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U-boat 977
U-Boat 977 was the German submarine that escaped to Argentina at the end of the Second World War. This epic journey started from Bergen in Norway, where in April 1945 it was temporarily based, and took three and a half months to complete. Because of continuing Allied naval activity, the commander decided to make the first part of the journey underwater. Before surfacing near the west coast of Africa, U-977 had spent a remarkable sixty-six days submerged! It was inevitable that when U-977's journey and escape to Argentina and its port of Mar del Plata became known, it would be the centre of rumour and theory. Why did U-977 make this long journey of escape when, for Germany, the war was over? Was it because it was carrying Nazi gold to continue the fight? Were escaping Nazi leaders on board? Was Hitler on board? The stories were many and for years, after the end of the Second World War, provided material for novelists, filmmakers and historians alike.Heinz Schaeffer, the commander of U-977, has written a full account of his earlier career that culminated in this last command. It depicts the grueling aspects of a submariner's life aboard a vessel that was subjected to the harsh conditions of the seas and oceans. As an experienced commander, Schaeffer took part in many of the decisive U-boat operations in the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. In the final months of the war, and in common with most surviving U-boat commanders, Schaeffer and his crew came under constant attacks from Allied aircraft and surface ships.The final part of "U-Boat 977" is Schaeffer's account of the perilous journey to Argentina, in spite of the Allied naval blockade.
207 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1952
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 9, 2020
Fascinating autobiography of a German Naval officer who (of course) claims he wasn't a Nazi, never joined the Party, etc. Never mind. It's well written, with an introduction by Nicholas Monsarrat. It's unlike "Iron Coffins" or "Steel Boats; Iron Hearts", each of which focus on the author's role as U-Boat Captains during the Battle of the Atlantic. And the important stuff comes at the end.
Schaeffer serves several missions as a Lieutenant, on a boat that torpedoes perhaps only 100,000 total tons of ships. In early 1945, he's among half the crew that gets diphtheria, and is pulled off that boat--which never returns from its next mission.
There's an interesting chapter about the cat-and-mouse game of submarine detection. The author explains, with striking clarity, why the invention of airborne radar flipped U-Boats from hunter to hunted. According to Schaeffer, no Captain could overcome the British/American tactics, turning the U-Boat into a 4 million Mark coffin.
Sent to Command school, he spends spring 1945 on small training subs in the Baltic, then is given his first command, U-977, in April. With the Allies closing in from both sides, Dönitz orders the Baltic boats to flee to German occupied Norway. (Atlantic boats had been lost on suicide missions against the D-Day invaders.) Arriving in Norway, not having fired a torpedo, Schaeffer picks up only a garbled version of Dönitz's surrender command--directed to U-boats in particular.
Halfway unable and unwilling to believe--and scared of returning to a "Morgenthau-ed" Germany (confined to pasture-land)--Schaeffer suggests bolting to Argentina. Why there? Not because he spoke Spanish--though Schaeffer was fluent in English and French, no one on the boat knew Spanish. Rather, it was because Argentina only was a recent belligerent, having switched sides when the war winds changed. Somehow, Schaeffer thought a German U-Boat, and its crew, would be received better there. A dozen disagreed (most of the Petty Officers), so they were discharged in dinghies off the Norway coast, then Schaeffer ordered a South West heading.
What follows is why this book remains of continuing interest. Sixty-Seven days underwater, a record that stood (I believe) until nuclear submarines. Scares from radar reflections--the Allies hadn't quit looking just because Dönitz surrendered. Threatened crew mutinies and outright disobedience--from what, after all, does Schaeffer draw his authority, other than a German Submarine Commander's White Cap; and what could that mean now? And why not easily beach in "neutral" Spain?; even the most optimistic calculations said the sub only could make the Río de la Plata at minimum speed in August, riding on the surface in the South Atlantic and visible to every passing vessel the whole way.
The rest would be telling, except this: U-977 is the source of the rumor that Hitler and the top Nazis escaped to Argentina.
Schaeffer serves several missions as a Lieutenant, on a boat that torpedoes perhaps only 100,000 total tons of ships. In early 1945, he's among half the crew that gets diphtheria, and is pulled off that boat--which never returns from its next mission.
