U-boats Under the Swastika

Hardcover 18x24 cm, 144 pages. Showell is a leading authority on U-boats (his father served on one) and his book is all the better from being written from a German perspective. He starts with the origins of the U-boat and then systematically looks into all aspects of their development from the 1920's onwards. All types and classes of boats are examined, their faults and foibles, commanders, home ports, bunkers, successes and sticky ends. The book is rich in photographs, cutaway diagrams and drawings from official sources as well as the author's own collection. It is a very readable book and even amusing at times (he goes into the problems of using a toilet on a U-boat that is stuffed full of supplies at the start of the tour). This is a book for the general reader as well as persons interested in the history of WWII.