Скачать или смотреть 50 DAYS WITHOUT SOAP: THE GRITTY REALITY OF LIFE ON A U-BOAT 👃

❓ "How bad was the smell, really?" Veterans often described the odor of a returning U-boat as something that could be "smelled before the boat even docked." It was a scent that soaked into the skin and clothes so deeply that many sailors had to throw away their leather jackets after the war because the smell of diesel and sweat could never be removed.

The "U-Boat Bouquet"
Inside the boat, several distinct odors competed for dominance:

Diesel & Oil: Everything - even the bread and coffee - tasted and smelled like fuel.

Rotting Produce: Fresh food was stored everywhere, including over the bunks and in the toilets. Within a week, the smell of decaying cabbage and moldy bread filled the air.

The "Bilge" Reek: Condensation, spilled fuel, and human waste often collected in the bilges, creating a sickly, stagnant smell.

Humanity: 50 men in the same clothes for 60 days, "hot-bunking" (sharing beds as soon as the previous man got out), created a thick musk of unwashed skin and damp wool.

The "Luxury" of the U-35
The famous photo of the U-35 crew showering on deck (actually taken in 1917 during WWI, though the conditions remained nearly identical in WWII) shows a rare moment of bliss.

Makeshift Showers: On the surface in calm waters, crews would sometimes use a pump to spray seawater over themselves on the casing.

The Catch: While refreshing, the salt from the seawater would dry on the skin, causing "sea boils" and intense itching. Sailors often preferred to stay dirty rather than deal with the skin irritation of salt-crust.

Hygiene "Hacks"
Since they couldn't wash with water, the Kriegsmarine provided alternatives:

Alcohol Rubs: Some crews were issued alcohol-soaked rags to "wipe down" their bodies, which provided a temporary feeling of cleanliness.

The "Toilet Store": Most U-boats had two toilets, but one was almost always used as a storage locker for food at the start of a mission. This meant 50 men shared a single toilet for the first few weeks of a patrol.

Deodorant & Cologne: The German Navy issued a potent deodorant and bottles of Eau de Cologne to help mask the smell, though many sailors complained it just made the air even more nauseating.

The "U-Boat Baptism": Flushing a U-boat toilet while submerged was a high-stakes engineering task. If the valves were opened in the wrong order, the external sea pressure would blow the contents of the toilet back into the boat - and onto the operator - at high velocity.

A shower on the deck of the U-35 wasn't just about hygiene; it was the only time these men could breathe air that didn't smell like a machine shop. Subscribe to see the historical stories they didn't teach you in school.