Count not the Dead: The Popular Image of the German Submarine - Hardcover

Hadley, Michael L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0773512829 ISBN 13: 9780773512825

Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1995

Synopsis

Basing his study on some two-hundred-and-fifty German novels, memoirs, fictionalized histories, and films (including Das Boot), Michael Hadley examines the popular image of the German submarine and weighs the values, purposes, and perceptions of German writers and film makers. He considers the idea of the submarine as a war-winning weapon and the exploits of the "band of brothers" who made up the U-boat crews. He also describes the perceptions of the German public about the role of the U-boat in the war effort and the hopes that it carried for victory in two world wars against the Allied forces. Analysed in context, the U-boat emerges as a central factor and metaphor in Germany's ongoing struggle with its political and military past. In Count Not the Dead Hadley explores the complex relationships between political reality and cultural myth, and draws important conclusions about the way in which Germans have interpreted their past and how present concerns change these views.

About this title

Review

"A fascinating and carefully crafted look at the image of the German submarine and the U-boat crews. The book draws some very important conclusions about changing ideas about 'duty' and 'service, ' obedience to orders, the 'nur-soldat' question, U-boat crews as victims, the place of tradition in the armed forces of the German Republic, perhaps all armed forces, and the way in which we interpret our history." Robert Vogel, Department of History, McGill University.

Synopsis

"Iron coffins", "grey wolves" and "steel sharks" - cast in images such as these, submarines are icons of Germany's maritime tradition. In books and films, submarines have been used to promote political goals and to justify and explain an intriguing and sometimes ambiguous past. This work explores the cult and culture surrounding one of the most mythologized weapons of war. Basing his study on some 250 German novels, memoirs, fictionalized histories, and films, Michael Hadley examines the popular image of the German submarine and weighs the values, purposes and perceptions of German writers and film makers. He considers the idea of the submarine as a war-winning weapon and the exploits of the "band of brothers" who made up the U-boat crews. He also describes perceptions of the German public about the role of the U-boat in the war effort and the hopes that it carried for a successful outcome in the war against England. The place of the U-boat weapon in Germany's propaganda machine is also defined and explained.

In this book, Hadley explores the complex relationships between fact and fiction, political reality, and cultural myth, and draws conclusions about the way in which humans interpret their past and how present concerns change these views.

Edition details

• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0773512829
• ISBN 13: 9780773512825
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 296