Virtual reconstruction is an important tool to help us connect with history. In this experience you are placed in the middle of the action, right before a bombing attempt, giving us a unique window into the life of a worker at DORA in Trondheim in 1943 during WWII.
Harnessing the power of Unreal Engine, we achieved an immersive simulation of everyday life as a worker at DORA in 1943, with historically accurate reconstruction of environments, equipment and interiors.
The original DORA blueprints are lost to history, but architecture schematics for “sibling bunkers” enabled our team to research and develop a historically accurate virtual representation of the submarine pen and surrounding harbour district.
Real world history visualised in VR
On July 24, 1943, 309 American B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft took off from Great Britain to bomb the strategically important DORA submarine bunker in Trondheim. Early warning gave German forces opportunity to deploy a fog screen, leading to allied bombers missing their target.
35 Germans and 8 Norwegian civilians lost their lives in the attack, in addition 5 Danish and two Dutch workers were killed in the attack or died of injuries afterwards. At the harbor a tugboat and a submarine were sunk, and a German fighter was damaged. Dora, which was the main target during the attack, nevertheless suffered no significant damage.