![]() ![]() Unable to accommodate prisoners, the captain orders the boat away. The crew watch in horror as the sailors leap overboard and swim towards them. A British tanker they torpedoed is still afloat and on fire, so they torpedo it again, only to learn there are still sailors aboard. The boat sustains heavy damage, but is eventually able to safely surface when night falls. During the ensuing depth-charge attack, the chief machinist, Johann, panics and has to be restrained. ![]() They are spotted by a destroyer and have to dive below test depth, the submarine's rated limit. Shortly after the storm ends, the boat encounters a British convoy and quickly launches four torpedoes, sinking two ships. Morale drops after a series of misfortunes, but the crew is cheered temporarily by a chance encounter with Thomsen's boat. ![]() The next three weeks are spent enduring a relentless North Atlantic gale. After days of boredom, the crew is excited by another U-boat's spotting of an enemy convoy, but they are soon spotted by a British destroyer, and are bombarded with depth charges. The new men, including Werner, are often mocked by the rest of the crew, who share a tight bond. As time passes, he observes ideological differences between the new crew members and the hardened veterans, particularly the captain, who is embittered and cynical about the war. The next morning, the U-96 sails out of the harbour of La Rochelle and Werner is given a tour of the boat. Thomsen, another captain, gives a crude drunken speech to celebrate his Ritterkreuz award, in which he openly mocks Adolf Hitler. He is driven by its captain, and chief engineer, to a raucous French bordello where he meets some of the crew. Werner, has been assigned as a war correspondent on the German submarine U-96 in October 1941. ![]()
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