Part 1

This is the interview with Captain HELMUT SCHMOECKEL that we did in January of 2000, which became part of the History Channel’s presentation produced by ROB LIHANI (5989-2000) entitled: “Dangerous Missions – the U-Boats”

Schmoeckel on the bridge, 1940.

SHARKHUNTERS: Captain. To start, describe how you came to be in the U-boat Navy.

Captain SCHMOECKEL: During the war I was the first three years in part of the heavy cruiser ADMIRAL HIPPER, with which warship I took two big operations in the Atlantic already, and in 1942 I volunteered for the Submarine Force and they send me to submarine training and about in 1942, I became executive officer of a submarine, U-504. It was a big submarine, Type IX-C for longer operations.

SHARKHUNTERS: Why did you volunteer for the submarines?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: I think it was war and when you are soldier you will try to give your best for your fatherland and that was the reason.

SHARKHUNTERS: Why did you choose submarines in particular?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: It was the most famous weapon. That was the most efficient weapon at that time and the big ships couldn’t do too much. But we, the Submarine Force needed more and more personnel because more submarines were built and so I said I would like to be a submarine officer too.

SHARKHUNTERS: Describe your jobs on the submarine and what you were responsible for in those positions?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: As an executive officer or, as we say in German, First Watch Officer, you was deputy to the commanding officer and had responsibility for the inner service that everything was in order and the ship’s discipline, the discipline of the people who are working. I was responsible also for the torpedo weapons.

SHARKHUNTERS: How do you see the job of being a captain on a submarine?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: The captain is more responsible for the whole operation. The ‘what to do, what the ship would do’ and so on. Of course, they would be responsible for the decisions in the very moment of a fight and, of course, he is the spirit of the crew.

SHARKHUNTERS: Tell us about the crew on the submarine. What does it mean to be the spirit of the crew and what was your crew like?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: I had very nice people involved. Everybody were - well, volunteered. I had a very good Engineer Officer who served in very dangerous operations already. He was already decorated with the Ritterkreuz (Knights Cross) as Engineer Officer and our spirit involved was wonderful. I can say I never had any disciplinary problems with the people. Well, I told them what we are doing. I told them why we are doing that. There was no secret things of the crew. The people knew what was going on and whether it was good or not, they could decide themselves and they were always working together.

SHARKHUNTERS: How important is it that the crew work together on a U-boat?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: When you live with sixty people in such a little room and a very complicated machinery, it depends on every hand. Whether you have a good operation or not. I have one thing, one memory. One man had forgotten to open the exit of the diesel cooling water. The result was that the cooling water of the diesel pumped into the boat and the boat became behind heavier and heavier and so I said - those engines - electric engines, all stop the diesel boat’s electric motors full ahead and when we came on even keel, the water in the diesel room went from behind to aft and we went down - it was fifty-two degrees upward and in the very short time, we reached hundred meters and so, something should happen and my fine Engineer Officer, he came with the idea both engines full backward. And so we drove the submarine backward again. It was an event without any influence of the enemy, but could have led to the total loss of the submarine. So it depends on every little hand of every little man that everything functions.

SHARKHUNTERS: Describe life inside a U-boat on a mission? How long were your longer missions and what was it like to live inside on those missions?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: When we left the harbor, the whole way along the submarine was full of boxes; cases. And we went always, always loaded with cases with food. We were prepared to stay without any support for four months or longer, outside (offshore). The boat was built for that and four more years of the war, they would have the possibility to be refueled by other boats the last year, but when I was in action, that was no longer possible. But my first trip for three and a half months and my second trip, over four months.

SHARKHUNTERS: What was it like inside the submarine?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: Sticky. Cold. Loud. No, when we went down in water we had to be silent because every noise you could hear. We could hear the noise of the fishes outside. Where there was a very fishy area around the Canadian coast and another submarine or another destroyer could hear us, so we were very quiet. Silent. But, on surface, it was so loud that you, that the waves and the submarine, around the submarine - the waves - that you could not hear an airplane coming. So we were only dependent of your eyes to detect the submarine or of airplane - so early that you have time enough to dive.

SHARKHUNTERS: The entire time you were out was after 1943, correct?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: Yes. Generally, ‘44, I started my first operation with as a commanding officer.

SHARKHUNTERS: As a captain, what was the strategy for attacking a convoy?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: I had not much experience with the convoys because that really was no longer the way. The convoys were protected by the by aircraft and escorts so much that the operation orders were to go to the coastline. So, orders for us was to operate near Halifax, that was the first time, or other coastal waters, to attack a convoy.

SHARKHUNTERS: Even if it’s not a convoy; just a ship. How did you align yourself to do that?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: You must go try to be ahead of the ship. Find out which course it is, and you must be ahead of the ship to come near the ship underwater and our speed underwater was a low, so you had to be far ahead.

SHARKHUNTERS: Did you attack from surface or underwater?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: In my time, attacking from the surface was nearly impossible. I crossed the Atlantic, nearly underwater, so to say. I went up sometimes during the night for some hours, but after that I could only be underwater. When that second tour, I spent forty-two days underwater without coming up to surface. That was in the Saint Lawrence Gulf. Should I tell a little bit about this?

We left Lorient in the French harbor, in mid of July and two weeks later, I got a operation order by radio; go to the Saint Lawrence Gulf. But the British deciphering people received this message the same moment. They decoded it, and so the enemy knew exactly from where I came, where I was, and what were my goals. So they could very easily guess where to look for me. It was an extremely different thing. And not too far from the entrance to the Saint Lawrence Gulf, I was attacked by night by an aircraft and received bombs. One, two, three on starboard. Four, five, six, and back-boat, but fortunately no bomb hit us and I dived then and from that moment on I didn’t get up again until we already had again left the Saint Lawrence Gulf. We had to snorkel to do that.

We had to snorkel to get fresh air and to keep the diesels running for refueling the batteries and only some hours one night I had to take, to use the snorkel. Otherwise I was standing on the surface and the periscope depth, only looking out through the periscope and found that the total gulf was empty. No ships at all. We went up to the Saint Lawrence River, both sides six miles away there was land. No ships at all. The authorities had stopped the traffic because they knew that I was there.

SHARKHUNTERS: Explain what a snorkel is and what it’s like to travel with the snorkel?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: Yeah. There’s a big tube which was, which we erected and then there’s a ventilator (valve) to keep water away and to let fresh air in and the diesel can run. Take the fresh air from outside, clean the air in the ship, and they are running underwater and by this means only to, refill the batteries.

SHARKHUNTERS: Was it unpleasant to be traveling under the snorkel?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: Both pleasant and not problem. No problem. We could even go faster than with the electric engines.

SHARKHUNTERS: What do you believe were the main limitations of the U-boat?

Captain SCHMOECKEL: Their defense against aircraft was nearly impossible. As I told you, you could hear the aircraft as you hear aircraft here on the land from far away, but at sea you can’t. When it is too close, you can’t dive anymore. There are no weapons when you are underwater for many, many days – even weeks. The weapons can’t function against a sudden aircraft.

This excellent first-person story will conclude in KTB #166 next month. Thanks to Captain SCHMOECKEL for these memories of his time in the war.