Total Undersea War

"The Evolutionary Role of the Snorkel in Donitz's U-boat Fleet, 1944-1945"

By Aaron S. Hamilton
  • Subject: Submarines
  • Format:
    Hardcover
  • Pages:
    400
    pages
  • Illustrations:
    50 b/w photos and line drawings
  • Published:
    July 15, 2020
  • ISBN-10:
    1526778807
  • ISBN-13:
    9781526778802
  • Product Dimensions:
    9.25 × 6.125 × 1 in
  • Product Weight:
    36 oz
Hardcover $56.95
Member Price $45.56 Save 20%
Book: Cover Type
Overview Author Reviews

Overview

During the last year of World War II the once surface-bound diesel-electric U-boat ushered in the age of ‘total undersea war’ with the introduction of an air mast, or 'snorkel' as it became known among the men who served in Dönitz's submarine fleet. U-boats no longer needed to surface to charge batteries or refresh air; they rarely communicated with their command, operating silently and alone among the shallow coastal waters of the United Kingdom and across to North America.

This exhaustive study, the first of its kind, draws upon wartime documents from archives around the world to re-evaluate the last year of the U-boat's deployment, all its key technological innovations, the evolving operations and tactics, and Allied countermeasures.

About the Author

Aaron Hamilton

Aaron S. Hamilton is an academically trained historian. He holds both a bachelor's and master's degree in history, as well as the Field Historian designator awarded by the U.S. Army's Combat Studies Institute. He is an amateur maritime archeologist with a focus on submarine history. For more than twenty-five years he has researched and published ground-breaking studies about the final year of World War II in Europe.

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Editorial Reviews

“Sit back and read a copy of this book because you are going to really learn everything you need to. This is an unprecedented study of the last year of the Battle of the Atlantic describing the innovation of the snorkel, its supporting technologies like anti-radar coating and acoustic camouflage, as well as the Allied countermeasures deployed in an attempt to defeat those highly significant wartime developments. This book takes you into fascinating detail and precision with regards to the technology of the U-Boat.” —UKHistorianBenDavidson.co.uk
“The snorkel’s powerful influence during the Battle of the Atlantic is reflected in this riveting book that is filled with action photographs, schematics, and page-turning accounts of the great advantage given to the German navy by this revolutionary piece of equipment.” —Maritime Engineering Journal
“Offering both detailed description of the trials, successes and engineering amendments, in text and illustrations, this is an important and well referenced book on Germany’s late war efforts to regain an advantage.” —The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord