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Above Us the Waves
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Above Us the Waves
Above Us the Waves is a 1955 British war film about human torpedo and midget submarine attacks in Norwegian fjords against the German battleship Tirpitz. Directed by Ralph Thomas, it is based on two true-life attacks by British commando frogmen, first using Chariot manned torpedoes in Operation Title in 1942, and then X-Craft midget submarines in Operation Source in 1943. Filmed at Pinewood Studios, England, with outdoor scenes in Guernsey, some of the original war equipment was used in the film.
The Royal Navy (RN) is concerned about attacks on convoys by German submarines while having to keep "half the fleet" guarding against the German battleship Tirpitz. Tirpitz is 60 miles from the sea inside a Norwegian fjord, and attempts by the Royal Air Force (RAF) to sink her have failed. Commander Fraser (Mills) is determined to prove that attack by human torpedoes is practical, despite scepticism from RN higher echelons.
Fraser assembles and trains a force of British commando frogmen officers and ratings to use the Mk I Human Torpedo manned torpedoes (Chariots) at their Scottish base. After being refused permission to attack Tirpitz, due to the RN policy of avoiding unproven weaponry, the team manage to attach dummy limpet mines to the admiral's own ship.
Their success results in Fraser's force being authorised to attack Tirpitz with the initial operation using the Chariots. The attack fails and the crew are forced to abandon ship and land in Norway. They walk to neutral Sweden from where they are returned to Scotland.
For the next operation, the crews are trained to use small X-Craft submarines: X1, X2 and X3. The three craft are initially towed over the North Sea by conventional submarines and then left to penetrate the fjord where Tirpitz is anchored.
They manage to approach undetected to lay their "side-cargoes" under the ship's hull, each containing two tons of explosive amatol. X2 is badly damaged and cannot re-surface, but the crew decide to stay on board to prevent "giving the game away". The other two submarines succeed in laying their mines before the crews scuttle them. They are captured by the crew of Tirpitz, to be taken away as prisoners of war. While some German crew are aggressive, attempting to machine gun the men in the water, the captain of Tirpitz salutes them as "brave men", providing them blankets and schnapps.
The mines explode as planned, badly damaging Tirpitz. The crew of the stranded X2, hearing the explosions, attempt to escape. However, X2's side cargoes have flooded, which causes them to spontaneously explode, destroying X2 and killing her crew.
The screenplay was based on the book Above Us the Waves by C. E. T. Warren and James Benson, which had been published in 1953.
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Above Us the Waves
Above Us the Waves is a 1955 British war film about human torpedo and midget submarine attacks in Norwegian fjords against the German battleship Tirpitz. Directed by Ralph Thomas, it is based on two true-life attacks by British commando frogmen, first using Chariot manned torpedoes in Operation Title in 1942, and then X-Craft midget submarines in Operation Source in 1943. Filmed at Pinewood Studios, England, with outdoor scenes in Guernsey, some of the original war equipment was used in the film.
The Royal Navy (RN) is concerned about attacks on convoys by German submarines while having to keep "half the fleet" guarding against the German battleship Tirpitz. Tirpitz is 60 miles from the sea inside a Norwegian fjord, and attempts by the Royal Air Force (RAF) to sink her have failed. Commander Fraser (Mills) is determined to prove that attack by human torpedoes is practical, despite scepticism from RN higher echelons.
Fraser assembles and trains a force of British commando frogmen officers and ratings to use the Mk I Human Torpedo manned torpedoes (Chariots) at their Scottish base. After being refused permission to attack Tirpitz, due to the RN policy of avoiding unproven weaponry, the team manage to attach dummy limpet mines to the admiral's own ship.
Their success results in Fraser's force being authorised to attack Tirpitz with the initial operation using the Chariots. The attack fails and the crew are forced to abandon ship and land in Norway. They walk to neutral Sweden from where they are returned to Scotland.
For the next operation, the crews are trained to use small X-Craft submarines: X1, X2 and X3. The three craft are initially towed over the North Sea by conventional submarines and then left to penetrate the fjord where Tirpitz is anchored.
They manage to approach undetected to lay their "side-cargoes" under the ship's hull, each containing two tons of explosive amatol. X2 is badly damaged and cannot re-surface, but the crew decide to stay on board to prevent "giving the game away". The other two submarines succeed in laying their mines before the crews scuttle them. They are captured by the crew of Tirpitz, to be taken away as prisoners of war. While some German crew are aggressive, attempting to machine gun the men in the water, the captain of Tirpitz salutes them as "brave men", providing them blankets and schnapps.
The mines explode as planned, badly damaging Tirpitz. The crew of the stranded X2, hearing the explosions, attempt to escape. However, X2's side cargoes have flooded, which causes them to spontaneously explode, destroying X2 and killing her crew.
The screenplay was based on the book Above Us the Waves by C. E. T. Warren and James Benson, which had been published in 1953.