La Rochelle, autumn 1941.
The "Battle of the Atlantic" grows stronger.
Germany's U-Boats fleet, with which Hitler...
...hoped to starve Britain, is beginning to suffer major setbacks.
The British escort freighters with destroyers, with increasing success.
Nevertheless, more U-boats are ordered...
...into battle from their French Atlantic ports.
Of the 40,000 German U-boat sailors serving in World War II...
...30,000 never returned.
The final night onshore.
We sail at 7 tomorrow morning.
My first assignment on a U-boat...
...with no idea where they are sending us.
The central Atlantic, probably.
Only a few boats out there.
They reinforced their protection, it's a bad month.
The tommies learned their lesson.
The aces, there are not many left.
Prien, Schepk e, Kretschmer, all lost during attacks.
They all drowned, except for Kretschmer.
Kelsch sank off of Gibraltar.
Endrass, with a nervous breakdown.
Our boatswain's mate.
He's on quite a bender.
The street is closed.
Who are those pigs?
The street's free.
Water on!
They call that "fireboat drill. " They're all guys from our boat.
Captain.
Merkel's crew. They ship out tomorrow as well.
Come on, comrades, let's explode the whorehouse.
Just don't miss!
- Stick some greetings in with it! - See you soon, comrades.
They're chicken shit.
They need that like the grave warriors the schnapps.
What's going on here?
Okay, ready, fire!
Captain!
My second officer.
This is Lieutenant Werner, navy war correspondent.
He'll ship out with us.
He'll report on everything that catches his eye.
Welcome aboard, lieutenant.
Good evening.
Lieutenant, come along and have a drink with us.
- Good evening. - Good evening. Two beers, please.
Of course, captain. Right away.
Those are some meatballs.
It's nice here, isn't it? Come with me.
Where's Thomsen?
I thought he wanted to celebrate his Knight's Cross.
Any news from your wife?
They only connect private calls after 10:00.
Two beers.
It can't get worse than this.
Captain.
I'm reporting back from U-96.
Oil provisions onboard and fully armed. The boat is clear for sea.
- Thank you, lieutenant. - One more thing, captain.
On the drive here, I was molested by some of the crew.
They...
An outrageous event.
They...
Say it already, they peed on you.
- Exactly, captain. - Me too.
Come, sweetheart. Let the boy live, the Führer still needs him.
Prosit, lieutenant. To the Freichor Tönitz.
- First time on a U-boat? - Yeah.
First time. It's gonna be exciting.
Do you have a will?
Excuse me?
Thirteen boats down last month. Sank with men and mice.
Exciting, huh?
One moment, please.
I'm asking for your attention.
To the newly appointed Knight's Cross carrier...
...Captain Lieutenant Thomsen! Three big cheers!
There is Thomsen from the old gang.
Always drunk now.
Quiet in this whorehouse! Quiet!
To our wonderful...
...abstaining...
...and womanless Führer...
...whose career rose gloriously...
...from apprentice painter...
...to the greatest battle strategist of all times.
- He better watch his mouth. - Why? Isn't it true?
He's a great naval expert...
...who took it upon himself...
...in his immeasurable wisdom...
How do I go on?
Who showed that English bed wetter...
...that cigar-chomping asshole of Churchill...
...where exactly to go and stick his stinking cigars!
Don't cry, Francoise, don't cry.
I want to have it.
You know the Resistance.
They make short work of collaborators.
I want to have it.
If you should not come back...
I'll come back.
I promise.
Oh, excuse me.
I'll see you tomorrow. I have to make a call.
Phillip, this isn't the old gang.
Now it's their turn.
All wet guys.
Bigmouths.
Ass cheeks together, squeeze the balls...
...and the belief in the Führer in their eyes.
They, too, will quiet down.
Alarm!
Hello?
Shit.
Lousy eels.
Torpedo failures?
Many.
Sabotage, you can count on that.
Did you hear about Kelsch?
Went down off of Gibraltar. It was reported.
Not a good year for the old gang.
The tide is turning.
When are you going out?
Tomorrow morning.
Come on, boy.
Show the tommies.
I'll go pee and leave, then.
I still have plans.
Hey! You old pig, you!
Combat! Conquer or die!
Come on. Come on, Phillip, get up!
Come, give me a hand!
I wanted to really...
...screw my brains out...
...but I am not in the condition to fuck.
- That'll do. - Sieg Heil!
The Thomsen boat.
Is there a special report while still in dock?
- Starboard propeller blade was bent. - I see.
That explains that whining noise at low rpm.
New propeller. We've got a brand-new propeller, captain.
Chief engineer to the optical workshop.
Call from Germany.
Our boat.
Crew, stand by for inspection!
Attention!
Eyes, left.
Crew is present and accounted for, captain.
Lower and upper decks clear for sea.
Thank you, Number One.
At ease.
Well, men...
- All set? - All set, captain!
We have a guest onboard.
Lieutenant Werner.
Navy war correspondent.
He's going to have a look around.
He wants to see good German heroes.
- So act appropriately. - Yes, captain!
To maneuvers stations.
Bockstiegel, pull in the rope.
Don't let them overpower you!
All the best! Good luck!
- Do you have a sense for romance? - Excuse me?
There, the empty house next to the warehouse.
Is that for you?
Not that I would know.
Isn't that area out of bounds?
Oh, yes.
Francoise.
Goodbye!
Victory! And good hunting!
The escorts left us at noon.
The dark plume of smoke from the pathmaker disappeared.
The patrol boat is gone as well.
The quartermaster's taken his final land measurement.
The look outs feel the salty tang of the Atlantic on their lips.
The boat is alone now, on course.
Move those crates of lettuce back there!
This isn't a vegetable garden!
Battle station, where we maintain and stow the torpedoes.
Heads up, boys! You're gonna be in the paper!
- Thank you, men. - Come along, follow me.
Here we have the can. One toilet for 50 men.
The other's full of provisions.
More space for eating, less to shit. That's some kind of logic, huh?
The chief petty officer's quarters. My home, if you will.
Here's the war room.
When I see you store your stuff, I could puke. That's way too much!
It's nice here, very cozy.
- Where are you, lieutenant? - Coming. Excuse me, please.
Careful!
This radio shack here.
- Here's the control room. - Could've lived without him.
So this is the control room.
- The boat's command post. - Thanks.
So this goes on to the U Room.
Let's move this out of the way.
- Morning, lieutenant. - Morning, lieutenant.
This is where the petty officers bunk. Sleeps 12 men.
Most bunks are shared by two guys. One sleeps while the other's on duty.
That means when one man comes off watch...
...he climbs into the other man's stink. Right?
This bunk's for you.
Got one to yourself since you're a guest onboard.
Here, lieutenant, that's for you too.
And here's your escape gear. Very important.
It's only for show. More for use in the Baltic Sea.
But it's useful when the diesel stinks.
Or when Frenssen farts.
Come with me.
Let us pass.
- This is our galley. - Ah.
- And here's Johann, the ghost. - Who?
Well, Johann, everything lubed?
Take pictures of returning crews, not of departing crews.
Why is that?
Because they mean something then.
The tommies should feel ashamed...
...if they see in the paper who gives them hell.
Baby-faced kids.
Babies that belong on the mother's breast.
To be among them makes you feel ancient.
It's like a children's crusade.
- Permission to pass? - Yeah.
- Bon appetit. - Thank you.
Thank you.
- From Mexico, aren't you? - Yes, south of Mexico City.
- Nice there? - Yes, captain.
Good climate because of the high altitude.
Quite a way.
It was my duty as a German to come.
What did you do there?
I worked on a plantation. It belongs to my stepparents.
- So you are the boss' son? - You could say so.
Stand by, first watch and starboard watch.
Excuse me.
Can I get by?
Permission to go on watch, captain?
A new breed, our Mexican recruit.
Young marcher.
Worldly, evolved.
He's so uptight, he could crack nuts with his butt cheeks.
Captain, wind northwest, circling right. Good visibility.
Barometer, 1003 millibar. No special incidents.
Thanks, navigator.
After all the problems and worries onshore...
...our first day at sea seems like a pleasure cruise in the middle of war.
Our general course is 317 degrees.
Only the captain knows our final destination.
It was about time to ship out.
Attention!
Zero!
- Thirty-six degrees, 20.5 minutes. - Good.
Stay alert.
This area isn't safe.
The tommies know exactly when we ship out.
There are enough informers.
Dock workers, cleaning ladies, prostitutes.
Damn beasts.
Excuse me, captain.
If you can't handle it, don't do it.
Were you part of it?
Fireboat drill?
Yes, captain.
At least you can aim.
Twenty minutes...
Screws, eggs.
- Permission to come up? - Yes.
Alarm!
