Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939-45 (1) (New Vanguard) (v. 1) [Paperback]

Gordon Williamson (Author), Ian Palmer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: New Vanguard | Publication Date: May 25, 2002

This, the first of two volumes on Germany's World War II U-boats, traces their development from the early U-boats of the Kaiser's Navy, the prohibition on Germany having U-boats following the Armistice in 1918 and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles, the secret development of U-boats using a 'cover-firm' in Holland, culminating in the formation of the 1st U-boat Flotilla in 1935 with the modern Type II. The operational history section includes examples from the Classes Type VIIA, Type VIIB, VIID, VIIE and VIIF before concentrating on the mainstay of the U-boat arm, the Type VIIC. Comparisons are also made with the standard allied submarines, their strengths, weaknesses and U-boat tactics.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The unrivalled illustrated reference on fighting vehicles, transport and artillery through the ages. Each volume is illustrated throughout, making these books uniquely accessible to history enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author

Gordon Williamson was born in 1951 and currently works for the Scottish Land Register. He spent seven years with the military Police TA and has published a number of books and articles on the decorations of the Third Reich and their winners. He is author of a number of World War II titles for Osprey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (May 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841763632
• ISBN-13: 978-1841763637
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #629,732 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This is a Pamphlet, not a Book., November 11, 2004

By 

J. D. Lashley (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939-45 (1) (New Vanguard) (v. 1) (Paperback)

If you want to learn about U-Boats pass this one up. What you end up with is a cleverly marketed first half of a small booklet. I was enfuriated to see that I have to buy the second volume just to end up with what is a 100 plus page pamphlet on U-Boats for twenty five dollars all told after purchase.
Osprey does well in presenting targeted overviews of certain subjects but they are starting to carry this marketing strategy to an extreme. I have seen enough of this now with other Osprey titles that I have this advice for would be book buyers: If it says NEW VANGUARD somewhere on the cover...pass on it. If its an "Osprey" publication, get a good look at it before you buy and make sure its not part of one of their "series" ploys first.

17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars For Junior High., February 2, 2006

By 

Johannes Felten (Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939-45 (1) (New Vanguard) (v. 1) (Paperback)

Oh, well, I made the mistake of not having read the first two reviews otherwise I could have saved myself a few $$$.

The first two reviews are accurate and there's really not much to add here, but I will emphasize a couple of aspects. It seems to me that to address the complexity of the U-boat force in two short pamphlets is quite inadequate and even insulting for the serious reader. I only have the first one and it's 48 pages short. There can be no justification whatsoever to split this subject up into two seperate "volumes" unless each one were a few hundred pages long.

I don't find the illustrations particularly good either. There is a double page illustration of the inside of a U-boat but it's not very detailed, too small, and a little dark. There are also full-page sized comic book style illustrations which may be nice but don't convey any information at all. There are some illustrations of different versions of conning towers, but they're too small.

The written information is, however, well conveyed, but there's just too little of it.
To me the whole thing seems to be more like a popular booklet for junior high school kids who show some interest in the subject.

23 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars a primer, June 13, 2004

By 

Joe Garrett "retired sub sailor" (Groton, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939-45 (1) (New Vanguard) (v. 1) (Paperback)

This is a very basic primer.
Of little use to anyone who is interested in U- boats. There are many other books that are more interesting, have more facts and more pictures and illustrations.
I read the entire book in a couple of hours.
Some of the pictures were interesting but hardly worth the price of the book.