Find and Destroy: Antisubmarine Warfare in World War I

by Dwight R. Messimer

World War I was the crucible of antisubmarine warfare (ASW), and the years of trial and error between 1914 and 1918 gave rise to the weapons and tactics used by today's ASW forces. With this study, military historian Dwight Messimer examines the weapons, tactics, and organization used by all the belligerents during the war and provides some surprising findings. Because he draws heavily from personal accounts as well as from official records, his book will appeal to both serious readers seeking hard facts and to general readers who like stories about war at sea. Messimer tells the story from both sides. German survivors who escaped from sunken U-boats explain what it was like to face the newly developed ASW weapons beneath the surface, and pilots tell what it was like from above. The author describes the German's well-organized and efficient ASW organization in the Baltic and the Helgoland Bight. He also discusses the weapons developed during the war that proved to be largely ineffective or outright failures. While his evaluations of the contributions made by aircraft and Q-ships put them in the category of only marginally effective, his analysis of the effectiveness of politics deems that ASW "weapon" the most effective of all. Solidly grounded in the best primary sources available in England, the United States, and Germany, this book is the first to address the ASW of all World War I belligerents.

Genres: Naval History

298 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Messimer's study on Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) in World War I is well done. He focuses on a few pertinent examples and discusses the development of theories and weapons in a chronological manner that allows the reader to see the developments in the political, technological and operational levels. He had a refreshing approach by also studying the Central Powers (the German led coalition in WWI) ASW efforts and shows that the Entante Powers (England, France and later the US) caused the Central Powers some problems with their submarines.

It was engrossing and interesting book that pulled few punches. He has maps and diagrams towards the end of the book that would be better served dispersed amongst the actual discussion in the book. For example he discussed sweeps which was a technique new to me in that sweeps to him meant a towed apparatus with an explosive charge. I thought I had envisioned the correct manner but not until I saw the diagram did I see that I was right. A diagram near the initial discussion would have greatly enhanced my appreciation of the topic.