The Heavy Water War: Stopping Hitler's Atomic Bomb (2015): Season 1, Episode 2 - Episode #1.2 - full transcript
While the Nazis are working on the first atomic bomb, the saboteur-group Grouse, is put together of local resistance. They are to assist English commando-forces in blowing up the heavy water facility. Heisenberg's friendship with ...
SCOTLAND
The Heavy Water War:
Stopping Hitler's Atomic Bomb
Poulsson, what do you say
to a trip to Rjukan?
Four or five man flown to the wild and
establish a base that you'll be leading.
- Fine. When do we leave?
- Once we've found the rest of the group.
Welcome to Vemork, director.
Good morning. Can we talk
in my office, Brun?
- Tone Jørgensen. Welcome.
- It's my pleasure.
Can you close the door?
Yes, I have read the reports
about the heavy water.
- "Foaming". What does that mean?
- Problems with the intake water.
There are people in Oslo
talking about sabotage.
I want to double the guards and
record all that comes and goes.
And then I want us to fire ...
Danielsen.
There was a lot of foaming yesterday,
and Danielsen was alone on duty.
- It's not certain that it was him.
- Is that right?
I found a bottle in the trash by the
stairs yesterday afternoon. Castor oil.
So it could be people from the day shift,
night shift, the day before or earlier.
And foaming doesn't
always occur immediately.
Fine. That's all.
Regardless, I want Danielsen fired
as a warning to the others.
We are several weeks late in delivery.
And I want you to go to Berlin with the first delivery
in the morning. It's important that the Germans are satisfied.
The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, Berlin
- Can you increase production?
- It will be much more expensive.
That doesn't matter.
We need everything we can get.
Professor Heisenberg. Engineer Brun. He
delivers the heavy water from Norway.
My pleasure. Thank you.
It is a great help.
Yes, it would be interesting to get
an insight into its use.
- But you must let us keep a few secrets.
Come with me, please. Mr. Heisenberg.
- Did you have a good trip?
- Yes.
Slowly.
Stop.
Have you seen? Norway has sent
more than we ordered.
That's great.
What would he say if he saw us here?
- He would remind us if we've forgotten something.
- Have we?
No. But anyway...
Many of the best minds are taken away.
- We are weakened.
- Are you going to decline the invitation?
- Copenhagen?
- Yes. Niels Bohr is still at the institute.
- I will go to the lecture.
- Good. Good.
"In order to support the German-Danish
cooperation and relationship."
- Aren't you concerned about the reactor?
- This is of course a lecture.
It is important for maintaining
the relations with other countries.
Is it?
Isn't it more important
to meet Niels Bohr again?
- We will not mention names.
- What will you talk to him about?
If it should come to that,
then the good old days.
Science, music, family...
Life.
Mr Heisenberg, you signed a confidentiality agreement.
Do not talk about what we're doing here.
The Danes are on our side. The
country is occupied by Germany.
Don't play dumb!
You know well that Bohr works with the British.
I'll try to get you a passport.
Afterwards you tell me how far the
Allies have got in their nuclear research.
Espionage?
No. It falls under the category "old days".
Music, life, family, and science.
And since you're there, try
to get some good bacon.
Have a good day.
Yes.
Einar Skinnarland? Leif Tronstad.
Just sit.
- You live in Rjukan?
- Yes.
- And work at Vemork?
I would like you to go back.
We need people to report.
You work there... Know the staff, shifts
and routines. All that we need.
- What for?
- Intelligence. For us and the British.
All you can get. You get a radio
and report back to us directly.
But I just got here.
- What did you say to the chairman before you came?
- That I would take a week's holiday.
Then, let's say you get back on Monday.
- But I can't make it.
- Have you gone parachuting before?
Niels Bohr's residence
Copenhagen, Denmark
Now I would have never thought...
Find a clearance that can be used as runway for the gliders.
We will receive the British there.
I need to feed London with
weather reports and other observations.
German redeployment, transport
routes and watchkeeping factory.
- We need weapons. - I have guns. Sten-gun
- And handy-gun. - Yes. The
rest we leave to the British.
The group is called "Grouse"
and is strictly secret.
