Some of the actors are dead, but not too many, yet. There is Klaus Wennemann, sadly passing away much too soon from lung cancer in 2000 (he was playing "LI", the lead engineer), then there is Otto Sanders, who played the drunk Captain "Thomsen", he died 2013, Günter Lamprecht died in 2022, he played the captain of the Tender "Weser", from which U96 takes on supplies in spain, surprisingly Jan Fedder (I did not know that he has passed in 2019) who played the Boatswain's Mate "Pilgrim" (also called "Pilgrim" in the german version - german would be "Pilger"), and then of course, Wolfgang Petersen, the director, who just died recently. There might be more, but these are the ones I know of - most of them are now in their 70s, even 80s - so it won't be too long until more will pass. The Film ist already 42 years (!) old... my god, I'm getting old myself...
It doesn't get much press but if someone went overboard in the arctic convoys they would not stop and the reasons are obvious 1) the water is cold within 15 minutes they will be unconscious, within 20 dead, at most (add wind for quicker death, of which there was plenty) 2) the proximity to air and submarine attack meant stopping to pick up people in the sea mean stopping was very dangerous, making the convoy an easier target. I don't have citations for this so feel free to contradict me.
The problem I had with this movie is, I thought uboats would target cargo ships in convoys. The bigger the better. In this movie the uboat seems to be targeting the destroyers for some reason. Why is it hunting the destroyer instead of the cargo ships?
I hated how critics treated this movie, claiming it was "too technical," as if old horribly inaccurate war movies from the '60s and '70s were the pinnacle of WW2 cinema. It's the reality and technical details that make or break a film, in my opinion.
the movie is great, but what is not good is the communication between Germans and Americans there is no German U-boat captain who would reveal his position by talking threats over the radio Even if he did, he would be replaced as soon as he returned to port Submarines are pirates and terrorists, they strike from behind and insidiously, and disappear in the depths of the sea
It was, in itself, horribly inaccurate. For one, the movie takes place in Feb of 42. Fletcher destroyers didn't start service until Jun of 42. Also, Flower class corvettes like Dickey, only could go 16 knots top speed. Not the 37 knots top speed we see the destroyer doing. That means there's no physical way for the corvette to be running along side the destroyer during the combat scenes. There's a host of other inaccurate situations featured, though those are the two that stand out. Whatever the case, the movie gets quite a bit wrong. For everything they get 'right' there's something equally damning that they get wrong.
@@tihomirrasperic Yes...exactly...the Germans taunting the convoy over the radio is so incredibly ridiculous and over the top...as if the ships in the convoy would not just turn off the voice of the Germans as soon they tried such a moronic tactic. Not to mention, they want us to believe that Tom Hanks is an American skipper with absolutely zero combat experience, and he gets put in command of the ASW screen for the entire convoy?! Next you will tell us you have a bridge in Brooklyn you would like to sell me. ROFLMAO Oh....and let's not even talk about the fact that in February 1942, all the German subs were off the US Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean having their "2nd Happy Time." Honestly...the movie is utter crap, overall.
@@iKvetch558 has a documentary about submarine detection any ship that heard the submarine's radio had to report the angle of the "noise" relative to the ship by trigonometry, the convoy commander had the location of the submarine within 2 minutes, and not only he, but also the command that monitored the Atlantic and if possible they sent a plane or a ship to intercept such a submarine *** not all submarines were in America, some were also in the north on the convoy route *** whether the American was the commander of the entire convoy is relative we know there were two commanders the commander of the convoy was British, and the commander of the escort was either the commander of the largest ship or the most senior officer in the case of this convoy, the American destroyer was the largest, the rest were corvettes, and then the American was at the head of the escort, but again, it's all relative
I really appreciated when watching Greyhound the moment after they sink the first U-Boat when Tom Hanks' character corrects his sailor's comment "50 fewer krauts" with "50 souls". It's a poignant moment of recognition that while you are at war and trying to kill each other it's still people on that other boat who may not have even wanted to be there any more than you do.
"50 souls" was NOT the the sentiment of the day. It was added so the people of today wouldn't get offended and run to their safe spaces while screaming for Hanks to be cancelled.
My late father did convoy duty in the North Atlantic. He had PTSD from the screams of sailors who's ships were torpedoed left in the water. In the combat they were under Strick orders not to stop for anything. If they could do any rescues it would be a trailing escort ship but it depended on the combat. He also said in the middle of the night it would be pitch black and the sky would light up from a torpedoed ship. They couldn't stop for survivors. My dad was the ships cook and he left me his cookbook from the ship. Very good job.
@@jamesdeich6102 It changed once watu came out with some new anti submarine tactics... They ended up with starting to bring in more small ships on the convoys which were able to handle rescues better
I was an extra on this. The deck jackets were all expensive, made in Japan, reproductions. I was jealous I had to wear a crappy thin denim jacket instead, until I realized it was usually a muggy 85-90 degrees all during filming.😄
Greyhound is best watched with a big screen, surround sound, in a very cold dark room, during stormy weather which you can hear through the walls and windows, and with ham and cheese sandwiches and coffee for snacking. I absolutely love that the script is mostly (?) technical stuff.
My Dad...US Merchant Mariner 1943-1945. Noth Atlantic convoys, These guys were truly unsung heroes, who did not get Combat Veteran status until the 1980s.
@@FM-ig3th Yeah, Dad was angry about that for years. He didn't really feel relief when his service was finally recognized. They lost a LOT of good men in that war.
My grandfather too survived three ship sinkings in ww1 around coastal waters of Britain. He won a medal for his bravery in the first one but lost the medal later in the next sinking.
One of my favorite films dealing with naval warfare is “The Cruel Sea,” which is based on the novel by Nicholas Monsarrat. It really captures life onboard a Corvette.
I’m a former US Navy submariner. My first submarine was the USS Bremerton SSN-698 which was a 688-class fast attack submarine. When we deployed, we carried 90 days worth of food which is stored everywhere (my longest single trip underwater was 77 days). In the front half of the submarine (the back half was the reactor and engine room), cases of canned goods were stored on the deck we walked on. These where cases of large cans that are laid down on the deck in two layers and we walked on top of it. As soon as you woke up and rolled out of the rack, you had to remember not to stand all the way up or you cracked your head. Everyone walked around bent over and we literally ate our way down to the deck where we could walk upright again. Food was stored everywhere, including the engine room.
The hatch combings in various RCN warships have left bumps on my shins that, 35 years later, are still there. I once danced the Macerania on OLYMPIA's f'o'csl. SSNs are like gym mats.
The Canadian Corvette was the HMCS Sackville. One of many Flower Class Corvettes. We Canucks have never had a big navy; but we're proud of the ships. We have a very nice Tribal Class Destroyer in Hamilton: HMCS Haida. Of which we have a lot of pride in as well.
My dad served aboard the USS O’Brien DD-725 as a radar man from ‘68-‘71. Interesting note, Captain William Outerbridge was commanding the USS Ward on December 7th, 1941 that sunk the midget submarine trying to enter Pearl Harbor. On December 7th, 1944 Outerbridge was in command of O’Brien DD-725 at Leyte Gulf and was ordered to sink the Ward which was damaged by kamikazes.
I can never fail to notice that when the command is given "all guns to fire as they bare." that all the sighting windows on the 5" guns are shut - making it impossible for them to aim manually. (FACT: I use to volunteer on the Kidd. The reasons the sighting windows of the guns are shut is that the windows on the No 1 and 2 5" guns no longer open on the Kidd; or so I've been told. They do open on the No 5 gun - don't know about the No 3 and 4 as they are closed to the public and no report concerned them.
So happy you covered this movie! Greyhound is close to my heart as it makes me think of my dad, who served on the destroyer John R. Craig. Speaking of collisions at sea and what It's like at sea at night, he was on watch the night of the collision between the destroyer Floyd B. Parks and the cruiser Columbus.
Love that movie. Besides using HMCS Sackville as the model for HMCS Dodge (Dickey), the filmmakers also spent time on the active HMCS Montreal for scenery shots and to record bow footage for waves. Most of the scenes of Greyhound in the water include CGI and HMCS Montreal filmed waves combined together.
Ah so that's what they were doing, cool! I had heard Montreal was used for filming in some way, but couldn't think of what exactly would make sense. Water is a very tricky thing to get right digitally, so that's definitely a good way to do it. :D
Sound powered phones are still used in the Navy today. No electrical power is needed to make these phones work which is what makes these phones so reliable and effective. Many attempts have been made to replace them but have failed. In my opinion there is nothing more beautiful than the sea at night. The stars are inumerable and if the phosporus is glowing in the water it feels as if the ship is traveling through space. Like Jimmy Buffett said " Don't try to describe the ocean if you've never seen it".
I was an Electrician’s Mate in the USN from 74-95. One cannot describe the seas and the stars at night in the South Pacific. Also experiencing your first Typhoon at sea between the Philippines and Guam on an ocean going tug will have you praying to make it through to the next day. It was in the same area where Halsey lost three destroyers in Dec 1944. Also serving on wooden minesweepers will give you run for your money. Great review.
Not a military sailor but worked on commercial boats in Australia and very true Ocean is wonderful and can be scary also when rough. had water spouts form close by, 18 foot sharks nudging our boats when follow caught fish to the surface. Once had a whale surface and blow air right beside our boat, lol was scary as was 10pm and had turned all lights off to go to bed and was pitch nlack, just hoped he knew where we were. Yes the phosporus is one beautiful site, not so good when netting fish as they can see it when touched by it. Amazing when can not see any land and feels like you are all alone in the world.
