And helped as a technical advisor on the film.

However, your link goes to a wrong place. Made the library's computer crash.

Rectified! :up:

Later in the text Buchheim says that in his version of the script the meeting with the spanish merchant would have caused the katharsis after all the traumata. You did remember the lines very well, Sailor Steve, just read the ending. Actually the captain even says they would have had to make sure that there was noone left to tell the tale - by killing any survivors with the manned flak gun.

If you really wanted to expand on the details. U-96 was never in the 3rd flotilla, nor did it put in to La Rochelle after the failed Gibralter crossing.

I'm sorry. You are right. And I only meant: Bloody American[film-maker]s.;)

Thanks for the translation. I found this fascinating. :yep:

It's not done yet, he wrote much more about it. Later he argues about the not too authentic clothing and behauviour.

I always wondered if he (the captain) was really earnest about this, or if he was just playing the tough man, talking bull**** after it was over, and wouldn't have given the order if it really came to it. I know 1939 is not 1942 and Lemp is not Willenbrock, but when Lemp sank the Athenia there was no machinegunning of survivors.

Really interesting read! Thanks bud.

Hello,
a lot of good arguments, and thanks for translating this for our friends abroad.
There was even an idea to get "Das Boot" on stage as a production for a theatre, for the scenes inside the boat did not require too much space.

A movie can be powerful, and U-571 just made me sick. I really don't know why they made this film, i mean was there any intention or message besides making money ? Then i read the movie was applauded by invited US veterans after its first night - seems apart from the real war, propaganda in the 40ies did leave some impression.

If you read Buchheim's books (he recently died) you finally know what he really thought - or so i think. The U-boat war was a "clean" one, usually nothing was left to bury, and the men inside the boat barely knew what was happening around the boat. A lot of people were indeed volunteers, if only to escape combat along the frontlines. The war at sea made it easy for propaganda, no corpses, battlefields, ruins and the like.

First Buchheim was enthusiastic and fascinated, but as he experienced the real war aside from the government lies and propaganda, he began to see the human side apart from this "iron will" and victory talk, and he changed his mind - but exactly when this happened you cannot be sure, maybe he had doubts, but really changed his mind only after the war. Indeed that is why so many veterans criticized him - he supported the war effort, but wrote as if he had been against it all the time. At least he wrote anything about it, without that we would never have heard so much of the U-boat war. Most veterans i know prefer to keep still.

There are three books loaded with pictures, from his time as a war correspondent, and a lot of comments and reports as well. At first he was utterly fascinated, if not even frightened by the grey steel fishes. He does not even deny that he felt honoured and proud to go aboard "for a ride", and it is also clear why he was there: To make propaganda movies and pictures. Speaking of embedding of journalists, but he had to be biased, as well as he was not allowed to hold back or keep any film or photo, same with his paintings and sketches. Maybe there was some inner pressure he wanted the movie to be made, and as exact as possible.

Greetings,
Catfish

Thanx for the link it was a solid read. I think i unerstand now what bugged thim about the movie!:hmm: