Das Boot/third series

Last night Sky Atlantic began the third series of Das Boot.

Originally an outstanding film which was hailed as one of the best films on World War Two in one recent poll, it then morphed into a tv series.

It posed a problem on how sympathetically you dramatise a Nazi naval success that halted many convoys and cost many merchantmen their lives.

Germany, unlike Japan, did not really have a navy which is why the Royal Navy scuttled the French fleet at Mers el Kebir rather than let it fall into Nazi hands.

However, the U boats proved most effective in choking Britain.

The programme resolved the issue by an accurate if brutal depiction of U-boat conditions. It also had a strong cast and excellent production values.

The story was not always easy to follow and lacked pace. I was unsure when and where it was.

Two young petty criminals are arrested for pickpocketing. They are given the choice of castration and service on the Eastern Front or training for the U- boats.

They chose the latter and we see their severe training programme.

Two of the main characters from the previous series, including a commander who participated in a mutiny, and a Gestapo officer who at the end turns up in Portugal with an assumed name.

Though slightly disappointed, there was enough to engage me to watch the next episode.