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U122: The Diary of a U-Boat Commander
The diary (translated into English) of a World War One U-Boat commander. As well as being a fascinating glimpse of life on the German U-boats during the intense submarine blockade, this also reminds us there were humans involved - on both sides of the action - as we read too of the intimate thoughts and intense love of a man longing for his sweetheart.
103 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1920
63 people are currently reading
305 people want to read
About the author
R.N. Etienne
3 books1 followerPseudonym of Stephen King-Hall under which he published:
Verses from the Grand Fleet (1916)
A Naval Lieutenant 1914-18 (1919)
Strange Tales from the Fleet (1919)
The Diary of a U-Boat Commander (1920)
Verses from the Grand Fleet (1916)
A Naval Lieutenant 1914-18 (1919)
Strange Tales from the Fleet (1919)
The Diary of a U-Boat Commander (1920)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
October 8, 2020
An underwater experience as documented by a German U-Boat Commander. Very heartwarming yet an underlying tragic, true story of love and the miseries of war.
December 27, 2013
No one seems to know if this story is fact or fabrication. No one knows if its fiction or not. Check out the literature surrounding it--no clues. Check out all the reviews--no certainty. The author is sometimes listed as Karl von Schenk, the captain of said U-boat, and sometimes as William Stephen Richard King-Hall, a British naval officer and peer. King-Hall did in fact exist--he was at one time a member of Parliament--but his connection to this so-called diary is in no way clear. He appears nowhere in it, unless as the editor who signs himself Etienne. And no material in any edition I have seen clears up any of this confusion.
Which is one reason I read it straight through. When the diarist is not busy mining harbors or being nearly depth-charged to death by British cruisers--always entertaining--he's falling in love with a woman in Belgium, who refuses his pleas in an extremely confusing way. Which makes the book something of a mystery, too. What the heck is it? By the end, though, with the two main stories of the book ended and loose ends tied up, few will doubt in which category to place this book. Odd that is should persist so long--it was published in 1920--with the story behind it still so mysterious.
Which is one reason I read it straight through. When the diarist is not busy mining harbors or being nearly depth-charged to death by British cruisers--always entertaining--he's falling in love with a woman in Belgium, who refuses his pleas in an extremely confusing way. Which makes the book something of a mystery, too. What the heck is it? By the end, though, with the two main stories of the book ended and loose ends tied up, few will doubt in which category to place this book. Odd that is should persist so long--it was published in 1920--with the story behind it still so mysterious.
November 23, 2020
Listened to the Audiobook from LibraVox narrated by Mark F. Smith. I found myself in a moral conundrum throughout the diary. As I listened to the thoughts and emotions of this man, a german captain in WWI, I could not help but empathize with him. His struggles and emotions might be familiar to any man albeit under different circumstances. My struggle was not with his actions in the war, but with my listening to the story itself. Early in the book we learn of how it came out of his possession and into ours. It was a terrible thing for the diary’s author and I was reminded of it as the book progressed. With my growing empathy for this captain my sense of trespass was also growing. This may be nothing to many readers but it has left me with plenty to contemplate.
August 10, 2011
I was never quite sure whether this was an entirely fictional tale masquerading as a biography, or whether there's any truth to the story. Either way, it was a good read, and I enjoyed it more than I had expected.
September 9, 2014
Interesting read, loved the mix of war and romance.
February 13, 2022
Is it a true story or fiction? No one seems to know. But for me, the question was quickly lost as I entered into the world of an arrogant young U-Boat commander fighting for the Germans in World War One.
At the start of the book we see a headstrong almost narcissistic man who is ready to die for the motherland and kill anyone who stands in the way of his beloved country. At the end of the book we see a brokenhearted captain who is questioning everything he ever believed and instead of loving war, hates it with all of his heart. In a crazy turn of events, the very thing he served and would have died for took the only thing he ever wanted to love and die for.
This is an amazing story of love, war, and the catastrophic consequences when the two forces collide in the hearts of lovers.
At the start of the book we see a headstrong almost narcissistic man who is ready to die for the motherland and kill anyone who stands in the way of his beloved country. At the end of the book we see a brokenhearted captain who is questioning everything he ever believed and instead of loving war, hates it with all of his heart. In a crazy turn of events, the very thing he served and would have died for took the only thing he ever wanted to love and die for.
This is an amazing story of love, war, and the catastrophic consequences when the two forces collide in the hearts of lovers.
July 8, 2015
The Great War broke out in 1914 as a result of a complex set of circumstances: European Great Power competition characterized by especially aggressive imperialism, a rigid alliance system, mediocre political and diplomatic leadership, and an ongoing arms race on a grand scale. Deeper forces, however, would sweep away the nineteenth-century Old Order: growing social and national unrest in Europe would lead in the twentieth century to the rise of socialism and nationalism, and its brash stepchild -- totalitarianism. Old enemies would again face one another in the Second World War.
The Great War pitted the old methods of military warfare against the new -- human wave infantry and cavalry charges against machine guns and artillery -- and was of such horror and magnitude that its incomprehensibility left a lasting impression on that generation. It is therefore not surprising that the Great War inspired a rich literature.
Diary of a U-boat Commander (1918) by Stephen King-Hall is a fictional story written as if it was a German submarine officer's diary. Actually, this is a love story that focuses on the hero's infatuation with a beautiful and mysterious woman, with the U-boat war serving as the backdrop. The fact that we could easily confuse it with being non-fiction and are kept in anticipation till the end to learn the finale attests to the author's art. Therefore, I would definitely recommend this short book, especially to readers who would have interest in the realistic war scenes.
We initially encounter a young patriotic German naval officer, Karl von Schenk, from a well-established Junker family, optimistic of the Fatherland's imminent victory. At its outset, the war for Karl is detached and impersonal. He views some land battles at a distance. Enemy soldiers charging forward are mere specks, and their being swallowed up in the furious smoke-filled explosions of friendly artillery fire or scrambling back in retreat is satisfying. Nowadays we would say he was sort of playing a digital war game.
Having a land-based commission, he becomes impatient with his own inactivity and grows anxious to see real action and make his patriotic contribution to the war effort. His application for U-boat service is accepted and, after training, he sails as second-in-command of a mine-laying submarine off the English coast; eventually, he rises to command a U-boat of his own in significant and dangerous action in British waters and in North Atlantic shipping lanes, sinking several ships.
On shore leaves, he meets and becomes infatuated with Zoe Stein, the young wife of an older German Colonel who is frequently away at the front. Karl and Zoe are completely harmonious, virtually of one soul. Karl pursues Zoe and Zoe is willing, but Karl rejects consummating the relationship till Zoe will consent to wed him. He proposes to her but is rejected. When Zoe’s husband is killed in action, he is overjoyed and expectant. He proposes again to Zoe and is inexplicably rejected again.
It appears that the affair has ended, but when he returns from especially grueling action and suffers a nervous breakdown, it is Zoe who finds him and nurses him back to health in her forest lodge; but still, she refuses to marry him.
He returns to active service but becomes more and more disenchanted with the war. He views pursuit of the war as pointless, and where it may be 'grand' to politicians and high officials far away from dangerous action, to front-line soldiers it means just useless suffering and death. In his last submarine actions, his alienation from the senseless war effort is manifested by his clandestinely avoiding engagements with the enemy, although he pretends to make great efforts to sink ships to satisfy his patriotic crew. There are also entries about real events: the German Navy's revolt and the Kaiser’s abdication. His last command is to sail his submarine to England and surrender it.
It is only at the end of the book, in a letter from Zoe, that her enigmatic behavior is explained. We learn that she was the orphaned daughter of a Polish aristocrat recruited as an English spy to connect with high German officers and pass on relevant German war-effort information. It is because of her love for Karl that she refused to marry him or taint him by any hint of her subversive activity, which would have sealed his doom as well, if she had been discovered. In fact, she was discovered and executed, although Karl, at great personal risk, made a supreme effort with the German authorities to save her.
Stephen King-Hall utilizes the persuasive trappings of a diarist to be convincing: the “diary” includes an explanation of how the English editor obtained it; end notes on submarine warfare that elucidate technical and chronological entries in the fictional diary; credible breaks in the narrative due to naval or personal circumstances; and important letters packaged with the diary are “reproduced” for the reader. An unwitting reader could believe that this is indeed a true story.
Stephen King-Hall (1893-1966) brings an impressive resume to this story. He published his own wartime diary describing his naval action in the North Atlantic from 1914-1918, and he also wrote a professional report on submarine warfare for the British government in 1922. In later years, he was a respected commentator on military matters and successful author.
The Great War pitted the old methods of military warfare against the new -- human wave infantry and cavalry charges against machine guns and artillery -- and was of such horror and magnitude that its incomprehensibility left a lasting impression on that generation. It is therefore not surprising that the Great War inspired a rich literature.
Diary of a U-boat Commander (1918) by Stephen King-Hall is a fictional story written as if it was a German submarine officer's diary. Actually, this is a love story that focuses on the hero's infatuation with a beautiful and mysterious woman, with the U-boat war serving as the backdrop. The fact that we could easily confuse it with being non-fiction and are kept in anticipation till the end to learn the finale attests to the author's art. Therefore, I would definitely recommend this short book, especially to readers who would have interest in the realistic war scenes.
We initially encounter a young patriotic German naval officer, Karl von Schenk, from a well-established Junker family, optimistic of the Fatherland's imminent victory. At its outset, the war for Karl is detached and impersonal. He views some land battles at a distance. Enemy soldiers charging forward are mere specks, and their being swallowed up in the furious smoke-filled explosions of friendly artillery fire or scrambling back in retreat is satisfying. Nowadays we would say he was sort of playing a digital war game.
Having a land-based commission, he becomes impatient with his own inactivity and grows anxious to see real action and make his patriotic contribution to the war effort. His application for U-boat service is accepted and, after training, he sails as second-in-command of a mine-laying submarine off the English coast; eventually, he rises to command a U-boat of his own in significant and dangerous action in British waters and in North Atlantic shipping lanes, sinking several ships.
On shore leaves, he meets and becomes infatuated with Zoe Stein, the young wife of an older German Colonel who is frequently away at the front. Karl and Zoe are completely harmonious, virtually of one soul. Karl pursues Zoe and Zoe is willing, but Karl rejects consummating the relationship till Zoe will consent to wed him. He proposes to her but is rejected. When Zoe’s husband is killed in action, he is overjoyed and expectant. He proposes again to Zoe and is inexplicably rejected again.
It appears that the affair has ended, but when he returns from especially grueling action and suffers a nervous breakdown, it is Zoe who finds him and nurses him back to health in her forest lodge; but still, she refuses to marry him.
He returns to active service but becomes more and more disenchanted with the war. He views pursuit of the war as pointless, and where it may be 'grand' to politicians and high officials far away from dangerous action, to front-line soldiers it means just useless suffering and death. In his last submarine actions, his alienation from the senseless war effort is manifested by his clandestinely avoiding engagements with the enemy, although he pretends to make great efforts to sink ships to satisfy his patriotic crew. There are also entries about real events: the German Navy's revolt and the Kaiser’s abdication. His last command is to sail his submarine to England and surrender it.
It is only at the end of the book, in a letter from Zoe, that her enigmatic behavior is explained. We learn that she was the orphaned daughter of a Polish aristocrat recruited as an English spy to connect with high German officers and pass on relevant German war-effort information. It is because of her love for Karl that she refused to marry him or taint him by any hint of her subversive activity, which would have sealed his doom as well, if she had been discovered. In fact, she was discovered and executed, although Karl, at great personal risk, made a supreme effort with the German authorities to save her.
Stephen King-Hall utilizes the persuasive trappings of a diarist to be convincing: the “diary” includes an explanation of how the English editor obtained it; end notes on submarine warfare that elucidate technical and chronological entries in the fictional diary; credible breaks in the narrative due to naval or personal circumstances; and important letters packaged with the diary are “reproduced” for the reader. An unwitting reader could believe that this is indeed a true story.
Stephen King-Hall (1893-1966) brings an impressive resume to this story. He published his own wartime diary describing his naval action in the North Atlantic from 1914-1918, and he also wrote a professional report on submarine warfare for the British government in 1922. In later years, he was a respected commentator on military matters and successful author.
May 3, 2022
An entertaining tale bolstered by gripping accounts of naval warfare - the main reason for the relatively high praise. For the most part, I liked the way the author was able to weave together Schenk's time on the u-boat with his love affair with Zoe though I think the storytelling fell off quite a bit after the plot twist, especially during Zoe's letter explaining her side of things.
July 13, 2014
When I downloaded this book I didn't realize it was about WWI U-boats...I actually thought it was from a WWII U-boat captain. I was actually pleasantly surprised that it was a WWI book, although it unintentionally became the third WWI book I'd read this year.
As other reviewers have mentioned, this diary is half about war and half about a love story and how they intertwine. There seems to be much debate as to whether or not this book is fiction. I honestly believed it was a true diary until I got to around the 90% point, and without spoiling the story, some of the events and occurrences seemed too Hollywood-esque. I'm sure the debate will continue, but this was an entertaining book regardless.
The entries from when Von Schenk was at sea, while not overly technical or tactical in their discussions, do give a pretty good idea as to what the experience of sailing was like in that era. Von Schenk does detail his operating areas and targets, as well as interjecting his feelings about the war, which unsurprisingly do change as the diary progresses. In this regard he does seem human and not entirely a caricature, although his early entries are a little narcissistic.
