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Wolfpack: Inside Hitler's U-Boat War
A landmark history of the U-Boat war told through the experiences and recollections of the U-Boat crews themselves.
Winston Churchill famously remarked that the threat of the German U-Boats was the only thing that had “really frightened” him during World War Two. The U-Boats certainly claimed a bitter harvest among Allied nearly 3,000 ships were sunk, for a total tonnage of over 14 million tonnes, nearly 70% of Allied shipping losses in all theatres of the war. With justification, then, they are an integral part of the traditional narrative of the Battle of the Atlantic; a story of technological brilliance, dramatic sinkings, life and death, and – of course – the sinister, unseen threat of the U-Boats themselves.
For Allied seamen during the war, the U-Boat was a hidden menace, a faceless killer lurking beneath the waves; and the urgent needs of survival afforded them little time or energy to consider the challenges and privations of their enemy. History, however, affords us that time and energy, and any pretence of comprehensiveness demands that we consider what life was like for the crews of those most claustrophobic vessels; packed into a steel hull, at the mercy of the enemy, of the elements – and of basic physics.
Germany’s U-Boat crews posted the highest per-capita losses of any combat arm during World War Two. Some 30,000 German submariners were killed – over 75% of the total number deployed – the vast majority of whom have no grave except the seabed. Using archival sources, unpublished diaries and existing memoir literature, this book will give the U-Boatmen back their voice, allowing their side of the narrative to be aired in a comprehensive manner for the first time.
With that testimony, Wolfpack takes the reader from the heady early days of the war, when U-Boat crews were buoyed with optimism about their cause, through to the challenges of meeting the Allied counterthreat, to the final horror of defeat, when their submarines were captured by the enemy or scuttled in ignominy. Using the U-Boatmen’s own voices to punctuate an engaging narrative, it tells their story; of courage, certainly, but also of fear, privation and – ultimately – failure.
Winston Churchill famously remarked that the threat of the German U-Boats was the only thing that had “really frightened” him during World War Two. The U-Boats certainly claimed a bitter harvest among Allied nearly 3,000 ships were sunk, for a total tonnage of over 14 million tonnes, nearly 70% of Allied shipping losses in all theatres of the war. With justification, then, they are an integral part of the traditional narrative of the Battle of the Atlantic; a story of technological brilliance, dramatic sinkings, life and death, and – of course – the sinister, unseen threat of the U-Boats themselves.
For Allied seamen during the war, the U-Boat was a hidden menace, a faceless killer lurking beneath the waves; and the urgent needs of survival afforded them little time or energy to consider the challenges and privations of their enemy. History, however, affords us that time and energy, and any pretence of comprehensiveness demands that we consider what life was like for the crews of those most claustrophobic vessels; packed into a steel hull, at the mercy of the enemy, of the elements – and of basic physics.
Germany’s U-Boat crews posted the highest per-capita losses of any combat arm during World War Two. Some 30,000 German submariners were killed – over 75% of the total number deployed – the vast majority of whom have no grave except the seabed. Using archival sources, unpublished diaries and existing memoir literature, this book will give the U-Boatmen back their voice, allowing their side of the narrative to be aired in a comprehensive manner for the first time.
With that testimony, Wolfpack takes the reader from the heady early days of the war, when U-Boat crews were buoyed with optimism about their cause, through to the challenges of meeting the Allied counterthreat, to the final horror of defeat, when their submarines were captured by the enemy or scuttled in ignominy. Using the U-Boatmen’s own voices to punctuate an engaging narrative, it tells their story; of courage, certainly, but also of fear, privation and – ultimately – failure.
395 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 21, 2025
70 people are currently reading
333 people want to read
About the author
Roger Moorhouse
42 books179 followersLiving the Dream. Historian and author of an international bestseller - "Berlin at War" was #1 in Lithuania :-) - as well as a few other books, such as "Killing Hitler", "The Devils' Alliance" and "First to Fight" - the last of which won the Polish Foreign Ministry History Prize in 2020.
I write mainly about Nazi Germany and wartime Poland, but I fear that might scare some people off, so I'll just call myself a writer of history books.
My current book (published in the UK in August 2023) is "The Forgers", which is the fascinating story of the Ładoś Group - a ring of Polish diplomats and Jewish activists operating out of wartime Switzerland - who were forging Latin American passports to help Jews escape the Holocaust. It is a VERY interesting subject - so I would urge you to get a copy!
I hope you enjoy my books. Any questions or queries or just wholesome praise, do let me know...
I write mainly about Nazi Germany and wartime Poland, but I fear that might scare some people off, so I'll just call myself a writer of history books.
My current book (published in the UK in August 2023) is "The Forgers", which is the fascinating story of the Ładoś Group - a ring of Polish diplomats and Jewish activists operating out of wartime Switzerland - who were forging Latin American passports to help Jews escape the Holocaust. It is a VERY interesting subject - so I would urge you to get a copy!
