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Article: Fran Josef's forgotten U-boat captains. (the Austro-Hungarian empire's navy of multi-national personnel including Ritter von Trapp, were all loyal to the Emperor Franz Josef I)
- Article from:
- History Today
- Article date:
- June 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 History Today Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Austro-Hungarian navy - a curious concept for an empire whose centre was landlocked - but John Harbron argues that its U-boats at least, manned by multi-national crews, not only worked, but worked well.
The fifty U-boat captains of the Imperial and Royal Navy of Austria-Hungary from the creation of its submarine corps in 1909 to the fleet's dissolution in 1918 are long forgotten, as is the imperial navy in which they served, defending the multi-ethnic Habsburg empire.
Yet, in the 1,000th anniversary year of the founding of Austria, they deserve to be remembered. Their skill at sea made them among the most successful U-boat skippers of the First World ...