This is an interesting film about the early years of World War II and Germany's efforts to hinder shipping supplies for Allied countries. It's the story of the sea raiders project of the German Navy. "Under Ten Flags" is about Atlantis and her captain, Bernhard Rogge. Atlantis was the first of 10 auxiliary cruisers to be converted into commerce raiders. They were sort of pirate ships. But, while they did board and take some supplies from commercial ships they captured, their purpose was mainly to sink and destroy commercial ships and their cargoes, from any nations.
As the movie shows, this raider was a deadly foe that was able to be camouflaged as a commercial vessel itself. The film title comes from the flags of the various nations it carried. It flew different ones to mask its true identity. And, it could quickly be readied for combat or assault on commercial vessels. Besides heavy deck guns, also camouflaged, it had a torpedo section below the water line.
Van Heflin plays Captain Bernhard Rogge, who was a career naval officer of service before the rise of the Nazi Party to power in Germany. The film shows the contrast between Rogge as a traditional sea captain who abides by the historical codes of the sea, and a young Nazi officer who thinks nothing of humanity but everything for German national conquest
The Atlantic was under direct orders and communication with German headquarters in Berlin. The ship's actual German name was Schiff 16. To the British Royal Navy it was officially known as Raider-C. It operated from the end of March, 1940, to its sinking by the British cruiser, Devonshire, on November 22, 1941. But, over those 602 days, Atlantis hindered British war efforts and hounded sea commerce, mostly in the South Atlantic. It sank or captured 22 merchant ships. And, it traveled more than 100,000 miles..
This film is a good portrayal of the conflict and differences between those who abide by maritime codes, and those who don't. In this case, of course, the ruthless, unhumanitarian mindset and actions of German Nazis. Yet, much comes to mind that this film doesn't treat or explain. For instance, while the two instances shown of bordering other ships explains how Atlantis got some of its supplies, it begs the bigger questions of fuel and other supplies. Where, when and how does it take on fuel? The scene of taking on and unloading the many passengers from the East Indian ship shows Rogge's handling of some passengers and survivors. But, what about all those who would be rescued from the sea after they used torpedoes to sink some of the 22 ships? And, how would they feed and care for so many passengers, and where were they dropping them off?
With a film such as this, one has to just assume those things happened, as the story is supposed to be based on true events. But it would have been nice and much better to at least have had a 10-minute segment that showed them dropping off passengers at a small port somewhere, and another showing them docking at a clandestine small port to take on fuel.
The German sea operations with Captain Rogge, are interrupted a few times with scenes at the British Admiralty where Charles Laughton plays Admiral Russell. His operation is to discover the source of all the commercial shipping losses in the South Atlantic, then, to find and sink the German ship doing the dastardly deeds, once that is discovered.
There is one other oddity about this film. That has to do with Captain Rogge's tirade against the Indian ship captain who opened fire on the Atlantis after hoisting a white flag. Rogge gives him a talking to and threatens maritime sanctions against the man. That was somewhat puzzling to me where the Atlantis misrepresented itself as a commercial ship of varying nations by the flags it carried - ergo, the title of the movie, and its camouflage. Is deceit such as that acceptable under maritime laws and traditions?
This isn't along the vein of the typical wartime combat films - on sea or land. But it does have some fairly good scenes on the sea. "Under Ten Flags" seems mostly a story about the commercial raider ships employed by Germany early in WW II, with a special tribute, of sorts, to Bernhard Rogge. Indeed, the epilogue on screen at the end of the credits, gives just such a wrap-up. "This picture is based upon events which actually occurred during a series of Naval cations in 1940-41. Bernhard Rogge, Captain of the German raider at that time, is now, as a German officer, a Commander for NATO n the Territorial Allied Naval Forces."
That was 1960, when this film came out, early in the Cold War. Rogge was in the West German Navy, and a part of NATO, along with Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Canada and the United States. East Germany was a member of the Soviet Bloc of the U. S. S. R.
As the movie shows, this raider was a deadly foe that was able to be camouflaged as a commercial vessel itself. The film title comes from the flags of the various nations it carried. It flew different ones to mask its true identity. And, it could quickly be readied for combat or assault on commercial vessels. Besides heavy deck guns, also camouflaged, it had a torpedo section below the water line.
Van Heflin plays Captain Bernhard Rogge, who was a career naval officer of service before the rise of the Nazi Party to power in Germany. The film shows the contrast between Rogge as a traditional sea captain who abides by the historical codes of the sea, and a young Nazi officer who thinks nothing of humanity but everything for German national conquest
The Atlantic was under direct orders and communication with German headquarters in Berlin. The ship's actual German name was Schiff 16. To the British Royal Navy it was officially known as Raider-C. It operated from the end of March, 1940, to its sinking by the British cruiser, Devonshire, on November 22, 1941. But, over those 602 days, Atlantis hindered British war efforts and hounded sea commerce, mostly in the South Atlantic. It sank or captured 22 merchant ships. And, it traveled more than 100,000 miles..
This film is a good portrayal of the conflict and differences between those who abide by maritime codes, and those who don't. In this case, of course, the ruthless, unhumanitarian mindset and actions of German Nazis. Yet, much comes to mind that this film doesn't treat or explain. For instance, while the two instances shown of bordering other ships explains how Atlantis got some of its supplies, it begs the bigger questions of fuel and other supplies. Where, when and how does it take on fuel? The scene of taking on and unloading the many passengers from the East Indian ship shows Rogge's handling of some passengers and survivors. But, what about all those who would be rescued from the sea after they used torpedoes to sink some of the 22 ships? And, how would they feed and care for so many passengers, and where were they dropping them off?
With a film such as this, one has to just assume those things happened, as the story is supposed to be based on true events. But it would have been nice and much better to at least have had a 10-minute segment that showed them dropping off passengers at a small port somewhere, and another showing them docking at a clandestine small port to take on fuel.
The German sea operations with Captain Rogge, are interrupted a few times with scenes at the British Admiralty where Charles Laughton plays Admiral Russell. His operation is to discover the source of all the commercial shipping losses in the South Atlantic, then, to find and sink the German ship doing the dastardly deeds, once that is discovered.
There is one other oddity about this film. That has to do with Captain Rogge's tirade against the Indian ship captain who opened fire on the Atlantis after hoisting a white flag. Rogge gives him a talking to and threatens maritime sanctions against the man. That was somewhat puzzling to me where the Atlantis misrepresented itself as a commercial ship of varying nations by the flags it carried - ergo, the title of the movie, and its camouflage. Is deceit such as that acceptable under maritime laws and traditions?
This isn't along the vein of the typical wartime combat films - on sea or land. But it does have some fairly good scenes on the sea. "Under Ten Flags" seems mostly a story about the commercial raider ships employed by Germany early in WW II, with a special tribute, of sorts, to Bernhard Rogge. Indeed, the epilogue on screen at the end of the credits, gives just such a wrap-up. "This picture is based upon events which actually occurred during a series of Naval cations in 1940-41. Bernhard Rogge, Captain of the German raider at that time, is now, as a German officer, a Commander for NATO n the Territorial Allied Naval Forces."
That was 1960, when this film came out, early in the Cold War. Rogge was in the West German Navy, and a part of NATO, along with Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Canada and the United States. East Germany was a member of the Soviet Bloc of the U. S. S. R.