- Stand by, main vents! - Stand by, main vents.
Starboard exhaust valve!
All men forward!
Come on! Come on!
Come on, come on, move it! Come on, move it! Up! Up! Up!
Come on, move!
Faster, faster! Keep going! Keep going!
I wanna see steam coming out of your ass!
In case you didn't know, it's an alarm! You're not on a pleasure cruise!
Get into diving positions!
Lower negative tank.
Attention. Stern up 10.
April fools. Practice makes perfect.
Don't get rusty.
A practice drill.
Level off, chief.
Bow up 15. Stern up 10.
Planes at zero.
- Levelled off, sir. - Shut all main vents.
All main vents shut.
Take her down. Let's see how the valves and seals hold up.
Bow planes down 15, stern up 10.
The shipyard warranty extends to 90 meters.
But of course, we could go deeper.
There's a limit somewhere.
We can only take so much pressure before the boat...
...will be...
...crushed.
Check hull valves.
- The water pressure. - Yeah, sure.
Deeper.
140 meters.
- She must take this depth. - 150.
160 meters.
That'll do for now. Surface.
- Surface. - Bow up 10. Stern up 5.
Well?
Thank you.
We're not an ordinary ship.
Very interesting.
Incoming, bearing 3-2-0 and closing.
Get on.
Both planes down, full.
Wait, my friends. You only get one more chance.
That was it.
Shut all main vents.
Check hull valves.
The show is over.
Once a whore pissed on my back.
That felt so good.
You're a pervert.
I can tell you some really sexy tricks.
For an example, you take a cork...
...with a nail stuck in it and a violin string attached on the side of it...
...stick it in the asshole...
...and then sideways jack off.
Could it be any more complicated?
Listen, it's supposed to buzz real good in there.
Our first night onboard.
It's hard to switch off and relax.
The heat of the compartment...
...the stench of oil...
...the engine-room watchers coming and going.
There is so much to get used to.
As for the officers I bunk with...
...they don't let my presence cramp their style.
The way they keep harping on subject number one...
...I'll be lucky to get any sleep.
Is that her?
The girl from the window of the ruin?
French girl?
You know the shop that sells flowers beside Cafe A L'ami Pierrot?
- Beside where? - A L'ami Pierrot.
Sure, I know it.
The two pretty salesgirls, Jeannette and the other one's called...
Francoise.
We're engaged.
Secretly, of course.
Can I see?
Very pretty. Really.
What's wrong?
She's pregnant.
But, Ullmann...
...don't you know what that means?
If the Resistance ever finds out that she...
...has a German baby...
What can I do?
She wants to have it.
You've got problems, Ullmann.
Fifth day at sea.
No convoy.
No ship.
Nothing.
What's today's calendar quotation?
"One can only be one's best when it seems unnaturally hard. "
Cicero.
Excuse me?
"One can only be one's best when it seems unnaturally hard. "
Give it to me.
It's always best when it's hard.
Special announcement from Führer's headquarters...
...October 23, 1941.
The Armed Forces High Command has issued the following announcement...
Last night, the Navy and the Luftwaffe...
...tightened their stranglehold on the British Isles.
Our U-boats in the Atlantic sank 11 merchant ships and one destroyer.
Wiping out 53, 000 gross registered tons of enemy shipping in one blow.
Waste of shipping space.
Three ships and one tanker were severely damaged.
All they talk is tonnage, these morons.
All good, seaworthy ships.
We've become nothing but agents now for their vicious propaganda.
Just scrap merchants.
Butchers of the sea.
Our masters in Berlin spend all their time...
...finding Churchill clever new nicknames.
What's their latest creation?
Drunken pig.
Fat bore.
Paralytic.
I must say, for a drunken paralytic, he's putting up a damn good fight.
You'll see. We'll force him to his knees.
That is my firm belief.
Listen to me, smart guy.
He is a long way from being down on his knees.
I'd like to know how many of his ships are getting through us right now...
...while we sit on our behinds waiting for orders.
Where are our planes and ships, Herr Goering?
The British have plenty of them.
Talking big is all he's good for, that fat slob.
Big heroes. Nothing but hot air.
All of them.
Go on...
...put that one down.
It'll make exciting reading in your epic.
The Propaganda Ministry will love it.
I didn't know you were interested, sir.
You were mistaken, then.
Music, we need.
Think our Hitler youth leader might put a record on for us?
The "Tipperary" song if you have no objections!
Hey, now we're in the Royal Navy.
A simple record won't make you into the King of England, Number One.
Shut the door...
...you lazy pig!
Stupid jerk.
They should use him as a doorstop.
His rear end's big enough. One of these days, he'll stick it in the can...
...and he won't be able to pull it out again.
- Morning. - Lieutenant.
- Morning. - Morning, lieutenant.
- It stinks in here. - Sweaty feet and hair grease.
Pilgrim's specialty.
Tastes just like old shit...
...these rotten eggs.
Like baby poop.
Maybe he wants to hatch chickens in the control room.
That's right, ducks in a bilge. Why not? Sweet little ducklings.
We could feed them green snot.
- You dirty pig. - Why? What's wrong?
That would make them happy.
Every morning...
...they'd feed on those delicious things.
- Permission to come up. - Yes.
Morning.
Aircraft closing, 1-7-0.
Alarm!
Move it, gangway.
Stay down. Move it.
Out of the way. Slow down.
Watch out.
Watch it.
- Upper deck secured. - Flood buoyancy tanks.
Flooded.
Take her down, 60 meters.
I'm sure it came from the port side, out of the sun. Not identified.
These fliers they send out sure take some chances, you must admit.
Up there alone in their ancient machines...
...waiting to swoop down on their prey.
Bombs could be dumped anywhere. Who would see it?
Our loving Lord?
Our loving Lord sees everything.
Sheer luck he didn't see us.
Or was it a sea gull, huh?
Difficult to see when they fly at you out of the sun.
Well, Dufte, well.
We'll surface in five minutes.
It can happen to anyone.
Stand by to surface.
The days tracked by in endless succession. On watch or off.
Nothing ever happens.
There's only one sound that fascinates us more and more.
The chirping of Morse code from the hydrophone.
Very laboriously, the decoding machine converts...
...a meaningless jumble of letters into a message.
But is it for us?
Well?
Nope.
Nothing for us.
The line that records our course zigzags...
...like a frightened hare across the chart.
The routine never changes.
Day in, day out, always the same.
Every day, the same routine, on watch and off watch.
Everywhere you smell the acrid stench of oil, sweat, bilge and damp clothing.
Morning, sir.
Morning's great.
Twenty minutes to go, lieutenant.
Don't waste, peel thinner. Orders from the top.
More coffee over here.
It's just before midnight.
First watch is standing by to go on top.
To get their eyes used to the darkness...
...the control room has switched to red lights.
- Watch out - Goddamn!
- I have coffee all over me. - Uneasy times, huh?
Pass the towel.
The captain, funny guy, isn't he?
He's reading his letters again.
What kind of letters?
Love letters.
He's got himself engaged to this Nazi chick.
Flier's widow.
Nazi chick?
They say they're great fucks.
What do you mean?
They teach the girls at the Reich school special techniques.
Such as?
They stick chalk in their asses and write on the chalkboard, "Otto, Otto. "
It's true. That's why they're so flexible.
- Morning, men. - Morning, lieutenant.
Ocean, nothing but the ocean.
Not a sign of the enemy.
Just grubby necks, torn shirts, sweaty blankets...
...and worst of all, our own miserable faces.
Lousy fog.
Lousy weather.
Lousy damn patrol.
None of our folks back home know where we are.
No mail, contact forbidden, nothing.
I guess when we're sunk, we're reported missing, some month later.
Married yet, Kriechbaum?
I didn't waste any time, eh?
We're working on the fifth one.
Johann, it's good for you, fresh air.
No.
They're strange, these machine-room people.
"Aid to cleanliness," four letters.
Bath.
Thank you.
"Deep affection," four letters.
Love.
Perfect.
Intellectual starvation, I would say.
Signal decoder.
One moment.
Five, six, seven, eight.
New course, sir?
One minute.
Can I see the radiogram?
Convoy Square at AK 2246.
Mean course, 60 degrees.
Speed, 8 knots. U-boat 37.
U-boat 37, that's Martin's boat moving in to attack.
Too far away. We'll never make it.
Damned!
When do we get some orders?
Well, Johann?
Captain.
What's up with the diesels?
The diesels seem satisfied, sir.
Satisfied and all full.
The chief is worried about our fuel consumption.
The chief is a careful man.
What's your opinion?
The chief knows what's best.
Funny times, Johann.
To be careful means very little.
They need heroes...
...and they are not too particular.
They make use of a broken hero.
Like Thomsen.
Or a dead hero.
Like Kelsch.
A good seaman is also a careful seaman, right Johann?
Says as much in naval regulations. Isn't that so?
On these diesels, you can depend, captain.
It's all right, Johann.
Excuse me.
For your journal?
- Yes, wonderful stuff. - Let's see you work! The press is here.
This way a moment. Yes, wonderful.
So nicely greased with Vaseline now. Come on. We're ready to ram it in!
Don't let me disturb you. Carry on working.
Can I just bring you around this way? Yes, good.
- Yes. Yes. - Quick! Quick! Move it!
Yes, this is great.
Can you go this way? Can I take this?
Good. Let's have some again with...
Who did that?
Who did that?!
Apply compressed air.
The worst day since we shipped out.
We avoid talking to each other.
We avoid each other like lepers.
Oh, my God, what a useless yo-yo!
At least she had a real nice shape.
Must make the best of what's there.
She hasn't got a friend. The girl's not a dame, huh?
Hey.
The exhaust doors, to countersink, I'll never forget that again.
I remember a day in Paris, in a bistro.
Good, what is it? Is it real sexy?
Let's have it.
There is this black guy with that blond girl.
And she's playing with him under the table.
They are not shy about that at all.
Those sluts in Paris.
Me neither, man.
Then he starts moaning, rolls his eyes...
...I check underneath the table...
...and see him come...
...and it lands on my shoes.
That's still better than in your coffee.
- Mine is warm. - They might relieve us sooner.
- It's always the same. - They always turn up late.
Hey, watch out, man.
Nothing is happening. Nothing.
We are sailing in limbo.
The silence onboard is like the inside of a coffin.
One goddamn toilet, and then you have to share with this whore.
Where is our friend the Bible-thumper coming from, Schwalle?
He's a church berger.
Must be a pretty good place, huh, Schwalle.
They raise the afterbirths and chuck the babies in the garbage dump.
Hey, friend...
...what chapter is it today, Lord, my host?
Shut your dirty mouth.
- Shut up, huh? I'll shut your mouth. - Leave me alone.
Gives me a bloody pain, spouting this religious stuff.
Let him have his way, we'll be crawling on both knees, singing and praying.
Tell me, now...
...you got any hairs up your nose?
- Why? - I've got some up my ass.
Maybe we could knit them together.
Francoise, my love...
...this is my 14th letter, but you've yet to see one.
20th day at sea.
Head foggy, limbs hurt, eyes burn. It's all so crazy.
Inhale bad smells and produce our own. What a madness.
- Alarm! - Alarm!
Get topside.
Flood it!
All main vents open!
There's a shadow appearing starboard.
- Take her down 30 meters. - Down 30 meters. Stern planes up.
Easy. Bow planes down 10.
Planes at zero.
Anything on the starboard beam?
Propeller sounds.
1-1-0 degrees.
Way aft of us.
Contact growing fainter.
Fading faster.
All right.
We'd better stay down now.
- Steer 1-2-0. - Steer 1-2-0.
A lone ship travelling fast.
We have no chance of getting her in this light.
Steady on 1-2-0, sir.
- Stand by to take a reading. - Stand by to take a reading.
Try to take a reading.
Stand by to take a reading.
"It's more than merely superficial to take care...
...in dress and personal appearance.
It denotes that the inner man is someone upstanding...
...and has a corresponding effect on other people.
An officer should be thoroughly unpretentious...
...in his dressing deportment.
This, regrettably, is not always the case.
In the old days...
...young officers used to be treated more indulgently in this respect.
Mindful that the German lieutenant had always been prepared to die...
...in a pinch, his superiors... "
Comfortable, huh?
No mail, no telephone.
Well-ventilated boat.
Solid-wood paneling.
Free food too.
We're in clover here.
Like fresh horse droppings.
They're rolling in clover as well.
They've no need to work to make a living.
They're even allowed to smoke.
...and when all that remains in the gaze that they turn on him...
...is the age-old question that betokens ultimate trust and confidence:
"Sir, where do you order us to die? "
A junior officer reaps the full fruits of his labour as leader and educator...
...when given responsibility for the training... "
U-boat special cocktail. Jealous?
Stop that!
"Our recent triumphs:
We dive to evade enemy aircraft. Lost contact.
Dive to avoid destroyer. Depth charge. "
The British have stopped making mistakes.
Cut off extra supply of fuel to the engines!
- Torpedo rooms, carry out lateral... - Come on!
Check the gyro angles.
- Watch out! - Check periscope alignment.
I'll be in the engine room.
- 0-6-0. - Check.
What's going on?
- Look out! Here we go, girls. - What's happening?
It's U-32. She's spotted a British convoy somewhere in our vicinity.
We should be there in 10 hours.
- Now hear this. - Listen.
U-32 is operating against a convoy. We are joining in the hunt.
Contact expected anytime after 1800 hours. Over.
Soon we'll get rid of these beauties. They're all ready for blastoff.
Over 30 freighters!
Berthold has to wait till we arrive.
He followed the convoy and keeps in contact with us.
For me, it's the best craft afloat, the U-boat.
And sailing ships.
Skimming across the sea like a bird on a wing.
I've sailed on a three-masted schooner. Wonderful ship.
Lots of room. Hulls big as churches.
That's a fine way to waste fuel.
Lunatic.
Damn this weather!
Come on, give us another squirt.
Another two hours.
Why doesn't Berthold signal us?
Maybe one of their destroyers got him on the run.
On the alert these days, the British.
They keep their destroyers well out of sight.
Very neat...
...deflect us from our course before our boat is in range.
Or force us to dive.
Yeah, yeah, it's no submarine picnic, let me tell you.
Damn this weather, damn it.
We could pass the British completely without seeing them.
We should be well within range. Why doesn't Berthold signal us?
Why haven't we heard from HQ?
Visibility is nil, sir! It's useless!
- Prepare to dive. - Prepare to dive!
- Clear the bridge now! - Shut it!
Diving positions! Stand by, main vents.
- Take her down 30 meters. - Bow planes up 10.
Stern down 5.
Bow planes zero.
Stern zero.
What's up? Why are we diving?
- Hydrophone check. - What?
In bad weather, you are able to hear more than see on the surface.
Stern planes up 5. Easy. Both planes zero.
Can't you make a contact?
Nothing?
Captain. Captain. Here.
Contact bearing 0-6-0. Quite faint.
Depth charges.
They're blasting someone.
What's the bearing from us now?
Moving right 0-4-5 degrees.
Moving away from us.
- Surface! Steer 3-3-0. - Steer 3-3-0.
Bow up 10, stern down 5. All ahead two-thirds.
Note this in our logbook:
In spite of bad weather, decided to commence operation. Moving in now.
Steady on 3-3-0, sir.
Damn the stinking weather!
- How does it look? - One minute, captain.
We are here. The enemy should be here if they haven't zigzagged.
Freighter on starboard bow! Bearing 0-4-0.
They're over there! 0-4-0 and closing!
That's no freighter.
No, a destroyer.
Coming straight at us. Clear the bridge.
Take her down!
- Come to periscope depth. - Come to periscope depth.
Bow planes up 10.
Both planes zero.
Stern down 5.
Come up.
- Stand by, battle stations. - Stand by, battle stations.
Out of the way, damn it!
Gangway!
Make way!
Go, go, go! Faster! Faster! Hop, hop, hop!
Keep it level, chief.
Flood tubes one through four.
- Flood tubes one through four. - Flood tubes one through four.
He wants to attack the destroyer. Crazy in this weather.
Tubes one through four, flooded.
Watch your depth, chief.
Bow planes up 2. Stern planes down 2.
Come on.
Both planes come to zero.
13.5 meters.
- Open bow caps now. - Open bow caps.
Enemy speed to 1-0.
Bow left. Bow angle 0-3-0.
Range, 6000.
Depth, 2 meters.
Torpedo speed, 4-0. Spread shots from tubes one and three.
- Angle of spread, 3 degrees. - Spread shot, tubes one and three.
Angle of spread, 3 degrees.
Tubes one through four ready for submerged firing.
Damn it!
Close bow caps. Take her deeper, chief! Take her deeper!
Depth charges dropped!
Depth charges!
Get some fuses, quick!
Check all hull valves and closures.
Control, all secure.
Forecastle clear.
No serious damage.
They must have spotted our periscope.
Seems incredible with that sea condition.
Both planes steady at zero. Level at 60 meters.
Is it getting louder?
Seems constant. Ahead of us.
2-8-0.
Two hundred and eighty... Thirty-five...
Drawing further ahead, 2-9-5.
- Left full rudder. - Left full rudder.
Rudder is left full, sir.
Steer due north.
- Deeper, chief. - Bow planes down 15. Stern up 10.
Pump 200 liters forward.
All ahead one-third.
200 meters forward, chief.
Both main motors indicate ahead one-third.
Now it gets psychological, friends.
Check torpedo tubes!
For God's sake!
Easy. Easy, guys.
This is nothing.
Kill unnecessary lights.
- Kill lights. - Kill lights.
Silent speed.
Both main engines at 50 rpm.
Both engines indicate 50 rpm.
Contact coming closer, 0-5-2 degrees, starboard bow, closing.
Closing fast.
Midships.
Both main engines full ahead. Right full rudder.
Both main engines indicate full ahead. Right full rudder.
Coming straight for us, sir.
He knows what he's doing. Deeper.
Bow down 20. Stern up 5.
Destroyer coming nearer. Almost above us now.
- Deeper, chief, quick. - Stern up 10.
Don't be afraid.
It's only the pressure.
Deeper.
Stern up 15.
Pump out 250 liters.
Come on, hurry!
Tighten this flange! Hurry up!
Bring her up 150 meters, chief!
Forward 20! Stern down 10!
Come on, Frenssen, quickly!
Come on, tighter, Frenssen! Hurry!
Get the damn thing tightened!
Depth-gauge hull valves secured.
Both planes are eased to zero.
Level at 150 meters.
Becoming louder.
She's turned around, 0-5-5.
Go on, get it over.
Contact closing fast.
They're above us.
Just above us.
Contact fading to starboard.
Twenty-two.
Twenty-three.
They are far away.
Contact receding aft.
Can barely hear it.
Now?
It has passed us by.
I think that will be all this time.
Silent speed.
Both main engines silent speed, 50 rpm.
Both main engines indicate 50 rpm.
- All compartments report damage. - All compartments report damage.
All compartments report damage.
From my private collection.
- How does it look in the engine room? - It's smashed up quite badly.
- Be able to patch her up at sea? - Already started.
Be sure and make it good, chief.
I've got a feeling we're going to see some action.
Nothing?
Waited over an hour now.
- I guess we've frightened them off, sir. - Don't be so sure.
He could have stopped and is still there waiting...
...to surprise us when we try to surface.
Not dumb, the British.
Stay on silent speed. When it's dark, we'll surface.
- Aye, aye, captain. - I guess we'll see.
Captain.
Thanks.
- What's the light like up top? - It's dark. Sun set two hours ago.
Prepare to surface, 30 meters.
- Thirty meters. - Bow planes up 15, stern planes up 5.
Ninety.
Eighty meters.
Seventy.
Sixty meters.
Fifty.
Coming up fast.
- Sound check at 30. - Planes at zero. Stern down 3.
Level at 30 meters.
Well?
- Periscope depth. - Periscope depth.
Bow up 3.
Stern down 5.
Come up.
Stern up 3.
Zero.
- Surface. - Bow set to blow.
We made it.
We have returned from hell.
If only your mother could see you now!
- What's he doing here? - I don't know.
It's the cylinder head gasket. Probably just a loose bolt.
Can you tighten it?
We got a call from U-48.
- We'll talk about it. - Yes. I'll be there right away.
- Do we have to turn in off? - Yes, lieutenant.
Cut it out! All this damn noise!
I got bad news, guys.
What's up now?
Our soccer team is losing.
Five to zero.
Not a chance of making the finals now.
It can't be! I just don't believe it!
Weather forecast, very low pressure.
Wind speeds up to 150 to 200 kilometers per hour.
Heavy disturbance, resulting from interaction between...
...subtropical and polar air currents.
This means a storm.
Drop them.
You dirty little boy. Crabs.
A whole army of them.
A winkie like yours, they'll eat it down to the bone.
Give them a blowout with the gunpowder!
Excuse me, lieutenant.
Needs a shave, this meat does.
What are those things crawling about on your eyebrows?
Pardon?
A case for the medic, I'd say.
Crabs, by the look of them.
- What's wrong? - Are you joking?
When the creatures begin to surface, it's the fifth stage.
You know, I'm certain we'll meet a British convoy.
Too bad. Berthold stopped communications.
Headquarters are waiting as well.
They want him to report his location.
Now this.
North Atlantic interferences.
Couldn't be worse.
Well...
At least we're showing you a good time.
Okay, guys, get that stuff into the torpedo room.
Hey, you two, give me a hand.
Move it. Don't fall asleep.
- Boatswain. - Yes, lieutenant?
- Do you know where the medic is? - In the bow compartment, lieutenant.
- Come on in. The more the merrier. - The crabs got you too!
Hey, lieutenant, got your swimsuit on?
Oh, darling, that's divine.
Are you looking for your camera, lieutenant?
Hoist the sails, the wind is blowing.
At least we don't have to deal with airplanes in this shitty weather.
It's a hard life at sea, huh?
Not if you took it lying down.
What's the matter, lieutenant, still can't find your camera?
Lieutenant!
Lieutenant, watch yourself, sir.
- What? - Take it easy! Calm down!
Have you gone crazy or something?
Guess what. Have you heard the latest?
Our Dufte is tying the knot.
- Lord help the stupid pig! - You're such a mean bastard!
I thought he only jerks off!
They should stick you in a zoo and mate you with a chimpanzee.
Here are pictures of the beautiful fräulein!
- Let me see. - Where did you find them, asshole?
Asshole!
Are you really fucking this broad?
- I've got a great idea. - What?
How'd you like to take a swim in this weather?
Can you swim at all?
These boats are built to take it.
A real storm on a sailing ship. You should try that sometime.
You hardly feel a thing down here.
- Captain? - Compass.
The boat's heaving starboard. I can't keep her on course.
No cause for concern.
But it is pointless, sir.
We're burning up fuel for nothing.
Prepare to dive.
- Diving stations! - Diving stations.
Stand by, all main vents.
What a blessing.
How merciful.
How blissful.
The captain is taking us down for an hour.
One hour...
...of peace and quiet.
Not the greatest success, is it?
Position reports, very faint.
SOS calls from enemy freighters.
Well, well...
When the rudder breaks on one of those old tenders...
...there's nothing to do but pray.
The sea can't sink us, Hinrich.
No ship's as safe as our U-boats.
Hinrich.
Put the record on again.
You know the one.
Our 40th day at sea.
The storm has been raging now for one whole week.
Watch out! Heads down!
Look out!
Man overboard!
Pilgrim!
Watch out! Watch out!
Watch out!
Hold on! Hold on!
I got him! Make way!
Hold on!
The first-aid kit. Bring the first-aid kit!
Damn it!
Bring the first-aid kit! Damn it!
- Prepare to dive. - The first-aid kit!
"Self-discipline is the only road to military leadership.
No form of training is possible without his example. "
Three ribs cracked and a gash on the head.
He was lucky.
What a rotten month.
Absolutely rotten.
Mildew is good for you.
A royal organism...
...just like hyacinths.
Anything that grows on this boat we've got to be grateful for.
Must be snowing already back home.
"If you wish to learn the art of leadership...
...become a whole person. "
Strange.
It's been years since I've seen snow.
- Can I have a look? - Sure.
Your wife?
The 15th day of the storm.
Look! There, in front! There!
Bridge to captain, U-boat at port bow!
A German boat! A German U-boat!
Heading 3-5-0. Over there.
Almost straight ahead!
You're right!
- Both engines stop. Bring up the light. - Both engines stop! Bring up the light!
Look, it's Thomsen! Thomsen!
Both engines stop. Bring up the lights. It's Thomsen!
Good hunting, you old rascal!
My God, Phillip.
So they've pushed you out to sea again.
Goddamn it!
A dozen boats we've got in the Atlantic!
From Greenland to the Azores, a mere dozen!
But still we almost collide with one of our own!
Sixty meters. Boat is trimmed, sir.
Something's wrong here.
Have you checked on our position?
- More or less, captain. - More or less? That's not good enough!
We haven't had a sun shot in 14 days.
And we've been drifting in this storm.
Hard to compute.
I understand.
We make a few errors in our own position, the others do the same...
...and we end up playing collision games, leaving the route wide open.
And so we allow the British to shove the whole armada through.
Yeah, yeah.
It's another story when you're in the middle of the ocean, lieutenant.
I hope you're making notes of all this.
Maybe Headquarters will listen to you.
You've more influence than I have, sir.
So you believe that?
Come up 100 meters aft. Stern planes up 10.
Hey, man, ram it with a cork, will you? Dirty pig.
It's gas, you know. These Brussels sprouts.
Horst!
Spirits are abysmally low.
This ordeal is putting human endurance to the test.
It's an experiment to sound out the limits of our ability to suffer.
It's happened at last. After three weeks and two days...
...the storm has subsided.
From now on, the intensity and extent of military operations in the East...
...will be governed by the onset of the Russian winter. Despite attacks...
A signal, captain.
...German and Italian troops have had local successes. Enemy forces met...
...with heavy losses. While bombarding strategic targets in Leningrad...
...our artillery hit an ammunition dump, causing severe explosions and fires.
Nothing from Thomsen?
I've been trying to make contact with him for days.
He should have reported in by now.
You will soon be announcing another submarine missing.
Last night, the enemy penetrated German airspace at several points.
Nine British bombers were shot down. Waves of enemy aircraft dropped...
...fire and high-explosive bombs...
...mainly on nonmilitary targets in northwestern and western Germany.
A large number of civilians in Hamburg and Cologne...
...were injured or killed. That concludes today's broadcast...
...from the Armed Forces High Command.
His wife lives in Cologne.
I know.
Didn't you say you had relatives living in Cologne, Number One?
Lost my fiancée two months back in an air raid on Cologne.
I'm sorry.
Our lack of success is depressing the captain.
He seems to feel that the failures...
...of the entire submarine unit are his personal responsibility.
Cut your flashlight, already.
Ready? Emergency lighting only. It's bound to be a false alarm.
What's up?
A convoy.
- Permission to come up? - Affirmative.
Outward-bound convoy, five columns.
Very juicy.
Any escorts in sight?
- Destroyers? - No, no screen.
They have no protection. Nothing.
That's funny.
They could be off chasing one of ours.
Yeah.
That damn moon.
- How many of our boats are in contact? - Five.
Do we risk it?
It's worth a try, captain.
Come left to 1-8-0.
Left 5 degrees, rudder. New course, 1-8-0.
Steady on course 1-8-0, sir.
Kriechbaum, what's your feeling?
It will work, captain. We've got them.
- Prepare tubes 1 through 4 for firing. - Flood tubes one through four.
I'm going in. Master sight to Bridge.
Master sight to Bridge.
Tubes one through four flooded.
All full ahead, left full rudder. Come to 1-0-7.
Stand by to attack.
Watch the pressure of the lubricating oil!
Bow angle bearing 0-5-0.
Locked on.
- Range, 2200 meters. - Check.
Those two that are overlapping...
...double shot on the big one. The other two, a single each.
- Targets identified. - Right standard rudder.
All ahead one-third. Open bow caps.
Lock on tubes one and two. New bow angle 0-6-3.
- Check, locked on! - Hold on for bearing.
- All set! - Tubes one and two, fire when matched.
- Tubes one and two ready! - Tubes one and two ready!
- Tube one, fire! - Tube one, fire!
- Tube two, fire! - Tube two, fire!
- Tube three, fire when matched. - Tube three ready!
- Tube three, fire!
Tube three fired!
- Tube four ready. - Tube four ready!
- Tube four, fire! - Tube four, fire!
Destroyer ahead!
Alarm!
All hands forward! Forward diving position!
- Quick, quick, quick! - Keep it moving!
- Clear the way! - Move, move, move! Keep it moving!
Watch out!
Hurry! Hurry, hurry!
Battle stations!
Out of the way.
Bow planes up 10, stern up 5.
Clear the way!
Sit down!
Keep quiet, you men.
- Down 80 meters. - Down 80 meters.
Easy.
Bow down 15, stern up 10.
What about the torpedoes?
Any minute now.
Not long to go now.
110.
120.
Those lousy torpedoes. They don't run true.
What a crazy thing to do.
Charging in like that.
That destroyer won't let us off the hook.
They'll try and hunt us down, you'll see.
We hit the first.
Out of the way!
We hit her! We hit her! Quiet!
Time's up for the third torpedo.
Number three.
Now they are going to the bottom.
It's the bulkheads. They've collapsed.
This is it.
Now it's payback time.
- Well? - Destroyer bearing 0-4-4.
- In our direction? - Moving left.
Fading, sir.
Right full rudder. Both engines ahead two-thirds.
Rudder is right full. Both engines indicate ahead two-thirds.
Astern of us.
Way astern of us.
They're spitting in the wrong direction.
We haven't thrown them off yet.
I reckon they won't be too happy.
- Propeller noises. - Propeller noises.
Contact bearing 2-7-0, closing.
- Both engines ahead one-third. - Both engines ahead one-third.
Both main engines indicate ahead one-third.
Now you'll see.
All full ahead!
- Pump out 150 liters! - Main engines indicate full head!
Asdic.
Detector system. Ultrasonic.
The swine.
The filthy, rotten swine.
- What's the damage? - Air shaft fractured.
Quiet, boys.
Keep it quiet.
Nice and quiet, now.
- Whole dead slow. - Fifty rpm. Kill the fans.
- Left 15 degrees. - Left 15 degrees.
Stern left 15, sir.
- Shit! - All full ahead!
Let's get the hell out of here!
- Both ballasts and gate were fractured. - Isolate it. Isolate it!
Shut it down!
My God! We're on fire!
Motor room caught fire.
Cut to number two auxiliary!
Calm down! Calm down, for God's sake!
Chief, emergency ventilation.
Switch on fans, connect emergency cartridges.
Boy, oh, boy.
She doesn't want to let go of us.
What's going on?
Running away?
We have really smashed them.
My God, those bulkheads.
What's her bearing?
0-6-5, sir. Bearing constant.
Deeper, chief. Silent speed.
- Bearing? - 0-5-0.
Growing louder.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Deeper still. Right 30 degrees.
We'll try doubling back.
Keep them guessing.
Bow planes steady. Stern up 10.
Contact bearing 2-7-0.
It's fading.
- Right full rudder. - Right full rudder.
Rudder is right full, sir.
Steer 0-9-0.
Shit!
Second contact closing fast, bearing 0-7-6!
Backup.
Those bastards.
Deeper.
But, sir...
Yes, deeper.
Bow planes down 10. Stern planes up 7.
190 meters.
200 meters.
210 meters.
220 meters.
230 meters.
The bolts! They're bursting!
That's deep enough, chief. Ten meters rise!
All ahead starboard.
Look out!
Quiet, men, quiet.
Quiet.
Bring her up to 150 meters! Both full ahead!
Both full ahead, sir!
Left 20 degrees! Steer 0-5-0!
Steering on course 0-5-0, sir!
He is near his mark.
Not bad.
The foundation bolts are loose!
Quiet, damn you!
Reports! I want actual damage reports!
Leaking badly. We are leaking badly.
Engine room taking water!
Captain, permission to inspect engine room.
- Number One, take over! - Aye, aye, captain.
- The exhaust flap. - What's the trouble?
- Shit! - The flange bolts are sheared.
I need gaskets! Fast!
Where are you? Where are the gaskets!
Torpedo hatch taking water!
- Get a crowbar! - Get a crowbar!
They'll soon be out of fireworks.
Exhaust flap secured.
150 meters, all full ahead.
Torpedo-hatch spindle secured.
What's wrong, Johann?
Get back to your battle station. Right now.
Damn it, don't go crazy!
Back!
Back, Johann.
Back, Johann!
Bring him to the back. Hurry.
He's under control.
Who would have thought it of Johann?
Degrading.
Shameless.
Let it be, Hinrich, we can hear it.
Well, then, come on.
- Water in the machine! - All full ahead! Maximum power!
Both engines!
Blow!
180 meters!
190 meters!
200 meters!
210 meters!
220 meters!
We're sinking!
Kriechbaum, make a note for the war diary.
Captain.
After six hours at silent speed...
...it appears that the destroyers have lost us.
Observing intense fireglow at 210 degrees.
Probably flames from the tanker we hit.
It's noted, captain.
We'll surface in 10 minutes.
Notify chief engineer. Switch to red light.
First watch, stand by for duty.
You see, lieutenant?
They didn't kill us.
What a wizard, the chief engineer.
He worked in the machine room like a crazy man.
Repaired everything with what was on hand.
Who knows how he does it.
Forward hatch secured again.
Torpedoes are reloaded.
Good, Lumprecht.
These boys.
These great boys.
Her back's already broken.
She's a tough one. She won't go down.
- Let's finish her off, Number One. - Master sight to Bridge.
- Final shot. Flood number one tube. - Flood number one tube.
Number one tube is being flooded.
Number one ready for surface firing.
- Target speed, zero. - Check.
- Range, 650 meters. - Check.
Depth, four. Torpedo speed, 30.
Aiming point? Forward of aft mast.
- Tube one ready. - Tube one is ready.
- Tube one. - Tube one.
- Fire. - Fire!
Torpedo running!
- There's still men onboard! - There!
Why weren't they rescued off the ship?
Damn it! So many hours!
Help me! Help me!
They're swimming towards us, captain.
Help me!
- Both engines back one-half. - Both engines back one-half.
Help, save us!
May I clear the table?
It had to be like that.
Not nice, things like that.
But it had to be like that.
Why?
- Excuse me? - Why did it have to be like that?
Because our boat is barely enough for the 50 men we need here.
How many men would you have taken in?
One? Ten?
One hundred?
We are ordered to sink ships where we find them.
You can ask the men who started this war about the rest.
More signals, captain.
Read.
"Three freighters sunk. Convoy dispersed into groups and stragglers.
Contact broken. Cruising course, 30 degrees. U-112.
Wenzel. Not bad.
Kupsch's in contact with the same convoy.
Stackmann hit a 6000-tonner.
They're having a field day.
Any hope of joining them?
Difficult. Minimum five hours away at full speed. The fuel...
- We can't make... - Yes, yes! It's good!
When do we turn around, captain?
When I order for us to go back.
Navigator.
Fired from tube one at 950 meters. Hit aft mast with explosion.
Crew, assumed rescued, still onboard.
Survivors jump off the fast-sinking wreck, swim toward U-96.
Captain?
I wish to apologise.
This is nothing you can apologise for.
You deserted your post at a critical moment.
You also disobeyed my order.
Am I going to be court-martialed, captain?
How many patrols have you done?
Nine.
Why you, Johann?
This has never happened to me before, captain.
I was...
I blew a fuse somehow...
The nerves.
It won't ever happen again, captain. You can depend on me.
I swear.
All right, Johann.
No court-martial, sir?
Get some sleep.
Sunk at 192 degrees. Decision: Return 0700.
What a relief.
After 65 days at sea...
...we are headed home.
Cipher officer.
We'll fix it.
- It's the bulkhead conduit. - It'll work.
- Morning. - Morning, captain.
Get moving. There's a signal to be decoded.
Something top-secret.
Another special engagement.
But not with us.
Our boat is ready for the wharf.
Not to mention the fuel shortage. It won't last to La Rochelle.
- The last 100 miles... - We'll sail.
Don't worry, chief.
Decoded it yet?
Well, what is it?
For the captain only.
Very strange. Triple-enciphered.
Number One.
- Number One! - Captain?
Come here.
- Take a look at this on the map. - Yes, captain.
Interesting.
We've got a new destination port.
Really?
La Spezia.
- Excuse me? - La Spezia.
Do you suffer from deafness all of a sudden?
- That's in... - Italy, yeah.
Mediterranean.
- The fuel... - Supplied in Vigo.
Spain.
We're getting fuel, torpedoes, provisions, everything.
Heart, what else could you want?
Vigo is 200 miles closer.
We can do that without sails.
How nice of the bosses.
They think of everything.
Starboard 15, go to 130 degrees.
Gibraltar.
What do you know. Christmas in La Rochelle.
- Real girls in our Christmas stockings. - The sweet telephone operators.
- The sexy newsgirls. - We'll fuck our brains out.
A nice, slow, afternoon fuck.
- Now hear this. - The master's voice.
La Rochelle's out.
We've got a new port of destination.
La Spezia.
That's in the Mediterranean, as you know.
First, we'll pick up fuel and supplies at Vigo.
That's in Spain. Over.
Shit.
They must be crazy.
- What a dirty, rotten trick. - There goes our Christmas stocking.
No sexy little newsgirls. No whores.
I'd like to kill those morons!
Christmas in macaroni land, I've wished for that.
We've got to get there first, to get to them!
- Why? - Why? Gibraltar!
You can figure out what that means!
That's as narrow as a virgin.
If you want to get through that, we need to cover our boat with Vaseline.
Securing Rommel's supply routes, that's our official job.
They're losing Africa. We're called to the rescue.
It's insane.
We haven't enough U-boats in the Atlantic as it is.
Mediterranean.
It's madness.
It's swarming with English combat ships.
Werner, stand by.
Zero...
...25 degrees, 43.3 minutes.
Gibraltar.
It's the best chance to get ourselves killed.
When we reach Vigo, you go ashore, Lieutenant Werner. You and the chief.
But, sir...
I've already made the decision.
I've got to find me a replacement for the chief.
Our agents will smuggle you out of Spain somehow.
Dressed up as Gypsies, for instance.
- But, captain, I thought I'd be going... - No heroism.
It's all been settled.
It's easier to get two of you out.
Our agents will smuggle you out of Spain somehow.
The chief needs a break.
He must get home.
I understand, sir.
The silence onboard is oppressive.
Each man isolated by an inner struggle to overcome his disappointment.
But most of all, his fear.
Supplies in Vigo? But that's not possible.
It's not up to you to worry about it.
But Spain is neutral.
You're pretty smart. They should have asked you first.
Tough break.
When we reach Vigo, it's goodbye.
Together with the chief.
The captain's ordered it.
So...
...I could deliver your mail for you.
Yeah.
There's quite a bunch of them here.
Well, it's quite a romance, isn't it?
Vigo, Spain.
Peacetime city...
...in a neutral country.
They won't be too happy about our presence.
Tuesday, 64th day
My longing for the sight of dry land is so overwhelming...
...sometimes I think I can actually smell it. Only 24 hours to go.
Equalise.
Guess how long I've been wearing this shirt.
- Since we sailed. - No, three weeks before that.
Pipe down.
- Switch to white light. - Hurry up with that gear.
Quiet, man!
All ahead one-third. Left 10 degrees, rudder.
Can you see the klieg lights?
On the port bow, double and triple flashes, wide.
There, navigation lights...
...a fishing boat. - She won't spot us.
Traffic's pretty heavy around here.
We'd better make sure we don't run anyone down.
Right, Kriechbaum?
That's a new one.
Right.
Keep a check on water depth.
Twenty-eight meters. Twenty-six meters.
- Lieutenant. - 26.5 meters.
- Thank you. - Twenty-six meters. Constant.
Now we just have to find this little barge.
SS Weser.
German merchant ship. She's got herself interned here.
With a bellyful of torpedoes, fuel and supplies.
- And that's all for us, Kriechbaum. - Yeah, first-class service.
Starboard beam, is it a customs launch?
No, fishing trawler.
- There. - Where?
Over there, sir.
Signaling an A, a code for us to approach.
Both engines ahead two-thirds. Left 5 degrees, rudder.
We arrived.
Port engine stop.
Officers to bridge.
Gentlemen.
Three cheers for our brave U-boat men. Sieg...
- Heil. - Sieg...
- Heil! - Sieg...
Heil!
You are most welcomed, captain lieutenant.
No, no. Please.
This is...
- This is our commander. - My apologies, sir. L...
A pleasure to have you aboard the Weser, captain lieutenant.
A hero.
I'm delighted to be so honoured.
Gentlemen, here they stand...
...our heroes of the deep.
The Grey Wolves.
Our humble ship is honoured...
...by the momentous occasion such as this is.
Captain, lead the way.
- Welcome aboard. - Nice tugboat you got here.
Looking forward to meeting you.
So here we are, captain. As you can see...
...we've done what we can in our modest way. I hope it's to your taste.
Quite a table. Just like home.
Fresh bread, cakes from the ship's bakery...
...belly of pork, fresh sausage, slaughtered today, of course.
Well, we're waiting to hear your news.
Can't imagine what it means to us.
It isn't easy here. Despite what people say, it's very frustrating.
Sure, there's plenty to eat. Fuel supply's no problem.
Torpedoes are tricky, though. Very tricky. Never mind.
You're all set up.
The Spaniards tolerate us, but you couldn't call them enthusiastic.
Christmas cake.
Now, tell us...
...how many ships have you sunk? Now, let's see. I guess about...
Oh, champagne. How forgetful of me.
Take a glass.
Gentlemen, raise your glasses.
Drink to our heroes.
We're proud of you.
To the German U-boats service and to our beloved...
Oh, yes. We're not exactly at home, if you understand what I mean.
Toast. All the best.
Cheers.
And now, plenty for everyone. Come on.
- Okay. Let's get down to business. - Yes, come along.
Yes, now, tell us all about it, captain. Continue.
I'm bursting with curiosity.
Those are fresh figs.
Fresh figs.
Never had one.
Keep quiet.
This time, we very nearly had it.
Phenomenal.
See, gentlemen, that's the stuff heroes are made of.
There's no other word for it except "phenomenal".
Come on, captain, I want to hear more. Here, give me your plate.
Herring salad, another specialty of our chef.
His mother's recipe.
Just taste that. There's lots more.
Yes, and so...
...what's it like to be underwater?
To be submerged...
...while overhead, the enemy lies in wait.
It's dark.
- Dark? - Yes, and very quiet.
Just as long as no one farts.
- Why is that? - Well, as long as no one...
I can explain. Our Number Two means...
...at silent speed, the men must always exercise discipline.
