The U-571 experience, or didnt your mommy tell you there was a destroyer up there?

[popcorn2721]

Having been a sub simmer since I started playing Silent Service as a kid, all the way to SHIII (which has brought me the greatest pleasures Ive known as a gamer (thanks GWX team)) I know we've all been in a similar situation before, that's why I'm posting this in the SHIII forum and not in the general topics further down (please consider the parallels before thinking that this one is in the wrong forum, thank you).

So, Im watching U-571, which in itself is a pretty good movie, with a pretty high production value as far as special effects go and the story is solid too. Moving in the first couple of minutes we have a sub that gets discovered while sinking a merchant vessel.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a400/popcorn2721/U571.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a400/popcorn2721/u571-2.jpg
The sonar man says "Visa boomb!" or what translates to "depth charges"
"Hold on..The Tommies are crapping all over us" the Kalhoun says while hes calmly eating a lemon.
The first few explosions can be heard from a distance, like I said we've all been here before and can feel the immersive feelings of sweat and looking fearfully up towards the surface climbing deep inside us.
After the depth charges start the captain yells to "stop that leak" as the engineers simultaneously trying to stem the flow of fuel from a leak that started in the engine room with the first barrage of depth charges. The fuel is ignited from the sparks generated by the second barrage of depth charges (I counted 10 really close ones). So the engine room is on fire and leaks have been opened up all over and U-571 is dropping like a rock to 120 meters... at which time the captain orders to "Blow all tanks! Surface! Surface!".
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a400/popcorn2721/u571-3.jpg
I can understand the captains orders, although from my own simulated experiences... I would have allowed a little more time for recovery while submerged (we all know that 120 meters isnt that deep, right?).

So the ballast tanks are blown and the boat takes takes its trip to the surface... when the sub breaches the water there is no destroyer, not a boat in site and the captain is informing the crew that "Everything is clear." and commands "Lookouts to the bridge!". He then hollers at the radioman to fire off a distress signal after assessing the damage reports. The distress signal is encoded, I get that but wouldn't the ship that just dropped the DCs turn around after the signal was intercepted and triangulated.

All in all I just want to know if there is an explanation for the destroyer dropping a truckload of depth charges and just not being there when the boat surfaces. I can see that its after dark when they surface but surely no destroyer captain would have given up and taken off that quickly. I like this movie, but this part in the first ten minutes has stricken a foul chord with me since the first time I saw the movie.
At the end of my rant and for those that read this long post i just want to know, what do you guys think?:ping:
Thank You
Pops

[I-25]

apparently you don't know what most of us subsim members think about that movie... :doh:

[SeaWolf U-57]

Yes I watched that film just after the U-Boat surfaced and no warship in sight
Is when I turned it off (ether they went into time compression underwater or the warship left the area at warp speed) :hmmm:

[Ancient Mariner]

i watched it once & thought it was bull****,Das Boot is still the greatest Uboat movie follew by down periscope(not realistic but great for a laugh)

[papa_smurf]

That film takes history and spits it out in american favour. Watch Das Boot for a true submarine experience:up:

[Mopy]

Time compression? :rotfl:Good call.

I saw it for the first time last week, and there were many oddities. Not changing course when being depth charged (seemed to just wait for them to get closer), the destroyer surfacing incident, the looks of worry at 30 metres. Good effects though, and it was about u-boats. Though I'm sure there are plenty of real WWII stories left untold, so as to why they made one up /shrug

[popcorn2721]

"The sonar man says "Visa boomb!" or what translates to "depth charges""

It's not Visa bomb it's wasser bomb.

And the captain is eating tangerine not lemon.

Yeah that u-boat is surfacing too quickly after blow ballast and it feels odd not to find DD nearby.

What else could you expect from a Holywood movie pointed at ordinary viewer who has little knowledge how things worked in reality.

Thanks for the accurate translation...

