Author: Station Fengxue (Without permission, please do not copy the full text to carry!) ）
During World War II, there was a group of people who were like this: when they went out, they were all well-dressed and energetic boys; But when he came back, he had become an "old man" with a dirty face and a beard.
German Submarine Soldier (Film)
That's right, this group of people is the U-boat sailors of the German army in World War II! Here is a warm reminder: this article is by no means suitable for "next meal", because it is an article describing the "tragic" life of the U boat.
The record is brilliant, but the combat environment is very "miserable"!
As we all know, the German Navy has been suppressed by the British Royal Navy throughout history. By the time of World War II, although the German army and air force had developed rapidly, their naval strength was still very limited. After all, developing a strong naval force is not something that can be done "overnight."
In desperation, the German Navy had to adopt the most cost-effective "submarine wolf pack tactics". As a cheaper and fastest weapon for mass production, the lethality of the submarine at sea is not underestimated by opponents:
In November 1942 alone, German U-boats sank a total of 118 Allied ships, leaving the British, who had been surviving on sea lines, to the brink.
And such a dazzling record, but also the German U-boat sailors have become the brightest stars in the German series. German Navy Commander Dönitz also became one of Nazi Germany's most influential marshals.
Dönitz (middle)
However, although submariners are surrounded by the aura of "honor", their combat environment will make many people prohibitive! In fact, the German naval commander Dönitz himself had the most say in this regard, because his two sons were submariners and both died on submarines.
The space inside the U boat is too narrow, and fresh meat has to be put in the toilet!
In the underwater dim cabins, they had to accompany the sweaty air, the diesel-stained cured meat, and the musty bread every day. And this kind of difficult day is not a day or two, as little as a few months, as much as a year and a half.
Moreover, the internal environment of German U-boats at that time was worse than that of Allied submarines: because the German Navy built submarines with more U-boats in a short period of time, the tonnage of submarines was relatively small, but it had to be stuffed with about 60 people. Therefore, the internal per capita space of the U boat is very compact and narrow.
Not to mention comparing it with American submarines, even compared with Japanese submarines that have always "cut doors", the internal space of U boats is very small. Since the internal space is small, everything has to be "carefully calculated"!
First of all, when every U-boat sailor goes to sea, although it is allowed to carry personal belongings, there are strict rules: personal belongings are never allowed to exceed the storage box volume assigned by individuals, and they must not carry items that are potentially safe.
German submariner on voyage
Personal belongings are easy to do, as long as they are strictly followed by the rules and regulations! What bothers submarine commanders the most is actually the problem of food storage.
Before each voyage to sea, in fact, the food consumed by the sailors on the boat was registered in advance, and even the food supplies that exceeded the standard on the captain's birthday must be counted.
In the case of adequate supplies, the food standards on the U boat are actually quite high: coffee, milk soup, biscuits, bread, butter, honey and eggs for breakfast; Potatoes, soups, meat, vegetables and fruits are eaten for lunch; Dinner with sausages, fish, cheese, bread, coffee, tea and chocolate.
Of course, in addition to three meals a day, the submarine will also be rationed with a certain number of luxury goods such as cigarettes and alcohol.
So many things, in fact, how to store them in the U boat also has a lot of knowledge: bread and cured meat and other foods will generally hang on the "hammock" where the sailors sleep, due to the large number of cured meat, some cured meat will also be stored with sausages and ham in the empty torpedo tube, and sometimes the top of the command module will be hung with sausages.
Fresh meats that spoil easily, as well as canned meat, are placed in storage rooms, refrigerators and even toilets. Here I have to complain: those fresh meat hanging in the toilet, they don't have a little taste when they eat it?
When the submarine first went to sea, it can be said that half of the internal space was loaded with people, and the other half was full of food. When they first set off, the crew must have eaten the perishable fresh meat and bread first, and then ate the sausages and cans.
Chefs are important, and there are two ways to fix cutting off food supplies.
As the days of going to sea passed, the food in the cabin was gradually exhausted. At this time, having a skilled and good chef on the U boat is undoubtedly extremely popular!
Because the kitchen on the submarine is small, it is generally located on the starboard side of the U-boat, that is, between the captain's residence and the officer's living room, which shows the importance of the cook in the submarine.
The cooking utensils in the kitchen are also simple: three electric stoves and two small electric ovens, a cold storage, a heated soup pot, locked cabinets (afraid of someone stealing?). There is also an enamel pool for fresh water.
But it is with these simple cooking utensils that the skilled chef can use boring sausages and canned food every day to "conjure" a delicious and delicious food for all the crew. Needless to say, a good cook is really comparable to a "savior" on a submarine, and he is also the only person in the whole boat who does not have to fight on duty.
What if all the food on the submarine is eaten? There are two ways: one is to rely on ocean-going supply ships to provide supplies in the middle of the ocean and in the U-boat joint to increase the combat range and time of the U-boat.
The second is to use local materials and be self-sufficient!
Sometimes some of the merchant ships sunk by German U-boats carried poultry such as chickens and pigs, and the German U-boat sailors could take the opportunity to salvage them all and make a delicious meal.
Unlucky polar bears
In addition, the submarine is in the middle of the sea, in fact, there is food everywhere. There are even some submariners who often go hunting and killing polar bears, then dragging it to the submarine to peel the meat and have a delicious and luxurious barbecue on the submarine!
Therefore, in terms of eating, as long as there is no shortage of supplies, in fact, the German U-boat sailors may not be particularly difficult.
Lack of fresh water and difficulties in life make many people suffer from depression.
The worst thing is actually in the usual living habits, and there is a world of difference between them and the land! The first is fresh water, which has always been a problem that cannot be ignored in ocean-going operations.
After all, at that time, in order to increase the range, U boats had to replace some water storage tanks with diesel. In this case, the fresh water resources in the submarine are far from enough! According to the recollections of some German U-boat veterans, they never experienced a day when they went to sea with plenty of fresh water.
In order to maximize the conservation of fresh water, the officers and men on the U boat must completely say goodbye to bathing, haircutting, shaving, washing clothes and other daily routines that are commonplace on land. Therefore, when these submariners returned to the harbor, it was not surprising that they were all disheveled and bearded.
During the sea trip, the sailors on the U boat generally practice "three shifts": each sailor must rest for 8 hours, 8 hours on duty, and 8 hours to do chores.
In that kind of small living space, the crew of the U boat has to solve their own life and combat problems for a long time, and the degree of difficulty can be imagined.
In addition, they were often attacked by Allied convoys and maritime patrol aircraft. According to statistics, the loss rate of German submarines in World War II exceeded 75%, and 30,000 German submarine officers and men were killed.
Many U-boat sailors spent too much time underwater, causing them to have a nervous breakdown, and some even chose to commit suicide. They were not starved to death, nor were they killed, but they eventually died of depression.
To this day, high salaries and high benefits are still the norm for submariners.
Imagine that after half a year of underwater life, it is a fortunate thing to be able to return to the port alive, who cares about their appearance and appearance, even if they are the German soldiers who pay the most attention to their appearance.
When they came back, they all became "bearded"
Therefore, when the officers and men of the U boat came back, they all looked like they were "20 years old", and when they went out, everyone was a young man with a spirited spirit, but when they came back, they all became "fake old men" with haggard faces.
As compensation: the German Navy's top brass had a clear stipulation that all submarine officers and men who participated in the war for three consecutive months could have up to one month of paid leave.
During this time, they can indulge themselves: free entry to the military guest house near the base, where there is endless champagne and French singers who serve them exclusively.
In addition, the high salaries of the officers and men of the U boat are not to mention, and if the families of the dead also receive a large pension. Let the officers and men of the submarine "eat well and drink well" and have no worries! It has always been a matter of great importance to the german naval leadership in World War II. Of course, this practice is still the standardized operation of submarine forces in various countries.
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