This book by Squadron is more of 2nd edition than a reprint of the first edition from 2003. Many of the photos from the earlier edition are reused, but there are some newer photos as well. All of the various line drawings have been re-drawn, and more drawings have been added. The text and photo captions have, in most cases, been re-written; this new book spans 80 pages, vs. the 57 pages of the 2003 edition.

As with most of the books of Squadron's "in Action" series, this book is not a detailed history of the development of Germany's Schnellboots. Rather, it briefly discuss the origin and development, and jumps right into the production variants; each variant showing the evolution of the Schnellboot in service. While the text illustrates how operational experience affected the Schnellboot, this work does not dive into Schnellboot operations in depth.

The rear sections of the book talk about the equipment, weapons and camouflage used on these boats, and closes with a short section on the restoration of S-130

This book is a good addition to anyone's resource library. If you already own the earlier work, it is probably worth picking the new one up as well. Recommended.