Secrets of World War II episode 4: In June 1942 two German U-Boats landed secret agents on Long Island and at Jacksonville, Florida. Their aim was sabotage but their methods left a lot to be desired!
On the night of June 12, 1942, a German U-boat emerged from the fog just off the coast of Long Island. It’s cargo: four Nazi agents equipped with forged documents, explosives and an ambitious plan to blow up America. Could a small team of trained saboteurs actually bring the mighty U.S. armament industry to a grinding halt? Discover the diabolical plot of destruction that unfolded “When Hitler Invaded America.”
Meet the Nazi mastermind of “Operation Pastorius,” and follow his freshly recruited operatives through their lethal training. See the ingenious explosive devices created to fulfill their mission.
Find out why a startling encounter on the Long Island shore set off an intense FBI manhunt and how a remarkable betrayal led to the saboteurs’ capture. For the first time, see what happened when Germany attempted to attack America…from the inside.
Secrets of World War II episode 4
You probably know the History, now discover the incredible SECRETS OF WORLD WAR II. Rarely has a war produced such clear cut reasons to fight as World War II. On the one hand were the totalitarian Dictators – Tojo, Hitler and Mussolini. On the other were the great democracies of the Western World which were gradually regaining their feet after the Great War of 1914-18 and the Wall Street Crash. Suddenly, ordinary men and women from all walks of life found themselves thrown into fearsome, nerve-tingling situations worthy of any Hollywood movie. The only difference in this series is that every story is true. Real people emerge as the Heroes of Telemark. Ordinary GIs and US Airforce and Navy personnel suddenly find themselves flying against the Japanese in China, jungle fighting in Burma and being dropped by submarine on enemy coasts at midnight.
These untold stories can now be examined in great detail with the benefit of hindsight, newly-discovered archive film, maps and computer graphics which can complete the picture for today’s viewer. Each fifty-two minute story covers the background to the main action. It will give the viewer a clear view of the historical context, the strategic objective and the tactical effort made by flyers, sailors and foot-soldiers – often in the most oppressive and life-threatening situations – to win victory from the enemy.
This is an inspiring series with a giant canvas including much never before seen colour film. Over 300,000 hours of archive material have been searched for its compilation. Specially orchestrated music and compositions from the great composers all contribute to the excitement and drama of some of the world’s greatest stories of bravery under fire.
It is the largest series of its kind ever produced and with recently released secret footage will give the viewer a new insight into the great untold war stories of World War II. In many cases, this series gives the true stories for the first time this Century.
Operation Pastorius
Operation Pastorius was a failed German intelligence plan for sabotage inside the United States during World War II. The operation was staged in June, 1942 and was to be directed against strategic American economic targets. The operation was named by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, chief of the German Abwehr, for Francis Daniel Pastorius, the organizer of the first organized settlement of Germans in America. Fourteen other people would be charged with aiding those in charge of the operation.
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, followed by Germany’s declaration of war on the United States four days later, and the United States’ declaration of war on Germany in response, Hitler authorized a mission to sabotage the American war effort and attack civilian targets to demoralize the American civilian population inside the United States. The mission was headed by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, chief of the German Abwehr. Canaris recalled that, during World War I, he organized the sabotage of French installations in Morocco, and that other German agents entered the United States to attack New York arms factories, including the destruction of munitions supplies at Black Tom Island, in 1916. He hoped that Operation Pastorius would have the same kind of success they had in 1916.
Recruited for Operation Pastorius were eight Germans who had lived in the United States. Two of them, Ernst Burger and Herbert Haupt, were American citizens. The others, George John Dasch, Edward John Kerling, Richard Quirin, Heinrich Harm Heinck, Hermann Otto Neubauer and Werner Thiel, had worked at various jobs in the United States. All eight were recruited into the Abwehr military intelligence organization and were given three weeks of intensive sabotage training in the German High Command school on an estate at Quenz Lake, near Berlin, Germany. The agents were instructed in the manufacture and use of explosives, incendiaries, primers, and various forms of mechanical, chemical and electrical delayed-timing devices. Considerable time was spent developing complete background “histories” they were to use in the United States. They were encouraged to converse in English and to read American newspapers and magazines to improve their English and familiarity with current American events and culture.