Original subtitles

Flooding!

Flooding!

140 metres!

Seal everything off!

Quick! Quick!

We need to seal it up!

It's not working!

Where are the escape sets?

Come on, come on.

Another pattern, sir?

We got him. I know it.

Make sure McCoy and the four-inchers are standing by.

Boat sinking!

190 metres.

- Report damage to chief engineer! - 220 metres!

230 metres.

Give the order, Lieutenant.

- Blow tanks! - Blow tanks!

Dead slow, dead slow!

Still holding it?

Hasn't let go since the hunt began.

Enemy submarine surfacing!

Red 355!

Range 3,000 yards!

Heave to full stop! We've got them.

- Let them have it! - Red 355, engage. Open fire!

Sir?

It's a white flag, sir.

Sir, that's not how we do it.

We should at least salvage codes, decryption devices.

- Check, check! - Stop loading! Stop loading!

You're coming with me to receive the surrender!

It's against standing orders.

Oh, you need to see inside the belly of the beast.

Lieutenant Walsh can hold the fort.

Have mercy, please!

Have mercy.

- Well played, Captain. - Decrypting machine?

With my first man.

Overboard.

You win, but not everything.

Sir!

I now surrender myself and my men,

to your care.

That's how I do it, Number One.

Right.

Let's go blow this thing to kingdom come.

What about the survivors?

Do you want total war?

Yes!

Do you want it, if necessary, more total and radical

than anything

that we can even conceive of today?

Yes!

- Here. - Thank you.

THE ANCHOR

Hello.

Who are you?

Is this your boat?

Yes.

It sure is old.

Can you still go out in it?

- Well, I'm working on that. - Fanny!

Fanny Nussmeier!

You heard, your mother is calling you.

Can I go on it when you're done?

Fine by me.

But don't say we can't.

Because of the war or whatever. You have to promise!

Come on now, go to her.

That's just how you are.

"Düsseldorf News"! Get your paper!

Reich Minister Goebbels' speech! Hot off the press! Get your paper!

Reich Minister Goebbels' speech!

"Düsseldorf News"!

New edition!

I'm late. Sorry.

What's wrong? Do you want to eat today or not?

- Yes. - The brown suit.

Next to the paper boy.

Are you sure?

Go on.

"Düsseldorf News"! New edition! Minister Goebbels' speech!

Go!

Reich Minister Goebbels' speech! Hot off the press!

Do you have a mark?

- Sadly not. - Please, sir!

- Out of my way. - Please, I'm hungry.

The poor boy.

Come on, get up. Get up!

You shoved him, I saw it! Police!

- Police! - I didn't. He fell.

Up you get, boy.

Come on.

Hey. Hey, stop!

- Hey! - Police!

Stop there!

Damn coppers!

Well?

What do we have here?

Father?

Mother?

Living on the street since the air raid?

Yes.

So four months on the street, the entire winter?

And you?

I had no home to lose.

I sure was lucky, wasn't I?

Pickpocketing, resisting arrest, no ID.

You'd have got labour service for that earlier, now it's work camp.

So what? I can escape from anywhere.

No one gets out of Moringen.

You'll be castrated at 18 so no one inherits your criminal genes.

And then...

you'll be put in a real camp, for adults.

But I have orders to ignore petty crimes,

if offenders volunteer to join the military.

Either balls off or get sent to Russia?

- I heard it's hell. - Who said?

- You hear stuff out there. - You shouldn't repeat that.

There are other service branches.

The Navy.

U-boats.

- They need men. - U-boats?

- Do you get fed? - And a bed and pay.

Before you croak, Harri.

There's one problem.

You have to be 17.

Then why are you telling us this?

Without papers you'll need someone to vouch for you being 17.

Me, for example.

What do you want in exchange? You always want something.

I want to give you a chance.

A chance to make something of yourselves.

So...

How old are you?

17.

Your declaration form.

Sign here.

Pauli.

You're scum! A disgrace to the Fatherland!

You have no business in the Wehrmacht!

But our generous Führer is giving you another chance.

Only the best become U-boat soldiers!

Only the strongest, the smartest.

The obedient. Everyone else goes to Russia.

Oh, shit!

What did you say, you piece of shit?

- How much further, sir? - Until you can't.

And another five kilometres!

It's as bad as a work camp. Barbed wire, guards, arseholes.

- And running till you drop. - This is better.

We still have a chance, and our balls.

You can't trust them! Child molesting bobby or this guy!

They all lie, and they need men.

So?

Haven't you ever really wanted something different or better?

What for? I won't get it anyway! You either, with your asthma.

- You'll be sent off to Russia first. - No.

I'll be a U-boat man.

What about leaving no one behind?

If you're going to be one, so am I. Got that?

Bollocks to it all.

I'll rip you a new one! You'll shit out of your spine!

Move, move, move!

Robert Ehrenberg.

Rudi.

Finally a familiar face.

Unlike all these wimps.

Welcome home. Come on.

I have to introduce you to someone.

Look, those are our seats.

Gentlemen, may I introduce you?

Sub-Lieutenant Buchner, my new Commanding Officer.

Sub-Lieutenant Ehrenberg.

He'll oversee the launch of our new boat.

It's an honour to work with you, Lieutenant.

I'm certain I'll learn a lot from you.

This is Sub-Lieutenant Erdmann, my First Watch Officer on U-949.

I'm sure we'll be a big happy family.

I think so too.

Are you ready, Dad?

It's very important to Albrecht that we're on time.

Shall I help you?

I'll manage.

There.

Albrecht really appreciates you coming.

But you have to promise if it's too much...

It won't be too much for me.

I have to learn to see to myself again.

Or you'll have to take care of me till the end.

Oh.

Now.

Come on.

You're the old captain again, Wilhelm.

You look wonderful, darling.

How is he?

He hasn't mentioned Klaus in hours.

- That's good. - Yes.

Wilhelm.

Politically this is a very important evening for me.

Thank you.

Albrecht.

Don't forget our agreement.

I won't.

He only made CO because his family toes the party line.

You don't, Robert.

Still, you've got that nice little post on land.

What happened on your last mission?

Well, no matter.

You did us all a huge favour,

getting Ulrich Wrangel off our backs.

He was the filthiest bastard to ever board a U-boat.

How was he snuffed out?

Enemy fire? Huh?

I hope he suffered long and wretchedly.

Heil Hitler.

- Heil Hitler. - Heil Hitler.

Who's the new guy?

Lieutenant Commander Schulz, Albrecht's deputy.

Please.

Albrecht said Dönitz himself assigned his staff.

Albrecht won't have been happy about that.

Schulz holds the record for the longest mission ever.

How long one is means nothing.

That's true.

German naval officers,

dearest guests,

it is a great honour

to welcome Commodore Ido of the Imperial Japanese Navy in Kiel

at the German Baltic Sea Naval Base.

This is the start of new, even closer collaboration

with our allies.

To expedite final victory over our enemies

we have signed a treaty

to share important resources and technology.

Commodore Ido.

Captain Lessing,

it is a great honour

to be here at the headquarters of the German Navy.

But the greatest honour

is meeting Captain Wilhelm Hoffmann in person.

Every Japanese sailor must read his book "Don't Fear the Depths".

They say Hoffmann hasn't been the same

since he lost his son.

Hey, Robert, you were on that mission too.

You seem to have a knack for losing your Commanding Officers.

And still you get that post.

Waiter!

300 new U-boats.

And 40,000 new U-boat men.

What my deputy's trying to say is

that now that Mr Dönitz has taken over

and Berlin has realised how important the U-boat war is...

I'm certain Captain Lessing is well aware

that the Führer has always known that.

With the additional U-boats we will destroy enemy supply lines.

I see.

Where will they get materials and men?

The Ministry of Armaments has pledged them to us,

the materials needed to build U-boats.

Iron ore, tungsten.

And we can always find new men.

And our arrangement will help us obtain the necessary raw materials.

I hope the German Navy hasn't sold our best silver to do that.

It's time to take Wilhelm home.

Minister Goebbels total war doctrine is the right answer

to the Allies' arrogant declaration

that they would only accept Germany's unconditional surrender.

Commodore Ido believes

that demand is good for Germany.

Right.

Why?

No chance for cowards to negotiate surrender.

Honourable war to death.

- Kampai. - Kampai.

Kampai.

Yes, Number One.

Mick. He's already here, sir.

- Mercer's taking care of him. - Let him.

He enjoys that sort of thing

Sir?

I'm coming.

I'm coming.

Commissioned Warrant Officer McCoy, gunnery.

Lieutenant Walsh, ASDIC and radar officer.

Commodore Francombe.

- And... - Commander Swinburne.

- Your visit surprised me, sir. - It's unofficial.

I wanted to greet the returning hero in person.

- Sinking one U-boat is hardly... - Your modesty is admirable.

But we need anything we can get at this stage.

Many individual victories such as this will win this war.

That's why I've recommended you for DSC.

You're all invited for tea at Western Approaches laid on by the Wrens.

They tell me there'll be cake and music.

- Unfortunately I shan't be able... - Of course.

We were all very sorry to hear.

Aye aye, Captain!

Jack.

It's you.

Why did you knock?

I, er... didn't want to surprise you.

It's good to see you.

You didn't surprise me. I heard the convoy was in.

I stayed home from work. I'll make you tea.

Oh, no. I don't want tea.

I talked to Father Madden about the service.

The church was bombed last months, so...

he said we could hold it here.

Dan, Jack, your son. For God's sake!

Of course.

I suppose I was thinking...

After six weeks...

I waited for you.

Although I know you don't hold with any of that.

God knows. Nor do I, not much.

I just thought it might offer me some...

us some solace.

The world keeps turning, Jack.

Yeah, of course. Of course. Sorry.

Thank you.

I'll make that tea.

What are you trying to do? Do a better job!

Yes, sir, Lieutenant, we will.

Can you repair it?

I'm an engineer, not a lens grinder.

We need to send it to Zeiss, but that'll take over a month.

- We'll have to delay tests at sea. - But the crew arrives next week.

They'll have to peel potatoes. Nothing doing without a periscope.

- May I? - Please do.

- There's another option. - Which is?

To improvise.

But there's a golden rule. Don't tell your superior.

Where are you going with that?

I'm making sure the boat is seaworthy and battle ready.

It'll work out.

Not bad for a criminal.

We'll put you on the diving plane.

- A good place to learn the trade. - What trade?

The next step is fireman, and perhaps someday engineer.

U-BOAT TRAINING DIVISION NEUSTADT

BACHMANN OPTICS

Mr Bachmann?

Coming.

May I help you?

Pardon me. I'm looking for Mr. Bachmann.

I'm sorry, Mr. Bachmann passed away in October.

- Then pardon the interruption. - Is it about glasses?

A periscope. He knew about them.

- We spoke about it once. - I'm his daughter.

Perhaps I can help you.

Come along.

You don't wear glasses?

- How did you know Father? - My son did.

Your father said he'd worked for Zeiss.

In the Great War.

He built lots of optical instruments, for the old U-boats.

And did he teach you?

He taught me how to finish lenses for glasses.

So I could help him out.

I was still a child.

But it's the same principle.

A lens has to focus on the focal point of the next lens.

One that's this scratched up needs grinding.

Or everything is blurry.

That was you, wasn't it?

You were swimming.

My only escape.

You're the captain of the ship?

You spoke to my daughter.

It's fine now.

Right.

Done.

Like new.

What do I owe you?

It's my contribution to the Fatherland.

- Thanks. - My pleasure.

If I'm on the boat you can send your daughter to me.

She can help me while you swim.

That's very nice. And your son?

He and Fanny could play together.

He's dead.

Pardon me, I have to go now.

You're good enough for the navy, but not for an U-boat

until you've passed escape set training.

You dive to the bottom of the tank with an escape set.

Then you take a deep breath,

take off the set, fold it and put it in the container.

But, attention!

It's dark down there.

Then you swim to the other side of the tank.

There's a pile of coins there.

Grab one, get the set, put it on and surface slowly.

Why do you have to surface slowly? It's only 12 metres.

But decompression happens at that depth too.

Dive in pairs.

Training Officer Weber wants to see how you work together.

On a U-boat you have to rely on each other.

If one of you doesn't follow orders and comes up coinless, you both fail.

Coin?

Change and pack up. Report to headquarters.

You'll be redeployed to a battleship.

Next up. You two.

I'll go with someone else, sir. He needs a sec to catch his breath.

No one gets a sec here.

Harri.

Let's see if our sewer rats can dive.

Change and pack your things. Next!

But we got the coins.

You lost the escape set.

You didn't say we had to bring it back up.

- Sir... - I said pack up.

Pauli saved my life. I lost my escape set.

He should pass.

There's no second chance on a U-boat.

That's that.

Next.

But we're not on an U-boat.

Not yet.

He's right, Petty Officer, sir.

You need men.

40,000, including sewer rats.

All of you...

Pack your things!

Petty Officer, may I have a word.

Your pills.

Stop babying me all the time.

I can manage just fine.

A parcel has arrived from Lorient.

I have a Women's League meeting.

WAR DIARY U-612

Klaus.

Your passport, please. Thanks. Passport.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

Welcome to Portugal, Senhor Giese.

Subtitles: © 2022 VSI Berlin GmbH