Should we be called "Grouse"? Can not we
be called something slightly more raw?
- "Falcon" or something? - "Moose".
- "Hawk".
- "Shark".
- The name is "Grouse". Period.
- So it is just the four of us?
- What? - Nothing
We were just talking about you.
Knut Haukelid, as you know.
- Cheers to war.
- Cheers.
Cheers.
- How long have you been here?
- I just got home.
- How are the children?
- Good.
I hope they sleep. The nurse went
to Brackenhof to hear Hitler.
- How was it?
- Lovely.
People in Denmark seem happy. They walk
around outside and go out dancing.
- Did you meet Bohr?
- Yes.
He has his own little park.
And he fits well there.
For dinner we had a nice ham roast.
He read, and I played the piano.
Did you have a chance to talk?
He said I should stop!
- He doesn't understand.
- What do you think?
He thinks I'm standing on
the wrong side of the war.
When Germany wins,
won't it all be good?
But will it still be our Germany?
I thought it was only
children who did that.
End a friendship that way.
Okay, Claus, ready for a new record?
And go.
Two, four, five...
Six seconds.
Two seconds faster than last time.
The Skoland Marshes near the road between
Møsvatnsdammen and Rauland.
- There is a flat stretch of around 4,000 feet.
- That should be enough for a couple of gliders.
Get help!
Why did you fire Danielsen?
He is Astrid's husband.
Astrid - she is our servant.
I played card games with her today...
We were almost able to have a conversation.
That is, I was doing the talking and she would respond
with "Yes, ma'm", "No, ma'm", "Thank you, ma'm",
"The King trumphs the Queen, ma'm"...
Then Brun came and told her that her husband had been fired
and was no longer at the factory.
- Why did you do that?
- That is none of your business.
I see.
We are done eating.
Is everything alright?
Would the family like something else?
No, the family only wishes that more people would
go to bed on a full stomach tonight.
Please, take the leftovers with you home.
Am I right, my dear?
Thank you. Thank you very much.
It will take more to buy a fired employee.
I never claimed to have any importance here...
Ellen...
Come.
Just find a good landing place
not far from the road.
Otherwise, we'll carry them.
Are you scared?
It will be absolutely fine.
Hardangervidda mountain plateau, Norway
50 miles west of the planned drop point
Where are we?
I don't know.
Anyway, we need to head east.
- How many containers are missing?
- Two.
We need them all.
These containers...
If the weather is good, we'll drag them
a mile or two and the go back and get more.
If the weather is bad, we
must take shorter routes.
It will be hard, but it will be fine, right?
- But how will they get away?
- The English?
- If they come in, they'll be able to get out again.
- They must go to Sweden.
They are 41 uniformed soldiers
who must walk almost 200 miles in deep snow -
- Without skis and with
the Germans behind him.
It is not in the plan,
that they must get away.
Runway. From the south.
Lights with 300 feet intervals.
Put the antenna there.
They are on the way. They
took off two minutes ago.
- Expected arrival? - In
just over two hours.
- What about the weather? - 700 m
visibility. It should clear up.
Let's get started. You keep the contact,
the rest of us go with the lights.
Good morning, Mr. Heisenberg.
What's this?
I wanted to find out how far the Allies
were in their nuclear program.
By showing them everything we have?
This is only a small part of it
The allies know that the army has collected
Germany's leading nuclear physicists.
Diebner wants to start a uranium program.
- Diebner?
- Yes.
Then there will be no results.
It's that simple
America has Einstein and Oppenheimer,
just to name a few.
England has Schrödinger, and perhaps even Niels Bohr...
Germany has Heisenberg.
All work on the same task.
Germany prefers mediocrity... An
average researcher named Diebner -
- A pragmatist with no understanding of
theory, takes over the leading position.
It will make Germany a
spendthrift, literally.
We cannot afford anymore mistakes.
I know.
Can you hear anything?
Everything OK?
- We have no contact.
- Nothing?
They should have been here by now.
Major Decker. What is the Gestapo doing here?
Another glider crashed a few
miles northeast of here.
We want to know what their mission was.
What can you report?
Englishmen. 4 dead, 12 survivors.
What should we do with them?
Shoot them.