In the clip shown, one of the crew on phones says, "Repeat." My experience in the Navy was that that was a non-word because it was used when communicating with artillery/gunners; repeat will cause them to shoot again. The proper phrase in situations, as in the movie, would be "say again." A minor point in an otherwise instantly classic naval movie!
In regards to former SecNavy Josephus Daniels, my brother served on the USS Josephus Daniels in the 5th Fleet in the Med. Navy lore says that when Daniels abolished the rum ration and coffee replaced it to keep sailors awake on the midwatch, they derisively called the coffee - wait for it - a cup of joe.
29:24 - It reminded me of that line from McCrae's Flander's Fields, "And in the sky, the larks, still bravely singing fly, scace heard amind the guns below."
Jared, watching this movie at your house with a whole group of history lovers was a treat I’ll always be grateful for. I love how you take the kind of added depth and personality you and the gang gave in person, and share that with your wider UA-cam audience!
Thanks gentlemen. I enjoyed the movie a lot and have viewed it 3-4 times. Edge of the seat direction where the viewer often finds themselves holding their breath. Precious few lulls. When they do show up, they are brief, focused, and within earshot of the continuous, immersive, life and death struggle that can turn on a dime. Virtually every character shares varying degrees of wound-wire tenseness. How a sneeze can effect split second communication and decision making. The captain Hanks inhabits shares this tension but channels emotion into clear, precise, and firm leadership
Although he didn't see action in WWII, my dad's first ship in the Navy after he got out of A-School was an Allen M Sumner-class destroyer, the USS Laffey. Laffey saw action at Normandy, participating in the bombardment of Utah Beach, and off of Okinawa and while on radar picket duty at Picket Station Station 1, where she sustained 4 bomb hits and 6 hits by kamikaze aircraft. She's now a museum ship at Patriot's Point in Charleston, SC, with the distinction of being the most decorated destroyer to serve in WWII and still be in existence.
There are two points in this movie that had me scratching my head. The first was the German taunting Greyhound as it would tell the escorts that there was a u-boat close by and near the surface, and if the escorts had any radio direction finding equipment, could result in an uncomfortable number of eyeballs pointing in the u-boat's general direction. The second was the number of torpedoes that Greyhound had to dodge. Would u-boats be inclined to expend some of their limited supply of torpedoes against a fast and maneuverable escort or save them for the slow merchant ships which they'd be more likely to hit?
Same with me on the Torpedoes. They were limited and I would have thought they would have used each one to stop the supplies from getting to Europe. The Destroyer did not have bombs and bullets that would land in Germany.
Sure, if the opportunity arose. "Cruel Sea" author Nicolas Monsarrat served on board HMS Campanula when it was part of the escort of Convoy OG 71, which lost a destroyer and a corvette to U-boats, as well as eight merchant ships. Then there was HG 76, which lost an aircraft carrier and a destroyer. The list goes on…
@@shawnloop2796 usually in wolf pack tactics there are u boats for certain tasks to help the others. Like yea if the ship has radio detectors on a destroyer they would be exposed but they could also be trying to pull the destroyers away to slip in some of their buddies undetected. Same with launching torpedos at the escort. Yea u might not hit it but that crew is gonna focus on u or dodging the torpedo not on the other 2 or 3 u boats coming in and hitting the convoy from that detection or others.
@@PerArduaEtCetera well the aircraft carrier is different was probably the only target of a single attack of the whole wolf pack once the u boats spotted it. They had to take that out or they weren’t gonna survive the next day. It’s basically a O shit that gonna die now. Hans combat reload we are turn around and make another pass.
It’s a literary device to emphasize the emotional experience of hunter, sheep dog, and flock. It’s a movie, they only have so much time to make sure you get the right vibes. I thought the taunting was a good way to achieve that without totally inventing something like telepathy or what ever. I’m sure if you dig though records at least one sub from someone’s side talked to at least one opposing ship via radio somewhere. Besides, they already knew the Wolfpack found them. It’s like, discount Tokyo Rose psy op
Back in the 1980s I met a Canadian sailor who had been on Arctic convoy JW55A and the return convoy aboard destroyer _HMCS Athabaskan_ in December 1943, going from northern Scotland to Murmansk. He hated it. As he said, the crew spent most of its time chipping ice off the destroyer so they did not capsize and sink! When they got to Murmansk the Russians met them at the docks with machine guns and would not allow anyone to step ashore. There's gratitude for you! Uncle Joe was a heel in my estimation. On the way back on December 26, the famous German battle cruiser/ship _Scharnhorst_ was sunk off the northern end of Norway by battleship _HMS Duke of York._ _HMCS Athabaskan_ and the entire return convoy had been ordered to stay well north of where the Battle of North Cape took place so as not to have the two convoys mingling with each other and causing confusion.
@@sirboomsalot4902 He may have been. He was in his 60s or 70s at the time. I picked him up in my taxi and the conversation wasn't overly lengthy due to the duration of the trip. He was going to the veterans hospital here in Calgary that he lived in.
As a veteran of the US Navy (1966-1972), this movie brought back so many memories. I was a Quartermaster aboard a destroyer, the USS Mullinnix DD944, and of course, my job was on the bridge. I certainly agree with your great reviews, and the movies accuracy is fantastic. Thank you, Tom Hanks. BTW, my ship was the last of the all gun destroyers. 3-5" 54 mounts, 2-3" dual mounts, torpedoes, depth charges, and hedgehogs.
Great job! Really enjoyed your knowledge and personal experiences relating to the story and what the producers and director went through to make this happen. Great acting by all parties with and without lines.
The Queen Mary sliced the light cruiser HMS Curacoa in half in a 1942 collision. Censorship was invoked and the public was not informed until after the war. Admiralty policy was quite strict about not releasing ship losses unless they were sure that the enemy already knew about them. There were quite a few "now it can be told" news stories at war's end.
I’ve been on the WW2 Tour aboard Queen Mary. In 2004. The climax of the tour was to position the tour group on a catwalk deep in the bow of the vessel. At the moment the collision occurs hidden firehoses blast an immense volume of sea water alongside the catwalk and partially up the bulkheads. It was definitely memorable. Your lips could taste the water. Truly incredible. The Halloween “Haunted Tour” was the best haunted walkthrough that I’ve experienced. But the WW2 Tour was one I’d repeat for sure
As a Brit, I love this film, it doesn’t detract from the professionalism of the American characters to ignore the British and Canadian effort and even though we’re only voices on the radio, this film gives a proportionate space to the British and Canadians-thank you.I’m still smarting over Saving Private Ryan. We are 50% of the Allied effort was dispatched with a barbed comment…
Well Saving Private Ryan was about a small unit mission in the U.S.'s AO. It was inspired by the story of the Niland brothers, so have other Allied nations in it wouldn't really make sense.
As a Canadian I was happy to hear the commander of 'Dickey' didn't have an accent and he sounded like a normal Canuck not some caricature of a 'Canadian'.
@@darklion53 Except that the boats that took all the Rangers ashore on D-Day...those at Pointe du Hoc and those that landed on Omaha Beach...were all driven by sailors of the Royal Navy. The Rangers all rode to shore in British boats driven by british crews...so there really should have been Brits in Saving Private Ryan. Spielberg claims he used Americans instead of Brits because he did not have access to any boats by American Higgins boats (LCVPs), so he used the crews that went with the boats.
@@darklion53 "Have you got any idea how it's going elsewhere" "No - I'm fixed on this piece of real estate - I heard the limey airborne were going in at midnight by glider = rather them than me... "Monty' great plan ! " WRY SMILE "That guys' overrated" ....etc
@@iKvetch558 The landing craft on Omaha Beach were primarily piloted by members of the U.S. Coast Guard. These Coast Guard coxswains operated the landing craft, commonly known as "Higgins boats," and were responsible for delivering troops from the transport ships to the beachhead during D-Day
Greyhound was an excellent movie that I have watched multiple times. Wonderful review with lots of great details. As a Navy veteran I always enjoy naval based movies.
Excellent recap of Greyhound - thanks for teaching us more about WWII as well as the magic of making movies. (NOTE: “Enemy Below” was one of my dad’s favorite movies - each time it was on TV, he would exclaim: “Thank God I got to walk across Europe!”)
The scene you like of the night time surface action is straight from a lithograph I recall in the halls of the Navy Reserve Center I used to attend. I would look at that picture and think how tough a battle like that must be. Phenomenal to see it brought to life in this film.
Great review, my dad and one grandfather served on "tin cans" in the navy. My grandfather was on the storied DD-431 Gleaves class USS Plunkett. One of his early journals has an entry from a 1941 convoy from Boston to Nova Scotia to Scotland where in the engine room he could hear the torpedoes screaming by and the sounds of ships being hit. I too would love to see Hanks/ Spielberg adapt "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by Hornfischer, about the battle off samar in leyte gulf. (Or the story of the Plunkett at Anzio!) Dad served on the USS Compton in the 60s, to him Greyhound is the most accurate portrayal of Destroyer action. His battle station was on the hedgehogs too.
Min 15: voice procedure is vital as it gives clear info in a predictable format. Very useful as the CO OPS and NAV are all doing advanced trig and relative velocity calaulations in their heads, while conning the ship, avoiding collisions, listening to the radio, and communicating with ships in company. Commanding a DDE is harder than being a fighter pilot. Depth charges - those look like 250lb. fired in patterens and dialed for depths. If the ship sinks they have to be safed or anyone in the water dies instantly. RCN doctrinb was 1 ship maintains contact and guids the one attackking as you have to pass over the sub to let go. Hedgehog was great as 1 directional, 2 - you don't lose your plot, 3, they only explode on contact so you know you got them. Small ships and fuel - you have to be a miser with your oil. Subs were essentially submersible torp boats. Talking 12-15kts surface and under 5 submerged. Finally no matter what the enemy wants, the sea is trying to kill you.
Love watching two history nerds enjoying the movie and each other's "tidbits." Reminds me of my friend and I talking "shop" about World War II and Vietnam.
Wow! My new favorite episode about one of my favorite movies. FYI- the USS Kidd is undergoing repairs and upgrades to the hull now. If you can, check out their website and make a donation. It is so important to keep these Museum Ships afloat and in good condition. One of the most poignant moments in the movie is when Tom Hanks, as Commander Krause, asks the captain of Eagle, which has been damage, if they are seaworthy. The other captain replies, “We will do all that the sea allows”. The convoys weren’t just fighting the Germans but also, the weather and the sea. The sea took no sides. One later movie that does show Hedgehogs in action was the 1965 film, “The Bedford Incident”. This movie starred Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, Martin Balsam, James MacArthur and Wally Cox. Tom Hanks was very disappointed that this movie did not get a theatrical release. Maybe we could hope for a later showing in theaters.
It would have been more poignant if they had stuck to the book. The escort that sank was the "Viktor", supposedly one of the Polish destroyers that managed to get out of Poland at the very start of the war and then sailed with the Royal Navy. "That was the requiem of a brave ship. It was two and a half years since Viktor had got away from Gdynia in defiance of all the power of the Luftwaffe, and had escaped from the Baltic in the teeth of the Nazi navy. For two and a half years she had fought a desperate fight; she had been the only home left to her exiled crew, and now she was gone." Forester, C. S.. The Good Shepherd
Grew up not being able to walk, owned a shrimp boat business, lost bubba in vietnam, stormed the beaches of normandy, got in a plane crash and stranded on an island and survived only to have to land an airliner in the hudson river then had his ship taken over by simali pirates and was captain of a destroyer in ww2. This guy lived a full life😂
Good job guys. This is a great movie. Just like the crew of a real destroyer the cast and crew in this movie worked together to create an excellent result. Also, thanks for the shout out to “The Enemy Below”, one of my favourite Robert Mitchum movies.
Thanks for making this video. Greyhound is just one of those films that sticks with you, and I enjoy seeing historians discuss it and add commentary fleshing out the scenes and painting a more complete picture of the events. And I whole-heartedly agree that Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg should do another mini series about Leyte Gulf, and the USS Enterprise. My Great Uncle served aboard the USS Princeton during that battle so that particular piece of history holds a personal meaning to me.
Kretschmer preferred to fire torpedoes from the surface, his thought process being you only attack at night so you would see the enemy ships before they saw you, and surface action allowed for more accurate measurments. Additionally, ASDIC wouldnt be able to detect surface ships and hydrophones have a hard time hearing one as well. The only danger is radar, so a tactic the uboat commanders would start using is to run ahead of a convoy, wait for it to pass over and then surface inside the convoy, the hope being radar observers wouldnt notice an extra blip in the convoy or think it was a malfunction. However, all of the technology and western approaches gaming ultimately led to convoy raiding being an extremely perilous job.
My father was a Navy World War II veteran. He served in the Pacific and task force 58 under admirable Bull Halsey. My dad was stationed on CBL 24. The USS Belleau Wood and DD585 USS Hararden. Dad was a Navy Aviation torpedo man. He was a turret Gunner and a TBF and TBM Grumman torpedo plane. His general quarter station was electronic gun operator for a twin 40 mm. His carrier earned a presidential unit citation. They were in 13 major battles in 18 months including the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He said when they resupplied they would stack canned goods on the floors of all of the decks and lay plywood on top of them. So you were walking on a false layer of canned goods everywhere you went and had to remember to duck under doorways and such. Dry goods and fresh foods would hang from the ceilings. The Fresh foods such as fruit and vegetables would be eaten first. He told how the Belleau Wood ran out of food during combat and they ate k-rations for 2 weeks until they were resupplied in New Caledonia with flour that contained weevils and pony meat. I was blessed to be raised listening to his many stories and details. Thank you for making a great video on this good movie. I would love to see Hanks and Spielberg do a series on task force 58 and the fast attack carriers in the island hopping campaign. My father also spent a year after the war on the the destroyer clearing Japanese minds out of Chinese and Korean bays and rivers. He was also on a submarine tender the USS Sperry as12 during the Korean War, but he said his duties were light and he mostly smoked cigarettes and played cards Thank you again for your video
My Dad served in the Pacific during World War II on the USS Greenling (SS-213). He never talked much about his service, but I remember he could never put his head below water while swimming and had to stuff cotton in his ears. Much later I read about a four hour depth charge attack they suffered, which required them to break off their patrol and go to Saipan (and later to San Francisco, where he met my mother, so it worked out for me and my brothers).
The luxury of the Fletcher class destroyers! British destroyers and corvettes (like the Canadian one shown) had open bridges (because of tradition and also because it helped in aircraft detection and actions, and those open bridges were absolutely appalling places to be in on convoy duty. Coming out of port and heading straight into a North Atlantic gale was, I have been told, the stuff of nightmares. That the dedicated souls on those ships did it, time and againspeaks volumes for the determination required to staff one of these ships. And most of the time, as the steward said, you were doing it on a stomach which hadn't seen warm food for a week or so. Add to that the constancy of the wind and seas pouring in, never being warm, always soaked and exhausted from the tension. Only for the brave.
17:00 I met an Army officer in a party once. I don't remember his rank, but i think he was at least a Major. We introduced to each other and afterwards he never asked for my name again. But at the end, when he was leaving, he said good byes addressing everyone individually by their name. For someone like me, who takes multiple "remind your name, please" to finally associate the name with the face, this was really impressive. I guess, when you are in charge of many people, you develop a particular set of skills. I also noticed that officers' approach to everyday tasks is in general much more focused no-nonsense than us civvies.
I really liked this movie when it came out! I enjoyed your entertaining critique which added a few facts I didn't know along the way and confirmed a few things a swell. Thanks
Love this movie! I was in the Navy. I was in 1997 to 2005. But this movie from what I can tell is very accurate.I love the fact that how the co is depicted. The co is someone needs to be feared and respected all at the same time. Also shows how co also is suffering physically and mentally. But never once does he show the crew how bad he is really hurting
Min 24:26 - Ships collided A LOT. Most were minor, but a collison is a force of nature. Note how he altered rudder INTO the ship he was upassing. That's because the initial moment on the rudders kicks the stern away. Great ship handling scene. Ships also used decoys - towed accoustic evices AWA degaussing to reduce magnetic signature.
I loved this movie and have watched it several times. I enjoyed it because of it's technical accuracy and not dumbing down what it was like. The screeching music when the subs were surfacing added a lot of tension to the scene.
I really enjoyed this movie..I also read the book. I think it was riveting, despite some inaccuracies especially with the U- Boat …some of it was way over the top but overall it was fantastic. My father was in the British Royal navy and my Uncle , mothers brother, was in the U.S. Navy during WW2 in the North Atlantic…it hits home.
Jurgen Prochnow is still alive and kicking, his most recent role is of a german veteran in a movie "Last Rifleman". Thomass Kretschmann is one of the most know German actors of last 3 decades. He played in Stalingrad, Valkyrie, russian Battle of Stalingrad, he portrayed Fegelein in Der Untergang, U-571, The Pianist and many many more.
I love WW2 films and war films in general. I'm also a massive naval enthusiast. My grandpa served in the U.S. Navy during WW2. He surprisingly never went anywhere in the Pacific. He was mostly stationed state-side. Although he was stationed in Cuba at one point. Thanks for going over this movie!!
Such a great film. I remember this being the only decent film available when the pandemic kicked off. It DESERVES a run in theaters and we deserve to see it there!
I thought "Greyhound" was one of the finest movies on the naval history every made. Was the movie flawless? No, of course it was not but it kept me on the edge and the action was excellent. Tom Hanks did an outstanding job as usual.
I was thinking Guadalcanal with either the Barroom brawl or the last battleship vs battleship fight. Willis Lee would be a great character study for Hanks.
I somehow never heard of this movie -- probably because of Covid. I'm going to watch it. However, the trailer implies they are transporting troop ships in their convoy. My understanding is troop ships would travel solo in luxury liners and put the "pedal to the medal" so that U boats could not target them... I don't think they would risk troops in these slow moving convoys, but maybe I misunderstood the trailer
I knew all the technical terms because my grandpa was a Fireman in the Navy from ‘47 to ‘50. He worked in the engine room keeping the ship going and when we visited the Jeremiah O’Brien in San Francisco when I was 13 or so, he was still sliding down the stair railings with just his hands in his early 70s.
I watched it on my phone in a hotel room in Abbotsford BC shortly after it came out, and it was still one of the most memorable cinematic experiences I’ve had in a dog’s age, the opening battle scene in particular. I ordered the book right after. It’s interesting that you guys mention the largely authentic relaying of orders and information, because while I loved it in the movie, I found it a bit overwhelming in the book, which practically requires a nautical chart and compass to follow at times. It’s like reading a ship’s log. One thing I found very interesting is that the four escort ships are referred to by code names, not by their registry names. It’s easy to miss in the movie, but Hanks’ destroyer is actually called USS Keeling. “Greyhound” is a radio callsign. In the book, it’s “George”. The movie changes the protagonist’s name from George Krause to Ernest Krause. I’m guessing they did that because they were initially going to stick with the “George” code name for the ship and thought it’d be confusing. “Greyhound” is obviously a much cooler name, but I bet IRL they only used monosyllablic code names.
Great way to wake up on a cold wet October British morning one of my favourite channels has posted 😃👍. The Atlantic is such an overlooked campaign. Without the sacrifice of the military and civilian sailors, air crews, ship builders, and boffins developing countermeasures the invasion of Europe would not have been possible. Great movie I watched it as soon as it was released on Apple and was surprised how good it was. Your analysis and comments on the different aspects of the film and the Atlantic campaign was really enjoyable and interesting. Thanks Jared and Tom 😊👍 Keep them coming.
The functioning on the bridge was quite accurate, but very few Fletcher destroyers served in the Atlantic. Fletchers were made for long distances and anti air protection of carriers in the Pacific against the Japanese. They were also effective at shore bombardment. The one flaw I noticed was in the cutting of the film, relative and true bearings were confused and some of the maneuvers then made no sense. (I served on a Gearing as OOD, which is very much like a Fletcher)
I was a bit “meh” when I first watched this , but it gets better with every viewing and this review has made me think more . I had two uncles in WWII who served in the Merchant Navy , but never spoke about it , thank you for this .
I'm not an expert in naval history... but I am a retired Chief and probably an "expert" in naval combat information.... that's what I did for 30 ish years anyway.... and in a predominantly ASW role in the Atlantic 😎 Looking forward to your assessment of this film.
ham banana rolls and cheese sauce i swear made an appearance on max miller's tasting history, but that mention only brings out in me a need to see you two and max doing a collab of some historical military cuisine niche he hasnt covered. maybe a ww2 navy bit considering tom's handy historical cookbook and said experience in using it. loved this one! as much as it can be fun putting cliché or inaccurate films in their place; highlighting quality films like this is just joyful to my nerdy soul. cheers, boys!
My Grandfather served in WWII never fired a shot in anger and only one in total just so he could say he did. Was only scared twice, once when his one shot across the Rhine angered a German mortar team who returned fire and when traversing the North Atlantic in early June 44 when a bunch of tin cans started dropping depth charges in the middle of the night. He said it was that hopeless feeling of standing there life jacket in hand hoping he wouldn’t have to put it on and could do nothing about it.
My dad (RN) spent the first two years of the war on convoy duties to and from Halifax and Liverpool were under orders if a ship when down by u boat were "Don't look back".
Referring to Enemy below, I was in the navy on a submarine in the 1970s, out tender in San Diego Harbor Point Loma was a WW2 ship Had the old anti aircraft turret, with guns removed, and paint 1/4 inch thick
27:40 It's called "spoofing". You monitor for it and have daily changing callsigns and alternate freqs to use to avoid this. For Eg: Victor 3 Sierra (convoy desg) This is 2 Charlie 5 (Senior officer) -"Kick 23 - out." (Change frequencies to the new one (corrispionding to 23 - in your code book and confirm on new freq.)
Very cool guys! I’m from Baton Rouge and just one note: The Kidd is currently in dry dock at Houma for restoration and set to be back in Baton Rouge spring of 2025. I remember when Greyhound was being filmed. At the time I lived downtown just a few blocks from the river. USS Kidd! Only US vessel allowed to fly the Jolly Roger! Arrrggg Matey!! 😎
If you want to review two truly great naval war movies just watch The Cruel Sea (1953) starring Jack Hawkins and Master and Commander (2003) starring Russell Crowe, both are absolute exemplars of both their genre and the period and wars they are set in. They do not get better than these two classics
For a 1943 wartime movie about the merchant marine I recommend Action in the North Atlantic starring Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey and Alan Hale. Sure it's Old but it was made when the Real Thing was going on. I've had this film in my collection since the VCR days, I've re-watched it I don't know how many times over the years.
Great breakdown of Greyhound. How weather would effect an attack by U-Boats? During day what effect would wave swell height, cloud cover and at night position of the moon have on engagements? Agree The Battle Off Samar would be a compelling movie. Taffy 3's tin cans and escort carriers v. IJN big guns. Was this one of the last major surface to surface naval battles? I know there are the Somali pirates. But they come after a Navy warship in speed boats? Nice move 'chum'. A mini series on USS Enterprise would be awesome if Spielberg and Hanks were to make it. There are a lot of books on which the series could be based.
Bravo Zulu! Thanks for another great review. This is a great movie because Tom Hanks was involved. He does everything top-notch. I understand he may be involved in a screen version of the Oliver Rasmussen story from the book "Chippewa Chief in World War II." Hope it comes to fruition. I enjoyed the interaction between the Bridge and CIC team. That's the way it is supposed to happen. Even though CICs were not developed until late 1942, it did not detract from a great action movie.
I heard a Tom Hanks interview on Hardcore History, and one of his influences in filming the battles was the Star Trek episode “Balance of Terror” which in part is an homage to The Enemy Below
the joke MARINE acronym in sync was flawless haha. this film and your commentary highlight a too-often overlooked aspect of world war and even modern military life: logistics. one of the few positive aspects of the modern war in eastern europe (even from a western view) is to show the vitality of logistics as well. the lifeblood of our military is our ability to project power and to this day that means transporting vash amounts of heavy materials across the globe, and that's achieved through the grit and work of the merchant navy and their escorts. Thank you and G-d's speed to all of em, past and present
Am 78, a veteran and an Avid WWII & 20th century history student. I found this 21st century, North Atlantic 'Naval' drama to be very well written & amazingly "GREAT" in terms of historical accuracy AND REALISM .... with ONE HUGE Exception! The CONTRIVED "radio taunt" by the German U-Boat ?captain????. Such """"dramar"""" was TOTALLY absurd and counters / tends-to-demean ALL the other movie's positive characteristics!!!!! [Let's Get REAL; The U-Boat captain & crew can only carry out their mission(s) AND BEST remain A L I V E through silence AND STEALTH!]
I'd be interested to see what you have to say about The Arctic Convoy (2023). It's also about the Battle of the Atlantic, but from the perspective of the merchant sailors rather than the navy.
History nerd fun fact that probably only interests me: In the opening scene with Tom Hanks and Elisabeth Shue set in an art deco hotel lobby, the actual filming location was in the the lobby of the Louisiana State Capital where Huey Long was assassinated. Long was shot in a corridor right off that lobby.
What you can see at night is phospheresence. A ship's wake will be relatively illuminated. It would appear as white agsinst the pitch black of the sea and sky. HMS Curacoa (Light cruiser) collided with the Queen Mary. She was sunk, 337 crew were lost. For naval movies that need to be made, my top choice would be a dramatic movie about the battle of Jutland. There are so many dramatic aspects tothat battle and the political in-fighting surrounding it. Fun review about a very enjoyable movie. C.S. Forrester is a wonderful author.
The Canadian Corvette he's referring to is the HMCS Sackville. It located in Halifax, NS. I took a tour of it this summer. It was cool and also wild to picture what that boat had done during the war.
USS Kidd is one of the four Fletcher class that have been survived to the present day, one of rest is the Greek one "Velos" or ex «USS Charrette DD 581"...
My local multiplex (Emagine in Canton, Michigan) will rent an auditorium. They can seat 30-150 for a private showing. I once rented one for my Mustang club to have a private showing of Bullitt which most had not seen on the big screen. If Apple TV ever releases some of these great historical projects on disc, I have plans. 🙂 Worth asking yours if they have similar programs.
Going above water in the night was actually a common tactic of the U-Boats. Right in the middle of the convoy an additional signal on radar wasn't really easy to notice. And it made plotting their shots a lot more easier. Also before the allies wised up to this tactic they were actually safer to the response of the escorts by mimicking being one of the ships of the convoy rather than being under water hunted down by sonar.
Min 23:00 - the US 5"/38 and the 5"/45 were excellent weapons. When the variable timing fuse was developed they became one of the most lethal AA weapons in the world.
Great news everyone! Jürgen Prochnow is still with us. Jared was thinking of talented "Das Boot" director Wolfgang Petersen, who sadly passed in 2022.
Alarm!
Das Boot! Please!
Some of the actors are dead, but not too many, yet. There is Klaus Wennemann, sadly passing away much too soon from lung cancer in 2000 (he was playing "LI", the lead engineer), then there is Otto Sanders, who played the drunk Captain "Thomsen", he died 2013, Günter Lamprecht died in 2022, he played the captain of the Tender "Weser", from which U96 takes on supplies in spain, surprisingly Jan Fedder (I did not know that he has passed in 2019) who played the Boatswain's Mate "Pilgrim" (also called "Pilgrim" in the german version - german would be "Pilger"), and then of course, Wolfgang Petersen, the director, who just died recently. There might be more, but these are the ones I know of - most of them are now in their 70s, even 80s - so it won't be too long until more will pass. The Film ist already 42 years (!) old... my god, I'm getting old myself...
It doesn't get much press but if someone went overboard in the arctic convoys they would not stop and the reasons are obvious 1) the water is cold within 15 minutes they will be unconscious, within 20 dead, at most (add wind for quicker death, of which there was plenty) 2) the proximity to air and submarine attack meant stopping to pick up people in the sea mean stopping was very dangerous, making the convoy an easier target.
I don't have citations for this so feel free to contradict me.
The problem I had with this movie is, I thought uboats would target cargo ships in convoys. The bigger the better. In this movie the uboat seems to be targeting the destroyers for some reason. Why is it hunting the destroyer instead of the cargo ships?
I hated how critics treated this movie, claiming it was "too technical," as if old horribly inaccurate war movies from the '60s and '70s were the pinnacle of WW2 cinema. It's the reality and technical details that make or break a film, in my opinion.
Not a bad opinion to have..
the movie is great, but what is not good is the communication between Germans and Americans
there is no German U-boat captain who would reveal his position by talking threats over the radio
Even if he did, he would be replaced as soon as he returned to port
Submarines are pirates and terrorists, they strike from behind and insidiously, and disappear in the depths of the sea
It was, in itself, horribly inaccurate. For one, the movie takes place in Feb of 42. Fletcher destroyers didn't start service until Jun of 42. Also, Flower class corvettes like Dickey, only could go 16 knots top speed. Not the 37 knots top speed we see the destroyer doing. That means there's no physical way for the corvette to be running along side the destroyer during the combat scenes. There's a host of other inaccurate situations featured, though those are the two that stand out. Whatever the case, the movie gets quite a bit wrong. For everything they get 'right' there's something equally damning that they get wrong.
@@tihomirrasperic Yes...exactly...the Germans taunting the convoy over the radio is so incredibly ridiculous and over the top...as if the ships in the convoy would not just turn off the voice of the Germans as soon they tried such a moronic tactic. Not to mention, they want us to believe that Tom Hanks is an American skipper with absolutely zero combat experience, and he gets put in command of the ASW screen for the entire convoy?! Next you will tell us you have a bridge in Brooklyn you would like to sell me. ROFLMAO
Oh....and let's not even talk about the fact that in February 1942, all the German subs were off the US Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean having their "2nd Happy Time." Honestly...the movie is utter crap, overall.
@@iKvetch558 has a documentary about submarine detection
any ship that heard the submarine's radio had to report the angle of the "noise" relative to the ship
by trigonometry, the convoy commander had the location of the submarine within 2 minutes, and not only he, but also the command that monitored the Atlantic
and if possible they sent a plane or a ship to intercept such a submarine
***
not all submarines were in America, some were also in the north on the convoy route
***
whether the American was the commander of the entire convoy is relative
we know there were two commanders
the commander of the convoy was British, and the commander of the escort was either the commander of the largest ship or the most senior officer
in the case of this convoy, the American destroyer was the largest, the rest were corvettes, and then the American was at the head of the escort, but again, it's all relative
I really appreciated when watching Greyhound the moment after they sink the first U-Boat when Tom Hanks' character corrects his sailor's comment "50 fewer krauts" with "50 souls". It's a poignant moment of recognition that while you are at war and trying to kill each other it's still people on that other boat who may not have even wanted to be there any more than you do.
Stannis baratheon said the exact same thing
"50 souls" was NOT the the sentiment of the day. It was added so the people of today wouldn't get offended and run to their safe spaces while screaming for Hanks to be cancelled.
@@impulsivereply9360 That does not make what I said any less true.
@milesu.7045 yeah I didn't say it did ..??....
You werent there lmao @milesu.7045
My late father did convoy duty in the North Atlantic. He had PTSD from the screams of sailors who's ships were torpedoed left in the water. In the combat they were under Strick orders not to stop for anything. If they could do any rescues it would be a trailing escort ship but it depended on the combat. He also said in the middle of the night it would be pitch black and the sky would light up from a torpedoed ship. They couldn't stop for survivors. My dad was the ships cook and he left me his cookbook from the ship. Very good job.
The don't stop orders were the rule, this was wrong in the narrative and maybe part wrong in the movie.
@@jamesdeich6102There was supposed to be a dedicated rescue ship with the convoy. The ships of the convoy were to keep moving.
I hope you share the cookbook online somewhere, I think it'd be really cool.
@@jamesdeich6102And the movie correctly punishes the characters for stopping for survivors.
@@jamesdeich6102 It changed once watu came out with some new anti submarine tactics... They ended up with starting to bring in more small ships on the convoys which were able to handle rescues better
I was an extra on this. The deck jackets were all expensive, made in Japan, reproductions. I was jealous I had to wear a crappy thin denim jacket instead, until I realized it was usually a muggy 85-90 degrees all during filming.😄
Thanks for sharing!
Greyhound is best watched with a big screen, surround sound, in a very cold dark room, during stormy weather which you can hear through the walls and windows, and with ham and cheese sandwiches and coffee for snacking.
I absolutely love that the script is mostly (?) technical stuff.
My Dad was in the Merchant Marines during WW2. Survived 3 sinkings. Delivered supplies to the Layette Gulf.
My mentor in Marine engineering was there also.
My Dad was sunk once in the Caribbean. Manganese ore now 700 fathoms down.
My Dad...US Merchant Mariner 1943-1945. Noth Atlantic convoys, These guys were truly unsung heroes, who did not get Combat Veteran status until the 1980s.
@@FM-ig3th Yeah, Dad was angry about that for years. He didn't really feel relief when his service was finally recognized. They lost a LOT of good men in that war.
My grandfather too survived three ship sinkings in ww1 around coastal waters of Britain. He won a medal for his bravery in the first one but lost the medal later in the next sinking.
One of my favorite films dealing with naval warfare is “The Cruel Sea,” which is based on the novel by Nicholas Monsarrat. It really captures life onboard a Corvette.
Yes, "Ikari no umi" is a great movie 😘
The Cruel Sea is on my top 10 list of favorite WW2 movies.
@@mikebrase5161 Top 5! Its appears autentic.
The cruel sea and the ship that died of shame both great novels about corvettes
The book was equally good.
I’m a former US Navy submariner. My first submarine was the USS Bremerton SSN-698 which was a 688-class fast attack submarine. When we deployed, we carried 90 days worth of food which is stored everywhere (my longest single trip underwater was 77 days). In the front half of the submarine (the back half was the reactor and engine room), cases of canned goods were stored on the deck we walked on. These where cases of large cans that are laid down on the deck in two layers and we walked on top of it. As soon as you woke up and rolled out of the rack, you had to remember not to stand all the way up or you cracked your head. Everyone walked around bent over and we literally ate our way down to the deck where we could walk upright again. Food was stored everywhere, including the engine room.
The hatch combings in various RCN warships have left bumps on my shins that, 35 years later, are still there. I once danced the Macerania on OLYMPIA's f'o'csl. SSNs are like gym mats.
Submarines once submarines twice, I too was a bubble head. USS Haddo SS(N) 604
The Canadian Corvette was the HMCS Sackville.
One of many Flower Class Corvettes.
We Canucks have never had a big navy; but we're proud of the ships.
We have a very nice Tribal Class Destroyer in Hamilton: HMCS Haida. Of which we have a lot of pride in as well.
Well, for a while we had the 3rd biggest navy. After the enemy ships had all been sunk during the war of course.
Lovely museum ship, the Haida, really enjoyed my visit to her. Never made it to the Sackville, perhaps one day.
Plus the flower class Corvette was a huge workforce in the battle of the north Atlantic.
My dad served aboard the USS O’Brien DD-725 as a radar man from ‘68-‘71. Interesting note, Captain William Outerbridge was commanding the USS Ward on December 7th, 1941 that sunk the midget submarine trying to enter Pearl Harbor. On December 7th, 1944 Outerbridge was in command of O’Brien DD-725 at Leyte Gulf and was ordered to sink the Ward which was damaged by kamikazes.
I can never fail to notice that when the command is given "all guns to fire as they bare." that all the sighting windows on the 5" guns are shut - making it impossible for them to aim manually. (FACT: I use to volunteer on the Kidd. The reasons the sighting windows of the guns are shut is that the windows on the No 1 and 2 5" guns no longer open on the Kidd; or so I've been told. They do open on the No 5 gun - don't know about the No 3 and 4 as they are closed to the public and no report concerned them.
So happy you covered this movie! Greyhound is close to my heart as it makes me think of my dad, who served on the destroyer John R. Craig. Speaking of collisions at sea and what It's like at sea at night, he was on watch the night of the collision between the destroyer Floyd B. Parks and the cruiser Columbus.
Respects to your dad.
We're glad that it was meaningful. Thanks for watching!
Love that movie. Besides using HMCS Sackville as the model for HMCS Dodge (Dickey), the filmmakers also spent time on the active HMCS Montreal for scenery shots and to record bow footage for waves. Most of the scenes of Greyhound in the water include CGI and HMCS Montreal filmed waves combined together.
Ah so that's what they were doing, cool! I had heard Montreal was used for filming in some way, but couldn't think of what exactly would make sense. Water is a very tricky thing to get right digitally, so that's definitely a good way to do it. :D
Sound powered phones are still used in the Navy today. No electrical power is needed to make these phones work which is what makes these phones so reliable and effective. Many attempts have been made to replace them but have failed.
In my opinion there is nothing more beautiful than the sea at night. The stars are inumerable and if the phosporus is glowing in the water it feels as if the ship is traveling through space. Like Jimmy Buffett said " Don't try to describe the ocean if you've never seen it".
I've been across the Pacific a couple of times on merchant ships (minimal light pollution). The night sky is amazing.
@@edwardmeade It's something you will never forget.
I was an Electrician’s Mate in the USN from 74-95. One cannot describe the seas and the stars at night in the South Pacific. Also experiencing your first Typhoon at sea between the Philippines and Guam on an ocean going tug will have you praying to make it through to the next day. It was in the same area where Halsey lost three destroyers in Dec 1944. Also serving on wooden minesweepers will give you run for your money. Great review.
Not a military sailor but worked on commercial boats in Australia and very true Ocean is wonderful and can be scary also when rough. had water spouts form close by, 18 foot sharks nudging our boats when follow caught fish to the surface.
Once had a whale surface and blow air right beside our boat, lol was scary as was 10pm and had turned all lights off to go to bed and was pitch nlack, just hoped he knew where we were.
Yes the phosporus is one beautiful site, not so good when netting fish as they can see it when touched by it.
Amazing when can not see any land and feels like you are all alone in the world.
In the clip shown, one of the crew on phones says, "Repeat." My experience in the Navy was that that was a non-word because it was used when communicating with artillery/gunners; repeat will cause them to shoot again. The proper phrase in situations, as in the movie, would be "say again." A minor point in an otherwise instantly classic naval movie!
In regards to former SecNavy Josephus Daniels, my brother served on the USS Josephus Daniels in the 5th Fleet in the Med. Navy lore says that when Daniels abolished the rum ration and coffee replaced it to keep sailors awake on the midwatch, they derisively called the coffee - wait for it - a cup of joe.
29:24 - It reminded me of that line from McCrae's Flander's Fields, "And in the sky, the larks, still bravely singing fly, scace heard amind the guns below."
Jared, watching this movie at your house with a whole group of history lovers was a treat I’ll always be grateful for. I love how you take the kind of added depth and personality you and the gang gave in person, and share that with your wider UA-cam audience!
The USS Kidd is not in Baton Rouge right now. It was moved to Houma Louisiana for repairs.
That was a hell of a read. Once it all started, it never let you go. Felt the pressure the entire time.
Thanks gentlemen. I enjoyed the movie a lot and have viewed it 3-4 times. Edge of the seat direction where the viewer often finds themselves holding their breath. Precious few lulls. When they do show up, they are brief, focused, and within earshot of the continuous, immersive, life and death struggle that can turn on a dime. Virtually every character shares varying degrees of wound-wire tenseness. How a sneeze can effect split second communication and decision making. The captain Hanks inhabits shares this tension but channels emotion into clear, precise, and firm leadership
Thanks for watching!
Although he didn't see action in WWII, my dad's first ship in the Navy after he got out of A-School was an Allen M Sumner-class destroyer, the USS Laffey. Laffey saw action at Normandy, participating in the bombardment of Utah Beach, and off of Okinawa and while on radar picket duty at Picket Station Station 1, where she sustained 4 bomb hits and 6 hits by kamikaze aircraft. She's now a museum ship at Patriot's Point in Charleston, SC, with the distinction of being the most decorated destroyer to serve in WWII and still be in existence.
There are two points in this movie that had me scratching my head.
The first was the German taunting Greyhound as it would tell the escorts that there was a u-boat close by and near the surface, and if the escorts had any radio direction finding equipment, could result in an uncomfortable number of eyeballs pointing in the u-boat's general direction.
The second was the number of torpedoes that Greyhound had to dodge. Would u-boats be inclined to expend some of their limited supply of torpedoes against a fast and maneuverable escort or save them for the slow merchant ships which they'd be more likely to hit?
Same with me on the Torpedoes. They were limited and I would have thought they would have used each one to stop the supplies from getting to Europe. The Destroyer did not have bombs and bullets that would land in Germany.
Sure, if the opportunity arose. "Cruel Sea" author Nicolas Monsarrat served on board HMS Campanula when it was part of the escort of Convoy OG 71, which lost a destroyer and a corvette to U-boats, as well as eight merchant ships. Then there was HG 76, which lost an aircraft carrier and a destroyer. The list goes on…
@@shawnloop2796 usually in wolf pack tactics there are u boats for certain tasks to help the others. Like yea if the ship has radio detectors on a destroyer they would be exposed but they could also be trying to pull the destroyers away to slip in some of their buddies undetected. Same with launching torpedos at the escort. Yea u might not hit it but that crew is gonna focus on u or dodging the torpedo not on the other 2 or 3 u boats coming in and hitting the convoy from that detection or others.
@@PerArduaEtCetera well the aircraft carrier is different was probably the only target of a single attack of the whole wolf pack once the u boats spotted it. They had to take that out or they weren’t gonna survive the next day. It’s basically a O shit that gonna die now. Hans combat reload we are turn around and make another pass.
It’s a literary device to emphasize the emotional experience of hunter, sheep dog, and flock.
It’s a movie, they only have so much time to make sure you get the right vibes. I thought the taunting was a good way to achieve that without totally inventing something like telepathy or what ever.
I’m sure if you dig though records at least one sub from someone’s side talked to at least one opposing ship via radio somewhere.
Besides, they already knew the Wolfpack found them. It’s like, discount Tokyo Rose psy op
Back in the 1980s I met a Canadian sailor who had been on Arctic convoy JW55A and the return convoy aboard destroyer _HMCS Athabaskan_ in December 1943, going from northern Scotland to Murmansk. He hated it. As he said, the crew spent most of its time chipping ice off the destroyer so they did not capsize and sink! When they got to Murmansk the Russians met them at the docks with machine guns and would not allow anyone to step ashore. There's gratitude for you! Uncle Joe was a heel in my estimation. On the way back on December 26, the famous German battle cruiser/ship _Scharnhorst_ was sunk off the northern end of Norway by battleship _HMS Duke of York._ _HMCS Athabaskan_ and the entire return convoy had been ordered to stay well north of where the Battle of North Cape took place so as not to have the two convoys mingling with each other and causing confusion.
Was he onboard when the Athabaskan was sunk in 1944?
@@sirboomsalot4902 He may have been. He was in his 60s or 70s at the time. I picked him up in my taxi and the conversation wasn't overly lengthy due to the duration of the trip. He was going to the veterans hospital here in Calgary that he lived in.
As a veteran of the US Navy (1966-1972), this movie brought back so many memories. I was a Quartermaster aboard a destroyer, the USS Mullinnix DD944, and of course, my job was on the bridge. I certainly agree with your great reviews, and the movies accuracy is fantastic. Thank you, Tom Hanks. BTW, my ship was the last of the all gun destroyers. 3-5" 54 mounts, 2-3" dual mounts, torpedoes, depth charges, and hedgehogs.
accuracy ends at the depiction of submarines lol
Great job! Really enjoyed your knowledge and personal experiences relating to the story and what the producers and director went through to make this happen. Great acting by all parties with and without lines.
The Queen Mary sliced the light cruiser HMS Curacoa in half in a 1942 collision. Censorship was invoked and the public was not informed until after the war. Admiralty policy was quite strict about not releasing ship losses unless they were sure that the enemy already knew about them. There were quite a few "now it can be told" news stories at war's end.
I’ve been on the WW2 Tour aboard Queen Mary. In 2004. The climax of the tour was to position the tour group on a catwalk deep in the bow of the vessel. At the moment the collision occurs hidden firehoses blast an immense volume of sea water alongside the catwalk and partially up the bulkheads. It was definitely memorable. Your lips could taste the water. Truly incredible. The Halloween “Haunted Tour” was the best haunted walkthrough that I’ve experienced. But the WW2 Tour was one I’d repeat for sure
Great review guys - truly outstanding with many little details highlighted that I’m sure many would have otherwise missed. Nice work!
As a Brit, I love this film, it doesn’t detract from the professionalism of the American characters to ignore the British and Canadian effort and even though we’re only voices on the radio, this film gives a proportionate space to the British and Canadians-thank you.I’m still smarting over Saving Private Ryan. We are 50% of the Allied effort was dispatched with a barbed comment…
Well Saving Private Ryan was about a small unit mission in the U.S.'s AO. It was inspired by the story of the Niland brothers, so have other Allied nations in it wouldn't really make sense.
As a Canadian I was happy to hear the commander of 'Dickey' didn't have an accent and he sounded like a normal Canuck not some caricature of a 'Canadian'.
@@darklion53 Except that the boats that took all the Rangers ashore on D-Day...those at Pointe du Hoc and those that landed on Omaha Beach...were all driven by sailors of the Royal Navy. The Rangers all rode to shore in British boats driven by british crews...so there really should have been Brits in Saving Private Ryan. Spielberg claims he used Americans instead of Brits because he did not have access to any boats by American Higgins boats (LCVPs), so he used the crews that went with the boats.
@@darklion53 "Have you got any idea how it's going elsewhere"
"No - I'm fixed on this piece of real estate - I heard the limey airborne were going in at midnight by glider = rather them than me...
"Monty' great plan ! "
WRY SMILE
"That guys' overrated" ....etc
@@iKvetch558 The landing craft on Omaha Beach were primarily piloted by members of the U.S. Coast Guard. These Coast Guard coxswains operated the landing craft, commonly known as "Higgins boats," and were responsible for delivering troops from the transport ships to the beachhead during D-Day
Greyhound was an excellent movie that I have watched multiple times. Wonderful review with lots of great details. As a Navy veteran I always enjoy naval based movies.
Excellent recap of Greyhound - thanks for teaching us more about WWII as well as the magic of making movies. (NOTE: “Enemy Below” was one of my dad’s favorite movies - each time it was on TV, he would exclaim: “Thank God I got to walk across Europe!”)
My father, who was from Halifax NS, signed up at age 16, and served in the Battle of the Atlantic on Corvettes.
The scene you like of the night time surface action is straight from a lithograph I recall in the halls of the Navy Reserve Center I used to attend. I would look at that picture and think how tough a battle like that must be. Phenomenal to see it brought to life in this film.
On of the best naval movies, "the Cruel Sea"
Exactly. A superb film and they used ships involved in the Battle of the Atlantic.
Great review, my dad and one grandfather served on "tin cans" in the navy. My grandfather was on the storied DD-431 Gleaves class USS Plunkett. One of his early journals has an entry from a 1941 convoy from Boston to Nova Scotia to Scotland where in the engine room he could hear the torpedoes screaming by and the sounds of ships being hit. I too would love to see Hanks/ Spielberg adapt "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by Hornfischer, about the battle off samar in leyte gulf. (Or the story of the Plunkett at Anzio!)
Dad served on the USS Compton in the 60s, to him Greyhound is the most accurate portrayal of Destroyer action. His battle station was on the hedgehogs too.
Thanks for watching!
