Quote:
Originally Posted by Markus Witt
Thanks for the info. I kinda expected three commisioned officers as watch officers.  Didn't know about the two NCO's sharing a watch.
Also obersteuermann sounds like an officer to me and in the Gibraltar scene in the movie the kaleun takes only the obersteuermann with him to the bridge.
But I guess this would make sense in real life as he would probably be older and more experienced then the two watch officers. Well, it's all clear to me now. 
Maybe I should watch the movie again. |
In a lot of RL stuff I've read about the uboat service, it becomes clear that - especially in critical situations - a person's ability and experience were usually valued far more than his actual rank. A sharp pair of eyes on the bridge, or a skilled pair of hands on the controls, were more valuable than any number of pips and stripes on a uniform. And a successful commander's success often depended on his ability to see the strengths and weaknesses of each crewman and proceed accordingly.
In the movie - despite a few tense moments - it seems clear that the commander values Kriechbaum a great deal. When he tells his senior men his plan for getting past Gibraltar, the Obersteuermann is the only one he makes a point of looking to for a response. It may have been that all he wanted was something that would provide some additional sense of assurance to the rest of the crew, even if Kriechbaum knew better; nevertheless that's who he went to for it.
In the book der Alte's regard for the man is even more obvious - the navigator is a veteran member of the crew, and one whose skill (particularly when it comes to dead reckoning) the commander makes particular mention of on at least one occasion. He may very well have spent far more hours at sea with Kriechbaum than with anyone else besides the LI, and maybe more than with anyone else from among the non-technical crew. Kriechbaum would also be an old hand at standing watch on the bridge, and may have done more of it than any of the junior COs aboard. That's definitely the guy you want on the bridge when you're trying to slip past "half the English fleet" in the Straits of Gibraltar.
And regarding "Obersteuermann":
ober = upper, over, above
Steuer = rudder
Mann = man
So the word literally means something along the lines of "upper rudder man," or "the guy in charge of steering the boat." Hence Obersteuermann = Chief Navigator.
