Wilhelm Zahn suffered a nervous breakdown and was relieved of duty. U-56
Forum: General Discussions

Those are impressive numbers. I thought I read the boats bound to the North Atlantic had a 1 in 4 chance of being sunk on every sortie. I will research and see where the two above were based and where they sailed to.
Forum: General Discussions

Well asking to see which U-boat survived the most missions after the Allies were able to extensively commit ASW resources to the Atlantic. Not considered in the totals any missions completed prior to Jan 1943.
Forum: General Discussions

U.S. Navy used a is-was(sometimes called a banjo) and later a TDC. British navy used a pen/paper plotting board and slide rule at least early war. Do not know about late war. What did the U-boats use for torpedo aiming? Was there a portable device, actual calculating machine or a pen/pencil? Anyone knwo regarding Italian submarines?
Forum: Technology and Operations

Where there any attempts to use the Type II for Med. work? Seems the VIIC were actually too large for effective inshore work in the Levant compared to using a smaller submarine. Their range and torpedo capacity would have been better used in the Atlantic and Arctic against the larger convoys and greater patrol range needed. Convoys to Malta were irregular but there was a constand traffic alon
Forum: General Discussions

I read this book as a pre-teen and obviously it is well remembered in my then clean slate. Is it accurate, mostly fictionalied, etc? I still have my copy and noted it was created from numerous interviews with participants including Admiral Doenitz. Are the stories fictionalized but the episodes accurate?
Forum: General Discussions

Felix C Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > German Submarine War by Gibson & Prendergast. Post > WWI history. Classic. > reprint available. Most of it is available free at > googlebooks > > Four Years of Underwater Cruising by Johannes > Spiess. Weddigen's watch officer. Later became > Uboat commander. Present at the mutini
Forum: General Discussions

The U-Boat: The Evolution and Technical History of German Submarines by Rossler. But the English print run has poor quality pics.
Forum: General Discussions

I should add To the Last Salute by von Trapp. Memoir by a Austro-Hungarian Submarine commander who sank French cruiser Leon Gambetta.
Forum: General Discussions

German Submarine War by Gibson & Prendergast. Post WWI history. Classic. reprint available. Most of it is available free at googlebooks Four Years of Underwater Cruising by Johannes Spiess. Weddigen's watch officer. Later became Uboat commander. Present at the mutinies. English Translation by Hyman Rickover. Diary of A U-Boat Commander. by anon. Awful book which I think is a pr
Forum: General Discussions

Written by U-boat commanders? Official German histories? Books written by historians much later with access to Allied and Central power records?
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Are there any memoirs by Italian submarine commanders or officers? Other than Sea Devils by J. Valerio Borghese?
Forum: General Discussions

I am interested in these based on the author's previous works but prefer to read what others think of the books: The U-Boat Century 1906-2006 by Showell U-Boats In the Mediterranean 1941-1944 by Patterson I searched in the Reviews. Not there.
Forum: General Discussions

Wondering if it is known regardng the last use of a deck gun? Also, when were deck guns phased out of service?
Forum: General Discussions

Hello Ken, Thanks. Received the list. Working through it. I understand the two books mentioned are sorted by boat number not commander which actually is easier for me as it really is easier to recollect two/three/four digit numbers rather than Germanic names.(For me) I wanted to plot the data and ascertain survival rates per sortie, tonnage sunk per sortie, etc by region of operations.
Forum: General Discussions

Understood. I just bought Sharpe's book(not yet received) and have an option for Wynn's volumes. Too Bad. Wished to read on how well or otherwise individual submarines or commanders faired in 1943 to 1945 when improved Allied capabilities were evident. Seems most of the surviving Aces were active up to 1942 and then promoted ashore or included a few U-cruiser commanders who w
Forum: General Discussions

Ok.I am a new member and do not see how to edit a post. I found and read the review to Wynn's volume I book here. So I have to ask is Datafile similar only more concise? Are they complimentary? Is one more accurate than the other?
Forum: General Discussions

How are they dissimilar? I found the review for the Sharpe book here but not the Wynn books. Preference one or the other?
Forum: General Discussions