Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939-45 / Chris Bishop.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The Kriegsmarine's submarines, the U-boats, were to prove the most effective and deadly arm of the German navy in World War II. Built to harass Allied shipping, the U-boat 'wolfpacks' almost succeeded in bringing Britain to her knees in their campaign to restrict supplies and materiel from crossing the Atlantic. By the end of 1942, U-boats had sunk 1664 vessels - 7.26 million tonnes of shipping. Divided by flotilla, this detailed book offers a complete organizational breakdown of U-boat units, from the beginning of the war in the North Atlantic through to the last days of the Reich. Each chapter includes a compact history of the U-boat flotilla's role and impact on the course of the conflict, as well as unit markings, orders of battle, lists of commanders and numbers of kills. Every type of German submarine is featured, including Types II, VII, IX, XII, XIV, XVII, XXI, XXIII, as well as the numerous variants of the basic types. Each submarine profile is accompanied by exhaustive specifications, as well as details of individual and unit markings. Packed with 300 colour profiles of every major type of German U-boat, this unique book is an essential guide for modellers, military historians and naval warfare enthusiasts alike.