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Title:U-BOATS : RECOGNITION AND ATTACK BY NAVAL AIRCRAFT [Main Title]
Film Number:ADM 135
Other titles:
Summary: Naval instruction film describing the elements of aircraft ASW (anti-submarine warfare).
Description: "Part One, Recognition" - Classification and identifying characteristics of German U-boats. Diagrams illustrate the extent of the pressure hull and other vulnerable features. Distant aerial views of a submarine "trimmed down" and crash-diving demonstrate the difficulties of spotting a U-boat in conditions of poor visibility. This sequence is "...one of the most valuable parts of the film since it is all you are likely to see under normal weather conditions." The film presents aerial views of an oil slick, a submarine lying in dappled, sunlit water, and the feather produced by a periscope. "Part Two, Depth Charge Attacks by Naval Aircraft" - Description of the technique, and calculations necessary for a successful aerial attack upon: (a) some visible mark left by a recently submerged U-boat, eg a swirl of foam; and (b) a part of the submarine itself, still visible above water. The film examines the evasive manoeuvres a U-boat can make immediately after submersion, and how an attacking aircraft might compensate by properly positioning its pattern of depth charges. The narrator stresses the paramount importance of a correct estimation of the submarine's course at the moment of submergence.
Production Details: Admiralty (Production sponsor)
Merton Park Studios (Production company)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: Royal Navy (regiment/service)
German Navy (regiment/service)
Keywords: training, British naval - combat: anti-submarine warfare (object name)
ships, French - : Rubis (Free French SS, P.15) (object name)
ships, German - submarine: U-boat Type IIA (object name)
ships, German - submarine: U-boat Type IIB (object name)
ships, German - submarine: U-boat Type VIIA (object name)
ships, German - submarine: U-boat Type VIIB (object name)
Instruction (concept)
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Sound
Soundtrack language: English
Title language: English
Subtitle language: None
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 2
Footage: 1616 ft; Running time: 18 mins