The U-571 film was released on 21 April 2000.
It was a story about a German submarine being boarded by the American Navy with them taking the Nazi’s top-secret Enigma machine from that submarine. The submarine was being taken by the US Navy towards Britain when it sank after being attacked by a German destroyer.
It appears, to most people, that the film is based on the actual boarding of the U-110, and the taking of its Enigma code machine and code book.
The real stories:
U-boat 110.
The German submarine U-110 was one of Nazi Germany’s U-boats that operated during World War II.
The U-110 was captured by the Royal Navy on 9 May 1941 and provided another Enigma code machine and secret code books to the British.
British sailors from HMS Bulldog captured the first naval Enigma machine from U-110 in the North Atlantic in May 1941, seven months before the United States entered the war on 11 December 1941, and three years before the US Navy captured U-505 with its Enigma machine. The British Navy was towing the U-110 back to Britain, but it sank near Iceland.
U-boat 571.
The German submarine U-571 was one of Nazi Germany’s U-boats that operated during World War II.
The U-571 was sunk on 28 January 1944 by an Australian-crewed Sunderland aircraft from No. 461 Squadron RAAF west of Ireland.
U-Boat 505.
On 4 June 1944, the U.S. Navy captured the German U-505. This was the first enemy vessel captured by the US Navy during WW2.
This submarine was not sunk and is now on display at a US Museum.
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