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The accepted historical narrative of the Second World War predominantly assigns U-boats to the so-called 'Battle of the Atlantic', almost as if the struggle over convoys between the new world and the old can be viewed in isolation from simultaneous events on land and in the air. This has become an almost accepted error. The U-boats war did not exist solely between 1940 and 1943, nor did the Atlantic battle occur in seclusion from other theatres of action. The story of Germany's second U-boat war began on the first day of hostilities with Britain and France and ended with the final torpedo sinking on 7 May 1945. U-boats were active in nearly every theatre of operation in which the Wehrmacht served, and within all but the Southern Ocean. Moreover, these deployments were not undertaken in isolation from one another; instead they were frequently interconnected in what became an increasingly inefficient German naval strategy.
This fascinating new book places each theatre of action in which U-boats were deployed into the broader context of the Second World War in its entirety while also studying the interdependence of the various geographic deployments. It illustrates the U-boats' often direct relationship with land, sea and aerial campaigns of both the Allied and Axis powers, dispels certain accepted mythologies, and reveals how the ultimate failure of the U-boats stemmed as much from chaotic German military and industrial mismanagement as it did from Allied advances in code-breaking and weaponry.
List of contents
AcknowledgementsList of Illustrations
GlossaryIntroductionChapter One: Genesis
Chapter Two: War
Chapter Three: The Myth of the 'Happy Time'
Chapter Four: Diverging Objectives
Chapter Five: The Descent
Chapter Six: Sun and Snow
Chapter Seven: Drumbeat in the New World
Chapter Eight: Losing the Race
Chapter Nine: Tipping Point
Chapter Ten: Reinforcing Failure
Chapter Eleven: Total Commitment
Select Bibliography
Notes
Index
About the author
Lawrence "Larry" Paterson is a qualified scuba diving instructor who spent many years living in France and researching German wrecks from World War II in Breton waters. His first book
First U-boat Flotilla was a direct result of his time near Brest, home of that particular U-boat flotilla. He also spent a period of time as a member of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum Archive Working group, specializing in U-boat records. He attributes much of his interest in World War II to both his grandfathers; one who was an ANZAC during the First World War and the other who was a Royal Navy stoker during the Second. His naval books have been published worldwide.
Summary
A unique perspective of the global history of U-boats during the entirety of the Second World War by Lawrence Paterson, one of the world's leading U-boat experts.
The accepted historical narrative of the Second World War predominantly assigns U-boats to the so-called 'Battle of the Atlantic', almost as if the struggle over convoys between the new world and the old can be viewed in isolation from simultaneous events on land and in the air. This has become an almost accepted error. The U-boats war did not exist solely between 1940 and 1943, nor did the Atlantic battle occur in seclusion from other theatres of action.
he story of Germany's second U-boat war began on the first day of hostilities with Britain and France and ended with the final torpedo sinking on 7 May 1945. U-boats were active in nearly every theatre of operation in which the Wehrmacht served, and within all but the Southern Ocean. Moreover, these deployments were not undertaken in isolation from one another; instead they were frequently interconnected in what became an increasingly inefficient German naval strategy.
This fascinating new book places each theatre of action in which U-boats were deployed into the broader context of the Second World War in its entirety while also studying the interdependence of the various geographic deployments. It illustrates the U-boats' often direct relationship with land, sea and aerial campaigns of both the Allied and Axis powers and dispels certain accepted mythologies.
Finally, it reveals how the ultimate failure of the U-boats stemmed as much from chaotic German military and industrial mismanagement as it did from Allied advances in code-breaking and weaponry.
Foreword
A unique perspective of the global history of U-boats during the entirety of the Second World War by Lawrence Paterson, one of the world's leading U-boat experts.
Additional text
A welcome addition to the history of the U Boat campaign.
