The U-Boat: The Evolution and Technical History of German Submarines [Hardcover]

Eberhard Rossler (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cassell Military | Publication Date: May 28, 2002

It's the enthusiast's bible of U-boat history and development, with more detail and technical information than any other book on the subject. Displaying photographic coverage second to none, it has a wealth of submarine plans and profiles that illustrate every aspect of design and operation. Track the constant improvements implemented from World War I to World War II and beyond: the single-drive models, small and midget versions, the move to high submerge speed, the change to Type XXI and XXIII constructions, and production in the twilight of Nazi defeat. A Selection of the Military Book Club.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Cassell (May 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0304361208
• ISBN-13: 978-0304361205
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #699,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The U-Boat : The Evolution and Technical History of German S, February 13, 2002

By 

Donald M. Prince "Don_" (Lexington, South Carolina United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The U-Boat: The Evolution and Technical History of German Submarines (Hardcover)

I purchased the book "The U-Boat: The Evolution and Technical History of German Submarines" used [...]several months ago. The book was translated and published by the Naval Institute Press in 1981 (Hard Cover, 384 pages). The Original book by Eberhard Rossler has been published several times in Germany. The last publication was in 1996 by Bernhard & Graefe Verlang and the title is "Geschichte Des Deutchen Ubootbaus," Band 1 (Volume 1) and Band 2 (Volume 2) Hard Cover, 550 total pages, plus an additional 19 folded blue print sheets in the back of the books.

This Naval Institute Press book is difficult to read because of the size of the print type. This was done because of the volumes of information contained within the constraints of a single volume format. Throughout the book, the quality of the photographs don't meet the standards of books printed in modern print shops today. However, I believe Eberhard Rossler is the definitive expert when it comes to the German U-boat. This book covers the U-boat origins, W.W.I and W.W.II developments (and much more), and some information on NATO U-boats up until the mid 70's (1974). It wound be a fantastic book on U-boats, if a modern publisher would use the contents of the original German books and include all the separate blue prints.

I purchased my copy of the Naval Institute Press book in near mint condition for my personal library. In my opinion, this was a good investment.

Update:

The Cassell & Co re-printed edition 2002 is exactly the same as the Naval Press edition printed in 1989 (format and size). The new dust cover is excellent and the print is much sharper and darker. This book is an excellent buy for the U-Boat enthusiast.

Printer's Error:

The U-Boat drawing on page 118 is labeled as a "Type VII C". This is not correct! In fact, this error was also in the Naval Press edition printed in 1989. The German text edition printed in 1996 identifies it correctly as a "Type IX C" on page 169. The Type VII C never had two stern torpedo tubes side-by-site.

Don_

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FROM GARY MANSFIELD - TYPE XXI, June 13, 2003

By 

GARY MANSFIELD (DERBYSHIRE UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The U-Boat: The Evolution and Technical History of German Submarines (Hardcover)

This book is worth the money!
It dispells any myths and stories about u-boats, and tells the full story of consturtion and building problems more so in WWII.
A very good read for sub modellers!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent technical history of German Uboats, September 7, 2004

By 

C. FAN (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The U-Boat: The Evolution and Technical History of German Submarines (Hardcover)

Excellent history of German Uboats. Highly recommended. A few more structural drawings showing engineering development would be nice.