The U-boat war : a global history 1939-45 / Lawrence Paterson.
Material type:
TextPublisher: Oxford : Osprey Publishing, 2022Description: 336 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781472848253
- 147284825X
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
|
Main Library | NonFiction | 940.5459 P296 | Checked out | 07/12/2024 | 33111010818736 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
A unique perspective of the global history of U-boats during the entirety of the Second World War by Lawrence Paterson, one of the world's leading U-boat experts.
The accepted historical narrative of the Second World War predominantly assigns U-boats to the so-called "Battle of the Atlantic," almost as if the struggle over convoys between the new world and the old can be viewed in isolation from simultaneous events on land and in the air. This has become an almost accepted error. The U-boats war did not exist solely between 1940 and 1943, nor did the Atlantic battle occur in seclusion from other theaters of action. The story of Germany's second U-boat war began on the first day of hostilities with Britain and France and ended with the final torpedo sinking on May 7, 1945. U-boats were active in nearly every theater of operation in which the Wehrmacht served, and within all but the Southern Ocean. Moreover, these deployments were not undertaken in isolation from one another; instead they were frequently interconnected in what became an increasingly inefficient German naval strategy.
This fascinating new book places each theater of action in which U-boats were deployed into the broader context of the Second World War in its entirety while also studying the interdependence of the various geographic deployments. It illustrates the U-boats' often direct relationship with land, sea and aerial campaigns of both the Allied and Axis powers, dispels certain accepted mythologies, and reveals how the ultimate failure of the U-boats stemmed as much from chaotic German military and industrial mismanagement as it did from Allied advances in code-breaking and weaponry.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 321-323) and index.
"The first complete history of the U-boat war in its entirety, a story which began on the very first day of hostilities in 1939 and did not end until the final torpedo sinking on 7 May 1945. It details the Wehrmacht's disastrous decision to dispatch Dönitz's U-boats to the Mediterranean; the actions of U-boats at the extremities of the Eastern Front, where, despite the legendary destruction of the PQ17 convoy, they failed to turn the tide of war; and smaller but crucial operations throughout the Indian Ocean and southern Africa. What becomes increasingly clear throughout these dangerous and costly deployments is how U-boat operations were inexorably tied to an increasingly inefficient global naval strategy. This ... book details the U-boats' often direct relationship with land, sea and aerial campaigns of both the Allied and Axis powers, dispels certain accepted mythologies, and reveals how the ultimate failure of the U-boats stemmed as much from chaotic German military and industrial mismanagement as it did from Allied advances in code-breaking and weaponry"--Dust jacket flap.
Genesis -- War -- The myth of the 'happy time' -- Diverging objectives -- The descent -- Sun and snow -- Drumbeat in the New World -- Losing the race -- Tipping point -- Reinforcing failure -- Total commitment.