And that's why you're forbidden to fart, yes?
Captain? The gentlemen from Madrid are here.
Herr Seewald, we've been expecting you.
Captain, over here.
Heil, Hitler.
Representative of our naval attaché here.
Heil, Hitler, captain.
I brought some communications from Berlin.
First, the documents for the breakthrough.
And then...
...this cable came.
Chief. Lieutenant Werner.
We are going for a little fresh air.
- Well, Seewald, what's happening? - Bad news.
Headquarters say no. Our request has been denied, chief.
There's no replacement. You stay too, Werner.
I'm sorry.
I guess it's just as well.
Who knows what kind of idiot they'd have sent you.
One of those newfound warriors who's all wind and smoke.
Could be right.
I've never been to the Mediterranean.
They say the climate is supposed to be...
No heroic pretence, Mr. Werner. You don't know what that means.
I don't know.
Something doesn't feel right.
Three boats refurbished here recently.
Two of them sank as soon as they moved out of the sea.
Remarkable, huh?
Are you still interested to hear about depth-charge attacks?
Hey, steward, bring a punch bowl here.
- One glass, sir? - No, not a glass, just the bowl.
Come on, gentleman, if you don't mind, stand over here.
And you too, my friend. Here comes a spectacular phenomenon.
- This is the Atlantic, I presume. - Atlantic, sea, what you will.
Or the channel, by the looks of it. Pretty narrow crossing.
So now, then. Here, we're down here. That little lemon pit there.
And hang in there tight.
- Oh, yeah? - You got it, pal, because...
...the British ships are cruising here above us.
The British know very well we're down there.
Though they still don't know where exactly.
There are two possibilities.
- To wait, hoping you'll surface. - That's one.
- Or drop their depth charge. - Where he assumes us to be.
There we are waiting. Now, will he drop them or not?
Well, I do believe they missed us again.
Those cardboard soldiers.
Those strange guys from the naval attaché.
I feel they can't be trusted, could talk too easily.
We'll push off from this place as quickly as we can.
Forget our schedule.
This is not my kind of place.
They should have stocked the sub with a few horny little senoritas.
Lucky they didn't, lover-boy. Spanish crabs, that's all we'd need.
Yesterday he was a virgin. Now he can't live without it.
Hurry up and get this mess out of here. Get that chart table cleared.
I can't navigate on bananas.
What are you doing? Get that fruit out of here. Move!
I want those depth controls completely free.
Is that a Christmas tree?
What do you think it is, camouflage for the bridge?
We're staying onboard. They won't replace us.
I'm sorry, Ullmann.
Our 68th day at sea.
We are nearing Gibraltar.
One question dominates our thoughts to the exclusion of all others...
Will we get through?
Seven miles from coast-to-coast.
Bit narrow, huh?
Here, the British dockyards.
The only ones the British have in the Western Mediterranean.
So they are very heavily defended.
The place will be crawling with patrol boats.
Anything that floats will be on the water.
And this is where we have to go.
That's the situation.
Gibraltar, where the mildness and beauty of the Mediterranean world...
...meet the force and expansion of the Atlantic realm.
So says the sea handbook.
We'll move in under darkness.
The surface.
We'll see if we can slip through their cordon.
As near to Gibraltar as we can get.
Then dive down...
...and let ourselves drift through.
In the Strait of Gibraltar, there are two different currents.
One flows on the surface from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean...
...and a deeper current, from the Mediterranean out.
That's a lot of pressure.
And so...
...dive...
...and allow the surface current to pull us through the strait.
Nice and quiet.
And we'll save fuel.
Well, Kriechbaum?
Clever trick, captain.
Arabian week. Must be our southerly course.
They're hoping to drink some courage.
- Time check, please. - 9:39, sir.
We're getting close now.
Be accurate. Keep checking the water control.
Don't worry, chief.
We've got enough here. Double-check the high valves.
I'll check them, sir.
Stupid bananas.
Goddamn it!
Be careful, you idiot!
Both engines stop.
Let's get going.
Both engines half-speed.
The navigator and I stay up here. Now clear the bridge.
I'm right. 0-7-9.
Then, course 0-7-9, sir.
That's half the British fleet out there.
Come left 20 degrees and change to main motors.
Steering 0-5-9, sir.
Very kind of the enemy to show their navigation lights.
- Steer 0-5-0. - Course 0-5-0.
Destroyer on port bow. Range about 800.
Going which way?
Is she closing?
No, she's heading away.
That's good.
Breakthrough. Astern of her. Left full rudder.
- All full ahead. - Rudder is left full.
Both engines ahead.
Come right.
All full ahead, maximum power. Right full.
Come on. Quick.
Make it quick.
Both engines indicate maximum rpm. 1-0-0, still turning right.
Now he's in his element.
Course 0-7-9. All ahead half power.
Right full rudder! All full ahead! Be quick!
- Right full rudder. All full ahead. - Damn! Damn!
Kriechbaum.
Gibraltar.
We'll dive in 10 minutes.
Alarm!
Go.
The captain is still up. Don't dive.
Alarm!
Stand by, escape gear! Ready to abandon ship!
The medic! Right away!
- Where is the medic? - Medic!
Engines, maximum power! Hard, starboard!
All hands on escape gear!
Hold on. Hold on to this!
Faster! Faster!
Compress this! Compress this!
Out of the way! Out of the way!
Out of the way! Silence onboard!
Chief to captain, we have to stop port engine! Foundation is loose!
Maintain full power!
All the power you've got! All the power you've got!
What's his plan?
Due south. Heading directly for the African coastline.
Damn it! Damn it!
- Alarm! - Ready to dive!
All hands forward!
Move, move, move!
Ninety meters!
Close exhausts.
- Bow planes are in action! - Switch to manual!
The bow plane is jammed! It's on a dive!
Shit!
All engines stop!
- All men go aft! - All hands aft! All hands aft!
- What is going on? - Quiet.
Move! Move! All hands aft!
- Auxiliary pump, out of action! - With air.
- Tank's blowing. - We're still going down.
- We've got to shed some weight! - Pump out 1000 liters!
Damn it, shut him up!
Main ballast pump, out of action!
Permission to blow?
- Both engines hard to stern full! - Hard to stern full.
- No effect. - Blow.
- Blow! - Blow fore ballast.
Stay put. Now.
Now. Stay put now!
All that you've got! All you've got!
All that we've got!
Come on!
Oh, God!
We can't hold the boat.
200.
210.
220 meters.
230.
240 meters.
250 meters.
My God.
Oh, Lord, turn not away from me.
Dear Lord, take away all our sins.
A shovelful of sand.
The merciful God's left a shovelful of sand to keep us up.
280 meters.
And she's still in one piece.
Water. Goddamn it.
Torpedo hatch taking water!
The torpedo hatch taking water!
Torpedo hatch taking water!
Motor room's taking water now, right behind starboard.
Tank two taking water.
Get around.
- Tank two taking water! - Tank two taking water!
- What do you need? - Some timber for sawing.
It's in the bow compartment.
Exhaust valve okay?
I need some flooring, quick.
Shit.
Pass it to me.
Give me that flashlight!
- I need a wrench, damn it! - Give me damage report.
Water coming in around the after rail.
- Where are the tools?! - Quick, quick, quick.
The tools!
- Where is it? - Look.
Main motor switchboard's out of action.
- Engine room's completely wrecked. - I want some proper damage reports!
What's going on down there?
We can't stop the flooding!
If saltwater gets in the bearings, we've had it.
Together.
Where's the most damage?
The shaft's stuffing boxes, below the decoy.
Check damage to number two battery. Quickly!
Assess damage!
Tighten carefully.
- I can't see! - Push! Hard as you can!
I can't.
It's stuck tight! I can't wedge it.
Here, give me the hammer!
Need a little more men in aft torpedo room?
I'll ask the lieutenant.
This damn thing! Here, hold my light!
Father, forgive my sins.
Stupid son of a pig!
Idiot.
Toolbox from the engine room!
Hurry up!
Where is that damn wrench?
Bring another wrench!
Tighten those seals! Don't shear the bolts!
A leak in the cooling system!
Tighten those intake seals! Hurry up!
Someone give me that shoring.
- Here! - Good.
Here, take it quickly!
Plugs down here! Quick!
Hurry up! Get me the biggest one!
Higher! Still higher!
Higher!
Careful.
Captain.
Hurry! Hurry! Get on with it.
We're taking water very fast.
The two hull valves burst. Cooling water system blocked.
And on top of that, compressors are dislodged.
Shaft stuffing boxes began to leak, sir.
Damn it.
What about fuel leaks? Any tank's been punctured?
- Can't tell as yet. - What else, chief?
Lots of battery cells are cracked, can't take this kind of hit.
