Das Boot

[Myxale]

Thats only the beginnig!
You will have plently "Das Boot" nerve-whackin moments in SH. Just keep playin!

[Ula Jolly]

Is this the ONLY movie properly depicting a war and a submarine crew of ANY time?

Originally Posted by Ula Jolly

Is this the ONLY movie properly depicting a war and a submarine crew of ANY time?

No, Crimson Tide. That is much more realistic and would've won a few Oscars had it not been for the fact it was competing against the like of Dances With Wolves (I think...a major movie of the genre anyway).

Originally Posted by Kurushio

No, Crimson Tide. That is much more realistic and would've won a few Oscars had it not been for the fact it was competing against the like of Dances With Wolves (I think...a major movie of the genre anyway).

I'm sorry, Crimson Tide may have used realistic sets, but the plot and the procedures were about as realistic as a twelve-year-old in a cardboard box. That movie was pure drek.

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I'm sorry, Crimson Tide may have used realistic sets, but the plot and the procedures were about as realistic as a twelve-year-old in a cardboard box. That movie was pure drek.

Care to elaborate?

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I'm sorry, Crimson Tide may have used realistic sets, but the plot and the procedures were about as realistic as a twelve-year-old in a cardboard box. That movie was pure drek.

Agreed. I served in the US Navy on Frigates (not on subs) but still. I guess for someone who hadn't served in the US Navy they might find it authentic just based on the movie sets and uniforms were pretty well done. The way the officers and crew behaved though was a bit overdone though. For instance, James Gandolfini's character making that black petty officer do push ups on the bus. No one in the military can order you to do push ups for punishment after basic training for potential medical trouble (IE. junior person may have chronic case of trick shoulder). All punishments have to be recommended to the CO first and the CO has the final say so. For enlisted men it usually goes to DRB(board of chiefs, senior chiefs, and master chiefs) then up to XOI(a meeting with the XO), CO's Mast(a meeting with the Captain = NOT GOOD). Any one of the below boards can choose to send it up to the next or end the case at their level. If a punishment is recommened, it still has to be reviewed and approved by the CO. Most of the time the CO will want to see you so that he/she can unleash the wrath of Hell upon you with the maximum punishment (reduction in rank, loss of half pay x 2 months, restriction to ship or barracks for 45 days)

[mr chris]

Originally Posted by SubSerpent

Agreed. I served in the US Navy on Frigates (not on subs) but still. I guess for someone who hadn't served in the US Navy they might find it authentic just based on the movie sets and uniforms were pretty well done. The way the officers and crew behaved though was a bit overdone though. For instance, James Gandolfini's character making that black petty officer do push ups on the bus. No one in the military can order you to do push ups for punishment after basic training for potential medical trouble (IE. junior person may have chronic case of trick shoulder). All punishments have to be recommended to the CO first and the CO has the final say so. For enlisted men it usually goes to DRB(board of chiefs, senior chiefs, and master chiefs) then up to XOI(a meeting with the XO), CO's Mast(a meeting with the Captain = NOT GOOD). Any one of the below boards can choose to send it up to the next or end the case at their level. If a punishment is recommened, it still has to be reviewed and approved by the CO. Most of the time the CO will want to see you so that he/she can unleash the wrath of Hell upon you with the maximum punishment (reduction in rank, loss of half pay x 2 months, restriction to ship or barracks for 45 days)

Crickey you guys in the US Navy have it real easy. Im in the UK Army and you can get physical punshisment for most things and it can be dealt out by anyone who holds a rank above PTE. But they have to be a trained physhical training insructor. The punshisment is usualy given and carryed out at the time of your offence. But for more worse crimes it goes up the chain of command.

[Immelman]

Alittle out of contaxt but you think you Britts have it bad? Try the Greek army ever had a field exercise with live ammo? I have, trust me it aint pretty having real arty fire bouncing arround your position and pillboxes openning up with 50 and 20 cal. Sure they tell you its safe there are preestablished lines of fire and you have rehearsed over and over agian till you can't stand it any more but mistakes do happen. Alot of chaps have bought it over the years.

[Ula Jolly]

Originally Posted by Kurushio

No, Crimson Tide. That is much more realistic and would've won a few Oscars had it not been for the fact it was competing against the like of Dances With Wolves (I think...a major movie of the genre anyway).

