Best U-boat books?
 

What's your fave U-boat book?

I have an Amazon order in the works, and thought about including some U-boat stuff.

I am considering:

• Werner, Iron Coffins
• Vause, U-Boat Ace (Luth)
• Kriegsmarine et al, U-boat Commander's Handbook

As I am ordering about 25 books, I really only have room for 2 or 3 on this topic.

What's your favorite? Are any of these real winners or real dogs? Any that I am missing entirely and should consider?

Thanks, Roasty

I would give a thumbs up to all three of these, I have them and have read all of them.

Werner's book is a classic of the genre, perhaps even more so because of all the contention regarding the accuracy of his recollections (or lack thereof).

Vause's book I loved, also check out his Wolf: U-Boat Commanders in World War II if you haven't already. I found it on Amazon as well, but IIRC I had to order it from a third party vendor.

The Commander's Handbook I didn't even read much about before ordering, just saw it and clicked - expected it to be more of a "novelty" I guess. But it turns out to be a very cool read, lots of detailed info there on what was being taught at the time as SOP for a u-boat in a wide variety of situations.

IMHO one of the definitive works are the two volume Clay Blair books Hitler's U-Boat war...vol 1 The Hunters volume 2 The Hunted.

I acquired volume 2 in a secondhand book store. I have been searching ever since for volume 1 but no luck yet. I think at this point I'd offer one of my kidneys for a copy.

hi Roasty

Iron Coffins; contraversial, he made it up from (memory), does not all check out with history - but still a fine read, a classic. (a hot potato here at subsim!)

luth, u boat ace, excellent! whish i was about to read it.

Handbook - a handbook of do's and donts for the real commander - excellent to pick thru.

i have 5 at my feet.

lothar-gunthar bucheim; u boat war. a pictorial essay/diary in black and white photos - A MUST, if you can afford it!

timothy p mulligan; neither sharks nor wolves; a nuts and bolts of the men who trained and served in the u boat arm. a little dry to read, but totally immersive. maybe pricey£££

michael gannon: operation drumbeat: u boats attack american coast. one of my favorites, i didnt want it to end. it is BRILLIANT!

jordan vause. wolf: u boat commanders in ww2. another fine book by the author. about the more well known commanders. he writes with care and love for his subject.

clay blair: Hitlers U Boat War. The Hunters 1939-1942. some regard this as the bible. it is a 2 parter. the other is The Hunted 42-45. a big job coming in at 800 pages. it covers everything. from amazon: Already acclaimed on publication in the United States, the U-Boat war is here chronicled with authority, fidelity, objectivity, and extraordinary detail. He also writes vivid and dramatic scenes of naval actions with startling new revelations and conclusions about all aspects of the Battle of the Atlantic. he can get a panning from certain critics

....and there are so many more too.........keep on reading:up:

hey there K-61, i got vol 1 the other week from america - i live in england. got it for £6.42 + post, from betterworldbooks thru amazon. its a hard back too! good luck:up:

Danke! I'll look for it again. Cheers! Yes, I am looking for a hardcover to match the volume 2.

...lets do a thread/sticky for books, a library. great for newbs and those that dont yet have...?

Don't forget to read Lothar-Gunther Buchheim's DAS BOOT.

I got it on amazon in the US for $0.02!

...should be entry level requirement for all new commanders!

...shame his other novels are not translated to english - wonder why?

Vause's books are great, especially the one on Lueth.

It's probably sacrilege to say it, but Blair's U-boat War are great as reference material but they're very dry to read cover to cover. I find Paterson's histories of the First and Second U-oat Flotillas to be a bit more lively and interesting than Blair. But as far as completeness goes, you can't take anything away from Blair.

I found Steel Boats Iron Hearts by Goebeler to be a great book, written from the point of view of an enlisted man. That goes on my shelf as a "Top 5" book on the U-boat war.

You can do a search for the knock-down drag-out catfights that have been had over Iron Coffins in these forums over the years. I'll just say that it's a fine story and very entertaining while being based on grains of truth, but for true-to-life historical accuracy, look elsewhere.

U-boat War Patrol, also by Paterson is stuffed full of awesome pictures and tells the story of one of U-564's patrols. That too is an exemplary book that I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in the subject.

I linked you to Amazon, but make sure you order through the Subsim portal here: http://www.subsim.com/store.html It doesn't cost you anything extra and Amazon shares a cut of the sale with Subsim.

:yep: I wish Vause would write some more books on the same or related subjects.

I concur with you on the other two mentioned above as well. I just finished Steel Boats, Iron Hearts about a month ago and loved it. For those not already familiar with it, the author served on the U-505 (for all of her patrols, IIRC) and was one of the men who survived as a POW when she was captured by the USN. U-505 is the Type IX that currently resides at the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago and Goebeler's book provides a great insider's perspective on her combat history.

Can't say enough about the pics in Paterson's book, they really make a good narrative come alive.

Paterson, Lawrence: U-Boat War Patrol: The Hidden Photographic Diary of U-564 [Paperback]

Enid Blyton (Author)

or)
....maybe i should buy this one, looks like a collectors item!


edit; just out of interest, i have noticed that a lot of these books we read on this subject are becoming very expensive. just looked at MM's link and some of dem prices are crazzee. take for example this one by David Stevens:
U-Boat Far from Home: The Epic Voyage of the U-862 to Australia and New Zealand. comes in at £144 ???
last year i got the same book from australia - delivered here - england, for just under £20
...any thoughts?

Wel certainly not the one in bold, I bought it less than a month ago for £7.99 :DL

Yeah, I didn't pay an exorbitant price for my copy of the Paterson book either... just picked it up off Amazon, IIRC it was directly from them and not a third party vendor. New, oversized paperbound (but very sturdy) copy.