U-Boats at War in 100 Objects, 1939-1945

The U-boat peril during the Second World War was a major source of fear for Winston Churchill, and the Kriegsmarine was unprepared for the war. Despite this, the U-Boat arm scored some incredible successes in the early part of the war, raising the status of the submarine commanders and crews to that of national heroes. This book explores 100 iconic elements of the U-Boat service and its campaigns, including important individuals, U-boat types, uniforms, insignias, weapons, equipment, and technology, as well as the enemy they faced. The U-Bootwaffe was ultimately doomed to defeat, but not before it came close to bringing Britain to its knees.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 224 pages
\n Publication date: 09 November 2020
\n Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd
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The U-boat peril was the sole aspect of the Second World War that truly frightened Winston Churchill in his historical account of the conflict. I was even more concerned about this battle than I had been about the magnificent air combat known as the Battle of Britain. In actuality, the Kriegsmarine had been woefully unprepared for the war into which it was thrown. Karl Donitz, the Command-in-Chief of submarines and a seasoned U-boat captain from the First World War, believed that a fleet of 300 U-boats could bring Britain to its knees. However, when the war began, he had only twenty-four available for operational use. Despite this, the U-Boat arm achieved some incredible successes in the early stages of the war, elevating the status of the submarine commanders and crews to that of national heroes in the eyes of the German people. The Grey Wolves had become superstars. It's no wonder that the U-Boat war has piqued the interest of military history students ever since. This book, which uses a carefully chosen selection of both wartime images and color images of surviving U-boat memorabilia from private collections, describes 100 iconic elements of the U-Boat service and its campaigns. The array of objects includes important individuals and the major U-Boat types, as well as the uniforms and insignias the men wore. The weapons, equipment, and technology used are explored, as are the conditions in which the U-boat crews served, from cooking facilities and general hygiene to the crude toilet facilities. Importantly, the enemy that they faced is also covered, examining the ship-borne and airborne anti-submarine weaponry utilised against the U-boats. The U-Boats began the war, though small in number, more than a match for the Allies and caused carnage among merchant shipping as well as sinking.

\n Weight: 756g\n
Dimension: 257 x 253 x 20 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781526759023\n \n