U 96 (Das Boot)

U-96 is one of the most famous German submarines from World War II, gaining widespread recognition through the novel and subsequent film “Das Boot” by Lothar-Günther Buchheim. Commissioned in September 1940 and a Type VIIC U-boat, U-96 was commanded by Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock, one of the most successful U-boat commanders of the war. The submarine undertook 11 patrols, sinking numerous Allied ships and becoming emblematic of the perilous and claustrophobic life aboard a U-boat. U-96’s service and the vivid depiction of its crew’s experiences have cemented its place in naval history as a symbol of the German U-boat fleet.