Even though each and every one of World at War's episodes is amazing in its own right, this one is probably the one I have the most preference for. It sets itself apart from the other ones because unlike those, this one focuses on the war at sea, specifically how Hitler's fleet of submarines tried to choke off british supplies in the atlantic and bring the country to the bargaining table. After the battleship Bismarck, pride of the Kriegsmarine, was sunk by Royal Navy aircraft in 1941, it looked like the germans had lost the battle for the waves, above the water anyway. Things were much different under it. The episode features interviews with people who were on ships, both british and german, which is typical for the series, but more important it also includes scenes featuring Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz, leader of the german navy and the man who tried to convince Hitler he could win the war by simply having enough U-boats. Laurence Olivier says Doenitz knew the importance submarines could have in wartime because he was stationed on one himself 20 years before in 1918. Early in world war 2, we see how the germans put their submarines to good use and sink millions of tons worth of british ships, which were responsible for supplying the country with everything from food to fuel. If ships were being sunk faster than they could be built, britain would be completely up against it. After the japanese attack Pearl harbor at the end of 1941 and America gets involved, Churchill knows his island is saved. The huge industrial might of the US would grind down the german war machine, but Roosevelt had to physically send his aid to europe first. This is where america suffered the same way britain did in the early stages of the war, as Hitler sent his submarines to attack ships along the american seaboards. Some of them got as close as Hudson Harbor and could see the skyscrapers of Manhattan glowing in the distance. Eventually, the americans introduce a convoy system which provided more protection to ships traveling in one big group, since if one was attacked by a submarine, another ship could shoot at it. Later on, we learn why the episode is called wolf pack. It's what the formations of german submarines were called, because they would all hunt ships together in a group. The war then begins to turn against the germans as fuel, food, oil, and other valuable consumables all start to run dry. To hasten their defeat, the british introduce new counters to german submarines, including isometric radars, a permanent convoy patrol system, seaplanes flying close to ships ready to bomb enemy submarines, and the hedgehog: a large, anti-submarine mortar weapon that launches 24 bombs in less than 3 seconds. Towards the end of the war, the german submarines were a shadow of their former selves. In an attempt to keep U-boats relevant, germany introduced a new type of submarine called the Type XXI, which was electric powered, enabling it to spend more time underwater. It was too late. Only 2 ever entered service, and they never came into contact with the enemy. Aside from being my favorite World at War episode, what Wolf Pack does extremely well is make the viewer feel afraid. It makes you realize the immense courage that was required in order to get into a submarine in world war 2, because most of the german crews would die in action. Hearing depth charges explode around the submarine must have been a horrible experience, because the bombs don't need to be direct hits. An explosion could cause a crack in the submarine's hull, allowing huge amounts of water to flood in. Ultimately, germany's formidable underwater fleet was subdued and overwhelmed by the huge amount of ships and anti-submarine weapons pouring off american and british production lines. As for Doenitz, he would go on to be one of the defendants in the Nuremberg Trials after the war and received 10 years imprisonment. He probably would have been hanged if it wasn't for the fact that he was not found guilty of war crimes. Similarly to Albert Speer, he supported Hitler during the war but pretended to hate him once it was over in order to paint himself as the "good nazi." Even though I love this episode, it is not perfect. It doesn't go into depth (no pun intended) about the submarine battles america fought against the japanese in the pacific, or the ones fought by the british against italy in the mediterranean. It's almost 100% atlantic only. Still, Wolf Pack is my favorite World at War entry because it doesn't focus on land fighting like most of the other ones do.
