Above Us the Waves

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1

It has been reported that the

Nazi eet of U-boats exceeds 500.

Hitter knows how near disaster Britain was

in the last war in 1917

when the U-boat menace all but

strangled our supply lanes on the sea.

We are an island people.

We cannot survive

without our communications across the sea.

Hitler knows this only too well.

These pictures

from another captured German newsreel

bring home with vivid reality the daily

and nightly threat to all our shipping.

That, gentlemen, is what we've got to stop.

It may seem incredible but there is at the

moment one reason why we cannot stop it.

Tirpitz.

Tirpitz is lying 60 miles inland

up a Norwegian fjord

And because of the threat

she constitutes, we

have to keep half a fleet

watching out for her.

Wasted ships, gentlemen.

Ships that we urgently need

to protect our Atlantic convoys.

The Royal Air Force have made

two attacks without success.

The cliffs of the fjord

are so steep that she

might as well be lying

in an air-raid shelter.

Somehow, gentlemen,

Tirpitz has got to be put out of action.

How?

; Human torpedos, sir.

Two men riding across the North Sea

sitting on half a tonne of high explosive?

It's not practical.

Yes, Fraser?

It is practical, sir.

Nobody here seems to realise

how simple such an operation could be.

Hardly

I've got the men, sir.

Give us the machines and we'll put

Tirpitz out of action for you.

You seem very sure of

that, Commander Fraser.

Yes, sir. I'm sure of it.

- Mr Corbett.

- Yes, sir.

Volunteered from shore base, didn't you.

Yes, sir.

- Too much paper and not enough work?

- Yes, sir.

Well, I dare say we can alter that.

- Mr Duffy.

- What's that?

- It's a pullover, sir.

- As worn in the Australian

Navy, I suppose. - No, sir.

Not in this Navy either, Mr Duffy.

[HEEL) Now listen.

just because you volunteered

for special service,

it doesn't mean you can dress up in fancy

clothes like a bunch of fighter pilots.

Remember that.

How old did you say you

were, Mr Abercrombie?

19, sir.

- Looking for a bit of excitement?

- Yes, sir.

Well, you won't have to look far in

this outfit. It'll come slap at you.

We were together in the Med, Ramsey,

weren't we?

Yes, sir.

- How's the wife?

- OK now, sir.

- Boy or girl?

- Boy, sir.

Good for you.

Smart.

Are you going to like this

any better than being a steward?

Dunno, sir, yet.

- You'll give us a try?

- Try anything once, sir.

We've served together before, Hutchins,

haven't we?

- Yes, sir.

- Married yet?

- No, sir.

Not found the perfect woman?

- They're all perfect to me, sir.

- Yeah.

Well, keep your mind on the job.

- This job, Hutchins.

- Yes, sir.

No offence to present company

but only an English RN

officer would think of

putting up that, and

filling it with water!

All right, the order of

ascent will be Mr Duffy,

Mister Corbet,

Mr. Abercrombie

- You all right, Ramsey?

- Chief.

- Smart.

- Chief.

- Leading Seaman Hutchins.

- Chief.

Right, class ready.

Now, don't forget, breathe out.

- Good. I'll go and see how they are.

- Yes, sir.

Whoa.

Old Tom marched in

as if he was going to the gallows.

What about you, Digger?

You went green all over.

I feel as if I hadn't spent a penny

since Christmas.

- Cheer up, Ernie. It's all over now.

- Whoo.

200 stairs.

Next time I'm coming up your way.

Any casualties?

No, sir.

We must think up something

else, mustn't we?

Thank you very much, sir.

All right, gentlemen? Now the other arm.

Come on, Stan, push!

- Push.

- I am pushing.

- Nice and comfy, sir?

- Ha, blimey.

- It'll be better when you get in the

water, sir. - Well, it couldn't be worse.

Come on. This could be an emergency.

It is an emergency ,sir.

Right, heads up!

Right?

Push!

- How is it, Stan?

- Lovely.

- " Lovely!"

- Oh.

- Fits you like a glove, boy.

All right, get em aboard.

See any mermaids, Tom?

Yes. Two. But they wouldn't

look at anything under a Commander.

- Get a move on, Mr Duffy, sir.

- You're next. -

Morale...

..is at its highest level.

What is needed now...

is more machines...

and real agressive action.

Stand to attention!

- Stand them at ease, please.

- Stand at ease.

Now, I want to read you

part of a letter that

I received from the

Admiralty this morning.

With reguards to your request

for aggressive action

to be carried out by the

Mark I Human Torpedo,

it has never been naval policy

to risk life unnecessarily,

with untried and experimental weapons.

The Mark I Human Torpedo

is an unproven machine.

You are reminded, moreover,

that her crew are unproven also.".

And don't look so damn

sorry for yourselves.

You see that?

The Admiralty

oughtn't to write us this sort of a letter,

especially when the Home Fleet's

exercising on our doorstep.

- You all set?

- Yes, sir.

Now listen...

they've got two anti-submarine nets out

and one anti-torpedo.

And watch out for the patrol boat.

- Sounds as if they knew we were coming.

- That's just normal procedure.

Now, I want all charges laid by 2230 hours.

And I want you all in and out by that time.

- All right?

- Yes, sir.

Now, don't forget, you've got to dive

at least a mile from the target.

And it's not going to be easy.

Well?

- Good luck.

- Thank you, sir.

- Er, I suppose they are dummy charges.

- Oh, yes, sir.

Good. Because I'm going to be

sitting right on top of them.

Hey, feeling all right, cobber?

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