Tom Hanks' new convoy war movie: Greyhound

Catfish · 05-21-20, 05:24 AM

Just reread C.S. Forester's "The good shepherd", the book Hanks' film is supposely based upon. I still liked it, rather realistic story, even if i think the US captain's portrayal by Forester is a bit cheesy at times, with his religious remarks like accompanying the radius of the destroyer's turm with bible quotes and such

. It came out 1955, and the war was still close in the minds of all, as was the war propaganda.

Whatever, in the book it is about a 30 ships convoy "shepherded" by two destroyers (one US one being polish) and two corvettes, against four U-boats (and some more far away being detected by HF-DF and sometimes radar). It is of course entirely based on the Captain's view and action, but it is really well done, you instantly feel and see what this all is about, it tells more about those convoy fights and problems than you could ever properly explain to someone. I doubt this and the Captain's thinking of manoeuvering and personal pressure of how he looks in the eyes of his crew can be shown in a film, but then of course i did not see i yet.

What i found interesting is that i the book both sides can somehow hear the radio chatter of the other, while Germany was a bit ahead after having broken the allied codes already early in the war, something that is seldom heard but it is (indirectly) in the book. Forester also writes of U-boat radio operators switching their frequency to the convoy's and placing some juicy english curses into the radio chatter, though this and the film's threatening of "good luck to survive the night" is most probably pure fiction and once more propaganda.
U-boat's radio operators were ordered to strict dario discipline, to restrict radio raffic only when ordered for weather and position data, along with the status of the boat and such. Even those status signals were compressed in two-second bursts called "Tabus", so the enemy would not have the time to properly get their position by reading cross bearings.

And 40 boats attacking one convoy like i think it is shown in the film? Doenitz would have been very happy to even have 30 U-boats scattered all across the atlantic, let alone all close to a convoy at one time.

"Apple film". Thanks but no thanks. Yes i will see it, later then.

05-21-20, 05:24 AM	#11
Catfish Dipped Squirrel Operative Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: ..where the ocean meets the sky Posts: 16,897 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	Just reread C.S. Forester's "The good shepherd", the book Hanks' film is supposely based upon. I still liked it, rather realistic story, even if i think the US captain's portrayal by Forester is a bit cheesy at times, with his religious remarks like accompanying the radius of the destroyer's turm with bible quotes and such . It came out 1955, and the war was still close in the minds of all, as was the war propaganda. Whatever, in the book it is about a 30 ships convoy "shepherded" by two destroyers (one US one being polish) and two corvettes, against four U-boats (and some more far away being detected by HF-DF and sometimes radar). It is of course entirely based on the Captain's view and action, but it is really well done, you instantly feel and see what this all is about, it tells more about those convoy fights and problems than you could ever properly explain to someone. I doubt this and the Captain's thinking of manoeuvering and personal pressure of how he looks in the eyes of his crew can be shown in a film, but then of course i did not see i yet. What i found interesting is that i the book both sides can somehow hear the radio chatter of the other, while Germany was a bit ahead after having broken the allied codes already early in the war, something that is seldom heard but it is (indirectly) in the book. Forester also writes of U-boat radio operators switching their frequency to the convoy's and placing some juicy english curses into the radio chatter, though this and the film's threatening of "good luck to survive the night" is most probably pure fiction and once more propaganda. U-boat's radio operators were ordered to strict dario discipline, to restrict radio raffic only when ordered for weather and position data, along with the status of the boat and such. Even those status signals were compressed in two-second bursts called "Tabus", so the enemy would not have the time to properly get their position by reading cross bearings. And 40 boats attacking one convoy like i think it is shown in the film? Doenitz would have been very happy to even have 30 U-boats scattered all across the atlantic, let alone all close to a convoy at one time. "Apple film". Thanks but no thanks. Yes i will see it, later then. __________________ >^..^<*)))>{ All generalizations are wrong.