Who doesn't know the 'Boat of
the Smiling Sawfish'? If you didn't see the movie 'Das Boot',
guess you were living on the dark side of the moon.
This was a story, loosely based on one Feindfahrt (War Patrol) of
U-96 under command of (then) Kapitänleutnant HEINRICH
LEHMANN-WILLENBROCK, Naval Academy Class of 1931. He had a PK
(Propaganda Kompanie) man aboard who was a sketch artist and
photographer named Buchheim. A talented artist, Buchheim also took
some 5,000 photos which he managed to hide when the war ended and he
became quite wealthy when he brought the photos out in the 1980's and
wrote not only 'Das Boot' but several other books which were
popular, but not to the level of 'Das Boot'.
Seen at left, U-96
is being loaded prior to yet another Feindfahrt.
LEHMANN-WILLENBROCK talks with one of his junior officers. His
first two war patrols were very successful and so on 26 February 1941,
he was decorated with the Knights Cross.
On the left,
LEHMANN-WILLENBROCK watches over his boat as they are preparing to
depart on yet another patrol. On the right, the tonnage pennants
or 'bragging flags' tell of another successful patrol.
On 31 December 1941 he was decorated with the Oak Leaf to his Knights
Cross.
