Character Relationship Map: Das Boot

Characters

• Lieutenant Werner (played by Herbert Grönemeyer) — protagonist

  War correspondent documenting the voyage. He observes crew dynamics, endures combat stress, and survives the final bombing raid. He serves as the primary narrative observer, witnessing the captain dea...

• Chief Engineer (played by Klaus Wennemann) — supporting

  Senior technician aboard U-96. His wife illness prompts a joint request with Werner to return to Germany, which is denied by the consulate envoy. He participates in the Vigo resupply and subsequent co...

• First Watch Officer (played by Hubertus Bengsch) — supporting

  Unpopular officer due to his pro-Nazi beliefs and meticulous grooming habits that monopolize the only bathroom. He represents the ideological tension between new recruits and hardened veterans.

• Second Watch Officer (played by Martin Semmelrogge) — supporting

  Junior officer aboard U-96. He is killed during the Royal Air Force bombing and strafing raid on the La Rochelle facilities on Christmas Eve.

• Frenssen (played by Ralf Richter) — minor
• Kriechbaum (played by Bernd Tauber) — supporting

  Submarine navigator wounded by a British fighter plane near the Strait of Gibraltar. He is evacuated to an ambulance after the boat returns to La Rochelle, prior to the final bombing raid.

• Ullmann (played by Martin May) — supporting

  Crew member aboard U-96. He is killed when the La Rochelle U-boat bunker is bombed and strafed by Royal Air Force aircraft on Christmas Eve.

• Hinrich (played by Heinz Hoenig) — supporting

  Crew member aboard U-96. He is wounded during the Royal Air Force bombing raid on the La Rochelle harbor facilities on Christmas Eve.

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Chief Engineer → First Watch Officer (Professional Crewmate) — They share the submarine's professional environment despite differing crew attitudes.

  The Chief Engineer and the First Watch Officer serve aboard U-96 during the patrol and the resupply stop at Vigo.

• Lieutenant Werner → First Watch Officer (Professional Crewmate) — They belong to the same submarine crew but represent contrasting attitudes toward the war.

  Werner observes the ideological differences between new crew members and hardened veterans, including tension surrounding the pro-Nazi First Watch Off...

• Lieutenant Werner → Chief Engineer (Professional Joint Request) — They share a practical concern and cooperate in seeking reassignment from the patrol.

  Werner and the Chief Engineer jointly request permission to return to Germany, but the request is denied by the German consulate envoy.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Chief Engineer → Frenssen (Alliance Crewmate) — Their relationship is a crew-level connection established by the patrol and its aftermath.

  The Chief Engineer is part of U-96's crew, while Frenssen is wounded during the Christmas Eve attack on the facilities.

• Chief Engineer → Hinrich (Alliance Crewmate) — They share the risks of service aboard the submarine.

  The Chief Engineer serves aboard U-96, and Hinrich is wounded during the raid on the La Rochelle facilities.

• Chief Engineer → Ullmann (Alliance Crewmate) — They are connected through the submarine crew and its devastating final attack.

  The Chief Engineer serves aboard U-96, while Ullmann is identified as a crew member killed during the final bombing raid.

• Chief Engineer → Second Watch Officer (Alliance Crewmate) — Their connection comes from serving together aboard the submarine.

  The Chief Engineer and the Second Watch Officer are members of U-96's crew during the voyage and the final La Rochelle raid.

• Chief Engineer → Kriechbaum (Alliance Crewmate) — They are fellow crew members during the submarine's most dangerous operation.

  The Chief Engineer and Kriechbaum are aboard U-96 during the Gibraltar attack, in which Kriechbaum is wounded.

• Lieutenant Werner → Frenssen (Alliance Crewmate) — Their relationship is based on shared membership in the attacked submarine force.

  Frenssen is wounded during the Christmas Eve bombing of the La Rochelle facilities, while Werner survives the raid.

• Lieutenant Werner → Hinrich (Alliance Crewmate) — They are fellow members of the crew exposed to the final air attack.

  Hinrich is wounded in the same Christmas Eve raid that Werner survives.

• Lieutenant Werner → Ullmann (Alliance Crewmate) — Their shared crew affiliation connects Werner to Ullmann's death and the mission's aftermath.

  Ullmann is killed during the bombing and strafing raid that Werner survives after taking shelter in the U-boat bunker.

• Lieutenant Werner → Second Watch Officer (Alliance Crewmate) — They are members of the same endangered submarine crew.

  Werner survives the Christmas Eve bombing that kills the Second Watch Officer at the La Rochelle facilities.

• Lieutenant Werner → Kriechbaum (Alliance Crewmate) — Werner witnesses the danger faced by his wounded fellow crew member.

  Werner and Kriechbaum are aboard U-96 during the Gibraltar operation, where Kriechbaum is wounded by a British fighter plane.

Story Analysis

A war correspondent and submarine crew endure combat, ideological tension, mechanical catastrophe, and a devastating return home.

Plot Progression

1. Departure Into Confinement — Werner enters the submarine world and meets the crew before U-96 leaves La Rochelle. The cramped boat exposes ideological divisions between new men and hardened veterans.
2. The Atlantic Trial — A British destroyer attacks U-96, followed by weeks of punishing North Atlantic storms. The crew's morale falls before a convoy sighting restores their readiness for combat.
3. Convoy and Moral Ruin — U-96 sinks two ships but is driven below test depth by the convoy escorts. After surviving the attack, the crew watches sailors abandon a burning tanker they cannot accommodate.
4. The Gibraltar Gamble — Orders redirect the damaged crew toward La Spezia and the dangerous Strait of Gibraltar. A secret Vigo resupply cannot change the fact that their requests to leave are denied.
5. Buried Beneath the Sea — A British fighter damages U-96 and wounds Kriechbaum, forcing an emergency descent. The submarine lands on a deep sea shelf, where repairs and dwindling oxygen determine whether the crew survives.
6. Christmas Eve Desolation — U-96 reaches La Rochelle under cover of darkness, only to face an immediate Royal Air Force raid. Crew members are killed or wounded, and Werner witnesses the captain die beside the sinking boat.