Battle of the Atlantic and Movies

[oldpop2000]

If you are interested in movies that depict the Battle of the Atlantic, here are some ideas.

In Which We Serve directed by the famous Noel Coward and he had the main role. Very good movie. Subject ship is sunk at Crete and the story is about men and their families and earlier actions. Interestingly, the ship used in the movie was an Australian destroyer of the N class, the HMAS Nepal.

The Cruel Sea by Nicolas Monserrat starring Jack Hawkins. This movie is about the Battle of the Atlantic from the viewpoint of the British Naval Officers and seamen. It takes place on a real Flower Class Corvette and then a fictional River-class frigate. If you want to sea realism, watch this movie. Monserrat was a LT. Commander in the Royal Navy and commanded a flower class corvette.

Another interesting movie is Action in the North Atlantic with Humphrey Bogart. It takes place on a merchant ship and its travel from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Liverpool across the North Atlantic.

Another movie which gives you the U-boat viewpoint is Das Boot with Jurgen Prochnow. It is a very good depiction of this side of the battle.

I will research some more actual action documentaries after Thanksgiving.

[williammiller]

'Das Boot' is one of the best naval movies ever made, I do highly recommend it.

[oldpop2000]

Here are three more movies about submarines


We Dive at Dawn – 1943 movie about a British submarine sent after a German warship. They chase till they run out of fuel.

Above us the Waves- Attack by British submarines on the Tirpitz - 1955

Submarine X-1- 1968 movie about the RN experimental midget submarines raiding German warships in Norway

[talbot797]

Try "The Enemy Below" - it's a Hollywood take on a book involving a RN Destroyer and a U-Boat in a 1-1 duel.

On that topic, I'd recommend searching out the author D. A. Rayner. He was a RN officer who captained corvettes and destroyers (finally frigates) in the Battle of the Atlantic, and became a writer afterwards, with novels and an autobiography. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denys_Rayner - I'd highly recommend every one of his naval books.

[oldpop2000]

Feb 4, 2021 7:26:56 GMT -6 talbot797 said:

Try "The Enemy Below" - it's a Hollywood take on a book involving a RN Destroyer and a U-Boat in a 1-1 duel.

On that topic, I'd recommend searching out the author D. A. Rayner. He was a RN officer who captained corvettes and destroyers (finally frigates) in the Battle of the Atlantic, and became a writer afterwards, with novels and an autobiography. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denys_Rayner - I'd highly recommend every one of his naval books.

Yes, that is a good movie with Robert Mitchum. Seen it many times. I will look for Rayner. Thanks for the information. 

[antonin]

Nov 27, 2020 11:01:33 GMT -6 williammiller said:

'Das Boot' is one of the best naval movies ever made, I do highly recommend it.

I know that there was some controversy among U-boat veterans as to the accuracy of Buchheim's book, upon which the movie was based. Some (was Topp among them?) said he was spot-on, while others strongly disagreed. Anyway, I really enjoyed the movie. It "rang true" with all of the many accounts of U-boat warfare that I have read over the last 50+ years.

U-boat skippers were a diverse lot. The excellent book "Silent Hunters" illustrates this. Some commanders just did their duty. Some were monsters who committed war crimes. Some were brilliant, daring leaders of men, while others should have been consigned to a desk job.