U-Boat and Submarine books. Range of historical reference books on u-boats and u-boat commanders including Wolf, U-Boat Commanders in World War II by Jordan Vause, Donitz and the Wolf Pack. U-boat books available from the military bookshop, a division of Cranston Fine Arts.

TO SEE FULL RANGE OF NAVAL ART PRINTS GO TO www.naval-art.com 

A secure order form is available on this link:    secure order form

Order code NMP9157

First U-Boat Flotilla by Lawrence Paterson.

The nine year life of the Flotilla makes for fascinating reading in this meticulously researched work. Many of its captains such as Otto Kretschmer, Erich Topp and Reinhard Suhren remain legendary figures today. Operations undertaken were as diverse as they were geographically spread. This account goes right to the heart of U-Boat warfare and gives a detailed insight into the men, equipment, strengths and weaknesses, successes and failures of an elite force which, while feared by its enemies, was also grudgingly respected.

Illustrated hardback book with 300 pages.

Price £19.95.

Order code BK7042

Strike from Beneath the Sea - A History of Aircraft Carrying Submarines by Terry C Treadwell.

It seems surprising that anyone could dream of having aircraft-carrying submarines but, from the early days of the First World War, the two have been intrinsically linked.  From those first attempts to the Japanese bombing of the Oregon forests during the Second World War, the history of the many submarines and their aircraft is covered in this comprehensive, illustrated volume.  Many different submarine types were either converted or designed to carry aircraft in countries as diverse as the USA, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Russia and Poland.  They ranged from the early attempts with floatplanes strapped onto the deck through to the huge Japanese I-Class submarines which could carry four aircraft in specially designed hangars.  Illustrated with over 230 photographs and drawings of the submarines, their aircraft and crews, this is the definitive history of the unique experimental and production craft that have culminated in the nuclear powered ICBM carrying submarines of today.

Illustrated hardback book with 191 pages.

Price £19.99.

The Submariners.  Life in British Submarines 1901 - 1999. by John Winton.

This is the first published selection of personal accounts of life aboard the Royal Navys submarines.  From the Holland boats of 1901 to the giant Trident nuclear vessels of today, these vivid first-hand descriptions detail the tense patrols of the First and Second World Wars, the torpedo attacks on enemy warships, U-boats and merchant vessels, the horrors of depth-charging, the daring clandestine operations by bodies such as Force 136, and the midget submarine attacks on the Tirpitz.  There are accounts of the deterrent patrols of the Cold War, and what happened in the controversial sinking of the General Belgrano during the Falklands War.

Paperback book with 315 pages.

Order number BK2209. Book price £12.99.

The Impact of Polaris, edited by Captain J E Moore R.N.

Although the introduction of Polaris as the British Seaborne Nuclear Deterrent was the largest peacetime naval programme of the century, one which was almost unique in being completed on time and within its budget, very little has been published to explain how this great project was carried through.  This book contains a series of articles by those involved in the inception, continuation and completion of the Polaris programme for the Royal Navy - people from the Chief Polaris Executive to Chief Petty Officers in the first ballistic missile submarine, HMS Resolution, as well as civil servants, designers, engineers and officers of the US Navy.

Paperback book with 270 pages.

Order number BK5247. Book price £15.00.

The Illustrated Directory of Submarines of the World by David Miller

Spectacularly illustrated details of all major classes of submarines - from man-powered submersibles to nuclear-powered missile carriers - from 1860 to the present.

Paperback book with 480 pages.

Order number BK6134. Book price £9.99.

Submarines at War 1939 - 1945 by Richard Compton-Hall

Order number BK1228. Book price £16.99.

Paperback book with 160 pages.

Post UK- £4.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £9.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

To order your copy: secure order form

Order number BK7766. Book price £19.95.

Hardback book with 259 pages.

Post UK- £5.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £7.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £9.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

To order your copy: secure order form

British Submarines in Great War by Edwyn Gray

The dangers faced by submariners at - and even in peace - are self-evident but at no time were they greater than during the Great War 1914-18.  Death and disaster came in many guises: minefields, explosive nets, surface ships, U-boats, shore batteries, Zeppelins as well as human error and ever-present equipment failure.  The notorious k-Class steam submarines claimed 135 lives in twelve months without any enemy assistance.  But as this classic book also describes, there was glory too.  Five captains won the VC.  A handful of Royal Naval submarines ruled the Baltic from 1916-18 and wreaked mayhem against Turkish shipping in the land-locked sea of Marmora.  Constantly playing deadly cat-and-mouse games with enemy U-boats and surface warships, there were few dull moments for the gallant crews of this infant submarine service.  Republished in the Service's  Centenary Year, British Submarines in the Great War 1914-18 (formerly A Damned Un-English Weapon) is a classic account of the underwater war by one of Britain's foremost naval historians.  It also serves as a timely tribute to the courageous deeds of the pioneers whose legacy has inspired their successors right through to the present day.

Order number BK1211. Book price £15.99.

Paoerback book with 344 pages.

Post UK- £5.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £7.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £9.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

To order your copy: secure order form

Submarines at War 1914 - 1918 by Richard Compton-Hall

This book is a landmark history of submarine warfare during World War One.  An ex-submariner, the author captures the very essence of what it was like to operate in these new and lethal craft.  This periscope eye view introduces the reader to the great submarine commanders, the tactics they employed and the often futile attempts made to sink them.  While warships roared uselessly above, the submarine came into its own, wreaking havoc among the navies and merchant fleets of the world.  As the war developed, an enthralling game of politics, doctrine and technology was played out at sea.  With growing losses the submariner's war became as increasingly dangerous as it did savage.  A remarkable tale of bravery and tragedy is grippingly brought to life in this definitive yet atmospheric history.

Order number BN7863. Book price £19.95.

Hardback book with 212 pages fully illustrated with b/w photographs.

The Last Patrol by Harry Holmes

This book is an operational history of the 52 US submarines lost during the Second World War.

The Submarine Service of the US Navy suffered the highest percentage of losses of any branch of the American armed forces with almost one in five vessels failing to return. However, the achievements of US submarines are legend as their crews, while representing only 2% of Naval personnel, accounted for over 55% of Japanese shipping losses.

Post: £3 UK post (max. UK post for multiple book orders is £6) or £9 rest of world). 

Type VII U-Boats by Robert C. Stern.

 After the narrow defeat of their U-boat fleet in the First World War, the German Navy analyzed their experiences and devised new theories and plans for a future conflict.  The principal result of this study was the development of the daring concept of Rudeltaktik, which involved co-ordinated pack attacks on the Allied convoy systems that had proved so successful in defence.

Donitz was one of the architects of this new scheme, and his favoured method was the surfaced night attack, the U-boats shadowing the convoys for some time , communicating the position of their quarry and then converging from the surrounding ocean areas for the kill.

The perfect boat to implement this doctrine had to have certain characteristics; it required an effective operational range and the levels of speed and armament usually associated with large boats; and it had to be highly maneuverable with a fast dive - a factor normally exhibited by smaller boats.  It needed excellent communications and, above all, it had to be easy to build because a great many were needed.  Armed with such a weapon, Donitz was convinced that, given the will, Germany could win any tonnageschlact (tonnage battle) in the Atlantic.

It was the Type VII U-boat that largely fulfilled this role.  Over 700 examples of this superb submarine were built, making it by far the most numerous type of U-boat and fully deserving of this study.  Robert C. Stern looks in detail at how the various technological elements of this advanced weapons system worked and how the crewmen operated to maximize its effectiveness in action.  He traces the development and design of the class together with the crucial offensive and defensive components it took to sea: torpedo and gun types; radio, hydrophones, radar decoys and sonar counter-measures; mines; and a host of other innovative items.

Interviews with U-boat veterans and access to plentiful naval records have given the author the means to provide a fascinating insight into both life aboard a cramped vessel (food storage, sanitation etc) and the practical methods used both to track and destroy the enemy and to avoid his often fatal searches.

The book is illustrated with a marvellous selection of photographs, some 160 in total, and several dozen line drawings.  With its appendixes on paint schemes, boats built and a profile of Donitz, this is a valuable contribution to the study of the U-boat arm, which will be warmly welcomed by naval enthusiasts.

Book serial number BK8557 Book price £18.95. Illustrated hardback with 160 pages.

Post UK- £2.50 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £3.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

U-boats of the Kaiser's Navy by Gordon Williamson and Ian Palmer

As was the case in World War II, one of the greatest threat to Britain during the First World War was the German U-boat menace. This book traces the development of the U-boat threat from the Brandtaucher, designed by Wilhelm Bauer, the father of the German submarine arm, in 1850, through to the commissioning of Germany's first U-boat to go into service, the U-1, in 1906. It also covers the main types of World War I U-boat, detailing the operational history of the -boat service in depth, with a particular focus on the campaigns in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, as well as the slow build up of anti submarine measures by the allies.

BOOK PRICE £9.99. Book serial number Osprey NV50.

To order your copy: secure order form

Post: UK- £4.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

To order your copy: secure order form

HMS Dolphin - Gosport's Submarine Base by Keith Hall

In the latter half of the 19th Century, the Gosport side of Portsmouth harbour was developed as a fortified port. Fort Blockhouse, originally established in 1495, was updated and became the home of the Royal Engineers' Submarine Mining School in 1873,

At the beginning of the First World War, Britain's fledgling Submarine service was not considered to be on a par with the rest of the nation's armed forces by the Admiralty. The military might of the submarine and the development of submarine warfare strategy soon proved the worth of the force, however, and by the Second World War Britain had about 55 serviceable submarines.

In HMS Dolphin, Keith Hall charts the history of the base and the HMS Dolphin fleet - a narrative complemented by over 200 illustrations. The development of the submarine fleet in terms of military standing and technological advance is charted alongside reminiscences of the submariner lifestyle, from the obligatory 1945 breakfast of 'a cup of tea and a woodbine' to the washing of socks in the church font by members of the spare crew.

Book serial number BK1131. Book price £10.99. Illustrated paperback with 128 pages.

Book serial number LC25365. Book price £16.95. Illustrated hard back with 155 pages.

To order your copy: secure order form

Submarine Insignia & Submarine Services of the World by Lt Cdr W M Thornton

The first comprehensive guide to the 57 nations that have had or intend to have submarines. Each of the world's navies are presented in alphabetical order beginning with a summary of each nation's submarine service. The complete history, description and detail given, of all insignia worn, is accompanied by full colour illustrations of each badge.

Post: UK- £4.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Post: UK- £6.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £7.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £9.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

To order your copy: secure order form

Underwater Warriors by Paul Kemp

Of all types of battle zone movement the most difficult has been that of submerged craft; it is not surprising that this mode of clandestine activity is centuries old and was first used offensively over 200 years ago.

With the Italians, Japanese, British and German navies all active in the use of one- and two-man submarines it is not surprising to find them employed in a multitude of daring and dramatic sorties against seaborne, harbour and land-based targets.

In this thorough study of the topic - the most comprehensive ever attempted in the English language - Paul Kemp provides ample evidence of the diverse tasks undertaken by the underwater warriors. The reader is supplied with sufficient technical data to understand the mechanics of this element of naval warfare before being taken on the myriad subversive actions performed by these fascinating craft.

Book serial number BB1. Book price £20.00. Illustrated hard back with 256 pages.

Post: UK- £4.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

To order your copy: secure order form

Neither Sharks Nor Wolves - The Men of Nazi Germany's U-Boat Arm 1939-1945 by Timothy P Mulligan

Narratives of convoy battles, technical treatments of U-boat types and even the memoirs of 'aces' have shed little light on the reality of routine, grime and terror experienced by the average U-boat crewman. This new book explains vividly what it was like to serve in a U-boat and in addition outlines the character of the U-boat service itself.

In researching the details of the men and officers who manned the U-boats the author has been able to discover what parts of Germany they came from, what occupations they held before the War, their career-tracks in naval service, and all the jobs and associated functions they performed on board. As a result new answers have been found to a number of questions which have never been systematically addressed. How many men served on U-boats? Were they all volunteers? Did morale truly remain high throughout the conflict? Did the U-boat force gradually deteriorate into a 'children's crusade'? What was the true relationship between naval service and National Socialism?

Book serial number BC2. Book price £25. Hard back with 340 pages.

Post: UK- £3 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £4.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

German U-Boat Crews 1914-45 by Gordon Williamson and illustrated by Darko Pavlovic

An elite part of the German Navy, the U-boat crews were seen as heroes by the public and armed services alike, fighting the elements as well as enemy destroyers. Twice within the space of 25 years they came close to bringing Britain to her knees, strangling the vital transatlantic supply line that fed her war effort. There were always too few U-boats and too many destroyers however, and life expectancy in the submarine arm was short as they fought an uneven contest in the icy seas of the North Atlantic.

Book serial number OS1. Book price £12.99. Paperback with 64 pages.

To order your copy: secure order form

Post: UK- £6.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £7.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

To order your copy: secure order form

Wolf, U-Boat Commanders in World War II by Jordan Vause

Cultivated by the Allied press during the war and fostered by the movies and novels ever since, the image of a u-boat skipper held by most people is the personification of evil: the wolf who stalks innocents. Quite the opposite image is shared by u-boat veterans and others sympathetic to their work: the knight who endures unrivalled danger and fights nobly. Yet another popular image depicts the submarine operator as a beleaguered sailor swept along by events beyond his control. This book examines the lives of many U-Bootwaffe officers, including the famous and not so well known, to see if these, or any other single image, can be considered representative.

Drawing on a wealth of primary documents and, when possible, interviews or correspondence with the u-boat commanders themselves, Jordan Vause follows individual officers from their youth and early naval training through their wartime experiences and into the often bitter peace that followed. His close examination of their lives reveals that many were extremely different from the pictures typically drawn of them. They were as varied in their thoughts and actions as other fighting men on both sides of the war. Particularly valuable is the author's use of new information in his portrayal of Karl Dönitz and other prominent commanders to correct and enhance characterizations presented in earlier books. His use of personal letters and unpublished manuscripts loaned to him in Germany adds special significance to this study and its appeal to all those interested in World War II, submarines and the U-Bootwaffe.

Book serial number BK27. Book price £18.95. Hard back with 249 pages. Special price £16.99.

Large range of U-Boat and German battleship fine art prints available at www.kriegsmarineart.com 

Book serial number BK28. Price £18.99. Hard back with 240 pages. Special Price £16.99.

Post: UK- £6.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £7.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £9.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

To order your copy: secure order form

Dönitz and the Wolf Packs by Bernard Edwards

It can be argued that the most critical battle of the Second World War was the one the Allied forces waged to keep the trade routes open. Without food and raw materials for the war effort, the result would surely have been different - certainly, victory would have been prejudiced and delayed.

The u-boat, the submarine of the German Navy, was a hidden predator, which would steal up on its prey out of sight beneath the waves. The tactics were much like the wild wolf of the forest, hose grey camouflage would keep it out of sight until it chose to attack. Just as the wolf was even more effective when it roamed in groups, cornering its quarry before catching it, so Admiral Karl

This simple yet stunningly successful tactic came very close to winning the Battle of the Atlantic and inflicted huge losses of Allied merchant and navy vessels and their crews. With the packs dispersing after the attack as quickly as they gathered for it, defence against the strategy was fraught with difficulty and only the u-boats' inability to wage their warfare without surfacing gave the Allies a chance of fighting back.

In this empathic and deeply researched volume, Bernard Edwards delves beneath the myths and legends of submarinal action and convoy protection to discuss the realities of wolf pack deployment. He explains what caused

Post: UK- £4.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £8.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

To order your copy: secure order form

U-Boats Destroyed : German Submarine Losses in the World Wars by Paul Kemp

In the First and Second World Wars 1,000 German U-boats were destroyed by Allied ships, submarines and aircraft. U-boats were such a grave threat to the Allies, especially in the early years of the Second World War, that they had to be hunted down by every means, at all costs. It was a war of attrition, with desperately heavy casualties on both sides - but the Allies slowly triumphed, and the U-boats were decimated.

This book provides the reader with extensive detail of the U-boat sinkings in both World Wars. Drawing on many years of primary research, leading naval historian Paul Kemp shows what action brought the end of each vessel and adds information on the submarine, its commander, location, survivors and casualties plus other background information. U-boats Destroyed is a single source reference to both World Wars, and a fascinating guide to naval students and historians alike.

Book serial number BK56. Price £14.99. Paperback with 288 pages.

Post: UK- £6.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £7.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £10.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

To order your copy: secure order form

Submarine Action by Paul Kemp

At the beginning of the 20th century, submarines were small, limited in range and probably as lethal to their crews as they were to the enemy. Today, submarines are among the most capable and expensive units of the fleet. Early submariners were regarded as little better than pirates, while today they are entrusted with the awesome weapons of mass destruction. Twice this century the submarine threat has nearly forced Britain to her knees, while on the other side of the world the relentless submarine campaign conducted by the United States against Japan brought that country to the brink of defeat long before the dropping of the atom bomb.

In Submarine Action, Paul Kemp investigates submarine warfare from the early days of the 20th century to the present- a period that has seen a revolution in submarine design and capability. By examining aspects of submarine life and operations thematically, rather than chronologically or by country, the author covers each topic in depth and allows comparisons to be made between early methods and the way things are done today.

Book serial number BS2. Book price £25.00. Fully illustrated hard back with 242 pages.

Post: UK- £3.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

One of Our Submarines by Edward Young

"In the very highest rank of books about the last war. Submarines are thrilling beats, and Edward Young tells of four years' adventures in them in a good stout book with excitement on every page. He writes beautifully, economically and with humour, and in the actions he commands he manages to put the reader at the voice-pipe and the periscope so that sometimes the tension is so great that one has to put the book down." The Sunday Times

Commander Edward Young DSO DSC RNV(S)R started the war as an amateur yachtsman and finished it as a highly decorated submarine commander - indeed, he was the first RNVR officer to hold independent command of a warship.

Book serial number W41. Price £4.99. Fully illustrated paperback with 320 pages.

To order your copy: secure order form

Post: UK- £4.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Business in Great Waters by John Terraine

Twice within 25 years Britain was threatened with starvation by the menace of the U-boat. In this majestic study of submarine warfare, the author explains why Winston Churchill wrote 'the only thing that ever frightened me during the war was the -boat peril.' Until it had been overcome the Anglo-American entry into Europe in 1944 would have been impossible.

John Terraine concentrates on the combatants themselves, both German and Allied, but does not overlook the three main factors in the equation - the political, the military and the technological, as well as the intelligence, the weapons and the devices both sides employed in order to outwit each other. He also focuses on the fighting men on either side, seeing the action from 'where it was at'.

Book serial number W18. Price £5.99. Fully illustrated paperback with 841 pages.

To order your copy: secure order form

Post: UK- £6.00 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £7.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £10.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

To order your copy: secure order form

The author was a witness to the battle and this, combined with the meticulous research of original documents and his use of eye witness accounts from both the Allied and German sides, has resulted in a quite remarkable piece of work in which no stone has been left unturned in his desire to reconstruct exactly what happened both to the U-boats and their quarry in the crucial months of 1943.

But the book is much more than a description of a single battle for the author takes this particular event as a microcosm to explain the strategic and tactical background , the technical developments on both sides, and the operational experiences that occurred throughout the whole of the War.  He is particularly astute at evaluating both the US and British contributions to the Atlantic convoy battles and explaining the logistical problems faced by the Kriegsmarine.

This book is a major contribution to the literature of the Battle of the Atlantic.

Book serial number BK0814. Book price £20.00. Fully illustrated hard back with 192 pages.

Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939-45 (1) by Gordon Williamson.

This, the first of two volumes on Germanys World War II U-boats, traces their development from the early U-boats of the Kaisers Navy, through the prohibition on German submarines following the Armistice in 1918 and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles, their secret development through a cover-firm in Holland, culminating in the formation of the 1st U-boat Flotilla in 1935 with the modern Type II.  The operational history section includes examples from the Type VIIA, Type VIIB, VIID, VIIE and VIIF Classes before concentrating on the mainstay of the U-boat arm, the Type VIIC.  Comparisons are also made with the standard allied submarines, their strengths, weaknesses and U-boat tactics.

BOOK PRICE £9.99. Book serial number Osprey NV51.

Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939-45 (2) by Gordon Williamson.

This title follows the New Vanguard 51: Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939-45 (1) and charts the continuing development of the U-boat in German service, including the evolution of the Type IX as a long range cruiser intended for solo operations in distant waters.  Also covered is the revolutionary Type XXI, conceived in 1942 and launched in April 1944.  The first true submarine rather than submersible, the Type XXIs arrival was just too late to influence the war.  Other vessels featured are the Type XXIII, a technically advanced small vessel armed with only two torpedoes, and the Type X minelayers, which were more often used as supply boats than in their intended role.

BOOK PRICE £9.99. Book serial number Osprey NV55.

Post UK- £2.50 (max post for multiple books £6.00).

For Europe £3.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

Rest of World £6.00 (each plus one charge of £3.00 recorded fee per total shipment)

German E-Boats 1939-45 by Gordon Williamson

By the outbreak of World War II, Germany had done much to replace the Kaiser's High Seas Fleet, which was scuttled following the German surrender at the end of World War I.  Forced to build anew, the Kriegsmarine possessed some of the most technically advanced warships in existence.  Although the heavy units of the fleet were too small in number to pose much of a threat, Germany was particularly well served by her Navy's smaller vessels, principally the U-Boats and the S-Boats.  Known to the enemy as the E-Boats ('Enemy'), S-Boats performed sterling duties in the Black Sea and English Channel, where they were especially dangerous.

BOOK PRICE £8.99. Book serial number Osprey NV59.

To order your copy: secure order form