Anyone actually read any u-boat/battle of the Atlantic books

[sandbag69]

I do...I am presently reading 3 books.

Main book is Hitlers U-Boat War....in depth information on all U-Boat activities. Almost finished the first half of it called "The hunters" which is no mean feat as it is almost 700 pages long.

Second book is "under the red duster"..about the Merchant navy in WW2. Describes actions of certain ships and convoys under atatck by u-boats from the Merchant seamens perspective. the attacks on Pedestal, SC7 and PQ18 are particurlaly informative and fascinating.

Third book which I have just completed is named "the winning edge" about naval technology on all sides in World War2. The chapters about the pacific war and weapons used there are surprisingly engrossing as I thought the Pacific war was really only carrier actions but infact had many cruiser and destroyer battles.

Which books do you read?

[Salvadoreno]

I have read Hitlers Uboat War Vol. I and bout to read the Vol. II. I just finished reading Iron Coffins. Great reads so far. I just started "Night of the U-boats" and after that im gonna go back to Hitlers uboat war Vol II.

[Slick Rick]

Currently reading "Ten years and Twenty days" Admiral Doenitz Memoirs......

[Torvald Von Mansee]

I, too, am reading Hitler's U-Boat War. I am still in the prologue, actually. I checked out the second book at the same time.

I thought the preface which pointed out the defects of the Type XX1 was pretty eye opening.

[sandbag69]

Originally Posted by Torvald Von Mansee

I, too, am reading Hitler's U-Boat War. I am still in the prologue, actually. I checked out the second book at the same time.

I thought the preface which pointed out the defects of the Type XX1 was pretty eye opening.

Yes i thought that too. Most compelling of all is the fact that 98% of all ships sailed harmlessly across the oceans. Only 2% were ever sunk and there where thousands of ships.
So maybe there is a bit of a myth about Britain being strangled by the U-boats. The probable truth was that Churchill etc didn't want a second front and used the u-boat menace as an excuse for not re-invading France to help the Bolshies.
Churchill was a great politician but hopeless as First Lord of the Admiralty and Strategic thinking.

[CCIP]

Tons

Every time I'm at my library, I don't stray too far from the section that has all those WWII/Naval books

I've read Clay Blair's book(s), too.
I've heard a criticism of him being rather anti-German, and on some points I do agree with it. That or he's VERY keen on pointing out all possible German weaknesses, inaccuracies, mis-reports and failures. I haven't gotten to his book on the American subs in the pacific, but if the intro to Hitler's Uboat War is any indication - it should be the reverse. One wouldn't be surprised, of course, given his background. (Of course, I'm not saying that anyone should glorify the German war effort OR that the U-boat war was anything but a failure - but I wish he were a little less biting.)

That said, for being "stupidly detailed" as someone called it - this one's not one to miss. Definitely a damn well-researched book, you can't beat it for the sheer amount of information!

[Reece]

Hi, yes, I have always had a fascination for U-boats, there commanders, & the lives of the men who vertually lived in these iron coffins, & most, died in them!
Have read:
The battle for the atlantic.
Battle beneath the waves.
U-Boat ace - The story of Wolfgang Luth.
Currently reading: The U-Boats (Time Life)
Have Hitlers U-Boat war (42-45) but am waiting to purchase Part 1.
Also the story of Martin Neimoller U-Boat commander in ww1.
Movies & Documentaries: Das Boot, Iron coffins, Attack America, Clash of wings (has good U-Boat footage of Erich Topp), Got but not seen yet, Victory at sea (vol 1-26).

[AceChilla]

I have read Iron Coffins which was a great read I can reccomend to everybody.

Im thinking about getting the book of which this article is an excerpt. the article is a recollection of an U-boot officer serving on a boot when their Captain commited suicide. Read the article send chills down my back

http://www.feldgrau.com/articles.php?ID=34

[clive bradbury]

I don't know about Blair being anti-german, seems to me more like anti-british. As you say, he allows his background to slant his writing, which is a shame because it demonstrates poor skills as a historian and detracts from some excellent research.

He is forever keen to defend Ernest King and criticise british naval leaders (and seamen, and airmen etc, etc) without apparently appreciating the 'under siege' mindset of the british in the early years of the war. He completely fails to understand how important imports were in the minds of the british leaders, and thus criticises them from hindsight - again, poor skills as a historian (take a look at his stance on enigma/ultra, for a good example of this).

Still worth reading , though, as it is a good narrative account - it's the analysis and interpretation that lets him down.

[STEED]

Donitz and the Wolf Packs

Iron Coffins

Memoirs by Donitz

Type VII U-Boat

The U-Boat War 1914-1945

Donitz the Last Fuhrer
(Note Donitz was given the title President of the Reich not Fuher)

German U-Boat type XXI

The last year of the Kriegsmarine May44-May45

The German Fleet at War 1939-1945
(This is about the surface fleet)

German S-boote at War, 1939-1945
(This is about the S-Boats)


Just a few of many I have read.

[Heibges]

"Uboat Commander" by Peter Ali Cremer
"Uboat Commander" by Erich Topp
"Uboat Comnander" by Gunter Prien
"Eleven Years and Twenty Days" by Karl Doenitz[/list]

[JSalinger]

I'm afraid you all have me beaten here.

I've read Iron Coffins, The Destruction of PQ-17, and the Time-Life Volume "Battle of the Atlantic." (Definitely recommend the latter.)

[Antonin]

Originally Posted by AceChilla

I have read Iron Coffins which was a great read I can reccomend to everybody.

Iron Coffins is absolutely one of the best. I read it many, many years ago.

Also good:

U-boats Destroyed (Paul Kemp - stats and descriptions of each sinking in WW1 and WW2)

The U-boat Offensive 1914-1945 (VE Tarrant)

U-boat Commanders and Crews 1935-45 (Jak Showell - includes appendixes listing who commanded which boats when, and the 'service life' of every boat)

Type VII U-boats (Robert Stern)

Sharks and Little Fish (novel by Wolfgang Ott, I think his name was)

Peter Cremer's memoir

and of course The Boat (Bucheim)


I have other books, but these are the ones that come immediately to mind.

I've been studying the U-boat service for about 35 years.

[sandbag69]

iron Coffins seems to be the most read book so far...think I will need to get onto Amazon and buy it.

[DeepSix]

Black May, by Michael Gannon (1998), is also pretty good - not as well known as Blair's work, but it's solid.