That film takes history and spits it out in american favour. Watch Das Boot for a true submarine experience:up:
Das Boot is one of the greatest movies made and what sub simmer would be without it in their video collection? Not I...lol

[Schroeder]

Thanks for the accurate translation...

Being the smartass I am I have to say that the accurate translation is "Wasserbombe".:oops:

[Randomizer]

Don't think that I could classify sitting through U-571 as an experiance, more like an ordeal.

[Bent Periscope]

U-571 was the only way I could get my wife to look at a sub movie with me. (The 6-hour Das Boot version was too long for her though I kept explaining that she was missing the point of the boredom.)

During U-571 I kept explaining the errors/ommissions, lack of tactics, unrealistic story development, etc. until my wife just told me to be quiet and "enjoy" the movie.

Afterwards she said that the movie was "fun" to watch. :damn:

BP

[I-25]

During U-571 I kept explaining the errors/ommissions, lack of tactics, unrealistic story development, etc. until my wife just told me to be quiet and "enjoy" the movie.


Yeaa i get that a lot from my girl too..

[Sailor Steve]

As soon as the Americans are at sea Harvey Keitel as the COB shouts "Dive! Dive! Dive!" and rings the klaxon - three times.

At that point I realized the filmmakers had done exactly zero research into US submarine operations, and the rest of that piece of $#!+ showed me I was right. The one good thing that came out of it was some great sound effects for the Pacific Aces SH2 mod.

[Dowly]

Being the smartass I am I have to say that the accurate translation is "Wasserbombe".:oops:

Goddammit! I was sure the correct one would've been 'Wasserbomben'. :damn:

I love german language, but german language hates me. :nope:

As for the movie, my favorite mistake is the one where they are already in the german uboat. They are standing on the bridge when the order comes to dive (I think it's when they blow their cover to the german destroyer), Andy is ALONE in the tower and yet as he yells orders, he looks straight towards the aft of the boat. Shouldnt he, you know, be yelling his orders down to the hatch? :haha:

[DaveU186]

The film is a disgrace. Completely disrespecting one of the most important moments in the whole war to favour an American agenda.

Sadly it happens all too often in American war films. You'd be hard-pressed to believe there was anyone else in the damn war when you watch half of them.

[Rhodes]

Again, am I the only one to point out that I never saw diesel oil that can be ignited with sparks? Or the U-571 had a new model of parafin/gasoline engines?

[Randomizer]

I suspect that I might have been too unforgiving towards U-571 since it is obviously a movie with a message.

Unfortunately the message is...

CAUTION: This Film May Induce Vomiting in the Historically Aware.

On the plus side U-571 does allow one to use "execrable"* in a sentence.

Cheers

*Execrable
–adjective 1.utterly detestable; abominable; abhorrent.

[Damo]

I watched this some time back, thankfully before Das Boot as I'd have probably turned over and it is a load of Hollywood poppycock. As well as the first few minutes where the DD miraculously goes home for lunch the ending scene after they destroy the German ship and abandon the uboat in a raft the scene pulls all the way back to reveal a completely empty ocean, no debris or rafts or survivors from the sunken warship. Pity they never had the Lifeboats and Debris mod...

:down:

[tomfon]

Pity they never had the Lifeboats and Debris mod...


:haha:

Nice!

[Bosje]

the film does provide some decent soundbites for SH4 mods though

apart from that, just another bit of excrement in a long line of hollywood 'alternative history' trash

wouldn't it be nice if, in Saving Private Ryan, the camera panned to the right a bit and you'd see a brit walking into the shot saying:
'Hi, excuse me but the boys wanted to say hello. Couple thousand of us just over there, you know, some brits, french, polish, dutch, norwegians etc. what's the word for us? Oh yes, Allies, that's it. We've been doing this for a few years now but thanks for popping over and helping out a bit'

(a joke from a gig by Eddie Izzard)

[kaptkirkU4467]

Best part of the move....the black screen when its over.:yep:

[flakmonkey]

To be honest i quite liked u-571, you just have to remember ITS A MOVIE NOT A DOCUMENTARY. Although i too wondered where that destroyer went after they surfaced?!?

