First U-Boat Flotilla

by Lawrence Paterson

In this dramatic story, Lawrence Paterson draws on the original war diary entries of Germany's premier submarine unit, the 1st U-boat Flotilla, to describe events of the war at sea from 1939 to 1944. Compiled by the flotilla commander, the war diary was a formal record that included combat results. From laying mines along Britain's eastern seaboard to the desperate final battles, the roller-coaster fortunes of Karl Doenitz's "Grey Wolves" are recorded in detail. War diary entries include the commencement of hostilities, the first clashes, the Battle of the Atlantic, and much more. Appendixes detail the U-boat types of the first flotilla and German submarine development between the wars. Both U-boat enthusiasts and those with a taste for adventure will be engrossed by the skilled narrative that captures the immediacy of the day-to-day high-risk operations.

Hardcover

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Born and raised in New Zealand, but now living in southern Italy. I've been interested in history, particularly WW2 history, since I can remember.

Reviews

[Robert Newell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book chronologically detailing the story of the U-Boat 1st Flotilla and the U-Boat warfare of WW2. I borrowed this book from my grandfather-in-law with no real knowledge of the U-Boat warfare, but found the story fascinating, especially the swing of power as the U-Boats became the terror of the sea as the Reich's power grew to the rapid collapse of strength as convoy escorts strengthens and intelligence grew thanks to the Enigma decoding. A well written and fascinating book.