Vision requirements for u-boat forces?

[Torvald Von Mansee]

I just realized something: in all the newsreels and various period documentation I've seen, I've NEVER seen anyone wearing glasses. Was there a vision requirement to join the u-boat arm of the Kriegsmarine?

[frau kaleun]

I am looking for a link but I can't remember where I saw it... but when I first got interested in u-boats I read an article online about the Reichsmarine/Kriegsmarine and it listed the requirements (during that era) for enlisting in the German Navy.

I specifically remember that having normal or better vision without the need for prescription lenses was one of the requirements.

The other one that stuck in my mind was "good dental health."

Damn, I wish I could remember what site I read that at. I want to say it was either Wikipedia or uboat.net but I can't find it at either place.

Someone else here may be able to link to a reference.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Huh, seems like good vision wouldn't necessarily be a big requirement for a submarine crew... Then again they were the creme de la creme of the Kriegsmarine.

[Letum]

Last time at was at sea in bad weather I could see nothing but salt cake
outta my glasses. Not good for spotting aircraft.

Send the glasses to the Ost-infantry.

[FIREWALL]

Originally Posted by Weiss Pinguin

Huh, seems like good vision wouldn't necessarily be a big requirement for a submarine crew... Then again they were the creme de la creme of the Kriegsmarine.

Ya ! Cockeyed Johann would make a good lookout.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Weiss Pinguin

Huh, seems like good vision wouldn't necessarily be a big requirement for a submarine crew... Then again they were the creme de la creme of the Kriegsmarine.

I thought it made perfect sense. For most of the history of seafaring and naval warfare, being able to spot and identify other (and potentially enemy) ships was dependent entirely on the visual acuity of the lookouts on yours. Prior to the advent of technology that made visual contact on the surface just one option out of many, normal or above average vision without the aid of lens that could be lost, broken, or rendered useless by bad weather would be a very big deal. In the era we're talking about, that technology was still relatively new, and it would take time to adapt the "naval mindset" to the changes that came with it. Old traditions die hard, lol, even when new technology makes the reason for them less important over time.

Also the requirements I read about were for enlistment in the Navy, period, not just the Ubootwaffe; of course you'd want the best possible eyes on a surface fleet, but u-boats were also primarily surface vessels then and the same sort of traditional thinking would apply.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Eh, well, my reasoning was that since the majority of the crew might've spent most of their time inside the sub, then good eyesight might not have been the biggest issue for them. If you've ever been in a WWII sub, you'll know that there isn't exactly a lot of space to stretch your eyes. But then, I'm assuming that certain crewmembers were assigned as lookouts, as opposed to the entire crew taking turns. Does anyone know how that worked?

Also I might be a little biased, as I'm nearsighted myself You all make good points on the subject, and I can definitely see why good vision would be a requirement.

[GoldenRivet]

According to an Erich Top Speech, by the end of 1941, the decisive crew fitness requirements were dropped in favor of a more sutiable "Able bodied man" rule.

EDIT: though i would assume - like most military services - eye site must be 20/40 or better without glasses, if the vision is worse, it must be correctable to 20/40 or better with glasses.

not that it really makes a difference now days what the u-boat rules were 65 years ago

[frau kaleun]

As long as it was a requirement to enter the navy, it wouldn't really be a "requirement" for the ubootwaffe - it would just be a matter of course. If you couldn't get in the navy in the first place you wouldn't end up on a uboat anyway.

I always assumed that the watches were divvied up among the men who were "sailors" proper rather than "technical" personnel whose primary training and responsibilities would have less to do with traditional seamanship and more to do with the specialized equipment they had to operate and maintain.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

According to an Erich Top Speech, by the end of 1941, the decisive crew fitness requirements were dropped in favor of a more sutiable "Able bodied man" rule.

Oh yeah, definitely as the war progressed and things got more and more dire the requirements would have to be loosened up. Especially in an arm of the service where the rate of loss of manpower rose as high as it did.

IIRC even the age restrictions for commanders went out the window. I think 25 or 26 was the youngest an officer could be and have a command at the start of the war. By the end it was down to 21, I think, because there weren't older replacements available - they'd either been killed, captured, or promoted off the front line.

[frau kaleun]

Also I might be a little biased, as I'm nearsighted myself

Lol, I've been in trifocals for years now. I would never have passed the Kriegsmarine physical.

Of course I have some of the "wrong" equipment and am missing some of the "right" bits so my eyesight would've been the least of it!

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Of course I have some of the "wrong" equipment

interesting...

never thought of female anatomy as "wrong"

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

interesting...

never thought of female anatomy as "wrong"

Which is why it's in ""s.

[GoldenRivet]

I see! LOL

[frau kaleun]

*turns off webcam*

Oh no you don't!