The Heavy Water War

Last updated

The Heavy Water War
Also known asKampen om tungtvannet (Norway)
The Saboteurs
(United Kingdom)
Genre War
Written by Petter S. Rosenlund
Directed by Per-Olav Sørensen
Starring
Composer Kristian Eidnes Andersen
Country of origin
  • Norway
  • Denmark
  • United Kingdom
Original languages
  • Norwegian
  • German
  • English
  • Danish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Producer Kari Moen Kristiansen
Production locations Vemork, Rjukan
Cinematography John Christian Rosenlund
Editors
Running time45 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network NRK
Release4 January (2015-01-04) –
1 February 2015 (2015-02-01)

The Heavy Water War (original title Kampen om tungtvannet and alternative title The Saboteurs(United Kingdom)) is a six-episode war drama television miniseries written by Petter S. Rosenlund and produced by Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. [1] It is a Norwegian/Danish/British co-production directed by Per-Olav Sørensen based on the true story of the German nuclear weapon project during the Second World War and the heavy water sabotage in Norway to disrupt it, with a particular emphasis on the role of the Norwegian intelligence officer Leif Tronstad. [2] [3]

Contents

The first two episodes were initially broadcast on NRK1, on 4 January 2015. The opening episodes had 1,259,000 viewers, which was a record for the opening of a drama series in Norway. [4] In Denmark, the initial broadcast was on 4 May 2015 on TV 2 titled Kampen om det tunge vand. [5] In the UK, the miniseries, retitled The Saboteurs, was aired by More4 from 19 June 2015 and had a good critical reception. [6] The series was released in the UK on DVD and Blu-ray on 10 August 2015. [7] In Poland the show premiered on 15 January 2016 on ipla  [ pl ] VOD to very good reviews. [8] [9] Viewing rights for France were bought by Entertainment One, for Benelux by Lumière, for Spain by A Contracorriente, for Poland by Kino Swiat and for the Balkans by Stas Media. [10] Viewing rights for the US were bought by MHz Networks, which announced a DVD release date of 8 March 2016.

Production

The series was filmed in Norway and the Czech Republic. Production costs were around 75 million Norwegian kroner, or about €7.8 million. The dialogue is in Norwegian, German, English and Danish.

Main cast

Although the series is based on real events and persons, apart from Aubert, all other Nazi collaborating Hydro directors were purposely not mentioned by name. [11]

Operation "Grouse"

Operation "Gunnerside"

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"Episode 1"4 January 2015 (2015-01-04)
Germany invades Norway and orders a doubling of production at the heavy water plant in Rjukan. Norwegian professor Leif Tronstad escapes to England to warn the Allies about what he believes is an effort to build a German atomic bomb.
2"Episode 2"4 January 2015 (2015-01-04)
Tronstad establishes contact with the War Ministry and a plan to destroy the Hydro facilities is drawn up. In Rjukan, new managing director Erik Henriksen is confronted with sabotage of the heavy water facility. Operation Grouse is a disastrous failure.
3"Episode 3"11 January 2015 (2015-01-11)
The Americans insist on bombing the heavy water factory, but Tronstad persuades the Allies to send in a team of Norwegians instead. In Germany, Nobel Prize winner Werner Heisenberg promises a breakthrough in the development of a Nazi atomic bomb.
4"Episode 4"18 January 2015 (2015-01-18)
Heisenberg is appointed director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute. The Gunnerside team succeeds in damaging the Hydro factory, but the Germans mount a major search for the saboteurs and order an immediate rebuilding of the heavy water facilities.
5"Episode 5"25 January 2015 (2015-01-25)
Werner Heisenberg must continue his research without heavy water. When they learn that the Germans are rebuilding the factory, the Americans decide to bomb it. The bombing causes minimal damage.
6"Episode 6"1 February 2015 (2015-02-01)
The Germans decide to move heavy water production from Norway to Germany. The Allies order the remaining members of the Gunnerside team to sink the ferry carrying heavy water facilities across the lake from Rjukan.

Reception

Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang gave the series a 5 out of 6, citing "It will enrage some historians, and some concerned will complain, but most television viewers will be engrossed". [13]

The series won the 2015 Prix Italia in the Series and Serials category, with the citation: "A thriller with superb acting, a high-quality production. Great cinematography, outstanding acting, excellent directing." [14]

Viewer numbers

The two first episodes were seen by 1.259 million in Norway, the third episode was seen by 1.239 million and the fourth by 1.288 million. [15] The fifth episode was seen by 1.319 million while the last was seen 1.322 million. The last episode was watched by 64% of TV viewers that hour. [16]

Historicity

From the première there has been debate over its historical accuracy. Among concerns have been Heisenberg's involvement in the development of nuclear weapons and allusions to his homosexuality. [17]

Previous versions

The same story was covered in the 1948 Franco-Norwegian film Kampen om tungtvannet (also known as La bataille de l'eau lourde or Operation Swallow: The Battle for Heavy Water). Quite faithful to real events, it even had many of the original Norwegian commandos starring as themselves.

The 1965 British film The Heroes of Telemark , starring Kirk Douglas and Richard Harris, was another version of the story.

Ray Mears presented a documentary called The Real Heroes of Telemark in 2003. Despite mainly sticking to the factual evidence, some scenes in the documentary were partly dramatised, focusing on the survival skills involved in the operation.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwegian heavy water sabotage</span> Sabotage operations with the aim of halting the creation process of Nazi nuclear weapons

The Norwegian heavy water sabotage was a series of Allied-led efforts to halt German heavy water production via hydroelectric plants in Nazi Germany-occupied Norway during World War II, involving both Norwegian commandos and Allied bombing raids. During the war, the Allies sought to inhibit the German development of nuclear weapons with the removal of heavy water and the destruction of heavy-water production plants. The Norwegian heavy water sabotage was aimed at the 60 MW Vemork power station at the Rjukan waterfall in Telemark.

<i>The Heroes of Telemark</i> 1965 film by Anthony Mann

The Heroes of Telemark is a 1965 British war film directed by Anthony Mann based on the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during the Second World War from Skis Against the Atom, the memoirs of Norwegian resistance soldier Knut Haukelid. The film stars Kirk Douglas as Dr. Rolf Pedersen and Richard Harris as Knut Straud, along with Ulla Jacobsson as Anna Pederson. It was filmed on location in Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vemork</span> Hydroelectric power plant in Norway

Vemork is a hydroelectric power plant outside the town of Rjukan in Tinn Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The plant was built by Norsk Hydro and opened in 1911, its main purpose being to fix nitrogen for the production of fertilizer. At opening, it was the world's largest power plant with a capacity of 108 megawatts (145,000 hp).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knut Haukelid</span> Officer in the Norwegian resistance against the Nazi invasion of Norway

Knut Haukelid was a Norwegian military officer. He was a Norwegian resistance movement soldier during World War II, most notable for participating in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joachim Rønneberg</span> Norwegian Army officer and broadcaster

Joachim Holmboe Rønneberg was a Norwegian Army officer and broadcaster. He was known for his resistance work during World War II, most notably commanding Operation Gunnerside, and his post-war war information work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leif Tronstad</span> Norwegian scientist and military officer (1903-1945)

Leif Hans Larsen Tronstad DSO, OBE was a Norwegian inorganic chemist, intelligence officer and military organizer. He graduated from the Norwegian Institute of Technology in 1927 and was a prolific researcher and writer of academic publications. A professor of chemistry at the Norwegian Institute of Technology from 1936, he was among the pioneers of heavy water research, and was instrumental when a heavy water plant was built at Vemork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henki Kolstad</span>

Henki Kolstad was a Norwegian actor and pop-cultural national treasure. With his debut at the Oslo national theater, he was known for his appearances in Olsenbanden, the children's series Jul i Skomakergata, Herr Klinke in Den Spanske Flue, and Vi gifter oss. Notable mentions include the Amanda and the Order of St. Olav awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Einar Skinnarland</span> Norwegian construction engineer and resistance fighter

Einar Skinnarland DCM was a Norwegian resistance fighter during the Second World War.

Fredrik Thorbjørn Kayser, was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II. He was especially noted for his role in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage, and has been referred to as "Western Norway's Gunnar Sønsteby".

Knut Lier-Hansen was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II. He was born and grew up in Rjukan. Around 1940 he was a sergeant in the Norwegian Army, and tried to repel the German invaders in April 1940, among others in a skirmish at Gransherad. He later joined the more irregular resistance movement. His most notable mission was the sinking of SF Hydro as a part of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage. After placing explosives below deck in the ferry, the saboteurs had to wait until the ferry's departure in the morning to oversee that nothing went against the plan. After witnessing the ferry leave harbor in a normal way, Lier-Hansen fled the scene for Einar Skinnarland's house. The ferry went down in the middle of Lake Tinn, and in addition to sabotaging the heavy water program, eighteen lives were lost. When the war between Germany and Norway was over, on 8 May 1945, Lier-Hansen was dispatched together with Henry Johansen and another person to arrest Reichskommissar für die besetzten Norwegischen Gebiete Josef Terboven. The Norwegians reached Skaugum where Terboven had entrenched himself, but they were warded off by guards. Soon after, Terboven blew himself up.

