U-Boat War Patrol: The Hidden Photographic Diary Of U-564

by Lawrence Paterson

Teddy Suhern's U-564 is among the most famous in the illustrious history of Germany's U-boats of World War II, and Suhren himself ranks in the top tier of U-boat commanders, admired both for his extraordinary successes and his infamously anti-establishment attitude. This photographic history of Suhren's U-564 patrol in the summer of 1942 provides new insight into the submarine's trials and successes. The photographs, taken by an onboard war correspondent, show the U-boat in action in the Atlantic and Caribbean, as the Kriegsmarine teetered on the verge of its ultimate downfall. Found in U-564's concrete pen in Brest in 1945, the photographs remained in a shoebox under a bed for nearly sixty years, but now, through the painstaking research of Lawrence Paterson and the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, they are presented for the first time in this unique history of the boat, her crew, and their illustrious and much-loved commander.

Genres: Naval History, World War II

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

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

[JD · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book that centers around the sixth war patrol of U-564 under the command of Reinhard "Teddy" Suhren (this was also Suhren's last war patrol). The book gives good background on Suhren and the men serving under him on the boat, and then gives great detail about the whole patrol of U-564. A German propaganda journalist went with them on this specific patrol and the accompanying photographs are excellent. They and the book gives a very good glimpse on what life must have been like on a U-boat during a war patrol across the Atlantic and into the Caribbean. The book also tells of the hardships faced by the sailors on a daily basis and their camaraderie during these trying times. The epilogue also tells what happened to Suhren, his boat and certain individuals in his crew. A must for U-boat enthusiasts.

[Christopher Rizzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

93

[Henry Rausch · Rating 5 out of 5]

great detail for deep history buffs

Came across this accidentally ( not looking for it) and couldn’t put it down. It doesn’t try to be anything other than an account of s single U-boat war patrol, so by focusing in that it lets you on many details I did not know or were missed in more comprehensive histories.

[Themistocles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. What started as a shoebox full of photos turned into research and a detailed history of a u-boat patrol, full of small details and (of course) the photos themselves. A great read.

[David L. Deakin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A glossy and light hearted image of Death and Destruction.

A largely pictorial account of a notable submariner's career. Recommended as an introduction to submarine warfare for the novice but otherwise largely repetitive - both pictorially and in narrative. There are many more attractive books available on this fascinating subject.

[Dana Rudko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent photo history

A great read and photos of a German submarine combat voyage. The author did a great job of filling in all the details behind some photos that had been found after the war.

[John R. Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful book

The book details of life of among the submarine you 564 with lots of wonderful photographs of the crew in their daily life and challenges of living to find steel tube for Per months at a time

[John Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good insight into life on U-boat.

[Iain · Rating 2 out of 5]

While a solid collection of photos, the writing isn't particularly good.

[Wellyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent book on what it was like to serve on a u-boat..

[Fernando De cicco]

Excellent!