I have always been looking for a concise history of this branch of the Kriegsmarine and this is the book. The author Lawrence Paterson cover all theaters of operations from Norway in the north to the Black Sea in the south. He does a great job of balancing the claims of the various S-Boote with the Admiralty records of allied ships sunk. As they operated at night under the cover of darkness it is easy to understand why the tonnage claim sunk was always more than the actual. As the boats were also used as mine-layers, Mr. Patersson also gives a full accounting of the ships lost to the fields sewn by the S-Boote. When operating in the channel or the Med, survivor accounts are also provided with several of the sinking's. The book is illustrated with photos' from the various theaters of operation, but if you are looking for a picture book of uniforms and cammo schemes, then this in not it. He does provide maps at the beginning of the book, however they wold have been better placed at the beginning of the chapters. Illustrations of the various mines deployed by the boats would have been a plus as well. But overall, the book is well worth the read for any fan of the Kriegsmarine
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