We Dive at Dawn is a 1943 war film starring John Mills and Eric Portman as Royal Navy submariners in the Second World War.
British submarine ‘Sea Tiger’ docks after a long voyage and the crew are given a week\'s leave. Their arrangements are cancelled as they are recalled to their sub and instructed to fi nd and destroy a Nazi battle ship – The Brandenburg. On their voyage three German seamen tell them where the ship lies in the treacherous Baltic sea. Once found, they fi re torpedoes and make a hasty retreat to refuel. Were they successful? Or is the Brandenburg following them?
Reviews
“The first half of "We Dive at Dawn” is a bit slow, developing as it does the relationships among the crew members and their relationships with loved ones on land. Once the action starts, however, things pick up considerably, and the human drama turns into wartime action. The film works pretty well on both fronts and should satisfy fans of older WWII adventure films." moviemet.com
“This is an interesting WWII film made in Britain during the war about submarine warfare. It follows the career of the P61 “Sea Tiger (what a great name!) as it performs its undersea mission…Being a British-made film, it’s interesting to see the differences between the treatment of typical submarine themes as compared to the Hollywood version. For one thing, firing torpedoes is not as easy as we’ve been led to believe. First the sub has to be trimmed, and the sailors have some difficulties getting the sub straight and level for the shot. Distance, time, and angle calculations have to be done by hand, and the submariners fire a full spread of six torpedoes when the target is finally sighted in. None of this “fire one – fire two” stuff. He says “fire torpedoes” and they send all six fish on their way without further notice. They have to immediately dive below periscope depth as the destroyer escorts come rushing in with depth charges. Watching the skipper look through the periscope is a little different, also, giving an appreciation that everything is not so easy, at least aboard a British submarine. Most of the actors are unknowns, with two exceptions: John Mills, who appeared in many movies, including Great Expectations and The Swiss Family Robinson. Eric Portman got top billing in this movie. Although he is pretty much forgotten today, I will always remember him for his fine portrayal of a German submarine commander in The Bedford Incident, a terrifying story of a Cold War patrol gone horribly wrong…This movie will interest persons who like submarines as the footage depicts an actual British submarine WWII. History buffs and war movie fans will also enjoy We Dive at Dawn.” George Chabot