Ha haaaa, I know your just waiting for "my" response, so here goes.
Ive already defended the KM about gunning survivors in the water, so I will not go there. BUT, I will add that only one Uboat Commander was executed (by the KM) for an atrocity.
Heres where we depart on what I agree with you Andreas.
Weapons on Uboats varied. There were in fact more than one pistol--usually it was the P-08 with a "6" inch barrel--A.K.A. the Navy Luger. This doesnt include Flare pistols.
Uboats also carried, MP-38/40s, Mauser Rifles, and MG-34s. True, I dont know the exact number of firearms, but they did carry them. They also had spring-loaded racks that had enough Stahlhelms, for each crewmember. (If you can find the site on U 534? you will see in the photos at what im talking about. This uboat was raised, and my friend Susanne, took many photos of it in England. (Im hoping I have the right Uboat number--I can check on it later if I remember). Anyway, her photos show the gunlocker and Stahlhelm racks.
Now, when I visited U 995, as many things were removed or blocked off and with many people touring through it, I did not notice a gunlocker, but most likely would be close to the Kapitans quarters. They did however, have a Stahlhelm rack with grey painted M-35's still in them--no KM decals
of course
U 2540 the type XXI? in Bremerhaven, had a bit of room--tho not as much as the type VII-C, but could have had a decent sized storage locker for sidearms.
I have a KM press photo im still waiting on thats coming from a collection in Germany, that specifically shows a Uboat officer firing an MG=34 and three crewmen with mausers and one with an MP-38/40, trying to detonate seamines. If I ever recieve it, I will ask Otto to post it here to prove the weapons point.
As for torpedos changing direction--yet it happened, but only because the torpedo steering mechanism screwed up somehow. More than one Uboat was sunk by its own torpedo fire. The Gyros somehow jammed.
To enjoy the movie, you have to take a non-accurate historical approach--which means --watch it like you would watch a Star Trek movie--enjoy what fiction is to come. [img]smile.gif[/img]
[ 10 October 2001: Message edited by: C.Evans ]