Silent Hunters: German U-Boat Commanders of World War II (Bluejacket Books) - Softcover

Theodore P. Savas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1591148170 ISBN 13: 9781591148173

Publisher: Naval Institute Press, 2003

Synopsis

When World War II erupted across Europe in 1939, Germany knew it could not hope to compete with the Royal Navy in a head-to-head naval war. Left with no viable alternatives, the U-Bootwaffe wagered everything on the submarine in a desperate attempt to sink more tonnage than the Allies could construct. Some of these silent hunters who slipped out of their shelters along Europe's shores to stalk their prey have enjoyed considerable recognition in the years since. While most aspects of the bitter struggle have been told and retold from both the Axis and Allied points of view, the careers of some highly effective U-boat commanders have languished in undeserved obscurity.

The profiles of six such commanders are presented in this collection of essays. They include Englebert Endrass, whose spectacular career before being lost off the coast of Gibraltar is described by his best friend and fellow ace Enrich Topp; Karl-Friedrich Merten, who was ranked among the war's top tonnage aces; Ralph Kapitsky, whose U-615 suicidal surface-to-air battle in the Caribbean allowed many of his fellow submariners to escape into the Atlantic; Fritz Guggenberger, who sank an aircraft carrier and organized the biggest POW escape attempt in American history; Victor Oehrn, a former staff officer of Karl Dönitz's; and Heinz Eck, who was executed by the British. 240 pages. 22 photographs. 5 maps. Notes. Index. Paperback. 6 x 9 inches.

Edition details

• Publisher: Naval Institute Press
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1591148170
• ISBN 13: 9781591148173
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240