Steel Boat Iron Hearts Audiobook By Hans Goebeler, John Vanzo 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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Buy for $21.00

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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 World War II Biographies & Memoirs Naval Forces Wars & Conflicts Military & War U-Boat Germany Submarine Veteran Military War Europe Armed Forces World War Ii Memoir
Authentic Perspective • Historical Significance • Engaging Storytelling • Detailed Submarine Life • Grandfatherly Narration

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A great book, but it sounds like they took a few recordings of each passage and stitched them together. The change in tone of voice and emotion breaks the flow a little. At one point, the same passage is read twice in a row.

I really enjoyed it.

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I am not in a position to judge the author's wartime experience and I don't even wish to shame him for his allegiance to a vanquished German Navy. He was clearly indoctrinated and educated as an elite submariner only to be on the losing side at the end of the war, one of only 56 to claim the prize for first US Navy capture of an enemy vessel since 1812. However, while heavy burdens were placed on the author psychologically and agonizingly at such a young age (he explicitly states that he agonized over his own self perceived role in allowing U505 to fall into US Navy hands) the author's fragile yet outsized ego interferes with the story line by constant rationalization, editorial interjection, and narcissism-- a lot of "l's" and "me's"-- that call into question the factual authenticity of his accounts.

Mixed bag

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This is the seaman's story. He is unapologetic, honest, and proud to have served his country. Too young to have fully understand the international political situations at the time, he was a country boy who dutifully stepped up to serve his country in the most dangerous job in the German Navy. He gets down the gritty level U-boat mechanics, the exhileration and fear of battle, and the excitement of meeting women as a 19 year old sailor. This book has everything a good war memoir needs.

The perfect war story

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What made the experience of listening to Steel Boat Iron Hearts the most enjoyable?

I like getting a first hand view from the control room.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When they were bombed by the airplane when in the Caribbean, and the efforts to survive the attack.

Any additional comments?

I have always known about the u boats and how the allied changed the tide of the war. I fount it very interesting to get the war from the German prospective.

The war from another prospective

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Could a more grating an annoying reader have been found? Maybe Fran Drescher will be available she would’ve been better holy Mary.

Great story bad narrator

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