The Pelle group was a Norwegian resistance group that conducted acts of sabotage against the German occupation of Norway in Østlandet during the autumn of 1944.

Arild Aspøy is a Norwegian journalist, writer, director and editor. Aspøy has primarily been active as an investigative journalist and author.

<i>Operation Swallow: The Battle for Heavy Water</i> 1948 Norwegian film

Operation Swallow: The Battle for Heavy Water is a Norwegian-French film from 1948. The history is based on the best known commando raid in Norway during World War II, where the resistance group Norwegian Independent Company 1 destroyed the heavy water plant at Vemork in Telemark in February 1943.

Titus Vibe-Müller was a Norwegian film director.

Hans "Kyllingen" Storhaug, MM, DSM was a Norwegian resistance member during World War II, especially noted for his role in the heavy water sabotage 1942–1943, and for his participation in the SOE operation Grebe and Grebe Red in Østerdalen 1943–1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petter S. Rosenlund</span> Norwegian journalist

Petter S. Rosenlund is a Norwegian dramatist. He is the headwriter of the tv series Hamilton and The Heavy Water War/ The Saboteurs (2015). He has written 17 scripts for TV, film and theater.

Skam is a Norwegian teen drama streaming television series about the daily life of teenagers at the Hartvig Nissen School, a gymnasium in the wealthy borough of Frogner in West End Oslo and Norway's oldest high school for girls. It was produced by NRK P3, which is part of the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.

<i>Nobel</i> (TV series) 2016 Norwegian television series

Nobel is a 2016 Norwegian television series that premiered on NRK on 25 September 2016. It depicts Norway’s military involvement in Afghanistan. It was produced by Monster Scripted for the Norwegian broadcaster NRK and was broadcast under the title Nobel – fred for enhver pris. The series under the title Nobel was made available on Netflix for streaming on 13 December 2016. Nobel was subsequently removed from Netflix in November 2020.

Mads Sjøgård Pettersen is a Norwegian actor known for his role of Fredrik Kayser on mini-series The Heavy Water War and for his portrayal of Håvard Bakkeli on the series Nobel.

Øyvind Øyen was a Norwegian actor.

References

  1. ↑ Jorn Rossing Jensen (21 November 2014). "NRK ready to declare €8.7 million Heavy Water War". Cineuropa. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  2. ↑ "Anna Friel, Frank Kjosås board Norwegian sabotage TV series". Nordisk Film- & TV Fond. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  3. ↑ Trailer: The Heavy Water War. NRK, on YouTube. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "1,2 millioner så Kampen om tungtvannet" [1.2 million saw The Heavy Water War] (in Norwegian). NRK. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  5. ↑ Susanne Nielsen (27 April 2015). "Norges største tv-serie kommer nu på TV 2" [Norway's biggest tv-series will come on TV 2] (in Danish). TV 2 . Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Sam Wollaston (20 June 2015). "Saboteurs review – complex drama of wartime nuclear collaboration". The Guardian . Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  7. ↑ Amy West (10 August 2015). "The Saboteurs Blu-ray review: Nordic show sets new bar for war dramas". International Business Times . Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  8. ↑ "Bitwa o ciężką wodę". ipla.tv. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  9. ↑ "Znakomity norweski serial o II wojnie światowej od dziś na VOD. Polecamy "Bitwę o ciężką wodę"". wpolityce.pl. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  10. ↑ Gün Akyuz (14 April 2015). "More4 declares Heavy Water War". C21Media. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  11. ↑ Pål Nordseth (16 December 2014). "Fjernet Hydros nazi-vennlige direktører fra Kampen om tungtvannet" [Hydro's Nazi-friendly directors removed from The Heavy Water War]. Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  12. ↑ "Peri Baumeister – filmportal.de". Filmportal.de. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  13. ↑ Jon Selås (4 January 2015). "TV-anmeldelse Kampen om tungtvannet: Besettende krigshistorie" [TV review The Heavy Water War: A possessing war history]. Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  14. ↑ "The TV Category". Prix Italia. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  15. ↑ Felicia Alvsing; Marthe Berg (19 January 2015). "Kampen om tungtvannet slo egen rekord" [The Heavy Water War beat its own record]. Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  16. ↑ "Siste episode ga seerrekord for Kampen om tungtvannet" [Last episode gives a viewer record for The Heavy Water War] (in Norwegian). NRK. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
  17. ↑ "Var Werner Heisenberg homofil?" [Was Werner Heisenberg gay?] (in Norwegian). NRK. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.