For almost four weeks, the submarine is traveling south-west of Ireland and is held underwater by a destroyer during its first attack on an English convoy. Exploding depth charges hurl the crew and submarine into chaos. But the "old man" succeeds in maneuvering U 96 out of the danger zone. Subsequently, the submarine gets into a storm period lasting more than three weeks.

• Wolfgang Petersen
• Dean Riesner
• Lothar-Günther Buchheim

• Edwige Pierre
• Jürgen Prochnow
• Herbert Grönemeyer