Jakobsen, Knud U55. Beromt og berygtet

This book tells the story of the German submarine U-55, which sank several Danish ships during the First World War and cost the lives of several Danish sailors. The commander of U-55 was Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Werner. He succeeded in sinking 61 ships with U-55 and became a victim of British propaganda.

Although there was no evidence, he was accused of ordering British sailors onto the deck of the submarine several times, whereupon he dived and let the sailors drown. After the war, the accusations led to a charge of war crimes, which he initially evaded by fleeing to Brazil. In 1926, he was acquitted by the German Supreme Court. The book describes not only Werner's dramatic fate, but also the voyages of U-55, including a three-week Atlantic voyage that almost cost the lives of everyone on board. To increase its range, two buoyancy tanks were filled with diesel oil. When the heavily loaded submarine was caught in a storm in the Atlantic, it was so badly damaged that it almost sank. Werner did not give up, but sought refuge on the Faroe Islands, where he had 24 hours to repair the worst of the damage. He managed to save the submarine and the crew. Knud Jakobsen not only tells the dramatic story of U-55 and its commander, but also documents the many events with photos that have never been published before. In his research for the book, he came across a relative of the long-deceased Richard Raith, who was a technical officer on U-55 and an avid photographer, and this relative provided a large number of photos. The book shows not only pictures of life on board, but also of the dramatic voyage in the Atlantic and the unexpected visit to the Faroe Islands. In addition, there are pictures of several Danish ships that were sunk by U-55. These are pictures that have never been shown before.