Hell Below (TV series)

Hell Below is a TV series on The Smithsonian Channel^[2] produced by Parallax Film Productions Inc. The series is narrated by Canadian voice-over artist Mark Oliver, charting the stealth game of subsea warfare and the narrative from contact to attack of the greatest submarine patrols of World War II. Six initial episodes cover the rise of the Wolfpack to the drive for victory in the Pacific. Expert analysis and stock footage are woven with re-enactments filmed on authentic Second World War era submarines.^[3]

Episodes[]

Season 01 ^[1]

• The Wolfpack - Germany’s World War II U-Boat Aces play a deadly game of cat and mouse with the protectors of Allied merchant shipping. As the Wolfpack strategy evolves, so does Allied ASW technology.
• Hitler’s Revenge - December 1941—following the Japanese assault on Pearl Harbor, Nazi U-boats set out on a secret mission to attack Allied shipping off the shores of the United States to thwart the American war effort.
• America Fights Back - On his first patrol aboard a new sub, Submarine Commander Dudley Morton risks everything in a bid to turn the tide of the Pacific War.
• Atlantic Showdown - Escort Commander J.G. Luther lacks sufficient ships to protect Allied shipping Convoy HX.229 when an unlucky accident reveals his position and sets the stage for the largest convoy battle of the Second World War.
• Destroyer Killer - American submarine skipper Sam Dealey takes on a high-stakes rescue mission deep in enemy waters.
• Fatal Voyage - America’s top submarine, USS Tang braves a horrific blow that sparks an unforgettable fight to survive.

Season 02

• In Enemy Waters - A in depth look at how the USS Silversides helped sink many freighters and having a pharmacist's mate perform a critical surgery on a fellow crew member.

Production[]

As it has many fully restored and working parts, the World War II museum ship Gato-class submarine USS Cod moored in Cleveland, Ohio was used for interior and exterior scenes^[4] to depict the USS Tang, U-99 and U-100.

The film crew travelled to Laboe, Germany to film in U-995, a Type VII-C U-boat which is now used as a museum. HMCS Sackville, a small, surface vessel used as a museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia, was also used.^[4]

Much of the footage inside the submarines was filmed using hand-held cameras. Because space was so tight there was often no room for the director.^[4]

References[]

External links[]

• Hell Below, IMDb