WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk War Under The Waves
Nov 21, 2025
Roger Moorhouse, a historian and author specializing in WWII, dives into the gritty realities of U-boat life. He shares fascinating insights on how submariners managed cramped living conditions and the infamous U-boat stink caused by dampness and poor hygiene. Moorhouse contrasts the glamorous propaganda of Nazi U-boats with the harsh lived experiences, including chronic scurvy and peculiar crew morale tactics. Discover the grim yet intriguing details of survival and sacrifice beneath the waves, shedding light on the human experience of submariners.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Cramped, Brutal Reality Of Type VII U‑Boats
- Type VII U-boats were tiny, crowded vessels with massive engines and torpedoes filling every space, making life claustrophobic and grim.
- Roger Moorhouse highlights that shifting perspective to the German crew reveals the Battle of the Atlantic as an intensely personal, brutal experience.
The ‘U‑Boat Stink’ Explained
- U-boat crews lived amid diesel, damp, mold and torpedoes and suffered widespread skin infections and infestations.
- Moorhouse describes the infamous 'U-boat stink' as a mix of diesel, mold, body odor and sickness that overwhelmed ports when submarines surfaced.
Lasting Psychological Damage Among Crews
- Many U-boat veterans suffered long-term mental illness from their wartime experiences and spent years in psychiatric care.
- Moorhouse shares a family memory of an uncle who repeatedly broke out of institutions, illustrating lasting psychological damage.