U571

I didnt see that the movie was a bad one, I enjoyed it inspite of its mistakes.

 

Totally...it is fun to catch the mistakes in movies...but unless they portray themselves as being so accurate will their inaccuracies bother me. I enjoyed the movie alot! suspense action WW2! what else can i ask for LOL
although i do rem. the ending feeling a tad dumb for this sub was on the SURFACE being chased by a destroyer...and not once did the destroyer hit the thing...plus it fired a torpedoe that hit the destroyer head on in the bow that made the whole thing explode (someone else pointed out that before too!) LOL i tend to think that would not make the WHOLE ship explode...hmmmm also i want to say that the torpedoe was the last one they had (but that could just be my imagination!...it's been awhile since i last watched it!)

[This message has been edited by Ron (edited 10 January 2001).]

 

What I liked about this movie, was that it reminded me od the older movie styles. They weren't trying to make as much as an accurate historical film but, a nice fictional/historical film.

Thansk Ron, glad to see you liked it also!!

As a uniform and militaria collector, I didn't care much for the uniform mistakes I spotted, such as a breast addler over the left pocket, instead of the right pocket.

I did like the mid-war look to the uniforms, and the varying differences in dress that you learn as a collector.

For some reason, and I cannot see why, that the English hate the movie because the Amis are claiming to be the sole people for capturing the Enigma machine. Not once anywhere in the movie, did I come up with the same conclusion, and not once did I see or here that we were the only ones to capture an Enigma. At the end of the movie, the proper credit is given where its due. There were what? at least two actual events listed where the British had captured an Enigma machine.

So since this was more Hollywood, than History, I cannot comprehend why, so many people are tickered at the American file industry, for making a new war movie, that many people enjoyed as much as I did. What most of those negative critics seem to now know is that the movie was made so they couls make money.

Oh well, I see that there is much negativity about the up-coming Enemy At The Gates movie, even though it has not been released yet.

If anyone else on this forum is planning on watching that movie, watch it for the fun of it, not for historical accuracy; or you will never enjoy it.

just my $6.25 worth.

 

I liked U-571, I went to see it twice in a week. The only thing I didnt like about the movie was when the germans were odreded by the captian to shoot the sailors in the lifeboats.

 

here is something i just remembered about the film that made me think...
The US sub tried to make itself resemble a german U-boat right?...and then fooled the one german U-boat...While the US occupied the German U-boat another German U-boat sank the US ship (however rem...the US sub looks like a german ship...why were they not fooled too?)

 

Because I imagine they were watching the firefight on the surfaced u-boat for some time before they fired. They were just sitting there about 1000 meters out with their periscope.

 

Dear Ron, thats correct, they did try to disguise the US sub for a U-Boat. If you think about it, they, trying to disguise a sub for one of the German subs and expecting experianced U-Boot men to not be able to recognize the sub is crazy. Thats just like a fighter pilot not being able to recognize his own fighter. Although, i did like their attempt to do so.

As for why they were'nt fooled, I have no clue except to say it wasn't in the script. But seriously, it might have been due to the fact that maybe they were lying in wait for the rendezvous with the other U-Boat and saw the other "disguised" sub there.

In real life, if one U-Boat was going to rendezvous with another, they would be the only onew to know the time and position for the meeting. If I had been the commander of the U-Boat that destroyed the US sub, I would have done the same thing and fired. Its not a question of "shoot first and ask questions later" but common sense.

In order to meet with a U-Boat Tanker, a U-Boat Kapitan either recieved his orders by the Enigma or while at a port of call. Most likely it would be by the Enigma.

The OKM (Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine)= (Navy High Command) would recieve the request from a U-Boat to take on food and feul-etc, and they OKM in turn would send back the instructions, for a planned meeting with the U-Boat Tanker. Once that was done, the U-Boats main purpose would be to reach the rendezvous point.

This was done under utmost secrecy, so if you saw another vessel of any kind in the rendezvous area, alarm bells should go off. So thats probably what happened-movie wise.

As for sources for what I type here, they are from the book: "Shooting The War" By: Otto Giese, and from U-Boat vets I personally know. These are also the guys who will not agree and say that "Das Boot" was such a good film on U-Boats, to which I agree.

 

I liked the movie also but I didnt care for the MG practice on the POWs either. Based on what I have read that you say about the U_boat guys, I will agree with you.

I like reading your posts on the German vets, keep it up man.

 

thanks Evens very interesting!

 

Thank you all too. The way I look at new war films is like the way I look at watching the Combat TV series-each is a new adventure to enjoy. I admit, I have watched SPR 2x's in the last 2 weeks, and will do so when HBO or someone plays U 571. I am looking forward to watching Enemy At The Gates too. You can say im a Stalingrad freak.

As far as U-Boat Commanders ever being tried for war crimes, I have never heard of any. I have heard that one U-Boat Commander was executed by orders of either Erich Raeder or Karl Donitz, for supposedly shooting men in the water. I have never read that anywhere, or seen it as part of a documentary.

The U-boat Commanders were respectable men. The ones I have met and do know, are very honorable and intelligent men. Most U-Boat commanders were a type of Engineer or someone specialized. Take a look at Erich Topp, and many others, they were engineers, many others later became Dr's of medicine, and whatnot.

I can speak of the U-boat vets I know, and will say that not-a-one of them did anything other than his job, and certainly none were nazis.

True, some worked their men pretty harshly, like Otto Kretschmer supposedly did. Otto was also loved by his crew like Wolfgang Luth was. There was only one U-Boat Commander that I ever heard that was a coward, and that was someone who commanded U 571 before Harald Lange. While they were being attacked, the kapitan panicked, and committed suicide by shooting hisself in the head. This jerk, abanded his crew when they needed him the most.

I am glad they survived the war. I met and shared some time with and became friends with, Hans Goebeler, a crewmember of U 505. Because of Hans's help, I met many interesting German servicemen, including Erich Topp, Reinhard Herdegen, Rolf Thomsen, Jurgen Oesten, Paul Brasack, Hans-Gunther Lange and Helmut Witte. I was very lucky to meet Hans Goebelers friend former Waffen SS Para of # 500 Btn/French Forign Legionnaire.

When I meet another German vet, it helps to mention some of these names.

Another mad moment at the keyboard.

 

I hope you have many "Mad" moment at the keyboard if these are the posts that come from it!

 

I agree with Peppy, I get some laughs out of your posts and learn something new too.

By the way, have you ever written any books or stories? If so, let me know, thanks.....

 

Well, I thank you all for the nice comments! thank you very much. "Carl".

 

hmm seems i am the only one that thought this movie was a dreadful joke. Hollywood History to its fullest extent.

Black sailor in spring 1942 as a submariner, experienced veteran germans that cant fix their boat and americans rookies that fix in in well under 30 minutes. they had never seen a german sub. a destroyer that misses the sub during the topside confrontation although the distance was no more that a few hundred meters and loads of guns of all caliber were fired. 1 bowshot that completely blows up a destroyer in one giant blast from bow till stern....GET REAL guys.



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*** We shall not retreat, nor shall we surrender. If we cannot stay here alive, we shall stay here dead***

 

Dear Mart: Thats whats so great about fiction and Hollywood--anything goes.

I admit, that some of their mistakes were irritating but, I think the action scenes over take the mistakes. I am 33, and I grew up with watching many war and western movies, many beeing very cheezy at best.

Look at: The Flying Tigers for example and I do like the movie just because its an earlier John Wayne vehicle. The Japanese pilots are all stereotyped as being near blind and wearing cokebottle glasses, and or flying with a stupid murders grin on their faces.

Nothing about this film was accurate, but it made money, so Hollywood continued to churn out movies, some very well done, others not.

This would be like comparing Suicide Battaion with say, The Sands of Iwo Jima, in quality and in acting. Can't happen.

 

I forgot to mention, that yes its possible to sink a Destroyed with one well placed shot. Look at some episodes of Victory At Sea, Battleline, The World At War, History Undercover, Secrets OF WW2, and other well done documentaries, you will see footage of warships being destroyed with one well placed shot.

My sources are from various documentary episodes from those series. Also, I collect Docs, and have hundreds I can use as references--just on WW2. All the while I am woking on enlarging my info on other wars.

Im not writing this to sound like a rude know-it-all, which I know I do not but, to let you know where you can get some info about this from.

Hope this helps you. Bset regards--Carl.

 

I read somewhere that blacks did serve on subs but only as stewards.

 

i completely agree that ANY well placed torpedo would sink a ship. However the problem i had with the movie was that the torpedo struck the ship in the bow, but the ship immediatly exploded bow to stern. That to me at least seems far fetched! I would imagine the bow being blown off and then it sinking by the bow.

 

I agree with you but, destroyers were also known as floating ammo dumps, so what the movie showed, could have happened. Good special effects anyway.