Introduction

Hell Below was a TV series on The Smithsonian Channel produced by Parallax Film Productions Inc.

Outline of Series 01, Episode 04

March 1943. Two Allied convoys, HX.229 and SC.122 leave North America bound for Britain. They total nearly 100 ships carrying vital food and raw materials to supply the Allied war effort. John Gordon Luther commands the short-handed escort group charged with protecting convoy HX.229. Short at least two ships, he lacks adequate defenses for the mid-Atlantic U-boat attack that the Karl Donitz, Gross Admiral of the German Navy, has in store for them. For three days the convoys are hammered by a merciless litany of torpedo attacks and an Atlantic winter storm.

Hell Below Series

You can find the full index of Hell Below episodes here.

Trivia & Goofs

• 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 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.
• The HMCS Sackville, a small, surface vessel used as a museum in Halifax, Nova Scotia, was also used.
• Much of the footage inside the submarines was filmed using hand-held cameras, this was because space was so tight there was often no room for the director.

Production & Filming Details

• Director: Ian Herring.
• Producers: Ian Herring, Maija Leivo, and Carolyn Schmidt.
• Production: Smithsonian Channel.
• Release Date: 10 May 2016 (US).
• Running Time: 45 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.

YouTube Link