Original subtitles

We have Skinnarland on radio.

Haukelid and two local guys to execute the mission. They will place 19 pounds of high explosive below deck.

Something which ought to create an 11 square foot hole.

The ferry with all its cargo should go down in less than five minutes.

Too fast to get to shore before it sinks.

Right. Another attempt, another blast, another fuckload of people die.

That's war. There's a price to pay for success.

How successful were we, really?

We lost 41 men with Freshman. We sabotaged the factory and had it the Germans rebuild it in two months -

- and listened to the Yanks and bombed the entire valley. - All right.

And now...

...about to blow up a passenger ferry.

- Very successful. - It's war Julie, you told me...

The Heavy Water War: Stopping Hitler's Atomic Bomb

What the hell are you thinking?

The alternative is bombing again.

We're talking about 40-50 civilians. Plus even more reprisals.

Can't we blast it on the way down? Or after the ferry, out on the ocean?

- I estimate most of them will get to shore. - With the water temperature below freezing?

- They have two life boats. - What if the ferry sinks before that?

Then they swim.

And those who can't? The children and the elderly? What the hell are you thinking?

It's war, Jomar.

We can get rid of the heavy water once and for all.

- We don't have a choice! - I don't believe that.

What do we really know about the Germans? Do we know how far they have come?

I will try to find out.

Do that!

- Lise, are you looking forward to the concert? - Yes.

To hear Beethoven?

- Here you go. - Thank you.

- Concert on Saturday. - Thank you!

There's a concert on Saturday. Here you go.

Good afternoon. Ellen Henriksen. I'm arranging the concert.

- Arvid Fladmoe. - Kristoffer Kleive.

I hope you had a nice trip.

8 kg in the hull, close to the engines.

Approximately 45 minutes after departure.

Friday is the worst day. The ferry is always completely full on that day.

Did you hear what I said?

I'm not the one making the decisions.

Excuse me...

Yes, what is it?

We are moving.

What do you mean?

The factory is cutting back. There is no work for Rolf.

He got offered a position as a mechanic in Notodden.

And I got a job at the bag factory there.

What does Lise say to this? Does she want to go?

- We need money. - Yes of course, I'm sorry.

We leave this Friday.

- Friday? What about the concert? - No, it...

We were supposed to go together.

I'm going to see if we can postpone it, so that Lise can go to the concert.

That would be nice.

Sorry, I'm just being stupid.

Thanks.

It was a bit early!

Did you check about Friday?

Do you know anyone who can postpone the shipment? - Yes.

Do it by tomorrow, then we'll postpone until Sunday.

- Excuse me, Sir. - Tronstad.

- Have you got a minute? - Yes, what can I do for you?

How sure are we? How far down the line are they with the bomb?

Any new information I haven't got?

Well, we're never sure. We know that Werner Heisenberg gave Niels Bohr a sketch -

- that we thought for some time showed a bomb, but which is most likely to have been a reactor, as you thought.

But if you have a reactor you can make plutonium, if you have plutonium you can make a bomb.

We do not know if Heisenberg did it to warn us, to frighten us, to help us, or -

- just to impress.

And that's why we have to sink the shipment. Because we don't know.

We do know that Heisenberg regards heavy water as essential for his bomb project.

We're afraid. That's the reality.

There's something wrong with the critical mass.

We calculated one ton of uranium.

From the beginning.

The size of the core is approximately 1/10,000th of the atom itself.

The biggest part of the atom is empty space.

Before they collide with the core, the neutrons move freely several centimeters.

- Millimeters. - Several millimeters.

Even in a dense metal such as uranium.

We calculated to much uranium for a bomb to be possible. What was our starting point?

A lump of uranium the size of a pea.

Here, the neutrons surface -

- and just vanish without colliding with new cores.

With a bigger lump of uranium, every neutron reaches a new core.

- And a chain reaction starts. - That's correct.

Wrong.

For a bomb, a 10 kg lump of uranium should suffice.

10 kilograms?

Then we have made the wrong calculations? How could that happen?

Up... Chin straight.

Come.

What did he say?

We will attend.

It'll be the finest concert ever to be held here. Of course I'll pay for the ferry tickets on Sunday.

Rolf and Knut will pick you up by car tonight. Just the three of you.

Four guards on the pier. Most likely there won't be any guards on the ferry, -

- but the ferry crew members sometimes sleep there.

The raft is positioned a quarter of a mile from the dock.

It's no problem getting there unseen, -

- but from the raft to the ferry, that's risky.

My neighbor will be on the ferry.

- You asked me to change the departure because so many people traveled on Friday. - I know...

- You can't warn him now. - It's his entire family!

Makes no difference. Do you understand the consequences?

- You know someone on the ferry as well? - Could be.

- Don't you think about that? - I've been ordered not to.

- They are innocent people! - And?

We have gotten an order, so someone must have considered it.

We save more people by sinking the ferry.

- Is it really that simple for you? - Yes, it's that simple.

What if I warn him?

I didn't hear that.

Get up in the highlands and make contact with England.

There you await new orders. I'll see you there in two days.

Did you hear me?

- Einar? - Yes.

- Second row. - Thanks.

Here you go. Come, let's go inside.

Sunday, February 20th 1944

Thanks for last night.

Thank you.

Remember, you can come visit me as often as you like.

It's not that far, and I can come get you.

No choice? We could sink the ship out on the sea!

- Not according to the British. - I don't believe them.

- Well, tell them. - That's what you should do!

I did, but it turned out this way.

Taking the lives of 50 innocent people. You have to stop it.

The bomb is already onboard. The ferry departed several minutes ago.

- You went for the ferry all along. - That's not true.

Of course... Then you'll be done with all this shit...

... and you can finally go back to Norway.

- Two coffees. What do you want? - Juice.

- Good morning. - 39 barrels down.

- 18 dead. - Minus 4 Germans.

Most below deck. Third class, probably trapped in the dark, if they didn't get caught by the explosion.

There was a man on deck who got crushed to death by train coaches -

- trying to get a lifeboat out.

But most went into the water without a life jacket and drowned.

The only boat that was used was the one that was on starboard's side, and that holds only 8.

Well, Head Office are very pleased.

They consider heavy water operations finished.

"An example on precise warfare with a minimal amount of casualties -"

"- which has given us a huge advantage in our continuous battles."

That's Churchill. He sends his congratulations.

Congratulation... Sir.

Spring of 1945 The final months of the war

Werner Heisenberg!

Don't leave. Wait for me, please!

Damn! 370 wives or mistresses, or whatever...

They always start out with how they don't know anything about physics, -

- but that they find it interesting.

"Culture and science is Germany's greatest strength."

Then moving on to the weather and other unimportant stuff.

For example, "strategic withdrawal."

We withdraw with success and show "victorious resistance".

But I like you.

I've always liked you. I want you to know that.

You are not one of those who give up so easily.

Follow me, I want to show you something.

You're not the only one who's been busy!

Look at this. Conventional grenades.

Completely normal, without any hocus-pocus.

Or what? It looks like this, but we aren't stopping there!

Depleted uranium. What happens then? Look here.

I had to do something simpler than dropping a bomb on them.

Like for example put it in grease. A kind of cream.

But with a very different effect and result. Here.

For example: Number 47. Stopzsky, Shlomo Stopzsky.

Exposed to radioactive radiation for several minutes.

With a remarkable result. Imagine this...

A larger dose, nicely wrapped and shipped to Winston Churchill!

Do you understand? We are what's left!

We are the nation's backbone.

Or to put it like our beloved Führer does:

"We have so much to answer for, so we MUST win the war!"

Sunshine?

Yes, Operation Sunshine. The protection of power and and dam instalations in Southern Norway.

Stop the Germans from destroying too much, before they surrender.

You've been chosen to lead the operation. Poulsson is second in command, -

- and Skinnarland on radio duties. The rest of the group you pick yourself. Congratulations.

I though this was what you always wanted. To get back to Norway, get out into the field again.

If you's rather stay here just until the end of hostilities then go and see your wife and children. It's no problem. I can...

Of course not. The war is not over yet.

- Thank you, Sir. - Good man.

- Well, you're certainly not going to miss the fish. You don't get a fish this colour in Norway. - No we don't.

I can't.

It must be very beautiful this time of year.

It's always beautiful.

Do you know what I miss most about Norway? The horizons.

- Whereever you look. - Yeah.

It's been awhile.

You must come and visit. Our house is big.

It would be awkward.

I might go back to university, do another degree.

That's a good idea. This country needs good birdwatchers.

Certainly does.

It's going to be strange not to have the war.

Yes.

- When do you leave? - Tomorrow.

- How long has it been since you saw them?

Almost four years.

A beer?

- No, I have to.... - All the others went into town.

A beer in the canteen, just the two of us.

Is that a date?

We can call it that if it helps.

- It helps. - Good.

Cheers!

Thank you guys.

Didn't think we'd let you get away that easily, did you?

Skinnarland sends his love. Apparently they're in trouble with the police chief who's threatening to blow their covers.

So you are going to be very busy.

Keep your backs straight. One-two-three...

Good. Thanks.

- Einar reports good weather in the area. - Good.

- Have a good trip. - Thanks.

The war should be over in a couple of months.

I might pop over and see you myself.

- Good luck, Tronstad. - Thank you.

Well...

See you soon.

Good luck.

Leif Tronstad never reunited with his family.

He was shot and killed by a Norwegian nazi-collaborator during "Operation Sunshine"

Heisenberg.

Werner Heisenberg was arrested by American forces on May 3rd 1945.

Germany surrendered 4 days later.

Heisenberg and 9 other German scientists were interrogated by MI6 near London.

Welcome to London, Mr. Heisenberg. I'm Major Julie Smith, Special Operations Executive.

I'm in charge of the debriefing of the German atomic program.

If you care to follow me.

He reunited with his family in Germany 8 months later.

Werner Heisenberg carried on as a scientist and died in 1976, 71 years old.

It's a great pleasure, on behalf of Hydro,-

- to be able to give to the Homefront four million kroner.

Norsk Hydro kept producing and selling heavy water until 1988.

The company today has 13,000 employees and an annual revenue of roughly 65 billion kroner.

This TV-series is based on true events. Some of the depicted events have been dramatized and simplified. Likewise, some of the depicted characters are fictive.