Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2054837 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 363 pages

Synopsis
In this oral history of the U-boats of the Great War, Lowell Thomas introduces many of the great pioneering submariners such as Hersing, Steinbrink, Hashagen and the most successful submarine commander of all time, the remarkable von Arnauld. Their stories relate how the U-Boat War was nearly won, then lost in a conning-tower view of the great struggle for supremacy of the shipping lanes.

Customer Reviews

vivid recreation of exploits of WWI U-boat captains
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.

World War I U-boat skippers tell their stories
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.