Customer Reviews

To the Last Salute: Memories of an Austrian U-Boat Commander

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To the Last Salute is Georg Ritter von Trapp's memoir of commanding a U-boat in the Austrian Navy during World War I. While his style of writing does take some getting used to, von Trapp provides an engaging and suspenseful tale of life on a primitive submarine during an oft-neglected period of military history. The book also gives us an insight into von Trapp as a man, more insight than one finds in other books on the life of his famous family. His accounts of the horrors of war and the loss of his beloved navy at the end of the war are especially moving. For those interested in von Trapp, the Austrian Navy, World War I, and the history of submarine warfare, the book will be especially useful; anyone interested in the story of an intriguing, thoughtful, and courageous man will enjoy the chronicle of von Trapp's adventures as well.

In his slim (188 page) memoir, Captain von Trapp brings light to the life of a WWI Austrian submarine captain. For the first time translated into English, his descriptions of the perils of the silent service take the reader beneath the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas of WWI.

Highlights of the Captain's writing include his humor, the relationships between the different ethnic groups of his crew, and the front-line reality of restricted versus unrestricted submarine warfare. The brutal conditions under which the submariners operated are brought to life in haunting detail. When the sub is not ventilated before an emergency dive, the crew starts to pass out one by one; will the submarine be forced to surface before the last man succumbs?

Yet another highlight is extensive introductory material that assists the reader in understanding the family (yes, this is THAT Captain von Trapp!) and geopolitical context of Captain von Trapp's memoir.

Pick up a copy of "To the Last Salute" at your favorite bookseller or library. You won't be disappointed.

This is reasonably light read broken into bite-size chapters covering a variety of experiences surrounding the author's service as a WWI Austrian U-boat captain, the boat technologies of the time and the everyday impact of the politics as Austria's empire unraveled. Austria's relationship with it's wealthy and larger German ally is seen from another perspective as well as the polyglot nature of the many ethnic groups belonging to and participating in the Austrian war effort. A fine military account from the man responsible for "The Sound of Music."

This should have been translated much earlier! Forget about the later success with music--that's irrelevant here. The Kaiserliche und Konigliche Navy is the heart of the book. The Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy, with Emperor Franz Josef of Austria, who was also King of Hungary (hence the Imperial and Royal Navy) was a mixture of nationalities. Naval bases were few, and the Dual Monarchy's emphasis was on its army rather than its navy. Trapp served on torpedo boats for a while, and became commander of a submarine--the K und K's submarines were definitely third-rate compared to those of Germany. The gasoline (rather than diesel) engines meant that after even a short time underwater (with the hatches closed) the buildup of gasoline fumes would incapacitate most of the crew: there are scenes where only 2-3 of the crew are conscious at crucial times. There are also no bunks for the men--a visiting German submarine captain is horrified at the living conditions compared to the superior German craft.

Nonetheless, Trapp made the most of his vessel, sinking a French cruiser, an Italian sub, and other ships. There's a map of the Adriatic (another map or two would have been helpful) and plenty of photographs. Much of the story is understated, and there are some mentions of what must have been fascinating tales--such as transporting a camel from Africa.

It's all too brief--that's the one drawback. Happily, however, if you've enjoyed the book, there's another book on the same subject--drawn in part, I think, from some of Trapp's experiences. This is a novel--John Biggins' excellent A Sailor of Austria, which I would recommend highly. Biggins also has two other novels with the same protagonist, but these are not as much about the navy. A fourth novel, long hard-to-get but recently reprinted, which is a prequel to Sailor of Austria, is Tomorrow the World, about the protagonist's life aboard the K und K's cadet training ship on its voyages. Trapp also, prior to WW I, was a cadet of such a K und K sailing ship. So for a fictionally expanded view of Trapp's naval experiences--Sailor of Austria and Tomorrow the World will certainly be worthwhile reads.

Captain Georg von Trapp's Memoirs were published in Austria in German in the 1930's. One of his Grandaughters (an offspring of one of the real life von Trapp Family Singers)has translated her famous ancestor's work into English and now we can all see why the Evil Nazi's were so set on getting "The Captain" into their Navy when they took over Austria.

The work is very short and von Trapp has a matter of fact writing style similar to that of U.S. counterpart Gene Fluckey in his memoir of the USS Barb. Unlike Fluckey however von Trapp had to go to war in an antequated obsolete gasoline powered Austrian U-boat which was barely a step above the Turtle or the Hunley. A german U boat Captain told him upon going inside the ship that he "was lucky to be Alive". In addition he had to deal with a multinational crew that grew more restless as the war went on and their countries began to break away from the Hapsburg yoke.

