This section began in KTB #115 and is intended to familiarize our Members with many of the German terms we see on the pages of our KTB Magazine. Here we learn the meaning of:

U-Bootwaffe

We already know what a U-Boot is (remember, pronounced like BOAT not BOOT - it is not footwear). Loosely translated, Waffe means something like ‘Force’ or ‘Weapon’ but here, it means ‘Service’. So the U-BOOTWAFFE is the Submarine Service.

In the same way, U-BOOTFAHRER is a U-Boat man whether officer or enlisted. A ‘FAHRT’ is a journey, so a ‘FAHRER’ is a traveler and a U-BOOTFAHRER is someone who travels on a U-Boat - a U-Boat crewman.

And so the U-BOOTFLOTILLE is the Submarine Flotilla.