Chronos Productions - The War Archive The Grey Wolves (1998) Part 3 U-Boats 1943-1945

This War Archive set of exclusive programs presents the most comprehensive and definitive archive of Germany's U-boats and their warfare strategies ever compiled as a series. The U-Boat success in the North Atlantic almost brought Britain to its knees, and eliminated the last impediment to the realization of Adolf Hitler's dreams! New footage helps us understand the on-going battle between the hunter and the hunted beneath the cold gray waters of the North Atlantic. These programs depict the course of the U-boat's war throughout WW2 from footage taken by German cameramen. We look at the U-boat's important contribution to Germany's war effort, as the menace posed by these silent killers seemed asuperable. But later, at the same time as the pendulum swung towards the allies with the improved hunting technology, the German naval codes were cracked. Then came the lend lease pact whereby America provided new ships at such a rate that not even Germany could continue to contain them!

Part 3 U-Boats 1943-1945

With the defeat at Stalingrad, the belated need for total mobilization was accepted by Hitler and the slack in German production capacity was taken up in an attempt to produce the equipment needed to service a wider and much longer war. For Doenitz, now Commander in Chief of the Kriegsmarine, the sea was now the U-boat war. A new program for increased production was introduced – 27 Type VII boats a month by the end of 1943 and is illustrated on this film by the activities of the Blohm and Voss yards. However, it was already too late for the U-boat arm, for the allies had moved to close the 'gap'. Large numbers of long-range aircraft, new radar, new weapons and new tactics served only to raise U-boat losses in the Atlantic after mid 1943. By the end of that year Doenitz had lost 237 submarines, 242 in 1944 and 151 in 1945. Increased production and expansion in training could not service such losses. Even investment in new technology – the revolutionary Type XXI boat and adoption of the schnorkel device – all came too late to make any impact on Germany's declining military situation after late 1943. This final chapter of the 'Grey Wolves' war is told with fascinating footage covering all aspects of this story. It ends with film of the one man 'Biber' submarine – a last ditch weapon in the face of imminent defeat and the arrest of Doenitz in 1945 - as Hitler's nominated successor and Germany's last Fuehrer!

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