Product Description
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The Heavy Water War depicts one of the most exciting stories
from the World War II - the Nazis' efforts to develop an atom
bomb and the Allies' desperate struggle to prevent it from
happening. The series starts in Stockholm in 1933 as German
scientist Werner Heisenberg is awarded the Nobel Prize in
Physics, and although considered "unreliable" by the Nazis, he is
allowed into the secret Nazi nuclear energy project,
'Uranverein.' Heisenberg's work reveals that the atom bomb can
only be made with the use of heavy water, which could be produced
in sufficient quantities by the Norsk Hydro factory in Rjukan,
Norway. After Norwegian professor Leif Tronstad catches wind of
Germany's interest in heavy water, he escapes to England to
enlist Allied help in thwarting the plan. Despite numerous
sabotage attempts by the Allies against the factory, the atomic
research continues and Heisenberg brags in a speech that the
Germans will soon have a bomb no larger than a pineapple that
will destroy London. Featuring leading English, Norwegian and
German actors, The Heavy Water War portrays real characters in
this true-life story of an epic struggle, the outcome of which
will determine the future of Europe.
Review
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Meet Heisenberg not Walter White, but the original: Werner the
German theoretical physicist, he of the uncertainty principle.
Here he is collecting his Nobel prize, in 1932. And later, at the
outset of war, being accused by a y SS officer of terrible
crimes such as not hating Jews, and camping and swimming with
other boys in his youth, before being signed up to the German
nuclear weapons project. Saboteurs (More4) has Heisenberg as a
somewhat reluctant member of the Uranium Club. He is not a
saboteur, of course. Theyre the people who are going to wreck the
in occupied Norway whose heavy water Heisenberg and his
bomb-making chums want. In Norway, Leif Tronstad, scientist,
heavy-water expert and soon to be intelligence officer, is going
to be a saboteur. And in London, Colonel John Wilson and Captain
Julie Smith are going to be saboteurs. Captain Julie (Anna Friel,
below) will attack the enemy with a hockey stick, probably. Thats
where were heading here, I think: Operations Grouse, Freshmen and
nerside; plucky allied heroes gliding by night into icy
northern places; heroes of Telemark, possibly. Certainly, Im
expecting/hoping for cross-country Scandinavian skiing. And
because this six-part television mini-series, like those wartime
operations, is a collaboration Norwegian, Danish, British it
looks at those events from a broad perspective. Not just goodies
(allies) v baddies (Germans), it paints a more complex,
interesting picture. Its probably the shows Nordicness that
allows it to focus on characters, and even a little light quantum
physics, rather than just diving into the action. There is a
raid, at the start, but it turns out to be a practice run. Then
its back a few years, to Germany and Norway, to find out what it
was all about. Ill leave it to people who are more in the know to
approve, or contest, Saboteurs historical accuracy. As TV,
though, its intriguing, exciting and involving, even in three
different languages. My only moan is a minor one, about a prop.
The Austin FX4 London cab came into service in 1958. So what the
hell is one doing dropping Leif off here, 17 years earlier? Taxi
for whoevers responsible. Otherwise very good, carry on. --The
Guardian