Submarine Alert (1943) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Lew agrees to help because his young niece Tina is a war orphan who needs a life-saving brain operation. As a Canadian citizen working in America, he struggles to earn enough money for the costly surgery. When Dr. Huneker offers him a high-paying job repairing a stolen radio transmitter, Lew sees it as the only way to get the money he desperately needs to save Tina's life.

• lew deerhold
• niece tina
• brain operation
• money
• desperation

The stolen short-wave transmitter is used to beam secret shipping data to a Japanese submarine lurking off the California coast. The Nazis plan to use it to give the submarine real-time information about American ship movements, allowing it to attack and sink the ships.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, FBI agent Fleming explains that German and Japanese forces are being tipped off by radio signals about shipping routes.

• transmitter
• japanese submarine
• shipping data
• espionage
• radar

FBI agent G.B. Fleming devises a clever plan to catch Nazi spies. He suspects that radio signals are tipping off enemy forces about ship movements. By firing all local radio specialists at once, he creates a pool of unemployed engineers. The theory is that any spy or traitor would desperately seek work and could be identified by accepting jobs from suspicious employers.

• fbi
• fleming
• spy hunt
• radio workers
• counterintelligence

Bambridge, the owner of the Bambridge shipping company, is actually Captain Hargas, an American intelligence agent working undercover. The Nazi spies torture Bambridge to force him to cooperate with their operation, but he maintains his cover until Lew discovers the truth.

• bambridge
• captain hargas
• american agent
• undercover
• shipping company

Trapped in a rising steam room by Huneker's men, Lew uses his engineering skills to construct a makeshift transmitter from available parts. He sends out an SOS signal that is picked up by a young boy. The boy's father immediately calls the FBI, leading agents to rescue Lew and Ann while capturing the Nazi operatives.

• steam room
• makeshift transmitter
• sos signal
• rescue
• escape

After the FBI rescues Lew and Ann, Agent Fleming coordinates with a bomber squadron that locates and destroys the Japanese submarine waiting off the California coast. This eliminates the immediate threat to American shipping lanes and prevents the planned attack on Allied vessels.

• japanese submarine
• bomber squadron
• california coast
• destroyed
• shipping lanes

Lew becomes a private in the U.S. Army and gains American citizenship at the film's conclusion. Throughout the film, his status as a Canadian citizen has been a source of frustration, limiting his job opportunities and ability to fully contribute. By proving his loyalty through his actions against the Nazi spies, he earns both citizenship and the chance to serve his adopted country.

• citizenship
• us army
• private
• Lew Deerhold
• american dream

Yes, Ann Patterson is an FBI agent assigned to shadow Lew Deerhold as part of the counterintelligence operation. She initially approaches Lew under the guise of a civilian but eventually reveals her true identity and becomes his ally in bringing down the Nazi spy ring.

Foreshadowing: Ann's 'coincidental' meeting with Lew at the radio shop and her suspicious interest in his work hint at her true mission.

• ann patterson
• fbi agent
• undercover
• spy ring
• surveillance

Dr. Arthur Huneker is the leader of the Nazi spy ring operating on the West Coast. He is a German operative who has stolen a top-secret radio transmitter and needs an engineer to repair it. He coordinates with Japanese Commander Toyo and their associate Vincent Bela to carry out espionage attacks against American shipping.

• dr arthur huneker
• nazi spy
• commander toyo
• vincent bela
• espionage

Yes, Tina's brain operation is successful. The film ends with Tina recovered and present for the family celebration, which includes Lew's citizenship ceremony and his enlistment in the U.S. Army. Her survival represents the personal victory that made all of Lew's dangerous efforts worthwhile.

• tina
• brain operation
• war orphan
• niece
• survival