The Sinking Of The Laconia

Made-for-television war drama based on real events. In September 1942, a German U-boat sinks the British ocean liner RMS Laconia 650 miles off the west coast of Africa. When the U-Boat's commander Werner Hartenstein (Ken Duken) realises that the ship has Italian POWs and civilians on board, he makes a decision that goes against the orders of Nazi high command and instructs his men to save as many of the shipwrecked survivors as they can. The cast also includes Brian Cox, Franka Potente and Lindsay Duncan.