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The Sinking of the Laconia
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Wikipedia article
'The Sinking of the Laconia' is a two-part television film, first aired on 6 and 7 January 2011 on BBC Two, about the Laconia incident; the sinking of the British ocean liner RMS 'Laconia' during World War II by a German U-boat, which then, together with three other U-boats and an Italian submarine, rescued the passengers but was in turn attacked by an American bomber.
The film is a British-German co-production, written by Alan Bleasdale, directed by Uwe Janson, and with Andrew Buchan, Brian Cox, Ken Duken, Morven Christie, Lindsay Duncan, Thomas Kretschmann and Franka Potente in the leading roles. It was shot in Cape Town, South Africa.
Plot
In September 1942, 650 nautical miles from the west coast of Africa, the German U-boat sinks the British troopship 'Laconia', which is en route from Cape Town to the United Kingdom.
On realising that there are Italian POWs and civilians amongst the shipwrecked, who face certain death without rescue, U-boat Commander Werner Hartenstein (Duken) makes a decision that goes against the orders of German High Command. The U-boat surfaces and Hartenstein instructs his men to save as many survivors as they can. 'U-156' crams 200 people on board the surfaced submarine, takes another 200 in tow in four lifeboats, and tries to give relief to the remaining shipwrecked who surround the U-boat in lifeboats and small rafts. Hartenstein attempts to dive with all survivors on board and, although this puts the submarine into a crash dive, control is regained and it resurfaces. He has a Red Cross flag displayed and a message sent to the Allies to organise rescue of the survivors. The Italian prisoners are taken off 'U-156' by another U-boat and an Italian submarine.
The British requested the Americans to look for 'Laconia' survivors, but did not inform them of the submarine's rescue effort; when a B-24 Liberator finds the submarine, it is ordered to attack. Soon after the bomber attack, 'U-156' resumes her hunting duties, leaving behind the lifeboats with the British survivors to be picked up by a Vichy naval surface ship sent by Admiral Dnitz. While admiring Hartenstein's actions, Dnitz also reluctantly composes the Laconia Order to other U-boat commanders not to rescue survivors in future. The French ship arrives; one lifeboat leaves the others to make for the coast of west Africa, which it eventually reaches. One British merchant officer is injured in the American attack and remains with 'U-156' until it reaches port, where he is taken prisoner. Dnitz awards Hartenstein the 'Ritterkreuz' and proposes to repost him to a desk job at naval command. Preferring to remain with his men, Hartenstein refuses the post and a final on screen message reports 'U-156's later sinking with no survivors.
Production
The production is a cooperation of the British BBC with the German ARD Degeto and SWR Fernsehen, executed by TalkbackThames and Teamworx.[http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/09_september/18/laconia.shtml BBC Press Statement]UFActs No. 89, December 2009 It was shot in Cape Town, South Africa.
The idea to bring the story of the 'Laconia' to screen was conceived in 2004 by the Talkback Thames head of drama Johnathan Young.[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/after-24-years-alan-bleasdale-is-back-on-the-bbc-2026753.html The Independent 15 July 2010: "After 24 years, Alan Bleasdale is back on the BBC"] Retrieved 2011-01-08
Full cast
RMS 'Laconia'
'U-156'
Sierra Leone
U-boat command
* Thomas Kretschmann - Admiral Karl Dnitz, Befehlshaber der U-Boote* Nikolai Kinski - 'Korvettenkapitn' Walter Drexler, Dnitz's aide
Ascension Island
Other
* Simon Verhoeven - 'Korvettenkapitn' Harro Schacht, captain,* Paul Savage - Egyptian Customs Officer
Follow-up programme
On 9 January 2011, BBC Two broadcast a half-hour documentary, 'The Sinking of the Laconia: Survivors' Stories', featuring testimonies from the actual survivors of 'Laconia'. Beginning 14 April 2012, Ovation television aired 'The Sinking of the Laconia' in the United States.
See also
* Laconia Order
Footnotes
References
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