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The Wolf Pack
The first book in a thrilling World War Two U-Boat naval adventure series! Perfect for fans of David Beaty, Alan Evans and Max Hennessy
The crew of U-69 are sent on an almost impossible mission …
Germany, 1939
Admiral Dönitz, Head of the German U-Boat Service, is determined to pull off his grand coup to prove to the Fürhrer once and for all that his submarines are the most powerful weapons in Germany’s possession.
Desperate for a piece of the action twenty-year-old novice Christian Jungblut is overjoyed to be assigned to one of the most celebrated submarines, U-69.
His initiation over, he is soon plunged into action as part of the ῾Wolf Pack᾽, three subs tasked with attacking the British Fleet at Scapa Flow.
Left to bring up the rear of the attack mission, U-69 soon feels the full force of Churchill’s revenge.
In the chaos and panic that ensues, Jungblut assumes charge as senior officers all around are brought down by the devastating injury, death and nervous disintegration.
Will the stricken vessel ever reach home? Who will defy the odds to get the glory?
Or is it time to surrender?
THE WOLF PACK is the first book in The Submarine WWII Warfare action-packed historical naval thrillers following the fortunes of the infamous U-69 and her crew, including the newest ace submariner Christian Jungblut.
THE SUBMARINE WWII WARFARE
BOOK 1: The Wolf Pack
BOOK 2: Operation Death Watch
BOOK 3: Flight to the Reich
BOOK 4: Convoy to Catastrophe
BOOK 5: Fire in the West
The crew of U-69 are sent on an almost impossible mission …
Germany, 1939
Admiral Dönitz, Head of the German U-Boat Service, is determined to pull off his grand coup to prove to the Fürhrer once and for all that his submarines are the most powerful weapons in Germany’s possession.
Desperate for a piece of the action twenty-year-old novice Christian Jungblut is overjoyed to be assigned to one of the most celebrated submarines, U-69.
His initiation over, he is soon plunged into action as part of the ῾Wolf Pack᾽, three subs tasked with attacking the British Fleet at Scapa Flow.
Left to bring up the rear of the attack mission, U-69 soon feels the full force of Churchill’s revenge.
In the chaos and panic that ensues, Jungblut assumes charge as senior officers all around are brought down by the devastating injury, death and nervous disintegration.
Will the stricken vessel ever reach home? Who will defy the odds to get the glory?
Or is it time to surrender?
THE WOLF PACK is the first book in The Submarine WWII Warfare action-packed historical naval thrillers following the fortunes of the infamous U-69 and her crew, including the newest ace submariner Christian Jungblut.
THE SUBMARINE WWII WARFARE
BOOK 1: The Wolf Pack
BOOK 2: Operation Death Watch
BOOK 3: Flight to the Reich
BOOK 4: Convoy to Catastrophe
BOOK 5: Fire in the West
187 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 1986
61 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Charles Whiting
257 books52 followersCharles Whiting was a British writer and military historian and with some 350 books of fiction and non-fiction to his credit, under his own name and a variety of pseudonyms including Ian Harding, Duncan Harding, K.N. Kostov, John Kerrigan, Klaus Konrad, and Leo Kessler.
Born in the Bootham area of York, England, he was a pupil at the prestigious Nunthorpe Grammar School, leaving at the age of 16 to join the British Army by lying about his age. Keen to be in on the wartime action, Whiting was attached to the 52nd Reconnaissance Regiment and by the age of 18 saw duty as a sergeant in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany in the latter stages of World War II. While still a soldier, he observed conflicts between the highest-ranking British and American generals which he would write about extensively in later years.
After the war, he stayed on in Germany completing his A-levels via correspondence course and teaching English before being enrolled at Leeds University reading History and German Language. As an undergraduate he was afforded opportunities for study at several European universities and, after gaining his degree, would go on to become an assistant professor of history. Elsewhere, Whiting held a variety of jobs which included working as a translator for a German chemical factory and spells as a publicist, a correspondent for The Times and feature writer for such diverse magazines as International Review of Linguistics, Soldier and Playboy.
His first novel was written while still an undergraduate, was published in 1954 and by 1958 had been followed by three wartime thrillers. Between 1960 and 2007 Charles went on to write over 350 titles, including 70 non-fiction titles covering varied topics from the Nazi intelligence service to British Regiments during World War II.
One of his publishers, Easingwold-based Rupert Smith of GH Smith & Son said he was a quiet man and prolific writer.
"He's one of a band of forgotten authors because he sold millions of copies and still, up to his death was doing publishing deals.He was the kind of man who was very self-effacing, one of Britain's forgotten authors, still working at 80 years of age, with his nose down and kicking out books."
Charles Henry Whiting, author and military historian died on July 24 2007, leaving his wife and son.
Born in the Bootham area of York, England, he was a pupil at the prestigious Nunthorpe Grammar School, leaving at the age of 16 to join the British Army by lying about his age. Keen to be in on the wartime action, Whiting was attached to the 52nd Reconnaissance Regiment and by the age of 18 saw duty as a sergeant in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany in the latter stages of World War II. While still a soldier, he observed conflicts between the highest-ranking British and American generals which he would write about extensively in later years.
