Character page for the film Das Boot.
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U-96 Crew
The Captain Lieutenant
Kapitänleutnant note , aka "Der Alte" / "Herr Kaleun"
Played by: Jürgen Prochnow
Dubbed by: Patrick Floersheim (European French, 1997 dub)
The commanding officer of the U-96 U-Boot.
- Badass Boast: As the submarine emerges from the depths of the Gibraltar Strait while the Royal Navy forces believe it to be lost for good.Der Alte: They are in the casino, celebrating our sinking... Not yet kameraden, not yet!
- The Captain: Commanding officer of the U-96 submarine. He is addressed as "Herr Kaleun" (short for Kapitänleutnant) or "Der Alte" (the Old Man).
- A Father to His Men: He's at least only a decade older than most of the crew (and he even lampshades it), but still cares for them.
- Historical Domain Character: Based on the real life U-96 commander, Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock
. - Just Following Orders: He's not happy about it, but he's out in the Atlantic to sink British ships because that's what his orders are. He tells Werner that, if he has a problem with that, he should bring it up with their bosses in Berlin, who started the war in the first place.
- Never Gets Drunk: Type 1. At the party in La Rochelle before U-96 takes the sea, he doesn't drink more than one beer, while most of his crew gets drunk with wine and Champagne aplenty. He also helps his friend Thomsen, who has gone semi-comatose in the toilets after his speech.
- No Name Given: He's never called by his name in the film.
- Older and Wiser: He's the oldest man on board the U-96, and while he's only about 40 and one decade older than most of his men if not more, he is the most experienced, having gone through more U-Boot patrols than them all.
- Red Alert: Whenever he shouts "ALARM!", the crew immediately reacts, either in exercise maneuvers, combat maneuvers or enemy-avoiding maneuvers.
- Seadog Beard: Grows one of the most prominent beards in the film. He even advises Werner to take more pics when they return, to not give the British the impression that they're having to fight young boys.
The War Correspondent
Leutnant Werner
Played by: Herbert Grönemeyer
Dubbed by: Jean-Pierre Michaël (European French, 1997 dub)
A naval war correspondent from the Marine-Kriegsbericht assigned to document the voyage.
- Author Avatar: Lothar-Günther Buchheim (the author of the original novel) was himself a World War II naval correspondent who spent time on the real life U-96 as a Leutnant zur See, and the novel was heavily based on his own experiences.
- Butt-Monkey: Some of the enlisted resent him because he's not a combat officer.
- Naïve Newcomer: He has naval experience on surface ships but this is his first voyage on a submarine.
- Tagalong Reporter: He is on U-96 as a war correspondent for the express purpose of chronicling the crew's exploits.
- The Watson: Werner is on board as a journalist, thus it's his job to be inquisitive about everything. The crew and officers sometimes pause to explain what they're doing to him but he often has to figure it out by observation.
- Took a Level in Badass: He gains combat experience and the crew begins to respect him.
The Chief Engineer
Leitender Ingenieur (Chief Engineer) Fritz Grade
Played by: Klaus Wennemann
The chief engineer of U-96.
- The Engineer: His role on the sub.
- Heroic BSoD: His wife is very sick and he worries about her. In the uncut version, while listening to the Wehrmachtbericht, they hear about an air raid on Cologne, where his wife is, and he needs to be consoled by the Captain.
- Hidden Depths: He breaks out a Crossword Puzzle to help pass the time. Played with as he's not very good at it, though its possible that he was bored and therefore just rhetorically asking the others for help to have something to talk about.
- Mr. Fixit: Spends much of the last act working to repair the engine damage.
- Number Two: He's responsible for the functionality of the boat and coordinates emergency dives.
- Seadog Beard: Grows one that rivals that of his Captain.
The 1st Watch Officer
Oberleutnant zur See (Lieutenant Junior) / 1st Watch Officer
Played by: Hubertus Bengsch
The first watch officer of U-96.
- The Lost Lenore: His fiancée was killed in an Allied air raid.
- The Neidermeyer: He's even more despised by the crew than Werner.
- Non-Idle Rich: He was raised in some wealth by his step-parents in Mexico, and returned to Germany to fight in the war.
- Perma-Shave: Unlike the rest of the U-96 crew, he always shaves.
- The Stoic: The 1WO is all about this in the initial stages of the film, being new to the war effort and a dedicated Nazi. He remains immaculately dressed and clean shaven for most of the film while the rest of the crew all become steadily filthier and more bedraggled with every scene. It is only in the latter stages of the film when even he cannot keep on top of it all and slowly becomes disheveled and unshaven too by the end of the film.
- Those Wacky Nazis: Out of all the crew, he's the most ardent supporter of the regime, listening with glee when the radio reports on the recent victories of the German army on land. He grows out of this over time.
The 2nd Watch Officer
Oberleutnant zur See (Lieutenant Junior) / 2nd Watch Officer
Played by: Martin Semmelrogge
The second watch officer of U-96.
- Fiery Redhead: He is as loud and vulgar as his hair is red, and provides much of the lighter elements of the film.
- Mr. Exposition: He explains a lot about submarine operations and tactics to Werner.
- Plucky Comic Relief: His role is very much that of the fun guy in the crew.
- The Prankster: During the party before the start of U-96's Atlantic patrol, he gets drunk, takes a water siphon and sprays the intimate area of Monique (the French singer/hooker) with it while she sings on a stage.
- Too Hungry to Be Polite: He eats this way on the Weser, having obviously been away from luxurious food for far too long.
- What the Hell Is That Accent?: His Southern German accent (presumably Swabian, though apparently it was originally intended to sound like as if his character is originating from Berlin) is the actual actor's accent, which often adds to the humor of some of his lines. While not replicated with a comparable accent in the original theatrical English dub, special attention was given to replicating this accent in the dub for the Director's Cut (by which time, Martin Semmelrogge could speak English).
The 3rd Watch Officer
Obersteuermann Kriechbaum
Played by: Bernd Tauber
The navigator and third watch officer of U-96.
- The Navigator: Often seeing with a sextant.
- Seadog Beard: He already has one when the voyage begins.
- The Smart Guy: Responsible for determining the sub's position and plotting course.
The Senior Machinist
Obermaschinist (Senior Machinist) Johann
Played by: Erwin Leder
The senior machinist/mechanic of U-96.
- Determinator: He never gives up.
- Grease Monkey: He is in charge of the submarine's engines and spends most of his time in the engines room. He doesn't like to go outside and take fresh air, as the first thing he does when getting his head out of the sub is spitting in the sea, then going back in.
- Mr. Fixit: His skills save the day when the submarine lies inoperable on the sea floor at Gibraltar.
- The Quiet One: He rarely speaks.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Despite being a veteran of nine patrols, he cracks under the pressure during a depth charge attack.
The Midshipman
Fähnrich (Midshipman) Ullmann
Played by: Martin May
An officer cadet that Werner befriends.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: He's a German sailor, part of the forces occupying France, and he fell in love with a French girl who agreed to marry him.
- Ensign Newbie: He's not an officer yet, but fits the trope.
The Radioman
Funkmaat (Radio Petty Officer) Hinrich
Played by: Heinz Hoenig
The U-96's communications officer.
- Communications Officer: His primary duty. He's also the hydrophone operator.
- The Medic: He also treats all injuries aboard the sub.
The Two Petty Officers
Bootsmannsmaat Pilgrim and Zentralemaat Frenssen
Played by: Jan Fedder and Ralf Richter
A pair of Petty Officers and friends.
- Establishing Character Moment: Pilgrim first appears piss drunk, banging on the Captain Lieutenant's car.
- Nautical Knockout: During the storm, Pilgrim gets swept off his feet and thrown into the support railing.
- Those Two Guys: They're best friends and are hardly seen apart.
- Vulgar Humor: Their preferred style of humor.
Others
Thomsen
Kapitänleutnant Philipp Thomsen
Played by: Otto Sander
Dubbed by: Francis Lax (European French, 1981 dub)
The captain of another U-Boot and a friend of the Captain Lieutenant.
- The Alcoholic: Surviving patrols in the Atlantic long enough with always an impending doom waiting at the corner made him look for ways to forget it.
- The Drunken Sailor: He gets drunk whenever he's able to return to dry land. Whether he's drunk onboard his submarine or not is not expanded upon.
- Hero of Another Story: He's another submarine captain and was recently decorated with the Ritterkreuz (Knight's Cross).
- Historical Hero Upgrade: He is very loosely based on Heinz Hirsacker, the real life commander of U-572. Hirsacker was neither as distinguished or as critical of the Nazi regime as Thomsen is portrayed in the film and was never awarded a combat decoration for his U-Boat service, much less the Knight's Cross. He was further accused in 1942 of cowardice before the enemy after repeatedly avoiding enemy ships and retreating to base at the first sign of pursuit. Hirsacker was convicted by a court martial and sentenced to death, but committed suicide in 1943 before the sentence could be carried out.
- Seadog Beard: He hasn't shaved even since he returned from his last U-Boot patrol.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Went through the immense stress of being hunted by Allied ships in his submarine, so much so that when a telephone rings in the French club, he shouts "ALAAAAAAARM!!!".
- Take That!: At the party before the start of U-96's Atlantic patrol, he gets drunk and climbs on a stage and makes a speech. He goes on a rant and looks like he's about to roast Hitler... then twists the joke at the last possible moment, aiming it at Winston Churchill. It's still very clear he was not truly aiming the joke at Churchill.
- Uncertain Doom: He's deployed to the Atlantic sometime after U-96, and the two subs meet each other while on patrol. In the uncut version, it's clear that Thomsen has not reported in afterwards.
The Club Singer
Monique
Played by: Rita Cadillac
A middle-aged French hooker-like singer who entertains German submarine crews as they throw a party in La Rochelle before their Atlantic patrol starts.
- High-Class Call Girl: Gives the impression of being one as she sings at a party where there's much Champagne to drink and arouses German naval officers.
- Intercourse with You: Her second song, "Mon Gars" (My Guy) is about, well, a call girl who lures a man, has sex with him, asks to be paid, then rebuffs him as he starts falling in love — "You and me it's not for life, just for one night".
- Lady in Red: She wears a red evening dress.
- Stocking Filler: Her evening dress lets everyone see her garters.
