Schnellboote: A Complete Operational History

by Lawrence Paterson

“A detailed account of the fast patrol boats built and used by the Kriegsmarine during WWII . . . a book for every naval history enthusiast.”—Firetrench   The Kriegsmarine’s Schnellboote—fast attack boats or S-boats to the Allies—were the primary German naval attack units in coastal waters throughout the Second World War.   Operating close to their various bases they became a devastatingly effective weapon in nearly all the Kriegsmarine’s theatres of war, from the Baltic to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It was in the English Channel, however, that they scored their most notable successes, destroying some forty warships and more than one hundred merchant ships. In addition to interception and attack, they were also used for minelaying, landing sabotage troops and general escort duties.   There has been, to date, no comprehensive operational history of the S-boat in all the theatres in which it saw service, but due to the relatively small number of units it is possible to recount the duties and fates of each individual craft, and in this new book the author examines the career of each in detail.   In addition, operations alongside the commando units of the Kleinkampfverbande are covered, and the smaller S-boats, designed primarily for their use, are described.   As the War progressed, S-boats suffered from the increased Allied mastery of the seas and skies but they were a formidable foe right to the end; this new book is the first to do full justice to their record of success.   “An important addition to the body of coastal forces literature, and should be essential reading for anyone interested in the wars of the ‘Narrow Seas.’”—Battlefleet

Genres: History, World War II

502 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2011

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]

An excellent book which is well researched and well written. The author gives full details of the development of the S-boats between the world wars and also covers every theatre in which they subsequently fought. He gives full details of ships sunk or damaged by the S-boat torpedoes and mines and the losses within the S-boat service as well, down to men killed and wounded. It is a book of brave men, who was always under strength and under pressure that thought against an enemy that was always growing stronger and more advanced. Great read if you are interested in the S-boat services.

[Jose wilhelms Ventura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent book by Lawrence Paterson. Very well researched, complete and with lots of information. It does not address the technical part of the equipment but the description of operations is very complete. Together with the Forgotten Flotillas, it provides an excellent overview of German naval operations in the Second World War. I recommend reading.

[Chris O'Flaherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great deep dive into the world of German Torpedo Boat design, command/control and operations.  Using original archive materiel from the German navy (some of which was captured by the Allies in 1945) the author generates a series of readable and vivid descriptions of the small ship battles as fought by the 'enemy', when compared to the victorious histories written about Royal Navy exploits.  This book is a lovely contrast to the usual histories of this topic and is a very good balancing read. 

[James R. Tharpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book if you like reading about light naval craft used during World War 2.