Book Review

U-boat Tactics in
World War II
by Gordon Williamson
illustrated by Ian Palmer

reviewed by Timothy Dike

The German U-boat was one of the most feared weapons of World War II. These boats hunted all over the Atlantic and came close to choking off the supply lines to England. To accomplish their task, they developed some unique ways to perform their attacks. This new book from Gordon Williamson deals with those tactics and they way they evolved and changed in response to the Allies over the war years.

The author discusses roles of the U-boat from solo attack subs, to the coordinated attacks of the dreaded wolf packs. Their use as motherships, and patrol subs are discussed in the various chapters. One of the strong points of the book are the superb color illustrations by Ian Palmer the show these methods of attack.

The book covers quite a bit of history and includes maps that show how some of the attacks played out. It is interesting to read how the U-boat commanders adapted and adjusted their tactics as the Allies started to catch on. The capture of Enigma machine and the cracking of their code forced the Germans into further adapting their tactics.

Conclusions:

Osprey Publishing has as extensive line of Military theme books available for modeler and historian alike. This one will help you understand the how and why of the U-boat attack, all in a soft cover 64 page format. This book is in ISBN: 9781849081733 with a price of £11.99 or $18.95 US. You can order directly online or at many of the better Online hobby stores.