There's an interesting chapter about the cat-and-mouse game of submarine detection. The author explains, with striking clarity, why the invention of airborne radar flipped U-Boats from hunter to hunted. According to Schaeffer, no Captain could overcome the British/American tactics, turning the U-Boat into a 4 million Mark coffin.
Sent to Command school, he spends spring 1945 on small training subs in the Baltic, then is given his first command, U-977, in April. With the Allies closing in from both sides, Dönitz orders the Baltic boats to flee to German occupied Norway. (Atlantic boats had been lost on suicide missions against the D-Day invaders.) Arriving in Norway, not having fired a torpedo, Schaeffer picks up only a garbled version of Dönitz's surrender command--directed to U-boats in particular.
Halfway unable and unwilling to believe--and scared of returning to a "Morgenthau-ed" Germany (confined to pasture-land)--Schaeffer suggests bolting to Argentina. Why there? Not because he spoke Spanish--though Schaeffer was fluent in English and French, no one on the boat knew Spanish. Rather, it was because Argentina only was a recent belligerent, having switched sides when the war winds changed. Somehow, Schaeffer thought a German U-Boat, and its crew, would be received better there. A dozen disagreed (most of the Petty Officers), so they were discharged in dinghies off the Norway coast, then Schaeffer ordered a South West heading.
What follows is why this book remains of continuing interest. Sixty-Seven days underwater, a record that stood (I believe) until nuclear submarines. Scares from radar reflections--the Allies hadn't quit looking just because Dönitz surrendered. Threatened crew mutinies and outright disobedience--from what, after all, does Schaeffer draw his authority, other than a German Submarine Commander's White Cap; and what could that mean now? And why not easily beach in "neutral" Spain?; even the most optimistic calculations said the sub only could make the Río de la Plata at minimum speed in August, riding on the surface in the South Atlantic and visible to every passing vessel the whole way.
The rest would be telling, except this: U-977 is the source of the rumor that Hitler and the top Nazis escaped to Argentina.
September 1, 2015
Heinz Schaeffer, a Berliner by birth, had long nurtured a love for the sea. So much so that, at 13, he volunteered to serve as a deckhand on a schooner, often doing the most dirtiest of jobs. The skipper of the schooner, a former naval officer, knowing of Schaeffer's zest and aptitude for boating, helped him to learn his way around a ship. Within a year, Schaeffer had earned a master's certificate, which qualified him to assume command of any sailing boat on the rivers and inland waterways of Germany. Subsequently, after Schaeffer had completed his formal education, he volunteered, age 17, for the Kriegsmarine in late 1938, passing an extensive series of exams that took 14 days to complete.
Schaeffer goes on to share with the reader the gruelling wartime training regimen of seamen trainees and his experiences of serving abroad U-boats in the Atlantic between 1941 and 1943. It wasn't an easy life. Of the 40,000 seamen who served aboard U-boats during the Second World War, 3/4 of them were killed while on active service.
Schaeffer's command of the U 977 proved to be his first and last command of a submarine. Ordered in April 1945 to proceed to Norway, the U 977 embarked on a remarkable voyage that was to take it to the Argentine 4 months later. All in all, this was a highly informative, colorful, and insightful book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Any reader who loves stories of adventures on the high seas will delight in reading "U-BOAT 977."
Schaeffer goes on to share with the reader the gruelling wartime training regimen of seamen trainees and his experiences of serving abroad U-boats in the Atlantic between 1941 and 1943. It wasn't an easy life. Of the 40,000 seamen who served aboard U-boats during the Second World War, 3/4 of them were killed while on active service.
Schaeffer's command of the U 977 proved to be his first and last command of a submarine. Ordered in April 1945 to proceed to Norway, the U 977 embarked on a remarkable voyage that was to take it to the Argentine 4 months later. All in all, this was a highly informative, colorful, and insightful book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Any reader who loves stories of adventures on the high seas will delight in reading "U-BOAT 977."
January 6, 2026
Gera knyga. Patiko..
August 6, 2018
Kirja ei ollut lainkaan niin elämänkerrallinen kuin aluksi luulin. Itsensä sijaan U-977:n komentaja Schaeffer keskittyy muistelmissaan siihen kuinka saksalaiset käyttivät pelätyintä asettaan toisessa maailmansodassa ja hallitsivat sillä Atlanttia. Kirja vastaa kutkuttavan mielenkiintoisiin kysymyksiin. Miltä elämä tuntui öljynkatkuisessa, alipaineisessa ja kosteassa purkissa joka homehtui sisältä? Kuinka asetta ohjattiin yksikkönä ja kuinka sitä käytettiin joukkona? Kuinka viestiyhteyksiä ylläpidettiin? Kuinka tekniikka kehittyi sodan kuluessa tai kuinka sukellusvenettä pyrittiin torjumaan? Kuinka torjunta alkoi menestyä niin, että metsästäjistä tulikin saaliita? Mitä sotilas ajatteli ja tunsi metallisen hauta-arkkunsa sisällä, jossa yksityistä tilaa ei ollut? Jos vaikka kirjan lauseet olivatkin välillä pitkiä ja kirjoitustyyli kömpelöä, niin kyllä tämä on joskus luettava uudelleen.
July 26, 2012
Very well written - Schaeffer recounts how he got into the navy, the travails of being at war, the appalling losses of the Germans. Its very refreshing to read something from the German perspective, since there is a true dearth of such material.
Oh, and by the way - Monsarrat is a blooming idiot.
Oh, and by the way - Monsarrat is a blooming idiot.
February 11, 2024
Great book written by the Captain himself. He provides a look at his early life and his time serving in the Kriegsmarine. It’s a very interesting story to read about their journey to Argentina.
July 22, 2020
This book was one of the earliest (published 1950) detailing the life and conditions aboard a U-boat in wartime, and is considered the first postwar memoir by a former U-boat officer. The career of the boat itself and its commanding officer is lackluster: no major encounters or battles of any kind. The choice to surrender after traveling to the Southern Hemisphere (and the concurrent, identical decision made by U-530) made the boat fodder of conspiracy theorists.
Apparently penned originally in German, suffers from some translation trauma — for example, a sailor was punished for stealing chocolate with "several days sent to Coventry, a severe punishment in the small confines of a submarine". The Naval Institute made an effort to translate from the original and not the latter abridgments, but it seems perhaps one more pass is still needed.
Some things are less than likable about this book — some because of modern sensibilities 70 years after publication, like the lack of apologies for the war customary of any portrayal of the German of Japanese side in this century, and some because of the author's attempt to keep most detail out of the book and the narrative vague: people and vessels are not identified by name, dates are rarely provided and locations even less often. It is hard to track the course of the boat from the book, and this was done deliberately, as later editions excised even more detail from the original, per translator's note.
Apparently penned originally in German, suffers from some translation trauma — for example, a sailor was punished for stealing chocolate with "several days sent to Coventry, a severe punishment in the small confines of a submarine". The Naval Institute made an effort to translate from the original and not the latter abridgments, but it seems perhaps one more pass is still needed.
Some things are less than likable about this book — some because of modern sensibilities 70 years after publication, like the lack of apologies for the war customary of any portrayal of the German of Japanese side in this century, and some because of the author's attempt to keep most detail out of the book and the narrative vague: people and vessels are not identified by name, dates are rarely provided and locations even less often. It is hard to track the course of the boat from the book, and this was done deliberately, as later editions excised even more detail from the original, per translator's note.
February 21, 2020
This was really good. A unique first-hand account of German U-boat service during WWII. Only one in four submarine sailors survived the war, which is staggering. Also incredibly unique is this ship's escape from Germany to Argentina, a 7300 mile trip, following the German surrender. This also included 66 consecutive days spent traveling submerged to avoid detection. Madness.
A quick read, very informative and unique. Not many accounts like this exist.
A quick read, very informative and unique. Not many accounts like this exist.
January 15, 2021
The satiric tone of the author about stowing Hitler away of Europe is epic. U boat 977 was sailing away of Europe towards Argentina even after the war was over causing the allies secret service to rush into Mar del Plata accusing commander Shaeffer of being part of a phantom convoy.
December 31, 2023
Couldn’t put the book down. Sad that Argentina turned this crew to the US authorities.
March 7, 2024
A riveting first-hand account of submarine warfare in WWII.
