***UNDER CONSTRUCTION***
SILENT HUNTER III
SUBMARINE SIMULATOR
During peacetime, sailors joining the U-boat force applied for transfer from other branches of the Navy, most often from surface ships. The physical and academic requirements for the U-boat service were high and, in the early days of Germany's submarine program, only the most capable of sailors were admitted.
​
In the early days of the Second World War, the submarine service accepted only the fittest and brightest of Navy wartime recruits, with the Navy itself generally having high admittance standards, leaving the bulk of the German male population to join either the Army or Air Force.
Becoming a U-boat Sailor
Due to high losses, especially after 1943, entrance standards for the submarine service began to grow lax leading to more inexperienced and less qualified crews being put to sea, an effort which caused losses to soar even higher. By the end of World War II, after Germany's surface fleet had effectively ceased to exist, the submarine service was accepting both navy conscripts with little training as well as transfers from other branches of the Germany armed forces.
U-boat Training
U-boat training for both officers and enlisted men began with the introductory UA-Lehrgang "U-boat Basic Course" which was taught in the city of Neustadt and covered basic operation of a submarine as well as an introduction to onboard systems.
There were two curriculum for offices and enlisted with the officer course lasting twelve weeks and the enlisted class lasting for six. For enlisted crew, the basic course was either followed by one of two training paths. For the "deck seaman", the sailor was transferred to an active U-boat to serve as a deck hand. Over the next one to two years the sailor would receive additional on-the-job training in submarine operations.
U-boat Sea Duty
Most U-boat officers and sailors were first assigned to a U-boat of a training flotilla, prior to deployment into an active operational submarine command. In the training flotilla, additional skills were taught at sea giving the crew members a chance to experience practical application. During peacetime, assignment to a training flotilla could last as long as a year, but during war this amount of time was significantly shortened.
U-boat officers underwent a slightly different training progression after the completion of the U-Boat basic course. All submarine officers were required to posses a fundamental understanding of torpedo weaponry, radio operations, and naval gunnery. As such, officers were cycled through a series of three follow-on courses taught at the same schools for enlisted personnel (but in separate classes) covering these three main disciplines. A final "capstone" class was the "Watch Officer Course" which evaluated the officer's fitness to be deployed at sea. Upon completion, the officer was assigned to a front line U-boat.
​
Specialty officers, such as engineering and gunnery lieutenants, underwent an abbreviated version of the stardust U-boat officer training with more focus on thier particular field and less on general tactics and operations.
Sailors designated as technical specialists would be assigned to a follow-on training school known as a UWO-Lehrgang. The three largest training programs were in engineering, radio operations, and gunnery which were taught in Kiel and Flensburg.
Sailors designated as torpedo specialists went to a special school, the UTO-Lehrgang which was also located in Flensburg.
Right: A submarine radio operator. These sailors were also responsible for manning sonar and hydrophone gear
A U-boat undergoing training operations in 1937. The distinctive conning tower hull number, and bow number crest, were removed from all U-boats once war began.
The highest training for U-boat service members was the "U-boat Commanders Course" (Kommandanten-Schiesslehrgang) which was taught in Danzig and Memel. Pre-requisites for the course required a U-boat sailor to have served for at least 18 months as a First Watch Officer and be screened by the U-boat High Command (the BdU) for command at sea.
​
The six week commander's course provided advanced training on U-boat tactics as well as general training on leadership, advanced navigation, and seamanship. Upon completion of the classroom portion of the course, a prospective commander was assigned a training patrol, which during World War II was performed with the 24th U-boat Flotilla.
​
During at-sea commander training, the candidate was known as a Kommandantenschuler and was evaluated in all aspects of submarine handling, tactical ability, and leadership traits. Upon completion of the training cruise, the candidate was provided with their final evaluation and, if declared as having passed the commander's course curriculum, assigned to a "front boat" in an operational U-boat flotilla.
Return to
U-boat Information
Return to Home
