Thursday, November 10, 2011

My Grandfather's Blog

This is my grandfather's blog. Franz Strobl was nineteen years old when he wrote these words as he served in the Austro-Hungarian Kriegsmarine during WWI. Franz was of the rare breed known as Submariners, and of the still rarer breed of those who survived their service in that branch of the military which claimed the highest casualty rate.

His memoirs were written on scraps of paper at night in the barracks, on the train to and from leave, and in his bunk below decks of his U-Boat as it cruised the Adriatic along the Dalmatian coast.

The pile of tattered papers made their way into the hands of my uncle, Joschi Lampert, who translated Franz's words from German to English...the sort of English that retains much of the word order of the original German. This was a daunting task as much of the original handwritten pages were torn or damaged in some way and my grandfather wrote in a Gothic hand that would have been nearly impossible for me to decipher. I have transcribed my uncle's translation as closely as possible, making changes only in the interests of clarity. The form and substance of the translation have a charm and innocence with which editorial correction would tamper to no benificial result.

You will read the words of a young Austrian made old by the "War to end all Wars." You will read as he became a decorated hero for a cause he did not understand nor endorse. And you will read how he was ultimately the only survivor of his ill-fated boat. The first installment will follow. Enjoy, in his own words, the story of Franz Strobl, Submariner of the Imperial Kriegsmarine who, if he were writing this today, would wish you peace.

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