U-Boats at War in 100 Objects, 1939–1945

U-Boats at War in 100 Objects, 1939–1945

Author: Gordon Williamson

Publisher: Frontline Books

Published: 2019-10-30

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1526759055

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‘The only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril,’ wrote Winston Churchill in his history of the Second World War. ‘I was even more anxious about this battle than I had been about the glorious air fight called the Battle of Britain.” In reality, the Kriegsmarine had been woefully unprepared for the war into which it was thrown. The Command-in-Chief of submarines, Karl Dönitz, himself a verteran U-boat captain from the First World War, felt that he could bring Britain to its knees with a fleet of 300 U-Boats. But when war broke out, he had just twenty-four available for operational use. Despite this, the U-Boat arm scored some incredible successes in the early part of the war, raising the status of the submarine commanders and crews to that of national heroes in the eyes of the German people. The ‘Grey Wolves’ had become super-stars. Small wonder then that the U-Boat war has fascinated students of military history ever since. This book, using a carefully selected range of both wartime images and colour images of surviving U-boat memorabilia from private collections, describes 100 iconic elements of the U-Boat service and its campaigns. The array of objects include important individuals and the major U-Boat types, through to the uniforms and insignias the men wore. The weapons, equipment and technology used are explored, as are the conditions in which the U-boat crews served, from cooking facilities and general hygiene down to the crude toilet facilities. Importantly, the enemy that they faced is also covered, examining the ship-borne and airborne anti-submarine weaponry utilised against the U-boats. The U-Boats began the war, though small in number, more than a match for the Allies and created carnage amongst merchant shipping as well as sinking several major warships. The pace of technological development, however, failed to match that of Allied anti-submarine warfare weaponry and the U-Bootwaffe was ultimately doomed to defeat but not before, at one point, coming close to bringing Britain to its knees.


U-Boats at War in 100 Objects, 1939-1945

U-Boats at War in 100 Objects, 1939-1945

Author: Gordon Williamson

Publisher: In 100 Objects

Published: 2020-11-30

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 9781526759023

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Gordon Williamson, using a carefully selected range of both wartime images and color images of surviving U-boat memorabilia from private collections, describes one hundred iconic elements of the U-boat service and its campaigns. The array of objects includes important individuals and the major U-boat types, through to the uniforms and insignias the men wore. The weapons, equipment and technology used are explored, as are the conditions in which the U-boat crews served, from cooking facilities and general hygiene down to the crude toilet facilities. Importantly, the enemy that they faced is also covered, examining the ship-borne and airborne anti-submarine weaponry used against the U-boats. The U-boats began the war, though few in number, more than a match for the Allies and created carnage amongst merchant shipping as well as sinking several major warships.


The Home Front: 1939–1945 in 100 Objects

The Home Front: 1939–1945 in 100 Objects

Author: Austin J. Ruddy

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2020-02-19

Total Pages: 492

ISBN-13: 1526740877

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A colorful catalogue of objects that illustrate what everyday life was like in wartime Britain. A lifesaving gas mask. A ration book, essential for the supply of food. A shelter stove that kept a family warm while they huddled in their Anderson shelter. A leaflet dropped by the Luftwaffe that was designed to intimidate Britain’s populace during the threat of invasion. A civilian identity card over-stamped with the swastika eagle from the occupied Channel Islands. A rare, previously unpublished, snapshot of legendary bandleader Glenn Miller playing at a UK air base. A twisted remnant of German V2 rocket that went to space and back before exploding over London, the result of equally twisted military science. Colorful flag bunting that saw the VE celebrations in 1945. These disparate objects and many more together tell the moving and important story of Britain’s home front during the Second World War. The ordinary objects featured in this book, supplemented with facts, figures, dates, stories, and statistics, portray the highs and lows the British people experienced during six years of war—from the deprivations of rationing and the bombing of the Blitz, to the cheery songs, elegant fashions, and “Dig For Victory” spirit.


U-Boat 1936-45 (Type VIIA, B, C and Type VIIC/41)

U-Boat 1936-45 (Type VIIA, B, C and Type VIIC/41)

Author: Alan Gallop

Publisher: Haynes Publishing UK

Published: 2014-11-01

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780857334046

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An insight into the design, construction and operation of the feared World War 2 German Type VIIC U-boat. The German Type VIIC U-boat, scourge of Allied shipping convoys during the Second World War, was the workhorse of the German U-boat force. With some 568 Type VIIs in use between 1940 and 1945 it was a potent fighting vessel that could hunt for long periods in the far reaches of the western and southern Atlantic. Centerpiece of the Haynes U-boat Owners' Workshop Manual is the sole surviving example of a Type VIIC U-boat, U-995, which is on display at the German Naval Memorial near Kiel in northern Germany.


U-Boat Emblems in World War II

U-Boat Emblems in World War II

Author: Georg Högel

Publisher: Schiffer Pub Limited

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 9780764307249

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Georg Hogel, a former U-boat sailor who saw service in World War II, experienced the origin of these emblems of the U-boat service. In this book he keeps alive the memory of the legendary, sometimes very original and unforgotten emblems of German U-boats. The author has been able to collect numerous emblems, coats of arms and markings during long years of painstaking, detailed work, in memory of some 30,000 German U-boatmen, more than 80% of those who served on these boats, who were lost in the war. The brief chronicles and excerpts from first-person memoirs make the history of the German U-boats come alive in an impressive way, and documents the background of their existence. In the current edition, the newest source materials have been included, so that many hitherto unpublished emblems, coats of arms and markings are presented for the first time. AUTHOR:


Very Special Intelligence

Very Special Intelligence

Author: Patrick Beesly

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2015-06-02

Total Pages: 483

ISBN-13: 178438156X

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Operational Intelligence Centre was the nerve centre of the British Admiralty in World War II, dedicated to collecting, analyzing and disseminating information from every possible source which could throw light on the intentions and movements of German naval and maritime forces. OIC labored tirelessly, despite early disappointments, to supply the Navy and RAF with the intelligence that would enable them to defeat Hitler and his admirals. Patrick Beesly, an insider drawing on considerable personal knowledge, reveals, in full, the compelling story of OIC. He throws light on dramatic episodes such as the hunt for the Bismarck; the tragedy of Convoy PQ17; the long war against the U-boats; and on many other significant events critical to the course of the war. Very Special Intelligence, here presented with a new Introduction which sets the work in context and takes account of new research, is the fascinating story of an organization which contributed so much to Allied success.