Introduction

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

Outline

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.

Hell Below Series

• Series 01:
  • Episode 01: The Wolfpack.
  • Episode 02: Hitler’s Revenge.
  • Episode 03: America Fights Back.
  • Episode 04: Atlantic Showdown.
  • Episode 05: Destroyer Killer.
  • Episode 06: Fatal Voyage.

• Series 02:
  • Episode 01: In Enemy Waters.
  • Episode 02: Submarine Sabotage.
  • Episode 03: U-Boat Killers.
  • Episode 04: Defying Rommel.
  • Episode 05: Sub vs. Sub.
  • Episode 06: Cuban Crisis.

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: 17 July 2016 (US).
• Running Time: 50 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.

YouTube Link