''Operation Swallow: The Battle for Heavy Water'' (original title: ''Kampen om tungtvannet'', French title: ''La Bataille de l'eau lourde'') is a Norwegian-French film from 1948. The history is based on the best known commando raid in Norway during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, where the resistance group
Norwegian Independent Company 1
Norwegian Independent Company 1 (NOR.I.C.1, pronounced ''Norisén'' (approx. "noor-ee-sehn") in Norwegian) was a British Special Operations Executive (SOE) group formed in March 1941 originally for the purpose of performing commando raids during ...
destroyed the heavy water plant at
Vemork
Vemork is a hydroelectric power plant outside Rjukan in Tinn, Norway. The plant was built by Norsk Hydro and opened in 1911, its main purpose being to fix nitrogen for the production of fertilizer. At opening, it was the world's largest power pl ...
in
Telemark
Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...
in February 1943.
The film is basically a reconstruction of real events, a
docudrama, with many of the participants playing themselves in the film. It was filmed on location in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
.
Cast
Reception
It was the second most popular film at the French box office in 1948.
See also
*''
The Heroes of Telemark
''The Heroes of Telemark'' is a 1965 British war film directed by Anthony Mann based on the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during the Second World War from ''Skis Against the Atom'', the memoirs of Norwegian resistance soldi ...
'', a 1965 film
*''
The Heavy Water War
''The Heavy Water War'' (original title ' and alternative title ''The Saboteurs'' ( UK)) is a six-episode war drama TV miniseries written by Petter S. Rosenlund and produced by Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation.
It is a Norwegian/Danish/Bri ...
'', a 2015 TV series
References
External links
*
1948 films
1948 war films
French docudrama films
1940s Norwegian-language films
Norwegian black-and-white films
French World War II films
Films set in Norway
Films shot in Norway
Films about Norwegian resistance movement
Films directed by Jean Dréville
Films directed by Titus Vibe-Müller
Docufiction films
Films about nuclear war and weapons
Science docudramas
Norwegian World War II films
1940s French films
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