CONVOY: The Greatest U-boat Battle of the War (Cassell Military Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Martin Middlebrook (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2007 | Series: Cassell Military Paperbacks

An assured supply of armaments, petrol and foodstuffs from the US was vital to the British war effort, especially in the early days of the Second World War. The route across the north Atlantic, treacherous enough in itself, was made infinitely more so by German U-boats prowling in their wolf packs, ready for the quick kill. Merchant ships, slow and defenceless, were gathered in great convoys and shepherded across the pond by their escort destroyers, frigates and corvettes, offering at least some protection against the unseen enemy. Martin Middlebrook's account of two such convoys encompasses all the danger, drama and sheer awfulness of life - and death - at sea in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Martin Middlebrook is distinguished for his detailed analysis of major military actions and this work, first published in 1976, retains an honoured place in the bibliography of the Battle of the Atlantic.' SHIPS TELEGRAPH (Ministy of Defence) Oct 03

About the Author

Following his first book, The First Day on the Somme, Martin Middlebrook has published a series of books on major turning points in the two World Wars - all classics of military history.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Cassell; 2nd Edition edition (February 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304365785
• ISBN-13: 978-0304365784
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,612,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > World War II > Naval
  • #59 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > Naval

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ENGAGING AND WELL DOCUMENTED, May 19, 2005

By 

SuperSchtroumpf (Lyon, France) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: CONVOY: The Greatest U-boat Battle of the War (Cassell Military Paperbacks) (Paperback)

Martin Middlebrook's World War II books are very much alike - and that is to say engaging, well-written, balanced, and original work. This book is a little slow at times, but that reflects the swings of the Atlantic War, whether during a single convoy or an entire "campaign".

Middlebrook uses a lot of narratives that he copies and pastes into his books. These unfortunately substitute, to some extent, for good analysis and rigorous reviews of archives; and it is not certain that these recollections are accurate or representative. However, they add a great first-person perspective, help keep the story moving, and I do not doubt that they were selected as best as possible.

One fundamental problem I have with this book is that though it might have been the largest U-Boat engagement of the war, it was not necessarily decisive or critical. Indeed, it could be seen as just another day in the Atlantic War, but just a little larger. In this sense, Black May by Michael Gannon may be better in that it has a "thesis" or theme - the point at which the Battle of the Atlantic shifted to the Allied advantage. This "Black May" was sort of the El Alamein for U-Boats.

Similarly, Gannon's Operation Drumbeat book is a fascinating demonstration of American unpreparedness and poor tactics and resource allocation.

In conclusion, this is not *THE* U-boat book to read, but it is well done and is a good balance between a fixed period of time or single operation and the much less useful, broader, books about "the U-Boats in WWII" or something else similarly vague.