DOC The Battle Of The Atlantic by Andrew Williams in History

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Surprisingly goodBy Ron LI bought this without realizing it was a knock-off from a TV series; and was prepared for disappointment when I found out. Surprise: It is well-written; with sufficient technical and historical detail to interest even those well-read on the subject; and you can add well-drawn characters to the positive side of the ledger. If not quite a page-turner; I found it hard to put down at times.The battle was a long one and the advantage only later found the side to favor. Given German technical skills; it takes a careful explanation of the Nazi submarine command to show how and why the Germans gave up any chance of matching the Allied advances and how that finally turned the battle to the Allies.Some detail is missing; the turf war required to deliver the Leigh lights to the patrolling aircraft for example. But given the book is less than 300 pages; that's quibbling.Donitz's rise to No 2 Nazi is quite clearly explained and while Donitz does not come off as sympathetically as he is characterized elsewhere; Williams argues convincingly that he was the victim of 'victor's justice' at Nuremberg.There are plenty of other books on the subject and the most comprehensive is probably "A World at Arms" (Weinberg); but none do the overview as will as this.Highly recommended.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. wreckage and war graves left by courageBy brandon d bauroutstanding insight cost one cent with ;its even better than the public library and certainly not as crowded and no hastles just press a button.the uboat arm fleet is examined in detail; facts and figures are all avalible;very aggressive commanders netted out untold disaster and death on the high seas for six years;knights crosses dangling from their necks; hunt hunt hunt locate identify torpedos loss...the allies paid dearly ...captain lietenants average age was around twenty eight years crew were seventeen to twenty two yrs Davey jones locker is full of wreckage and war graves;recommended highly for naval students.13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Outstanding Military HistoryBy Brian D. Rubendall"The Battle of the Atlantic" is a fascinating and well written account of the struggle for naval supremacy between the Allies and the Germans during World War II. The primary focus of the narrative is the German U-Boat service and its charasmatic leader; Admiral Karl Donitz; as well as the British military experts who eventually devised the strategy that would defeat the submarine offensive. The stakes were very high. As the author states; thousands of merchant ships and tens of thousands of sailors were lost during the struggle. At several points; Winston Churchill privately despaired that the U-Boat menace would succeed in cutting off Britain's vital supply lines and bringing the country to defeat.All of this is told primarily through the first hand accounts of those who lived through the battles. Particularly harrowing are the descriptions of death and survival by those who were aboard the sunken vessles. The book is well balanced; providing equal time to the men who served on both sides. Donitz emerges as the central character: a principled and dedicated fighter who ultimately allowed himself to be corrupted by Adolf Hiter's cult of personality. Augmented by a generous illustrations section and just shy of 300 pages of narrative; the book doesn't get too bogged down in minute detail.Overall; an outstanding work of military history that should appeal both to history buffs and to general readers.