Steel Boat Iron Hearts cover art

Steel Boat Iron Hearts

A U-boat Crewman's Life Aboard U-505

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Steel Boat Iron Hearts

By: Hans Goebeler, John Vanzo
Narrated by: Norman Dietz
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About this listen

Using his own experiences, log books, and correspondence with other U-boat crewmen, Hans Goebeler offers rich and personal details about what life was like in the German Navy under Hitler. Since his first and last posting was to U-505, Goebeler's perspective of the crew, commanders, and war patrols paints a vivid and complete portrait unlike any other to come out of the Kriegsmarine. He witnessed it all, from deadly sabotage efforts that almost sunk the boat to the tragic suicide of the only U-boat commander who took his life during World War II. The vivid, honest, and smooth-flowing prose calls it like it was and pulls no punches.

U-505 was captured by Captain Dan Gallery's Guadalcanal Task Group 22.3 on June 4, 1944. Trapped by this "hunter-killer" group, U-505 was depth-charged to the surface, strafed by machine gun fire, and boarded. It was the first ship captured at sea since the War of 1812. Today, hundreds of thousands of visitors tour U-505 each year at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry.

This edition includes a special foreword by Keith Gill, curator of U-505 at the Museum of Science and Industry.

©2008 Hans Jacob Goebeler and John Vanzo (P)2016 Tantor Armed Forces Europe Germany Military Military & War Naval Forces World War II War Veteran Submarine U-Boat World War Ii Memoir

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All stars
Most relevant  
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!

Perfect reading of a great book

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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

wonderful

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Brilliant book but the only smallest thing that annoyed me was the pronunciation of certain words. 8 out of 10

One of the best U-Boat books I’ve listened to.

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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.

WW2 from a German perspective.

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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

Stick with it

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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.

Compliments Das Boot

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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.

interesting and thought provoking

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I couldn't stop listening. it's great to get into the mind of a German U-boat crew and understand it from their side

Fascinating

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Facts make a good story. Enjoyed the view from the crew instead of the Captain.

Down to earth

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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.

Worth Listening to

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