To the Last Salute: Memories of an Austrian U-Boat Commander

Twenty-One. Reconstruction in the Arsenal

“It’s a pity about the lost time because now we have to make up what we missed in more than a year.” “Now the United States will also declare war!” “Yes, and also Nicaragua and San Marino. The world is in a fine state!” “You know, Bethmann-Hollweg was to blame for more than he probably knows! He always gave in and constantly showed only weakness . . . and oh, don’t hurt the enemy! That only strengthened and encouraged the enemy. When you feel weak and let the enemy know that, you cannot enforce peace. And he has always done it this way.” “But now, tell me this, why hasn’t he been dumped since everyone knows this?” The other shrugs his shoulders. “But now it does not matter any more, and we got our U-boat war!” “Fine, but do you know why we finally have it? Because the Supreme Command is not confident any more of a victory by land. The U-boat war is their last hope!” “But you won’t give up?” “Not I; that will be taken care of by those in the interior, yours and ours. Everything has been poisoned already. They have had nothing to eat for a long time . . . “But let’s not be angry today! How does that beautiful song go? ‘Because it was in springtime . . .’” “Hi kids, I’m buying the tenth bottle. Who will share it with me?” Twenty-One.Reconstruction in the Arsenal On full moon nights Italian planes fly to Pola. They are usually detected during their approach to the coast from the north because their clatter can be heard from afar, and forts and ships can be warned. But sometimes they appear by surprise from the sea in a glide. In Pola no lights burn, even on the darkest nights. All windows must be shut tightly and on the streets you must grope around 90 RECONSTRUCTION INTHE ARSENAL with your saber so as not to run into something. Soon flashlights are sold out; they have to be covered with red paper when on so that their bright light does not betray the person using one. Spies are suspected everywhere: those who could give signals from the skylights toward the sky, and overzealous patrols shoot into many a window where an accidental light beam made its way. But the planes come during daytime, too, and the house owners outside the city are encouraged to paint camouflage designs on their houses to resemble forests. The most beautiful patterns are recommended, and soon you can also see the most peculiar paintings on vacant houses. The families of navy men have been exiled from Pola since the beginning of the war, and only those women who perform the difficult duty of nursing the sick are permitted to remain. The air attacks are repeated often. The damage is trifling and RECONSTRUCTION INTHE ARSENAL 91 Fig. 18. Sinking steamer soon I worry less about my boat that is still being rebuilt. The last details seem to drag on forever. I am getting impatient. The Mediterranean beckons with her transport steamers, so much the more inviting since now there are no more restrictions. And I want to arrive in good time for the final effort. 92 RECONSTRUCTION INTHE ARSENAL Fig. 19. S.M.U. 14 in the Mediterranean, with crewmembers Then I am asked “affectionately” if my boat will be ready soon, especially by those who have been moored for years. But the work is actually delayed. It is quite similar to Penelope ’s tapestry: mysterious forces impede the construction.1 The crew is suspicious. There are many Czechs in the arsenal known to be capable of sabotage. In the mess they always sit together and speak Czech and every time a setback occurs on the front, their faces beam. At the American declaration of war, they supposedly really celebrated , but you can’t pin anything on them. Therefore, everything on the boat must be supervised and the crew personally inspects all the work because they only trust themselves. The officers in the arsenal run from one workshop to another, in order to expedite the activity there, and I make a whirlwind tour through the various offices. The engineers assigned to the boat do their best, and when U-14 is finally ready to go for her first trial run, I congratulate them, as they...