I hope you enjoy my books. Any questions or queries or just wholesome praise, do let me know...
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 25, 2025
Superb overview of the trials and tribulations of the U-boat arm of the German Navy in the Second World War. I was lucky enough to pick up a copy at a festival pre the official publication and finished it quickly as the author has a very effective narrative pace and the story is fascinating. You get a very good sense of what life was like on board a u-boat, and how the technology and tactics evolved during the war. Highly recommended.
January 29, 2026
Excellent historic account of the U-Boat war. This is admittedly the fonly work of non-fiction on the submarine war I’ve read so I don’t have any other writings to compare it to, but it came across as well researched and paced. Prior knowledge has come from various documentaries and portrays in film and TV.
The writing style leant more towards the human story rather than dry facts, which is the way around I prefer. Yes, there were clear chronological details about the development and building of the various submarines models, individual submarines, dates of patrols and statistics around sinking but the text would try to go back to first hand accounts, diaries and even when describing facts, Moorhouse would always try to humanise the experience.
Ultimately, the experience for the submariners was a uniquely challenging one and I would say the most psychologically challenging of any sector of the war. Months at sea, may of the crew rarely seeing daylight, an impossibly cramped existence full of unimaginable levels of stench with combinations of oil, recirculated air, body odour, rancid food and of course the smell of the toilets - all tinged with the smell of fear. The combined stress in that confined coffin resulted in the highest percentage of losses of any armed force in the entire war… 75% of the German submariners failed to return. Their remains never recovered or family even knowing where or why they’d died.
The book delved into the bizarre laws of the sea, chivalry and the darker moments in their campaign. Rules that were sometimes and often (by both sides) broken especially when it comes to sinking freight and non-military ship along with the logistics of picking up survivors/radioing details that a ship has been sunk to the allies. The press coverage, propaganda and media-spin was excellent covered with some key events.
Similar to the British bomber pilots, the U-Boat veterans received a less-welcome response from the public. Perhaps too eager to forget about some of the more controversial and underhand nature of the way they delivered death as the unseen enemy, made more complicated as the defeated. At the beginning of the war, the U-Boat captains and crew were heralded as the Heroes of the Third Reich. Idolised during the so-called ‘Happy Times’ as they tightened the noose around Great Britain as she struggled alone before the Royal Navy, Coastal Command and RAF started to adapt tactics and find ways to beat them.
An aspect I had never considered was what happened the U-Boat crews that were on patrol when Germany surrendered. This final chapter was one of the most interesting of all as it dealt with the psychology of the crew, their fears of surrendering to the Soviets, the use of Black Flags for surrendering, Captains scuttling their U-Boats and some of the decisions made on if they could make it to either surrender to the British/American forces or find a way to escape to South America and reinvent themselves. One particularly unique account told of a couple of Japanese soldiers who happened to have been picked up choosing to end their own lives rather than face the shame of surrendering.
One of the highest praises for this book is how it kept its focus. By not focusing much on the allied experience, they felt like a mysterious ‘enemy’ and threat to the U-Boats throughout. Initially easy prey then a formidable opponent. Too many documentaries that are meant to be on the Wolfpacks get completely sidetracked on the allied side, going into great details on the development of tactics and countermeasures utilised by the RN leaving you feeling like you haven’t got into the experience of day-to-day life of the submariner.
The writing style leant more towards the human story rather than dry facts, which is the way around I prefer. Yes, there were clear chronological details about the development and building of the various submarines models, individual submarines, dates of patrols and statistics around sinking but the text would try to go back to first hand accounts, diaries and even when describing facts, Moorhouse would always try to humanise the experience.
Ultimately, the experience for the submariners was a uniquely challenging one and I would say the most psychologically challenging of any sector of the war. Months at sea, may of the crew rarely seeing daylight, an impossibly cramped existence full of unimaginable levels of stench with combinations of oil, recirculated air, body odour, rancid food and of course the smell of the toilets - all tinged with the smell of fear. The combined stress in that confined coffin resulted in the highest percentage of losses of any armed force in the entire war… 75% of the German submariners failed to return. Their remains never recovered or family even knowing where or why they’d died.
The book delved into the bizarre laws of the sea, chivalry and the darker moments in their campaign. Rules that were sometimes and often (by both sides) broken especially when it comes to sinking freight and non-military ship along with the logistics of picking up survivors/radioing details that a ship has been sunk to the allies. The press coverage, propaganda and media-spin was excellent covered with some key events.
Similar to the British bomber pilots, the U-Boat veterans received a less-welcome response from the public. Perhaps too eager to forget about some of the more controversial and underhand nature of the way they delivered death as the unseen enemy, made more complicated as the defeated. At the beginning of the war, the U-Boat captains and crew were heralded as the Heroes of the Third Reich. Idolised during the so-called ‘Happy Times’ as they tightened the noose around Great Britain as she struggled alone before the Royal Navy, Coastal Command and RAF started to adapt tactics and find ways to beat them.
