johnno74
07-13-07, 01:39 AM
Hi Guys,
I read "Diary of a U-Boat commander" ages ago, but I've just now found out the book is actually now in the public domain and is a free download from project gutenberg.
Its set in WWI not WWII, but it seems the u-boat technology didn't change that much between the wars - but anti-submarine technology and techniques were much less developed.
The book is basically a journal of a german u-boat officer (who commanded his own underseeboat by the end). His journal was confiscated when he surrended his u-boat at the end of the war, and at some point it was published as a book.
It gives some very interesting insights into life aboard a u-boat, tactics and the general horror of war. At the start of the book the author looked down his nose at the enlisted men, and he was absolutely convinced of german superiority over the british and he expected a swift german victory.
By the end of the war his outlook had completely changed.
Anyway, its a very good read, and its not too long - 144 pages according to MS Word
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/7947
The text or html versions can be downloaded from the links on the bottom of the page
Oh yeah, incase it isn't clear from my post, this is a non-fiction book. Its an actual diary from a u-boat captain.
Enjoy
:up:
Johnno
I read "Diary of a U-Boat commander" ages ago, but I've just now found out the book is actually now in the public domain and is a free download from project gutenberg.
Its set in WWI not WWII, but it seems the u-boat technology didn't change that much between the wars - but anti-submarine technology and techniques were much less developed.
The book is basically a journal of a german u-boat officer (who commanded his own underseeboat by the end). His journal was confiscated when he surrended his u-boat at the end of the war, and at some point it was published as a book.
It gives some very interesting insights into life aboard a u-boat, tactics and the general horror of war. At the start of the book the author looked down his nose at the enlisted men, and he was absolutely convinced of german superiority over the british and he expected a swift german victory.
By the end of the war his outlook had completely changed.
Anyway, its a very good read, and its not too long - 144 pages according to MS Word
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/7947
The text or html versions can be downloaded from the links on the bottom of the page
Oh yeah, incase it isn't clear from my post, this is a non-fiction book. Its an actual diary from a u-boat captain.
Enjoy
:up:
Johnno