Few commanders symbolize the evolution of the German U-boat arm during the Second World War as does Adalbert "Adi" Schnee. In 1940, Schnee successively commanded three Type II U-boats--U-6, U-60 and U-121-- in which he registered his first successes in the Atlantic. From the beginning of 1941, he was appointed commander of U-201, the first Type VIIC U-boat allotted to I Flotilla. During seven patrols with this U-Boot, which would take him to the coasts of America and Africa, he would receive the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. With 15 ships sunk in convoys in the mid-Atlantic, he became the...

This first volume (of a four volume series) on the German U-boats at Lorient, France, covers the period from June 1940 to June 1941, and reveals the evacuation of the port by the French navy and the subsequent takeover by the Kriegsmarine. Illustrated with over 600 photographs, it details the installation of the German navy at Lorient and the first year of the presence of the U-Boot arm in this port, as well as the major stages in the Battle of the Atlantic in which they participated. The U-boats that were docked at Lorient are presented in tabular form by type, flotilla, commander, as well...

Volume two (of a four volume series) reveals the story of the seventy-eight German U-boats that passed through the port of Lorient from July 1941 to July 1942. The book explains the major phases in the Battle of the Atlantic in which U-boats were operating and particularly the surprise attacks on merchant traffic along the American coast. It details the Allied actions against the port of Lorient and their system of defence against the German U-boat arm. Also featured are unedited reminiscences of the U-boat crews' life ashore in Lorient during their patrol arrivals and departures. This work...

German naval officer Rolf Mutzelburg was one of the outstanding figures of the WWII German U-boat arm. After obtaining regular successes against the North Atlantic convoys during his first four missions, he found new victims directly along the shores of Canada. Mutzelburg received the highest decorations of the period and became one of the top U-boat aces. Furthermore, he shared with Adalbert Schnee, Teddy Suhren, and Erich Topp, the rare privilege of being affectionately nicknamed by Admiral Donitz as "The Four Aces." The discovery of a photo album from a U-203 crew member, complemented by...

Volume three (of a four-volume series) reveals the fate of the ninety-two German U-boats that passed through Lorient from August 1942 to August 1943. From October 1942, Type IX U-boats left Lorient for distant seas beyond the South African Cape and succeeded in sinking three times as many ships as those that attacked the North Atlantic convoys This book also details the terrible effects of the massive Allied bombardments on both the base and town during the following months and discusses Allied progress in anti-U-boat techniques and armaments that forced the U-boats to abandon the North...

This is the amazing story of legendary WWII U-boat commander, and Knight's Cross recipient, Peter Cremer. Cremer was appointed commander of U-333, a type VIIC submarine with a close-knit crew. During his first North Atlantic patrol the U-333 sank three ships; unfortunately, his third victim was actually a German blockade-runner. Cremer was acquitted before a court martial. During his second patrol, the U-333 was rammed by an Allied tanker before reaching American shores. His later patrols were equally amazing. In April 1945, Cremer was ordered to take command of a panzer unit,...