An aspect I had never considered was what happened the U-Boat crews that were on patrol when Germany surrendered. This final chapter was one of the most interesting of all as it dealt with the psychology of the crew, their fears of surrendering to the Soviets, the use of Black Flags for surrendering, Captains scuttling their U-Boats and some of the decisions made on if they could make it to either surrender to the British/American forces or find a way to escape to South America and reinvent themselves. One particularly unique account told of a couple of Japanese soldiers who happened to have been picked up choosing to end their own lives rather than face the shame of surrendering.
One of the highest praises for this book is how it kept its focus. By not focusing much on the allied experience, they felt like a mysterious ‘enemy’ and threat to the U-Boats throughout. Initially easy prey then a formidable opponent. Too many documentaries that are meant to be on the Wolfpacks get completely sidetracked on the allied side, going into great details on the development of tactics and countermeasures utilised by the RN leaving you feeling like you haven’t got into the experience of day-to-day life of the submariner.
October 24, 2025
Wolfpack: Inside Hitler’s U,Boat War by Roger Moorhouse is a riveting, authoritative, and deeply human account of one of World War II’s most harrowing campaigns. Told through the eyes of Germany’s submariners, Moorhouse delivers the definitive chronicle of the U-boat offensive that nearly severed Britain’s lifeline and reshaped the global struggle for control of the seas.
Combining meticulous research with cinematic storytelling, Moorhouse immerses readers in the claustrophobic reality of submarine warfare the silence before attack, the thunder of depth charges, the unrelenting cold and fear that haunted every dive. Drawing from diaries, mission logs, and survivor testimonies, he reconstructs the evolution of the “wolfpack” strategy and its ultimate unraveling as Allied innovation and endurance prevailed.
More than a chronicle of naval tactics, Wolfpack is a study in courage, delusion, and mortality a reminder that technological brilliance and human valor often collide with the moral abyss of war. Readers of Antony Beevor, Max Hastings, or James Holland will recognize Moorhouse’s masterful blend of scholarship and narrative drive. In Wolfpack, history surfaces not as distant record but as a living, breathing struggle one that still echoes beneath the waves.
Combining meticulous research with cinematic storytelling, Moorhouse immerses readers in the claustrophobic reality of submarine warfare the silence before attack, the thunder of depth charges, the unrelenting cold and fear that haunted every dive. Drawing from diaries, mission logs, and survivor testimonies, he reconstructs the evolution of the “wolfpack” strategy and its ultimate unraveling as Allied innovation and endurance prevailed.
More than a chronicle of naval tactics, Wolfpack is a study in courage, delusion, and mortality a reminder that technological brilliance and human valor often collide with the moral abyss of war. Readers of Antony Beevor, Max Hastings, or James Holland will recognize Moorhouse’s masterful blend of scholarship and narrative drive. In Wolfpack, history surfaces not as distant record but as a living, breathing struggle one that still echoes beneath the waves.
December 9, 2025
To paraphrase Antony Swofford, all war movies celebrate war. Do all books with Hitler in the title celebrate him? To his credit, the author works to add complexity and nuance to the story of U-Boat sailors, working both to dispel the myths of the ruthless Nazi (the navy in general and U-Boat service in particular were comparatively less Nazi-fied than other parts of German society) and the myth of the U-boat crews as hapless victim, as well. It was an ugly and, quite literally, stinky war. It did little to affect the war's ultimate outcome. And it is an interesting mirror-image to the American undersea war in the Pacific-- just as brutal to merchant mariners and deadly dangerous to submariners, but with a far lower casualty rate for the later and much more war-winning effect.
November 24, 2025
I have read many WWII submarine warfare histories. I believe this is the first one to concentrate on the German experience and it is valuable for that reason. As in the Pacific theater, the killing went on long after the ability to replace resources was so much greater for the Allies than for Japan or Germany made the outcome inevitable. The conditions inside the U-boats were awful; this topic was not covered to any extent in my previous reading. In addition, the statistics presented here are devastating for the crews including the high rate of U-boats being lost on the very first combat patrol.
November 19, 2025
No spoilers,
I must admit there are plenty of material on the Battle of the Atlantic, but those are mainly from the allied side. That is to expected since history is always written in glorious light of the victors. However, I was surprised to learn so much about what the uboat fleet and their crews went through during the war. For anyone who is truly interested in this subject. I would recommend giving this title a read.
I must admit there are plenty of material on the Battle of the Atlantic, but those are mainly from the allied side. That is to expected since history is always written in glorious light of the victors. However, I was surprised to learn so much about what the uboat fleet and their crews went through during the war. For anyone who is truly interested in this subject. I would recommend giving this title a read.
January 1, 2026
Brilliant book written from the German perspective. The conditions experienced by the uboatmen were horrific and the chances of survival the least of any service in army in ww2.
January 2, 2026
A brilliantly written account of the German U-Boat war in WWII.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews