"* Einen bessern findst du nicht" "* Die Trommel schlug zum Streite" "* Er ging an meiner Seite" "* In gleichem Schritt und Tritt" "* In gleichem Schritt und Tritt" "* Kann dir die Hand nicht geben" "* Bleib du im ew'gen Leben" "* Mein guter Kamerad" "And in breach of a pact of non-aggression..." "Whose birthday is it today?" "It's Mummy's birthday." "My birthday!" "Happy birthday." "Here." "Well, go on, then." "One, two, three..." "Look at all the smoke!" " You have missed the boat, madam." " No." "I've just seen the boat." " But you have missed it, madam." " That's ridiculous." " Regulations." " Sir, please." "We were just shutting up shop, I'm afraid." "In fact, we have shut up shop." "I only want some sugar and tea." "I hope you have your ration book and Co-op number, in triplicate." "Come on." " Boy or a girl?" " Girl." " Passport, madam." " It's in the suitcase somewhere." "Feel free to open it." " Is she good?" " I'm very lucky." "She wakes up in the morning with a smile on her face and it stays there all day." "Despite everything." "Yes, despite everything." "I've got two girls at home." "Bit older than..." " ella." " Lovely name." "Well, you are now free to board the Laconia." "Bound for Liverpool." " Mrs...?" " Smith." "Hilda Smith." " And you are?" " Thomas Mortimer." "Junior Third Officer Mortimer." "Not a bad day for it." "Penny for them, Captain?" "Penny is too much." "What have we done to deserve this?" "1800 bloody Italians locked in the hold." "AII those Polish Iumberjacks looking after them." "They won't want bread and jam." "Not only that." "We know the reason they're here." "Ballast." "For the journey back." "I've said it before and I'II say it again." "This ship was created for the rich, the idle, pink gins and sunsets over Sorrento." "And so was I." "Oh, well." "I suppose it's better than a dinghy from Doha in the dead of night." " Do you think they'II have staff?" " Oh, Mother, it could be so much worse." "Those poor boys." " Look." "There's one." " One what?" "A boxer." "Tough bastards, the Poles." "Hey!" "There's another one." "I can always tell a boxer, you know." "Just by the way they walk, hold themselves,... and hit people." "Hey." "Hey, hey." "Here comes the cream." "You might consider your late father's views on foreigners, Sarah." "She'II look back, Billy." "Bet she will." "Told you." " How long have you known the Captain?" " Trained together." "He was my best man, I was his." "My answer to your next question is yes." "He's a worrier, a botherer, always has been." "If he was religious, he'd never be off his knees." " But is he lucky?" " Oh, no." "Good God, no." "I take it you know what happened to our last ship?" "Best say your prayers." "Meine Herren." "Restez la, jolie." "Restez la." "Kein Moos ansetzen hier." "Das geht mir viel zu langsam!" "Jetzt mal, die Frischlinge, angetreten!" "Practice round!" " Load!" " Load 1,500 yards!" "T arget!" "Coutts." "Captain Benjamin Coutts at your service." "Thomas Mortimer." "Junior Third Officer." " So what do you think?" " Honestly?" "I've seen worse-protected ships but mainly in books on military history." "Basically, your guns are rather similar to my father." "A relic of the Great War." " Sir, it's..." " Back on duty, Townes, now," "No, I've got a toothache, sir." "It's my wisdom tooth." " Unlikely, Townes, in your case." " I've got a dicky..." "No, you haven't." "You haven't." "Back on the guns, now." "* Rock-a-bye baby, on the treetop" "* When the wind blows, the cradle will rock" "* When the bough breaks" "* The cradle will fall" "* Down will come baby, cradle and all." "Dear God, the stories we tell our children." "I have to say, I've told mine those stories too." "And do you know what?" "They laughed." "We come in peace, bearing sweets." "Just please don't ask me to hold her." "She's five months old." "I Iove children." "Especially when Kodak are involved and they come in black and white and four by three and sealed in an envelope." " You have a beautiful voice." " She certainly has." "Laura Ferguson, by the way." "Hilda Smith." "We have a problem, sir." "I think you need to come." "There the enemy go again, Mortimer." "Right, then, Hilda Smith, what shall we do?" "Now, tell me, do you play cards at all?" "Gin rummy?" "Canasta?" "Oh, poker?" "Snap." "Snap?" "Here." " Can you help me?" " I can't hear you." "Hi." "I'm Vincenzo Di Giovanni." "As you can tell, it is the great fear of the men that we are here, held captive, beneath the waterline, by these brutal bastards." "Many of our own men work beneath the waterline too." "No one here can really be called safe." "Ah, well done, Mortimer." "Peace in our time, eh?" "please, we vomit and wash in buckets of sea water." "We have less privacy than a pig in a pen." "I'm sure something can be arranged." "Soap, water." "Fresh air, too, on a short but daily basis, alright?" " Thank you." " I'II report your complaints." "Hey, do you know Billy Hardacre, the boxer, Lieutenant?" "Yes, I do." "Everybody on board knows Billy Hardacre." "He was my hero." "I saw him fight, and I'm a boxer too." "Oh, really?" "Well, I'II send Hardacre down." "And you can talk about boxing brutality, that stuff, if it makes you happy." "What are they complaining about?" "Nothing much." "Their food is shit, the Poles are bastards and the pens are disgusting, dangerous and overcrowded." " Fair enough." " You fight?" "I box." "I fight." "Ja." "I wouldn't!" "I just fuckin' wouldn't!" "The only question is, do you trust me?" "That's the only question you have to ask." " I trusted you straight away." " So?" "Most men I know would prefer dancing or drinking." "I often do." "You should see my slow waltz after several gin and tonics." "Look, I'm off duty and it's as simple as that." "I have four hours to do exactly as I want to do within reason and this is what I want to do." "It reminds me." "She reminds me." "I think you could be the kind of man that needs no reminding." "The moment she cries." "Promise me?" " And thank you." " Right." "I have three children at home, Mortimer, if you ever fancy a holiday in the Scottish Highlands." "You alright?" "The concept of love at first sight, no." "No, that will not happen to me." "Oh, snap." "The very idea that I'd walk into a room and there he'd be." "Snap again." "Oh, but it was." "It was as if..." "As if you'd known him all your life." "Snap." "That's exactly how I feel about ella's father." " Oh, he must be wonderful." " He was." "He was a wonderful man." "Brave to the point of foolishness." "I'm so sorry, Hilda." "I thought..." "I was hoping..." "What's happened to him?" " Seasick, madam." " Seasick my Highland arse!" " This young man has been beaten." " Not by me he hasn't." "I don't care if he's the bastard son of Mussolini!" "We do not behave in such a manner." "We leave that to the Germans!" "Now, wait." "Before you carry on kickin' off on me, why d'you think I'm in the merchant navy and not ducking bullets?" "Hmm?" "It's because I won't fight any more." "Hmm." "And that is the problem." "Isn't it?" "Right." "May I have the pleasure of this dance?" "Oh, dear God, Mother." "The merry widow." "May I have the pleasure of this dance, miss?" "No." "Thank you." " Do you mind, Sarah?" " No." "Oh, Captain Coutts." " It's embarrassing." " Your poor mother." " Had a good day?" " Yes, lovely." "You?" "May I?" "Shh." "Where's that little girl who wakes up with a smile on her face?" "Shh." "Have a bit of this." "OK." "alright, alright, alright." "Shh." "Shh." " Dear me." "Here comes Captain Coutts." " Has he threatened to dance with you?" "He's threatened to dance with everyone." "Now, be prepared, Hilda Smith." "The very next dance is mine." "Just think of it as your part of the war effort." "And what part of England would you be from, Mrs Smith?" "Your accent perplexes me." "I have gypsy blood, I suppose." "always been a bit of a wanderer." "Never nailed your colours to the mast?" "But you must be from somewhere." "We're all from somewhere." "I know where I'm from." "And you'd be very surprised." "Do you know Oxfordshire by any chance?" "Yes, I do, as a matter of fact." "Very well." "A mother's touch, I'm afraid." " Thank you, Mortimer." " That's alright." "Thank you so much." " I'II take her back to the cabin." " Are you alright?" "I will be." "A mother's touch indeed." "Do you know, I never heard my baby cry." " Your baby never cried?" " Oh, I cried." "For attention, mainly." "I was never there to hear you, darling." "Oh, the joy and bliss of nannies!" "That's all." "Herr Kapitan!" "Practice round!" " Load!" " Load." "For God's sake!" "Is there nothing that can be done about that damned smoke?" "Poor-quality fuel, sir." "Boiler's in desperate need of an overhaul." " It's just a fact of this..." " The war, I know." "The bloody war." "I'm going to start smoking again before this thing's over, I can tell you that." "AII together now." "One, two, three." "* My bonnie lies over the sea" "* My bonnie lies over the ocean" "* So bring back my bonnie to me" "* Last night as I lay on my pillow" "* Last night as I lay on my bed" "* Last night as I lay on my pillow" "* I dreamed that my bonnie was dead" "* Bring back, bring back" " * Oh, bring back my bonnie..." " No riff-raff, Sarah." "Achten, ob er auswandert!" "Und schickt mir Rostau auf die Brucke!" "* Bring back, bring back" "* Oh, bring back my bonnie to me." "You do know that you missed out a whole chorus and a verse, don't you?" " Father doesn't mean it." " I will never understand the English." "* Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam" "* Where the deer and the antelope play." "Er, just had an order from the Captain, Hilda." "He, er, he requires someone on stage who can hold a tune." "You..." "You mean me?" "bloody good idea!" "Mrs Smith is going to sing." "Oh, no, I couldn't." "I just couldn't." "Not in public." "But you have..." "You know you have a beautiful voice." "Oh, come on, Hilda, entertain the troops." "I would if I could." "Sing We'll Meet Again." "You'II bring the house down." "I don't know all the words to that song." "Every man, woman and child knows those words." "Tell you what." "I'II hold the baby." "It's not a Iong song, is it?" "* And the skies are not cloudy all day" "* We'll meet again" "* Don't know where, don't know when" "* But I know we'll meet again some sunny day" "* Keep smiling through" "* Just like you always do." " My mother would kill me." " Oh, come on, Sarah." "I've always hated that song." "Ja." "* Keep smiling through" "* Just like you always do" "* Till the blue skies drive those dark clouds far away." "Sir." "No." " Do you want me to?" " No." "Get him." "I'II talk to him." "* Some sunny day." "Come." "This was sent a few moments ago." "It isn't good news, is it, sir?" "No." "You might wish to sit down." "AII of them, sir?" "What kind of a world is it when German bombers can come blindly in the night and murder innocent families?" "When bullets and blood are the only currency?" "Not the kind of world I wish to live in." "If you want, you can, er..." "Erm, well, sit here." "Why don't you just stay here?" "Tell nobody, sir." "Just, er..." "Nobody is to know, sir." "Fire!" " Load!" " Load." " 1,500 yards!" " 1,500 yards." " Target!" " Target." "Fire!" " Done your rounds?" " Tinned ham and tongue tonight, sir." "Baby potatoes." " The crew menu?" " Meat pie, sir." "Meat pie?" "Hmm." "Oh, come on, James!" "Don't keep me waiting." "There's a war on!" "Jetzt gibt's ein Geballer." "Funf, vier, drei, zwei, eins." "Munich, June 1942?" "A holiday snapshot perhaps?" "Who has holidays in Germany these days, Hilda?" "Only Germans." "Mortimer." "Go on, now!" "T ake the child to the lifeboat, alright?" "Stay here." "Keep calm, everyone." "Steadily make your way out." "Follow me." "Keep calm, everyone." " Sir!" " I've ordered "abandon ship"" "and "man the lifeboats" which naturally there are not enough of." "Mortimer!" "You know what to do." "Jettison the confidential mail and the codes, but first find out what distress signals have been transmitted." "I know, your path may be somewhat blocked, but just do the best you can." "What are you doing?" "Up the stairs!" "Before you start, this isn't our fault." "The mainmast's fallen and the wireless transmitter is in bits on the deck." "We had no chance of sending an SOS." "What about an emergency set?" "We're flashing SSS signals to say we've been hit and warning of submarines." " We are doing our best, you know." " I know you are." "Mortimer." "When it's time to go, tell the bridge we'd Iike to go too." "Poor bastard." " That way!" " Charlotte!" " That way!" " Charlotte!" "Go up!" "Head for starboard!" "You stand a better chance!" "Stay on starboard!" "Starboard is that way!" " Have you seen my children?" " I'm afraid not." " They're blond, six and..." " I'm afraid I haven't seen them." "And then you'II proceed to your mustard station." "And crew members will be at hands to... to assist." "Don't panic!" "Don't panic!" "Charlotte!" "Anthony!" "Charlotte!" " What are you doing?" " They'II be in a lifeboat." " You know they're here!" " No, I don't." "Put me down!" "That is so unlucky." "There you go, sir." "Shall we chuck it in?" "We're fucked, aren't we?" "We've had it." "The ship's fucked, but we're not." "Come on." " The confidential mail?" " AII gone." "Over the side." " The men in the radio room, sir." " They're scared." "Of course they are." " Shall I go down, sir?" " No, you shan't." " Shall I man the guns, sir?" " Right, you." "Stop being a bloody hero." "You're making me ill." "You're a young man still." "And whatever's happened, there will be life after death one day." "Do you understand?" "Do you understand?" "Good." "Fine." "Sir." "SSS Laconia." "Keep the Italians out of the boats!" "Billy, help me!" "Leave him alone!" "He's one of ours!" "In fact, leave them all alone!" "Kids!" "Kids!" "This is it!" "The moment you've both been waiting for!" "OK!" "On the count of three!" "A-one." "A-two." "A-three!" "Stand back, stand back!" "Just follow me." " Thank you, Mortimer." " The baby is why." "Shh." "Shh." "Shh." "It's alright, don't worry." "Everything will be fine." "ella!" "ella!" "ella!" "ella!" "ella!" "ella!" "ella!" "ella!" "Over here!" "This way, kid, this way." "Come on!" "Keep your eyes on the boat, come on." "That's it." "Keep your eyes on the boat." "Come on." "That's it." "I've got them." "Come on." "Come on." "It'II be that bloody black smoke." "The bastards couldn't miss it." " I told you, didn't I?" " Many times." "And I said I'd start smoking again before this voyage was over." "I knew it." "Don't forget to cup your hand around the cigarette." "Don't want the enemy to see the glow." "Have you got enough there?" "Oh, I think so, somehow." "Anyone who thinks that war is somehow a good thing should be stood here tonight, George." "And what's more, I'II believe that to my dying day." "I don't know." "This war, fighting the Third Reich, Hitler, the Nazis, it's a good war, it's a good thing." "It has to be." "But only if we win it." "Uh-oh." "Oh, dear God." "Here we go." "Jawohl!" "Hey!" "Ein halbes!" "No ella?" "No." "No ella." "Oh!" "You will have to be brave for me now." "Brave." "Yes." "I need you to go to Scotland to find my husband, tell him what's happened here, to me." "I'II borrow your bravery." "You might have to be even braver if you do what I want you to do." "If you..." "I need you to..." "Of course I'II find him." "He will know about your courage and your love." "Castle Scourie." "Northwest Highlands." "Three boys." "Nine, six,... nearly five." "Zacharias." "Wendell." "Upjohn." "Family names." "My husband's family names." "Go on." "Call me sentimental." "Over here!" "This way, come on." "That's it, straight to me, come on." "Come on." "Got ya." " There's room for two inside, you know." " No." "Only one." "Sure?" "Gut." "Help me!" "please!" "What's that?" "Oh, fuck a duck." "Hey, girl, who do you think you are?" "The Last of the Mohicans?" "Do you have your captain or any senior officers on board?" "He spoke that in English!" "Did you hear that?" "No officers." "But ladies." "English ladies." "I want nothing from you." "You've already given us far, far too much." "Such bravery is highly commendable, madam, but totally stupid." "We are 644 nautical miles from the coast of West Africa." "Yes?" "Vincenzo Di Giovanni, sir." "There were 1800 of us Italian." "But there won't be any more." "And for that you can thank the Polish and some of the British too." "They had guns and they had oars and they beat us and..." "I think I get the point, young man." "Really I do." "This is very kind of you, Captain." "If you were English, you'd be a gentleman." "Germany has gentlemen too, madam." "Not recently, sir." "* My bonnie lies over the sea" "* My bonnie lies over the ocean" "* So bring back my bonnie..." "Hey!" "31 biscuits, seven bars of chocolate, a Iot of Horlicks tablets and... that's about it." "No heater." "No first-aid kit." "No oil lamp." "No compass and no axe." "Look, it's not my fault, baby face." "I mean, I was just a wine waiter." "Er, I don't suppose we've got any flares, have we?" "No, we fuckin' well haven't!" "Why don't you look for the water casks?" "And I told you, don't be looking at me as if it's my fault, pal!" "I am no pal of yours, pal." "Fucking...!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "How are you, sir?" "Welcome aboard." "I can't believe it either." "No swastikas, no Heil Hitlers, no torture, no propaganda." "And what's more..." "There's fucking brandy in this coffee." "It is popular with both men and women in Germany." "Thank you very much." "I don't suppose, erm..." "No, no, silly of me." "Cold cream, you're thinking of?" "Good Lord." "I've never met a man yet who takes care of his skin." "We have to." "Under the sea it is always, erm..." "Sweaty?" "If there is anything else you might want?" "When the, erm, our ship sank," "I'm afraid I became separated from my daughter." "If you see her when you search the sea..." "She's 18." "Very pretty." "It runs in the family." "Your clothing will be returned as soon as it is dry." "And the clothing of your children too." "These are not my children." "Er, well, er, you and the children..." "My child was a baby." "She was seven months old." "You killed her." "Well,... regrettably..." "This is war." "We..." "We can offer you some eau de Cologne." "I picked up 193 men, women and children, four degrees, 42 minutes south," "11 degrees, 26 minutes west." "German submarine." "If any ship will assist the shipwrecked Laconia crew,..." "..I will not attack her." "I will not attack her." "What?" "Do the Americans know?" "Send a car." "Hey!" "What is the German for "truth"?" "Or "deception" or "betrayal"?" " This has the aroma of a trap." " But what if it isn't a trap, sir?" "Ah, there you have it, young man." "There you have it." "cleared for take-off tomorrow." "0700 hours." "Are you certain we shouldn't tell them about the German submarine?" "No, good God, no." " Goddamn submarine!" " What action should they take?" " Fire at them!" " Fuckin' fire!" "You can board the Laconia." "This ship was created for the rich, the idle, pink gins and sunsets over Sorrento." "And so was I." "Oh, I cried." "For attention, mainly." "I was never there to hear you, darling." "This was sent a few moments ago." "What kind of a world is it when German bombers can come blindly in the night and murder innocent families?" "Not the kind of world I wish to live in." "Munich, June 1942." "A holiday snapshot, perhaps?" "Who has holidays in Germany these days, Hilda?" "Keep calm, everyone!" "Stop being a bloody hero." "Help me!" "Help me!" "If any ship will assist the shipwrecked Laconia crew," "I will not attack her." "I will not attack her." "Both sides drop bombs and fire torpedoes, madam." "War, not peace, has been declared." "Before you saw us on the horizon and trailed us into the sunset, the Laconia was carrying 2,500 souls, Commander." "Maybe half of those of whatever nationality survived your arrival." "You have, what, 200 people on board?" "And maybe the same again in the lifeboats." "But there are still 700, 800 people out there drifting desperately further and further away." "They will never see land again." "You are responsible for that, Commander." "How very strange that many of the English we have rescued have thanked my crew and myself." "What is so special about you, madam?" "Nothing." "Nothing at all." "Whomsoever you are, it's Sunday morning and I'm very tired." "What?" "What?" "What?" "Do the Americans know?" "No, no, no, no!" "Lincoln, Lincoln... just send a car!" "Oh, fuck!" "I don't know." "Charming invitation from a German U-boat commander." "If I was still at school, I'd say it was a prank." "Trying to get you in trouble with the headmaster." "Or in this case, Captain Hathaway." "Could any of this possibly be true?" "It's a Sunday morning, for God's sake." "Yes, some of it at Ieast." "A former passenger liner, the Laconia, has gone missing, carrying mainly Italian prisoners of war." "Does the Vatican know?" "Where was it again?" "Right out there, sir." "Days away." "Well, that stinks." "First of all, this has all the aroma of a trap, a ruse de guerre." "When our rescue ship gets there it's, well, I never, Io and behold, a whole wolf pack of U-boats waiting to welcome us." "But..." "But what if it isn't a trap, sir?" "Ah, but there you have it, young man, there you have it." "I mean." "let us consider for the moment that it isn't a trap." "That it is a genuine, albeit highly unlikely, act of complete humanity." "Now if we reject that plea, well, then we can be accused of the same barbaric lack of humanity that we accuse the Germans of at every opportunity." "So, we must..." "Well, it's imperative for the war effort that we do absolutely nothing." "And naturally to inform the Americans on Ascension Island that... one of our ships is missing." "Gone." "Just gone." "Nothing more." "Let the Americans get excited." "Sir... w-what about the German U-boat?" "I would keep that to ourselves for now, Lincoln." "Achtung, an alle Stellen." "In funf Minuten fuhren wir ein Prufungstauchen durch." "Sorgen Sie dafur, dass Sie trotz der Hindernisse auf Ihren Stationen sind." "Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to undertake a full emergency dive." "This is simply for the safety of everyone." "All gangways must be cleared and you should not panic." "This is normal procedure on a U-boat." "That is all." "Herr Kapitan." "Be brave!" " I think I'm going to be sick." " Be a dear and point him over there." "Maschinen stop." "Come on!" "Come on!" " Come on, everyone!" " Come on, come on!" "Up!" "Up!" " That's good, isn't it?" " This is very good." "Das Boot ist aufgetaucht!" "Muller, komm mit." "Mit Ausnahme der Verletzten, mussen die alliierten Manner..." "As you see, sir, I thought it might be more appropriate if we worded it..." "No, no, no, no." "Reads well." "Polite request to our good friends and allies, the Americans, on Ascension Island, to go and search for our missing troop carrier, Laconia." "I mean, that's fine, fine." "Any idea what the Americans might do, Lincoln?" "Well, won't they do as we asked of them, sir, as allies?" "They might do." "Might want to show us what they can do, only if they want to." "Then again, they might not want to." "Might want to keep their hush-hush base hidden for far more important missions." "Sir, are you... certain we shouldn't tell them about the German submarine?" "No!" "Good God, no." "No love and friendship nonsense with the enemy." "Hiding to nothing." "Yes, Iet's get our priorities right, Lincoln." "Make sure that this shit cart does not arrive at our door." "Carry on." "Buck Bannister on the ball!" "He beats one, he beats two!" "He glides!" "He takes North Africa!" "He takes the Suez Canal!" "On and on he goes!" "He takes France!" "He takes... somewhere else in Europe!" "Fuck me!" "Nazi Germany approaches and..." "oh, yeah!" "Buck Bannister wins the war." "No one else involved." "Read all about it!" "Any obituaries in there for smart-arse navigators, Perlman?" "There will be!" "Hey come on, guys." "We got to be a team." "Urgent dispatch from British Naval Command, sir." "Let's hope we're getting a Iittle action round here." "AII we're looking for is the remnants of some ship called the Laconia." "There will be women and children." "Consider as practice for the real thing?" "They'II need all the practice they can get where they're going." "OK, boys." "cleared for take-off tomorrow morning, 0700 hours." "Search and find." "Now you can all end up being heroes on your very first mission." "And you hardly set foot out of Tennessee or Texas before flying school." "I'm from New York City, Captain." "I knew there was something about you I didn't like, Perlman." "I Iike you, Perlman." "0700 hours." "Good luck." "We're all in this together." "Whoo!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Oh, fuck a duck!" "Oh, God, see the guns!" " We're all dead!" " They're unmanned." "Now, don't tell them anything." "Don't say a word." "Hey!" "Hey!" "Sit down!" "Over here!" "It's just crew and passengers!" "Women!" "And Italians!" "Your pals, the Italians!" "We saved a Iot of them!" "What will you tell them next, that you're an Irish citizen?" "Too fuckin' right I am, pal." "Ireland's neutral." "It's not my fucking war!" "Right!" "When they pull up alongside us, I want some order, some dignity, right?" "Women first and then the rest of us, whatever nationality we are." "Let them through." "Nah." "These are my lucky trousers!" "That's it." "Now then, sir, we're alright." "Watch your foot." "That's it." "Put your foot there." "That's it." "alright there, sir?" " Mortimer!" "I can't tell you how..." " No, it's my fault, Hilda." " I thought you were an honest woman." " I'm so sorry that..." "What is the German for "truth"?" "Or for "deception" or "betrayal"?" "What rank of officer would you be, sir?" "How did you know?" "I think it was demeanour rather than dress." "Well, in answer to your question, not very high ranking." "You do disappoint us." "Junior Third Officer, Merchant Navy." "Thomas Mortimer." "There's hot coffee and soup, Mortimer, and a change of clothing." "But low rank, as you claim to be, it does seem you are the only officer on board from the Laconia, and consequently I'm afraid you should consider yourself a prisoner of war." "And I have some questions." "Regarding?" "The allied treatment of the Italians under your command and care." "My command?" "My care?" "There are witnesses." "For Christ's sake, bring all the witnesses you can find." "The only person I wanted to hit on board was a fucking Englishman." "So go on, bring me your witness." " Yes, I'm German." " I'm sorry, Captain." "But not this man." "Not Mortimer." "This man did the best he could." "I want to thank you." "Mannesmann." "Mr Mortimer, please." "Und..." "Go on!" "Rostau!" "Anthony." "And I'm nearly seven." "Ah, ja!" "Pass auf." "Also." "Vergiss..." " ..nicht..." " .." "Nicht..." "Very good!" "Very good, Anthony!" "Very good!" "So, now..." "Well, Mortimer,... ..what a fine fellow you seem to be." " I was only, er..." " Doing the decent thing." "You can extend that splendid philosophy further by providing a list by nightfall of all allied survivors on board and in the lifeboats." "I will gladly do that, sir, but I won't give you the rank of any serviceman, only their name and number." "I'm not asking..." "telling you, to do that." "That is not what I want at all." "I want to send the names to the International Red Cross in Geneva so that they can inform their relatives." "Names, nationality and age." "Nothing more." "I would have thought that was right and proper." "The decent thing, wouldn't you?" "As it happens," "I have no political role or, actually, interest." "I have been a sailor since long before 1933." "My only concern is the safeguard of my nation." "And the safety of those under my command." "They've even got English tobacco." "Where did you get that?" "From the beaches of Dunkirk." "When you all ran away!" "Do you fancy a rematch, pal?" "Right now?" "OK, men?" "Hello, sir!" "You made it, sir!" "Fantastic!" "OK, men." "Nationality, profession, name and age." "That's all." "British." "Trimmer." "Billy Hardacre, 29." "William Williams." "Er, army corporal." "Erm... 17, sir." "I lied about my age." "You fuckin' idiot." "Snow White, sir." "This is for the Red Cross, McDermott, so your family will know where you are." "Snow White." "Cartoon character." "Vincenzo di Giovanni." "Italian." "Survivor." "British citizen, naturally." "Lady... in waiting." "And you can torture me until you can take no more, within an inch of your young life, Mortimer, but I will never reveal my age, sir." "That's fine, Mrs Fullwood." "I've seen your passport." "Nationality, madam?" " I'm very, very sorry, Mortimer." " Nationality, madam." "My mother is... was British, my father German." "I got to know the country lanes of Oxfordshire very well during the summers of most years." "My mother, my brother and I, while in Germany, we lived a sheltered life..." "..on the sunlit side of the mountain." "And what brought you down those sunlit mountain slopes?" "The sun stopped shining." "My brother saw the change in the weather long before I did." "The dream had become a nightmare." "His wife listened to his nightmares night after night." "She began to share them too." "Then they talked to their friends and family and... wondered what to do." "What did you say when they came to you?" "That whatever they were going to do, it would be too dangerous." "They..." "They had too much to lose." " Their first child was a newborn and..." " ella?" "ella." "I hoped that they would listen to me, that they would keep their beliefs to themselves." "But do you know what they did, Mortimer?" "Why they were arrested?" "They scattered pamphlets and painted slogans on a wall." "That was all." "They died for that." "You know, all this you... you could have told me." "You could have trusted me." "It's very hard, once you've closed the door, to open it again." "To anyone." "Particularly when you've thrown away the key." "So... ..I've no family for the Red Cross to inform, Mortimer." "Neither have I." "Don't y'all forget to come back home now!" " Let's saddle up." " Yippee ki ay, boys!" "Boys." "Just boys." "Well, almost boys." "Boys armed with bombs and depth charges." " How old are you, Captain?" " 24." " But hey, I've been around." " Hmm!" "Gut, gut." "Kapitan!" "Just go over there." " Name?" " Bates, Henry." "There's food and water at the back." "Are there... would there be any more women, girls, on the boat?" "No, Mrs Fullwood." "Are you...?" "Sarah's always late for everything." "Likes to make a grand entrance." " No?" " No." "No, I'm sorry." "Anthony!" "Charlotte!" "Well..." "It's me!" "Where's Mother?" "I have some very bad news about mother." " I think we have lost your mother." " Lost?" "But she was very brave." "Er, she..." "We, we searched all over the ship looking for you." "She only cared about you." "The both of you." "She stayed looking for you until the very end." "I saw her." " I want my mother!" " Anthony." "Anthony." "Listen." "You and your sister... ..you will always remember your mother." "She will always be your mother." "That cannot change, Anthony." "It will never change." "And... your father's right." "Your mother did love you very much." "Nothing could be more certain." "Because she was your mother." "And your mother would want you to be a big... ..chap." "Hmm?" "Erm, perhaps our mother will be on another submarine." "Perhaps she will." "And... my daughter will be too." " Father!" "Father!" " Yes...?" "Yes, my boy?" "Herr Kapitan!" "Italians in line!" "Ready to transfer." "Italians only." "AII British, stay here." "Well, then!" "Vera Lynn." "Ha!" "We'II..." "We'II meet again." "Yeah?" "Yeah." "Once this is over." "Do you think?" "Well, it can't go on forever." "That's what they said about the Hundred Years War." "Do you think they were counting at the time?" "Look..." "What do you say where you come from?" "Look?" " Look." " Look?" "Look after yourself." " And be good." " Yeah." "You too." "What..." "What exactly does search and find mean?" "Does that mean if we find them, we can bomb 'em?" "I've never bombed nothing before." "Nothing real." "There's a school of whales down to the Ieft." "Take a pop at them if you Iike." "Yeah?" "Can I?" "Search and find." "That's all." "For now." "I mean, it only really hurts when I break wind, but I've got this sort of constant..." "I don't know what it is but I need to see a doctor." "If you pass me the telephone, Townes," "I'II contact the nearest hospital forthwith." "Hang on!" "Look!" "That's a flashing light!" "I-Z-Z-A-R-D" "O-F" "O-Z." " Izzard of Oz!" " We've found a picture house!" "I don't care what it is, we're going there!" "Perfect!" "Thank you very much." "May I introduce my good friend, Harry Townes?" "Sadly I must inform you that he is incurable." "Er wollte noch jemanden vorstellen, der ist unheilbar krank." "I, erm, I have a lump under my arm." "Er... just, just there." "Just there." "I suspect I know what it is already, but if you could confirm it, I'd be very grateful." "Der hat da ein Geschwur." "Ob du es dir angucken kannst?" "Was fur einen ScheiB soll ich mir da angucken?" "Ich bin Funker." "Well, the exact translation is, sir, erm, "How would I know?" "I am only a fucking wireless operator."" "He's just trying to spare my feelings." "It's hard, you know, sir, knowing that you're living on borrowed time." "Ah, Harry." "Ah, sir!" "Sir, it's really good to see you, sir!" "You too, Townes." "Mr Coutts?" "Name, profession, nationality and age, please." "24." "Gentleman farmer." "And my nationality is Scottish, Mr Mortimer." " Put that down, if you would." " Right." "Come along, Mr Townes." "I'm not very well, sir." "But I'II be here if you want me." "alright, Townes." "Good to see you." " Townes?" " And you too." "Is he alright?" "Army Captain Benjamin Coutts, Surrey and Sussex Yeomanry, reporting for duty." "Acting Leading Seaman Harry Joseph Townes..." " Deckhand." " At your service." "And how are you, Army Captain Benjamin Coutts?" " That's a nasty one you caught." " Absolutely fine and dandy, sir." "And may I say, while not wanting to flatter anyone," "least of all the sworn enemy, I cannot thank yourself and your crew enough." " That's very kind." " In fact, I was saying to Townes that it is very reminiscent of the legendary truce between the Tommies and the Hun in the trenches in the Great War." " As it happens we were just talking..." " In fact, sir, sorry to interrupt," "I consider this to be a far greater deed." "A true act of humanity." "As long as you understand, Captain, that it's temporary." "I do, sir." "May I also say...?" "I hate to interrupt you when you're interrupting me." "I'm sorry, sir." "I do rather charge in blindly." "Hence the nose, actually." "But do carry on, sir." "This lull in combat can only be purely temporary." "Help is on its way." "And when it arrives, you will go and so will we." " To fight another day." " Well, we will, Captain Coutts." "I don't want anything, thank you." "Least of all tea and sympathy." "I'm afraid I have no tea." "What a pity." "If I had the choice, I really would have preferred the tea." "I know you are very worried about your daughter." "That is none of your business!" "Look..." "I know you mean well and all that." "I know that actually you're a good woman and I most certainly definitely am not, but please, do you not think it is possible that I might grieve alone?" "No?" "Oh!" "Look at me." "Here I stand before you." "Came from nothing..." "And now... ..nothing is left." "Lost my husband to Rommel's forces in spring." "Lost my daughter to torpedoes in this empty sea." "Events I am really desperately trying furiously not to think about." "But my Iife has gone from being a ball to bloody bedlam." "And to use some of my late husband's favourite words," ""utterly useless bollocks"." "If only..." "If only... ..I could have my daughter back, I would..." "But when you find her, you will make up..." "I've lost her." "And tell me, what am I expected to do with my Iife now that was so different from before?" "Go on, answer me." "Tell me." "Start again, shall I?" "Have more children?" "Be better this time?" "Too late." "Too late." "The best news is we plan to rendezvous with a French vessel, the GIoire." "She's already on her way to transport you to safety." "If you could tell..." "Fiedler on deck!" "Platz da!" "Platz da!" "Fiedler!" "It's a goddamn submarine!" "British?" "German?" "A what?" "What are they doing down there?" "Harrower, confirm visual on submarine." " What are they flashing?" " Come on, don't you know Morse code?" " Anyone got the silhouette book?" " I got it." " What does it say?" " It's all kinda like pictures." "Right, thanks!" "Look, they're still flashing." "Here it is!" "It's German, right?" "Type 9A, B..." " Why's it got Iifeboats?" " Maybe they're for emergencies." "It's a U-boat!" "It's bombing practice!" "You can't!" "It's got a red cross!" "What fuckin' red cross?" "I can't see no red cross!" "They wanna know what action to take, sir." "Either we order the B-24 back to base or we order it to attack." "What about the red cross, the lifeboats?" "Our directive is to destroy enemy submarines and protect allied vessels in the vicinity." "And that, Captain, that is a U-boat." "Red crosses, Iifeboats or not." "Harrower,... ..sink the sub." " Fire at them!" " Fuckin' fire at them!" " Fire at the fuckers!" " Go on!" "Come on!" "Cut the tow ropes!" "Don't sing Rock-a-Bye Baby." "Zivilisten von Deck!" "clear the deck!" "Jesus Christ, how did I do that?" "Direct hit!" "Direct fuckin' hit!" "If you swing back, we can still machine-gun 'em!" "No." "Low on fuel." "And mission accomplished!" "Ha!" "Jawohl, Herr Kapitan!" " Weber!" " Ja!" "Herr Kapitan." "You have to go." "I know." "You can be with your children." "No, thank you." "I don't want them to see me when I..." "I'm going to die." "I know." "Try and hold your position." "A French ship is on the way." "Just hold position." "Where's Daddy?" "Is he coming?" " Next boat!" " Daddy!" "Daddy!" "We have to go." "I'm ready." "I think not." "Think again." " I just wanted to..." " See you." "I don't really like goodbyes." "See you." "You should have kissed her." "Nationality, name and age?" "British." "Hilda Smith. 