The memoir is a good glimpse of a theatre of WWI which is barely mentioned, the Naval War in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean. Very little has been written of the War at sea between the Austrian navy on one side and the Italians and the French on the other. Most I have seen have dealt with the Royal Navy in the Dardanelles.

The book also begins with some von Trapp Family background and reveals many interesting facts such as the Captain's first wife was English and many of 'the children' were a lot older than 'sixteen going on seventeen' when they escaped Austria. Sadly when the Captain died of lung cancer in 1947 it may have been related to all of the gas fumes he inhaled on the poorly ventilated u boat during the war.

This book has appeal for many different sorts of readers. For the naval history buff its descriptions of life in a WWI submarine are gripping - men fainting from lack of air, the fear, as the air diminishes, of rising to the surface near an enemy ship. For those interested in how a deeply thoughtful man faces the horrors of killing others Chapter III is a must. And for anyone intested in the real Georg von Trapp, rather than the militaistic popinjay of The Sound of Music, this book will illustrate why his fellow seaman and, above all, his children, loved him as they did.

If you are interested in the Trapp Family Singers, this book is of marginal interest. However, if you are interested in the history of early submarine warfare in WWI, then this book is important.

As regards WWI submarine warfare, the British and the Germans like to claim they invented all the successful techniques. Read von Trapp's memoirs to find out otherwise. It is a wonder that von Trapp could sink anything at all, given his wretched boat and marginal torpedoes. It is a wonder he could maintain an efficient crew, given the polyglot composition thereof. But sink he did and lead he did. Von Trapp comes across as a modest man, scarcely even aware of the innovations in submarine warfare he was making. His tactics of lying inshore may have been necessitated by his lack of a movable periscope, and facilitated by the relative small size of his vessel, but they would be found effective by the most daring submarine commanders of WWII, both German and American. But NOBODY had sunk a cruiser by moon light before von Trapp. I won't spoil the rest of the book.

I would recommend this book to all students of naval warfare for two reasons: 1) history of tactics and 2) what a naval officer should be.

PS: For those of you familiar with the Trapp Family beyond "The Sound of Music," this book will explain why his children loved him, how Rodgers and Hammerstein got him wrong, and how trying at times it must have been for him to put up with the "real" Maria.

I had known of this book for many years, and had even thought about seeing if a publisher would be willing to entertain a translation. It was wonderful to see a member of the family lead the effort and have a copy back in print and in english after too many years out of print. It is a wonderful story of a patriotic naval officer, of a now absent navy tell of his adventures as the most successful captain of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. His work with his crew (from all over the empire) dealing with bureaucratic officers, sinking ships in an old sub, that his German peers recommended not taking to sea (they thought it unseaworthy and an antique), and then further adventures in a French sub, sunk then raised to strike again against them is intersting. Those who have read Lowell Thomas' account, or Edwyn Gray's books on the German WW1 submarine service will find this a very different tale and one worth comparing to other efforts.
For those who wondered where the Captain in the von Trapp family singers came from this fills in a void covering elements of his older children and first wife. Through his first wife, he was related to the inventor of the modern torpedo, who had set up a factory in Austra-Hungary before WW1.
The book is well written and reads quickly, and tells the tale of a dedicated and talented patriot in an prior phase of his life, which was later known to the world in song and story.

This book is delightful on several accounts:
It's easy to read, Georg Von Trapp is quite humorous, the adventurous stories are one-of-a-kind, and you learn a bit of history all at the same time!

I've wished for this book to be translated into English for a very long time! It was worth the wait.

I've always wanted to know more about Captain von Trapp, in his own words and this book is as close as I am going to get. It did not disappoint as it provided a window to see the Captain, the man.

I could not help but believe this book was more a compilation from a journal he may have kept. I also could not help but believe, if not for his modesty, there was so much more he could have shared.

Perhaps, without realizing it, he showed us many sides, least of which were his tender and compassionate side. How many military captains do you know would allow a rescued kitten to live on board his submarine?

I gave this book five stars, not so much for literary greatess as for the enjoyment received from reading it and having a few more questions answered.

It should be enjoyed by all Sound of Music fans and I believe those interested in history will enjoy it as well. Even though I knew the outcome, I could not help but hold my breath as he told of daring escapades while captaining his u-boats. I found myself, while reading about his experiences, thinking of the movie, K-9, The Widowmaker.

My only complaint, it was only 188 pages log. :-(