Das Boot Page #4

- What's the damage?

- Air shaft fractured.

Quiet, boys.

Nice and quiet now.

- Hold that speed.

- 50 rpm.

Left 15 degrees.

Steering left 15, sir.

All ahead full!

Let's get the hell out of here!

- One of the valves is fractured!

- Isolate it!

God! We're on fire!

Cut the number two auxiliary!

Calm down for God's sake!

- Chief, emergency ventilation.

- Switch on fans.

She doesn't want to let go of us.

What's going on? Running away?

We really smashed them.

Did you hear those bulkheads burst?

- What's her bearing?

- 065. Bearing constant.

Deeper, Chief. Silent speed.

Bearing?

Yeah, yeah...

Yeah, sure.

Deeper still. Right 30 degrees.

We'll try doubling back.

Keep them guessing.

Bow planes steady. Stern up 10.

Contact bearing 270.

It's fading.

- Right full rudder.

- Rudder is full right, sir.

Steer 090.

No!

Second contact closing fast.

Bearing:
076.

Damn them!

Another one.

- Deeper.

- Sir..?

Yes, deeper.

Bow planes down 10. Stern up 7.

- The bolts are bursting!

- 10 metres rise.

All ahead.

Quiet, men!

Quiet.

Bring her up to 150 metres!

Full ahead!

Full ahead both, sir.

Left 20 degrees.

Steer 050.

He is near his mark.

The foundation bolts are loose!

- I want accurate damage reports.

- Water's pouring in!

- The engine room is leaking water!

- I'll go and take a look.

Number One, take over.

It's the exhaust flap.

- The plunge bolts have sheared.

- The gaskets!

Bring me new gaskets. Move it!

- Torpedo hatch taking water.

- Give us some light.

Crow bar!

They'll soon be out of ammunition.

The exhaust flap is secured, sir.

- 50 metres. All ahead full.

- Torpedo hatch is secured.

What's wrong, Johann?

Get back to your battle station,

right now.

Don't disobey my orders.

Do as you're told!

I order you, Johann.

Aft, Johann!

Take him aft, boys.

Hold him down.

He's under control.

Who'd have thought it of Johann?

Degrading. Shameful.

Forget it, Hinrich.

We can hear them.

That's it. Come on.

- Man your stations.

- 220 metres!

We're sinking!

We're sinking!

- Make a note for the war diary.

- Aye-aye, Captain.

Stayed submerged for six hours

at silent speed.

Satisfied

the destroyers have lost us.

Intense glow in sky

observed at 210 degrees.

Probably flames

from the tanker we hit.

- We'll surface in ten minutes.

- Switch to red light.

First watch, stand by for duty.

You see, Lieutenant...

... they didn't kill us.

Her back's already broken.

She is a tough one.

She won't go down.

Let's finish her off.

A final shot. Prepare to fire.

Number one tube is flooded.

Ready forsurface fiiring.

Target's speed:
Zero.

Range:
650 metres.

Depth:
Four metres.

Torpedo speed:
30.

Aiming point:
Forward of aft mast.

Tube one ready.

Tube one... Fire!

- There are still men on board.

- There!

Why didn't their own ships

rescue them?

They've had six hours.

- They're swimming towards us.

- Both engines back two-thirds.

We can't take prisoners.

You know that.

May I clear the table, sir?

Here, take it.

- Some more signals, sir.

- Go ahead.

"Three freighters sunk.

Convoy dispersed into groups."

Contact broken.

Closing course:
030. U-112.

Wenzel... not bad.

Kupsch is on the same convoy.

Stackmann torpedoed a 6,000 tonner.

They're having a field day.

Any hope of joining them?

Difficult. A minimum

of five hours away at full speed.

- We can't make it.

- Yes, yes!

Sir, when do we go back?

When it's time for us to go back...

and not before, Kriechbaum.

"Fired at 950 metres.

Targeted aft mast."

"Crew was still on board.

Swam toward U-96."

Captain...

- I wish to apologize.

- There's nothing to be said.

You deserted your post at a critical

moment and disobeyed a direct order.

You mean to say that

there has to be a court martial?

- How many patrols have you done?

- Nine, sir.

Why you, Johann?

It was a mistake.

I didn't... It was...

It...

All of a sudden... As if...

It won't ever happen again, sir.

You can depend on it.

- I swear.

- All right, Johann.

Then there's no court martial?

Get some sleep.

Decision, return to La Rochelle.

Cipher officer.

- Have you found the problem?

- It's the bulkhead conduit.

Good, get it fixed.

Good morning.

Get moving.

There's a signal to be decoded.

Suppose it's top secret.

Another wild goose chase.

They're not much use to us.

This relic needs a refit.

On the fuel we've got

we won't even make La Rochelle.

We'll hoist a sail.

Don't worry, Chief.

Decoded it yet?

- What is it?

- Top secret. For the captain only.

Very strange.

It's triple enciphered.

Christmas in La Rochelle.

Real girls in Christmas stockings.

Sexy little nurses

to comfort and kiss.

- We'll have a ball!

- A Valkyrie, big and fat.

Now here this.

La Rochelle is out I'm sorry.

We have a new destination.

La Spezia Naval Base in ltaly.

We'll pick up fuel and supplies

at Viigo in Spain. That's all.

Swine. He must be crazy.

- What a rotten trick.

- There goes our Christmas stocking.

- No sexy little nurses.

- I'd like to kill those morons!

- We'll have Christmas in ltaly.

- We've got to get there first!

- And so?

- Gibraltar!

Use your brain, you idiot!

That strait...

It's like the eye of a needle.

We'll never slip through there.

The Mediterranean. It's madness.

It's swarming with combat ships.

Stand by...

Zero. 25 degrees, 43.3 minutes.

Gibraltar. It's the best chance

to get ourselves killed.

When we reach Vigo,

you go ashore with the chief.

- But, sir...

- I've already made the decision.

I've got to find

a replacement for the chief.

Our agents will smuggle you

out of Spain somehow.

Dressed up as gypsies, for instance.

- I thought I would be going...

- No arguments.

It's all settled.

It's easier to get two of you out.

I really believe

the chief needs a break.

His wife is very ill.

He must get home.

I understand, sir.

Tough break.

When we reach Vigo, it's goodbye.

The captain's ordered me ashore.

The chief leaves, too.

I... could deliver

your mail for you.

Yeah.

There's quite a bunch of them here.

Well, it's quite a romance,

isn't it?

Equalize.

- Help me out with the gear.

- Quiet, men!

All ahead one-third.

Left 10 degrees rudder.

Now we just have to find

this little barge.

"SS Weser."

A German merchant ship.

She's got herself interned here.

- With torpedoes, fuel and supplies.

- All for us, Kriechbaum.

First-class service.

Starboard engines stop.

- We arrived.

- Port engines stop.

Officers to bridge.

Gentlemen...

Three cheers

for our galant U-boat men.

- You are most welcome, Captain.

- No, no...

- This is our commander.

- My apologies, sir.

A pleasure to have you aboard

the 'Weser", Captain.

A hero.

I'm delighted to be so honoured.

Gentlemen, here they stand,

our heroes of the deep.

The grey wolves.

Our humble ship is honoured.

Captain, lead the way.

- Welcome on board.

- What a nice clean tugboat.

We've done what we can for you.

I hope it's to your taste.

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