Battle of the Atlantic: Any book recommendations?

Sailor Steve · 07-03-19, 03:48 PM

Sorry I missed this earlier. A couple of good books I've picked up over the decades are:

The Battle of The Atlantic, by Terry Hughes and John Costello. There are many books of the same title, and it may be that some of the newer ones are better, but this one has a special place in my library. The authors are less concerned with individual stories than with the balance sheet. Each section has a brief list of Allied merchant losses vs U-Boat losses, compared with new construction of both. When the lend-lease program begins and the U.S. start building Liberty and Victory ships the numbers are staggering, and you can see why Blair made his famous comment about the Germans never really having a chance of winning that campaign.
https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Atlant...s=books&sr=1-1

War Beneath the Sea, by Peter Padfield. Padfield is one of the great Naval Historians, bar none. This book is not just about the Atlantic, and it may not interest you. What it is, is an overview of the Submarine War. All of it. The German U-Boat campaign? Sure. American subs in the Pacific? Check. Japanese submarines? Yep. Also British subs, including all the experimental models and what they accomplished - and didn't. Dutch subs.

All that said, it's not a technical review of each class. I have those to, if you want that kind of study. This book is about the campaigns run by each nation and how they progressed. If you want a good look at what each country tried to accomplish with their submarines, this is the best. And you can buy a brand-new hardcover copy for less than the Kindle version!
https://www.amazon.com/War-Beneath-S...s=books&sr=1-2

07-03-19, 03:48 PM	#1
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Sorry I missed this earlier. A couple of good books I've picked up over the decades are: The Battle of The Atlantic, by Terry Hughes and John Costello. There are many books of the same title, and it may be that some of the newer ones are better, but this one has a special place in my library. The authors are less concerned with individual stories than with the balance sheet. Each section has a brief list of Allied merchant losses vs U-Boat losses, compared with new construction of both. When the lend-lease program begins and the U.S. start building Liberty and Victory ships the numbers are staggering, and you can see why Blair made his famous comment about the Germans never really having a chance of winning that campaign. https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Atlant...s=books&sr=1-1 War Beneath the Sea, by Peter Padfield. Padfield is one of the great Naval Historians, bar none. This book is not just about the Atlantic, and it may not interest you. What it is, is an overview of the Submarine War. All of it. The German U-Boat campaign? Sure. American subs in the Pacific? Check. Japanese submarines? Yep. Also British subs, including all the experimental models and what they accomplished - and didn't. Dutch subs. All that said, it's not a technical review of each class. I have those to, if you want that kind of study. This book is about the campaigns run by each nation and how they progressed. If you want a good look at what each country tried to accomplish with their submarines, this is the best. And you can buy a brand-new hardcover copy for less than the Kindle version! https://www.amazon.com/War-Beneath-S...s=books&sr=1-2 __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo