U-Boats in the Mediterranean: 1941-1944

by Lawrence Paterson

The campaign waged by German U-boats in the Mediterranean in the Second World War was one of the hardest fought of the war at sea. In confined waters, facing often overwhelming Allied naval and air superiority, a relatively small number of submarines caused considerable losses to the Royal Navy and its allies.

This new book puts that campaign into its strategic context, showing how it both affected and was affected by the fortunes of Rommel's Afrika Korps in the Western Desert and the U-boat battle in the Atlantic, as well as describing the unique difficulties faced by the U-boats operating in the clear, shallow waters of the Mediterranean.

The U-boats' successes are described in detail, such as the sinking of HMS Ark Royal, and the torpedoing of the battleship HMS Barham, which provided one of the best-known images of the Second World War at sea. Full use has been made of first-hand accounts by veterans, official German records and Allied archives to present the most comprehensive account of U-boats in the Mediterranean yet published.

A unique account of a unique campaign, this book sheds new light on a neglected aspect of the U-boat war, and shows the courage and fortitude of the men on both sides of this savage conflict.

Genres: Military History, World War II, History

202 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

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

[Derek Nudd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having looked at the so-called small battle units (Weapons of Desperation: German Frogmen and Midget Submarines of World War II) Paterson turns his eye on the role of full-size German U-boats in the WW2 Mediterranean campaign. It is perhaps instructive to turn straight to the appendices and cast an eye over the number destroyed there or which failed even to make it through the Straits of Gibraltar. Only one (U-26) escaped, and that was without achieving anything.
It would be a mistake, though, to write off the Mediterranean as a side show. The loss of Barham, Queen Elizabeth, Valiant and Ark Royal in short order crippled the Royal Navy's ability to reinforce the Far East just as the Japanese war broke out - Paterson might have made more of this. He is however thoughtful on the strategic significance of the North African campaign which should not be underestimated.
Paterson's focus is on the German boats and their crews so it is perhaps understandable that he pays little attention to their Italian oppos. This is a pity because, while none of the main force of German boats escaped the Italian 'Betasom' flotilla, based in Bordeaux, was running the Straits in both directions more or less routinely (see my note Italian and German Submarine Passage of the Straits of Gibraltar in the Second World War in Mariner's Mirror, May 2023).
The book is well produced with an interesting plate section, but a few maps would have been helpful. Nonetheless it is a valuable resource for its blow-by-blow account of crews using increasingly obsolete equipment in difficult circumstances to stem the tide of Allied professionalism, technology and sheer numbers.

[Lisa Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was generally a good and informative read. The author deserve credit for writing a book on this thoroughly neglected theatre of war of the German submarines, as most books deals with the battle of the Atlantic. I particularly liked that the author uses primary sources such a war diaries of the C-in-C Submarines. However, after a while, the book becomes a bit repetative. The author focuses a lot on the account of certain battles and sinkings, but misses to give more detailed background, which would have been a great addition to this book. Nevertheless, I learned many new aspects and would reocmmed this to anyone, who encounters the topic for the first time.