Orders from the Führer. All soldiers on
special assignments must be eliminated.
- We cannot just execute them.
- Really?
Who shall report to the Führer that you did
not obey the order? You or me?
The Heavy Water War:
Stopping Hitler's Atomic Bomb
Poulsson, what do you say
to a trip to Rjukan?
Four or five man flown to the wild and
establish a base that you'll be leading.
- Fine. When do we leave?
- Once we've found the rest of the group.
Welcome to Vemork, director.
Good morning. Can we talk
in my office, Brun?
- Tone Jørgensen. Welcome.
- It's my pleasure.
Can you close the door?
Yes, I have read the reports
about the heavy water.
- "Foaming". What does that mean?
- Problems with the intake water.
There are people in Oslo
talking about sabotage.
I want to double the guards and
record all that comes and goes.
And then I want us to fire ...
Danielsen.
There was a lot of foaming yesterday,
and Danielsen was alone on duty.
- It's not certain that it was him.
- Is that right?
I found a bottle in the trash by the
stairs yesterday afternoon. Castor oil.
So it could be people from the day shift,
night shift, the day before or earlier.
And foaming doesn't
always occur immediately.
Fine. That's all.
Regardless, I want Danielsen fired
as a warning to the others.
We are several weeks late in delivery.
And I want you to go to Berlin with the first delivery
in the morning. It's important that the Germans are satisfied.
The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute, Berlin
- Can you increase production?
- It will be much more expensive.
That doesn't matter.
We need everything we can get.
Professor Heisenberg. Engineer Brun. He
delivers the heavy water from Norway.
My pleasure. Thank you.
It is a great help.
Yes, it would be interesting to get
an insight into its use.
- But you must let us keep a few secrets.
Come with me, please. Mr. Heisenberg.
- Did you have a good trip?
- Yes.
Slowly.
Stop.
Have you seen? Norway has sent
more than we ordered.
That's great.
What would he say if he saw us here?
- He would remind us if we've forgotten something.
- Have we?
No. But anyway...
Many of the best minds are taken away.
- We are weakened.
- Are you going to decline the invitation?
- Copenhagen?
- Yes. Niels Bohr is still at the institute.
- I will go to the lecture.
- Good. Good.
"In order to support the German-Danish
cooperation and relationship."
- Aren't you concerned about the reactor?
- This is of course a lecture.
It is important for maintaining
the relations with other countries.
Is it?
Isn't it more important
to meet Niels Bohr again?
- We will not mention names.
- What will you talk to him about?
If it should come to that,
then the good old days.
Science, music, family...
Life.
Mr Heisenberg, you signed a confidentiality agreement.
Do not talk about what we're doing here.
The Danes are on our side. The
country is occupied by Germany.
Don't play dumb!
You know well that Bohr works with the British.
I'll try to get you a passport.
Afterwards you tell me how far the
Allies have got in their nuclear research.
Espionage?
No. It falls under the category "old days".
Music, life, family, and science.
And since you're there, try
to get some good bacon.
Have a good day.
Yes.
Einar Skinnarland? Leif Tronstad.
Just sit.
- You live in Rjukan?
- Yes.
- And work at Vemork?
I would like you to go back.
We need people to report.
You work there... Know the staff, shifts
and routines. All that we need.
- What for?
- Intelligence. For us and the British.
All you can get. You get a radio
and report back to us directly.
But I just got here.
- What did you say to the chairman before you came?
- That I would take a week's holiday.
Then, let's say you get back on Monday.
- But I can't make it.
- Have you gone parachuting before?
Niels Bohr's residence
Copenhagen, Denmark
Now I would have never thought...
Find a clearance that can be used as runway for the gliders.
We will receive the British there.
I need to feed London with
weather reports and other observations.
German redeployment, transport
routes and watchkeeping factory.
- We need weapons. - I have guns. Sten-gun
- And handy-gun. - Yes. The
rest we leave to the British.
The group is called "Grouse"
and is strictly secret.
Should we be called "Grouse"? Can not we
be called something slightly more raw?
- "Falcon" or something? - "Moose".
- "Hawk".
- "Shark".
- The name is "Grouse". Period.
