The Saboteurs

Brilliant German scientist and Nobel Prize winner Werner Heisenberg has recently been allowed into Uranverein, the secret Nazi nuclear energy project. He believes that heavy water is needed to control the chain reaction, a component that only exists at Norsk Hydro’s factory in Rjukan, Norway. However, a former scientist at Rjukan, Leif Tronstad, suspects the Germans intentions.

Leif Tronstad establishes contact with the War Ministry and a plan to destroy the Hydro facilities at Rjukan is drawn up. Tronstad hand-picks Knut Haukelid, a daring man with no respect for authority, as the leader of a small team, code named ‘Grouse’. Meanwhile, Heisenberg travels to Copenhagen to meet his Danish mentor and Nobel Prize winner, Niels Bohr.

Two of operation 'Freshman's' glider planes crash violently into the Norwegian mountains, their target, Ryujkan. Without Henriksen’s approval, the Germans heighten security to maximum level at Rjukan. Leif Tronstad persuades the Allies to send in a small team of Norwegians to break into the factory and blow it up from the inside. Operation ‘Gunnerside’ is then created with Knut Haukelid in command. In Germany, Heisenberg continues to experiment with the heavy water.

‘Gunnerside’ fail to locate their drop-point and the pilots insist on turning back. Haukelid claims to know where they are and eventually they join up with the remaining members of the 'Grouse' team. Heisenberg is back in favour with the military and is appointed director of the Keiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin where he is promised full support. ‘Gunnerside’ come up with another plan to infiltrate the facility.

Claus Helberg is caught by the Germans. Heisenberg is assigned to continue his work without heavy water, but explains that no heavy water means no bomb. Learning that the Germans are rebuilding the factory, the Americans decide to bomb it against Tronstad’s advice. Meanwhile, the Germans intend to move production back to Germany and the Allies mount a plan.

The Allies order Haukelid and two other survivors from ‘Gunnerside’ to sink the ferry with the heavy water facilities mid-way across the lake from Rjukan. Heisenberg claims to only need 500 additional litres of heavy water to succeed with the atom bomb but as his machinations are coming together, he learns information that leaves him shaken. 2015 Arrow Films