Verschollen: World War I U-Boat Losses

by Dwight R. Messimer

Until now, finding reliable information on U-boats lost during World War I required fluency in German and a great deal of time. Not only was little information available in English but also German sources were difficult to track down and provided the barest of facts. Long in the making, this new reference fills the needs both of researchers looking for details of lost submarines and readers who enjoy action and adventure. It provides a comprehensive examination of each of the 203 U-boats that the Germans lost in the war. Fluent in German and at home in war archives, Dwight Messimer offers for the first time individual narratives of the men who survived their boat's sinking. Several made difficult escapes from sunken wrecks, and one man bailed out just as his submarine plunged past the 100-foot mark. Others were on deck or atop the coning tower when their boat went under.
In the case of boats listed as verschollen, or lost without a trace, the author includes explanations given for what might have happened or in the case of conflicting evidence, analyzes the explanations for accuracy. Each boat entry is a narrative that stands alone allowing readers to easily focus on a particular submarine. Researchers will appreciate the convenience of the book's format and the all-inclusive nature of the information listed. Because Messimer provides the approximate locations of many of the wrecks, amateur and professional salvage divers wanting to visit wreckage sights also will find the book useful.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[David Allen Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a vessel by vessel description of each German U Boat lost during World War I. Each vessel is described, along with what is known (or unknown) about the vessel's loss/disappearance based on German and British records. Where crew survivor accounts are available these are included. Reading this book can be a bit depressing, reading how U boat after U boat was lost, mostly with a large or total percent of the crew. But this book serves as a important and authoritative account of this significant component of the naval history of the first world war. More than a century after the end of the war, it is unlikely much more information on these losses will come to light except perhaps for the chance discovery of a sunken wreck so this book likely will serve as the authoritative reference on German U boat losses of World War I. The only issue I had with this book was its title, Verschollen, a German word referring to the disappearance of a U boat. Despite having read a hundred books on World War I, I had never heard the term, and the title at first might not attract the student of World War I. But this book in general is an important part of understanding a significant part of the World War I naval experience and as a student of the Great War, I found it interesting, informative, and an area I had not read about previously in detail.