Real Life Heroes: Heroes of War at Sea (1995)
1h 18min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Hunting The Bismarck - The Bismarck was completed in 1940 and considered the most powerful warship at 41,700 tons. In May 1941 the Royal Navy discovered the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen refuelling in Bergen Fjord and engaged them in the most celebrated naval battle. After losing HMS Hood, with only 3 of its 1,421 crew surviving, the Royal Navy fatally ruptured the Bismarck's fuel tank. Disabled with a speed of only 8 knots, the pride of the German fleet was only days away from its watery grave after its 1,750 mile pursuit.
Kennedy's Torpedo Boat Disaster - Few people know how close JFK came to death in World War II when his PT-109 was rammed by a Japanese destroyer in the Pacific killing two of its crew. Kennedy's torpedo boat was the only one to be rammed by the Japanese navy during the war, which led to accusations of poor leadership. However, nobody could doubt the courage of Kennedy to lead his 10 men to safety as he swam for over five hours to raise the alarm and be rescued by a navy that had given him up for dead.
The Greatest U-Boat Ace - Arnaud de la Periere was Germany's brilliant U Boat commander during the First World War. He was both feared and respected by Allied shipping as he held the record for the most 'kills' 194 Allied ships in total. But he was also renowned for his gentlemanly conduct of allowing the crew to evacuate their ship before it was torpedoed. Unseen footage shows the high esteem his men held him in as a lucky talisman. He miraculously survived the U Boat naval war, only to die in the air campaign.- Studio:
- Odeon
- Genres:
- Documentary