The Symbolic Scene

While there are countless undertones, exclusive double-meanings, and hidden truths throughout Das Boot, the scene most interesting to me is the break-down of the engine man that eventually goes insane.

Das Boot is a movie solely based on the terrible nature of war, the horrible things which occur that never had to, and the terrible atrocities committed in the name of whichever country each character may be from (this case, clearly Germany). It is NOT about the specific problems that plague submariners. Since each aspect of the film carries more meaning that at first glance: the constant quasi-claustrophobic feel the camera/viewers gain from watching represent the choke-hold of war and the way in which people/nations are strangled by their "alliances," the loosening bolts/screws being the loosening bolts/screws of the war machine/effort--this film is depicting the first round of declinations of the famous wolf packs (submarine patrols). Here we are shown the mindset that seems to have been common (figuratively) among the German common-folks (engineers). Peterson is portraying the common sentiment held by the German people of the 1980's about how the war unfolded and the impact of it being a nation-wide catastrophe had on the masses as compared to the SS officers and higher-ups that are commonly the only ones shown having to deal with repercussions.