A major contribution to the reference literature of the war.' ? Norman Polmar in Seapower (USA) ? Comprehensive and definitive reference on U-boat commanders ? Details more than 1,400 officers ? Gives the names of the officers for each U-boat commissioned This important biographical dictionary details the service records of the 1,411 officers of the German Kriegsmarine known to have commanded a U-boat between the commissioning of U-1 in June 1935 to the final surrender of U-977 to Argentina in August 1945. Full details of the careers of all Germany's U-boat commanders are provided: each officer's date of birth; the highest rank he attained; details of any decorations he received; his service record; and his ultimate fate - whether killed in action, taken prisoner or detained after the war for Allied interrogation. In addition, an index gives a numerical list of U-boats along with their commanding officers. German U-Boat Commanders of World War II sheds light on personalities as diverse as Eck, executed for war crimes in November 1945; Radermacher, who served on U-5 in all grades from seaman to commander; von Stockhausen, killed in a traffic accident in 1943; and Kapitzky, who fought a heroic last stand against Allied aircraft off Curacao. This outstanding, new reference book is a valuable addition to the key works on the naval history of World War II. Rainer Busch and Hans-Joachim Röll are noted authorities on the development of the German submarine arm and on U-boat activity in World War II.
