by Mark Lardas
Softcover (7.25×9.75 inches). 80 pages. 2026.
Most U-boats attacked Allied cargo ships, but five major British ships were sunk by U-Boats: aircraft carriers HMS Eagle, HMS Ark Royal, and HMS Courageous and battleships HMS Royal Oak and HMS Barham. Other capital ships were damaged and others lucked out due to faulty German torpedoes.
The submarines and capital ships received full coverage of tech specs, design, development, chronology, and crew training. Then the actions heat up with U-boats stalking the British battleships, aircraft carriers, and surrounding convoys. Successes and failures get explained and tallied.
During the war, the Germans built 1,162 U-boats (p76), of which 30 were lost during training (p49). Most went into the Atlantic Ocean, but 62 drifted past Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean Sea (p75), where they were trapped by currents and heightened British Anti-Submarine Warfare capabilities.
At war’s end, 397 U-boats remained, of which 222 were scuttled, 169 surrendered, seven were in Japanese waters and taken over by the Japanese, and two surrendered to Argentina (p76).
The booklet contains 52 black and white photos, one illustration, 22 color illustrations, four color maps, five color illustrations, 16 color camouflage profiles, one color two-page action illustration, and two color one-page action illustrations.
Four U-boats are on display at museums: U-505 in Chicago, U-995 in Kiel, U-2540 in Bremerhaven, and U-534 in Liverpool.
It’s well-told history of a subset of the submarine warfare between Germany and Britain.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