The love story entries are a different sort of interesting. On the one hand you can relate to Von Schenk's dilemma, although on the other it does seem to be a troubled arrangement from the beginning. Overall the romantic aspect didn't slow the book down or detract from anything else, and even if this all was fiction I feel it does give some insight as to what life was like for normal German sailors, namely from the officers' perspective, in those extraordinary times.
As other reviewers have mentioned, this diary is half about war and half about a love story and how they intertwine. There seems to be much debate as to whether or not this book is fiction. I honestly believed it was a true diary until I got to around the 90% point, and without spoiling the story, some of the events and occurrences seemed too Hollywood-esque. I'm sure the debate will continue, but this was an entertaining book regardless.
The entries from when Von Schenk was at sea, while not overly technical or tactical in their discussions, do give a pretty good idea as to what the experience of sailing was like in that era. Von Schenk does detail his operating areas and targets, as well as interjecting his feelings about the war, which unsurprisingly do change as the diary progresses. In this regard he does seem human and not entirely a caricature, although his early entries are a little narcissistic.
The love story entries are a different sort of interesting. On the one hand you can relate to Von Schenk's dilemma, although on the other it does seem to be a troubled arrangement from the beginning. Overall the romantic aspect didn't slow the book down or detract from anything else, and even if this all was fiction I feel it does give some insight as to what life was like for normal German sailors, namely from the officers' perspective, in those extraordinary times.
August 11, 2015
I only did it for the few and far between details on technical nature of submarines.
They still remained the only noteworthy paragraphs after I was done.
They still remained the only noteworthy paragraphs after I was done.
May 18, 2016
Being the diary of a World War One U-boat commander I didn't expect antisemitism, although a single reference describing a tailor as an oily Jew, I was still surprised to see it in this diary.
Commander Karl Von Schenk, the writer of the diary, was a scoundrel in every way from my own opinion, the type of individual I would want nothing to do with but his writing of his experiences is worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster. I wanted to despise the commander but found myself emotionally invested in his story and hoping for a favorable end to his tale. In these pages you find drama, hatred, bigotry and death but you also find pride, patriotism, love and hope. It is a sad tale that for us, the readers, ends in sadness and hope.
Commander Karl Von Schenk, the writer of the diary, was a scoundrel in every way from my own opinion, the type of individual I would want nothing to do with but his writing of his experiences is worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster. I wanted to despise the commander but found myself emotionally invested in his story and hoping for a favorable end to his tale. In these pages you find drama, hatred, bigotry and death but you also find pride, patriotism, love and hope. It is a sad tale that for us, the readers, ends in sadness and hope.
May 30, 2011
Not a bad story as historical fiction goes, but I don't believe for one minute that it was an actual diary. The complete lack of any technical detail makes it abundantly clear that this is purely a fictional account. Once you realize that, the obvious stereotyping of the German officer becomes more apparent. I can see why people would be confused about this book; according to goodreads, the author is "Karl Von Schenk," the Officer himself, "Anonymous," (how can a diary be anonymous?), and Sir Stephen King-Hall, who, incidentally also wrote "A North Sea Diary 1914-1918" about his experiences on H.M.S. Southampton.
December 28, 2018
This was interesting from an 'inside the mind' perspective. It wasn't terribly long, and a portion of it is missing, the gap being bridged by a letter from the commander's sweetheart. In fact, he spends rather a lot of time talking about his sweetheart. I can appreciate why, but it did drone on a little! Definitely some U-boat commander love drama going on there. Read this if you are interested in a first person accounts of life during WWI.
November 19, 2021
The perspective from which the authors, real and fictitious, write shows a superb understanding of war at sea. Very entertaining to watch the protagonist grow in maturity as the book progresses. This alone makes it a good read and how-to for would-be authors.
June 17, 2011
Surprisingly good
June 12, 2012
Very compelling and tragic. A quick read.
August 14, 2018
I love hearing the protagonist's arrogance dwindle through the course of the story. In the beginning, he's a pompous, bloated ass; in the end, he's much more humble and human.
November 28, 2024
A brilliant narrative of an enemy’s private diary, revealing the psychological core of any man’s ambition, self-confidence and swagger as a young officer at the start of a needless war begun by his country. As a submarine officer, he is very conscious of Germany's superiority in ships and submarines compared to England’s, which until then controlled the sea and all international trade. Germany's naval advantage merely reflected his own superiority in birth and lineage as also his magnificent physical fitness.
In this glow of self-satisfaction, he falls hopelessly in love with the mistress of a military officer senior in rank to himself, and probably better heeled, for he has provided the lady with a house and allowance to maintain her while he is at the front. Von Schenk and the beautiful and mysterious Zoe start a deathless but doomed affair on his brief shore furloughs, an affair that sustains him at sea, as his world collapses around him.
