“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 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.

A deep dive into the fate of German submarines lost during the Second World War. “This has to be the best reference you can find on the subject.”—Military Modelling No other publication on this subject comes even close to including the amount of detail provided in this book. An introduction both summarizes previous works on the subject and describes the difficulties of obtaining and verifying information from either the Germans or the Allies on U-boat losses. The main part of the book lists by hull number each U-boat’s date of commissioning, its commanding officer, and the date and port of departure for its last patrol. It also gives the date, position, and cause of loss of each submarine, with complete details on Allied units involved in the sinking, the names and ranks of their commanding officers and pilots, and the number of crew killed or rescued. An appendix neatly summarizes data on the disposition of surviving U-boats at the end of the war and provides valuable statistical data on German U-boat losses. “Highly recommended for every serious scholar of the Atlantic war, and every library in naval history and the history of the Second World War.”—The Mariner’s Mirror “The level of detail is quite impressive and this edition is the result of 16 years of further research since the first edition . . . If you are seeking data on the fate of U-Boats then this book should be your ‘first place of call’—no other book has such detailed data.”—Military Archive Research