Das Boot: The Boat [Paperback]

Lothar-Günther Buchheim (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2007 | Series: Cassell Military Paperbacks

The thrilling wartime novel that inspired Wolfgang Petersen's Academy Award-nominated, blockbuster film! Written by an actual survivor of Germany's U-boat fleet, Das Boot is one of the most exciting stories of naval warfare ever published, a tale filled with almost unbearable tension and suspense. In autumn 1941, a German U-boat commander and his crew set out on yet another hazardous patrol in the Battle of the Atlantic. Over the coming weeks they brave the ocean's stormy waters and seek out British supply ships to destroy. But their targets travel in well-guarded convoys. When contact finally occurs, the hunter quickly becomes the hunted, and a cat-and-mouse game begins as the U-boat hides deep beneath the surface of the sea. Soon, claustrophobia becomes an enemy almost as frightening as the depth charges exploding around them. The release of this supremely gripping, merciless intense story commemorates the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lothar-Gunther Buchheim was born in 1918 and grew up in Saxony. When the war broke out he joined the navy and served on mine-sweepers, destroyers and submarines, on the last as an official navy correspondent.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Cassell (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304352314
• ISBN-13: 978-0304352319
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.3 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #262,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A salute to those brave, brave men! November 21, 2003

By Matthew James

Format:Paperback

Lother-Guenther Buchheim has provided us with a unique insight into an aspect of the Second World War that has been highly misrepresented in the modern "Hollywood" film industry. Disasters such as U-571 have unfortunately reached our screens, and as such, cloud our perspective as to how the Battle of the Atlantic was truly fought by men on both sides. The Germans are *always* the brutal bunglers given nothing but bad press, well, read this book and that view goes out the window along with the rest of the trash! These are ordinary men, from various backgrounds, called upon by their nation to serve in a time of war. As sailors in arguably the most dangerous naval profession (of the 40,000 servicemen who entered the U-Boat Arm, 30,000 became casualties) they are more than worthy of such a deep, thought-provoking appraisal. One cannot avoid sympathising with the crew as they toil through hostile waters on a hazardous voyage.

The book is technically a novel, but it is by no means a work of fiction. The author served as a naval war correspondant to the Kriegsmarine in the war, and this book is his recollection and interpretation of his own experiences. Although the characters are fictional, the experiences described are not.

I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in military history, especially if you wish to experience the war as the "other side" saw it. In effect, no different to ourselves.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Paragon of its Kind January 12, 2004

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Das Boot is a must-read for anyone remotely interested in sub warfare, WWII, or--most importantly--the psychological impact of war on men. With meticulous detail and great pacing, Buchheim does a superb job transporting you to one of Dönitz's "iron coffins," where life was cramped, dirty, fearful, and usually very short. Be sure to check out the acclaimed film adaptation, too; it's one of the very best war movies.

(Note: I read this book in the original German, so I can't comment on this particular translation.)

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Fact-Based Fiction August 31, 2009

By WryGuy2 TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As others have noted, the book's author Lothar-Gunther Bucheim served on a U-Boat in World War II as a naval correspondent, and he notes in his introduction that while the characters in the book are fictional, all of the events that happen are based in reality. As such, he is able to describe what it was like to actually serve on a submarine in World War II ... the long periods of sheer boredom, the close quarters, squalid living conditions, personality conflicts, and fleeting periods of excitement and sheer terror ... much better than either an actual sub commander's memoirs or a work of pure fiction written by someone who didn't really serve on a submarine. He is able to give the real flavor of U-Boat service as part of a coherent, entertaining story. That is not meant as any disrespect or lessening of historical appreciation to any of the wonderful memoir's written by submariners on all sides, but as a work of fiction, Herr Bucheim is able to focus on just one cruise and provide a true feel for what it was like to be there, from the common seaman to the commander.

While Das Boot is a terrific book, that's not to say that I don't find a a few nits. Set in fall of 1941, the characters seem to be much more cynical and war-weary at that point in time, in my opinion, than would seem warranted. In 1941, it still appeared that the Nazi's might win World War II, although perhaps not at sea. The tone seems more appropriate for 1943 or later, when the Allies had taken full measure of the U-boat threat and began sinking them in such quantities that Admiral Doenitz was forced to pull them from the Atlantic for a period of time. Also, while the book intentionally mirrors the pace of the submariner's life while on patrol, the boredom, and in another instance, exposure to a month-long Atlantic storm, go on for too many pages.

However, the nits are just that ... minor nits, and in the whole, I'd strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in what it was like to live as the hunter ... and hunted ... on a submarine.