Look out for chlorine gas, men.
Get the bilge water. Use the litmus paper.
Over there with the sounding block.
We need each cell.
Look, it's red. Acid in the bilge.
Piece of line, quickly.
See how many cells are cracked.
Battery straps over here. Move it, you.
Battery straps.
Easy, Kriechbaum. Quiet. Quiet.
Quiet.
Lieutenant.
Have we a chance?
We'll never do it by hand. Takes block and tackling.
The chief needs battery straps. Make it quick.
Find some battery straps, damn it.
They still need it.
Logs and a hammer.
Here. Here.
Thanks, lieutenant.
Got it.
Get me more light here.
We're winning, sir.
And again, turn it.
Shit.
Pull it round.
The other side, or it will tear the gasket.
Check the valves.
They came straight at us.
It's quite incredible in that light.
They say that the British are using a new detection system...
...high frequency.
Could be true what they say.
They tried it out on us.
If they can find us in the dark...
...we can only pray.
Another bilge pipe in the water cooling system.
- Bilge pipe in the water cooling system. - Bilge pipe in the water cooling system.
Tell the chief water is out of the bilge in the torpedo hatch...
...rising faster.
I can't see.
Lieutenant, hold the light.
We've gotta close the leaks, or it's all over for us.
To the right. More to the right. Down.
Careful.
Twenty-four battery cells cracked.
God almighty, what a hell of a mess.
Let's hope these are enough.
He's gotta bridge the live cells. It's our only chance.
Without batteries, we've had it.
Starboard... Down, lieutenant.
We're drowning.
Wire. Get me wire to bridge them.
Wire! Come on, hurry up!
Wire! The chief needs wire.
Get moving! Look for wires! Did you hear me?
- Wire. - What kind of wire?
Any kind of thick wire, man. There's gotta be some wire around.
In the bilge, under the torpedo tubes.
We have got plenty of fancy torpedoes, right?
Each one is 25,000 marks.
But no damn wire.
All they forgot is 50 pennies' worth of old wire.
Now what?
Captain, the draining pump's jammed.
- It won't even extend manually. - That's great.
Captain!
- Here. - He's got some wire!
- Terrific. Better than nothing. - Pliers!
- Here. - Captain?
All the leaks have been stopped, sir.
Good, Johann.
That's good.
Now change your wet things, man.
We must get rid of the water.
The water has to go out.
Into the control-room bilge...
...and then outside.
All right, give it to me!
Come on. Move it.
- Careful, you jerk! - Hoist the bucket.
Get a move on, boys!
Keep coming and going!
Come on, put your backs into it!
Keep those buckets moving.
Step on it, Dufte, Hermann. Don't fall asleep. Keep going!
Hurry up!
Faster, goddamn it!
Come on. Don't slow down.
Pull. Pull.
Almost finished. Three cells to go, sir.
How is it going?
Almost ready. Three more cells.
- Want some? - No, thanks.
See, it works.
That's good.
It's all good.
Mom. Mom.
Stop, boy. Take a rest.
Fucking shit.
Make some room down there. Chief's coming through.
- Are you guys okay? - Yes.
Keep going. Keep going.
- Motor didn't get wet, did it, Johann? - It looks like it, lieutenant.
Here, pass your empty buckets.
Hey, guys, switch.
Captain?
All of our compasses are out of action.
We may have lost speed indicator and sonar too.
And radio contact seems dead.
Pretty bad damage.
Can we get up again?
Do you think we have a chance, sir?
Good question.
Bit of air must still be in the ballast tanks...
...from the blowing.
It should help us.
If we use every ounce of high-pressure air that's left.
Maybe.
We have to reduce our weight.
We've got to get the water out.
We must.
Eliminate and scoop.
Commander, engine-room bilge now almost clear of water.
It could work. It could work.
It could just work. By hand, into the trimming tanks.
Then with ballast pump and high-pressure air...
...we could force the water out.
The ballast pump?
We can do it.
We have to risk it.
Blow.
We can only try once.
When?
When all repairs are completed.
In about six to eight hours.
- CO2 content? - 1.8 percent.
Do we have enough oxygen?
No.
Emergency cartridges. For all guys who are not working.
The others go to the bunks.
Aye, aye, captain.
Emergency cartridges. Guys not working, go to bunks.
- How is he doing? - Difficult to say just yet, sir.
Doesn't look too good.
Well, Pilgrim...
...everything okay? - Yes, captain.
Everything's okay.
What about aft?
It's getting better, sir.
I guess I'll go over there.
You should be careful.
- Can you make it? - We'll make it, captain.
- How's it going? - All right. It's okay.
How does it look?
Don't worry, captain, we'll make it.
How's it going?
Two bearings which have to be changed and fixed.
Then it should run smoothly.
Well, Benjamin, is everything okay?
Yes, captain.
What a mess.
Going well.
It's working out fine.
Yes, captain, we'll make it.
Laps of honour.
They're doing laps of honour.
Believe they made it.
They think we drowned.
Not yet.
I still have some glucose.
They were crazy...
...ordering us through the strait.
It was bound to go wrong.
He knew it.
The bastard, he knew it.
From the moment that radio signal had come through...
...the captain knew it.
That's the reason he ordered us ashore at Vigo.
He knew there was very little hope.
He tried to fool us. "Quite simple," he said.
"An easy trick. "
"Dive and drift with the current, and... "
Quite a clever trick.
But it has to work.
Will we ever get up?
I don't know.
I'm sorry.
You think it's hopeless now?
It's been 15 hours.
He's not going to make it.
I'm sorry.
I wanted this to happen.
To face the relentless truth.
Where no one's mother looks around at night.
No woman crossing our way.
Where only reality reigns, ferocious and great.
I was intoxicated by it.
That is reality now.
Situation report, sir.
Motors in order.
The ballast pump is clear.
Accumulated water can now be pumped into trimming tanks.
Then blown outboard with high-pressure air.
Compass is in order.
Sonar clear.
Good.
Good, good.
Go and take a break.
We still have a few little problems.
All you need is a good crew.
A good crew.
And what about above?
Dusk was two hours ago.
We'll surface in 20 minutes.
Wake up. Come on, wake up.
Wake up!
- What's the matter? - We'll surface in 10 minutes.
We're going to surface.
Wake the crew.
All hands prepare to surface.
We're coming up!
Everybody listen up.
We're going to blow...
...and see if we can get our rear up.
If so...
...it could get ugly again.
Traffic is heavy up there.
There's only one thing we can do:
Pray that the engines will start...
...so we can get out of this mess.
And let's go home.
If it works...
...everybody gets half a bottle of beer.
There's one thing on our side.
They won't be expecting us.
So, guys...
...everything okay?
Aye, aye, captain.
Surface contacts?
Nothing near.
Get ready to surface. Stand by, escape gear.
Switch to red light.
Let her blow.
- She's rising. - Yeah!
- Easy, guys. - Starboard planes down 15.
270 meters!
First watch, stand by.
260 meters.
250 meters.
240 meters.
230 meters.
220.
The air lock's open.
Startup engines?
Both main engines.
Well, let's see.
So?
I think they're running.
I never heard such sweet music in all my life.
- They're running. - They're running.
Yes, they're running.
They won't catch us this time.
Not this time.
Just you keep on going, damn it.
Just you keep on going!
Right full rudder. Come to 3-2-0.
This goddamn bastard!
They haven't spotted us.
They are snoring in their bunks.
You know what?
They are drinking in the bar, celebrating our sinking.
Not yet, my friends!
Not yet!
Tuesday, December 23, 1941.
Course... La Rochelle.
Drink up, boys!
- Here's to home! - Here's to home!
Just imagine those sexy nurses.
The newspaper girls.
And Dufte and his broad can get screwed.
How about you, Brückenwilli?
A nice, slow, afternoon fuck.
Tomorrow's Christmas Eve, Hinrich.
Easy to forget.
The holiday of love.
Christmas on a bombed-out hulk.
Something different.
Any bright ideas, Henri, for the celebration?
Have our own celebration?
Sing a few carols...
...read from the Bible.
I guess we're not in the right mood.
Just postpone it, I'd say.
It'll be Christmas for us when we're back on land.
Good idea.
Postpone.
That's good.
That's really good.
Let's pray the engines hold out.
With a bit of luck, Hinrich...
...we'll make it back home.
The 3rd Submarine Flotilla welcomes its comrades with three cheers!
Both engines stop.
- Stern line out! - Stern line out! Watch those cables!
Roll that tighter!
We Build for Victory!
- Thank you, Hinrich. - It's okay.
The sun is shining out there.
Up with him!
All right. We got you.
Gunboat number three, guard your position.
Gunboat number three, guard your position at once.
Hurry up.
Bring a medic.
Over here.