Steel Boat Iron Hearts: A U-boat Crewman's Life Aboard U-505

This is an entertaining explanation of life on a WWII German submarine that corrects some of the erroneous view created by many popular movie images.

Like Paul Harvey used to say, "here's the rest of the story". It's pretty heart-breaking to read about WWII from the German perspective. Especially terrifying to me would be to be a submariner on the U boats. I have actually been on the U 505 at the museum in Chicago. Now I know the rest of the story.

A crew's eye view of submarine life as an enlisted sailor. Could have been a little more detailed, and was definitely written from the heart. As an American, it was strange to read about the allies "terror bombing" of cities and hospital ships. The writer also maintains several times that Germany was waging a just war, and he implied that they were saving the world from communism.

This was one of those "tough to put down" books, even though you pretty much know what happens by the end of the first few chapters. And even though Hans Goebeler was on the wrong side of WWII, his story holds up well, and you can't help but admire the bravery shown and adversity that was dealt with by U-Boat crews.=== The Good Stuff===* Goebeler and John Vanzo keep the story lively and fast moving. Although I am sure Vanzo did a bit of cleanup with the original text, Goebeler's voice and personality still come through.* The authors do a nice job of capturing the raw edges and emotions involved in their U-Boat service. We feel their hatred at petty and dictatorial commanders, as well as their admiration for some of their own officers, and even for their enemies.* The book takes us through the entire lifespan of U-505, from its launching early in the war to its demise in 1944. It is a very interesting study in the mentality of the crew, from the optimistic, "lets go get `em" attitude during the glory days to the sad, dark days when U-Boats were lost by the dozens. Amazing that a crew could be in a hurry to deploy on a mission that they were statistically unlikely to return from.===The Not-So-Good Stuff===* Goebeler goes out of his way to discredit reports that morale on the boat was damaged by events. To be honest, these seemed to take the form of "Methinks thou dost protest too much". In any event, they take away from the flow of the narrative and pop up repeatedly.* While the emotions and interpersonal relations of the crew are well documented, it would have been nice to get more information on the technical side of a WWII submarine. The tails of combat are somewhat limited by a lack of technical details and how they related to attack and evasion tactics.* There are a few relatively detailed descriptions of various bodily function issues, including hazing and medical treatments. While obviously a part of the story, definitely not lunch-time reading.===Summary===I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to WWII and naval history fans without reservation. There were areas which could have been improved or expanded on, but the book mostly stands on its own as a history of one U-Boat and trials and tribulations of its crew.

The story of a German submersible, as told by a member of the crew from U-505, one of a handful to survive the war.Hans Goebeler is the narrator of the story. From his time as a teenager, admiring the military traditions of his family, until the day he is captured at sea by the Allies, this is his story. Goebeler is a great guy to tell this story for a number of reasons. He was obviously an enthusiastic amateur photographer. Space was incredibly tight on early u-boats, so hauling along camera and a film took valuable personal space. In addition, he was a sailor. An enlisted man, not even an NCO. So many of the books available about all wars are from the colonels, generals, and politicians with axes to grind. Goebeler was no more or less than a guy who signed up to fight for his country.Which is another thing I liked about this book. Goebeler refused in his life, and refused in the book, to apologize for fighting for Germany in the war. He is correctly horrified by what the Nazis did, but believed that many of the soldiers and sailors in the trenches and the boats were simply fighting for their country. The argument of the responsibility of the 'average German' for the war is a complex one, but Goebeler makes a compelling case that politics was not much on the minds of the sailors on his boat.The descriptions of what happened are also extremely honest. He talks of the physical and emotional stress of being on the boat. The condensation dripping from the steel hull and the latrine bucket back in the engine room. He talks of the officer who tries to steal his shaved ice and berry desert and the stark difference between the quality of leadership in the three captains for whom he served. Geobeler is also startlingly honest about his time on short in France. He speaks both of the constant sabotage in the French shipyards just as much as he talks openly about chasing French hookers after a day of work.This is far from the most artful book about the war, and the number of exclamation points eventually annoyed me. But it's one of those books that manages to be both very personal to the author and his story, but also gives the impression that many, many soldiers felt this way. The final words about the author organizing reunions with the Allied soldiers he tried to kill, while they tried to kill him, are touching. Recommended for WW II nerds.

The survival of this control room man was due to a succession of sabotages by French Dockworkers at Lorient which with other moves kept his boat away from the North Atlantic . He was repetitive in his stating that he was unrepentant in doing his duty to Germany and in his admiration of Gross Admiral Donitz . I have followed several German people in their description of their part in the war. I find it interesting that none seem to have been aware of the part Bletchley Park played in the War . B-Deintz the Germanequivalent’s part has not been investigated or deliberately not made clear . Churchill’s order not to reveal anything of Bletchley is most unfortunate . Without it’s assistance the War might well have had a different look. The importance of Malta cannot be over stressed .

No matter what you think of the German uboat service, those men were doing their duty in the most hostile conditions where the odds againt them were staggering in the latter stages of the war, they still went to sea knowing this, brave lads just doing there duty, the book is a good read and gives a good account of a uboat crewmans life on land and at sea. U505 suvived the war and I think its on display in America.

Superb insight into life aboard a German U-Boat during WW2. nice to read something from someone who believed in what he was doing and not the usual, i wasn't a Nazi I was just following orders story. a lot more respect for telling it how it is.

Really enjoyed this book. If you like u boats, military history or the movie Das Boot, this books for you. Captivating stories and detail of what living in a dark, damp, stinking diesel boat was like for months on end. Sabotage is not something I ever heard of before or considered on subs, but the French dock workers were doing their part to keep these silent hunters in the UBoat pens and not out hunting merchant shipping. I hope to visit the boat one day now that it’s a permanent museum in Chicago following its capture.

As all the first person narrations, this is one of the rare ones which give a very interesting opening on the daily aspect of history, and in this very one a curious view about the rapport between ranks in the u-bootwaffe - most probably in the entire german navy ( peculiarity taken in account )- and also on the bound with the national pride/(dictatorship?) of the narrator.Useful to understand how a WW2 german submarine behave (superficially, I mean).