Im reading Iron Coffins and..

Salvadoreno · 01-17-06, 02:22 AM

Well.. So far im not very impressed by the book. Everything seems to be going so fast in the book, not a lot of detail of life on a submarine, the boring times-the downtime. It goes straight to the action, not that its not exciting, but i finished "Hitlers Uboat War 1939-1942 and i enjoyed that far more then Iron Coffins. I know they are two different books but i guess i like the broader view of the uboat war. Anyway, anyone feel the same way? Im not finished with Iron Coffins yet, it is a great read, but its missing something.

gdogghenrikson · 01-17-06, 02:38 AM

i liked it.

CaptainEO · 01-17-06, 04:32 AM

I loved Iron Coffins (even more than Das Boot - gasp!

). I understand the veracity of the book is in question, but if even half of it is true, I'm still amazed.

The combination of war patrols with leave time is surreal. One week he is running out of air under a stalking destroyer and the next he is chasing girls at a ski resort.

I think the book gets better the further you get into it. The author does a very good job of showing the gradual decay and desparation of the U-boat force, the military, and Germany in general. The ending is very dramatic.

It's amazing that the author was only my age (25) at the END of the war. I can't imagine having been an XO, Captain, and hardened veteran this early in life.

Bill Nichols · 01-17-06, 07:08 AM

Iron Coffins is a great U-boat book, as far as personal accounts go. I also like Peter Cremer's "U-boat Commander"

Salvadoreno · 01-18-06, 11:30 PM

Okay yah the book is getting awesome. Incredibly sad, i cant stand hearing about all the sinkings in 43.. Those poor damned sailors, what a way to go. Utter terror the entire time, from the scream of "Airplane spotted" to "ALAAARRRM" to the radio messages, to the dive, and to the grave. I almost find myself wishing the uboat war was won.

Pax Melmacia · 02-08-06, 09:55 PM

'Iron Coffins' was my first U-Boat book and the one that turned me on to the topic.

Considering its age, I suppose it was written for an audience that expected it to be a 'war' book, i.e., mostly action.

Das Boot was more introspective; I wonder how it would have done if it were released around the time IC was.

STEED · 02-09-06, 08:38 AM

Iron Coffins is a very good read a very interesting personnel account

01-17-06, 02:22 AM	#1
Salvadoreno Grey Wolf Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 887 Downloads: 119 Uploads: 0	Im reading Iron Coffins and.. Well.. So far im not very impressed by the book. Everything seems to be going so fast in the book, not a lot of detail of life on a submarine, the boring times-the downtime. It goes straight to the action, not that its not exciting, but i finished "Hitlers Uboat War 1939-1942 and i enjoyed that far more then Iron Coffins. I know they are two different books but i guess i like the broader view of the uboat war. Anyway, anyone feel the same way? Im not finished with Iron Coffins yet, it is a great read, but its missing something. __________________

01-17-06, 02:38 AM	#2
gdogghenrikson Grey Wolf Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 978 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	i liked it. __________________ And when you loose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown.

01-17-06, 07:08 AM	#4
Bill Nichols Master of Defense Join Date: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,502 Downloads: 125 Uploads: 0	Iron Coffins is a great U-boat book, as far as personal accounts go. I also like Peter Cremer's "U-boat Commander" __________________ My Dangerous Waters website:

01-18-06, 11:30 PM	#5
Salvadoreno Grey Wolf Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 887 Downloads: 119 Uploads: 0	Okay yah the book is getting awesome. Incredibly sad, i cant stand hearing about all the sinkings in 43.. Those poor damned sailors, what a way to go. Utter terror the entire time, from the scream of "Airplane spotted" to "ALAAARRRM" to the radio messages, to the dive, and to the grave. I almost find myself wishing the uboat war was won. __________________

01-17-06, 04:32 AM	#3
CaptainEO Swabbie Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 14 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I loved Iron Coffins (even more than Das Boot - gasp! ). I understand the veracity of the book is in question, but if even half of it is true, I'm still amazed. The combination of war patrols with leave time is surreal. One week he is running out of air under a stalking destroyer and the next he is chasing girls at a ski resort. I think the book gets better the further you get into it. The author does a very good job of showing the gradual decay and desparation of the U-boat force, the military, and Germany in general. The ending is very dramatic. It's amazing that the author was only my age (25) at the END of the war. I can't imagine having been an XO, Captain, and hardened veteran this early in life.

02-08-06, 09:55 PM	#6
Pax Melmacia Watch Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Philippines Posts: 27 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	'Iron Coffins' was my first U-Boat book and the one that turned me on to the topic. Considering its age, I suppose it was written for an audience that expected it to be a 'war' book, i.e., mostly action. Das Boot was more introspective; I wonder how it would have done if it were released around the time IC was.

02-09-06, 08:38 AM	#7
STEED Lucky Jack Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Down Town UK Posts: 27,695 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 48	Iron Coffins is a very good read a very interesting personnel account