Though EP5's coverage spans 1939–43, it's unlike all other Victory episodes in that American forces are never seen or mentioned. The focus is Royal Navy activity in the Mediterranean, giving EP5 the highest percentage of British-sourced footage in the series. Recorded 26 August 1952, three and a half months after EP4, it's Victory's eleventh-completed installment. Before examining this episode and its score, it's important to recap the efforts of Henry Salomon and NBC to access wartime film held by America's closest ally.

Just as Samuel Eliot Morison's fifteen-volume History of United States Naval Operations in World War II (HUSNO) hadn't strictly limited itself to the US Navy's actions in WWII, Salomon always figured his “Navy Project” would touch on all branches of America's military. As Victory moved through its planning stages, Salomon's vision expanded to encompass the seaborne activity of the other Allied nations, which he related to Robert Sarnoff in June 1951: “As our thinking has progressed on the format for the NBC-Navy Project, we are in agreement that it would be desirable to use film pertaining to the Royal Navy in the series… . it will present a fairer picture of historical events and … give the series a less provincial and more global basis.”

A pivotal issue was identifying the rights-holders for Britain's wartime film and inducing them to share footage with NBC. Salomon explained:

Negotiations would eventually involve Salomon, Robert Sarnoff, and others at NBC, plus US Navy officials. Likewise, several British agencies and individuals were of necessity involved: the British Embassy in Washington, Lord Mountbatten and other high-ranking military men, the British Foreign Office, NBC's London offices, and more.