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Hitler's U-Boat Fortresses

by Randolph Bradham (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
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The French naval bases at St. Nazaire and Lorient, occupied by the Germans in June 1940, quickly became the homes of massive U-boat fortresses―nearly indestructible submarine pens, built by mostly slave labor. The Royal Air Force began an all-out bombardment of the two ports. Despite their extensive efforts―and those of the Americans who joined them in 1942―the fortresses would survive, surrounded by the decimated French towns and countryside. This is the story of what was, perhaps, the longest ongoing battle in Europe during the Second World War, seen through the eyes of someone who experienced much of it firsthand.

The desperate battle was waged on land, air, and sea. Because the dock at St. Nazaire could house and repair Hitler's powerful warship Tirpitz, British commandos carried out a daring raid to destroy it in March of 1942. They succeeded, but with great loss of life. The defenses of these fortresses were so strong that Eisenhower would ultimately decide to seek containment rather than destruction. The 66th Division, on its way to take up the task, lost its troopship Leopoldville to a German torpedo, with a loss of 802 men. The French underground movement in the area spawned a fighting force of 40,000 men to fight alongside the Americans, but the subsequent German reprisals would ultimately destroy many families in Brittany. Yet the bases stood, and continue to stand today.

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  1. ISBN-10
    0275981339
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0275981334
  3. Publisher
    Praeger
  4. Publication date
    November 30, 2003
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6.14 x 0.56 x 9.21 inches
  7. Print length
    224 pages
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A compelling account of the people and events at Lorient and St. Nazaire that recounts the German invasion, nearly five years of occupation and Allied bombardment, and finally liberation after the German surrender. Of importance to all readers of World War II and military history, this book is a must read especially for those interested in the U-boat war."-James P. Duffy author of Hitler's Secret Pirate Fleet

"A solid, informative and interesting recounting of the defeat of the Nazi armies. While detailing the efforts of the Allies to seize the headquarters of Hitler's submarine fleet, Bradham also provides fascinating individual anecdotes of the courage exhibited by American soldiers."-Ed Koch former mayor of New York City

"Randy Bradham did a great service by writing this book. Many of our colleagues from World War II are not around anymore, and for this veteran to step back and relate what happened 60 years ago is a most unexpected gift to our nation. I know veterans will want to read this; but I hope all Americans, especially the children, will read it so they understand the sacrifices their grandparents made so that future generations can enjoy the freedoms on which our country was founded."-Senator Ernest F. Hollings D-South Carolina

?Bradham's Hitler's U-Boat Fortresses suggests new areas of research. The story of the defeat of the U-boat menace in World War II is about more than cracking codes, introducing carrier-based aircraft, and developing improved anti-submarine warfare technologies, but also includes the war against U-boat ports with the attendant "collateral" damage to civilians.?-H-German

"Bradham's Hitler's U-Boat Fortresses suggests new areas of research. The story of the defeat of the U-boat menace in World War II is about more than cracking codes, introducing carrier-based aircraft, and developing improved anti-submarine warfare technologies, but also includes the war against U-boat ports with the attendant "collateral" damage to civilians."-H-German

About the Author

RANDOLPH BRADHAM is a retired thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon who practiced in Charleston, South Carolina, for 40 years. Formerly a staff-sergeant squad leader in Company E, 262nd Regiment, 66th Infantry Division, he fought in Brittany against the Germans contained in St. Nazaire and Lorient.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Praeger (November 30, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0275981339
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0275981334
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.14 x 0.56 x 9.21 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

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Randolph Bradham

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
13 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

tlj
5.0 out of 5 stars invaluable information told from an eye witness
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2018
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This is an incredible invaluable book as it is written by someone who was a participant and eye witness. Highly recommend for those who want accurate details.
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Gary LeTourneau
2.0 out of 5 stars Hoping to get a better understanding of the U-boat bastions from the perspectives of ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2015
Verified Purchase
Guess I should have the description closer. Hoping to get a better understanding of the U-boat bastions from the perspectives of use, architecture, history and significance; however, this book focused predominantly on the ground war around them in France. I did learn some interesting facts that I would not have otherwise gained, but as a World War Two naval history (particularly the undersea war) fan, this was something I had to plod through.

