NOVA - Hitler's Lost Sub
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DVD Cover Information
Brand: Wgbh WholesaleDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 120 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-11-09
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS
Movie Reviews of NOVA - Hitler's Lost Sub
Movie Review: A Truly Stunning Documentary
Summary: 5 Stars
"Hitler's Lost Sub" is one of the best "Nova" productions in history. The episode traces the quest to determine the identity of a German U-Boat that had been sunk off the coast of the US during World War Two, and was heretofore completely unknown.
The documentary details the history of the German underwater boat program, and introduces the viewers to the perils of deep water diving. (Three divers died on this wreck.) The principal divers profiled are veterans John Chatterton and Richie Kohler who explain their methodical plans for exploring the wreck to determine the identity of the U-Boat. Both divers took extreme care not to disturb human remains (which were plentiful) although doing so would have likely lead them to a much quicker wreck identification, as personal artifacts commingled with the remains are often the easiest to trace.
The question of which U-Boat it is turns out to be extraordinarily difficult to answer, and ultimately requires the divers, and particularly Chatterton to take extraordinary risks to answer the question. Eventually the wreck turns out to be U-869, supposedly sunk off North Africa, though in fact it is very close to New Jersey. The divers research the chain of events that lead the U-869 to a place neither the Germans nor the allies knew it was. Also expounded on is the most likely methodology of the sinking, although the documentary makes clear that in some people's minds the exact cause of the U-869's death is still in question.
This episode of "Nova" is superb both in compelling storytelling and in technical explanations, and I was particularly impressed with the sensitive handling of interviews of relatives of the U-869 crew. I was even more impressed that the divers took it on themselves to personally contact the families and inform them of the fate of their loved ones, a fate that they had not known since World War Two.
I recommend that viewers read the fine book "Shadow Divers" by Robert Kurson, which is equally gripping and covers this material in greater detail, preferably prior to watching the documentary. This is an example of what documentary films should be, and I recommend it to everyone.
Summary of NOVA - Hitler's Lost Sub
The true story behind the cataclysmic World War II naval battle that took place just off American shores.1941. America had just entered World War II, but terrifying unseen weapons were stalking US targets, sinking over 400 ships just miles from American shores in the worst naval defeat in United States history. The stealthy predators were German U-boats, Hitler?s deadly warships of the deep. It was cataclysmic?with bodies and wreckage washed ashore on the eastern seaboard. But the Allies ultimately triumphed, sinking over 700 enemy submarines.
Fifty years later, the personal drama behind this wartime state of siege resurfaced when a team of divers discovered an unidentified German U-boat deep in the waters off the New Jersey coast. What boat was it? And what secret mission brought it there? The divers embarked on a dangerous, six-year quest to uncover the secret of the mysterious wreck. Three divers lost their lives in the search, but the clues uncovered have shed remarkable new light on the struggles and triumphs from this undersea war.
There?s more in this spectacular two-hour video journey. Trace the history of submarines and undersea warfare from the American Revolution through World War II, and tour the sophisticated?and cramped?interior of a captured U-boat. Dive in dangerous waters with deep sea detectives as they attempt to retrieve clues that will reveal the decaying U-boat?s identity. See how the breaking of secret Nazi codes by the Allies altered the outcome of the war?and helped unravel the mystery behind this German U-boat. And finally, travel to Germany with the divers as they rewrite a part of World War II history, bring closure to families of the lost crew and discover how one man?s life was spared.
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