Heavy water plant norway movie

When norsk hydro began producing heavy water in 1934, norway became the first country with a commercial heavywater plant. The heavy water war and the wwii hero you dont know. Norways leader says world war ii saboteur roenneberg has died at 99, it was reported on monday, oct. Set in germanoccupied norway, this is an embellished account of the remarkable efforts of the norwegian resistance to sabotage the german development of the atomic bomb. Inside the daring mission that thwarted a nazi atomic bomb on february 27, 1942, nine saboteurs scaled a cliff in the middle of the night to blow up a nazicontrolled heavy water plant in norway. The story of the heavy water sabotage operations was made into the british war classic the heroes of telemark 1965, starring kirk douglas and richard harris.

Tritiated water water containing the tritium isotope of hydrogen is also a form of heavy water. On november the 16th in 1943, 160 flying fortresses flew in over rjukan and bombed vemork, the power station and the factory. Joachim ronneberg, saboteur who crippled nazi atomic bomb. The plant was accessed by norwegian saboteurs after a risky, daring approach in deadly norwegian weather. Heavy water was produced at this facility, which made it a critical target for the german occupation to take control of. Vemork was the location of one of the most important acts of sabotage during the second world war, when norwegian saboteurs prevented the germans from developing nuclear weapons using the heavy water produced here. When norsk hydro began producing heavy water in 1934, norway became the first country with a commercial heavy water plant. Heavy water, or deuterium, is necessary to sustain fission, thus making it a crucial ingredient in nuclear weapons. The museum is placed in the old vemork water power plant, the most interesting about this place is its history from. Nova hitlers sunken secret norwegian resistance coup. Heavy water deuterium oxide, 2 h 2 o, d 2 o is a form of water that contains a larger than normal amount of the hydrogen isotope deuterium 2 h or d, also known as heavy hydrogen, rather than the common hydrogen1 isotope 1 h or h, also called protium that makes up most of the hydrogen in normal water. The vermork museum outside of rjukan, norway provides an excellent glimpse of the hydroelectric plants history and its importance during wwii.

The heroes of telemark is a british 1965 eastman color 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 soldier knut haukelid. Nazi germanys attempt to build a nuclear bomb and the allied effort to prevent it. Under tightened security, the german scientists doubled the heavywater production capacity and began shipping barrels of the material back to the. The heroes of telemark 1965 the heroes of telemark. Rolf pedersen and richard harris as knut straud, along with ulla jacobsson as anna pedersen. Rjukan, norway, was home to the worlds finest heavy water reactor, a cascading tower of electrolysis chambers where heavy water molecules would. Good movie that describes with reasonable accuracy the sabotage of the heavy water plant in norway. Vemork hydroelectric plant at rjukan, norway in 1935.

Saboteurs norwegian heavy water sabotage sabaton history 011 official duration. Norwegian resistance tries to stop german efforts to produce an atomic bomb component during world war ii. The heavy water war tells the story of one of the most dramatic, but least known chapters of world war ii. One of the more common processes was the girdler sulfide process, which was used in canadian heavy water plants at glace bay in nova scotia and at the bruce nuclear power development i. The largest plant was the bruce plant in canada, but has shut down. All the names in and around rjukan comes from historical farms and the families that lived there. The norwegians were then able to sneak past sentries and find their way to the heavy water production room, relying on maps of the plant provided. Not surprisingly, the show has great actors, beautiful nature and a unbelievable true story to tell. The following is an edited version of an article which was originally published in 1947 yearbook of the norwegian tourist association. The name comes from the second world war and the history of the norwegian heavy water sabotage. Rolf pedersen kirk douglas in an effort to destroy the german heavy water production plant near the village of rjukan in rural telemark. The nazi invasion of norway in 1940 transferred control of the plant. The soe trained 23yearold ronneberg to lead a daring, almost suicidal mission. Vemork norwegian industrial workers museum in rjukan.

The author, who was a member of a norwegian sabotage team, has authoriled its inclusion in studies in intelligence. In 1943, as a world war ii resistance fighter, he commanded a daring mission to blow up a heavywater plant in norway, helping sabotage hitlers nuclear program. The tvseries the heavy water war gathered 1,2 million viewers in norway. In 1934, the norsk hydro production plant at vemork in norway was the only heavy water production facility in existence. The film is set in the region of telemark norway in 1942, when the allies found a document that irrefutably proved that german scientists were making progress in the search for atomic fission at the vemork heavy water plant, situated next to the small town of rjukan, and were in the middle of making an atomic bomb that would change the course of the war. An iconic figure of the norwegian resistance was max manus, who fought in the initial norwegian campaign in 1940 and throughout the nazi occupation was a key resistance figure. Producing heavy water requires advanced infrastructure, and heavy water is actively produced in argentina, canada, india, and norway. Norsk hydro hydraulic power plant at vemork, norway science, spies and sabotage in a real life thriller sometimes real life offers up stories that trump the finest thrillers, and the story of the struggle between the allies and the reich over an essential ingredient for the manufacture of atomic bombs heavy water is just such a tale. In the united states, heavy water was used as a coolant and moderator in nuclear materials production. With kirk douglas, richard harris, ulla jacobsson, michael redgrave. Vemork was the name of the farm where the hydro water plant, the hydrogen plant, and the heavy water plant amongst other things were. This is because both radiation and heavy water damage the ability of cells to repair their dna and replicate. If you did drink too much heavy water, even though heavy water is not radioactive, your symptoms would mimic radiation poisoning. Copenhagen, denmark norway on monday mourned world war ii saboteur joachim roenneberg, who headed a fiveman team that daringly blew up a plant producing heavy water, depriving nazi germany of.

Scientific american is the essential guide to the most aweinspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives. It is a true story about norweigan resistance workers efforts to sabotage a heavy water plant in norway. The plant was accessed by norwegian saboteurs after a risky, daring approach in deadly norwegian. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake. Joachim ronneberg, leader of raid that thwarted a nazi. The deuxieme bureau french military intelligence directed three french agents captain muller and lieutenants mosse and knalldemars to remove the worlds extant supply, 185 kg 408 lb, of heavy water from the vemork plant in thenneutral norway in 1940. On february 27, 1942, nine saboteurs scaled a cliff in the middle of the night to blow up a nazicontrolled heavy water plant in norway. Drama norway norwegian with english subtitles tv14 sixpart dramatization of one of the most compelling stories of world war ii. The process was painfully slow, and at that time the plant could only produce around 100 kilos a month. In 1943, roenneberg headed the fourman team that blew up a plant producing heavy water, which nazi germany could have used to produce nuclear weapons.

There are suggestions below for improving the article. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Each hydrogen atom has one lone electron circling about one lone proton in the nucleus. Norwegian hero who blew up nazi plant during world war ii. The heavy water war the norwegian industrial workers museum is perhaps best known for its presentation of rjukans war history. Crucial to the nazis who took it over to make heavy water to use in the development of nuclear weapons. The nazis commandeered the plant shortly after invading. Technically, there is a slight difference in the boiling points of heavy water and water, so this difference could be taken advantage of when. The americans considered this so dangerous that they decided to bomb the factory. Resistance fighter knut straud richard harris enlists the reluctant physicist dr.

Norwegian heavy water sabotage was a good articles nominee, but did not meet the good article criteria at the time. The presence of deuterium gives the water different nuclear properties, and the. Perhaps the most daring resistance attack, which ray mears describes here, was a successful latenight raid that nine norwegian saboteurs made on the vemork heavywater plant on february 28, 1943. The norwegians were then able to sneak past sentries and find their way to the heavy water production room, relying on maps of the plant provided by norwegian resistance workers. The nazis required heavy water deuterium to manufacture an atomic bonb, and took over the formerly fertilizer plant to acquire the deuterium. About one in every 7000 hydrogen atoms is a freak of nat. The name vemork used in the movie, is a correct historical name. British intelligence and the norwegian militarys heroic struggle to thwart nazi germanys atomic bomb ambitions by sabotaging the heavy water plant in rjukan, norway.

In the front building, the norsk hydro hydrogen production plant, a norwegian special operations executive soe team operation gunnerside blew up heavy water production cells on the night of 2728 february 1943 in order to sabotage the efforts of the german nuclear energy project. Ordinary water is composed of 2 atoms of ordinary hydrogen h1 and one atom of oxygen mostly o16. The germans, however, rebuilt the heavy water plant. The sabotage operation against the german heavy water production plant was celebrated in a movie, the heroes. The nuclear nazis identified norways heavywater as one of the best candidates to act as this neutron moderator, so when german forces invaded in 1940 the vemork plant was an asset they were quick to snatch. This was a series of actions taken by norwegian saboteurs during world war ii to prevent a german nuclear energy project from acquiring a factory producing heavy water in telemark, norway, which because of its contents, could be concentrated and used to produce nuclear weapons. This plant in vemork, norway was the worlds major source of heavy water in the early 1940s.