One of the worst jobs was being a crewman on a German u-boat in WWII. Your life expectancy was poor. The death rate was around 75% and yet the submariners were volunteers. They were pampered ashore, but for the month to six months at sea, it was a life full of hardships. The subs were not built for comfort and they were very crowded. 44 men lived in the cramped quarters. There was only one bathroom and no way to wash. The men usually did not change cloths on the voyage. The body odors were rank, but you also had other smells like diesel fumes. These fumes effected the food (which was stored all over the boat) to where the non-canned goods became unpalatable. The cooks did their best and the meals were decent. Supper was usually sausages or canned fish, cheese, bread, and coffee or tea. The men worked eight-hour shifts. Most were just common seamen, but there were specialists like torpedomen, radiomen, and machinists. For the regular Josefs, they stood watches (sometimes in horrible weather), maintained the equipment, or did housekeeping chores. They shared bunks which were often located amidst the torpedoes or in the engine room. So it was a life of drudgery and danger, except for the adrenaline-fueled attacks on ships. However, that combat-high might be followed by hours of being depth-charged. Now imagine being trapped in an iron coffin with the carbon dioxide level rising and the air becoming increasingly stank. Put me in a tank instead.
https://www.uw360.asia/life-inside-wwii-german-u-boat/
1 Comment
MICHAEL R HERNDON · September 24, 2021 at 12:21 pm
Can’t imagine life on one of these boats. I recently visited the USS Drum an American Gato class sub, on display in Mobile Bay Al. You simply cannot believe how cramped the vessels were, and American subs were considered luxury liners, spacious, with a bunk for every crew member! I’m 6’3″ & it took me forever just to negotiate through the doorways. The galley/kitchen was literally the size of a phone booth, & again these subs were considered huge by the standards of other nations. The Officers “Day Room” was about the size of your “standard” restaurant dining booth. The astonishing thing is that these submariners spent months in this environment, & not to mention hours of depth charging! Astonishingly, as late as 1944, the Germans never lacked for volunteers!