The story of the German submarine U-505 and its dramatic capture by the US Navy during WWII—told by one of its crewmen. Hans Goebeler is known as the man who “pulled the plug” on U-505 in 1944 to keep his beloved U-boat out of Allied hands. Steel Boat, Iron Hearts is his no-holds-barred account of service aboard a combat U-boat. It is the only full-length memoir of its kind, and Goebeler was aboard for every one of U-505’s war patrols. Using his own experiences, log books, and correspondence with other U-boat crewmen, Goebeler offers rich and very personal details about what life was like in the German Navy under Hitler. Because his first and last posting was to U-505, Goebeler’s perspective of the crew, commanders, and war patrols paints a vivid and complete portrait unlike any other to come out of the Kriegsmarine. He witnessed it all: from deadly sabotage efforts that almost sunk the boat to the tragic suicide of the only U-boat commander who took his life during WWII; from the terror and exhilaration of hunting the enemy to the seedy brothels of France. The vivid, honest, and smooth-flowing prose calls it like it was and pulls no punches. U-505 was captured by Captain Dan Gallery’s Guadalcanal Task Group 22.3 on June 4, 1944. Trapped by this “Hunter-Killer” group, U-505 was depth-charged to the surface, strafed by machine gun fire, and boarded. It was the first enemy ship captured at sea since the War of 1812. Today, hundreds of thousands of visitors tour U-505 each year at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. Includes photos and a special Introduction by Keith Gill, Curator of U-505, Museum of Science and Industry

"Originally published in a privately distributed paper edition as Steel boats, iron hearts: the wartime saga of Hans Goebeler and the U-505 (Wagnerian Publications, 1999)"--T.p. verso.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 I was born Hans Jacob Göbeler in 1923 in the Hessian farming village of Bottendorf. I had a proud military tradition, as my family had fought in the Franco-Prussian War. I was always sure that I would enlist to defend my country in one service or another. #2 The dark, inhumane side of war I learned from my father Heinrich’s experiences in the First World War. He enlisted in the German Army at the age of 18, and fought on the Eastern Front. He was captured and spent the next several years in a Siberian labor camp. #3 I was extremely excited about the prospect of joining the military, as I felt that it was the only way Germany could defeat Britain. I was extremely determined to get into the war before it was over. #4 I was proud to be wearing the sharp-looking blue dress uniform of a sailor instead of the rough woolen tunic of a foot soldier. My orders and travel pass listed a false destination in order to camouflage the fact that I was headed to U-boat training.

One of WWII's pivotal events was the capture of U-505 on June 4, 1944. The top secret seizure of this massive Type IX submarine provided the Allies with priceless information on German technology and innovation. After the war U-505 was transported to Chicago, where today 1,000,000 visitors a year pass through her at the Museum of Science and Industry. Hunt and Kill offers the first definitive study of U-505. The chapters cover her construction, crew and commanders, combat history, general Type IX operations, naval intelligence, the eight fatal German mistakes that doomed the boat, and her capture, transportation, and restoration for posterity. The contributors to this fascinating volume--a Who's Who of U-boat historians--include: Erich Topp (U-Boat Ace, commander of U-552); Eric Rust (Naval Officers Under Hitler); Timothy Mulligan (Neither Sharks Nor Wolves); Jak Mallman Showell (Hitler's U-boat Bases); Jordan Vause (Wolf); Lawrence Patterson (First U-boat Flotilla); Mark Wise (Enigma and the Battle of the Atlantic); Keith Gill (Curator, Museum of Science and Industry), and Theodore Savas (Silent Hunters; Nazi Millionaries).

The former German U-boat commander Herbert Werner navigates readers through the waters of World War II, recounting four years of the most significant and savage battles. By war's end, 28,000 out of 39,000 German sailors had disappeared beneath the waves.

An exceptional figure in the history of the German Navy, Wolfgang Luth was one of only seven men in the Wehrmacht to win Germany's highest combat decoration, the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. At one time or another he operated in almost every theater of the undersea war, from Norway to the Indian Ocean, and became the second most successful German U-boat ace in World War II, sinking more than 220,000 tons of merchant shipping. A master in the art of military leadership, Luth was the youngest man to be appointed to the rank of captain and the youngest to become commandant of the German Naval Academy. Nevertheless, his accomplishments were overshadowed by those of other great aces, such as Prien, Kretschmer, and Topp. The publication of this book in hardcover in 1990 marked the first comprehensive study of Luth's life. Jordan Vause corrects the long neglect by providing an entertaining and authoritative biography that places the ace in the context of the war at sea. This new paperback edition includes corrections and additional information collected by the author over the past decade.

Admiral Daniel V. Gallery boarded and captured a German U-Boat at sea in June, 1944—the first American officer to so capture an enemy warship since 1815! U-505 is Admiral Gallery’s own story of his extraordinary feat—and also a gripping narrative of the fierce Allied war against the German U-Boat fleet. “EXCELLENT.”—Chicago Tribune “Terrific...the first-hand story of Uncle Sam’s U-Boat killers.”—Chicago Daily News “Brimming with thrills.”—Philadelphia News “An engrossing tale...Pungent, entertaining, informative.”—Navy Times “A humdinger of a sea story...a highly readable book, trimmed from stem to stern with the writer’s irrepressible sense of humor.”—Chicago Sunday Times “Excellent in several ways: it provides a fine quick survey of the whole Atlantic war, it describes the operation of the German U-boat service, and, most dramatically, it tells how an American task force under Admiral Gallery achieved the unique feat of capturing a German submarine.”—Publishers’ Weekly “U-505 IS ONE OF THE WAR’S MOST EXCITING MEMOIRS.”—Chicago News “One of the best non-fiction books about World War II.”—Raleigh News & Observer “A first-rate adventure tale...suspense and excitement told with a seaman’s salty zest...excellent reading.”—Chicago Sunday Tribune “A masterful job that merits the attention of every lover of sea stories.”—Pittsburgh Press

Reinhard ‘Teddy’ Suhren fired more successful torpedo shots than any other man during the war, many before he even became a U-boat commander. He was also the U-boat service’s most irreverent and rebellious commander; his lack of a military bearing was a constant source of friction with higher authority. Valued for his good humour and ability to lead, his nickname was acquired because he marched like a teddy-bear. Despite his refusal to conform to the rigid thought-patterns of National Socialism, his operational successes protected him, and he found himself accepted in the highest circles of power in Germany. He was one of the lucky third of all U-boat crewmen who survived the war, largely because his abilities led to a senior land-based command. He was also one of the first to publish his reminiscences, his account being typically forthright – its German title, Nasses Eichenlaub, suggesting that although he was decorated with the Oak Leaves, he was always in hot water. He died in 1984 but interest in his career was revitalized by the discovery of photographs documenting one of his operations in U 564, published with great success in 2004 as U-Boat War Patrol by Lawrence Patterson.

For four years the German U-boats of U-FlottilleFlandern would become a serious threat to theomnipotence of the Royal Navy and its fleet. By theend of the war they had managed to sink a totalof 2,554 Allied ships, totaling 2.5 million tons ofshipping. The Royal Navy put everything it had at itsdisposal to defeat the U-boats. Mines, steel nets, patrolcraft, Q-ships, aircraft, airships, convoys, espionageand specially equipped salvage units had to eliminatethe activities of the U-boat. As a consequence, thesecountermeasures caused the loss of 80% of the U-boatswhich were stationed in the Flemish ports.Underwater archaeologist and naval historianTomas Termote visited the wrecks of many U-boatsand has unraveled many of their secrets. He also writesabout life on board the U-boats, their importancein the war and the heavy losses on both sides. Forthe first time a detailed insight in this unique part ofhistory is given with an account of the fate of everyU-boat of the fleet. Illustrated with underwater colourphotographs of the wrecks, drawings of the sites andartefacts which helped identify unidentified sites,including that of UB-88, which ended up after the warin US waters where she was paraded in every big porton the US East coast, and sailed right up north alongthe West coast where it ended its life after being sunkoff San Diego.