Memoirs: Ten Years And Twenty Days [Paperback]

Karl Doenitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 1997

Commander of the U-boat fleet, Supreme Naval Commander, and finally Hitler's successor in the last days of the Third Reich, Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz (1891–1980) has been condemned as a Nazi and praised as one of the most brilliant and honorable military leaders of the war. His "wolfpack" tactics resulted in a handful of U-boats sinking 14.5 million tons and nearly deciding the Battle of the Atlantic. Sentenced to ten years at the Nuremberg Trials, Doenitz wrote his memoirs upon his release. In a clear firm style he discusses the planning and execution of the U-boat campaign; the controversial sinking of the Laconia; America's "neutrality" before its entry into the war; the Normandy invasion; the July 1944 bomb plot; his encounters with Raeder, Göring, Speer, Himmler, and Hitler; as well as his own brief tenure as the last Führer. Doenitz's invaluable work allows the reader to view the war at sea through the periscope's eye.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

About the Author

Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz (1891–1980) was the Third Reich’s Supreme Naval Commander, and finally Hitler's successor by the end of World War II.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306807645
• ISBN-13: 978-0306807640
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #953,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Revealing Book Regarding the U-boat War, November 3, 1999

By 

Kurt Chankaya (Nagoya, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memoirs: Ten years and twenty days

"Memoirs: Ten Years and 20 Days" is the autobiography of Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz, who commanded the German U-boat fleet from 1935 to 1945 (for ten years and 20 days - hence the title). Winston Churchill said that Doenitz's U-boats in the Atlantic were the only military threat that ever had him really worried, and this is an inside look at the man behind it. Doenitz, a U-boat commander in WWI, was captured and became a POW. He rose slowly in the peacetime navy, and then became commander of all U-boats just as Hitler's re-armament went into high gear. Still Doenitz describes how he had to struggle against the land mentality of the German military and Hitler (the navy never got more than 5% of German war production), and a woefully small U-boat fleet in the first few years of the war. Then allied countermeasures became so strong that after May 1943 the tide of the Battle of the Atlantic had clearly turned against the U-boats, their effectiveness dropping each month in tandem with their increasing casualties. The vast majority of his crews died in battle - a higher percentage than any other field of service. Yet his crews never faltered in their volunteer service, despite the suicidal losses. That he could inspire such loyalty is a tribute to his leadership skill and style, which he discusses in detail. Considered a war criminal and submarine warfare considered piracy by the allies, he was tried and convicted at Nuremberg, where one of his chief defense witnesses was US Admiral Nimitz, whose submarine war in the Pacific against Japan was, if anything, even more ruthless. The book contains many interesting insights and details from a man who, by all accounts, was a principled warrior devoid of Nazi beliefs or political ambition - an apolitical approach to command that won respect and trust from an unusual corner: Hitler. Doenitz ended up succeeding Hitler as Fuhrer, during which, among other things, he fired Himmler (Doenitz conducted the actual surrender to the allies). The book is well written, and a good insight into 'the other side'. He is clearly defensive about being a convicted war criminal, and makes and interesting and impassioned case that the US was grossly violating neutrality long before its entry into WWII (most historians agree). He was also unaware of how totally compromised his radio traffic was ('Ultra' was still secret when he wrote his memoirs), so there is no reflection on how his gabby, tightly centralized (and therefore radio traffic intensive) command style contributed to his defeat both through decrypts and radio direction finding. Like any commander's memoirs, this is not the balanced history a 'first timer' in the subject should read, but it is an interesting and important read for anyone interested in either WWII sub warfare or the dynamics of command, as long as one already has some background in the subject.

22 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Once You Start You May Never Stop, February 1, 2004

By 

David D'Angelo (Ottawa, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memoirs: Ten years and twenty days

My friend lent me this book. It was my first book on the naval aspect of the Second World War. I figured after the hundreds I had read on the land and air element I should start to look into the naval war. I could not put this book down, I devoured it. I have been gobbling up submarine books since that day.
Wow! First you have to be awed by the fact that this is a book written by the man that became the successor to Hitler. Second, its the best way to get the big picture of the U-boat campaign from the German viewpoint. Doenitz wrote this before he found out about allied successes in breaking his naval codes.
There are many fascinating stories here, about individual submarine actions, convoy battles, raids, rescue missions. Great stuff that you could make into great movies some day. You really get a good sense of how close the Germans were to winning the war. Thankfully, and Doenitz goes into it, the Third Reich did not take the U-boat arm seriously until it was too late. Whew!
Doenitz was charged with war crimes after the war and jailed. Specifically for conducting unrestricted submarine warfare.
Like every nazi that seems to write after the war - he defends himself by saying that being at the front he was not aware of everything going on back at home. Truth? Maybe, maybe not. But you cannot stop yourself from sympathizing with the man who was left holding the bag in May of 1945. We forget that the Allies waged unrestricted submarine warfare against the Japanese from the beginning. Doenitz has written that some American admirals were sympathetic after the war, and tried to get him acquitted. Very interesting story. A must for every World War Two reader.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic book!, January 23, 2000

By 

J. Naftali "karkarodon" (Sherman Oaks, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Memoirs: Ten Years And Twenty Days (Paperback)

As a student of history, I found this book to be an excellent source for WWII history. Not only does he discuss the battles and the commanders, he also discussed the realities of war, and dealing with Hitler. A must read for anyone interested in WWII.