U-Boats at War: German Submarines in Action 1939-1945

by Harald Busch, L.P.R. Wilson (Translator)

These are the German estimates of Allied and Neutral ships destroyed by German U-Boats: 1942 - 1027 ships; 1945 - 54 ships.

Behind these figures lies one of the most fascinating and exciting stories to come out of World War II. It begins with the black nights in '39 and '40 when submarine wolf packs ripped the Allied convoys - and one ship in three might get through to England.

Here is the story of Prien, who penetrated the main anchorage of the British Fleet and sank the battleship "Royal Oak" at Scapa Flow ... of young Mohr, who sank 44,000 tons of shipping in one night on his first patrol ... of Topp and Schnee and Hessel and the other commanders who made 1942 "the American Shooting Season."

Harald Busch was a German officer who served with the submarines. U-BOATS AT WAR tells you more than you can learn from any other book about how the enemy lived and fought in one of the most dangerous branches of the service ... And how the Allies, by courage and scientific skill, broke the back of the wolf packs and smashed the German bid for victory at sea.

[text from back cover of book]

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, World War II, German Literature

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1955

Reviews

[Bill Rand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book in that gives a perspective on submarine warfare from the German perspective, and it makes you realize how nasty a submarine was to live in.

[Juan José · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente obra para conocer de primera mano como bien señala si título, cómo fue la guerra submarina desde el lado alemán. Cuestiones técnicas y tácticas a las que se le suman las de la vida a bordo.

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the German U-boats and the men who lived, fought and died in them. Over 39,000 officers and men served in the German submarine fleet—all but 7,000 of them found an ocean grave.
Harald Busch was attached to the U-boat branch of the Kriegsmarine and shared in many of the battles and patrols he describes. He tells with the vividness of personal experience exactly what it was like to lie in wait for a convoy at dawn—and how it feels to sweat out twenty-four hours on the bottom of the ocean, when the lights have gone out and the water is rising over the engines . . . and the next depth charge may crush the hull.
From the easy "kills" of the war's first days to the last desperate patrols, this is the story—told by an insider—of German U-boats at war . . . a war they almost won