WW2 from a German perspective.

I’ve read, (listened to), many WW2 stories. Always from the Allied perspective. After all, war stories are always written by the victors.
What an interesting, refreshing and enlightening story this book is. Told as he saw things, and not denying his beliefs at the time of war.
Well worth a listen. If for no other reason, it’s an experience of what life was like for the U-boat crews.

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interesting and thought provoking

Having just been disappointed after listening to 'The Crew' I was a bit dubious about another factual listen, but this has certainly restored my faith in this type of book. The narration might be a bit breathless at times but the story carries it through. A really enjoyable and educational listen.

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Worth Listening to

I enjoyed all aspect of this audio book. It captivated my interest throughout. On the plus side is a learning experience of the duties of U BOAT crewmen and their boat. It highlights in detail Uboats capabilities and limitations. The book also highlights the relationship between German servicemen in an occupied France and the French people. Although the book mentions resistance fighters, mostly the locals collaborated with their occupier (after all it is France). I’m not convinced about all the exploits of the author. For instance he mentions the time he identified and beat up a French man for sabotage, then was ordered alone to find and arrest this Frenchman who sabotaged U boats. I would have thought that the whole apparatus of the military would have swung into action mostly led by the Gestapo and SS security police to hunt the French man down. The author then said that his french prisoner was let off by a German military tribunal 🧐🤥. This is hardly likely since the Frenchman would mostly likely be robustly questioned and possibly tortured for information on other Sabotage persons working in the docks repairing Uboats, then sent on a one way ticket to a concentration camp where he belonged. No one sabotage a u boat and get Let off with it. This was wartime Germany not the soft on crime woke UK 🇬🇧. The author is also frank about his gifted abilities with women. I conclude the audiobook is a mixture of truths, half truths and here and there a dashing of lies. However, I enjoyed the audio book mainly for an inside to life aboard a Uboat. The Uboat crew suffered the biggest attrition and out of 40,000 only 10,000 crewmen survived the war. I have nothing but total respect for them including this author.

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Perfect reading of a great book

German WWII uboats are my hobby for almost 30 years. I know this book, I have this book, I read this book several times before. But even then I really did enjoy this reading during long driving on boring highways
Thank you!

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wonderful

this book is a full on account of a German sailor as part of U505 crew, it's a human story and could be applied to any serving submariner from any country in that period.
a great listen truly recommended
enjoy

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Stick with it

Starts of as the u505 Chicago Nazi appreciation society then gets into the story of life on a uboat at war. A patriotic German probably confused about being a Nazi.
Narration is so bad it’s good

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Compliments Das Boot

This isn’t the same story as Das Boot but in my opinion it sits alongside it. This is a factual account of what the author and crew U-505 went through during WW2 from the first mission, early ‘success’, changing fortunes as the allies got the upper hand, dockyard sabotage, life of submariners aboard the submarine and ashore through to capture and imprisonment. I do recommend it but the reader/narrator is very wooden with a monotone and nasal voice. I also take issue with what is said in the final ten minutes or so, such as ‘three million innocent German deaths after the war due to starvation rations imposed by the victors. He also bemoans the three million German military deaths and criticises Russian ethnic cleansing after the war. I agree the Russians were ******** and inhuman in their treatment of Germans but the author makes no mention of the atrocities carried out by Germany during WW 2 and in the lead up to it.

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A view from the other side

A brilliant story from the viewpoint of a surviving U — Boat sailor. As most war histories are written by the winners it is intriguing to see the war through the eyes of someone serving in the forces of the losers. They share the same hopes and fears, yet history dehumanises the Germans, incorrectly. This book tells the truth of what it was to be a member of an Elite few who suffered the worst percentage losses of any of the services, yet went out on a war patrol knowing they may never come back. They have my deepest respect.

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well worth a read.

a very good book well written & narrated. if you enjoy war stories then this is perfect.

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probably revisionist.

I'm not entirely convinced of the author's objectivity. A drawback of the audiobook format is the lack of references of source material. Audible has a body of excellent narrators, but the reader for this book was dull and uninspired

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