Even if you hate the film, you have to admit the u-boat interior set is superb and easilly as good as the one used in Das Boot (made by the same people if you watch the making-of).

[cawimmer430]

U-571? Awful film.

Worst part was actually the lone German destroyer out there in the middle of the Atlantic. What the hell was that thing doing out there all by itself!?

Another thing that puzzled me was the single-engined enemy fighter aircraft patrolling the Atlantic. The Germans didn't have any single-engined fighters with such a range (even with drop tanks). Ocean patrol was done by FW-200 Condors and Ju-88's for the most part while coastal patrolling was done by the Heinkel He-115.

[Schroeder]

Goddammit! I was sure the correct one would've been 'Wasserbomben'. :damn:


Wasserbomben is the plural of Wasserbombe, so you were correct too.;)

[Feuer Frei!]

Aahhh yessss. the infamous movie U-571 :down: I think i was extremely lucky and did my research as i do with all movies but in particular WW2 movies. (I'm very fussy with war movies, and why not).
So, having said that, when i read reviews and plots from various accredited sources i told myself "No way am I watching that"

My doubts about that movie have been vindicated so many times it seems....

i quote one reviewer:
"May be the shoddiest and most incoherent piece of big-budget action moviemaking since "Armageddon"


But seriously, that's not all that's wrong with this film, heck if I am going to see a war movie I would appreciate the movie actually being based at the very least "mostly" on fact, and certainly not incorrectly accrediting successes to any one side of the war, whatever war that may have been......
There are a few ww2 movies that spring to mind, of course Das Boot is a classic, but also for the reason that it's depicted from the German side and it shows another face or side to the war, and heck did it do it well! No favouring of one side or another....(that for me is a big factor)

Now if war movies could be like that, well....count me in!


I think a war movie with biases removed for a start and then actually being "mostly" based on fact and the "claims of successes" actually being accredited to the right side get 10 points with me straight up :yeah:

[Bosje]

yup, we see a U-boat machine-gunning survivors
then we see an american officer in a german boat successfully shooting torpedoes at another U-boat and blowing it up
then we see that the only other forces out there are all german, all of whom are after our american heroes:rotfl2:

ah never mind, i shouldn't even get worked up over this. i did actually watch it 3 times and the first time i knew little about the submarine war, and i actually enjoyed the film (lots of action, which is the point of the film)

just like 'Below' (I think it's called). mainly crap but i liked it as a thriller
not quite sure what a US sub is doing out in the atlantic sinking allied ships by mistake, but it's an entertaining thing to watch (and it's about the scary bits, not about the history bits)

so to summarize... this is an utterly redundant post :salute:

[Red Heat]

Historical speaking its a **** film...
and the end of the story everybody knows... :gulp:

[Rhodes]

yup, we see a U-boat machine-gunning survivors
then we see an american officer in a german boat successfully shooting torpedoes at another U-boat and blowing it up
then we see that the only other forces out there are all german, all of whom are after our american heroes:rotfl2:

ah never mind, i shouldn't even get worked up over this. i did actually watch it 3 times and the first time i knew little about the submarine war, and i actually enjoyed the film (lots of action, which is the point of the film)

just like 'Below' (I think it's called). mainly crap but i liked it as a thriller
not quite sure what a US sub is doing out in the atlantic sinking allied ships by mistake, but it's an entertaining thing to watch (and it's about the scary bits, not about the history bits)

so to summarize... this is an utterly redundant post :salute:

Join the club! Exactly like me.
But I still like Below as a movie, thriller that only one or two cast members survived etc!
And if I knew what I know now when I went see U-571, I had :har::har::har: all the movie and argue why I was doing it with who I was at the time.

[Bosje]

aye

do we leave it at this?

lol :arrgh!: