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Williamson has produced a very well focused book, making very good use of the available space. --HistoryofWar.org
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At the start of the war, German U-boat technology vastly out performed that possessed by the Allies, and under the pressure of the war continual development helped keep pace with wartime needs and improvements in anti-submarine weaponry. But it was not just the technology that had to change. German U-boat tactics evolved over time. Used in a variety of roles, from coastal patrolling through to the combined actions of convey-hunting 'wolf packs', the tactics used by U-Boats were diverse. This book analyses how the U-boats dominated the seas thanks to their innovative and daring tactical deployment, and how the cracking of the Enigma code effectively hamstrung them, greatly reducing their impact, a problem that even their advanced tactics failed to solve.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book delivers what it says on the cover: it focuses on the tactics used by nazi u-boats to attack their victims and avoid their pursuers. Of course that would be difficult to do without mentioning the overall u-boat campaign, so its history is described, but in an adequately brief way. A few technical aspects that couldn't be avoided are also covered, like the difference between a Type VI and a Type IX submarine, the workings of torpedoes and the capabilities of deck guns.
Photos are plentiful and very few of them have been seen by me on other books (notice that my u-boat library is not large...). Color drawings are computer generated, but with good quality and used mostly for schematics demonstrating movements of vessels. The shortcoming is that they are often far from the text that they're supposed to support.
It's a fine book to newcomers to this subject, but it is very resumed and condensed: if you already have a profound knowledge of the subject you'll probably be disappointed.
Photos are plentiful and very few of them have been seen by me on other books (notice that my u-boat library is not large...). Color drawings are computer generated, but with good quality and used mostly for schematics demonstrating movements of vessels. The shortcoming is that they are often far from the text that they're supposed to support.
It's a fine book to newcomers to this subject, but it is very resumed and condensed: if you already have a profound knowledge of the subject you'll probably be disappointed.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
U-boat Tactics in World war II
6 Feb 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
the book is excellent, easy to read with good diagrams and lots of actual photos. an excellent writing tool for those who want to write stories about world war two at sea and for a basic on submarine tactics into the cold war.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Provides a fine, narrowed history of u-boat tactics
18 Jan 2011
Format:Paperback
Gordon Williamson's U-BOAT TACTICS IN WORLD WAR II provides a fine, narrowed history of u-boat tactics that uses wartime source material documents and manuals to explain operational tactics used by German subs during the war. Any collection strong in military strategy will consider this a key survey.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Good Companion Volume
19 July 2011
Format:Paperback
Although there have been a great many books about the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War and the German U-Boat arm, the issues of tactics and doctrine have tended to fall in the cracks, even in such seminal studies as Clay Blair's Hitler's U-Boat War. Thus, Gordon Williamson's short study on U-Boat tactics helps to fill a useful niche in the historiography of the Battle of the Atlantic. There's nothing terribly new or original in this volume, but is fairly well organized and presented, as well as complimented by Osprey's trademark artwork. Overall, a good companion volume.
The first three sections in this volume cover night surface attacks on convoys, deck-gun attacks, solo missions (U-47 in Scapa Flow, the Mediterranean, North American waters in 1942 and the Far East in 1943-44) and wolf pack attacks. Five colorful graphics are included in this section to explain optimal U-Boat approach methods, convoy formations, patrol lines and wolf pack attacks. A brief section then covers U-Boat cooperation with the Luftwaffe, limited as it was. The next three sections cover associated equipment, offensive and defensive equipment, including decoys. A final section covers U-Boat defensive tactics against warships and against aircraft (the final section was quite interesting and supported by more graphics). The B/W photos throughout this volume are excellent, serving both to complement the text and interesting in their own right.
This volume is not really intended to draw any broad conclusions about the U-Boat offensive, not does it really attempt to ask/answer specific questions. Instead, it helps to add context to issues that are often subordinate to telling the story of specific convoy operations. Nor is there any real effort to aggregate U-Boat actions using statistics on tonnage sunk or effectiveness, although the author makes some good points about torpedo effectiveness (the best skippers scored about 40 percent hits and mostly with surface attacks) and the fact that many U-Boats never scored a single hit. Overall, a nice contribution to the record on U-Boats.
The first three sections in this volume cover night surface attacks on convoys, deck-gun attacks, solo missions (U-47 in Scapa Flow, the Mediterranean, North American waters in 1942 and the Far East in 1943-44) and wolf pack attacks. Five colorful graphics are included in this section to explain optimal U-Boat approach methods, convoy formations, patrol lines and wolf pack attacks. A brief section then covers U-Boat cooperation with the Luftwaffe, limited as it was. The next three sections cover associated equipment, offensive and defensive equipment, including decoys. A final section covers U-Boat defensive tactics against warships and against aircraft (the final section was quite interesting and supported by more graphics). The B/W photos throughout this volume are excellent, serving both to complement the text and interesting in their own right.
This volume is not really intended to draw any broad conclusions about the U-Boat offensive, not does it really attempt to ask/answer specific questions. Instead, it helps to add context to issues that are often subordinate to telling the story of specific convoy operations. Nor is there any real effort to aggregate U-Boat actions using statistics on tonnage sunk or effectiveness, although the author makes some good points about torpedo effectiveness (the best skippers scored about 40 percent hits and mostly with surface attacks) and the fact that many U-Boats never scored a single hit. Overall, a nice contribution to the record on U-Boats.
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