Iron Coffins: A Personal Account Of The German U-boat Battles Of World War II

"Alarrrmmm!" is a word no U-Boat crew member wanted to hear, especially when on the surface, but it was heard with terrifying regularity as the War in the Atlantic turned in the allies favor.I have to admit that as a Brit I was curious as to what my own reaction to reading "Iron Coffins" would be. Sure, I've read lots of WWII history,  The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich , Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account , The Nuremberg Trial , Reach for the Sky , The Colditz Story , plus many, many more too numerous to mention, over the years. But as you can tell from the short list above, these were tales told invariably from the perspective of the Allies, because as always, it's the victors who write the history!So I didn't really know what I would make of the story of a young WWII Offiziersanwärter (Officer Cadet), who rose to command his own U-Boats by wars end, especially as he started his career not long after the phase of the War in the Atlantic known to the U-Boat crews as "Die Glückliche Zeit" ("The Happy Time"), when, for seven long months during 1940 - 1941, German U-Boat Wolf Packs roamed the Atlantic practically at will, decimating Allied shipping.The book is split into three main parts, "Years of Glory," "Above Us, Hell," and finally, "Disaster and Defeat." So even though the ultimate outcome of the story is never in doubt, it is clear from the chapter headings that the author is going to spare us nothing of the pride, elation, disquiet, fear, terror, and despair that he and his colleagues felt as the War progressed to its inevitable, and bitter end.We first meet Werner as a fresh faced graduate from the German Naval Academy in Flensburg; he was 21yrs old, and had taken the first fateful steps in, hopefully, fulfilling the dreams of his father, who longed to see his son wearing an Admiral's Stripes! Much to his own surprise, he and many of his friends are assigned to the U-Boats, and as a young, and inexperienced ensign, he had something of a "baptism of fire." On the way to be refitted for its next patrol, his boat was almost lost with all hands due to mechanical failure - or could it have been sabotage? - then once on patrol he experiences his first "kills," and survives the first of the countless depth-charging's he would suffer at the hands of Allied warships.Werner's writing style is straightforward, unfussy, and naturalistic; I found myself quickly drawn into his story, as he celebrates the skill of his Captain, the crew around him, as well as their sometimes astonishing good luck. We also get a taste of Werner's life away from the "front lines," as he partakes of many shore leaves between patrols, traveling to see his family and assorted girlfriends, as well as spending time with his crew mates in various Parisian "etablissements."As the war progresses, changes in tactics, as well as advances in radar and sonar technology, mean the hunters become the hunted, and Werner's story becomes one of survival, at times against seemingly impossible odds. Werner's naturalistic prose brings home the mind-shredding terror of sustained depth-charge attacks, of being bombed and strafed on the surface by aircraft that appear out of the blue, crash diving before batteries and oxygen supplies have been replenished, only to be depth-charged again and again. The U-Boats were hunted remorselessly, so-much-so that towards the end of the War every patrol became the equivalent of a suicide mission, with sometimes the damaged and hastily repaired boats themselves posing as much danger to the crews as the Allied warships and planes above them.But it is Werner's slowly dawning realization that the war is not going their way, that Germany herself is under threat, that is, for me, the most compelling part of the book. A proud and loyal member of the Kriegsmarine, Werner was desperate to believe the promises and assurances of his superiors, that the Wunderwaffen (Wonder Weapons) being produced in secret factories would deliver them from the Allies, and that his beloved Germany would be saved; there's no talk here of the Nazi's "Thousand Year Reich," just survival. In the end, Werner's pain and despair as he finally understood that their superiors had lied to them, had recklessly sacrificed the U-Boat fleet and their crews for nothing, was palpable.After finishing "Iron Coffins" I started checking around for similar books, and discovered a lot a negative commentary online directed at the book, and the author himself, mostly based upon accusations that Werner inflated the successes of the boats he was on, and his own importance. I think it's safe to say that both sides inflated their successes and minimized their losses, either through the Fog-of-War, time, or for deliberate propaganda purposes. Did Werner portray himself in the best possible light, I don't doubt it, who wouldn't? Did I believe every detail of the book happened just as the author said it did? No; this is memoir, not "history." I'll leave it to the historians and academics out there to bicker and argue over every dotted "i" and crossed "t;" I found myself enthralled, saddened, and ultimately moved by Werner's personal odyssey, and for me that's what counts.It's odd that a book Werner's harshest critics recommend,  Steel Boat, Iron Hearts  by Hans Goebeler, is similarly flawed, as the author appeared to have misrepresented himself to a quite startling degree! Mind you, that hasn't stopped me from downloading the book to my iPad! LOL!Finally, after my initial reticence it was the two following passages that convinced me to read "Iron Coffins.""...these were the flower of young German manhood... they were as a group unsullied by the cancer which afflicted the leading body politic. Because their leaders told them so, they believed that if they fought desperately, they might save their country from the disaster plainly grinding in from every side. They expected death, and most of them found it; but they fought hard all the same, and they carpeted the ocean floor with their bodies." Edward L. Beach, Captain, U.S. Navy (Ret.), 15th February 1969. (From the Foreword.)"...this book belongs to my dead comrades, stricken down wholesale in the prime of youth. I hope it pays them the honor they deserve. If I have succeeded in handing down to the reader the ancient lesson that each generation seems to forget - that war is evil, that it murders men - then I consider this my most constructive deed." Herbert A. Werner, January 1969. (From the Introduction.)

I was looking for a book that would tell the story of the German U-boat saga and not be biased or critical. I happened to find it here in "Iron Coffins": A Personal Account of the U-boat Battles of WW.II by Herbert A Werner; one of the last surviving Captains still engaged in the war that could not be won.The enormous giant (United States) that the Japanese had awakened at Pearl Harbor was thrust into action. England was being strangled by the German U-boat "Wolf Packs" and was losing the supremacy of the seas; which it had held for centuries. The combined power of the Allies was phenomenal. Once the Americans entered the conflict, its industrial might and ruffled feathers presented a formidable adversary for a brain-washed Nazi Germany and its fanatical Fuhrer Adolph Hitler.At first the submarines were very successful at sinking the cargo ships that sailed from the U.S., and those first U-boats had little trouble in scoring thousands of tons in total sinking's. They referred to this as "Happy Times" and were obviously winning the war in the Atlantic. All this was changed with the intervention of the U.S. Navy and its formidable escorts and destroyers that accompanied the convoys and provided unmatched protection. They're rapid deployment and improved underwater sensors soon turned the tide; with many U-boat kills and the demoralization of many a crew. Ensign turned lieutenant Herbert Werner wasn't one of them. Upon reading his account, I'm sure you will see something in this man that is nothing short of remarkable. He never doubted the outcome of the war until very near the end; when the insane orders came to "ram the Allied invasion fleet with your boat and sink whatever you can." A suicidal mission if ever there was one.In vain he waited for the new Type 21 U-boat that promised an exciting and unnerving weapon of immense proportions. Capable of traveling faster underwater than on the surface with six forward torpedo tubes and a Snorkel, they would have changed the war; if for no other reason, than giving Germany a somewhat honorable alternative of surrender rather than utter defeat.Herbert Werner explains it all in this fact-filled and extremely personal accounting of those five years he participated in the war of the "Iron Coffins." Highly personal in nature, he writes and re-tells his experiences in a European fashion that I found to be very entertaining and insightful. I must tell you that of the 38,000 men who sailed and fought in these contaminated steel canisters, less than 10,000 ever returned; and very few wanted to tell their story. The oceans of the world hold these men and machines in an icy grip that the author was all too well aware of. The smells and sounds of constrained confinement are well told in vivid and colorful phrases and paragraphs that held my interest for hours-(Chapter 11 was awesome). Add to that the true humanity and nature of the author's own family's story, and you have one of the greatest testaments ever written about these events and their solemn outcomes. I really enjoyed this book and would have loved to meet the author-Hence 5 stars with no regrets.

Recently I decided to take the dive into submarine warfare again and in doing so I decided to read this classic; honestly this was my first time reading it though I've known about since I was a kid in the 70s. Of all books on submarine warfare in WWII this is the gold standard. Leutnant ser See Wener's personal account from induction and service as a junior officer through being a captain of his own boat to capture is truly a great book, worthy of 4.5 stars. The honesty he shares with us about his experience make this book a worthy read. The only reason I call it a 4.5 star book is that while this is an outstanding book it doesn't stand out as well as The Forgotten Soldier or Black Edelweiss did. Because of that I had to call this one 4.5 and round down. I wish I could round up (I love the honesty about what pig boats were like and how extreme it was between being at sea and being ashore) but Iron Coffin's didn't move me as much as the other two did. Having said that, this is a must read for anyone who love WWII naval or wants to understand what true sacrifice is.

Interesting and educational, it keeps you gripped. Excellent read

It’s a great personal account of life in a wartime uboat ship.

Las mejores memorias de un veterano de submarinos alemanes que se puedan leer. Se hacen cortas.

Impressionante relato da vida de submarinistas alemães na 2GM. Detalhes importantes são descritos. Para quem gosta da leitura do gênero trata-se de leitura obrigatória.

Nice story, very well written by a german U-boot ace. It's nice, once in a time, to read a story written by somebody who fougth on the other side of the fence. The desctption of the events, of the feelings, and of the hopes of a young cadet througt his career to the degree of U-boot capitan in the German Navy during WW2 give a vivid and realistic portrait of the age. This novel will make you feel the triunph for the sinking of enemy vessels but also the fear for the depth charges exploding around you, while buried in your leaking iron coffin hundred of meters below the surface.Higly raccommended.[NB: Edizione in lingua inglese] Bella storia, magistralmente scritta da un asso degli U-boot tedeschi. E' bello, per una volta, leggere una storia scritta da qualcuno che ha combattuto dall'altra parte della barricata. La descrizione degli eventi, dei sentimentei e delle speranze di un giovane cadetto lungo la sua carriera nella marina tedesca fino al grado di capitano di U-boot durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale rendono un realistico ritratto dell'epoca. Questo romanzo vi farà vivere la sensazione di trionfo per i vascelli affondati, ma anche il terrore per l'esplosione delle cariche di profondità che vi esplodono intorno mentre siete sepolti nella vostra bara d'acciaio, semi allagata centinaia di metri sotto la superficie.Decisamente raccomandato.