Swastikas in the Arctic: U-boat Alley Through the Frozen Hell

by Jak P. Mallmann Showell

** This electronic edition includes 208 black-and-white photographs **

During the Second World War, the Arctic saw an unusually high intensity of action, adventure, excitement and tragedy, and Swastikas in the Arctic: U-boat Alley Through the Frozen Hell describes the German military activities in that harsh frozen hell. Based mainly on original logs, the bare facts have been fleshed out with help from veterans and researchers from the United States, Iceland, Britain, Norway, Germany and Russia. This has made it possible to describe some of the now forgotten battles, the secret U-boat activities, the German struggle to broadcast essential weather data to Berlin and the incredible surface ship activity that forced Britain to launch major offensives against heavy odds. The Arctic also saw intense British efforts to help with the cracking of the highly complicated Enigma radio code. Many studies of the Second World War give scant attention to activity in this ice-studded ocean. However, as becomes apparent reading this book, those who fought, suffered and died there were shot at and bombed more heavily than in any other theatre of war and the contribution they made influenced military actions far away in warmer regions. Gloriously illustrated with many unpublished photographs, Swastikas in the Arctic: U-boat Alley Through the Frozen Hell is a thrilling account of a war fought in very difficult circumstances.

** This electronic edition includes 208 black-and-white photographs **

444 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 19, 2014

Reviews

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well researched book with lots of interesting stories about wartime in the Arctic.

[Robert Buchanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An impressive number of historical inaccuracies. Very definitely written with a German revisionist political slant.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well researched book on the use of U-Boats in the northern breakout routes during WWII. It is an underappreciated part of WWII that history buffs will find interesting.

[Jesse Callaghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could bring myself to finish this book, which is very out of character. Started well but author seems to be an out of control Kriegsmarine fanboi and this became tiresome.

[Don Baron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an excellent read. It gave me much more insight into the mission of WWII German U Boats and their efforts to curtail convoy traffic between the United Kingdom and Russia. It was also the first looks I've had into such areas as special operations missions and weather information gathering in the area. Truly difficult missions, carried out in the harshest of environments