From Hunter to Hunted
The U-Boat War in the Atlantic, 1939-1943
Published on 1. April 2021
208 pages
978-1-5267-6360-0 (ISBN)
Description
T
he author of
Churchill's Thin Grey Line shares case histories from World War II's Battle of the Atlantic featuring the German U-boat.
In the early stages of World War II, Donitz's U-boats generally adhered to Prize rules, surfacing before attacking and making every effort to preserve the lives of their victims' crews. But, with the arming of merchantmen and greater risk of damage or worse, they increasingly attacked without warning.
So successful was the U-boat campaign that Churchill saw it as the gravest threat the nation faced. The low point was the March 1943 attack on convoys SC122 and HX229 when 44 U-boats sank 22 loaded ships.
The pendulum miraculously swung with improved tactics and technology. In May, 1943, out of a force of over 50 U-boats that challenged ONS5, eight were sunk and 18 were damaged, some seriously. Such losses were unsustainable, and, with allied yards turning out ships at ever increasing rates, Donitz withdrew his wolf packs from the North Atlantic.
Expert naval author and historian Bernard Edwards traces the course of the battle of the Atlantic through a series of thrilling engagement case studies.
Praise for From Hunter to Hunted
"Expertly written, it portrayed the perils and dramas of warfare in the North Atlantic between the convoys and German U boats ... Reading [Edwards's] accounts made me feel as though I was present. A cracking and informative read- I will definitely read more by Captain Edwards and I highly commend it." -Adrian Greaves, author of The Zulus at War
In the early stages of World War II, Donitz's U-boats generally adhered to Prize rules, surfacing before attacking and making every effort to preserve the lives of their victims' crews. But, with the arming of merchantmen and greater risk of damage or worse, they increasingly attacked without warning.
So successful was the U-boat campaign that Churchill saw it as the gravest threat the nation faced. The low point was the March 1943 attack on convoys SC122 and HX229 when 44 U-boats sank 22 loaded ships.
The pendulum miraculously swung with improved tactics and technology. In May, 1943, out of a force of over 50 U-boats that challenged ONS5, eight were sunk and 18 were damaged, some seriously. Such losses were unsustainable, and, with allied yards turning out ships at ever increasing rates, Donitz withdrew his wolf packs from the North Atlantic.
Expert naval author and historian Bernard Edwards traces the course of the battle of the Atlantic through a series of thrilling engagement case studies.
Praise for From Hunter to Hunted
"Expertly written, it portrayed the perils and dramas of warfare in the North Atlantic between the convoys and German U boats ... Reading [Edwards's] accounts made me feel as though I was present. A cracking and informative read- I will definitely read more by Captain Edwards and I highly commend it." -Adrian Greaves, author of The Zulus at War
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Book
02/2020
Pen & Sword Maritime
€44.79
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Person
Bernard Edwards pursued a sea-going career commanding ships trading worldwide. After nearly forty years afloat. Captain Edwards settled in a tiny village in rural South Wales, to pursue his second career as a writer. His extensive knowledge of the sea and ships has enabled him to produce many authentic and eminently readable books which have received international recognition.