After the war, he stayed on in Germany completing his A-levels via correspondence course and teaching English before being enrolled at Leeds University reading History and German Language. As an undergraduate he was afforded opportunities for study at several European universities and, after gaining his degree, would go on to become an assistant professor of history. Elsewhere, Whiting held a variety of jobs which included working as a translator for a German chemical factory and spells as a publicist, a correspondent for The Times and feature writer for such diverse magazines as International Review of Linguistics, Soldier and Playboy.
His first novel was written while still an undergraduate, was published in 1954 and by 1958 had been followed by three wartime thrillers. Between 1960 and 2007 Charles went on to write over 350 titles, including 70 non-fiction titles covering varied topics from the Nazi intelligence service to British Regiments during World War II.
One of his publishers, Easingwold-based Rupert Smith of GH Smith & Son said he was a quiet man and prolific writer.
"He's one of a band of forgotten authors because he sold millions of copies and still, up to his death was doing publishing deals.He was the kind of man who was very self-effacing, one of Britain's forgotten authors, still working at 80 years of age, with his nose down and kicking out books."
Charles Henry Whiting, author and military historian died on July 24 2007, leaving his wife and son.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 8, 2024
With the 80th Anniversary of D Day coming up I felt the urge to read some dramatic wartime accounts. These tales of the German U boats came to mind so I picked out the first in this acclaimed series.
Despite having read Das Boot and watched the recounted action on TV my mind and memory must have lessoned the horror of life on a submarine like taking a paracetamol.
However, I think it is more about the writing in this account of U 69 that has brought the reality home to me again now.
The drama at sea, trying to limp back to base. The action of engagement with the enemy, the forced submergence and claustrophobic feelings at the bottom of the sea. Under attack and running out of air and hope, the book is all action, fraught with danger and one depth charge away from oblivion.
What marks the story out for me is the intensity both in describing the combat and the playing out of the various characters involved. Whether as career officers or fighting men, to political struggles and some effort to avoid going to sea.
Beautifully played out against real historical events this is very much a fictional account of the human interactions. Capturing the emotions, battle fatigue and drunken shore leave encounters with MPs and female pleasures.
It reads like the war comics I read in my younger days mostly then, of American GI’s and army raids. The action never lets up and the different voices of the crew all blend into a rich and absorbing cocktail of danger and of an awaiting death.
The staged battles and exchange of fire would mean less without the overarching historical context. This for me allows the reality of war to play out. I read here of the futility of it all, the terrible waste of life, mostly young men and because it is so well written I understand better the suffering and bravery on all sides of the fighting.
This isn’t a book that glorifies in war but draws a curtain back to demonstrate its brutality, motivations and why on 6th June 1944 the allies invaded Europe to try and end it.
Despite having read Das Boot and watched the recounted action on TV my mind and memory must have lessoned the horror of life on a submarine like taking a paracetamol.
However, I think it is more about the writing in this account of U 69 that has brought the reality home to me again now.
The drama at sea, trying to limp back to base. The action of engagement with the enemy, the forced submergence and claustrophobic feelings at the bottom of the sea. Under attack and running out of air and hope, the book is all action, fraught with danger and one depth charge away from oblivion.
What marks the story out for me is the intensity both in describing the combat and the playing out of the various characters involved. Whether as career officers or fighting men, to political struggles and some effort to avoid going to sea.
Beautifully played out against real historical events this is very much a fictional account of the human interactions. Capturing the emotions, battle fatigue and drunken shore leave encounters with MPs and female pleasures.
It reads like the war comics I read in my younger days mostly then, of American GI’s and army raids. The action never lets up and the different voices of the crew all blend into a rich and absorbing cocktail of danger and of an awaiting death.
The staged battles and exchange of fire would mean less without the overarching historical context. This for me allows the reality of war to play out. I read here of the futility of it all, the terrible waste of life, mostly young men and because it is so well written I understand better the suffering and bravery on all sides of the fighting.
This isn’t a book that glorifies in war but draws a curtain back to demonstrate its brutality, motivations and why on 6th June 1944 the allies invaded Europe to try and end it.
September 7, 2023
Life Aboard a U-Boat
It's a bit strange to read about a U-Boat crew because you don't want them to win the battles. That said, conditions on board the submarines were grim and far from glorious. This book is a quick read with non-stop action & will probably appeal to men more than women. (The cameo appearances of Winston Churchill & Ian Fleming were fascinating.) One of my uncles served on a submarine for 3 years in WW II and he refused to discuss it for the rest of his life. Now I know why.
It's a bit strange to read about a U-Boat crew because you don't want them to win the battles. That said, conditions on board the submarines were grim and far from glorious. This book is a quick read with non-stop action & will probably appeal to men more than women. (The cameo appearances of Winston Churchill & Ian Fleming were fascinating.) One of my uncles served on a submarine for 3 years in WW II and he refused to discuss it for the rest of his life. Now I know why.
March 6, 2024
Quick and not very interesting
April 12, 2024
A good fun pulp read set in WWII U-boat story. Typical Leo Kessler gritty plot with some gripping moments of action.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews