Black Flag: The Surrender of Germany's U-Boat Forces [Hardcover]

Lawrence Paterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 29, 2009

On the eve of Germany's surrender in May 1945, Grossadmiral Karl Dönitz commanded thousands of loyal and active men of the U-boat service. Still fully armed and unbroken in morale, enclaves of these men occupied bases stretching from Norway to France, where cadres of Uboat men fought on in ports that defied besieging Allied troops to the last. At sea U-boats still operated on a war footing around Britain, the coasts of the United States and as far as Malaya.

Following the agreement to surrender, these large formations needed to be disarmed – often by markedly inferior forces – and the boats at sea located and escorted into the harbours of their erstwhile enemies. Neither side knew entirely what to expect, and many of the encounters were tense; in some cases there were unsavoury incidents, and stories of worse. For many Allied personnel it was their first glimpse of the dreaded U-boat menace and both sides were forced to exercise considerable restraint to avoid compromising the terms of Germany's surrender.

One of the last but most dramatic acts of the naval war, the story of how the surrender was handled has never been treated at length before. This book uncovers much new material about the process itself and the ruthless aftermath for both the crews and their boats.
 

Editorial Reviews

Review

World War II Forum

“In Black Flag Lawrence Paterson presents the complete story of the final days of the U-Boats and how their surrender was accomplished….Patterson’s research has been thorough and meticulous. He reports on the experiences of dozens of U-boats and what they experienced at the time they were surrendered and of whether their crews were well treated or abused….Paterson also addresses the destruction of the German U-boat fleet following the war and the disposition of the few U-boats that were not scuttled.

”Black Flag is a very readable account of the final days of Germany’s U-Boat fleet and students of the Kriegsmarine and submarine warfare, in general, will certainly want to add it to their collections. Novice readers, however, may find the level of detail overwhelming and should consider developing a stronger knowledge base before delving into this excellent study of the surrender of the undefeated German submarine navy as World War II drew to a close.”

Book News

“As Germany surrendered to the Allies in May of 1945, there were still thousands of Germans manning the dreaded U-boats operating off the coasts of Europe, the United States, and even as far away as Malaya. Managing the surrender of these forces without compromising the terms of the German surrender required restraint on both sides, although a number of unfortunate incidents nevertheless occurred. This volume describes the process of the surrender at sea and on land and discusses the fates of the U-boat crews and officers after their surrender.”

Stevo’s Book Reviews on the Internet

“On the eve of Germany's surrender in May 1945, Grossadmiral Karl Dönitz commanded thousands of loyal and active men of the U-boat service. Still fully armed and unbroken in morale, enclaves of these men occupied bases stretching from Norway to France, where cadres of Uboat men fought on in ports that defied besieging Allied troops to the last. At sea U-boats still operated on a war footing around Britain, the coasts of the United States and as far as Malaya. Following the agreement to surrender, these large formations needed to be disarmed – often by markedly inferior forces – and the boats at sea located and escorted into the harbors of their erstwhile enemies. Neither side knew entirely what to expect, and many of the encounters were tense; in some cases there were unsavory incidents, and stories of worse. For many Allied personnel it was their first glimpse of the dreaded U-boat menace and both sides were forced to exercise considerable restraint to avoid compromising the terms of Germany's surrender. One of the last but most dramatic acts of the naval war, the story of how the surrender was handled has never been treated at length before. This book uncovers much new material about the process itself and the ruthless aftermath for both the crews and their boats.”

About the Author

LAWRENCE PATERSON has written ten books on various aspects of the U-boat war, most recently Dönitz’s Last Gamble, published by Seaforth UK) in 2008.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press; First edition (October 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760337543
• ISBN-13: 978-0760337547
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,035,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Very Poorly Researched Book, November 7, 2009

By 

Ubootfahrer (Portsmouth, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black Flag: The Surrender of Germany's U-Boat Forces (Hardcover)

The surrender of the U-boats at the end of the Second World War was an involved and very interesting episode, but contrary the publisher's claim that 'This book uncovers much new material about the process...' it completely fails to cover any of the most important aspects of how it was organised and carried out. And despite the claim of 'unparalleled glimpses' obtained from RN veterans, I found it odd that none are named in the Acknowledgements, and did the author really spend time with Jurgen Oesten of U-861, only to come away with an anecdote that has already appeared in Matthew Sullivan's excellent 'Thresholds of Peace?
Had the author carried out some proper research and consulted prime documents and witnesses, he could have told a fascinating story, but he has instead relied largely on articles in the Navy News newspaper, other previously published works, and dubious stories from websites. Consequently, much of what he has written has appeared previously, while some of the website material is inaccurate. As an example, I would refer to the surrender of U-1009, which was escorted into Loch Eriboll by HMS Harlech Castle, not into Loch Ewe by HMS Beaumaris Castle.
Nor does the book adhere strictly to what should have been its main theme, i.e., the surrender of the U-boats. Instead, large parts deal with German Naval ground forces and the surrender of the beleaguered French ports.
The illustrations, too, are very poor, some being badly reproduced - a failing also observed in other recent Pen & Sword publications - and many do not show U-boats at all or are inappropriate. Günter Prien of U-47, for example, lost his life in early 1941,and there are many other photos which show events or personalities from much earlier in the war than 1945. Nor are the photographs particularly well captioned, omitting important information or repeating old myths, such as that U-532 surrendered in Liverpool on 10 May. In fact, it arrived at Liverpool on 17 May and had already surrendered at sea on the 10th.
Readers will find little in this book that is new.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars To detailed for this "overview reader", January 8, 2011

By 

Cayman - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black Flag: The Surrender of Germany's U-Boat Forces (Hardcover)

Black Flag has a great amoung of detail about each u-boat at the end of the war and many interesting photo's that make this a interesting read. I personally enjoy a book with more "overview", less detail and more stories about the personal happenings of crews that were involved in unusual situations.

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Black Flag, November 11, 2009

By 

Lonnie W. Morris Jr. - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black Flag: The Surrender of Germany's U-Boat Forces (Hardcover)

Great book on UBoats.Great research on what happened to the UBoats after Surrender.A must for serious collectors