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Grey Wolf, Grey Sea
Uses official records and information from survivors to describe the combat record of U-124, a German submarine, and reconstruct the daily life of its crew
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
August 16, 2024
I watched the 1981 (wow, 43 years old now) film Das Boot last night to compare some facts with this book, Grey Wolf, Grey Sea. Except for the fairly gross and frat boy nature of the film, the two works are remarkably alike. If you liked Das Boot you might like this book.
In Gasaway’s book (suitable for high school and adult readers) a particular German submarine of WWII, the U-124, is the stand in for the entire submarine division of the German Kriegsmarine. Gasaway does a very good job with her subject, the nature of the people, life on a U-boat and general maneuvers and history of the Battle of the Atlantic. This particular boat was active March 1940 through April 1943, a long time for a German submarine in that conflict. Survival rates for German submariners are estimated at 25%. By comparison, American submariner survival was more like 80% in WWII.
U-124 was the third most successful German submarine (sinking of enemy ships). These men were lionized in their short lives. Gasaway manages to also show some of the less glamorous parts of their service—mental stress, discomfort, knowing one is unlikely to return home. The book is filled with tense situations and good at describing how wolf packs operated. Individual crew members are covered. This is all non-fiction by the way. Of course, the information comes from survivors. Between cruises men were sometimes replaced, changed duties or visited families. U-124 suddenly went silent in April 1943 off the coast of Portugal.
Das Boot uses some of the same information that is in this book. The film writer by 1981 had some of the same sources available to him. There is only so much primary information from survivors. This book was out there earlier. Gasaway researched it in Germany in 1964 and spent time talking to survivors, families and even Admiral Dönitz, who is typically unhelpful in the introduction. The book was first published in 1970 by Ballantine. I am curious about some aspects. The author was a woman who had a background in journalism and technical writing and only wrote this one book. She lived in Mississippi. Was she commissioned to write this? That’s about all I could discover about her. Well, she raised Rottweilers for whatever that’s worth. Ballantine, the publisher, is based in Germany, although in 1970 they were mainly known for popular paperbacks, especially Science Fiction. I thought throwing in a brief one page introduction by Donitz was odd. The only thing he manages to say was something like this book is worth reading in the “interest of mutual understanding of the American and German people…”. He’d been released from Spandau prison 8 years previously, was typically evasive and non-repentant. The majority of the book deals with German and British naval war with a bit after the United States joined the war. The British needed the supplies brought by the ships the submarines were attacking. The book shows mostly the early parts of this battle where they had a good deal of success.
In Gasaway’s book (suitable for high school and adult readers) a particular German submarine of WWII, the U-124, is the stand in for the entire submarine division of the German Kriegsmarine. Gasaway does a very good job with her subject, the nature of the people, life on a U-boat and general maneuvers and history of the Battle of the Atlantic. This particular boat was active March 1940 through April 1943, a long time for a German submarine in that conflict. Survival rates for German submariners are estimated at 25%. By comparison, American submariner survival was more like 80% in WWII.
U-124 was the third most successful German submarine (sinking of enemy ships). These men were lionized in their short lives. Gasaway manages to also show some of the less glamorous parts of their service—mental stress, discomfort, knowing one is unlikely to return home. The book is filled with tense situations and good at describing how wolf packs operated. Individual crew members are covered. This is all non-fiction by the way. Of course, the information comes from survivors. Between cruises men were sometimes replaced, changed duties or visited families. U-124 suddenly went silent in April 1943 off the coast of Portugal.
Das Boot uses some of the same information that is in this book. The film writer by 1981 had some of the same sources available to him. There is only so much primary information from survivors. This book was out there earlier. Gasaway researched it in Germany in 1964 and spent time talking to survivors, families and even Admiral Dönitz, who is typically unhelpful in the introduction. The book was first published in 1970 by Ballantine. I am curious about some aspects. The author was a woman who had a background in journalism and technical writing and only wrote this one book. She lived in Mississippi. Was she commissioned to write this? That’s about all I could discover about her. Well, she raised Rottweilers for whatever that’s worth. Ballantine, the publisher, is based in Germany, although in 1970 they were mainly known for popular paperbacks, especially Science Fiction. I thought throwing in a brief one page introduction by Donitz was odd. The only thing he manages to say was something like this book is worth reading in the “interest of mutual understanding of the American and German people…”. He’d been released from Spandau prison 8 years previously, was typically evasive and non-repentant. The majority of the book deals with German and British naval war with a bit after the United States joined the war. The British needed the supplies brought by the ships the submarines were attacking. The book shows mostly the early parts of this battle where they had a good deal of success.
June 30, 2015
I’ll round this one up to 4 stars. It covers the early part of WWII’s submarine war, starting with U-64 under Captain Schultz in the Norwegian campaign, then moving to the U-124 all over the Atlantic, first under Schultz and then under Mohr. It includes some exciting stories and information about life on a u-boat, covering spring 1940 to spring 1943. Some of their patrols were as a single sub, and others were as part of a wolf pack.
The information on how the wolf packs operated was interesting. The first u-boat to see a convoy would signal other u-boats in the area and then they would all converge, keeping communication as their first priority. Only as the Allies developed better radar did things change. (Breaking German naval codes probably helped too, but I believe this book was published before details about that were declassified.)
In general, the u-boat crews were professional and humane. Early in the war, it wasn’t uncommon for them to stop by lifeboats after they’d sunk a ship and hand out supplies to the survivors, even though surfacing near a wreck left them vulnerable to attack from any enemy planes or ships that came to rescue the shipwrecked crews. They were also very successful. It would have been frightening to be part of a convoy under attack from a wolf pack.
A few interesting tidbits from the book:
To help the u-boat dive faster, members of the crew would run to the front of the u-boat. I don't know if that was standard across the fleet, but it happened on U-124.
When the US entered the war, it wasn’t prepared for war with u-boats. Mohr had a lot of success off the coast of the Carolinas in part because no one bothered to turn off the lights on buoys and lighthouses. Shipping lanes were easy to pick out for merchant ships and for u-boats. (I've read Steel Boat Iron Hearts: A U-boat Crewman's Life Aboard U-505, which covers later in the war, and Allied sub-hunters did get better, but the US started off with plenty of room for improvement.)
Parts of the book were really good. Other parts had me skimming because it felt repetitive. (Find a ship or a convoy, attack, dive away, repeat.) Worth reading for those interested in WWII u-boats.
The information on how the wolf packs operated was interesting. The first u-boat to see a convoy would signal other u-boats in the area and then they would all converge, keeping communication as their first priority. Only as the Allies developed better radar did things change. (Breaking German naval codes probably helped too, but I believe this book was published before details about that were declassified.)
In general, the u-boat crews were professional and humane. Early in the war, it wasn’t uncommon for them to stop by lifeboats after they’d sunk a ship and hand out supplies to the survivors, even though surfacing near a wreck left them vulnerable to attack from any enemy planes or ships that came to rescue the shipwrecked crews. They were also very successful. It would have been frightening to be part of a convoy under attack from a wolf pack.
A few interesting tidbits from the book:
To help the u-boat dive faster, members of the crew would run to the front of the u-boat. I don't know if that was standard across the fleet, but it happened on U-124.
When the US entered the war, it wasn’t prepared for war with u-boats. Mohr had a lot of success off the coast of the Carolinas in part because no one bothered to turn off the lights on buoys and lighthouses. Shipping lanes were easy to pick out for merchant ships and for u-boats. (I've read Steel Boat Iron Hearts: A U-boat Crewman's Life Aboard U-505, which covers later in the war, and Allied sub-hunters did get better, but the US started off with plenty of room for improvement.)
Parts of the book were really good. Other parts had me skimming because it felt repetitive. (Find a ship or a convoy, attack, dive away, repeat.) Worth reading for those interested in WWII u-boats.
January 2, 2022
I read this book when I was about 15 years old.
E.B. Gasaway was in fact a woman! And my great aunt Elizabeth Blanchard Gasaway (Aunt Lib to us)!
I stayed with her for a couple of weeks one summer and she gave me a signed copy and asked me to read it. I have to give it 4 stars only because that’s what I would’ve given it at the time. I haven’t read it as an adult but, after watching Greyhound, I’m tempted to reread it-and because I think I would understand it better now.
Aunt Lib was a Native Mississippian and had the most classic southern accent. You could listen to her storytelling all day. She worked at the Duff Green Mansion in Vicksburg, MS and to watch her weave the stories about that grand house and how it served as a hospital in the civil war, you would imagine yourself right there in the action. Too bad she wasn’t more prolific!
E.B. Gasaway was in fact a woman! And my great aunt Elizabeth Blanchard Gasaway (Aunt Lib to us)!
I stayed with her for a couple of weeks one summer and she gave me a signed copy and asked me to read it. I have to give it 4 stars only because that’s what I would’ve given it at the time. I haven’t read it as an adult but, after watching Greyhound, I’m tempted to reread it-and because I think I would understand it better now.
Aunt Lib was a Native Mississippian and had the most classic southern accent. You could listen to her storytelling all day. She worked at the Duff Green Mansion in Vicksburg, MS and to watch her weave the stories about that grand house and how it served as a hospital in the civil war, you would imagine yourself right there in the action. Too bad she wasn’t more prolific!
February 17, 2016
I find the comments on the book very interesting. It seems that some are not sure how true it is. The comment about the ability of Kapitan Leutnant Mohr is also interesting. The second half of the book does not go into some of the personalities like the first half does. That is because almost all of the men on the boat at that time did not survive. It so happens my father was one of the survivors from the Uboat. He remembered just about everything written except the last voyage which (fortunately) he was not along for the ride. In fact he finally learned how the boat went down from the book. He said he would have gone anywhere with his Kapitan and that was true of the entire crew. e.g. The story about the message; 'Der Mohr hat seiner Schüldigkeit getan; Der Mohr kann gehen' was received and given to Mohr by my father.
February 19, 2016
I read this book back in 1983 and found it to be an incredibly engaging account of U-124's exploits during World War II. Even 25+ years later, it still stands as one of the best books on submarine warfare I've ever read. Great description of life aboard a submarine, as well as some excellent combat narrative. I'd greatly recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more about the German U-boats in World War II, or submarine warfare in general.
January 9, 2018
An interesting book about U-boat operations--focusing on a single German submarine--during World War II. Writing in a novelistic manner, the author did a pretty good job differentiating war cruises that must have blended together to the participants due to their same-ness and monotony.
November 14, 2008
Gasaway recounts the hugely successful career of U-124, a German submarine used during WWII. Built shortly before the war began, it had no heat or air-conditioning, so in the North Atlantic the sailors were rarely warm,
while in tropical climates they were excruciatingly hot. On one of their first wartime patrols, the crew battled frigid seas and thirty-foot waves between Norway and Britain, the tiny craft bouncing around like a tin can, waves often washing over the conning tower and drenching the watch who were saved from drowning only by the lifelines required of everyone. Needing to stay on the surface when searching for enemy ships, the boat thrashed violently, making sleep difficult at best for the men, who had to remain tensed to keep from being thrown from their bunks. Once, when they did locate a British destroyer, neither could attack the other, because the huge seas prevented any kind of accurate targeting. When battle stations were called during a mealtime, the result was bedlam as sailors raced to their posts, crashing into each other in the narrow confines of the corridors and smashing dishware. It was said that "the number of dishes remaining at the end of the cruise was in inverse proportion to the number of alarms sounded at mealtime." Submariners could always be identified by their smell, a combination of mold, cooking smells, diesel oil, bilge water, and sweat.
