The sinking of the Laconia part2
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- The sinking of the Laconia part2 BBC Movie
The Laconia incident refers to the controversial events surrounding the sinking and subsequent aborted rescue attempt of a British troopship in the Atlantic Ocean during World War II. On 12 September 1942, RMS Laconia under the command of Capt. Rudolph Sharp and carrying some 2,732 crew, passengers, soldiers and POWs, was torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-156 off the coast of West Africa. Operating partly under the dictates of the old prize rules, the U-boat commander, Korvettenkapitän Werner Hartenstein, immediately commenced rescue operations, broadcasting their humanitarian intent on open radio channels to all Allied forces in the area, and were joined by the crews of other U-boats in the vicinity. Heading on the surface to a rendezvous with Vichy French ships under Red Cross banners, with their foredeck laden with survivors, U-156 was deliberately attacked by a USAAF B-24 Liberator bomber. The bomber, which had confirmed and reported the U-boat's intentions and the presence of survivors to higher command, was explicitly ordered to attack the ship anyway. The B-24 ended up killing dozens of the Laconia's survivors with bombs and strafing attacks, forcing U-156 to cast their remaining passengers into the sea and crash dive to avoid being destroyed. The pilots of the B-24 inexplicably reported that they had sunk U-156, and were awarded medals for bravery.
The event seriously chilled the general attitude of Germany's naval personnel towards rescuing stranded Allied seamen, and the commanders of the Kriegsmarine (German navy) were shortly issued the "Laconia Order" by Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz which specifically forbade any such attempt, thus helping to usher in unrestricted submarine warfare for the Kriegsmarine. Neither the US pilots nor their commander were ever punished or even investigated, and the matter was quietly forgotten by the US military until the Nuremberg Trials, when a prosecutorial attempt to cite the Laconia Order as proof of war crimes by Dönitz and his submariners badly backfired and embarrassed the US when the full story of the incident emerged.
After watching Part 1 I had to watch Part 2 immediately after. This was one of the very best WWII films I've ever seen.
It's a pity this fine BBC film isn't more widely known and appreciated.
It is indeed
And what's more, it is historically accurate....As they say, sometimes real events become more dramatic and incredible than fiction stories.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!! What the British did was bad enough by ignoring the call to pick up civilian surviors and not telling the Americans about the U-Boat. What the Americans did was a war crime when they attacked a ship flying the Red Cross.
Not that a red cross on a warship is valid either... all was fucked up in the end.
but what the allies did right after WW2 bye deporting Germancivilians from german occupied territories is just as much a warcrime as what the Germans did themselves its just history seldom reveals it
and fyi I'm a dutch Navy hero currently living in Germany and surrounded by Germans who appear to be just as descent as the dutch I know but then ofcourse they are not of the same generation as the nazi's
War is HELL!!!
Those damn stupid American pilots. But this is not the first time American soldiers didn't think about their actions before the damage....
Dear Bretton: Thank you very much in posting the video of the Laconia Survivors. As a sailor, and Naval Officer, the depiction of a German U-boat officer who shows human kindness, is a hero, even in wartime. War or peace, humans can be thoughtful and sympathetic towards people in desperate need, such as a shipwreck survivor. The movie warmed my heart.
You are welcome. I'm glad you liked it.
The BBC has a documentary where they interview all the English survivors of the Laconia sinking. So far I have been unable to locate a copy. I will upload it too, if I ever find a copy.
I finally found the BBC Documentary, Laconia Survivors Stories and uploaded it.
What a gem of a movie. An honorable moment for the Kriegsmarine.
This excellent movie deserves lots of re-runs on TV stations all over the world.
@@pedrolistacarey4880 It deserves a UK and USA blu ray release. With all the b-movie world war 2 crap released how does that not cut the mustard?
When leaving the sub the lady told Hartenstein, the German commander :"You are a good man, captain " ! and he certainly was.
I adore learning about history. This is one of the great stories to come out of WWII. I am so glad this was posted. Even in WAR enemies have shown compassion for one another. The common man is decent. It is the governments and leaders of those governments that are at WAR with each other.
My Dad was given the opportunity as a military soldier to travel with his unit to West Germany (before the Unification) when President Reagan paid a visit to Berlin. My Dad said he was able to go to the Eastern Wall, and meet soldiers from the East German Military and trade conversation, newspapers, and chocolates and cigarettes. My Dad does not smoke, but did research to see what "western brands were the most popular" he wanted to be friendly and be a good host to whomever he was matched with in this unique cultural exchange. He said it was the experience of a lifetime discovering that those awesome, polite, humble soldiers were just like himself. Just doing their jobs, doing the best they could, and basically asked the same identical questions he had too. He was amazed by their eagerness to exchange "approved" information, and receive information about music, sports, and weather, and political changes, and clothing styles, and food.
He found out they even liked the same types of jokes too. He said they traded cameras and took pictures too. He admired their respectfulness, and he respected them. His exchange soldier confided in him that most of his unit wanted to see THE WALL come down. He shared with my Dad, that he had NEVER shot anyone trying to leave EAST GERMANY. He told my Dad he loved children, "Kinder" is what he kept saying. He wanted Kinders when he was free. My Dad cried for him. My Dad was there in 1989, and He did bring back part of THE WALL with him.
Watching this movie, reminded of that time. Thanks for sharing this movie, and posting it online! Bless you!! Peace! PACE!
You Got Really CooL Dad - from USSR NAVY - 1983 .
Awesome story, thank you for sharing!
One thing I would like to correct, it is not "governments" and "leaders" at war with each other. We as Americans sacrificed the flower of our youth to the bankers, armament industrialists, and military lobbyists. The two world wars, Korean war, Vietnam war, Gulf Wars, and recent Iraq-Afghan wars were all unnecessary. That is the tragedy of the situation.
@@alexsmith-ob3lu That is very true.
What a great Commander much respect to him and his crew! Rip boys
That's undeniable-!!!
joetravelsalot9382 A true sailor .an amazing event in war times where honorable men's make marks of gold in the book of chaos.
bullshit. He died 1943. Lost at sea.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Hartenstein
1:24:30
@@wolfknilli9511- Unfortunately, the U-156 and her crew didn't survive much longer and they all died 6 months later while attacked by an Allied bomber in the Caribbean, and several depth charges destroyed the submerged sub. RIP, those brave and fine men. The good ones never get to grow old in this world.
I served and qualified on a post WWII fleet diesel submarine for three years.
I must say that this movie surpasses Das Boat in plot and in authenticity.
The U-Boat commander's content of character, and his high regard for
human life, no matter the nationality, and his refusal of a soft job working
in Paris at the end, demonstrated his devotion to duty and loyalty to his men.
I salute fellow submariner Captain Werner Hartenstein!
Really Hartenstein was famous that he not allowed anybody be unshaded very unusual, he him self included this alone shows the lack of detail and and I can go on …
Men like captain Hartenstein are an inspiration for submariners of all nationalities.... Unfortunately, the events shown on this film are practically unknown to most people, in spite of 75 years having gone by since the end of that war...Makes me think that there are high ranking interests behind curtains interested in keeping this episode as hidden as possible.
This movie isnt crap like U-571, but it also dont surpasses Das Boot.
If you served on a diesel sub, how many places were there to have privat four eye conversations? none or absolute none? How about with additional ~200 people on board?
This is authentic like a cruise ship.
Panic and popping rivets at not even 40m do you call authentic? That wasnt an britisch or US boat with crush depths of around 100m, that was an german Typ IX with a test depth of 230m and crush depth far beyond that.
@@wolf310ii I agree, also the behaviour of the crew is not accurate. Yet of course there's a deeper motive in the depiction.
It doesnt surpass "Das Boot"..it just shows what was "Marine standarts" before that incident and why the captain in "Das Boot" didnt help the survivors. It doesnt show the poor conditions the crew had to serve in, it doesnt show how war felt, it doesnt show that 90% of soldiers and civilians in germany didnt agree with the ideoligy but shut their mouths due to fear of being killed. Nowadays more and more stories surface of those germans that helped enemies survive and return to their allies. Time to realize that the blame always lies upon the shoulders of high command sitting in ther chairs. And thats what this movie is about. Its not about accuracy onboard u submarine, not about how germans thought back in the day..its just about why the Laconia Incident happend. Why noone was allowed to help afterwards.
A story, Americans never heard. I was moved by the movie's storyline. Well done.
Ken Duken is our German Brad Pitt don't you think so? He did a great job here but all the other actors, too.
Yes Ken is a great actor. But, please don't forget Thomas Kretchmann and the lovely Franka Potente!!
even better
Ken Duken played in Inglorious Bastards with Brad Pitt. He just played a small role as an unnamed German Soldier.
Ken Duken did a great role in Max Manus as well, portraying the SD chief in occupied Norway, Siegfried Fehmer.
Salutes to you the Commander and crew of U-156. You showed the world what is humanity's all about. Great men who went to sea. May they rest in peace in God's Loving Arms. exseaman-herrytjew
Great comment, right up until the point you started spouting nonsense about skygods. Keep that sort of guff to yourself, matey.
bnipmnaa Someone is insecure about their atheist beliefs
bnipmnaa ok atheist
@@bnipmnaa I don’t believe in a deity either but there was nothing wrong with what he wrote; it was nice
@@sirboomsalot4902 GOOD ONE-!!!
With or without a warning from the British about the presence of the U-156,, the American aircrew that attacked the U-Boat was guilty of war crimes and should have been prosecuted for their actions. The aircrew could easily see that civilians were present and that the U-156 was no longer operating as an armed combatant. The correct thing to do would in those circumstances would have been to ignore the attack order and return to base. Instead the crew---in violation of international law---elected to attack a vessel that was not a threat to them and which was carrying civilians.
And while the B-24 was strafing the boats, the submarine refrained from returning the fire, which she could have easily done !
All decorations awarded to the American Airman attacking the UP should be withdrawn and a letter sent to their families about the fact that they obeyed an clearly Illegal order. The records of implicated senior who have the orders should reflect their failure.
Similar action and more should be taken against the current occupier if the White House the former VP Biden for his agency failure in Afghanistan. General Willy Nilly Milly should be demoted and discharged immediately or worse for being a traitor. Maybe even put against the wall and shot for communication to Chinese communist officials to undermine the US government.
Received the Iron Cross First Class. Admiral Doenitz
saw that Captain Hartenstein not only sunk a large Legitimate target but was willing to follow old law of the sea and save lives
A shame he didnt survive the war.
Agreed it is a shame
YOU BETCHER LIFESAVERS-!!!
THE LACONIA WAS AN ARMED MERCHANT SHIP- AND HARTENSTEIN WAS TOTALLY JUSTIFIED IN ATTACKING THE LACONIA WITHOUT WARNING!!!
...NO, THAT WAS A "KNIGHT'S CROSS"- THAT'S A HIGHER MEDAL THAN THE "IRON CROSS FIRST CLASS"!!
He received the kightscross in September 1942 for sinking more then 100.000 tons of shipment that was the threshold at that time for getting this award for Uboats and getting called ace. For 150.000 the oak leaves to the knights cross the iron class first class is two steps below between the two is the German cross in gold
Thank you for posting this movie! A very unique story that many don't know about!
Thanks. Yes most people don't know this story. When I would mention it, many people would think I was lying. That is what motivated me to find this movie and upload it.
@@BrettonFerguson Well done on your part! I respect that!
Damn, this is really a good movie.
I have been studying the war for many years...primarily the U-Bootwaffe and the Luftwaffe Fighter Pilots, Hitler's rise to power and the SS. But the whole war interests me.
The movie was very well done.
countrysamurai Have you studied das Boot?
I have, but only the movie, which I have watched several times.
I have never read the book.
I have met and talked with Erich Topp (Commander U-552 and 3rd Highest Ace) And Hans Goebeler. (NCO Radioman on the U-505)
The book and movie are interesting...both were praised and vilified by many of the U-Boot veterans. I personally liked it.
Adm. Topp said for the most part, Das Boot was an accurate representation of a war patrol.
I really liked this movie (Laconia) because it showed, for the most part that the U-bootwaffe were honorable sailors, though the government they fought for was so horrible.
War is the ultimate act of insanity.
countrysamurai das Boot the book is a difficult read, many boring pages.There are three chapters devoted to "Frigging Around."
Did you know what the genesis of the book is? The author, Lothar Gunther-Bucheim (who was a war correspondent) sailed on a war patrol with the U-96. It is said that the book is a work of fiction. I have heard from many sailors that a patrol was days of boring tedium interspersed with minutes or hours of sheer terror.
And yet they kept returning to sea knowing what was waiting for them.
They were truly hard men.
Did you like the book or the movie? I really like Jurgen Prochnow
i strongly recommend you read this book... www.amazon.com/U-boat-Commander-Peter-Cremer/dp/051508459X it was written by Korvettenkapitain Peter Ali Cremer who most notably commanded U 333 its really good
Thought this was going to be a civid-19 flop but one of the best war movies/ mini series I watched during lockdown. Worth a watch.
The pilots, having reported the U-boat's location, intentions, and the presence of survivors, were then ordered to attack the sub. The B-24 killed dozens of Laconia's survivors with bombs and strafing attacks, forcing U-156 to cast their remaining survivors into the sea and crash dive to avoid being destroyed. The pilots of the B-24 mistakenly reported that they had sunk U-156, The crew of the Liberator were later awarded medals for the alleged sinking of U-156, when they had in fact only sunk two lifeboats
this sucks worst then the sinking
During the later Nuremberg Trials, a prosecutor attempted to cite the Laconia Order as proof of war crimes by Dönitz and his submariners. The ploy backfired badly, causing embarrassment to the US when the full story of the incident emerged. The incident has been the subject of a bestselling book,[specify] numerous articles and a 2011 television film, The Sinking of the Laconia.
Mike w...so what are YOU gonna do about it? START ANOTHER WAR?!
During the war crimes trials at Nuremberg, Admiral Chester Nimitz (Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Fleet during the war) sent a letter to the Allied Tribunal, stating that Admiral Doenitz could not be prosecuted for war crimes in the way he waged the submarine war.
The letter stated that the American Submariners waged the same type of warfare against the Japanese. As I remember, a high ranking American Naval officer presented the letter and testified at the trial on Doenitz's behalf. It was Chester Nimitz's son who testified. He was a sub skipper himself. It was impossible for the Tribunal to convict someone for waging the same type of warfare the US did. It was said at the trial that Doenitz waged a hard but fair submarine war.
I think this more than anything got Doenitz a relatively light sentence when convicted. (10 years in prison) The orders given after the Laconia affair was reasoned to be fair considering what had happened. And the Allies just wanted to hush the incident up. Remember...the Germans were the bad ones.
The Aircrew of the B-24 and the officers who ordered them to bomb and strafe the sub (IE; civilians) should have been tried for war crimes and executed...for killing innocent civilians while under a banner of truce.
Hartenstein was a true gentleman and sailor in the finest traditions of the German Navy. As many of the U-Bootfahrer were.
war sucks all involved have choices to b made.heart and soul on the line.my choice is always what if b me how would i want to b treated?myself or who b with me.homicide is homicide,lord b the judge.stand tall or pay the price.ask Jesus.He did.
yes, the same way they bombed on civilian in, vietnam, iraq, afganistan and syria. they are heavily experience on it, Killing Civilian By Bombing.
Dale Burrell what sort of a fuck whit are you. Obviously never had a uniform on
I would like to write my own term paper on this movie someday; but for now I'll keep my comments brief. That the tragedy of war is represented within this movie is a vast understatement. It being a joint British and German production was very fitting. Thomas Kretschmann's portrayal of Admiral Donitz was incredibly moving. As for Brian Cox's character; going down with his ship.......I do not have adequate words. Franka Potente as always shine's a light of beautiful truth upon women everywhere.
I'd urge you to watch the movie again.....and pay attention to the U-Boot Commander. Just a subtle hint from the Netherlands. Don't write your term paper if this is how you saw this. And please ( try to ) explain "Beautiful truth upon women?" She was saved BECAUSE she was a woman, NOT because she was THRUTHFULL, but because MEN FIGHT AND PROTECT WOMEN, even when they don't DESERVE it, A.K.A The so called STRONG AND INDEPENDENT WOMAN...LAUGHABLE.
Absolutely magic. Great that someone has made a min series about such a little known action, if you can call it that. Certainly shows another side that more people should know about. Sunk with all hands later in the war. A well balanced account, I thought.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this. Both parts. Quite a well made movie. I wish there were more like it.
A brilliant mini series...wish I had it on DVD to keep for all time....I read about Hartensteins rescue of the survivors.But were horrified in respect to the allied reactions...
Very good movie about an actual event. Captain Hartenstein was very humanitarian in saving as many as he could. The German high command, on the other hand, were swiens. The American commanders on Ascension Island were as bad as the Germans were and the crew of the Liberator weren't much better. I would really like to shake Captain Hartenstein's hand and say thanks. Thanks for sharing.
Ronclown me too!
Liberator crew followed orders and did their job...or attempted to anyway
@@mikegreck2625 ...WASN'T THAT WHAT THEY SAID AT NUREMBERG?!!
AS I RECALL- THAT DIDN'T CUT ANY ICE AT NUREMBERG- AND IT DOESN'T CUT ANY ICE HERE- EITHER!!!
"The German high command, on the other hand, were swiens"
Thats the very same High Command that sended two additional german U-Baots, one italian and an Vichy France Surface Ship to assist that HUMANITARIAN Mission, after the Allies BOMBARDED that Mission and thereby made it clear that they dont give a F*** on the red Cross and(even their effing own)Civilians, the german high Command decided that they cant take the Risk of aiding People on the Sea.
If you are are looking for "swienes", than maybe take a look in the other Direction
They actually got in shit for it later anyway
One of the best war movies in my lifetime
Both a beautiful and tragic story. In time of combat it was always my aim to be a man of honor even in the midst of battle and bloodshed. The lingering question for me always remained, "What would my children and grandchildren say? What message, what legacy do I leave?"
Most interesting film. My uncle died on 7th December, 1942 when his ship, the Ceramic, was torpedoed by U 515. There were 655 passengers onboard and only one survived. The Ceramic was similar to the Laconia in size and tonnage.
I didn't know anybody in the navy. My grandpa had a friend who used to come over, he was in the US Army. He made it about 3 steps and got blown up on Omaha Beach and barely survived. He was covered in scars head to toe.
I also had a friend whose dad was in the Hitler Youth and fought at Normandy and he had a bunch of scar and a glass eye.
Then there was a Jewish couple who live up the road who were in a work camp in Germany and met when the war ended and they moved to America and got married.
We all lived in the same area out in the country. They all lived within about a half mile of my house.
Peace is the greatest victory anyone with any sense ( particularly in these times ) could hope for. To live and die in it.
What newer generations, especially those who have never been exposed to war, do not understand is that in war - people lose control, mistakes are made, from all the belligerent factions. Also, each country has "good, honest, and humane" people as well as "crook, abusive, and mean" citizens. Mix all these people in a world-wide conflict and you will see atrocities done in each camp, some more than others. On top of that, mix all these different personalities in what is called "the fog of war" and you will have incidents and tragedies. Finally, even if it is debatable, the objective of a war is to win it - there is no trophy for second place - at times, this creates catastrophes.
It is much too easy for people to criticize our ancestors from the comfort and security of our homes, while sipping a beer and chatting with one's girlfriend/wife/husband/lover, looking back at the past with 20/20 vision... Things are much more different when you are under fire (military or civilian), injured, suffering a war that you had personally nothing to do with in the first place.
Let us learn from the past with respect without criticizing our older generations as most of them did their best for what they believe was the good of their community at the time. I know, I have been there...
Peace be with you all, Ciao, L (Veteran, three wars)
NO WAR EXCUSE MEN TO KILL BABIES! END OF STORY
Well said! However, the Germans did not get that courtesy after the war. I spend half my time in Vietnam.....half the US forces in Vietnam were, without doubt, guilty of severe war crimes!
@@Invictus888 Hi Invictus 888, I think you and I have exchanged comments before, your "call-sign" seems familiar. I lost three uncles to WW II (two in the ETO and one in the Pacific Theater of Operation). He was a Naval Officer and his destroyer was sunk in 1944. He got captured by the Japanese along with ~40 crew members, ~30 of which got stabbed and/or tied and/or decapitated only to be throw back overboard. Some Japanese sailors shot the other ship-wrecked survivors in the water. He was brought back to mainland Japan to be interrogated (tortured) for a year where 7 of his companions got killed in front of him. He remained in the Navy, served in Korea and killed himself in 1955 - He had never recovered.
I served as a liaison (US Navy) in Europe in the 90's, many of the fanatic Nazis did horrible things to the population they conquered - many towns/cities I visited bore the scars of WW I and WW II. The world was tired.
As for you and me, all wars are bad, Vietnam I would say was worse. I fought three wars, I saw some bad stuff - war is hell and as the saying goes, "the difference between a war hero and a war criminal is the side who won". Peace be with you Invictus 888, you have all my respect - it is guys like you who carried the flag while I was training. Ciao, L
@@lancelot1953 Thank you for this exceptional, wonderful post. Yes, we both understand each other. All the very best! Be well, my friend!
How did I ever miss this. Great movie thanks 😊
I knew this history from many years ago. But had forgotten the outcome. Great movie.
What great gentlemen and human being German captain.
@Jack the Gestapo They even did it a lot AFTER the incident, only more discreetly. Look up ‘good night, and sorry for sinking you’ of the U-Boat sinking of the SS City of Cairo.
@Jack the Gestapo Oh wow; thanks for the other examples and referring me to u boat.net....I’ve been exploring that site for days, fascinating!
With that single action Hartenstein bought himself a first class ticket to Heaven...
Great movie Bretton I enjoyed it very much.
Regards,
Bob,
New Zealand. 26/02/18.
Thanks. My only regret is I couldn't find a better quality copy of this film to upload.
The badge of honour for humanity is rightly deserved by the Uboat captain. atrocities were carried out on both sides of the war
but there were great acts of humility and compassion also. we were of the impression that the Germans were monsters and bent on world domination, This captain believed he fought for a purpose ,to protect and serve his country.
He served a greater purpose however, that was humanity.
Because they were monsters bent on world domination, a country where you go to war twice, almost consecutively with no backbone for questioning absolute authority, the eternal father figure knows best, and much more militaristic and uninhibited in that, just because some saints fight as their soldiers because they're too brainwashed or blind, and propaganda bombarded doesnt change a damn thing about ANY of that, can it bring back the some 60 million dead?
@@adamscott7354 @Adam Scott Idiot.
Germany didn't start WW1, but the allies put all the blame exclusively on Germany because they hated Germany. UK and France hated Germany a lot for simply existing. The German Empire was a competitor to the French and UK dominance of the world at the time. Can't allow that. Germany joined the Great War after France declared war on Austria-Hungary, which Russia didn't like, so tehy declared war on Germany, which quickly brought the British into the war as well. Only when USA joined in 1918 the victory of the Allies was 100% assured. Then they decided all blame belonged to Germany - because it just suited them.
The extreme and unnecessary punishment and payments Germany was forced to pay crippled them, and the insane Treaty of Versailles resulted in Hitler coming to power.
But all Nazis weren't monsters. Many had simple jobs. Luggage carriers, drivers, file clerks, simple jobs that didn't harm anyone. But thanks to over 80 years of endless propaganda and mandatory hatred, people think Germany has ALWAYS been Evil Nazis for hundreds of years, all Germans, no matter what.
So of course you have your opinion. You don't know anything else. And such lack of information is needed to preserve the lies.
@@karlthorsten9118 Be an imperialist expansionism apologist more why dont you
@@adamscott7354 everything he said was correct though
@@adamscott7354 - Cool off, man...Hatred will make you sick. Get over it.
A hero captain and crew; God-loving angels.
There are few good submarine warfare movies, and this is one of the best...I dare to compare it to the Germans "Das Boot" of 1981 and "The last U-Boat" of 1998...I should not forget either that remarkable American film of 1957 "The enemy below", starring Robert Mitchum as the American destroyer's captain and Kurt Jürgens as the German commander.
I've seen Das Boot and The Enemy Below, but never heard of The Last U-Boat.
Fun Fact: Das Boot is not pronounced boot like you wear on your foot. Boot is pronounced Boat in German. So it is pronounced Das Boat.
@@BrettonFerguson - "The last U-Boat" is worth watching, look it up on YT. It's a German -Japanese coproduction based on true events during the last days of the war. This movie was a blockbuster in Germany and a smashing success in Japan. The Japs just loved it !
The Cruel sea is another great film
@@russty81ify - I remember watching it as a child in 1956...It was a British black and white film.
@@BrettonFergusonWell not quite. The English "oa" sound does not exist in German. The German double o is pronounced with a long o, the closest English equivalent maybe being the British pronunciation of the long vowel in "lord" or "floor"
I enjoyed this movie but even more I enjoy reading the comments of people who like to blame! The human race is to blame and to congratulate!
What an awesome movie.
There's a video of one of the Americans involved in the air attack online somewhere. He showed no remorse whatsoever. In fact, he was even smug about it.
ThatsMrMoronToYou That’s war for you
@SSHOLE-!!!
The fact that they're interested in "getting some" without thinking is an embarrassment
I watched a documentary about Crete. They interviewed a british soldier who was there. He gloated about killing unarmed German POWs. He emminated hatred when he spoke. Later in the story he was taken prisoner by the Germans. They said "For you the war is over" and was treated well. 70 years later he still did not see the error in his thinking.
@@BrettonFerguson ...SOME PEOPLE ARE JERKS- THAT'S ALL-(!)
Very nice! A real gentleman!
What an awesome movie. Loved every minute of it ❤️
Thanks for watching. I'm glad you liked it.
Aha. ...Very interesting. After watching this very good film, I Google the incident to check how much of it is true.
We've been told and taught, and often seen on film, the cruelty of the German U-boat fleet. We have been served the image that it was the Germans who always started these kinds of atrocities during the war. That they mercilessly gunned down survivors of sunken ships. And that the Allies were so saintly, juste and always kept to the ethical code. But in many cases it was actually the other way around, as can be seen in this film.
Monte Casino is another example. The rules of war, at that time, said that historical buildings and sites, monasteries and places of worship etc should not be subject to bombings. Monasteries and religious places should not be besieged and held as bunkers, strongholds or defence/firing lines.
Now, the Allies were convinced that the Germans used the old monastery on top of Monte Casino as a stronghold. They simply couldn't get pass it no matter what. So they decided to bomb the old monastery to smithereens. Which they did.
Though... The Germans wasn't in there. They had honored the code of not using "holy ground" as a place of war. But afterwards, when the place had been bombed, they took it. A bombed building is by the way a far better place of defence.
My great grandfather fought at Monte cassino in the Polish Regiment in World War II.
Joachim Rosendahl oh like the Nazis did and London. Remember them Buzz bombs and hundreds or with it thousands of bombers they was not any of their troops there to defend or was a planning to launch a invasion at that time just killing everybody destroy and destruction wipe them off the face of the Earth because they denied Hitler. Well I'd like them met your history teacher. The USA stop genocide and I don't know what country you from but I don't have nothing against you or your country. But did they fight in a war and if they was in a war what country defended them. If you think Americans are hungry for war you're wrong. When was the last time you seen a general leading the attack haha. We try to help people and they back the hands the free them. No respect for the money and even less respect for the blood spill fighting other people's War! If you're looking to make me mad sorry I just feel sorry for you being lead by half-truth and lies. But that's your problem not mine, so the next time you have to defend yourself don't be begging someone else to do it. Remember we didn't vote for Hillary. Maybe you'll get your way now that we got president Trump and y'all can pay for your own Wars and spill your own blood for your own Wars. Then let's see what you think history is if your dictator government will let you! Okay okay maybe it's not the USA, maybe it's not you either, maybe it's global warming in jellyfish so wait it's still blame that on the USA. Okay I'm just having a little fun what country you in so I'll know where to send the sympathy card and you can have it your way I'll spend my own money. I don't pay for people to like me let's me think nope that's too much like dealing with a hooker never been that lonely. I guess you forgot the German started it, thier idea of war was just pure murder! Guess and the next decade you might want to learn to speak Chinese take a look at their War Machine remind you of Germany in the late 30s. I think you got something more important to worry about then the USA.
@easystreets70 Isnt a theory
@easystreets70 Umm, no, he lost one in ww1 to enemy fire but he always had a micro labido hence his strong BDSM suit with women being dominant over him, FBI had a whole extensive file for that particular bit
@easystreets70 They interviewed people related to him and former staff, Hitler was a coprophile as well
Both German Captains and Their Crews died 1943 on Sea. they didn't Survive the war.
What a loss. Remember these brave men were doing their duty for their country. Over 40,ooo men went to sea in U boats, 30,000 never returned.
YOU'RE FORGETTING THAT HARTENSTEIN SANK MORE THAN HIS SHARE OF ALLIED SHIPS- AND AN AWFUL LOT OF PEOPLE DIED AS A RESULT!!!
HARTENSTEIN WASN'T AWARDED THE KNIGHT'S CROSS FOR NOTHING!!!
BUT THAT WAS WAR...
I always remembered hearing about this story but to see what it could have looked like really made it stick more how could we as people even shoot and bomb clearly injured and helpless people such a touching movie.
this film showsclearly that even in the third Reich there were officers who did the descent thing just like in the Eagle has landed "Oberst Kurt steiner did therefore the Germans wern't as bad as often portraied
...sometime look up the WWII story of Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown.
Yes I know of that story. I believe they did actually meet again long after the war.
Additional read: Captain Hans Langsdorff of the Admiral Graf Spee. Preferred to save the lives of the crew of the ships he sank rather than killing them off along with their ship. Highly respected man by both allied an axis men who knew him.
Actually, this movie tones down the crime committed by the Americans a lot. In the real incident they knew the sub was transporting both civilians and Allied servicemen, in the movie it's made too look as if it was a misunderstanding. Also, in the real incident they strafed the shipwrecked people with machine guns, and killed many of them. Not shown in the movie.
@@daleburrell6273 - Yeah ...those two became the best of pals decades after the war was over. For those who don't know the story, Stigler was a Me-109 pilot and Brown flew a Flying Fortress . The B-17 resulted heavily damaged after a bombing raid, and when Stigler got close to it and about to shoot it down, he saw Brown looking at him with a desperate look in his eyes. The German felt sorry for him, and instead of shooting it down he escorted the B-17 till it was near its base and left.
Thx for great movie & upload ! 👍 👍
What I get is that everything was going well and then the Americans showed up.
I bet Thomas Kretschmann must have lost track of all the roles he's plated in a German WW2 uniform by now
Also I just want to point out that Hilda was wrong about Hartenstein’s rank, as historically at this point, he was already a Korvettenkapitän which was why Hartenstenstein’s crew referred to him as ‘kapitän’ as opposed to ‘kaleun’.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE GERMAN NAVY- BUT IN THE U.S. NAVY, IT'S CUSTOMARY TO ADDRESS THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF A NAVAL CRAFT AS: "CAPTAIN"- REGARDLESS OF THEIR RANK-(!)
@@daleburrell6273 to my knowledge, the Kriegsmarine was similar, but they call the CO ‘Kommandant’ which roughly means ‘Commander’ in German (please German speakers, feel free to correct me🤗) so Hilda was technically right earlier on when she referred to Hartenstein as ‘Commander’ which is a nice touch by the writers (if it was intentional) as she came from Germany and got the military etiquettes wrong.
Anyway, ‘Kapitän’ is seen more of a rank as opposed to a title (at least in this time period) so touching back to Hilda’s misappropriation of the military etiquette, I think she’s trying to pin Hartenstein’s rank in the English speaking equivalent of ‘Korvettenkapitän’ which is ‘lieutenant commander’ but she instead decided to literally translate ‘lieutenant commander’ as ‘Kapitänleutnant’ which is correct grammatically but is actually wrong in this case🤗.
@@mazdoctorxd ...LET'S NOT GET BOGGED DOWN IN TECHNICALITIES-!!!
@@daleburrell6273 😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@daleburrell6273 also, why do you write in capitals?
Good movie,people forget all the Germans weren't Nazis.,some of them were just men in war
We had some bad guys also.Boming a ship w/a red cross is just bad. The movie showed just that.Again,great movie
@@vinniek2271 Over eager, inexperienced airmen with orders from above them to attack anyway, and they were still grilled and imprisoned, dismissed afterward for making a sub kill claim on such an incident
Really good movie and history lesson. Makes one think what if it were me would i have done the same............ yes !!!!!
Thank you for both.
I'm glad you enjoyed it.
A heartbreaking movie. 🇬🇧💔🇩🇪
Damn good movie, thanks uploader ;)
There was a Class 40 locomotive named 'Laconia' that often worked my area as a Signalman in the good old B.R years. It is hard to thin of anyone Naming the characterless multiple units they have now.
When the B-24 begins its strafing pass at the submarine, the German Commander yells "Don't man the guns !" to show the Americans he is on a rescue mission...but the British officer on the sub deck urges the German sailors "Fire at them !...Fire at the fuckers !" LOL...Oddities of the war.
EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO DEFEND THEMSELVES!!!
I HONESTLY THINK THAT IF I HAD BEEN ONE OF THE SURVIVORS ON THAT U-BOAT- I WOULD HAVE MANNED ONE OF THOSE GUNS MYSELF, AND I'D HAVE BLASTED THE HELL OUT OF THAT B-24...AND I'M AN AMERICAN!!!
...THE STUPID EVIL BASTARDS-(!)
Another interesting part not shown in the film. The first three bombing runs the trigger to drop the bombs "malfunctioned". It wasn't until the captain of the plane told the bombardier if the bombardier didn't drop the bombs he (the captain) would come back there and shoot him and drop the bombs himself. Then on the fourth run the trigger miraculously worked.
The official story is that the trigger malfunctioned the first three runs. I think it is fairly obvious the bombardier didn't want to drop the bombs.
@@daleburrell6273 - I understand your feelings...When I learned of this the first time it also made me mad as hell, but then I tried to put myself in that plane captain's shoes and thought :"The poor asshole didn't have time to think it twice the moment he spotted the sub...He had orders to sink any enemy ship he sighted and he had to obey orders or he'd be put in front of a firing squad.." So...bombs away ! He probably spent the rest of his life with the ever present remorse of that action ...
@@BrettonFerguson- God bless that good man and his compassion for the castaways.
@@pedrolistacarey4880 ...LET'S REMEMBER THAT IT WAS BECAUSE OF THAT SUBMARINE CAPTAIN- THAT THOSE PEOPLE WERE IN TROUBLE- AND SOME OF THEM WERE EVEN DEAD-(!)
BUT THAT WAS WAR
one of the great movies...............
Another good movie I never heard of before
A good movie, Interesting.
As a former navigational officer 1 of the things I've learned,is when war is declared is there's always huge sacrifice losses & both sides & experience 💀 Now to this movie i say Bravo Zulu ⚓
A bloody good film. Well done!!!
Very moving picture. Especially for me knowing that my dear father at any point could have met the same fate. He sailed the same waters at the same time that U boats prowled as a U.S. Merchant Marine 🇺🇸 in three theaters and never had to suffer the fate of those poor souls. War is horrible. God bless the people of Ukraine . Please make them stronger ❤️❤️🩹💔
Thank you for that amazing movie! Very touching!
Germany and UK = friends now and friends forever 💙
At the 45 minute mark the young British soldier, Harry Town is Played by the actor who played Dolores Ed In Game of Thrones, who was John Snow's good friend at Castle, Black. Lots of good actors in this movie I'm surprised I've never seen it advertised before.
The actor who plays McDermott is the same actor who played one of the engineers in the titanic documentary/movie About the engineers who kept Titanic power and lights on until she sank.
Great actor I wish he was in more.
Superb.
That ending really bummed me out.. the fate of that poor crew after all of that :(
True honor and courage
Terrific production very well acted. How did the account of this become public after the war or has it been deliberately suppressed for man years.
The British Civilians who survived spoke out about it after the war. Still it had been suppressed, especially in the United States.
Baie dankie/ Merci Beaucoup/ Sehr Danke Fredireich Grossmith, Bretton Fergusson and BBC for this movie. I was about 5 yrs ago that I have heard about the Loconia-incident. I was before I know of YT. The English killing of Italian POW. It also happened in the South African War (1899-1902) the English War Party killed a German Preacher in the Transvaal. (There is movie over it and the Australians was blamed..) What stand out. Germany and Italy was dictatorships. Why did the English-speaking people kept quite about this! As I understand this story was well known in the Italy, but not the rest of the World. (Language!) Shame on you the English speaking people who known about this and keep quite! Thanx Bretton. Ps. The American soldiers/ airman? They had to act on as things unfold. Not being told to help. What happened to Werner Hartenstein? Did the post-war German Government do?
Werner Hartenstein died before the war ended. His U-boat was sunk with the entire crew killed. I think in 1944.
Mark Felton made a good Documentary recently
ua-cam.com/video/nW_CG75P7hQ/v-deo.html&lc=Ugy5syqb9PcrKNs6-6B4AaABAg.98AIv9Jutd698AyDd7CCAG
VERY GOOD Movie, so believable . Dont know why Brian Cox had such a small part .
great honor for that u boat commander
Very good film.
It is nice to see that decent people are appreciated.
really good movie and true story about humanity
Great film, I wonder if the blonde lady who turned out to be a German was a real character or if she was added for dramatic purposes
Andrew Martone she was real.
No, they threw her in for the ‘remember though, nazis are bad’ portion of the story...can’t have a story set in WWII without that reminder, cuz we’d forget or something...🤔
Bloody great movie
I wish to point out that the RN sent an 'In the Open' message that the Italians were to send a 'Hospital Ship' to pick up those that were in the water after the battle and that IT would not be hindered, then why was the message for the allies to rescue those from the Laconia declared to be a 'RUSE' and allow the B-24 sent to 'Look for the Laconia' to be ordered to attack the sub when the air crew could see it was covered with victims saved from drowning and then give the crew medals for what a real thinking adult would NOT have done. 'Military Intelligence' is most truly an 'OXYMORON', with a very heavy inference on MORONIC. I saluted the Capt. and his crew for doing the right thing.
Una excelente historia sobre este hecho que sucedió con el Laconía y el ejemplar comportamiento de este capitán germano con sus naúfragos.
Funny, the main thing they totally missed on is all the cigarettes with filters. That was a new-fangled thing, and some of them were cork. It's a thing you can see in movies made during the war. Most all cigarettes back then were unfiltered.
Can someone tell me what the classical music Kvtkpt. Hartenstein was playing before switching to the jazz music from the beginning of part 1?
Beethoven‘s 7th symphony, 2nd movement. also the background music in the decisive speech in „the King‘s speech“.
@@TheColinChapman oh yeah... thank you!
1:08:52 when the crew awarded Hartenstein the wooden Iron Cross
...I UNDERSTAND THAT THE KNIGHT'S CROSS WAS MADE OUT OF PRECIOUS METALS-!!!
Know nothing about boats/ships and less about navigation, given the era, once they were put off into the lifeboats and told to remain in place for the Vichy French ship on the way, what are the chances they really would have been found? I mean I assume they would drift but how far and would rescue ships be able to find them?
Not good. That is why when the one dad was forced off the uboat and back into the lifeboat, he was freaking out and said "I'm going to die." Captain Hartenstein replied "I know."
@@BrettonFerguson That was one of the world shittiest dads.
Of course, the Captain knew and told them that the Gloire was on its way, I think he was just disgusted with Shitty Dad.
One word to describe this film; inspirational, particularly the unselfish act of the Captain. Is there a book published about the events that transpired? I hope it will be transparent and unbiased. Thanks for sharing this.
There are books about it. Just search Laconia Incident Books. I haven't read them so I don't know if they are biased.
It's so sad that all of those men would die before the wars end.
a great and important film
Sinking the ship in the first place
Did aggravate the situation
Maybe the humanitarian way
Would be to avoid it!
You're a genius, but it's always the other side who should have done things differently. Not maybe England shouldn't have declared war on Germany.
Sickening. Reported survivors on a u-boat. Americans: "Fuck the survivors, sink it anyway." Sickening. This is why all Germans, even Nazis, aren't pure monsters. Being in the party didn't mean everyone is a mass murderer. War is shades of gray, not pure black and white.
Respect thy enemy, and help survivors. NO DISCUSSION!
They can more than clearly see there are way too many people on the U-boat, but this shows they didn't even give a shit about it, they didn't even tell command about it. SICKENING!
All they wanted was to sink the u-boat, and they even fired ON THE LIFEBOATS, fully aware of the people in them - non-combatants. Sure, some or many thought "Oh, it must be a trap!", but not all of them. And if they died, the blame could be shifted onto Germany, which they tried to do, repeatedly. Didn't work, the news got out to the public during the war, and was highlighter post-war several times, putting Germany in a better light, and moving the black cloud of blame where it belonged - ON THE DAMNED ALLIES, where it belongs.
ALL SIDES commit war crimes. All sides lie. All sides have propaganda. Being the victors shouldn't negate the crimes - and in the end, the Allies did far more war crimes compared to Germany.
...AW, BULLSHIT-!!! THE ALLIES HAD AN AWFUL LONG WAY TO STOOP BEFORE THEY'D HAVE BEEN EVEN HALF AS BAD AS NAZI GERMANY!!!
AND WHO STARTED THAT GODDAM WAR IN EUROPE, ANYWAY?!!!
IF HITLER HADN'T HAD ATTACKED POLAND- NONE OF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!!!
This was a great movie.
Great war drama loved it
What did my eyeballs just see?
Great movie
The scene where the lady talks about losing her daughter and her husband, totally bummed me out.
I haven't watched this in awhile. But I think at the end when the French ship is picking up survivors from different groups of lifeboats scattered around, I think they pick up a group of survivors and one of them is her daughter. I could be mistaken and thinking of a different person who thought their family member were dead.
Yes Part 2 @1:17:48 She is kneeling on the deck of the French ship and you hear a voice "Mother...mother..." and it is her daughter she was convinced had died the entire time.
They should have played Gene Autry's song "Back in the saddle again" on the U-boat's gramophone.
I hope the Snr American officer rots where he belongs, along with the 'Gung Hoe' in the Liberator, who just wanted to blast away at anything - they was unforgivable. No wonder Donitz forbade any further rescue attempts like that. My hat off, to the U-Boat Commander and crew.. And Donitz supported the rescue efforts against the wish of Hitler. The two saddest things about the whole affair, is the two children who became orphans, And the fact that all future rescues were forbidden, and the war at Sea became harsher. all because of that s**t on Ascension Island.
17:58 The officer says "We are all in this together" which is the current catchrcy for the Coronavirus Pandemic, Who would've known 78 years before they were saying the same thing during WW2..
cap. Robert Richardson ordered the b24 to attack - despite the fact he was informed in detail of the circumstances. he knew that u156 and the other u boats was rescuing survivers from Laconia. he knew there were allied personnel and civilians (including women and children) there. and he still ordered the attack. and he went on to have a long and successful career
crew of the b24 who acted on Richardson's orders were all decorated for sinking u156 - which they didn't. instead they only killed srvivers rescued by u156
how was that pilot not charged for his crimes?
Because America won the war. If America had lost he likely would have hung. Along with a lot of other Americans, English, and Soviets.
Love how the USAAF bombed clearly marked red cross flying uboats
So was u156 captain killed when his boat was sunk or did he take that staff position with admiral doinitz
He was killed when his u-boat was sunk. I heard the people who sunk him reported seeing 13 survivors get into an inflatable lifeboat. However even if this was accurate and some did get out of the sub, none made it to land.
Hermosa pelicula.👍👍👍👍👍