U-boat

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Movie
German title U-boat
Original title In enemy hands
Country of production United States
original language English , German
Publishing year 2004
length 98 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Tony Giglio
script John E. Deaver ,
Tony Giglio
production John H. Brister ,
Julius R. Nasso ,
Michael A. Pierce ,
Mark Williams
music Steven Bramson
camera Gerry Lively
cut Peter Mergus ,
Harvey Rosenstock
occupation

U-Boat (original title: In Enemy Hands , German alternative title: U-Boat - In feindlicher Hand ) is an American film drama from 2004 by Tony Giglio with Til Schweiger , Thomas Kretschmann and William H. Macy .

action

In the Second World War, a German submarine rescues and captures the crew after an American submarine was torpedoed. What the rescuers do not know is that meningitis had broken out on the US boat and the Americans are now infecting the Germans, so that the crew of the submarine is gradually being decimated. Due to the lack of skilled workers, driving the submarine is becoming increasingly difficult and dangerous. For this reason and because of the urgently needed medical care for the fatal, infectious disease, the always thoughtful German Captain Herdt decides to set up a joint troop with the captured Americans. One tries to approach the American coast by the shortest route, and so to prefer the expected captivity to the otherwise expected death from meningitis.

The previously expected supply submarine , called "milk cow" in jargon, was sunk by an American destroyer . This is now hunting the German submarine. In addition, three German crew members want to take control of the submarine in an act of mutiny in order to prevent it from calling on the American coast. This fails, but the captain dies, so that first officer Ludwig Cremer takes over the command. Since one of the mutineers succeeded in sending a radio message, another German submarine is now in pursuit. With a heavy heart, Cremer decides to attack his comrades on the other submarine with the last remaining torpedo . The torpedo hits, but fails to perform the desired detonation. This submarine is then sunk by the destroyer shortly afterwards. Cremer's submarine can be identified as under (German) American occupation and the crew is then brought to safety by the American destroyer. In a final scene, Cremer, now a prisoner of war in the USA, is visited in friendship by the American COB Travers, who was previously his prisoner. He is relieved that his torpedo did not kill the German comrades of the second submarine.

Discrepancies and weaknesses

The U 429 protagonists' submarine depicted in the film would not have been suitable for trips to the US coast, as it was only a class VIIC submarine . U 429 was only used for training and never had contact with the enemy. It was sunk on March 30, 1945 in the port of Wilhelmshaven without losses by American bombers.

The underwater trips during the day specified here (and without a snorkel recognizable in the film) could only be made around 70 nautical miles ( Type IXC (40) ), as the batteries were quickly exhausted. Underwater journeys were therefore less used for marching than for unnoticed attacks and, if necessary, for unnoticed marching or quiet escape.

The underwater battles shown here were not possible with the technology of those years. For example, a hydrophone could locate the presence and direction of an enemy submarine, but not its depth. Therefore a torpedo attack on a submerged submarine would be pointless. In addition, the front side, which is often shown in the film, is a narrow target that is very difficult to hit.

The interior of a World War II submarine, especially after weeks of travel, was dirty, damp, oily and riddled with foul smells (diesel, hydraulic and other oils, diesel exhaust, sweat, kitchen, bilge, etc.). That was not evident in the film. Similarly, there seems to grotesque that a submarine captain - as seen - to patrol its activity and dress uniform , including fly carries.

Due to the cramped conditions in the home port, food was stowed around the submarine and hung up visibly in the corridors and rooms. After just a few weeks at sea, these previously visible provisions would already be used up, which contradicts the representation in the film.

Swastika flags inside the submarine were unusual. The Reich war flag was only hoisted on the outside of the flagpole when entering and leaving. (see also list of flags of the German Navy (1935–1945) )

In one of the last scenes a torpedo weighing approx. 1.5 tons was loaded into the stern torpedo tube from a reserve container in the ground within a few (dramatic) minutes. In reality, something like this lasted at least 20 minutes and, for common tactical considerations, should have happened long before.

The Tauchretter not bore the inscription in reality escape gear .

On the type IXC (40) , which was used for transatlantic routes and is likely to be assumed in the film , apart from the on-board toilets, there was no cabin with a door.

Due to the possible risk of explosion from degassing batteries ( oxyhydrogen ), there was actually a smoking ban inside German submarines.

At that time, torpedoes were only available with an impact fuse , or magneto , and would therefore not have exploded on their own.

If the depth charges had exploded as close to the boat as seen in the film, it would usually no longer be functional.

Reviews

Ed Gonzalez wrote in Slant Magazine that the film was melodramatic after the beginning. Each member of the crew of the USS Swordfish corresponds to an identical character in the crew of the U 429.

The lexicon of international films states: “Nothing new from the water front: The conventional war film conjures up male friendship across the fronts, appeals to loyalty to one's own camp and commemorates loved ones on the home front, for whom it is worthwhile to go to the wet grave escape."

background

  • The drama was with a budget of 5.4 million US dollars in the fall of 2002 in California rotated.
  • It was first released on February 25, 2004 in Spain on DVD . In Germany it was published on August 13, 2004 in the United States on October 26, 2004.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Release certificate for U-Boat . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , June 2004 (PDF; test number: 98 277 V / DVD).
  2. ↑ Information on U429 in uboat.net
  3. ↑ U-47 torpedo reloading times
  4. ↑ E. Rössler: "U-Boat Type XXI", Bernard & Graefe, 2001 Torpedo reloading times of the U-Boat Type XXI: approx. 12 minutes, which, however, was the most modern type. Accordingly, much more time with older submarine types.
  5. ↑ http://www.kbismarck.com/u-boot/ubordleb.htm
  6. ^ Slant Magazine
  7. ^ U-Boat. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used