Wait... please tell me that is irony on some divine level. Crimson Tide? The 1995 Crimson Tide? Ohio sub? I damned near puked from it! I don't mean to be trying for flaming or anything, but it goes "down there", with U-571 and the rest.

[Khayman]

Originally Posted by Ula Jolly

I shall punish yee, landlubber! C'mere for spankings and popsicles!

Sorry for drifting OT, but that's a great sig!

[Myxale]

Das Boot is the best. It's indeed a thing of taste and the view of things in general.
The movie and cast are top notch IMO.
It never appeared to me that they are too cartoonish or cheesy. Not any more than we all are in RL!

Thought i find Buchheim narrow minded in some ways...he's done more than two trips in a Sub. Two of them were with U-96. Her last two patrols!
Keep in mind that Subs were his passion. Most of his Sonedrführer-Berichterstatter reports were about sub's and crew. He loved the cult, like many other unknowing germans! Many looked up to them like like idols!
Imagine when he actually got the chance to do a real trip how this changed his mindset, when he wittnesed the madness first hand. He was guest at a college and told actually that he was -till the time he sailed out- unaware of the real deal.

You don't need to be a Kaleun to realize the madness of U-Boot war.

Imagine a Marine wannabe Fanboy gettin the ticket for War. Imagin his "yay i'm gonna be in a real war with the cool marines" fade quickly as the first one dies beside him.

Things have always been like this!

Sorry pointless long rant!

Not pointless at all.

It may have been Bucheim's first time on a submarine, but not his first time at see. From what I've read he served first in destroyers, and not as a correspondent, but an actual officer. His letters home so enthused the official censors that he was recommended for a writer's job, then transferred to a minesweeper and finally a u-boat.

In the book he portrays himself less the idealistic novice of the movie than as an experienced officer, standing watch for other crewmembers, and during his first depth charging comparing it to attacking a British submarine while on a destroyer. "Now I know what it feels like from their side".

Something I noticed in my latest watching of Das Boot: while we see him assisting the captain on the bridge, we never actually see the 1WO leading his watch. Going on watch, yes, but not actually on the bridge. Maybe 'Werner' only wanted to be up there when the 2WO was in charge. After all, in the book he says they had a saying: "Only when the second officer was on the bridge did the Old Man sleep easily".

[Egan]

Actually, my most Das Boot moment in subsims came not in Sh3 but in AOTD.

I got orders to patrol the western aproaches in my little 11A and off I went, hitting a convoy in bound for the Irish sea on my second day out. Well, those escorts saw me coming from a long ways out so down I went only to receive the mother of all depth chargings. I had dived so quick i hit the seabed at about 90 meters and lay there, badly damaged, as they hovered above throwing down more ash-cans. I tried to blow the air reserves in the ballast tanks but nothing happened - nothing at all. I got the men working on all the repairs they could do from inside the boat just to keep them busy until the air ran out and just waited until they escorts cleared off, which they did after about 40 minutes. I guess they thought i was a gonner. At this point so did I.

After 12 hours all the repairs we could do were done and, out of hope more than anything else, i tried venting the ballast tanks again. Now, I don't know whether I pressed the wrong button the first time or over the hours we spent below we fixed something vital, but this time there was a welcome hiss and - slowly - we began to rise.

I gave a little cheer but with both our periscope and hydrophones out we were rising blind with no idea what was up there. We broke the surface just after dawn on a beautiful and misty spring morning and after a few seconds giving thanks to whatever deity had got us through the night I gave orders to get us the hell outa dodge and limp home to base....

I know how the Old man felt after the misery of Gibralter. great film. The TV series is even better.

I died that way in AOD once: bottomed the boat until the destroyers went away. Didn't have much damage, but got stuck in the mud. Lay there trying to get loose until the air ran out, then RIP.

Originally Posted by Ula Jolly

Wait... please tell me that is irony on some divine level. Crimson Tide? The 1995 Crimson Tide? Ohio sub? I damned near puked from it! I don't mean to be trying for flaming or anything, but it goes "down there", with U-571 and the rest.

Would be nice if you were more specific. I hope you're not going to add "Oh, by the way...I'm Norwegian".