Maps of Movies
Das Boot (1981)
Where Das Boot says it takes place, and where it was really shot.
Most of the film at sea was not shot at sea: a studio in Munich, a lake and one real bunker in France.
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Scenes and places
The last night in the Bar Royal (1941)
On the last night before sailing, war correspondent Werner is taken to a bar full of U-boat men. He meets the crew he will live beside for weeks, and hears the old hands mock the new heroes.
Set in Bar Royal, La Rochelle — The bar where the officers of U-96 spend their last evening ashore before sailing.
A wartime bar in the port where U-96 is stationed.
Filmed at Bavaria Studios, Geiselgasteig (Munich) — The bar scenes were filmed at the very end of the shoot, in the Bavaria studios.
How to get there: Bavaria Film Studio Tour, Munich-Geiselgasteig.
Sailing out of the La Rochelle bunker (1941)
The crew lines up for inspection and the boat leaves the pens at dawn. Werner is shown the cramped boat and learns that fifty men share one toilet.
Set in La Pallice U-boat base, La Rochelle — The concrete U-boat pens of the French Atlantic base from which U-96 sails.
A German submarine base built in the Second World War on the French Atlantic coast.
Filmed at La Pallice U-boat base, La Rochelle — The sailing-out and return scenes were filmed at the original bunker.
How to get there: The La Pallice base is in the port district of La Rochelle.
Inside U-96 (1941)
For weeks the crew eat, sleep and wait inside one steel tube. Werner learns that boredom and the smell are as hard as the enemy.
Set in Inside U-96 — At sea; no fixed position in the film.
A Type VIIC submarine, rebuilt full-size on a motion mount for the film.
Filmed at Bavaria Studios, Geiselgasteig (Munich) — All interior shots and underwater shots were made in the studios; the interior set was a full-size tube on a hydraulic gimbal.
How to get there: Bavaria Film Studio Tour, Munich-Geiselgasteig.
Weeks of gales in the North Atlantic (1941)
Three weeks of storms wear the crew down. Morale drops with each bad turn.
Set in North Atlantic — At sea; no fixed position in the film.
Open sea; the story sets these scenes in the North Atlantic.
Filmed at North Sea off Heligoland — An 11 m model steered by a technician was used for storm shots off Heligoland.
How to get there:
Filmed at Lake Constance off Immenstaad — Exterior scenes were shot on Lake Constance off Immenstaad.
How to get there:
The chance meeting with Thomsen's boat (1941)
In the storm, a second German boat appears out of nowhere and the two almost collide. The captain realises how lost the fleet is in the weather.
Set in North Atlantic, mid-storm — At sea; no fixed position in the film.
Open sea in a storm.
Filmed at Bavaria Studios water tank (Munich) — English Wikipedia: the half-size hull model filmed in the studio tank covers this meeting.
How to get there: Bavaria Film Studio Tour, Munich-Geiselgasteig.
Filmed at North Sea off Heligoland — German Wikipedia: the 11 m model was used in the North Sea off Heligoland.
How to get there:
The convoy and the burning tanker (1941)
The boat finds an outbound convoy and fires. When a burning tanker turns out to hold men in the water, the captain has to decide whether to help.
Set in North Atlantic convoy — At sea; no fixed position in the film.
Open sea at night.
Filmed at Bavaria Studios water tank (Munich) — The tank was used for the shots of British sailors jumping from their ship; a small part of the tanker hull was built.
How to get there: Bavaria Film Studio Tour, Munich-Geiselgasteig.
The night supply stop in Vigo (1941)
The dirty crew is welcomed to a formal dinner on a hidden supply ship. The captain learns that his request to send Werner and the chief engineer home has been denied.
Set in Vigo harbour, Spain — The neutral Spanish port where U-96 meets the supply ship SS Weser at night.
A Spanish Atlantic port; in the film, a secret supply stop.
The air attack near Gibraltar (1941)
As the boat nears the strait, a British plane strafes it and wounds the navigator. The captain heads south at full speed.
Set in Approach to the Strait of Gibraltar — At sea; no fixed position in the film.
The narrow sea route between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, guarded by the Royal Navy.
Filmed at La Rochelle (outdoor mock-up base) — The full-size surface mock-up used for the Gibraltar scenes was stationed in La Rochelle.
How to get there:
On the seabed at 280 metres (1941)
The boat sinks past its limit and settles on the seabed. The crew works through the night on repairs while the air gets worse.
Set in Sea shelf off Gibraltar — At sea; no fixed position in the film.
A rock shelf far below the surface, near the strait.
Filmed at Bavaria Studios, Geiselgasteig (Munich) — The interior and underwater shots were made in the studio.
How to get there: Bavaria Film Studio Tour, Munich-Geiselgasteig.
Back in La Rochelle on Christmas Eve (1941)
The tired boat limps into port on Christmas Eve. The crew finally have a chance to rest.
Set in La Pallice U-boat base, La Rochelle — The home base the crew has been trying to reach for the whole film.
A concrete bunker complex that still stands in the harbour.
Filmed at La Pallice U-boat base, La Rochelle — Entry scenes were shot at La Pallice; the bunker interior was filmed at the original site, the rest of the harbour built.
How to get there: The La Pallice base is in the port district of La Rochelle.
Characters
- Werner — A war correspondent sent to ride along on U-96 and report on a patrol.
- The Captain — The cynical, experienced commander of U-96.
Questions answered on the map
- Where was the inside of the U-boat in Das Boot really filmed?
- Where were the Das Boot storm scenes really filmed?
- Which real bunker was the Das Boot home port?