“Describ[es] the Type VII and its place in the history of warfare . . . probably the finest book on German submarines of WWII available in print.”—Firetrench First conceived in the mid–1930s, the Type VII was still in production in the closing stages of the Second World War a decade later. Subject to continuous improvement through six major variants and with around 650 completed, it was built in larger numbers than any other submarine design in history. It formed the backbone of the Kriegsmarine’s campaign against merchant shipping for the whole of the war, and in terms of tonnage sunk was by far the most successful U-boat type. This encyclopedic work combines a technical description of the type in all its variations with a history of its development and an overview of its most significant operations—especially those convoy battles that were to have a crucial impact on the evolution of the design and its equipment. A particular attraction of the book is the comprehensive visual coverage—photographs of virtually every aspect of design, construction, fittings and shipboard life; highly detailed general arrangement plans and close-up scale drawings; and, with modelmakers in mind, a stunning collection of full-color three-dimensional illustrations of every external feature and variant of the boats. There have been many books on U-boats reflecting an enduring public interest so any new offering has to be special. With its unique concentration of information and illustrative reference, Type VII is unrivalled. “A comprehensive history of the Kriegsmarine’s most potent weapon . . . includes detailed modelmakers’ plans together with over 320 photographs.”—Maritime Advisor

The ShipCraft series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeller through a brief history of the subject class, highlighting differences between sister-ships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring colour profiles and highly-detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the ships, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references books, monographs, large-scale plans and websites.This volume is devoted to the largest class of submarines ever built, the Type VII, which formed the backbone of the German effort in the critical Battle of the Atlantic. A pre-war design, the Type VII was developed as the campaign progressed and was still in frontline service in 1945. All the major variants, as well as minor changes to equipment, are covered here. With its unparalleled level of visual information paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs it is simply the best reference for any modelmaker setting out to build one of these famous boats.

The Type VII U-boat was the backbone of the fighting strength of Nazi Germany's U-boats at the outbreak of the Second World War ni 1939. This volume provides a full description of the class.

An insight into the design, construction and operation of the feared World War 2 German Type VIIC U-boat. The German Type VIIC U-boat, scourge of Allied shipping convoys during the Second World War, was the workhorse of the German U-boat force. With some 568 Type VIIs in use between 1940 and 1945 it was a potent fighting vessel that could hunt for long periods in the far reaches of the western and southern Atlantic. Centerpiece of the Haynes U-boat Owners' Workshop Manual is the sole surviving example of a Type VIIC U-boat, U-995, which is on display at the German Naval Memorial near Kiel in northern Germany.

The Type VII U-boat was the quintessential U-boat, the one that comes to mind whenever the subject of the Battle of the Atlantic in World War Two is raised. This book describes in detail the technological war fought by and against the Type VII U-boat and is illustrated with a marvellous selection of photographs and line drawings. Interviews with U-boat veterans and access to plentiful naval records have given the author the means to provide a fascinating insight into both life aboard a cramped vessel and the practical methods used both to track and destroy the enemy and to avoid his often fatal searches. As the war turned against Germany, this led to experimentation with technical systems that were often years ahead of their time. With its appendixes on paint schemes, boats built and a profile of Donitz, this is a valuable contribution to the study of the U-boat arm, which will be warmly welcomed by naval enthusiasts.

This, the first of two volumes on Germany's World War II U-boats, traces their development from the early U-boats of the Kaiser's Navy, the prohibition on Germany having U-boats following the Armistice in 1918 and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles, the secret development of U-boats using a 'cover-firm' in Holland, culminating in the formation of the 1st U-boat Flotilla in 1935 with the modern Type II. The operational history section includes examples from the Classes Type VIIA, Type VIIB, VIID, VIIE and VIIF before concentrating on the mainstay of the U-boat arm, the Type VIIC. Comparisons are also made with the standard allied submarines, their strengths, weaknesses and U-boat tactics.