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Lothar G-Unther Buchheim
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Das Boot: The Boat Paperback – April 1, 2007

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 814 ratings
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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.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    563 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Cassell
  4. Publication date
    April 1, 2007
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    5.25 x 1.38 x 8 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0304352314
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0304352319
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Breathless, terrifying U-boat drama ... a masterclass in economical, tight-space storytelling, piling the pressure on both characters and audience―TIME OUT

From the Back Cover

Four detonations in quick succession, then the mad gurgle and roar of the black flood . . . a cold hand creeps under my collar and runs down my back. I shudder.

This is the story of a German U-boat, her commander and her crew, as they embark upon yet another hazardous patrol in the Battle of the Atlantic. Weeks in a small metal tube twenty feet by two hundred feet with fifty other men. Weeks of unbearable tension and terror. Weeks of crushing boredom, as the condensation drips down the walls and mould slowly blooms on the food.

Written by a survivor of the U-boat fleet, this is a novel but not a work of fiction. Das Boot is one of the best and most truthful stories ever written about men in combat; a withering condemnation of the insanity of war.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cassell; Reprint edition (April 1, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 563 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0304352314
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0304352319
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 1.38 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 814 ratings

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Lothar G-Unther Buchheim

Lothar G-Unther Buchheim

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
814 global ratings
A must read if you enjoyed the film
5 Stars
A must read if you enjoyed the film
Excellent read. I can see why this book was made into a movie. After seeing the film several times, it was nice to read the book and get further into the character's personalities and minds. The author keeps the reader glued to the page from beginning to end.
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Top reviews from the United States

Mike V
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
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Some readers may gloss-over the minute details, but these ingredients are precisely that which puts the reader in the boots of the men who sailed aboard these craft. Great companion to the timeless movie.
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Brooklyn Richie
5.0 out of 5 stars YAVOL to THIS
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2023
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What was the German thinking, deep down, in his submarine under orders to hunt & kill. How did he do it? Read all about it and make sure you watch the movie too. Excellent history subject matter with adventure
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Paul
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2024
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Just got it and haven’t read it yet. Looks like a great book.
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Seawollfe
5.0 out of 5 stars Good readings
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2024
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Never knew there was a book of this U-Boat and it's beleaguered crew. A must read, indeed!
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Mike
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, loosely follows the movie
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2020
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There is much better and in depth Information here than the movie. If you have ever wondered what it would have been like to be a service man on a German U boat during WWII, this is a great book. I took one star off because I felt the author was in some places way too wordy.
2 people found this helpful
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WryGuy2
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Fact-Based Fiction
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2009
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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.
20 people found this helpful
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Jim
5.0 out of 5 stars I like it
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2024
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I like it
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Lowflyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating story
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2014
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In reading the book I am pleasantly surprised that the derived tv series and subsequent movies followed it so closely. As I read the book, I can easily picture the characters and settings from those video derivations. The book has excellent character development (no surprise here, but I'm sure most readers in the US will have seen a cider version before reading the book). The ordinary crewmen talk like sailors, bragging about women and sexual exploits. The officers mostly question how the U-boats are being used but do their job as professional military men. The depth charging descriptions are vivid and go on and on, which is how it must have seemed as they were happening. Living conditions on the boat are portrayed as they must certainly have been: fifty human beings confined in a twenty-foot diameter tube for two months with limited bathing and toilet facilities, rotting food, odors of highly stressed men living with Diesel engines, fuel oil, lubricating oil, and banks of sulphuric acid batteries.

The subtitles in the videos were fairly close to the German being spoken, which is a reasonable rendition of the book. My wife insisted on listening to the English soundtrack, which comicaly attempts to remove anything the least bit offensive to a Sunday school class. But the original subtitles are still there, blatantly revealing the demented hacking by censors. Wish I didn't have to be subjected to the the puritanical sterilization of a great story. I suggest reading the book to get the full flavor of Das Boot. Bet it is even better in its original German language.
10 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Graham Mitchell
5.0 out of 5 stars Very detailed
Reviewed in Canada on January 21, 2024
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A good match with the movie.
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Wendy
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book ever written perhaps.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2023
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One of the best books ever written. My opinion, obviously, but the writing is excellent. Really expresses the interminable boredom and frustration and intermittent intense action and fear of death of a submarine. Love this book - great for tucking up on the sofa with.
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Empe
5.0 out of 5 stars Classico di guerra
Reviewed in Italy on August 2, 2023
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Qui in edizione inglese in formato kindle al prezzo di un caffè. L'ho preso per rileggerlo non trovando più la vecchissima edizione italiana che avevo letto a suo tempo. Guerra sottomarina cruda e realistica, rispecchia abbastanza l'omonimo film (quello originale, mentre la serie TV mi ha deluso alquanto)
One person found this helpful
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Jesus
5.0 out of 5 stars Qué pasa dentro de las cabezas dentro del submarino
Reviewed in Spain on October 23, 2020
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He visto esa película varias veces, y cada vez que lo hacía me quedaba un apetito por MÁS DETALLES que el libro sí tiene. Pienso en el dicho de la imagen y las mil palabras, y en película y páginas... esos detalles imposibles de plasmar en pixeles animados.
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Vikram M
5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal if you like WW2 and u boat stuff
Reviewed in India on April 22, 2018
Verified Purchase
It’s a treat. Written amazingly. You can almost hear the sonar ping.
Ideal if you like WW2 and u boat stuff.
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