28." "But I must tell you, Hilda Smith, that we are still 644 nautical miles from the coast of West Africa." "You're a Iong way from home." "And survival in the lifeboat is uncertain." "Good luck and... happiness elsewhere." "We like you so much, Mortimer, we've decided to keep you." "The rescue is over, Mortimer, but you remain." "May I remind you that you are a prisoner of war?" "although the conditions and the freedom you have experienced will remain the same during your time with us." "But the fact remains that everything that has been done for us over the Iast few days was done for our benefit." "The enemy has helped us." "If the captain of the U-boat said that the French are coming, we should wait." "Yeah." "He was a really great bloke, that captain." "And the crew, I mean, they were great with us, weren't they?" "Isn't it just a pity the bastards torpedoed us in the first place?" "Don't think we need to take a vote, though, do we?" "We're staying." "Ah!" "You slept well." "It's a shame you missed the meeting though." "A little debate, as it were." "Yeah, but we didn't have a vote!" "It was decided." "Due east." "Africa." "Any sailor'II tell you you can't miss it." "Kinda gets in the way of going anywhere else." "Not to mention all the passing traffic." " Do you know what you're doing?" " No, he doesn't!" "Well, of course I don't!" " But you lot do." " Oh, you think so?" "I trained as an army cook." "Great!" "You can be in charge of the catering then." "And my taste in music?" "I'm not really, er..." "I don't really know my classical music." "That's Rostau's, the chief engineer." "I sometimes let him play it." "But jazz is not music, Mortimer." "Just like Picasso is not art." "And yes, I am turning into my father." "May I?" "Yeah." "Fiedler?" "It reminds you?" "Yes." "Los jetzt hopp, komm." "Mannesmann." "Erm..." "I would hold my dream tea party in a tree house, and I would invite my mam and my little sister and, erm, last but not least," "I would naturally like to invite my girlfriend." "The girlfriend I'II have when I get home." "When I get a bit older." "I'm gonna grow a moustache." "I'II drink to that." "Don't do that!" "You will die." "And you'II go mad before you die." "People have told me they've had to resort to this in similar circumstances." "What kind of people told you that?" "Survivors." "Go on, where would you meet and who would you invite?" "The Midland Hotel in Manchester." "It's dead posh." "And I would invite..." "Vivien Leigh." "Ivor Novello, if there's a piano in the room." "Winston Churchill, I suppose." "Harry Houdini, alive if possible." "And Buster Keaton, to make us all laugh." "And what would you say to them?" "Just "hiya"." "The sunlit side of the mountain." "Peacetime." "A big lovely fella from the highlands, who I have never met." "Three boys, with ridiculous names." "My brother's wife and their daughter." "alive, if possible." "And finally, Junior Third Officer Thomas Mortimer... ..who showed me how to forgive and yet never forget." "But most importantly, Kapitanleutnant Werner Hartenstein... ..whose first instinct was for humanity." "And... ..I would say thank you." "One day we'II all drink to that." "I think someone else has gone." "Tears are round, the sea is deep." "Roll them overboard and sleep." " Hey!" " Hey!" "Told ya, you're not getting rid of me that easily." "Wow!" "Told ya!" "Told ya!" "Why should I have been chosen to survive?" "But I did." " Yeah!" " And so many did not." "But..." "I will tell their stories to anyone who will hear it." "There's still lots of lifeboats, you know." "In the sea." "Mother couldn't swim." "I know." "Once upon a time, when dreams were possible... ..and wishes could help...." "Mother?" "Mother!" "* My bonnie lies over the ocean" "* My bonnie lies over the sea" "* My bonnie lies over the ocean" "* Oh, bring back my bonnie to me" "* Bring back" "Huh?" "You want it?" "You want it?" "You want it?" "I told ya!" "I told ya!" "You want it?" "You want it?" "You want it?" "Fucking...!" "We're gonna live, Hilda!" "We're gonna live!" "Kannst du mal die Borsenseite rausreiBen, Rostau?" "A few days ago... ..I was going to leave you all to sink or swim." "Perhaps I should have done." "But you couldn't." "No, I couldn't." "Just like you couldn't when I was in danger." "Strangers." "How strange." "And friends?" "And yet, perhaps, it's hopeful for when peace comes." "Not victory?" "Peace." "I wasn't expecting this." "Neither was I." "We may meet again in better times." "Yes." " Hi will survive?" " Yes, hi will survive." "I congratulate Hartenstein." " You've earned it." " Thank you Admiral." "All crew worked on this cross." "It is true." "I think that it is time to go ashore." "And work with me in Paris." "There is also a team." "This..." "Yes?" "It breaks my heart." "I understand." "I not back to my home."