01 - Journal of Submarine Commander Von Forstner by George-Günther von Forstner

Delve deep into the clandestine world of submarine warfare during WWI with the Journal of Submarine Commander Von Forstner. As the commander of the German U-boat U-28, Forstner provides an unvarnished account of the gritty realities of life under the sea, including detailed descriptions of torpedo attacks on Allied ships. First published in 1916, this 1917 English translation aimed to support the Allied war effort by revealing the fearsome nature of their invisible enemy. Inspired by a visit to the captured WWII German U-505 submarine at Chicagos Museum of Science and Industry, this audio reading offers a visceral understanding of the claustrophobic conditions endured by the submarines crew, exemplified by the cramped sleeping quarters nestled alongside 15-foot-long torpedoes. This is a journey into the heart of the submarine warfare experience. (Introduction by Sue Anderson)

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Forward to the Journal of Submarine Commander von Forsner. This
is the LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
LibriVox dot org. Recording by Sue Andersen. The Journal of

(00:20):
Submarine Commander von Forstner by Georg Gunter Freiher von Forsner,
translated by Annacraft's Codmen and with commentary by John Hayes
Hammond Junior. Forward by Annacraft's Codmen. The following pages form
an abridged translation of a book published in nineteen sixteen

(00:42):
by Freihif von Forsner, commander of the first German U boat.
It was written with the somewhat careless haste of a
man who took advantage of disconnected moments of leisure, and
these moments were evidently subject to abrupt and prolonged interruptions.
Many reps, petitians and trivial incidents have been omitted in
this translation, but in order to express the personality of

(01:06):
the author, the rendering has been as literal as possible,
and it shows the strange mixture of sentimentality and ferocity
peculiar to the psychology of the Germans. Part of the
book gives a technical description, not so much of the
construction of a submarine as of the nature of its activities,

(01:28):
which presents us an unusual opportunity to glean a few
valuable facts from this personal and intimate account of a
German U boat. We are inclined to a certain grim
humor in borrowing the candid information given to US Americans
so unconsciously by Freheron Forsner, for he could hardly suppose

(01:49):
it would fall into the hands of those who would
join the fighting ranks of the hated enemy. As in
his bitter animosity he invariably calls the English whenever he
refers to them. Several chapters in this book are simple
narratives of the commander's own adventures during the present naval
warfare waged against commerce. His attempts at a lighter vein

(02:12):
often provoke a smile at the quality of his wit.
But he is not lacking in fine and manly virtues.
He is a loyal comrade, a good officer, concerned for
the welfare of his crew. He is even kindly to
his captives when he finds they are docile victims. He
is also willing to credit his adversary with pluck and courage.

(02:37):
He is never sparing of his own person and shows
admirable endurance under pressure of intense work and great responsibility.
He is full of enthusiastic love for his profession, and
in describing a storm at sea, his rather monotonous style
of writing suddenly rises to eloquence. But in his exalted

(02:59):
devotion to the almighty Warlord and to the fatherland, he
openly reveals his fanatical joy in the nefarious work he
has to perform. It is difficult to realize that this
ardent worship of detail and this marvelous efficiency in the
conservation of every resource are applied to a weapon of destruction,

(03:23):
which directs its indiscriminate attacks against women and children, hospital transports,
and reliefships. Nothing at the present day has aroused such
fear as this invisible enemy, nor has anything outraged the
civilized world like the tragedies caused by the German submarines.

(03:46):
This small volume may offer new suggestions to those familiar
with the science of submarine construction, and it may also
shed a little light even for lay readers, on a
subject which, for the last three years has taken a
pre eminent place in the history of the war and
of forward