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Raiders of the Deep (Classics of Naval Literature)

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Llowell Thomas, the American reporter commissioned to cover WWI by President Woodrow Wilson, gathered material for this book in the mid-1920s from face-to-face interviews with the Kriegsmarine U-boat commanders. These were men who, despite the terrible odds of against them, were lucky enough to survive the war. The book is divided into 36 chapters, each of which is usually a fascinating submarine combat story as recalled by the actual U-boat commander or one of his officers. But this is not a comprehensive history of WWI submarines. Most of the interviewees were Germany's leading submarine aces during the war - Hersing, Weddigen, Speiss, Arnauld de la Pierre, Hartwig, Hashagen, Spiegel, and Schweiger - or of their immediate surviving subordinates.

The book relates how 10 years' after the war Thomas interviewed each korvettenkapitan (the rank of most U-boat commanders) at their offices, pubs, hotels, homes, and even in the very Naval Club where the U-boat commanders met during the war (p. 133). Many famous sinkings (including the liners Lusitania and Arabic, the battleships Triumph and Majestic, the old armored cruisers Hogue, Cressy and Aboukir), submarine activity off the American coast, and countless forgotten stories are recounted.

Most of the stories are gripping in their detail of the truly dangerous life aboard one of Wilhelmine Germany's early 'iron coffins'. Engine failure, erratic diving behavior, asphyxiation, ramming attacks, minefields, depth charges, Q-ships, and even enemy submarines were just some of the everyday risks intrepid U-boat crews continually faced. Despite all the risks, some U-boat commanders, notably Arnauld de la Pierre, still adhered to the chivalrous prize rules in theatres where they could such as the Mediterranean. But even the most dangerous of enterprises also has it's share of unbelievably ridiculous and humorous situations - 'baby on board', searches for fresh vegetables, sailors' superstitions, etc.

This is a popular history book - very few notes, no bibliography or confirmation of the witness' stories - written by a contemporarily popular reporter in 1928. So, don't expect any academic features except an index. But that's not the point of this book anyway. The reason Thomas wrote the book was to finally tell the story from the Germans' perspective, which of course was absolutely impossible during the war itself. After tempers had cooled 10 years on, this book and other ones like it giving the German version of events were greedily consumed by the British and American publics.

Lowell Thomas, in 1928, did the remarkable. He scoured Germany to interview its top, surviving U-boat commanders from World War I. This book is their story in their own words, as told to Thomas.

It's a remarkable collection of sea tales from a time of both extraordinary bravery and chivalry. Yes, chivalry. Contrary to the poplular tales, the U-boat commanders did not machine gun life boats. More often than not, they showed a degree of kindness and humaneness to their enemy that is long since forgotten in warfare.

Of particular interest are the long distance forays by the U-boats into U.S. waters near the end of the war. This is a part of the war that gets very little attention. But these guys really took it to the enemy homeland in a way that got huge results for the small number of ships that actually made the trip across the Atlantic.

A first rate work in every way. A glimpse into a past that will never again exist. Could not put it down.

As a former submariner I enjoyed this book immensely. I could not put it down until I finished it and want to thank my friend and son in law, Stan Myers for giving me this book. In addition to it's publication year 1928 concendincal to my birth year, it's history regarding the use of this weapon of war was astonishing. Having served with shipmates who remember the loss of world war two shipmates because of faulty torpedoes, I am at a loss to understand why this country, after defeating the Germans in world war one, did not research the German torpedoes design in 1928. It was without a doubt, according to this book, a very effective weapon. At the start of WW2 our submarine force was at a very sever disadvantage because of faulty weapons. Im at a loss to understand this and I will make every effort possible to have this book read by current and past submariners.

This is more of a commentary than a review. The book holds a special interest for me, as my mother, Josephine Lehman, worked for Lowell Thomas between 1926 and 1931 and crossed the Atlantic twice in 1927 and 1928 to interview the German U-boat captains featured in this book. Her diary and letters expand on her experiences in Germany and England, as she searched out her men. I want to correct the obvious and common assumption that Lowell Thomas did the research and interviewing; he did not. Lehman was a ghost writer, and while LT credited her for her work personally, ghost writers did not get their name up front with the well-known authors at that time. I am pointing this out for the sake of historial accuracy, and because this work was done by a young woman who had carved out an exceptional career for herself at a time just shortly after women received the vote. This should add to the interest of any who read this book, which deserved to be reissued as the first world war fades from memory. Especially interesting for readers living on the eastern seaboard is the chapter about the series of U-boat attacks off the New Jersey shore during June 1918 -- the interaction between the German commanders and the prisoners they took on board after sinking their sailing ships describes a form of "chivalrous" warfare long gone. Amusing too. Read it and see what happens when the two New England sea captains, both prisoners, meet.

"Raiders of the Deep: German U-Boats in World War I" was a book by Lowell Thomas, best known as a radio broadcaster and author, where he interviewed and let the German U-Boat commanders in World War I tell their side of the story. The book was originally published in 1928, 10 years after the end of World War I.

The book gives, in first person terms, what it was like to serve, fight, and die on U-Boats during a time when submarines were far from the sleek, sophisticated weapons of destruction that they are today. Much like the airplanes in World War I, the submarines themselves were often more dangerous to their crew than the enemy, particularly early in the war.

This book gives German first person accounts for many well known incidents, such as the sinking of the Lusitania, the sinking of the battleships Triumph and Majestic on consecutive days while they were supporting the Gallipoli campaign, and many other stories. The stories themselves are gripping and fast paced, and give you a real sense of what the submariners were going through.

Be warned that this is a "popular" history book and not a serious study of the war. Many "facts" do not appear to have been closely checked. For example, one story relates that the U-31 had been found by the British on the surface with the all the crew dead (from gas poisoning), several months after it had gone missing, sort of a German version of the Flying Dutchman, who then towed the boat to a British base. This tale makes a good story but is not true, and may have been a case where a German skipper was pulling Mr Thomas's leg a bit. (The U-31 did go missing while on patrol, but was never found.) Also, there isn't a really comprehensive review of the conduct of the U-Boat war here, more a collection of sea stories. If you're looking for a more thorough review of the war, but still with some first person anecdotes, I recommend "The Killing Time, the U-Boat War, 1914-1918", by Edwyn A. Gray. (Mr. Gray borrows heavily from Mr Thomas's book - with his permission - for many of the anecdotes he provides.)

Overall, this is a well written, interesting book that gives you an excellent feel for submarine warfare while the U-Boats were in their infancy, and I recommend it. Just don't believe everything you read.

I wanted something special for someone whose grandfather commanded a WWI uboat. He knows almost nothing of his grandfather. Lowell Thomas should provide a dashing glimce into what it was like for those men. Where else could I find a book like this in minutes?

I have one of the original copies of this book, and enjoyed it immensely when i was younger. it's a great book for teenagers, since it provides all the breathlessness (something for which Thomas is noted) of the adventures of the sea without the coarseness sometimes found in military stories.