"The Heavy Water War," also known as "The Saboteurs," was a high-profile Norwegian, British, and Danish miniseries that focused on little-known real events in World War II. Specifically, it covers efforts by Norwegian and British intelligence agents in 1943 to blow up a heavy water factory in Rjukan, Norway that was important in the Nazis' attempts to build atomic weapons. Had events turned out differently, that war could have had a much different conclusion.
In this program, Baumeister plays Elizabeth Heisenberg, the wife of the quantum physicist Werner Heisenberg, who was a member of Germany's "Uranium Club" and the man for whom the Uncertainty Principle is named after. She played a supporting role in the proceedings; her husband, however, was one of the characters central to the tale and whose perspective was used to tell part of the story.
While the six-part television event hasn't quite made the waves here that it deserves, it broke records in Norway when it aired on Norway's NRK1 in 2015, garnering a viewership of 1.259 million that made up a 63% market share. This set a new record for ratings for the premiere episode of an NRK drama series, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation said. "The Heavy Water War" was also popular among young people, with 67% of Norway's youth aged 12-19 watching the show. It was picked up in Europe and internationally following its broadcast in its native country. The Guardian called it "intriguing, exciting and involving, even in three different languages."
If you haven't seen it yet, you can buy it on Amazon Prime, where it's also available with a free 7-day trial if you sign up for the Mhz Choice international streaming service.
