U571

Summary

That this House notes the release of the feature film U571 in the UK, which purports to tell the tale of the capture by the United States Navy of a Nazi submarine during World War II, with the intention of retrieving an Enigma code machine and code books, and that this story is entirely fictional; notes that the capture of the Enigma machine actually took place in May 1941 when the British destroyer HMS 'Bulldog', commanded by Captain Joe Baker Cresswell, disabled and seized submarine U-110, after which members of its crew, led by Lt. Davide Balme and including, amongst others, Chief Engineering Officer G.E. Dodds, then risked their lives to board the stricken submarine, facing the danger that it might sink at any time; notes that members of the boarding party were decorated for their heroism in retrieving the encoding device and that King George VI described their actions as perhaps the most important single event in the war at sea; and regrets that Hollywood has chosen to distort the truth and detract from the valour of the British sailors concerned by appropriating the story for its own financial gain.

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Timeline

1. 5 June 2000

   Early Day Motion

   That this House notes the release of the feature film U571 in the UK, which purports to tell the tale of the capture by the United States Navy of a Nazi submarine during World War II, with the intention of retrieving an Enigma code machine and code books, and that this story is entirely fictional; notes that the capture of the Enigma machine actually took place in May 1941 when the British destroyer HMS 'Bulldog', commanded by Captain Joe Baker Cresswell, disabled and seized submarine U-110, after which members of its crew, led by Lt. Davide Balme and including, amongst others, Chief Engineering Officer G.E. Dodds, then risked their lives to board the stricken submarine, facing the danger that it might sink at any time; notes that members of the boarding party were decorated for their heroism in retrieving the encoding device and that King George VI described their actions as perhaps the most important single event in the war at sea; and regrets that Hollywood has chosen to distort the truth and detract from the valour of the British sailors concerned by appropriating the story for its own financial gain.

   Source: Early Day Motion

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Sponsors

• Lindsay Hoyle · Labour · Primary sponsor

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