U-Boote westwärts! (1941)

U-boats Westward!

(DOWNLOAD THE FILM)

Directed by: Günther Rittau

Written by: Georg Zoch

Starring: Herbert Wilk

Music by: Harald Böhmelt

Cinematography: Igor Oberberg

Edited by: Johanna Meisel

Distributed by: UFA

Release date: 9 May 1941

Running time: 98 minutes

Country: National-Socialist Germany

Language: German

Starring:

Herbert Wilk: Kapitänleutnant Hoffmeister

Heinz Engelmann: Olt. zur See Wiegand

Joachim Brennecke: Lt. zur See v. Benedict

Ernst Wilhelm Borchert: Olt. Griesbach

Karl John: Matr. Ob. Gefr. Drewitz

Clemens Hasse: Masch.-Maat Sonntag

Ilse Werner: Irene Winterfeld

Admiral Karl Dönitz: himself

U-Boote westwärts! (in English: U-boats Westward!) is a 1941 German war film promoting the Kriegsmarine. It concerns a U-boat mission in the Battle of the Atlantic and was produced by UFA. The U-boat used for the film was U-123, which would later play a major role in Operation Drumbeat.

Plot:

The film opens aboard a U-boat as it returns from a mission. It then follows the crew onshore the day before they ship off for their next mission–meeting their family and sweethearts, spending a last night at a club, and so forth. Then they ship off, soon sighting and boarding a Dutch merchant ship, which they inspect for contraband. The boarding of the ship is shown being done professionally and in a non-confrontational manner. While they are aboard the Dutch ship, a Royal Navy ship spots them and tries to torpedo them, but the U-boat ends up sinking it.