The most challenging assignment for a new recruit was learning how to flush the toilet, perhaps the most complicated and temperamental piece of equipment on board. The room was called "Tube 7" -- the boat had six torpedo tubes. The first decision to be made was whether to sit or stand, because once inside there was no room to turn around. The rules for flushing had to be committed to memory; numerous valves had to be opened then shut in a particular order. A common practical joke played on officers coming from the relatively luxurious facilities of a surface ship was not to inform them of the idiosyncrasies of the particular Uboat's toilet mechanism — and each U-boat might be slightly different — with the result that the officer would emerge humiliated, humbled and soaking and still in need of several lessons in how to flush. Admiral Doenitz's strategy was to send the submarines out until one located a convoy (the Germans had broken several British codes, so they often knew where to expect the convoys); then the submarine would follow at a safe distance until others could join the pack. That way even if one sub was forced below, another could remain in contact at all times with the convoy, harassing and sinking as many ships as possible. It was an effective strategy, and 863 U-boats that became operational during the war they sank 2,759 allied merchant ships and 148 warships, for an aggregate tonnage lost of 14,119,413 tons. German losses were high: they suffered a death rate of 82%, 32,000 out of 39,000 officers and men. Schulz, the brilliant commander of U-124, had a humane streak. On at least two occasions, he surfaced after sinking allied ships to provide survivors with food and directions to shore, even fixing a lifeboat in one case. The survivors, recognizing he had saved their lives, and, using the Edelweiss symbol on the conning tower as their only means of identifying the sub, tracked him down and invited Schulz for a reunion in England sixteen years after the war's end.
The boat was later commanded by Mohr, who, though a brilliant commander, was lost at sea with the U-124 later in the war.
while in tropical climates they were excruciatingly hot. On one of their first wartime patrols, the crew battled frigid seas and thirty-foot waves between Norway and Britain, the tiny craft bouncing around like a tin can, waves often washing over the conning tower and drenching the watch who were saved from drowning only by the lifelines required of everyone. Needing to stay on the surface when searching for enemy ships, the boat thrashed violently, making sleep difficult at best for the men, who had to remain tensed to keep from being thrown from their bunks. Once, when they did locate a British destroyer, neither could attack the other, because the huge seas prevented any kind of accurate targeting. When battle stations were called during a mealtime, the result was bedlam as sailors raced to their posts, crashing into each other in the narrow confines of the corridors and smashing dishware. It was said that "the number of dishes remaining at the end of the cruise was in inverse proportion to the number of alarms sounded at mealtime." Submariners could always be identified by their smell, a combination of mold, cooking smells, diesel oil, bilge water, and sweat.
The most challenging assignment for a new recruit was learning how to flush the toilet, perhaps the most complicated and temperamental piece of equipment on board. The room was called "Tube 7" -- the boat had six torpedo tubes. The first decision to be made was whether to sit or stand, because once inside there was no room to turn around. The rules for flushing had to be committed to memory; numerous valves had to be opened then shut in a particular order. A common practical joke played on officers coming from the relatively luxurious facilities of a surface ship was not to inform them of the idiosyncrasies of the particular Uboat's toilet mechanism — and each U-boat might be slightly different — with the result that the officer would emerge humiliated, humbled and soaking and still in need of several lessons in how to flush. Admiral Doenitz's strategy was to send the submarines out until one located a convoy (the Germans had broken several British codes, so they often knew where to expect the convoys); then the submarine would follow at a safe distance until others could join the pack. That way even if one sub was forced below, another could remain in contact at all times with the convoy, harassing and sinking as many ships as possible. It was an effective strategy, and 863 U-boats that became operational during the war they sank 2,759 allied merchant ships and 148 warships, for an aggregate tonnage lost of 14,119,413 tons. German losses were high: they suffered a death rate of 82%, 32,000 out of 39,000 officers and men. Schulz, the brilliant commander of U-124, had a humane streak. On at least two occasions, he surfaced after sinking allied ships to provide survivors with food and directions to shore, even fixing a lifeboat in one case. The survivors, recognizing he had saved their lives, and, using the Edelweiss symbol on the conning tower as their only means of identifying the sub, tracked him down and invited Schulz for a reunion in England sixteen years after the war's end.
The boat was later commanded by Mohr, who, though a brilliant commander, was lost at sea with the U-124 later in the war.
October 20, 2024
An interesting and upsetting read. U-124 was responsible for sinking 46 merchant ships in WWII. Its captain, Johann Mohr, does come alive in these pages due to the supposed conversations among Mohr and crew members. Problem! There is no Bibliography! Where did Gasaway get the information on which the book is based? Of course, one can trace U-124 on U-Boat.net. But this book is filled with conversations that are totally unsupported. It is fictionalized non-fiction, aimed at making these killers into normal human beings. As one whose father was killed in the North Atlantic by a U-boat that decimated a merchant tanker, I find the book not only disturbing but also an undocumented attempt to cleanse the hands of murderers.
Read it, but know that a great deal of this book is fiction!
Read it, but know that a great deal of this book is fiction!
August 28, 2010
I have the 1970 paperback, so I'll tuck in here under the glossy, new, hardcover.
The U-124 was the third most successful, well I suppose that's a point of view,
of all the Allied & Axis subs of the war.
A good read, with 8 pages of photos, takes you into the action. Makes you
want to watch 'Das Boot' again and avoid cramped spaces.
May 25, 2015
I gave it 5 stars because it deals with submarines (yea). AND Also because the first 1/2 is so terrific. The second half (which I mostly skipped) is its history under the command of someone unfit for command and looses all hands. But the first half tells the truly heroic deeds of some really amazing guys.
November 26, 2020
Excellent reading. XXXXX
Being that all submarines after WW1 were using the German designs. I hade the pleasure of serving on board a USS Navy Fleet type, built in 1944, that served in ww11. I experienced most everything I read. Being a x sub sailor on basically the same type as U 124 was I was able to relive most of the book including the sinking locations & conditions; I was stationed in Key west, Fl. in 1557-59 where we operated, played war games with American Destroyers, along the US Atlantic coast. We travelled across the 'wild' North Atlantic in winter, to the British coast and down the European coast into the Med the areas the U 124 operated in. Deja vu!
Bruce Schofield
Grosse Pointe, Mich
Being that all submarines after WW1 were using the German designs. I hade the pleasure of serving on board a USS Navy Fleet type, built in 1944, that served in ww11. I experienced most everything I read. Being a x sub sailor on basically the same type as U 124 was I was able to relive most of the book including the sinking locations & conditions; I was stationed in Key west, Fl. in 1557-59 where we operated, played war games with American Destroyers, along the US Atlantic coast. We travelled across the 'wild' North Atlantic in winter, to the British coast and down the European coast into the Med the areas the U 124 operated in. Deja vu!
Bruce Schofield
Grosse Pointe, Mich
March 4, 2018
Interesting
Unfortunately, this is not a first person memoir of a U boat captain. Rather, it is the story of the U boat and some other men who served aboard her. The personal aspects of the story I found to be quite interesting in describing ,to some extent, life aboard a submarine. A few areas, very few, are a bit dry. Worth the time if you are interested in the subject.
Unfortunately, this is not a first person memoir of a U boat captain. Rather, it is the story of the U boat and some other men who served aboard her. The personal aspects of the story I found to be quite interesting in describing ,to some extent, life aboard a submarine. A few areas, very few, are a bit dry. Worth the time if you are interested in the subject.
June 15, 2018
First published in 1970, Grey Wolf, Grey Sea is the story of the WW2 German Type IXB U-Boat U-124. As this boat spent most of its 3 year existence in action in the Atlantic, the book makes a useful counterpoint to the many books about the 'Battle of the Atlantic' that tell the story from the Allied perspective. The narrative style makes the whole thing very readable.
November 20, 2018
Interesting
This is the first book I have read from a first person perspective of the exploits of a single U-Boat. The action was nonstop and caused mixed feelings. On the one hand the boat was fighting for their country while on the other hand people were dying as a result of the boat's actions and the sailors who manned her.
This is the first book I have read from a first person perspective of the exploits of a single U-Boat. The action was nonstop and caused mixed feelings. On the one hand the boat was fighting for their country while on the other hand people were dying as a result of the boat's actions and the sailors who manned her.
March 26, 2020
An excellent story about the U boats. The writing style in places is less than ideal - but I think those parts are probably attempts to translate stories heard from the men directly and it's hard to make that translation colloquial.
It's especially interesting if you're familiar with the technological advances that this book sees from the other side.
It's especially interesting if you're familiar with the technological advances that this book sees from the other side.
April 30, 2020
A little dated but overall a good and interesting read if you have any interest in U-boats and WWII. Some interesting tidbits about other crew members who went on to command their own boats, like Werner Henke who was shot trying to escape while a POW at Ft. Hunt, Va in 1944. Not much on Allied perspective, especially from survivors of ships sunk by U-124.
March 20, 2020
A quick read, more clearly written than the others, though possibly originally written in English instead of German. Not a firsthand account like the other recent UBoat books, but still well done, following the career of UBoat 124, the third most successful (...until her sinking).
February 19, 2023
Nothing to see here…move along
I complained of the low reading level of this book since picking it up. Book failed to say anything. I am a WWII naval affectionato and I did not learn anything from reading this book.
I complained of the low reading level of this book since picking it up. Book failed to say anything. I am a WWII naval affectionato and I did not learn anything from reading this book.
December 19, 2024
Well written
The author did an excellent job of telling the history of U-124….
There are not a lot of books that have captured what life was like aboard a U-boat - tough assignment, tough men…
The author did an excellent job of telling the history of U-124….
There are not a lot of books that have captured what life was like aboard a U-boat - tough assignment, tough men…
June 16, 2025
Great read from the men who were there!
This book reads like the best historical fiction about WWII SUBMARINE warfare; except it’s the actual people who served on the U-124 and the actual logs & military documents of this very successful German submarine! Fascinating!
This book reads like the best historical fiction about WWII SUBMARINE warfare; except it’s the actual people who served on the U-124 and the actual logs & military documents of this very successful German submarine! Fascinating!
February 10, 2018
Grey a Wolf, Grey Sea is a solid history book filled with interesting facts about German submarine warfare in WW II. A quick read worthy of the time spent on it but not overly compelling or bad.
May 8, 2020
A great look into the life of U-124. Well-written, highly entertaining.
March 31, 2013
An intimate and enjoyable portrait of one of the more successful u-boats of World War II. U-124 was ultimately sunk, but she fought long enough that many of her crew transfered off, and survived to tell her story. Also, many volumes of her war diary survived.
February 14, 2015
First read this in the early 70's. Just as good now as it was then. Recommended for WWII navy buffs...
February 28, 2016
Great read
I really enjoyed this book. The German perspective is a new angle to my reading. I'm going to have to look into some similar titles.
I really enjoyed this book. The German perspective is a new angle to my reading. I'm going to have to look into some similar titles.
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January 30, 2018Very interesting reading
I enjoy books about submarines. This one really hit the mark. I cared for the cast of characters, and I especially enjoyed the bits about the coast of the U.S.. This a very good book, despite some the typos, which don't really bother me.
I enjoy books about submarines. This one really hit the mark. I cared for the cast of characters, and I especially enjoyed the bits about the coast of the U.S.. This a very good book, despite some the typos, which don't really bother me.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews