Nazis, U-boats and the Battle for the Atlantic
2025 · BBC iPlayer · 59 min · 1 season
S01E02 · Episode 2
Thu, 20 Mar, 10:40 am
World War II's longest campaign was fought in the Atlantic Ocean. Hitler's U-boats hunted in packs, chasing down the convoys which were bringing vital supplies to Britain. Churchill wrote that his greatest fear in the entirety of the war was the U-boat peril, and by the beginning of 1943, the Germans had the upper hand at sea. However, through a combination of new tactics, weaponry and heroic convoy commanders, the Allied forces began to fight back. Throughout, the port of Derry played a pivotal role as the UK's most westerly base. Historians explore the story of a group of Irish merchant seamen who found themselves captured and enslaved in the horror of a Nazi labour camp.
About
It was the longest campaign of World War 2 – the Battle of the Atlantic. Between 1939 to 1945 more than 100,000 lives were lost at sea and it brought Britain to the brink of defeat.
At the heart of the battle against the U-boat killing machines of the Kriegsmarine – the German navy - was a small city in Northern Ireland, Londonderry, and the port of Lisahally on the River Foyle.
80 years on, in a new BBC series, experts re-examine some of the pivotal moments of this critical battle. It follows a specialist team who dive into history 20 miles off the north coast of Ireland. The team rediscover the wrecks of some of the deadliest Nazi vessels who stalked the Atlantic convoys, now both resting at the bottom of the Atlantic. The series also unlocks hidden history, revealing unsung heroes and looks back at the human cost of war.
Episodes
- E01
Episode 1
Thu, 20 Mar· 59 minThe longest campaign of World War II was fought in the Atlantic Ocean. Tens of thousands of lives were lost as Hitler's U-boat fleet hunted in packs, chasing down the Allied convoys that brought vital supplies to Britain. The port of Derry played a vital role as the United Kingdom's most westerly base, and it was here that German U-boats were taken at the end of the war to officially surrender before being scuttled off Ireland's north west coast. A specialist team of deep-sea divers are now searching for these wrecks, while historians unravel the dramatic clashes and human cost of the opening stages of this epic battle at sea.
- E02
Episode 2
Thu, 20 Mar· 59 minWorld War II's longest campaign was fought in the Atlantic Ocean. Hitler's U-boats hunted in packs, chasing down the convoys which were bringing vital supplies to Britain. Churchill wrote that his greatest fear in the entirety of the war was the U-boat peril, and by the beginning of 1943, the Germans had the upper hand at sea. However, through a combination of new tactics, weaponry and heroic convoy commanders, the Allied forces began to fight back. Throughout, the port of Derry played a pivotal role as the UK's most westerly base. Historians explore the story of a group of Irish merchant seamen who found themselves captured and enslaved in the horror of a Nazi labour camp.
Cast
Michelle Fairley
Narrator