Min 15: voice procedure is vital as it gives clear info in a predictable format. Very useful as the CO OPS and NAV are all doing advanced trig and relative velocity calaulations in their heads, while conning the ship, avoiding collisions, listening to the radio, and communicating with ships in company. Commanding a DDE is harder than being a fighter pilot. Depth charges - those look like 250lb. fired in patterens and dialed for depths. If the ship sinks they have to be safed or anyone in the water dies instantly. RCN doctrinb was 1 ship maintains contact and guids the one attackking as you have to pass over the sub to let go. Hedgehog was great as 1 directional, 2 - you don't lose your plot, 3, they only explode on contact so you know you got them. Small ships and fuel - you have to be a miser with your oil. Subs were essentially submersible torp boats. Talking 12-15kts surface and under 5 submerged. Finally no matter what the enemy wants, the sea is trying to kill you.
Love watching two history nerds enjoying the movie and each other's "tidbits." Reminds me of my friend and I talking "shop" about World War II and Vietnam.
The destroyer that fought U-405 was USS Borie (DD-215), an old "4-stacker" (Clemson-class) destroyer. Oh, never mind, Mr. Frezza corrected himself.
The professor mentioned Master & Commander... now you have to make a video about that amazing movie, please please please? 😅🙏
Wow! My new favorite episode about one of my favorite movies.
FYI- the USS Kidd is undergoing repairs and upgrades to the hull now. If you can, check out their website and make a donation. It is so important to keep these Museum Ships afloat and in good condition.
One of the most poignant moments in the movie is when Tom Hanks, as Commander Krause, asks the captain of Eagle, which has been damage, if they are seaworthy. The other captain replies, “We will do all that the sea allows”.
The convoys weren’t just fighting the Germans but also, the weather and the sea. The sea took no sides.
One later movie that does show Hedgehogs in action was the 1965 film, “The Bedford Incident”. This movie starred Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, Martin Balsam, James MacArthur and Wally Cox.
Tom Hanks was very disappointed that this movie did not get a theatrical release. Maybe we could hope for a later showing in theaters.
It would have been more poignant if they had stuck to the book. The escort that sank was the "Viktor", supposedly one of the Polish destroyers that managed to get out of Poland at the very start of the war and then sailed with the Royal Navy. "That was the requiem of a brave ship. It was two and a half years since Viktor had got away from Gdynia in defiance of all the power of the Luftwaffe, and had escaped from the Baltic in the teeth of the Nazi navy. For two and a half years she had fought a desperate fight; she had been the only home left to her exiled crew, and now she was gone." Forester, C. S.. The Good Shepherd
Grew up not being able to walk, owned a shrimp boat business, lost bubba in vietnam, stormed the beaches of normandy, got in a plane crash and stranded on an island and survived only to have to land an airliner in the hudson river then had his ship taken over by simali pirates and was captain of a destroyer in ww2. This guy lived a full life😂
Good job guys. This is a great movie. Just like the crew of a real destroyer the cast and crew in this movie worked together to create an excellent result. Also, thanks for the shout out to “The Enemy Below”, one of my favourite Robert Mitchum movies.
Thanks for making this video. Greyhound is just one of those films that sticks with you, and I enjoy seeing historians discuss it and add commentary fleshing out the scenes and painting a more complete picture of the events. And I whole-heartedly agree that Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg should do another mini series about Leyte Gulf, and the USS Enterprise. My Great Uncle served aboard the USS Princeton during that battle so that particular piece of history holds a personal meaning to me.
Kretschmer preferred to fire torpedoes from the surface, his thought process being you only attack at night so you would see the enemy ships before they saw you, and surface action allowed for more accurate measurments. Additionally, ASDIC wouldnt be able to detect surface ships and hydrophones have a hard time hearing one as well. The only danger is radar, so a tactic the uboat commanders would start using is to run ahead of a convoy, wait for it to pass over and then surface inside the convoy, the hope being radar observers wouldnt notice an extra blip in the convoy or think it was a malfunction. However, all of the technology and western approaches gaming ultimately led to convoy raiding being an extremely perilous job.
My father was a Navy World War II veteran. He served in the Pacific and task force 58 under admirable Bull Halsey. My dad was stationed on CBL 24. The USS Belleau Wood and DD585 USS Hararden. Dad was a Navy Aviation torpedo man. He was a turret Gunner and a TBF and TBM Grumman torpedo plane. His general quarter station was electronic gun operator for a twin 40 mm. His carrier earned a presidential unit citation. They were in 13 major battles in 18 months including the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He said when they resupplied they would stack canned goods on the floors of all of the decks and lay plywood on top of them. So you were walking on a false layer of canned goods everywhere you went and had to remember to duck under doorways and such. Dry goods and fresh foods would hang from the ceilings. The Fresh foods such as fruit and vegetables would be eaten first. He told how the Belleau Wood ran out of food during combat and they ate k-rations for 2 weeks until they were resupplied in New Caledonia with flour that contained weevils and pony meat. I was blessed to be raised listening to his many stories and details. Thank you for making a great video on this good movie. I would love to see Hanks and Spielberg do a series on task force 58 and the fast attack carriers in the island hopping campaign.
My father also spent a year after the war on the the destroyer clearing Japanese minds out of Chinese and Korean bays and rivers. He was also on a submarine tender the USS Sperry as12 during the Korean War, but he said his duties were light and he mostly smoked cigarettes and played cards
Thank you again for your video
My Dad served in the Pacific during World War II on the USS Greenling (SS-213). He never talked much about his service, but I remember he could never put his head below water while swimming and had to stuff cotton in his ears. Much later I read about a four hour depth charge attack they suffered, which required them to break off their patrol and go to Saipan (and later to San Francisco, where he met my mother, so it worked out for me and my brothers).
I’ve been anticipating this video! What a Friday night treat thank you gentleman for the fantastic content
Glad you enjoyed it!
Really happy to see Greyhound get discussed here.
Thanks for tuning in!
4:45 forester wrote one of my favorite books "the man in the yellow raft" a collection of short stories abord a destroyer
The luxury of the Fletcher class destroyers!
British destroyers and corvettes (like the Canadian one shown) had open bridges (because of tradition and also because it helped in aircraft detection and actions, and those open bridges were absolutely appalling places to be in on convoy duty. Coming out of port and heading straight into a North Atlantic gale was, I have been told, the stuff of nightmares. That the dedicated souls on those ships did it, time and againspeaks volumes for the determination required to staff one of these ships. And most of the time, as the steward said, you were doing it on a stomach which hadn't seen warm food for a week or so. Add to that the constancy of the wind and seas pouring in, never being warm, always soaked and exhausted from the tension.
Only for the brave.
17:00 I met an Army officer in a party once. I don't remember his rank, but i think he was at least a Major. We introduced to each other and afterwards he never asked for my name again. But at the end, when he was leaving, he said good byes addressing everyone individually by their name. For someone like me, who takes multiple "remind your name, please" to finally associate the name with the face, this was really impressive. I guess, when you are in charge of many people, you develop a particular set of skills. I also noticed that officers' approach to everyday tasks is in general much more focused no-nonsense than us civvies.
I really liked this movie when it came out! I enjoyed your entertaining critique which added a few facts I didn't know along the way and confirmed a few things a swell.
Thanks
Love this movie! I was in the Navy. I was in 1997 to 2005. But this movie from what I can tell is very accurate.I love the fact that how the co is depicted. The co is someone needs to be feared and respected all at the same time. Also shows how co also is suffering physically and mentally. But never once does he show the crew how bad he is really hurting
Min 24:26 - Ships collided A LOT. Most were minor, but a collison is a force of nature. Note how he altered rudder INTO the ship he was upassing. That's because the initial moment on the rudders kicks the stern away. Great ship handling scene. Ships also used decoys - towed accoustic evices AWA degaussing to reduce magnetic signature.
I loved this movie and have watched it several times. I enjoyed it because of it's technical accuracy and not dumbing down what it was like. The screeching music when the subs were surfacing added a lot of tension to the scene.
I really enjoyed this movie..I also read the book. I think it was riveting, despite some inaccuracies especially with the U- Boat …some of it was way over the top but overall it was fantastic. My father was in the British Royal navy and my Uncle , mothers brother, was in the U.S. Navy during WW2 in the North Atlantic…it hits home.
Jurgen Prochnow is still alive and kicking, his most recent role is of a german veteran in a movie "Last Rifleman".
Thomass Kretschmann is one of the most know German actors of last 3 decades. He played in Stalingrad, Valkyrie, russian Battle of Stalingrad, he portrayed Fegelein in Der Untergang, U-571, The Pianist and many many more.
I love WW2 films and war films in general. I'm also a massive naval enthusiast. My grandpa served in the U.S. Navy during WW2. He surprisingly never went anywhere in the Pacific. He was mostly stationed state-side. Although he was stationed in Cuba at one point. Thanks for going over this movie!!
I love war movies.they show the duality of man.like joker said in full metal jacket
Such a great film. I remember this being the only decent film available when the pandemic kicked off. It DESERVES a run in theaters and we deserve to see it there!
I thought "Greyhound" was one of the finest movies on the naval history every made. Was the movie flawless? No, of course it was not but it kept me on the edge and the action was excellent. Tom Hanks did an outstanding job as usual.
I wish that Apple would release this into theatres...I would love to see this on a big screen. Thanks for reviewing this
I was thinking Guadalcanal with either the Barroom brawl or the last battleship vs battleship fight. Willis Lee would be a great character study for Hanks.
I somehow never heard of this movie -- probably because of Covid. I'm going to watch it. However, the trailer implies they are transporting troop ships in their convoy. My understanding is troop ships would travel solo in luxury liners and put the "pedal to the medal" so that U boats could not target them... I don't think they would risk troops in these slow moving convoys, but maybe I misunderstood the trailer
C.S. Forester also wrote "Sink the Bismarck," which was turned into one of my favorite war movies.
