Bombing Hitler's Supergun

As the tide was starting to turn in 1943 against the Nazis, Hitler and his fanatical followers hatched a diabolical plan to build an enormous cannon, which would be buried deep underground in occupied France and be capable of firing bombs into the heart of London hundreds of miles away. The goal was to target civilians, thereby spreading terror and destroying morale. Directed by Ian Duncan, this PBS-aired NOVA documentary describes frantic Allied efforts to track and neutralize the Nazi superguns. Compared to the early "buzz bombs" delivered by unmanned planes that were designed to cut power and fall randomly on cities, the V-3 cannon was a sophisticated weapon, housed in fortified bunkers and tunnels built by slave labor. Assembled at a secret test site in Poland, the long gun was meant to compensate for the loss of the Luftwaffe's air superiority as the war progressed. But while formidable, the gun was also untested and unreliable. The Allies quickly came up with a counter-plan to build a drone missile (packed with bombs) that would be released by a plane crew, who would then parachute to safety. At some point during one of his last missions before shipping stateside, Joseph Kennedy Jr. (son of Joe Kennedy Sr., former ambassador to England and the patriarch of a future political dynasty) volunteered to fly one of the planes. But a mysterious mishap occurred and the plane exploded over England, instantly killing Kennedy. The documentary investigates the cause of the explosion, and the fearsome "earthquake bunker busting bombs" that ultimately disabled the London cannon before it could cause any damage. Likely to appeal to both history and military buffs, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)