The Secret War (TV series)

The Secret War was a seven-part television series that was produced by the BBC in conjunction with the Imperial War Museum (IWM) that documented numerous key secret technical developments during World War II.[1] It first aired during 1977 and was presented by William Woollard, drawing on the first-hand recollections of participants from both sides. The principal interviewee was Reginald Victor Jones, whose autobiography informed much of the research before its publication.[2]

The opening music was an excerpt from Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. The closing music was by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

Episodes

Episode 1: "The Battle of the Beams"

This episode documented how British intelligence became aware of various German Luftwaffe Navigation Beams, such as Knickebein, X Gerat and Y Gerat, and the countermeasures developed to combat them in what became known as the Battle of the Beams. It is largely based on the book Most Secret War, which was written by Jones, who features heavily in the series. The episode contains rare footage of The Blitz including the bombing of Coventry. Interviewees include Albert Speer, Sir Robert Cockburn and AVM Edward Addison.

Episode 2: "To See for a Hundred Miles"

This episode covers the development of radar from its first discovery to the creation of the Chain Home system in time for the Battle of Britain and the subsequent development of the cavity magnetron.

The epidode goes on to explain how British intelligence learnt of German radar developments, including Freya, Wurzburg radar systems and the British raid at Bruneval to capture a Wurzburg system.

It also contains details of the RAF's Bomber offensive electronic warfare with the German Luftwaffe that used devices such as Window, Gee, Oboe, H2S and Airborne Interception radar.

It features interviews and demonstrations with Jones, Arnold Wilkins, John Randall and Harry Boot, Bernard Lovell, Donald Bennett, Richard Philipp and others. Speer also appears and talks about the Bombing of Hamburg.

Episode 3: "Terror Weapons"

This episode uncovers the development of Adolf Hitler's vengeance weapons, how British authorities became aware of the menace and what actions were taken to prevent and to delay their use. It features rare footage of the V1, the V2 and the bombing of Peenemunde as well as details of Operation Most III, along with interviews featuring Jones, Duncan Sandys, Albert Speer, Constance Babington Smith, Roland Beamont, Janusz Groszkowski and Raymond Baxter.

Episode 4: "The Deadly Waves"

This episode is an-depth look into the magnetic mine and the countermeasures developed to overcome it, including degaussing, and features an interview with Lieutenant Commander John Ouvry from HMS Vernon, who defuzed the first intact German magnetic mine on the sands at Shoeburyness that found by the British, the actual preserved mine that he recovered being featured in a re-enactment for the episode.

It also features interviews with Commander John Ouvry, Captain Roger Lewis, Sir Charles Goodeve, Sir Edward Bullard and Donald Henley.

Episode 5: "If"

This episode showcases certain inventions that never became operational or whose deployment was significantly delayed, therefore leaving one to imagine what could have happened "if" certain developments had achieved widespread use.

It features many inventions such as the Messerschmitt Me 321 and Messerschmitt Me 323; various contraptions intended to help the Invasion of Normandy, including the Panjandrum and PLUTO; the Bachstelze autogyro; early helicopters, British and German bouncing bomb developments; the Henschel Hs 293, the Messerschmitt Me 163 and jet aircraft developments such as the Gloster E.28/39, Messerschmitt Me 262 and Gloster Meteor.

Interviewees include Hanna Reitsch, Adolf Galland, Frank Whittle, Stanley Hooker, Constance Babington Smith and Albert Speer.

Episode 6: "Still Secret"

This episode covers the story of the Enigma Code and the Lorenz cipher and how, after valuable initial work by the Polish intelligence service BS4 and the French, the codes were broken at Bletchley Park, including some information on the Colossus computer that was still classified when the programme was made. It explains how the codes were broken and how the information was used.

It features interviews with Gordon Welchman, Harry Golombek, Peter Calvocoressi, F. W. Winterbotham, Max Newman, Jack Good and Tommy Flowers.

Episode 7: "The Battle of the Atlantic"

This episode is a detailed look into the Battle of the Atlantic, the technical developments and tactics used by both Allied and Axis sides during the long and difficult campaign. It features such innovations as Asdic, Type 271 radar, wolfpacks, Cam Fighters, Hedgehog, Huff-Duff, US Blimps, ASV radar, the Leigh light, Metox, Naval H2S radar, Submarine snorkels and escort carriers.

Contributions are from Donald Macintyre, Patrick Beesly, Carl Emmermann, Humphrey de Verd Leigh, Hans Meckel, Hartwig Looks, and Bernard Lovell.

Although included in video versions of The Secret War as a seventh episode, this last programme was not made as part of the actual series and was aired separately from The Secret War when it was first shown. The completely different introduction, title music and credits betrays that (particularly as "The Secret War" does not appear in the title sequence anywhere, unlike the other six episodes).

Production

The programme credited contributions from:

The historical adviser for the series was Alfred Price.

Media

Episodes 1 to 6 were distributed on a double CD by Simply Media, licensed from BBC, titled The Secret War: The Complete Original 1977 Series.[3]

See also

References
  1. Johnson, Brian (1978). The Secret War. Methuen. p. 352. ISBN 9780458933402.
  2. Jones, R. V. (1978). Most Secret War: British Scientific Intelligence 1939–1945. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN 9780141042824.
  3. The Secret War: The Complete Original 1977 Series (1996). Simply Media: Cat No. 139239.
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