Teddy Suhren: Ace of Aces: Memoirs of a U-boat Rebel [Hardcover]

Teddy Suhren (Author), Fritz Brustat-naval (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2006

Teddy Suhren, the commander of U-564, was one of the most successful U-boat skippers of World War II. He is said to have fired more successful torpedo shots than any other submariner during the war and was the first junior officer to be awarded the Knight’s Cross for his achievements. By war’s end he had earned a Knight’s Cross with Oak Sword and is credited with sinking eighteen ships plus a British corvette and damaging four other ships. One of the lucky few to survive the war, Suhren wrote his memoirs in German with the help of a journalist friend under the title Nasses Eichenlaub. This English translation of the popular work is the first to be available.

Suhren remains a legend within the U-boat world mostly for his good humor and irreverent and rebellious nature, which frequently got him into trouble with higher authorities. Despite his refusal to conform, however, he had access to the highest circles of power in Nazi Germany. Suhren’s reminiscences of those times make for some fascinating reading and include descriptions of social events few were privileged to attend.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: United States Naval Inst. (May 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591148510
• ISBN-13: 978-1591148517
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #834,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An important addition to the history of the U-Boat war., March 11, 2006

By 

Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Teddy Suhren: Ace of Aces: Memoirs of a U-boat Rebel (Hardcover)

Whenever I review a book about U-Boats, I automatically think of (and usually mention) Gunther Prien and Otto Kretschmer. After having read this book, however, I think my first choice of name should have been Teddy Suhren.

Suhren was a legend within the U-Boat service during WW2 and this is his story. The detail comes from his own papers and photographs revealing a U-Boat commander who was incredibly successful. His own personal patrol range included the eastern coast of the United States as well as the Indian Ocean. What endears any reader to Suhren as a person, however, is not only his success, and outstanding leadership skills, but also his sense of humour and the fact that he was a rebel and often in trouble with his superiors.

In a book which is clearly thoroughly researched, this author has put together an important work which will fill many gaps for those with an interest in the exciting and dangerous art of U-Boat warfare during WW2. I particularly liked the way in which the carefully selected photographs are used - appearing on each relevant page and not found in a small glossy collection in the middle of the book. In this way, each picture is relevant to the adjacent text and does much to support one's reading of the work as opposed to creating an interruption as the reader searches to find something located elsewhere.

Altogether, this is an excellent work - exactly what I have come to expect from these particular publishers.

NM

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ace of Aces, July 8, 2007

By 

Austin C., Craig "U-Boat enthusiast" (Parkland, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teddy Suhren: Ace of Aces: Memoirs of a U-boat Rebel (Hardcover)

Excellent account of an interesting WW2 U-Boat Commander,not your typical German stereotype, Teddy Suhren's autobiography is a must read for anyone interested in the Battle of the Atlantic and the U-Boat Campaign of the East Coast of Florida. Suhren is a fun loving, professional who works hard and plays hard.

Highly recommend the book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the more interesting U-boat books, June 9, 2008

By 

Toe Tag (Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Teddy Suhren: Ace of Aces: Memoirs of a U-boat Rebel (Hardcover)

This is an excellent account of one man's war as a submarine officer in World War Two and significant work within this area of study.

I found this book to be a bit of a pleasant surprise. Not only does the book have dozens of great photographs documenting Suhren's experience. The book reminds me extensively of the movie Das Boot and gives the reader good perspective of submarine operations.

Things I enjoyed about this book are the stories of working among the sailors as a team and how Suhren made a special effort to take care of his sailors. I also enjoyed his description of action off the Florida coast. Since I'm familiar with the area he writes of it's particularly fascinating reading. In fact a person can almost imagine what it was like years ago when the attacks took place.

My only criticism of the book centers on the old fashioned writing style of the book. In some place entire pages are devoted to one large paragraph. And while this may not be daunting to some. It certainly doesn't make things easier from an esthetic standpoint for the reader. The other thing to consider is this is a specialty book, and a good solid foundation in the general history of the war would help a new reader understand the significant place U-boats have in the history of the war.

If you're interested in the U-boat war I would suggest you read U-boat Commander by Peter Cremer and The Shooting War by Otto Giese. Both are excellent easy to read books on the topic.