Type VII U-boat "Workshop Manual" Coming In October

[Subnuts]

I was looking through Haynes' catalog of upcoming books and found this:



Jokey concept aside, I actually really enjoy this series of books, and although they aren't really "workshop manuals" in the truest sense, they're generally filled with obscure technical stuff you don't usually see in other books. They're the kind of books you buy if you want to know what sized screws were used by Routemaster buses, what a Spitfire's wheelbrakes looked like, how to start the engines on a Lancaster bomber, how to drive a Tiger tank, what the different autopilot modes on a 747-400 do, how often you should change the photon torpedo launcher on a Klingon Bird of Prey...basically stuff you'll never need to know in day-to-day life, but are fascinating anyway.

Still, I'm kinda confused if this book if about the Type VII, or German U-boats in general. The description and the cut-away on the cover suggest it's about the VII, the "1906 onwards" and "German submarine fleet" seem to suggest it's about every U-boat Germany has ever built. I'm hoping it just focuses on the VII in detail, with lots of technical diagrams and detailed descriptions of the boat's systems. If it tried to cover every type of U-boat since 1906, it would just be another coffee-table book with limited re-readability value. Guess I'll just wait and see.

[Sailor Steve]

It specifies the Type VII-C in the second paragraph, and especially U-995, so I'm guessing it's limited to that one sub-type.* If it goes into the kind of detail you mentioned regarding their other books, I'll probably have to get one as well.

* All puns are strictly unintentional, and should not be confused with real or even fake jokes.

[Jimbuna]

Looking forward to it

[nikimcbee]

Now they need a "Dummies Guide to U-Boats."

When you crash dive, make sure the hatch is closed.

[Subnuts]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

Now they need a "Dummies Guide to U-Boats."

When you crash dive, make sure the hatch is closed.

The HMS Victory manual tells you how to rig a temporary rudder, raise and lower anchors, prepare a cannon for firing, remove and refit the capstan, use the portable forge, tack and wear ship, and get the ship ready for sea, among other things. It's actually one of the most enjoyable naval history books I've read in recent years.

[Platapus]

Just in time for christmas shopping too.

[Subnuts]

Looks like the book is listed on Hayne's website now, and can be pre-ordered through Amazon, with a tentative release date of October 1st. I'm still hoping it's better than Hayne's output from the last few months. I bought the Heathrow Airport manual that came out last month, and while it's slick and pretty, the "workshop manual" series is starting to drift away from the nitty-gritty detail that made it so appealing to me.

[Subnuts]

Amazon US says they'll have copies in stock on September 22. Haven't seen any preview pics yet, so I might just wait until the first reviews start to roll in. Not really convinced it'll be anything new, but I really enjoyed Hanyes' new book on the Soyuz spacecraft, so this might be worthwhile...

[Subnuts]

I just got my copy, and gave it a quick once-over...and I'm not really impressed at all. Looks pretty much like a rehash of stuff we already know - no real technical insights, only a couple of basic overview diagrams, no step-by-step "how it works" stuff. More of a basic history with some soft-core technical details thrown in for good measure. Nothing to really qualify it as a "workshop manual" in my book.

Haynes is really losing me lately. I've ordered seven of their books released in 2014, and three have been disappointments so far, and another one just toed the line. They have a book on the Bismarck as part of their 2015 lineup, but I'm not holding my breath at this point.

[Subnuts]

I'm only about 21 pages in, but I can already tell this is going to be a rough one. So far, I've seen:

• A vague reference to the Type VII having been "originally developed during the First World War."
• A picture of a Type II out of water with her three-tube bow clearly visible identified as a Type VIIA.
• U-1 described as the first U-boat to serve during the Battle of the Atlantic (she didn't make her first war patrol until March 1940)
• The date of Donitz's succession to Chancellor is given as October 30, 1945
• 1,500 ton submarine cruisers and 500 ton coastal minelayers are mentioned as types under construction at the beginning of the war. Which types were these again?

Well, at least the pictures are nice.

[Sailor Steve]

Just think - if you didn't already know stuff you could be citing it as a reference!

[Subnuts]

34 pages in, and I've seen the Type IX's maximum surface speed given as 182 knots, a photo of a Type XXI under construction captioned as a Type VII, the TMA mine described as "Target Motion Analysis" mine, the Type IX described as carrying 10 torpedoes in 5 external tubes, and a reference to the "1812 Anglo-American War of Independence."

Instead of doing a full-length review of this book, I'm thinking of just doing a laundry list of everything wrong with it.

[Jimbuna]

Might be worthwhile sending an email to the publishers