Kriegsgericht (1959)

Three German naval sailors who have been shipwrecked—Lieutenant Commander Düren, Ensign Stahmer, and Petty Officer Hinze—are rescued by a German submarine. After it is established that they are the only survivors of the sinking of the warship Pommern, they are initially hailed as heroes and decorated. An investigator then notices inconsistencies in the three men’s accounts and considers the possibility that they deliberately abandoned the ship out of self-interest. He secures a trial and, accusing them of desertion, also serves as the prosecutor. Because he is occupying both roles, the three men’s joint defense attorney, who has no experience with military courts, unsuccessfully moves to have him disqualified for bias. The three initially maintain their innocence, but as they become increasingly entangled in contradictions, they admit one after another that they left the ship prematurely. However, they insist—some of them with great emotion—that none of their comrades was harmed as a result, whereas staying aboard would only have meant their own needless deaths, with no benefit to anyone else. All three are ultimately sentenced to death.