I knew all the technical terms because my grandpa was a Fireman in the Navy from ‘47 to ‘50. He worked in the engine room keeping the ship going and when we visited the Jeremiah O’Brien in San Francisco when I was 13 or so, he was still sliding down the stair railings with just his hands in his early 70s.
49:44 love these ideas and would definitely watch them!!! Sammy B is one hell of a story
I watched it on my phone in a hotel room in Abbotsford BC shortly after it came out, and it was still one of the most memorable cinematic experiences I’ve had in a dog’s age, the opening battle scene in particular.
I ordered the book right after.
It’s interesting that you guys mention the largely authentic relaying of orders and information, because while I loved it in the movie, I found it a bit overwhelming in the book, which practically requires a nautical chart and compass to follow at times. It’s like reading a ship’s log.
One thing I found very interesting is that the four escort ships are referred to by code names, not by their registry names. It’s easy to miss in the movie, but Hanks’ destroyer is actually called USS Keeling. “Greyhound” is a radio callsign. In the book, it’s “George”.
The movie changes the protagonist’s name from George Krause to Ernest Krause. I’m guessing they did that because they were initially going to stick with the “George” code name for the ship and thought it’d be confusing. “Greyhound” is obviously a much cooler name, but I bet IRL they only used monosyllablic code names.
I just watched this movie again last night, what great timing!
Perfect! 😂
Great way to wake up on a cold wet October British morning one of my favourite channels has posted 😃👍.
The Atlantic is such an overlooked campaign.
Without the sacrifice of the military and civilian sailors, air crews, ship builders, and boffins developing countermeasures the invasion of Europe would not have been possible.
Great movie I watched it as soon as it was released on Apple and was surprised how good it was.
Your analysis and comments on the different aspects of the film and the Atlantic campaign was really enjoyable and interesting.
Thanks Jared and Tom 😊👍
Keep them coming.
Thanks for watching!
The functioning on the bridge was quite accurate, but very few Fletcher destroyers served in the Atlantic. Fletchers were made for long distances and anti air protection of carriers in the Pacific against the Japanese. They were also effective at shore bombardment.
The one flaw I noticed was in the cutting of the film, relative and true bearings were confused and some of the maneuvers then made no sense. (I served on a Gearing as OOD, which is very much like a Fletcher)
I was a bit “meh” when I first watched this , but it gets better with every viewing and this review has made me think more . I had two uncles in WWII who served in the Merchant Navy , but never spoke about it , thank you for this .
I'm not an expert in naval history... but I am a retired Chief and probably an "expert" in naval combat information.... that's what I did for 30 ish years anyway.... and in a predominantly ASW role in the Atlantic 😎
Looking forward to your assessment of this film.
ham banana rolls and cheese sauce i swear made an appearance on max miller's tasting history, but that mention only brings out in me a need to see you two and max doing a collab of some historical military cuisine niche he hasnt covered. maybe a ww2 navy bit considering tom's handy historical cookbook and said experience in using it. loved this one! as much as it can be fun putting cliché or inaccurate films in their place; highlighting quality films like this is just joyful to my nerdy soul. cheers, boys!
The Canadian Corvette that they scanned is the HMCS Sackville. It's up here in Halifax. Really impressive ship
My Grandfather served in WWII never fired a shot in anger and only one in total just so he could say he did. Was only scared twice, once when his one shot across the Rhine angered a German mortar team who returned fire and when traversing the North Atlantic in early June 44 when a bunch of tin cans started dropping depth charges in the middle of the night. He said it was that hopeless feeling of standing there life jacket in hand hoping he wouldn’t have to put it on and could do nothing about it.
My dad (RN) spent the first two years of the war on convoy duties to and from Halifax and Liverpool were under orders if a ship when down by u boat were "Don't look back".
Referring to Enemy below, I was in the navy on a submarine in the 1970s, out tender in San Diego Harbor Point Loma was a WW2 ship
Had the old anti aircraft turret, with guns removed, and paint 1/4 inch thick
27:40 It's called "spoofing". You monitor for it and have daily changing callsigns and alternate freqs to use to avoid this.
For Eg:
Victor 3 Sierra (convoy desg) This is 2 Charlie 5 (Senior officer) -"Kick 23 - out." (Change frequencies to the new one (corrispionding to 23 - in your code book and confirm on new freq.)
Very cool guys! I’m from Baton Rouge and just one note: The Kidd is currently in dry dock at Houma for restoration and set to be back in Baton Rouge spring of 2025.
I remember when Greyhound was being filmed. At the time I lived downtown just a few blocks from the river. USS Kidd! Only US vessel allowed to fly the Jolly Roger! Arrrggg Matey!! 😎
If you want to review two truly great naval war movies just watch The Cruel Sea (1953) starring Jack Hawkins and Master and Commander (2003) starring Russell Crowe, both are absolute exemplars of both their genre and the period and wars they are set in. They do not get better than these two classics
For a 1943 wartime movie about the merchant marine I recommend Action in the North Atlantic starring Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey and Alan Hale. Sure it's Old but it was made when the Real Thing was going on. I've had this film in my collection since the VCR days, I've re-watched it I don't know how many times over the years.
Great breakdown of Greyhound.
How weather would effect an attack by U-Boats? During day what effect would wave swell height, cloud cover and at night position of the moon have on engagements?
Agree The Battle Off Samar would be a compelling movie. Taffy 3's tin cans and escort carriers v. IJN big guns. Was this one of the last major surface to surface naval battles?
I know there are the Somali pirates. But they come after a Navy warship in speed boats? Nice move 'chum'.
A mini series on USS Enterprise would be awesome if Spielberg and Hanks were to make it. There are a lot of books on which the series could be based.
Bravo Zulu! Thanks for another great review. This is a great movie because Tom Hanks was involved. He does everything top-notch. I understand he may be involved in a screen version of the Oliver Rasmussen story from the book "Chippewa Chief in World War II." Hope it comes to fruition.
I enjoyed the interaction between the Bridge and CIC team. That's the way it is supposed to happen. Even though CICs were not developed until late 1942, it did not detract from a great action movie.
Y’all should do Tora Tora Tora next
I heard a Tom Hanks interview on Hardcore History, and one of his influences in filming the battles was the Star Trek episode “Balance of Terror” which in part is an homage to The Enemy Below
the joke MARINE acronym in sync was flawless haha. this film and your commentary highlight a too-often overlooked aspect of world war and even modern military life: logistics. one of the few positive aspects of the modern war in eastern europe (even from a western view) is to show the vitality of logistics as well. the lifeblood of our military is our ability to project power and to this day that means transporting vash amounts of heavy materials across the globe, and that's achieved through the grit and work of the merchant navy and their escorts. Thank you and G-d's speed to all of em, past and present
Am 78, a veteran and an Avid WWII & 20th century history student. I found this 21st century, North Atlantic 'Naval' drama to be very well written & amazingly "GREAT" in terms of historical accuracy AND REALISM .... with ONE HUGE Exception!
The CONTRIVED "radio taunt" by the German U-Boat ?captain????. Such """"dramar"""" was TOTALLY absurd and counters / tends-to-demean ALL the other movie's positive characteristics!!!!!
[Let's Get REAL; The U-Boat captain & crew can only carry out their mission(s) AND BEST remain A L I V E through silence AND STEALTH!]
I'd be interested to see what you have to say about The Arctic Convoy (2023). It's also about the Battle of the Atlantic, but from the perspective of the merchant sailors rather than the navy.
Thanks for the recommendation!
I was going to ask about that, I’ve seen a clip on UA-cam and looks like Das Boot from the merchant ship perspective.
I'd love to see that, my dad (merchant marine) was sooo glad he never had to go the N Atlantic or Arctic.
History nerd fun fact that probably only interests me: In the opening scene with Tom Hanks and Elisabeth Shue set in an art deco hotel lobby, the actual filming location was in the the lobby of the Louisiana State Capital where Huey Long was assassinated. Long was shot in a corridor right off that lobby.
What you can see at night is phospheresence. A ship's wake will be relatively illuminated. It would appear as white agsinst the pitch black of the sea and sky. HMS Curacoa (Light cruiser) collided with the Queen Mary. She was sunk, 337 crew were lost. For naval movies that need to be made, my top choice would be a dramatic movie about the battle of Jutland. There are so many dramatic aspects tothat battle and the political in-fighting surrounding it. Fun review about a very enjoyable movie. C.S. Forrester is a wonderful author.
omg he really didn't eat.....great detail I missed! And great 'actor' moment with the coffee. Such an underrated film!
The Canadian Corvette he's referring to is the HMCS Sackville. It located in Halifax, NS. I took a tour of it this summer. It was cool and also wild to picture what that boat had done during the war.
USS Kidd is one of the four Fletcher class that have been survived to the present day, one of rest is the Greek one "Velos" or ex «USS Charrette DD 581"...
My local multiplex (Emagine in Canton, Michigan) will rent an auditorium. They can seat 30-150 for a private showing. I once rented one for my Mustang club to have a private showing of Bullitt which most had not seen on the big screen. If Apple TV ever releases some of these great historical projects on disc, I have plans. 🙂 Worth asking yours if they have similar programs.
Going above water in the night was actually a common tactic of the U-Boats. Right in the middle of the convoy an additional signal on radar wasn't really easy to notice. And it made plotting their shots a lot more easier. Also before the allies wised up to this tactic they were actually safer to the response of the escorts by mimicking being one of the ships of the convoy rather than being under water hunted down by sonar.
Had seen clips of this on YT and FB and had to google Tom Hanks movies to find it. Excellent movie
Five inchers were awesome weapons and played a big part in the alias winning.
Min 23:00 - the US 5"/38 and the 5"/45 were excellent weapons. When the variable timing fuse was developed they became one of the most lethal AA weapons in the world.