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Iron Coffins: A Personal Account of the German U-Boat Battles of World War II (Paperback)

by Edward L. Beach (Foreword), Herbert A. Werner (Author) "ENSIGNS," the Admiral began, " you have been called together to receive your first important assignments ..." (more)

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)

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Product details

Paperback: 388 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press Inc; 1st Da Capo Press Ed edition (30 April 1998)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0306808420
ISBN-13: 978-0306808425
Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 14.6 x 1.9 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (32 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 1,296,427 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

The Battle of the Atlantic was one of the most savage and strategically significant campaigns of World War II: 28,000 out of 39,000 men in the German U-boat force disappeared beneath the waves. Herbert A. Werner, one of the few surviving German U-boat commanders, served on five submarines from 1941 to 1945. From the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, from the English Channel to the North Sea, he takes the reader with him through the triumphant years of 1941 and 1942, when German U-boats nearly strangled England, to the apocalyptic final years of destruction, disillusionment, and defeat.

About the Author

Herbert A Werner was born in 1920. He joined the German Navy in 1939, and the U-boats in 1941, taking up his first command in 1943. He survived the war, was interned by the Americans, British and French, eventually to become an American citizen in 1957. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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ENSIGNS," the Admiral began, " you have been called together to receive your first important assignments. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

32 Reviews

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.7 out of 5 stars (32 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A personal account of life in command of a U-Boat., 6 Dec 2004

By	Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This author commanded a series of German U-Boats throughout WW2 and this is his own personal story. The photographs are also from his own personal collection and are, therefore, unlikely to have been published elsewhere. The Maps, however, could so easily be improved.

In Part One of this book, Herbert Werner takes the reader through the glorious years of success after success for both Germany and her U-Boat offensive. In Part Two, however, we reach that turning point in the war which he aptly describes as "Above us Hell." Finally, Part 3 is equally effectively described as "Disaster to Defeat."

An interesting and well written account of the U-Boat war of WW2 - not only because the author actually took part, but also because he was fortunate enough to survive that war and relive his experiences so that we might read and learn.

NM.

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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb....Better than fiction, 2 Jun 2006

By	D. M. Liffen (Norfolk UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Iron Coffins: A U-boat Commander's War, 1939-45 (Cassell Military Paperbacks) (Paperback)

I have read loads of books on WW2. It was such a huge event.Yes, of course, being a world war thats obvious. But my point is that there are so many many aspects and stories that I doubt we will ever learn everything that happend in the vastness of WW2.

This book has left me in sheer awe and wonder. Awe in as much as what Herr Kapitan Werner endured throughout the years of the war firstly as an officer aboard a U Boat following training at the Naval College then eventually as Commander.

In the first years of war we hear of the battle in the Atlantic where convoys were very easy pickings for the 'wolfpacks'. We learn that the 'tide soon turns' and following the joining of the USA and advances in allies technology, the hunter becomes the hunted. U Boats become easy pickings for allied destroyers.

There is no doubt that Herr Werner was an extremely skilled commander but it will leave you in wonder at how he survived against all odds throughout the war. His survival includes overcoming the madness and senseless orders of U Boat Command and the sheer arrogance and mindlessness of senior officers (those in the main having seen little if any action other than indulging in their own oppulence).

We also hear of the heartbreak and loss as families of Herr Werner and his crew are wiped off the face off the earth by allied bombers.

Irrespective of which side they were on, there were millions of extremely brave and courageouse men and women during WW2 and this book provides an amazing story of just some of those. When the book brings us to the wars end you will no doubt breath a sigh of relief for the safety of the Commander and his loyal crew. Rest not....following capture and becoming a prisoner of war the story continues to have the reader glued to each page.

Believe me....fiction could not better this incredible story.

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11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT 'INSIDE-THE-U-BOAT" WARTIME COVERAGE, 2 Jul 1999

By A Customer

This is the very best book I have read actually describing the conditions inside a German u-boat during World War II Atlantic Ocean war patrols. It is well written with both action and information in mind. The action standpoint is superb and makes the reader wonder how Capt Werner and his crew ever survived the punishment they took in their little fragile "egg" as aircraft and ships constantly dropped bombs and depth charges on them. From the information standpoint, Werner gives us a very comprehensive and interesting description of what it is like inside the early u-boats. It is hard to imagine how the crew lived like they did in their constantly rocking boat: without bathing for months, eating moldy food, suffering from constant humidity, freezing or roasting as the season might be (no airconditioning or heaters), and not having proper sanitary conditions (using a bucket in rough seas, etc.) Very good detail on u-boat life both aboard ship and in port. From another information standpoint, Werner gives us a good description of what average Germans were thinking as the war progressed, what sort of damage ordinary citizens were taking as the war proceeded in depth over Germany both from the heavy air bombardment plus the advancement of Allied armies from the south, east, and north. Werner is also a "ladies man" so we do hear a lot about the girlfriends in every port, so to speak, plus German submariners' night life in different occupied locations. (They seemed to like France a lot.) It is good that Werner provides you this gamut of information: living inside the boat, dealing with the difficult navy bureaucracy, joys of in-port liberty, his nice but unfortunte family, the Nazi party bother, and so on since it furnishes the reader with a rounded out picture of life during these unusual times. Werner is lucky to have come back alive, and we are fortunate he wrote this book. His family and many of his friends were not so fortunate as the reader will see.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Iron Coffins:German U Boat Battles of WWII
Superb book, you feel as though you are onboard. Well written and good to get the story from both sides.

Published 3 months ago by John Stewart

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT READ!
I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WITH AN INTEREST IN LIFE ABOARD A U-BOAT. GIVES INSIGHT INTO THE MIND OF THE U-BOAT CREW, THE FRUSTRATIONS THE 'HAPPY TIMES' AND THE HARDSHIPS OF... Read more

Published 5 months ago by GARETH

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic account of the U-Boat War
I have read a few books about the U-Boat war, but this is easily one of the most readable, and poignant. Read more

Published 7 months ago by R. G. Anders

4.0 out of 5 stars Incredible acount
This is a magnificent "other side of the hill" book, describing what was perhaps one of the most terrifyng and courageous "jobs" of all the combatants of world war two. Read more

Published 23 months ago by Luis Miguel Vale

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant read which is well written
I was lent this book by a colleague and he has a lot to answer for as I've not been able to put it down. The descriptions of the battles are brilliant and very gritty. Read more

Published on 14 Feb 2007 by D. Wilson

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story and very honest but grim reminder of nazis
The other reviews have covered the basics well. Werner does a great job writing and telling the story. It's fascinating, fast moving, I couldn't put it down. Read more

Published on 27 Jun 2006 by Dana F. Geiger

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
This is a magnificent account of the u-boat war. Alot of detail has gone into this book, along with an excellent portrayal of the pressures that submariners had to endure in those... Read more

Published on 16 Nov 2005 by L. J. G. Hardy

4.0 out of 5 stars tense and claustrophobic
I bought this book more or less randomly to make up one of those Amazon 3 for �X deals, and I'm very glad I did. Read more

Published on 26 Aug 2004 by dwaas76

4.0 out of 5 stars Iron Coffins
This book is the personal account, the author commanded two U-boats. Like the Hirschfeld book, deals with his entry into the German Navy and his rise to Commander from... Read more

Published on 15 Dec 2002 by esford2

4.0 out of 5 stars A survivor's story
In the early years of World War 2, the U Boats were hunter killers, domineering the sea, and sending thousands of tons of allied shipping to the bottom of the ocean. Read more

Published on 20 Sep 2002 by Giles Hamilton

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