Lone Wolf: The Life and Death of U-Boat Ace Werner Henke [Hardcover]

Timothy P. Mulligan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0275936775 | ISBN-13: 978-0275936778 | Publication Date: August 30, 1993 | Edition: First

This book relates the life and the death of the rebel German seaman who became one of the most successful U-Boat commanders of World War II. The story of Werner Henke--and a narrative outlining the history of his boat, U-515, and its crew--forms the basis for a biography of a man who defies the stereotypes of German character, who never fit in as a career officer in the German Navy, but who chose a suicidal death in acceptance of the code of the military service whose rules he continually bent and broke. Though the story Mulligan relates is engrossing and action-packed, it is also a carefully documented study that breaks new ground in uncovering the sociological background of Henke and his crew; in short, it is a study in German history as well as a biography of a U-Boat Commander. Examining the backgrounds and attitudes of the crew, including their views on Hitler and the treatment of the Jews, Mulligan sheds new light on the men who constituted an elite in Hitler's Wehrmacht. The story of U-515 is also closely correlated to the overall conduct of the U-Boat war, including assessments of Karl Donitz's strategy, the influence of technological innovations, and the contributions of Allied signal intelligence. Henke's confrontation with the Gestapo and a detailed account of the sinking of the passenger liner Ceramic further add to the story, revealing the complex reality behind an image too long dominated by propaganda stereotypes.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this scholarly study, Mulligan, an archivist at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., offers fresh insights into the Battle of the Atlantic through the story of a U-boat service that would ultimately lose three quarters of its men, and a portrait of one its most successful and controversial commanders. In 20 months as captain of U-515 Werner Henke sank or crippled 26 allied ships. Impetuous and self-willed, he was constantly at odds with Nazi authorities. This behavior, shows the author, reflected not principled resistance, but intolerance for rear-echelon heroes. When U-515 was captured by the U.S. and Henke was sent to an interrogation center, he rushed the camp's fence and was shot and killed. Partly motivated by fear of being tried as a war criminal, Henke, concludes Mulligan, was also a product of Nazi conditioning, which emphasized the duty to choose death when hope of victory was gone. His story stands as a paradigm for the fate of countless others during warfare.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This excellent though odd volume studies a World War II German submarine captain who ran up a high score of sinkings well after Allied defenses made the career of a German U-boat man short and unhappy. Captured after his boat was finally sunk in 1944, Werner Henke became the victim of a questionable ruse on the part of his captors and was shot while making an escape so desperate it must be accounted a suicide. Mulligan uses a comprehensive array of primary and secondary sources to paint a vivid portrait not only of this maverick of the Kriegsmarine but of a whole generation of German naval officers, especially U-boat veterans. Roland Green

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers; First edition (August 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275936775
• ISBN-13: 978-0275936778
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #576,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great accomplishment at bringing a clear picture of the German U-boat wars., February 10, 2007

By 

Douglas E. Libert "howitt" (parkersburg wv) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lone Wolf: The Life and Death of U-Boat Ace Werner Henke (Paperback)

another truly great u-boat book that gives a studied approach to the WW2 submarine conflict and also downgrades Buchheim"s Das Boot as a true picture of a U-Boat crew.Buchheim describes the typical German u-boat sailor as so young that he terms their role in the submarine service as a "childrens crusade" however according to Mulligan's statistics this is not so.Also this book compares the different type of U-Boats-the niners and the sevens and gives their capacities and their shortcomings.The crews of these boats came mainly from cental and northern Germany,the more industrial regions which contradicts what i had previously read that these crews were from rural areas. Also there is an interesting chapter about the U-boat pecking order which makes absurdity of Buchheims,' Das Boot crews","we are one in suffering"mentality.The crews from this books' read seem like they would act as individuals guarding their own turf but can function as a team,indeed that would probably make for a more efficient crew as well as better for morale.You're going to love this book if you're into the Battle of the Atlantic,human interest stories mixed with some good statistics.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Loved the Book, If Not Henke!, August 29, 2008

By 

John W. Dacey (Sherman Oaks, Ca USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lone Wolf: The Life and Death of U-Boat Ace Werner Henke (Hardcover)

"Lone Wolf" is a very interesting book, biography/history told in a compelling fashion! The author, Timothy Mulligan, is to be congratulated on the different focus which he puts on the upbringing of Kapitaenleutnant Werner Henke, a very successful, if not overly bright German Submarine Commander during the last big war (it was in all of the papers!). Mulligan Illustrates differences between Naval Academies in the USA and Germany, which are very clever weeding-out processes and pecking order heirarchies within particular submarines, I guess one can find "office politics" everywhere. There is also eye-opening material about the aspect of intelligence/espionage and propaganda as used by both sides in the "Battle of the Atlantic" Unfortunately, though not a Nazi by any stretch or use of the word, Henke was not without integrity which more than likely lead to his undoing! That and an innate gullibility led to his demise. It's a good book, though, not $120.00 good but you should read it if submarines are a vital part of your interest!