Slowly worn down as the war drags on, he realises that his country was losing, he witnesses and experiences the horrors of a submarine at bay amid a hostile enemy convoy relentlessly pursuing him, of chlorine gas poisoning, of performing an amputation without anaesthesia on a fellow shipmate, of watching helplessly while sailors fall overboard into an icy North Sea and being unable to render any assistance, and his final disillusionment as the announcement of an Armistice is announced. For what, for whom, had he been fighting?
‘The Diary of a U-Boat Commander’ is a piece of fiction so realistic in detail that it is little wonder that it was believed to be a true story, particularly as the author was himself a naval officer. The Diary itself is evenly split on the tragic romance and the tragic war, but without sentimentality on one side or cynicism on the other.
In this glow of self-satisfaction, he falls hopelessly in love with the mistress of a military officer senior in rank to himself, and probably better heeled, for he has provided the lady with a house and allowance to maintain her while he is at the front. Von Schenk and the beautiful and mysterious Zoe start a deathless but doomed affair on his brief shore furloughs, an affair that sustains him at sea, as his world collapses around him.
Slowly worn down as the war drags on, he realises that his country was losing, he witnesses and experiences the horrors of a submarine at bay amid a hostile enemy convoy relentlessly pursuing him, of chlorine gas poisoning, of performing an amputation without anaesthesia on a fellow shipmate, of watching helplessly while sailors fall overboard into an icy North Sea and being unable to render any assistance, and his final disillusionment as the announcement of an Armistice is announced. For what, for whom, had he been fighting?
‘The Diary of a U-Boat Commander’ is a piece of fiction so realistic in detail that it is little wonder that it was believed to be a true story, particularly as the author was himself a naval officer. The Diary itself is evenly split on the tragic romance and the tragic war, but without sentimentality on one side or cynicism on the other.
February 3, 2024
As other reviewers have noted there is doubt about the authorship of this curious mix of passionate love story and Teutonic gung ho. I can't comment on the veracity of the seagoing aspects of the story, though they chime true with what I know from research I have done before diving on WW1 shipwrecks, and the supposed author was apparently in a good position to gather facts at the end of the war. I thought it an excellent read that deserves more notice.
December 14, 2020
Whether the book itself is true fact or fiction, it is a good story. I like the way the journal unfolds the plight of the writer into a very real quandary between the devastation of war, coupled with his emotions of love that were it seems, equal to that of his primary aim in wreaking havoc against his enemy.
August 29, 2017
Fictional account of a WW1 U-Boat Commander and his love affair with an Allied spy. For me it failed to work on most levels - not enough feel for life as a U-Boat commander as the novel the inspired Das Boot. The love story part of it read a bit like Victorian melodrama. Overall, a disappointment.
October 21, 2019
I haven't read too many diaries, but this was fascinating. The unvarnished self-worth and belief in the superiority of his name, family, and race was simply something I perhaps had never truly believed possible.
Read
November 1, 2020Although fiction, it could be considered somewhat historically accurate rendition of a WWI German submarine. The author was a British U-boat commander so would have known many of his enemies' experiences.
June 22, 2017
Not as much hardcore u-boat action, but the love story was nice and the ending was bittersweet
June 15, 2018
Quite Tragic. Sometimes boring.
January 17, 2019
This was fascinating after reading about the sinking of the Lusitania
July 13, 2020
great book. Describing the extremes of both war and love.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
June 29, 2021
Was ok but more of a military love story than a book about military history. The love story makes up 80% with 20% military matters
January 12, 2016
I downloaded this as a non-fiction book, supposedly based on the captured diary of a U-boat commander at the end of WWI. About half-way through I became convinced that it was pure fiction. Once I got over the initial annoyance of being lied to, I appreciated it as a good yarn. It is well written, although a bit slow paced in the beginning, and explores the conflicting sentiments of patriotism and horror of war, love and duty from the perspective of a a member of the traditional Prussian nobility.
More of tale of human internal conflict that a war book, although some of the descriptions of submarine life ring true. "Etienne" (AKA Sir William Stephen Richard King-Hall), the 'translator' (AKA author in my opinion) served in the British Navy or HMS Southampton and on submarines at the end of World War I, he was an aristocrat and had all the experience and situation to make an excellent Karl.
More of tale of human internal conflict that a war book, although some of the descriptions of submarine life ring true. "Etienne" (AKA Sir William Stephen Richard King-Hall), the 'translator' (AKA author in my opinion) served in the British Navy or HMS Southampton and on submarines at the end of World War I, he was an aristocrat and had all the experience and situation to make an excellent Karl.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews