if youre in the middle of a ferocious war and it still not clear that youre go to come out on top and among the thing you will be concern with be to keep up the morale of the civilian . to demonstrate that our troop have the bravery and the resourcefulness and the dedication to overcome all the odds in a noble cause . and that just what director anthony asquith provide the british with 1943 naval war film and we dive at dawn . after more than 60 year and it not surprise that some of the movie be date . it doesn not help that the class stereotype which help define the enlisted men from the officer can be jar . here and as in so many other british war film and the men invariably have thick regional work class accent while the officer speak with an educated fluency that would place them at home in england fine rule class establishment . in this movie and freddie taylor ( john mill ) and the captain of the submarine sea tiger and be clever and confident and resourceful and aggressive and in control and good with his men and humorous with his peer and quick to make a decision . and it help that he lucky . his men be jolly tar and for the most part and competent at their job and always ready with a joke when thing get tense . although we spend the first third of the movie get to know these people while theyre on leave and after that thing get tense quickly . taylor and his sub be order to destroy the brandenburg and a new german battleship . they just miss the ship when it enter the kiel canal and head into the baltic . taylor assess the risk and decide the sea tiger will go after it and through mine field and anti sub net and with a real risk of not have enough fuel to return to home base . after several tense situation and the confrontation take place . the sea tiger let loose six torpedo but have to dive and not know if it have do it job . after a clever subterfuge and taylor outfox a couple of german destroyer but then realize there be not enough fuel . he plan to scuttle his sub and surrender when and just at the last moment and james hobson ( eric portman ) and a seaman who have be sullen and a loner and who speaks german and say there be a small danish coastal village that have be a fuel depot . he think it might still be for the german . the last third of the movie be a rouse action sequence a the crew of the sub attempt to hold off the german long enough to pump in enough fuel to get the sea tiger back to britain . this be a wartime propaganda movie and so do not expect failure . and do the sea tiger actually put the brandenburg down . be the men reunite with their wife and sweetheart . do hobson have a reconciliation with his wife and small son that leave him smile for once . do freddie taylor finally have a chance to make use of all those female name in his little black book . you will have to see the movie . there be propaganda war movie and there be propaganda war movie . some and like powell and pressburger one of our aircraft be miss and the 49th parallel and still stand up to view today because the story be solid and unexpected and the creator do not use obvious shorthand clichés . others and like we dive at dawn and be make with enough clichés that when watch we have to remind ourselves how dire the time be when the film be make . still and asquith can build a lot of suspense even with a few clichés . the sea tiger force it way through a sub net be tense . the stalking of the brandenburg and the plotting need for the torpedo firing be realistic while john mill no nonsense attitude while he prepare to attack be well handle . the fake out preparation to make the sea tiger look a if it have be destroy by depth charge be a realistic and inside the sub as well a out and a you could hope for and and the battle for the fuel depot be dramatic and exciting . we dive at dawn be not a classic war film and but it a well make and well acted example of it type and time . john mill and it worth note and have a long and long career . especially in the fifty he play in a number of serious mind film look back at those wwii day . he have the quality of show grit and cheerfulness and perseverance and but of also be trustworthy and a man england could be proud of a he fight the war . top bill in this movie be eric portman and a fine actor with a unique voice and the ability to give stare so cold you would want to put on a sweater . everyone on the sub be very much in the joking but stiff upper lip mode and but portman manage some complexity for his character . mill and portman do fine job work together on this film .