Nazis, U-boats And The Battle For The Atlantic on BBC One Northern Ireland
Date Posted: March 13, 2025
Wednesday 19 March
BBC iPlayer & BBC One Northern Ireland, 10.40pm
It was the longest campaign of World War 2 – the Battle of the Atlantic. Between 1939 to 1945 more than 100,000 lives were lost at sea and it brought Britain to the brink of defeat.
At the heart of the battle against the U-boat killing machines of the Kriegsmarine – the German navy – was a small city in Northern Ireland, Londonderry, and the port of Lisahally on the River Foyle.
80 years on, in a new two-part BBC series, experts re-examine some of the pivotal moments of this critical battle. Nazis, U-boats And The Battle For The Atlantic, made for BBC Northern Ireland by Alleycats TV.
The series starts on BBC iPlayer and BBC One Northern Ireland on Wednesday 19 March at 10.40pm. The series was commissioned through the Hot House initiative, with support from Northern Ireland Screen.
It follows a specialist team who dive into history 20 miles off the north coast of Ireland. The team rediscover the wrecks of some of the deadliest Nazi vessels who stalked the Atlantic convoys, now both resting at the bottom of the Atlantic. The series also unlocks hidden history, revealing unsung heroes and looks back at the human cost of war.
The series meets David Brew, the son of a Belfast shipyard worker who joined the Royal Navy. His father sent his one-year old baby son, David, a postcard from New York just days before boarding a navy escort ship. His father would be killed when his ship was torpedoed by U-boat U-155, never getting to see his son again. David has spent a lifetime searching for evidence and records of the father he never knew. But it was only in later years he made a remarkable discovery – finding the postcard – now a precious and personal link to his father.
The daughters of a Dutch airman, Hugo Jellema, stationed at Maydown airfield on the banks of the Foyle, bring heroic stories of their father’s squadron to life through their rich archive. It also tells the story of the blossoming wartime romance between their father and their mother who was a navy Wren also stationed at Maydown.
Over the two programmes, world-renowned underwater cameraman, Rich Stevenson, leads a team of expert divers to capture stunning footage of U-boats, including U-boat U-155. Laying deep in the Atlantic their footage reveals the sheer size and the cutting edge technology adopted by the feared Wolfpacks as they tried to turn the tide in their favour.
The daughter-in-law of a Derry man, captured and sent to a Nazi punishment camp in Bremen-Farge when he was only 19, tells how no one in the family ever mentioned the war. It was only when Harry Callan was in his mid-80s that Michéle eventually got him, one of a group of Irish seamen held at the camp, to talk about his experiences and the series features Harry’s recorded audio memories.
The Atlantic conveys were a crucial lifeline for Britain, bringing vital supplies of food and equipment across the sea from Canada, the US and beyond. The German navy knew that if they could interrupt this supply chain, Britain could be forced to capitulate. The series hears from historians and experts from Derry to Berlin about how the port on the Foyle was chosen as a key base and was critical to combat this threat. Delving into historic records and personal accounts, they explore how the tactics used by both sides would ultimately shape the Battle of the Atlantic.
Narrated by Coleraine actress, Michelle Fairley, the series starts on Wednesday 19 March on BBC iPlayer and BBC One Northern Ireland.
