Donitz's Last Gamble: The Inshore U-Boat Campaign 1944-45 - Hardcover

Paterson, Lawrence

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844157148 ISBN 13: 9781844157143

Publisher: Seaforth Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

After the June 1944 D-Day landings D'nitz withdrew his U-boat wolf-packs from the Atlantic convoy war and sent them into coastal waters, where they could harass the massive shipping movements necessary to supply the Allied armies advancing across Europe. Caught unawares by this change of strategy, the Allied anti-submarine forces were ill-prepared for the novel challenges of inshore warfare. It proved surprisingly difficult to locate U-boats that could lie silently on the seabed, and the shallow waters meant less than ideal conditions for sonar propagation. Furthermore, because the battle was nearer home, the U-boats wasted less time on transit, so at any one time there were more of them in combat. In the final months of the war there was also the threat of far more advanced and potent submarine types entering German service, but thanks largely to overwhelming numbers of escorts this last gamble by D'nitz was defeated. In fact, the Allied navies had never really established superiority, and this was to have enormous significance later during the Cold War, when the same tactics were planned by the Soviets.Since it had such a major impact on post-war naval thinking, it is a story of the utmost importance told by an accomplished U-boat author.

About this title

Review:

"...recommend highly to anyone interested in submarine warfare of WW2, and for anyone interested in understanding how that effected naval warfare into the 21st Century. ...very high quality history."--IPMS/USA

Synopsis:

After 1944, Donitz with drew U-boats from the Atlantic and brought them into coastal waters, closer to home, where they could harass the Allies during the D-Day landings and after. Caught unawares, the Allies were quite unprepared for this change of tactic and it proved a dangerous development not just in WWII but later, during the Cold War, when the same tactics were planned by the Soviets. This is an important story told by an accomplished U-boat author.

About this edition

• Publisher: Seaforth Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1844157148
• ISBN 13: 9781844157143
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 208