:26:10,150 --> 00:26:15,310
Well, yes, ma 'am. And what makes for a
formidable bridge player?
377
00:26:16,010 --> 00:26:19,610
Well, reading your opponents is
important, ma 'am.
378
00:26:19,990 --> 00:26:22,830
Reading opponents and scenarios
strategically.
379
00:26:25,290 --> 00:26:26,410
Mum, what is this all about?
380
00:26:27,070 --> 00:26:28,070
Thank you, uncle.
381
00:26:28,170 --> 00:26:29,170
That'll be all.
382
00:26:31,950 --> 00:26:34,070
And finally, a real gem.
383
00:26:36,230 --> 00:26:38,190
Wren Laidlaw, please enter.
384
00:26:46,230 --> 00:26:47,410
Good afternoon, ma 'am.
385
00:26:48,010 --> 00:26:49,010
Sir?
386
00:26:50,870 --> 00:26:52,430
Wren Jean Laidlaw.
387
00:26:54,110 --> 00:26:55,110
Candidate.
388
00:26:55,540 --> 00:26:56,540
Yes, sir.
389
00:26:57,300 --> 00:26:58,840
I haven't met a woman accounted.
390
00:27:00,220 --> 00:27:03,180
I'm one of the first to qualify in the
United Kingdom, sir.
391
00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:04,600
I see.
392
00:27:05,860 --> 00:27:07,740
Keen mind for numbers, I suppose.
393
00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:09,980
Yes, sir, very keen.
394
00:27:10,580 --> 00:27:14,060
Just what your game needs to calculate
those moves.
395
00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:16,200
I suppose.
396
00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:18,880
Indeed.
397
00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:21,800
Thank you, Laidlaw. That'll be all.
398
00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:23,200
Yes, ma 'am.
399
00:27:23,500 --> 00:27:24,500
Sir.
400
00:27:30,770 --> 00:27:32,590
Right. All of them, Commander.
401
00:27:33,790 --> 00:27:37,210
And they all bring a special set of
skills to the table.
402
00:27:38,890 --> 00:27:40,330
Exactly what the game needs.
403
00:27:41,130 --> 00:27:47,830
In the early war period, almost every
nation does not consider women for these
404
00:27:47,830 --> 00:27:48,749
sort of roles.
405
00:27:48,750 --> 00:27:50,250
The Wrens were a risk.
406
00:27:51,550 --> 00:27:57,090
The task these young women are set is
one of the most important in the war, if
407
00:27:57,090 --> 00:27:58,650
the Battle of the Atlantic is lost.
408
00:27:59,150 --> 00:28:00,150
Britain has lost.
409
00:28:00,230 --> 00:28:04,630
And if Britain has lost, the Western
Allies will probably lose the war.
410
00:28:09,750 --> 00:28:14,630
In Liverpool, Gilbert Roberts and the
Wrens begin the next phase of their
411
00:28:14,630 --> 00:28:15,630
mission.
412
00:28:16,650 --> 00:28:17,790
What knot is that?
413
00:28:18,770 --> 00:28:19,950
It's a bowline, sir.
414
00:28:20,310 --> 00:28:21,310
Where did you learn it?
415
00:28:21,650 --> 00:28:22,650
The Sea Rangers.
416
00:28:23,350 --> 00:28:25,030
The simplest and most resilient.
417
00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:36,600
Very good.
418
00:28:39,660 --> 00:28:43,940
Men, rig the canvas sheets around the
frames like these.
419
00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:45,840
Yes, sir.
420
00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:51,360
Sir, your linoleum, string, paint chalk
and model wooden chips.
421
00:28:52,700 --> 00:28:53,700
Excellent.
422
00:28:59,280 --> 00:29:02,280
Any news on the great Otto Kretschmer's
interrogation?
423
00:29:02,580 --> 00:29:04,460
Did he spill their U -boat secrets?
424
00:29:05,450 --> 00:29:07,610
Of course he didn't. That would be far
too easy.
425
00:29:08,590 --> 00:29:10,330
It's up to us to decode them.
426
00:29:10,890 --> 00:29:14,810
And the first step for that is to build
the board for the war game.
427
00:29:15,350 --> 00:29:16,530
The board, sir?
428
00:29:17,530 --> 00:29:18,530
The board.
429
00:29:22,950 --> 00:29:26,650
The board!
430
00:29:27,590 --> 00:29:28,770
Sir, are you all right?
431
00:29:33,450 --> 00:29:36,430
This is the thing which is going to win
the Battle of the Atlantic.
432
00:29:36,930 --> 00:29:39,370
I mean, the idea is preposterous.
433
00:29:40,170 --> 00:29:44,530
Oh, and, sir, Commander Walker's just
returned from sea. He's waiting in your
434
00:29:44,530 --> 00:29:46,430
office. Well, why didn't you say?
435
00:29:49,790 --> 00:29:50,790
Not a cup.
436
00:29:52,630 --> 00:29:54,090
Renée Law. Yes, sir.
437
00:29:54,410 --> 00:29:57,310
Wait ten minutes and join me with
Commander Walker.
438
00:29:58,690 --> 00:29:59,690
Yes, sir.
439
00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:11,600
Roberts wants to understand how
Buttercup works.
440
00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:13,080
Come on, Walker.
441
00:30:13,260 --> 00:30:19,320
The chance to sit down with Walker and
actually try and get inside his mind.
442
00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:20,920
This is a crucial moment.
443
00:30:21,380 --> 00:30:23,020
What's this about, Roberts?
444
00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:28,860
You want a debriefing on Buttercup to
help play a game. A war game.
445
00:30:29,340 --> 00:30:34,820
To play through scenarios, decipher
Janet's tactics and learn how to think
446
00:30:34,820 --> 00:30:35,699
you bet.
447
00:30:35,700 --> 00:30:37,680
Something I've actually...
448
00:30:38,060 --> 00:30:41,400
Done using buttercup. Which is why I
wanted to speak with you.
449
00:30:46,180 --> 00:30:48,040
Convoy HG -76.
450
00:30:50,060 --> 00:30:54,660
32 merchant ships sailing homeward from
Gibraltar.
451
00:30:55,980 --> 00:31:00,120
19th of December, HMS Stanley torpedoed
a new order buttercup.
452
00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:02,540
What happens then?
453
00:31:09,740 --> 00:31:10,760
Buttercup astern!
454
00:31:12,700 --> 00:31:18,860
I've drilled all my escort commanders to
go to battle station on the order
455
00:31:18,860 --> 00:31:22,920
Buttercup. They turn away from the...
Ah, Laidlaw.
456
00:31:24,100 --> 00:31:25,840
Please, take a seat.
457
00:31:26,900 --> 00:31:30,440
Commander Walker, this is Ren Laidlaw,
member of my staff.
458
00:31:32,020 --> 00:31:35,000
Laidlaw is an accountant by trade.
459
00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:37,980
I've never met a woman accountant.
460
00:31:38,540 --> 00:31:40,760
Adler is one of the first in the country
to qualify.
461
00:31:41,520 --> 00:31:42,560
So now you have.
462
00:31:46,140 --> 00:31:48,300
The Stanley was hit.
463
00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:53,260
We can't be sure exactly where the e
-boat fired from, but they fired from
464
00:31:53,260 --> 00:31:54,820
outside the convoy in.
465
00:31:55,020 --> 00:31:57,120
The ship is hit.
466
00:31:57,420 --> 00:31:59,620
They escaped by motoring along the
surface.
467
00:32:00,380 --> 00:32:06,000
On the order Buttercup, all escort ships
turn outward, away from the convoy,
468
00:32:06,020 --> 00:32:07,080
full speed.
469
00:32:07,870 --> 00:32:09,290
chased down the fleeing sun.
470
00:32:09,810 --> 00:32:12,730
Sir, how can you see the U -boats?
471
00:32:13,210 --> 00:32:15,170
The attack was at night, wasn't it?
472
00:32:16,390 --> 00:32:18,570
We fire starshells.
473
00:32:20,070 --> 00:32:21,550
Flares of light up the sea.
474
00:32:23,210 --> 00:32:29,070
We search for 20 minutes. If we spot a U
-boat, we destroy them.
475
00:32:33,670 --> 00:32:36,050
Find that damned hut and sink it.
476
00:32:36,870 --> 00:32:38,270
Buttercup! Stop it!
477
00:32:43,550 --> 00:32:45,010
Come into our little trap.
478
00:32:51,250 --> 00:32:52,250
With that, you're out.
479
00:33:02,470 --> 00:33:03,890
But the cup has prevailed.
480
00:33:07,660 --> 00:33:08,760
There is but a gun.
481
00:33:09,280 --> 00:33:10,420
And it works?
482
00:33:11,980 --> 00:33:16,880
My dear, we only lost two convoy ships.
483
00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:23,600
I personally thank two U -boats, and
three more were hit by other forces
484
00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:24,600
my command.
485
00:33:24,860 --> 00:33:31,740
Sir, HG -76 had 16 escort ships
protecting
486
00:33:31,740 --> 00:33:33,620
32 merchant vessels.
487
00:33:34,020 --> 00:33:35,800
Is that a heavy escort?
488
00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:38,040
Well, no.
489
00:33:38,740 --> 00:33:44,060
More than most North Atlantic convoys,
but sailing out of Gibraltar, if you
490
00:33:44,060 --> 00:33:46,920
don't go in heavy, then you're asking
for trouble.
491
00:33:47,520 --> 00:33:49,740
And how many escort ships were lost?
492
00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:53,680
Two escorts.
493
00:33:54,620 --> 00:33:57,180
Including the aircraft carrier HMS
Audacity.
494
00:34:02,420 --> 00:34:04,520
But a cup works.
495
00:34:05,340 --> 00:34:06,540
We thank...
496
00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:07,940
Five euros.
497
00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:13,380
Admiral Noble even asked me to write it
up for the escort group operational
498
00:34:13,380 --> 00:34:14,380
instructions.
499
00:34:15,100 --> 00:34:16,100
Yes.
500
00:34:17,800 --> 00:34:18,800
So I understand.
501
00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:21,600
Thank you.
502
00:34:22,020 --> 00:34:26,880
Everything they tried previously just
failed. And so this was really the first
503
00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:29,739
glimmer of success. I mean, it was a
success.
504
00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:37,659
Walker manages to sink two U -boats
himself and three others were sunk in
505
00:34:37,659 --> 00:34:38,659
whole operation.
506
00:34:38,820 --> 00:34:40,719
But it was very, very costly.
507
00:34:56,880 --> 00:35:01,260
Everything's in place. Roberts has got
his gang. He's got his bits.
508
00:35:01,550 --> 00:35:05,770
in order to make his game work. He's got
detailed battle plans so he can work
509
00:35:05,770 --> 00:35:10,030
out what the U -boats have been doing
and to help him, he's got his team of
510
00:35:10,030 --> 00:35:14,450
brilliant minds, these young, dependable
women from all sorts of backgrounds.
511
00:35:25,160 --> 00:35:28,380
Vera Lawton Matthews must be incredibly
proud.
512
00:35:28,620 --> 00:35:33,120
She's handpicked these young women
herself, and these women are not being
513
00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:38,180
to do rather menial tasks of answering
phones or driving cars.
514
00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:45,320
This was taking the fight to the enemy
and spearheading a mission to save lives
515
00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:46,320
at sea.
516
00:35:46,700 --> 00:35:51,940
This was using grey matter, women's grey
matter.
517
00:35:54,100 --> 00:35:55,260
Lorenz, let's make a start.
518
00:35:55,680 --> 00:35:59,260
Welcome to the Western Approaches
Tactical Unit.
519
00:36:00,020 --> 00:36:01,340
Watson, for short.
520
00:36:01,860 --> 00:36:02,860
Thank you very much.
521
00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:05,480
Janitor Kell.
522
00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:09,940
Sir, I'm so sorry I'm late. I took a
wrong turn and then another and another
523
00:36:09,940 --> 00:36:12,120
I couldn't find my way back. It's all
right.
524
00:36:12,460 --> 00:36:13,460
I'm so sorry, sir.
525
00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:16,620
And I don't have a uniform yet.
526
00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:18,580
That's fine. I'm glad you could join us.
527
00:36:18,780 --> 00:36:20,040
The uniforms are here.
528
00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:21,940
Please, collect yours.
529
00:36:23,790 --> 00:36:26,690
This is Chief Yeoman Rayner. He worked
with me at Portsmouth.
530
00:36:27,330 --> 00:36:29,250
He knows the game inside out.
531
00:36:30,790 --> 00:36:32,330
Sir, this isn't a Ren's uniform.
532
00:36:33,270 --> 00:36:35,170
Well, you'll be working a lot on the
floor.
533
00:36:35,950 --> 00:36:36,950
Sir?
534
00:36:37,770 --> 00:36:39,910
Measuring on your hands and knees and so
on.
535
00:36:40,330 --> 00:36:44,810
Sir, for this work, the standard skirt
isn't exactly appropriate.
536
00:36:45,270 --> 00:36:46,810
We're wearing the trousers now.
537
00:36:48,790 --> 00:36:49,790
Indeed.
538
00:36:51,830 --> 00:36:56,090
Ladies, if we lose the Battle of the
Atlantic, we lose the war.
539
00:36:57,010 --> 00:37:00,350
Our job is to find a way to think the U
-boat.
540
00:37:01,050 --> 00:37:04,890
But before we can do this, we need to
decipher Dönitz's tactics.
541
00:37:05,950 --> 00:37:07,910
That is what we will do here.
542
00:37:08,770 --> 00:37:14,330
By playing through scenarios and
recreating battles in a war game.
543
00:37:16,610 --> 00:37:17,730
This is our board.
544
00:37:18,490 --> 00:37:20,310
A block for the convoy.
545
00:37:21,130 --> 00:37:23,270
Model 6 for the escorts.
546
00:37:26,550 --> 00:37:31,010
The players are divided into U -boat
captains and escort commanders.
547
00:37:31,370 --> 00:37:36,790
Now, the escort commanders stand behind
these screens and view the board through
548
00:37:36,790 --> 00:37:37,790
these lenses.
549
00:37:38,390 --> 00:37:45,330
Ren Drake, would you... How
550
00:37:45,330 --> 00:37:46,590
much of the board can you see?
551
00:37:47,510 --> 00:37:48,950
No, I can't see anything.
552
00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:52,880
Ah, yes.
553
00:37:52,940 --> 00:37:53,940
Bit of a problem.
554
00:37:55,640 --> 00:38:00,200
How about now? What can you see?
555
00:38:01,460 --> 00:38:03,500
Not much. Just a few models.
556
00:38:04,100 --> 00:38:05,160
Just like at sea?
557
00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:09,140
Exactly. It mimics limited visibility.
558
00:38:09,860 --> 00:38:13,440
Just like a convoy, stretched for miles
across the ocean.
559
00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:16,180
And the U -boat captain, Commander
Roberts?
560
00:38:16,500 --> 00:38:20,020
The U -boat captain sits at the high
table.
561
00:38:21,550 --> 00:38:23,450
There isn't a model for the U -boat.
562
00:38:23,750 --> 00:38:26,030
No. Yes, but can't see the U -boat.
563
00:38:26,390 --> 00:38:27,390
Just I could see.
564
00:38:28,050 --> 00:38:30,010
So how do we plot their position, sir?
565
00:38:31,490 --> 00:38:32,490
Brown chalk.
566
00:38:38,850 --> 00:38:41,390
Drake, can you see the U -boat track?
567
00:38:42,210 --> 00:38:43,210
Not a thing, sir.
568
00:38:44,130 --> 00:38:45,130
Brown on brown.
569
00:38:45,790 --> 00:38:46,790
Thank you, Drake.
570
00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:54,580
An adjudicator hands action events to
the players written on these chips.
571
00:38:54,900 --> 00:38:56,140
You bet contacts.
572
00:38:56,720 --> 00:39:00,140
Aircraft sightings. Azdic pings. Chips
torpedoed.
573
00:39:00,580 --> 00:39:03,780
The players are then given two minutes
to make their move.
574
00:39:04,560 --> 00:39:08,800
They write down their instructions on
these movement chips.
575
00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:10,680
Core. Speed.
576
00:39:11,940 --> 00:39:12,940
Azdic sweep.
577
00:39:13,540 --> 00:39:14,820
Depth charges dropped.
578
00:39:17,610 --> 00:39:20,250
Then they hand them back in silence so
the opposition doesn't know their
579
00:39:20,250 --> 00:39:21,250
intention.
580
00:39:21,470 --> 00:39:24,190
And the plotters move the models.
581
00:39:26,070 --> 00:39:28,730
The aim of the game is to sink the U
-bats.
582
00:39:30,310 --> 00:39:36,370
And the battle report we'll start with
is convoy HG -76.
583
00:39:38,650 --> 00:39:39,650
Buttercup.
584
00:39:43,370 --> 00:39:47,470
Despite the Royal Navy's confidence that
ship -mounted radar and better
585
00:39:47,470 --> 00:39:52,130
intelligence will turn the tide against
the U -boats, they're still sinking
586
00:39:52,130 --> 00:39:55,410
ships faster than Britain can build
them.
587
00:39:57,850 --> 00:40:00,350
More and more U -boats keep coming.
588
00:40:01,430 --> 00:40:07,130
Donuts developed the idea that 100 U
-boats on active patrol in the North
589
00:40:07,130 --> 00:40:10,730
Atlantic could all but shut down
transatlantic shipping.
590
00:40:13,360 --> 00:40:19,440
In April 1941, Dönitz had only 28 U
-boats hunting at any one time.
591
00:40:21,180 --> 00:40:25,940
By the beginning of 1942, that number
has exploded.
592
00:40:26,720 --> 00:40:28,600
How many boats do we have at sea?
593
00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:31,060
88, Herr Admiral.
594
00:40:31,300 --> 00:40:32,300
88.
595
00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:36,660
That's close to the hundred we need to
shut down the Atlantic.
596
00:40:43,440 --> 00:40:46,080
What is the monthly tally from group
Parkenschlag?
597
00:40:46,500 --> 00:40:47,500
Parkenschlag?
598
00:40:47,920 --> 00:40:50,580
A five U -boat wolf pack.
599
00:40:51,280 --> 00:40:56,960
23 merchant ships sunk for 150 ,000 tons
in the last month.
600
00:40:57,280 --> 00:40:59,160
And they ran out of torpedoes.
601
00:41:02,680 --> 00:41:04,800
But they are just five U -boats.
602
00:41:10,540 --> 00:41:12,280
This is a feeding frenzy.
603
00:41:15,980 --> 00:41:19,060
They are gorging themselves off the
coast of America.
604
00:41:27,740 --> 00:41:28,740
Fire!
605
00:41:34,220 --> 00:41:39,180
The German U -boat crews are having a
field day off the American east coast.
606
00:41:39,840 --> 00:41:44,940
There were so many available targets
that U -boat skippers could pick out the
607
00:41:44,940 --> 00:41:46,620
ones that they thought would be most
useful.
608
00:41:47,540 --> 00:41:54,380
It led to a kind of specialization on
hunting tankers, the
609
00:41:54,380 --> 00:41:59,840
most valuable prices, because fuel meant
war.
610
00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:10,640
Britain's war machine runs on oil and
very little oil is making it across the
611
00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:13,040
Atlantic. Without fuel, Britain dies.
612
00:42:13,300 --> 00:42:15,020
The war effort stops.
613
00:42:18,140 --> 00:42:20,580
This is a very productive hunting
ground.
614
00:42:22,840 --> 00:42:24,320
Let's go for the jugular.
615
00:42:32,580 --> 00:42:36,260
With everything in place, Roberts and
his team begin.
616
00:42:36,560 --> 00:42:42,140
And the first thing that they're going
to do is look at Buttercup and the HG
617
00:42:42,140 --> 00:42:43,160
convoy engagement.
618
00:42:44,700 --> 00:42:48,660
The first time that they actually set up
for the war games, they don't play a
619
00:42:48,660 --> 00:42:49,660
game itself.
620
00:42:50,380 --> 00:42:55,500
This exercise is really for Roberts to
get all of the ducks in a row, all the
621
00:42:55,500 --> 00:42:58,440
pieces on the board, to figure out what
actually happened.
622
00:42:58,860 --> 00:43:01,760
every single thing they know, step by
step.
623
00:43:02,120 --> 00:43:03,860
Where did the convoy go?
624
00:43:04,120 --> 00:43:06,800
Where were the escorts? Where were the U
-boats sunk?
625
00:43:07,380 --> 00:43:12,100
It provides Roberts and his team with a
bird's -eye view, and that is going to
626
00:43:12,100 --> 00:43:16,240
give them a real advantage in
understanding what went right on the
627
00:43:16,240 --> 00:43:20,300
Royal Navy, but also what the German U
-boats themselves are most likely doing.
628
00:43:21,320 --> 00:43:22,320
Excellent.
629
00:43:25,580 --> 00:43:26,580
Let's begin.
630
00:43:29,140 --> 00:43:30,580
Convoy HG76.
631
00:43:31,460 --> 00:43:35,860
32 merchant ships with an escort screen
of 16 ships.
632
00:43:36,260 --> 00:43:38,540
The escorts form a protective perimeter.
633
00:43:40,260 --> 00:43:42,700
Merchant ship is hit. What position?
634
00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:44,380
The merchant ship, sir.
635
00:43:44,760 --> 00:43:47,320
Not the escort HMS Stanley.
636
00:43:47,840 --> 00:43:50,100
No, the merchant ships are on lifeblood.
637
00:43:50,300 --> 00:43:51,840
I want to see how they're targeted.
638
00:43:53,040 --> 00:43:56,200
The SS Anivore. Convoy position 53.
639
00:43:57,080 --> 00:43:58,320
Fifth column, third ship.
640
00:44:01,760 --> 00:44:02,760
Now what?
641
00:44:03,760 --> 00:44:05,700
Commander Walker orders Buttercup.
642
00:44:05,960 --> 00:44:11,920
The escort turn outwards at full speed
and fire star cells to illuminate the
643
00:44:11,920 --> 00:44:12,920
sky.
644
00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:17,160
They speed away from the convoy to try
to spot the U -boat.
645
00:44:18,460 --> 00:44:23,520
Walker manages to sink a U -boat earlier
at the rear of the convoy. A stern of
646
00:44:23,520 --> 00:44:24,098
the convoy.
647
00:44:24,100 --> 00:44:25,100
A stern.
648
00:44:34,740 --> 00:44:35,740
Good.
649
00:44:36,720 --> 00:44:38,240
At least one U -boat down.
650
00:44:39,420 --> 00:44:43,140
Proof of the attack from outside the
convoy, like Commander Walker said.
651
00:44:50,880 --> 00:44:51,880
Is something wrong?
652
00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:55,140
The merchant ship has hit in the centre.
653
00:44:57,240 --> 00:44:58,340
Can they even hit?
654
00:45:00,440 --> 00:45:01,840
What's the range of a torpedo?
655
00:45:07,690 --> 00:45:08,770
Leave the board as is.
656
00:45:09,230 --> 00:45:10,490
I need to make a phone call.
657
00:45:21,590 --> 00:45:24,210
Operator. Flag office, submarines,
London.
658
00:45:24,770 --> 00:45:25,770
Connecting you now.
659
00:45:26,730 --> 00:45:29,270
Robert has an old friend who's based at
submarine command.
660
00:45:29,750 --> 00:45:32,550
So he puts in a call to his surprise.
661
00:45:33,260 --> 00:45:36,120
It's answered by the commander
submarines for the Royal Navy.
662
00:45:36,420 --> 00:45:37,740
That's Sir Max Horton.
663
00:45:41,380 --> 00:45:42,380
Admiral Horton.
664
00:45:45,300 --> 00:45:47,820
Apologies, sir. I was hoping to speak
with your chief of staff.
665
00:45:49,440 --> 00:45:51,340
Captain McIntyre isn't present.
666
00:45:52,020 --> 00:45:54,520
He threw to the flag officer himself.
Who is this?
667
00:45:54,860 --> 00:45:56,020
Now, Max Horton...
668
00:45:56,380 --> 00:46:00,780
is a big deal he is the head of the
royal navy's submarine arm he was a
669
00:46:00,780 --> 00:46:05,460
submariner in world war one he knows
everything there is to know about
670
00:46:05,460 --> 00:46:11,320
warfare sir it's commander roberts of
the western approaches tactical unit
671
00:46:11,320 --> 00:46:18,080
i wanted to speak with captain mcintyre
on submarine tactics i served in subs
672
00:46:18,080 --> 00:46:21,740
during the first war what do you need oh
thank you sir
673
00:46:23,080 --> 00:46:25,900
What is the range of a German torpedo?
674
00:46:26,700 --> 00:46:27,900
The G7E.
675
00:46:29,040 --> 00:46:31,980
Roughly 5 ,400 yards, but that's the
limit.
676
00:46:32,820 --> 00:46:33,820
Effective range.
677
00:46:34,060 --> 00:46:35,280
Expect to halve that.
678
00:46:35,660 --> 00:46:40,840
Now, remember the ship that was sunk in
HG -76?
679
00:46:41,120 --> 00:46:46,180
That ship was in the middle of a convoy.
A convoy is 10 ,000 yards across. I
680
00:46:46,180 --> 00:46:47,220
mean, how does that make sense?
681
00:46:48,780 --> 00:46:50,060
Commander, are you still there?
682
00:46:51,660 --> 00:46:52,660
Yes, sir.
683
00:46:53,420 --> 00:46:54,780
One more thing, if I may.
684
00:46:55,460 --> 00:47:00,220
During the first war, would you ever
fire from inside the convoy?
685
00:47:01,540 --> 00:47:02,540
Of course.
686
00:47:03,500 --> 00:47:05,140
It's the only way of being accurate.
687
00:47:08,220 --> 00:47:09,220
Inside.
688
00:47:11,580 --> 00:47:12,820
That bloody one inside.
689
00:47:15,420 --> 00:47:17,420
Robert, does this answer your question?
690
00:47:18,320 --> 00:47:19,320
Yes, sir.
691
00:47:19,620 --> 00:47:20,640
More than you can know.
692
00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:32,900
Commander Walker, the Royal Navy, they
all believe the U -boats fire from
693
00:47:32,900 --> 00:47:34,460
outside the convoy, but what if they're
wrong?
694
00:47:35,980 --> 00:47:37,760
What if they're firing from inside?
695
00:47:40,260 --> 00:47:41,840
The U -boats Walker sank.
696
00:47:43,120 --> 00:47:45,480
It would mean Buttercup is based on a
false assumption.
697
00:47:47,340 --> 00:47:50,680
The Royal Navy are relying on luck to
protect the convoys.
698
00:47:53,840 --> 00:47:57,760
The Navy knew all along, but they forgot
they knew.
699
00:48:01,100 --> 00:48:02,600
Is that Donitz's master tactic?
700
00:48:09,540 --> 00:48:10,540
It's getting late.
701
00:48:10,960 --> 00:48:13,360
Well, Drake, you're dismissed for the
evening. Get some sleep.
702
00:48:14,240 --> 00:48:17,800
I want you to stay.
703
00:48:18,720 --> 00:48:19,940
As long as you need, sir.
704
00:48:20,880 --> 00:48:23,380
We need to work out how the Yibbets are
getting inside the convoy.
705
00:48:25,800 --> 00:48:27,920
And find a tactic to destroy them.
706
00:48:30,190 --> 00:48:35,230
Mein Fuhrer, I can strike a decisive
blow, but I need more U -boats.
707
00:48:37,530 --> 00:48:38,630
U -boat destroyed.
708
00:48:39,050 --> 00:48:40,050
Oh.
709
00:48:40,990 --> 00:48:42,010
Run the game again.
710
00:48:42,230 --> 00:48:43,290
We need to be sure.
711
00:48:43,730 --> 00:48:45,610
Who devised this tactic?
712
00:48:46,390 --> 00:48:47,790
Ren Jean Nadel, sir.
713
00:48:48,030 --> 00:48:50,050
And do you have a name for it?
714
00:48:52,250 --> 00:48:56,310
Raspberry. As in blowing a raspberry at
Hitler, sir?
715
00:48:56,630 --> 00:48:58,050
Well, let's hope it works at sea.
716
00:48:58,730 --> 00:49:01,210
Because now Durnick has his 300 U
-boats.
717
00:49:02,150 --> 00:49:07,230
And he'll be hell -bent in using them to
turn the Atlantic into a convoy
718
00:49:07,230 --> 00:49:08,230
graveyard.
719
00:49:09,810 --> 00:49:11,710
Imagine the carnage we will sow.
53988
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