- So it is just the four of us?
- What? - Nothing
We were just talking about you.
Knut Haukelid, as you know.
- Cheers to war.
- Cheers.
Cheers.
- How long have you been here?
- I just got home.
- How are the children?
- Good.
I hope they sleep. The nurse went
to Brackenhof to hear Hitler.
- How was it?
- Lovely.
People in Denmark seem happy. They walk
around outside and go out dancing.
- Did you meet Bohr?
- Yes.
He has his own little park.
And he fits well there.
For dinner we had a nice ham roast.
He read, and I played the piano.
Did you have a chance to talk?
He said I should stop!
- He doesn't understand.
- What do you think?
He thinks I'm standing on
the wrong side of the war.
When Germany wins,
won't it all be good?
But will it still be our Germany?
I thought it was only
children who did that.
End a friendship that way.
Okay, Claus, ready for a new record?
And go.
Two, four, five...
Six seconds.
Two seconds faster than last time.
The Skoland Marshes near the road between
Møsvatnsdammen and Rauland.
- There is a flat stretch of around 4,000 feet.
- That should be enough for a couple of gliders.
Get help!
Why did you fire Danielsen?
He is Astrid's husband.
Astrid - she is our servant.
I played card games with her today...
We were almost able to have a conversation.
That is, I was doing the talking and she would respond
with "Yes, ma'm", "No, ma'm", "Thank you, ma'm",
"The King trumphs the Queen, ma'm"...
Then Brun came and told her that her husband had been fired
and was no longer at the factory.
- Why did you do that?
- That is none of your business.
I see.
We are done eating.
Is everything alright?
Would the family like something else?
No, the family only wishes that more people would
go to bed on a full stomach tonight.
Please, take the leftovers with you home.
Am I right, my dear?
Thank you. Thank you very much.
It will take more to buy a fired employee.
I never claimed to have any importance here...
Ellen...
Come.
Just find a good landing place
not far from the road.
Otherwise, we'll carry them.
Are you scared?
It will be absolutely fine.
Hardangervidda mountain plateau, Norway
50 miles west of the planned drop point
Where are we?
I don't know.
Anyway, we need to head east.
- How many containers are missing?
- Two.
We need them all.
These containers...
If the weather is good, we'll drag them
a mile or two and the go back and get more.
If the weather is bad, we
must take shorter routes.
It will be hard, but it will be fine, right?
- But how will they get away?
- The English?
- If they come in, they'll be able to get out again.
- They must go to Sweden.
They are 41 uniformed soldiers
who must walk almost 200 miles in deep snow -
- Without skis and with
the Germans behind him.
It is not in the plan,
that they must get away.
Runway. From the south.
Lights with 300 feet intervals.
Put the antenna there.
They are on the way. They
took off two minutes ago.
- Expected arrival? - In
just over two hours.
- What about the weather? - 700 m
visibility. It should clear up.
Let's get started. You keep the contact,
the rest of us go with the lights.
Good morning, Mr. Heisenberg.
What's this?
I wanted to find out how far the Allies
were in their nuclear program.
By showing them everything we have?
This is only a small part of it
The allies know that the army has collected
Germany's leading nuclear physicists.
Diebner wants to start a uranium program.
- Diebner?
- Yes.
Then there will be no results.
It's that simple
America has Einstein and Oppenheimer,
just to name a few.
England has Schrödinger, and perhaps even Niels Bohr...
Germany has Heisenberg.
All work on the same task.
Germany prefers mediocrity... An
average researcher named Diebner -
- A pragmatist with no understanding of
theory, takes over the leading position.
It will make Germany a
spendthrift, literally.
We cannot afford anymore mistakes.
I know.
Can you hear anything?
Everything OK?
- We have no contact.
- Nothing?
They should have been here by now.
Major Decker. What is the Gestapo doing here?
Another glider crashed a few
miles northeast of here.
We want to know what their mission was.
What can you report?
Englishmen. 4 dead, 12 survivors.
What should we do with them?
Shoot them.
Orders from the Führer. All soldiers on
special assignments must be eliminated.
- We cannot just execute them.
- Really?
Who shall report to the Führer that you did
not obey the order? You or me?