Book Review-U-boat Commander by Guenther Prien

[Jody]

Hello folks,
Tempus Publishing has re-printed this book (in English) written by Guenther Prien (with help from the propaganda department) after his famous Scapa Flow exploit.

U-boat Commander is a very interesting read and gives you an idea of what many of these U-boat officers did before the war. It goes into a lot of detail about the type of training and experience that many of them got sailing for the merchant fleet (as well as RAD service). While there is a large dose of Nazi propaganda in the book, I still find it an important piece of Navy literature.

Guenther Prien was one of the most popular U-boat commanders during WW2, and this book shows you why. It also shows that Prien was a rather complicated individual and not a Nazi robot as depicted by William L. Shirer. The book does depict Prien as a strong National Socialist (not surprising considering the time it was written). Anyone interested in the Kriegsmarine or the Battle of the Atlantic should read it.

The book is a quick read (only 127 pages) and is filled with many photos of Prien which I have never seen before. Good stuff!

ISBN 0 7524 2025 9

Regards,
Jody

[aardvark]

Good thread Jody! Prien's book is a great read. It's sort of Joseph Conrad lite..ok very lite compared to Conrad. But theres still the long love affair with the sea and some really great adventures. In fact I'd say Scapa Flow was the cherry on top of a really wild ride as evidenced by his experience on the "Hamburg" and her subsequent sinking during a storm. I just have a dime store version of the book without the photos..

[Martin W]

Jody,i have a book with the same title by Peter Cremer.

Regards,Martin.

[Jody]

U-boat Commander

Jody,i have a book with the same title by Peter Cremer.

Regards,Martin.

Hi Martin,
Yes in fact there is a book by Peter Cremer with that same title. As a matter of fact Cremer's book U-boat Commander is one of my favorite U-boat books next to Iron Coffins.

If you get a chance read the Prien book.

Regards,
Jody

[Martin W]

Thanks Jody,
Iron Coffins is one of my favorites too,also Operation Drumbeat by Michael Gannon.I will definately pick up a copy of the Prien book when i finally get through all the Auxiliary Cruiser related books i've recently purchased.
I also have books on Werner Henke and Wolfgang Luth.

Regards,Martin.