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.
"Silent Hunters" profiles six such commanders 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. A one-of-a-kind book that all U-boat buffs will want to own and read!
New softbound edition. 215 pages, 21 black and white photographs, 5 maps and an index.
New Book --- $16.95
SILENT HUNTERS
German U-Boat Commanders Of World War II
by Theodore P. Savas
New Softbound edition
215 pages, 21 black and white photographs, 5 map
New $16.95
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"An excellent book that shows us the sides of U-Boat commanders other than Prien, Schepke and Kretschmer. These guys were not as well known as Wolfgang Luth or Erich Topp, but they definitely made their marks during their service. Silent Hunters is an appropriate title for the book in more ways than one. The U-Boats were silent hunters, and these commanders were more silent, not grabbing the headlines as much as those listed above. The gripping account of U-615's struggle is amazing as Kapitsky struggles to save himself and his crew. Relive Guggenheimer's victory in the Mediterranean as he sinks the British carrier Ark Royal just a few weeks after the carrier had helped to sink the Bismarck. Relive the trial of Commander Eck, the only U-Boat captain to be executed for a war crime. Informational reading that many people may not know about. I love researching U-Boats, and this book gave me more details. A nice addition to my growing archive!" Jeff Smith
"When reviewing a book about U-Boats some weeks ago, I automatically thought of (and mentioned) Gunther Prien and Otto Kretschmer. There were, of course, many other U-Boat commanders far to numerous to mention here and, for different people with an interest in this particular aspect of WW2, those and other names will come readily to mind. This book is about six very different U-Boat commanders and each account is written by a different author. Apart from Endrass, I had not heard of the others—and I am certain to be admonished for that in some quarters. Each chapter tells the complete story of the subject German officer from start to finish. It includes their lives, their backgrounds and, as the title of the book might suggest, their achievements in battle for each of these men was indeed a silent hunter. Jurgen Oesten is a holder of the Knight's Cross and a former commander of U-16, U-106 and U-861. On the back of this book he has written the words "As a former member of the same trade and based on my own knowledge, I can say that each of the six authors succeeds in presenting an excellent description of the individual personalities of their subjects, building up a memory that is worth keeping." Some might say this book could be improved by the addition of more historic photographs but I found it contained just the right photograph at the right time. An excellent read and a book which adds a little extra to one's overall knowledge of the U-Boat campaign of WW2." Ned Middleton
ISBN # 1-59114-817-0
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