U-boat 977.the U-boat That Escaped To Argentina May 2026

The journey is best known for its incredible endurance phase:

On May 2, 1945, U-977 departed Kristiansand, Norway, on its first war patrol. Following the surrender orders of Admiral Karl Dönitz on May 5, Schäffer chose to disregard the command to return to port. Motivated by fears of the Allied "Morgenthau Plan"—which propaganda suggested would enslave German men—and memories of poor treatment of POWs after WWI, Schäffer proposed a flight to Argentina. He allowed 16 married crew members to go ashore in Norway before embarking with the remaining 32 men on the arduous journey. The Grueling 66-Day Submersion U-Boat 977.The U-Boat That Escaped to Argentina

In his 1952 memoir, , Commander Heinz Schäffer chronicles one of the most desperate and controversial naval voyages of the Second World War. Part technical history and part psychological survival tale, the narrative follows U-977’s 108-day journey from Norway to South America, a voyage undertaken after Germany's surrender in May 1945 to avoid Allied captivity. The Decision to Flee The journey is best known for its incredible

: To evade Allied naval patrols, U-977 stayed continuously submerged for 66 days using its newly fitted schnorkel (air intake mast). He allowed 16 married crew members to go