U-Boat 977: The U-Boat that Escaped to Argentina (Fortunes of War)

U-boat 977 was the German submarine that escaped to Argentina at the end of World War Two. This epic journey started from Bergen in Norway, where in April 1945 it was temporarily based, and took three and a half months to complete. Because of continuing allied naval activity the commander decided to make the first part of the journey underwater. Before surfacing near the west coast of Africa U-977 had spent a remarkable sixty-six days submerged! It was inevitable that when U-977’s journey and escape to Argentina and its port of Mar del Plata became known it would be the center of rumor and theory. Why did U-977 make this long journey of escape when, for Germany, the war was over? Was it because it was carrying Nazi gold to continue the fight? Were escaping Nazi leaders on board? Was Hitler on board? The stories were many and for years, after the end of WWII, provided material for novelists, film-makers and historians alike. Heinz Schaeffer, the commander of U-977, has written a full account of his earlier career that culminated in this last command. It depicts the grueling aspects of a submariner’s life aboard a vessel that was subjected to the harsh conditions of the seas and oceans. As an experienced commander Schaeffer took part in many of the decisive U-boat operations in the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. In the final months of the war, and in common with most surviving U-boat commanders, Schaeffer and his crew came under constant attacks from Allied aircraft and surface ships. The final part of U-boat 977 is Schaeffer’s account of the journey to Argentina and ‘lays to rest’ some of the more ‘fanciful’ stories that followed its arrival. Cover......Page 1 Boat Diagram......Page 2 Title/Copyright......Page 3 CONTENTS......Page 4 ABOUT THE AUTHOR......Page 5 INTRODUCTION......Page 6 PREFACE......Page 8 1 YESTERDAY......Page 9 2 WHITE SAILS TO GREY WOLVES......Page 12 3 THE GREY WOLF SHOWS ITS TEETH......Page 26 4 GO IN AND SINK......Page 38 5 CHRISTMAS EVE......Page 46 6 UNDERWATER FUELLING......Page 51 7 GIBRALTAR WAS HELL......Page 53 8 THE WORST ENEMY......Page 57 9 AIR ATTACK......Page 60 10 NEPTUNE COMES ABOARD......Page 64 11 AWAITING NEW WEAPONS......Page 67 12 MY LAST COMMAND......Page 71 13 SIXTY DAYS UNDER WATER......Page 80 14 SOUTHERN CROSS......Page 85 15 "YOU HID HITLER"......Page 93 Back Cover......Page 98