Herbert Lang recalled that only eight of twenty already selected men passed a further medical examination, and remembered their pride in qualifying. Karl Dönitz reinforced that distinction by presenting submariners as the elite within a navy he already regarded as the armed forces' elite. He also recommended individual recruits for officer training at Mürwik. The academy's formal surroundings and memorials to German naval heroes placed their education within an ideal of military virtue. Selection and institutional tradition gave recruits reasons to identify with the service before they began their operational careers.
Notable Point · 31:10-32:20
Selection and Mürwik shaped a U-boat elite identity
Strict entry standards, Dönitz's encouragement, and Mürwik's naval traditions helped recruits understand themselves as members of an elite.