The book itself arrived timely and in completely acceptable condition, no issues there.
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1917
2.0 out of 5 stars At its best this book is sort of a oral & personal ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2017
As others have noted, the title of this book is misleading. There is very little detail about the German U-Boat bases, and a quick look at the bibliography shows it uses no German sources. At its best this book is sort of a oral & personal history by a GI who fought in the campaign. Clearly the author was able to talk to participants in the events both military and civilian around the area where he served during the conflict. If you enjoy reading bottom up history there is some good information contained in this book from the perspective of the American soldiers French Resistance and civilians. However, the book is poorly organized and edited and jumps around from small-unit actions, to first-hand accounts, to strategic operations without a cohesive narrative to tie it together. Really an amateur effort that could have benefited from some proofreading and editing. If the author had stuck to the personal recollections, and first-hand accounts it would have been readable as a worms eye view of the campaign. However, the way the book is structured it is just kind of a rambling mess.
One person found this helpful
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Rick Kaneen
3.0 out of 5 stars What is this book about?
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2008
I too thought this book was about u-boat fortresses. It's not. About 20 pages of the book explains a bit about the pens at Lorient and St. Nazaire. The remainder is a rambling series of stories about the French resistance, civilians living in the two cities, and some of the fighting around the areas after the Normandy invasion. It doesn't appear that this book was edited by anyone. There are numerous annoying errors (American divisions fighting in Brittany in February 1944) and jumps in organization. The longest unbroken narrative in the book is about 25 pages that in great detail tells the story of the sinking of HMS Leopoldville. There are also an interesting series of parenthetical remarks in the first half of the book explaining obscure references like "tommy gun" and "non-com" while other less familiar references come and go without explanation. Suddenly in the final 20 pages of the book the reader gets a 'summary' of the 66th infantry division, the fighting in the pockets around St. Nazaire and Lorient, etc. Much of this information is repetitive and reads like cliff notes to offical reports. Some readers obviously enjoyed this book and there are some interesting personal accounts of combat included. Perhaps I'm being too critical but 180 pages of this killed any joy I might have gotten out of reading this. If you think you are getting "An Army At Dawn" you're wrong. If you are looking for employment you might want to see if Lyon's Press has decided to hire a copy editor. They could sure use one.
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Edward E. Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellant acccount of WWll Battle of Brittany, France
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2005
This book is a captivating account of the events surrounding the most important u-boat bases in Brittany,France . The book is highly researched and detailed but in a manner that is most interesting and easy to read. There are eye-witness acccounts of events of young soldiers including the author's narrow escape from death,including little known information of the French resistence. This is an excellent book written by an outstanding American of The Greatest Generation.
4 people found this helpful
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JQ
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For Anyone Interested In WWII And The GI
Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2005
A gripping window into the battle for the Nazi uboat pens told from the perspective of a soldier. The author not only skillfully informs the reader of this little known campaign in captivating text, but provides numerous entertaining stories about the human side of young American men thrust into an epic battle in a strange land. A must read for anyone interested in WWII and the American soldier.
One person found this helpful
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Bayard B.
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing. Only Chapter 2 describes the U-Boat bunkers. Good discussion of allied sea and land attacks on the bunkers.
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2018
Only Chapter 2 really describes (in brief terms) the design and construction of the U-Boat pens on the French Biscay coast. The rest of the book discusses the various allied attacks from the sea, air, and the final attacks from land after the Normandy invasion.

Much of the book describes the development and deployment of the US Army forces involved in the land attacks after the Normandy invasion. It's quite detailed and somewhat interesting but it isn't what I was thinking of when I bought the book. I would give the book 3 or 4 Stars for the descriptions of the post-Normandy land attacks -- they are very detailed.
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Top reviews from other countries

Trev
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 21, 2016
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Very interesting.
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J P Sullivan
4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite what I was expecting.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is good, however a better and more descriptive title would be, "The Battle For Hitlers U-boat fortresses." So far the detail that has been covered is excellent. The content does skip a little, and in this respect I feel it could have been better ordered. But these a pretty minor niggles. Well woth reading.
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