December 19, 2015
An account of an extraordinary passage of events aboard a German class VIIC uboat, and events leading up to it, by Heinz Schaeffer, a German naval officer during the Second World War.
In many ways this is a personal commentary on the war period written at a time when history was the preserve of the victors, and the voice of the vanquished inevitably only distantly heard. It offers an insight into the mind of a u-boat commander, how they valued their rare independence given the nature of their work. Given that that was to sink and disrupt Allied shipping and cause the greatest havoc possible, it is not surprising that the book received, by way of foreword, as much rancour as Nicholas Monserratt could summon, and as much as his publisher could no doubt bear.
Having had something of a heyday, U-boats, due to improvements in convoy protection and increased mastery of the skies, mid-war became increasingly vulnerable to airborne attack, in no small part because of the Allies' invention of Radar. Technical and tactical innovations were quickly developed by the Germans but their implementation was relatively slow and they would ultimately do little to stem the tide of the war, which was not going their way. It is during this period that Schaeffer rises in the ranks to captain, and he clearly distances himself from Donitz’s enthusiastic claims otherwise.
Readers will gain an unparalleled insight into the running of a VIIC, including passages that deal with the Snort diesel engine apparatus; from where foodstuffs were stored, to hygiene, discipline, smoking routines, operation practice, periscope depths, diving practices, engine use and fuel economy and a whole deal more. There is much to go on given the fact that Schaeffer U-977 was to embark on an extraordinary voyage from Kiel to South America, a large portion of which – some 66 days all told - was conducted entirely submerged.
For this alone the book is an invaluable part of the historical record. My instinct is to treat Schaeffer’s account of the decision to abscond on hearing of the German surrender and his dealing with subsequent mutinies with a certain degree of circumspection, as with many of the motives expressed in this book. But on other matters there is a frankness and honesty that bridles the instinct to tell tall tales of the sea. Fascinating however is the strength of the Allies’ suspicions that important figures in the Reich had escaped with them. I guess we will never know.
In many ways this is a personal commentary on the war period written at a time when history was the preserve of the victors, and the voice of the vanquished inevitably only distantly heard. It offers an insight into the mind of a u-boat commander, how they valued their rare independence given the nature of their work. Given that that was to sink and disrupt Allied shipping and cause the greatest havoc possible, it is not surprising that the book received, by way of foreword, as much rancour as Nicholas Monserratt could summon, and as much as his publisher could no doubt bear.
Having had something of a heyday, U-boats, due to improvements in convoy protection and increased mastery of the skies, mid-war became increasingly vulnerable to airborne attack, in no small part because of the Allies' invention of Radar. Technical and tactical innovations were quickly developed by the Germans but their implementation was relatively slow and they would ultimately do little to stem the tide of the war, which was not going their way. It is during this period that Schaeffer rises in the ranks to captain, and he clearly distances himself from Donitz’s enthusiastic claims otherwise.
Readers will gain an unparalleled insight into the running of a VIIC, including passages that deal with the Snort diesel engine apparatus; from where foodstuffs were stored, to hygiene, discipline, smoking routines, operation practice, periscope depths, diving practices, engine use and fuel economy and a whole deal more. There is much to go on given the fact that Schaeffer U-977 was to embark on an extraordinary voyage from Kiel to South America, a large portion of which – some 66 days all told - was conducted entirely submerged.
For this alone the book is an invaluable part of the historical record. My instinct is to treat Schaeffer’s account of the decision to abscond on hearing of the German surrender and his dealing with subsequent mutinies with a certain degree of circumspection, as with many of the motives expressed in this book. But on other matters there is a frankness and honesty that bridles the instinct to tell tall tales of the sea. Fascinating however is the strength of the Allies’ suspicions that important figures in the Reich had escaped with them. I guess we will never know.
December 2, 2016
Not a lot of detail, but a very interesting story. The most interesting parts of the book are the last two chapters about their surrender and the whole confusion over the transport of Hitler to Argentina myth.
August 13, 2015
Great story for those who enjoy WW II sub stories.
August 8, 2015
nicht ganz das was drauf steht
March 24, 2024
U boat Commander Schaeffer recounts his time as a sub commander in WWII with a detailed account of his trip in May 1945 from Germany to Argentina as the war in Europe ended
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews