Germany's World War II U-boat fleet was a truly elite fighting force. The U-Boot Waffe represented the cream of Germany's naval personnel, and in terms of technology, training, tactics and combat successes, the German fleet was far superior to that of any other combatant nation. This book tells the complete story of the 'Grey Wolves' who harried the Allies' supply lines and came close to winning total victory for Hitler in Europe. The wartime development of the U-boat is traced from the Type I through to the Type XXI, and the experiences of typical U-boat crewmen, from recruitment to combat, are brought to life. Operational tactics are examined, and the massive bunkers that housed the U-boat fleet are described and illustrated.

Grossadmiral Karl Donitz, Commander-in-Chief, U-boats
'I was fascinated by the unique sense of comradeship, engenderd by sharing the same fate and hardship in the community of a U-boat crew in which everyone depended on everyone else and in which every man was an indispensable part of the whole. Surely every submariner has sensed in his heart the glow of the open sea, and the task entrusted to him, and felt as rich as a king, and would have traded places with no one.'