SUBMARINE WARFARE: NAVY'S MOST DEADLY WEAPON
VHS

For those not familiar with US Navy Submarine Operations in WWII, this documentary is an excellent introduction. The United States Submarine Service was responsible for placing the United States in a winning position. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Cdr. Murray announced to his submarine skippers as they headed out on the hunt, ". . . the submarines are all we have left." These submarines eventually would destroy the Japanese merchant fleet and cripple the Japanese Navy. 2% of the United States Navy, the Submarine Force was responsible for sinking 55% of all Japanese ships that were sunk. Japan was fast running out of fuel, war materials and everything else their Island nation required to keep the war going.

These Submarines also helped locate the fleet for the surface ships, rescue downed pilots and all while operating on their own. We lost 52 submarines, submarines that continue on eternal patrol today. Their memories are kept alive by memorial submarines around the United States and by Submarine Veterans from all eras who "Toll the Bells" for their lost shipmates.

This video is a tremendous testament to those valiant men of WWII. Gil Raynor, SS, USN Retired

ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE
VHS

Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines changed the total force requirements for Anti-Submarine Warfare. Today's force requires a combination of both Naval air and sea forces to track and attack enemy submarines that can stay submerged for months at a time. Watch as the U.S. Navy trains and prepares to defeat this enemy below. See P-2V and P-3 Orion patrol the waters of both oceans as hunter killer teams stand ready to pounce and destroy the enemy. Watch as the venerable S-2 Trackers take up their position and work jointly with fleet helicopters to maintain a constant vigil for enemy submarines. This is a two part program that gives you the complete picture and exciting adventure of the danger of "Red October".

SUBMARINE: STEEL BOATS, IRON MEN
VHS

Everyday, American submariners go down below the waves for months at a time on submarine patrols. Steel Boats Iron Men is the only film where the US Navy allowed filmmakers to go down with them. The film presents a never before seen look inside a state of the art nuclear powered submarine on patrol. It shows, in extraordinary detail, the daily ordinary and extraordinary lives of submariners. You will see things in this film that you have never seen before. The filmmakers also spent time trying to understand the character and personality that allows someone to become a submariner. They looked at training, family life, background, etc. The viewer visits a wet trainer at Sub School to see what these submariners must endure before they ever climb inside one of these remarkable ships. Who are these men, who liv e confined in a steel tube deep in the ocean for months at a time, surrounded by a hostile environment, in constant danger? What do they do and why do they do it? Steel Boats: Iron Men ran on prime-time public television and received one of the highest ratings of the year. Now you can enjoy this experience at home. Steel Boats, Iron Men captured the essence of submarining: the people their heritage, training, dedication, fierce competitiveness and immense personal and professional pride. A most enjoyable film which should appeal to all ages in all walks of life. Captain John Vick, USN Submarine Captain (Retired).



A CENTURY OF SILENT SERVICE
VHS

100 Years of US Submarine History This program, hosted by President Carter, a former submariner, is the history of US Submarines told by the men who served aboard them. The program traces the development of the submarine force from the gasoline fueled USS Holland to the nuclear powered submarines of the 21st century. Submarine admirals, officers, and enlisted men describe their experiences, from the sinking of the US submarine Squalus, and WWII war patrols to the cruise millile attacks on Kosovo. They tell a remarkable story of courage and sacrifice-the story of "A Century of Silent Service"

VHS

Nova is spending their funding well! Alone this is an excellent documentary on the subject of U-boat operations primarily on the east coast of the US during WWII. It includes extensive background information along with interviews with surviving crew members of the U-boat fleet. Additionally, I can not more strongly recommend this as a *must see* companion to two excellent books: "Operation Drumbeat" by Michael Gannon and "The Last Dive" by Bernie Chowdhury. Amazon.com Review

U-BOAT WAR COLLECTION
VHS, DVD

If you are looking for an excellent all encompassing documentary of the U-boat war in the Atlantic during WWII you MUST order this 3 tape set. Not only is this video historically and technically very accurate, but it is also captivating, almost like a story, rather than a documentary. In addition, it contains some of the best interviews with historians and people who actually lived through this struggle I've ever seen. I guarantee you will be moved to tears by their words at least once per tape, the accounts are that good! Finally, the musical score is excellent and adds a lot to the emotional aspect of the films, particularly as each tape ends with an excellent concluding statement. Overall, if you need a good documentary to show to students on the battle of the north Atlantic, or are just interested in the topic and want to learn more, or just want a great historical tale that will move to tears you many times, order U-boat WAR!

WORLD WAR II BATTLEFORCE: U-BOAT
VHS

Perhaps no weapon was more feared in World War II than the German Kriegsmarine's U-boat, the shadowy black submarines that preyed on Allied shipping. This documentary opens with the ghostly image of the battered hull of a U-boat sunk on the next-to-last day of the war. Awaiting restoration at a Liverpool dry dock, the battered and rusted sub still evokes the deadly danger that permeated the minds of sailors for much of the war. During what German submarine crews called "The Happy Time," the early war years, the U-boats attacked mercilessly and with terrifying surprise. The documentary examines the evolving role of the U-boat in the war, including innovative design refinements and tactical deployments. Receiving attention are also the dogged and ingenious Allied efforts to hunt and destroy the U-boats. The fearsome "Wolf Packs" of U-boats steadily lost their effectiveness after 1943, and during the final two years of the war, thanks to Allied planes and ships that hunted the U-boats with considerable help from brilliant code breakers, shipping out on a German submarine was practically a suicide mission, as hundreds of U-boats and thousands of their crewmen were sent to deep ocean graves. The story of the U-boats is succinctly told in this documentary, which makes good use of archival footage presented with highly informative narration. --Robert J. McNamara
 

U-234: HITLER'S LAST U-BOAT
VHS

U-234: HITLER'S LAST SUBMARINE This meticulous recreation of U-234's final voyage sheds new light onto one of World War Two's enduring mysteries. Departing Germany in late March 1945, U-234's mission was to deliver cutting-edge German military technology to Japan; its payload included V-2 rocket and jet fighter components, and about 1,200 pounds of uranium oxide – a key ingredient in Japan's own atomic weapons program. After weeks of evading Allied attacks, the ship's crew surrendered to the U.S. Navy upon learning of Germany's defeat; the ship was escorted to an American port and its cargo carefully scrutinized. The uranium oxide however quickly vanished without a trace. One of this film's key revelations comes from Major John Lansdale, a Manhattan Project official who apparently confiscated the uranium for America's own bomb-building program; he and others argue persuasively that U-234's uranium shipment, intended by Germany for its Japanese ally, was ultimately delivered by America, in the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Combining sharp archival detail with exhaustive interviews – including U-234 crew and officers, the Manhattan Project's Hans Bethe, Lansdale and others – this film provides powerful answers to one of the war's most intriguing chapters. USA/Germany, 2001, B&W/Color, 56 minutes, English commentary.

WAR ZONE: WW II OFF NORTH CAROLINA'S OUTER BANKS (PART I)
VHS

WAR ZONE, by North Carolina filmmaker Kevin Duffus, is two 90 minute videos of archival footage and contemporary interviews showing Outer Banks people and scenes, war action at sea and the personal stories of witnesses and victims of the German U-boat assault along the East coast of the United States in 1942 with its epicenter at Cape Hatteras.

WAR ZONE: WW II OF NORTH CAROLINA'S OUTER BANKS (PART II)
VHS

In April of 1942, a pivotal theatre of WWII was centered just ten miles off the coast of North Carolina at the tip of Diamond Shoals near Cape Hatteras. Ships were sunk by German U-boats at a rate of one per day. Lifeboats and wreckage ferrying forlorn victims floated out to sea and many vanished without a trace.

War Zone Part Two portrays how life was altered when war was waged on Outer Bankers' doorsteps. Learn the truth behind decades old urban legends of German spies, sympathizers and saboteurs. Featured is an eyewitness account of the almost calamitous first engagement between a U-boat and a U.S. Navy destroyer. Experience the surprising reactions of American servicemen toward enemy sailors when U-boats are finally sunk off the Outer Banks.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: SUBMARINE I-52
VHS

This documentary from National Geographic tells the fascinating story of an enormous Japanese submarine that was carrying a cargo of gold to Nazi Germany late in World War II. American torpedo bombers ambushed it and sent the sub to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Decades later, an American treasure hunter, Paul Tidwell, learned of sub I-52 while conducting research in the U.S. National Archives. Tidwell's original intent was to raise the gold, and he spent years finding investors for the elaborate search and salvage expeditions chronicled in this video. Yet, as a decorated Vietnam vet, he also has a keen interest in military history, and he located American Navy veterans who participated in the sinking of the sub in 1944. The American vets accompanied the expedition to the submarine, and Tidwell later brought artifacts from the wreck to family members of the sub's doomed crew in Japan. The attempt to salvage the gold from the I-52 was troubled, and the documentary is candid in displaying the tensions aboard ship. Deep below the waves, the shattered hull of the submarine is the subject of some magnificent underwater filming, which is full of touches to be expected from National Geographic, such as a stunning close-up of deck guns on the submarine that are now covered with delicate sea anemones. --Robert J. McNamara

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