The German submarine followed in Das Boot is identified as U-96.
Wolfgang Petersen’s 1981 film follows the crew of U-96 during a wartime patrol in the Battle of the Atlantic. The submarine’s designation is drawn from the real German U-boat U-96, which served in the Kriegsmarine during World War II.
The film is based on Lothar-Günther Buchheim’s 1973 novel, which grew out of his experience as a war correspondent aboard a German submarine. Although the story uses realistic details and a historically based vessel, its characters and events are not a literal log of one patrol.
Das Boot is especially known for presenting cramped conditions, fatigue, mechanical danger and fear beneath the sea. Its title means “The Boat” in German, while the English-language release is often marketed under the same German name.