Jak P. Mallmann Showell Books

Despite being heavily outnumbered by the navies of Great Britain and the United States, the German navy proved to be a serious adversary. Its major warships posed a constant threat to the Allied shipping lanes, and its U-boats in the North Atlantic threatened the very liberation of Europe. This important work explains why Hitler's navy was such a potent force. An indispensable guide to the ships, organization, command and rank structure, and leaders of the Kriegsmarine, the book's detailed text studies the navy from World War I to the collapse of the U-boat offensive and the demise of the Third Reich. More than 350 photos, many never before published, along with maps and diagrams, story updates and expands the author's 1979 title, The German Navy in World War Two, for a new generation of readers.

This latest addition to Sutton's 'Handbook' series takes an overall look at the Kriegsmarine, or German Navy, as it evolved during the Second World War. It was founded in 1935 shortly after the emergence of the Nazi State, but went through a major re-organisation in 1939. The Kriegsmarine is synonymous with such infamous Second World War battleships as the Bismarck, Scharnhorst and Tirpitz, and for the marauding U-boat packs which nearly defeated Great Britain in the Battle of the Atlantic. In particular the book concentrates on the origins of the Kriegsmarine in the post-Versailles Treaty era and its resurgence under the Nazi regime. The author describes the training and organisation of the German Navy during the war years and examines the different roles of the Fleet. Comprehensive technical data is provided for ships and U-boats and a separate chapter looks at the wide range of uniforms and insignia worn by men of the German Navy.

During the course of World War II, German U-boats threatened Britain's very survival. Noted U-boat historian Jak Mallman-Showell takes a fresh look at the strategy employed by both sides as Germany and Great Britain engaged in a fateful game of measure and countermeasure to gain control of the Atlantic supply lines. Drawing upon original records from the U-boat headquarters, the Royal Navy, and British special intelligence, the author explores how and why U-boat attacks were planned, describes U-boat organization, and tells what actually happened on the high seas. Supplemented by 150 photographs, many published here for the first time, this new study should be required reading for all those interested in the development of strategy and tactics during one of the most critical campaigns of World War II.

The U-boat was one of the most potent weapons of the 20th century. This book explains how it was developed and designed and then deployed to wreak havoc in European waters and further afield in the Atlantic and the Far East. It looks behind the scenes at the men who built and fought in them. It is for the modern naval historians and enthusiasts.

The story of German naval code breakers in World War 2, though less recognized than their British counterparts at Bletchley Park, played a significant role in the conflict. In this account, naval historian Jak P. Mallmann Showell, an expert on the U-boat campaign, explores the archives to reveal the workings of the German naval code breakers. The narrative details the evolution of German code-breaking following the defeat in 1918, the various codes employed by the British and Allied navies, and the organization of the German naval code-breaking department within the broader naval intelligence framework. The book highlights both the successes and failures of German code-breaking efforts and their impact on naval operations in European waters. Key topics include the influence of code breakers on major engagements such as D-Day and the Battle of the Atlantic. More than 50 years post-war, this work emphasizes the crucial contributions of German naval code breakers, shedding new light on maritime events of the era. Readers interested in naval warfare history will find this perspective on World War 2 both enlightening and significant.

A study of the training, organisation, duties and daily life at sea and in port of all ranks. The author gives detailed accounts of specific patrols by individual crews at different stages of the war drawn from original logs. He examines the fact that the majority of Allied tonnage was sunk by only a small fraction of the submarines at sea.

The full story of the design and development of the German attack U-boats written by a renowned expert in the field.

This volume charts the life of a German U-boat from construction through to active service, and looks at commissioning, sea trials and the first patrol of a typical boat during World War II. This illustrated book also offers a glimpse at domestic life on board a German U-boat, focusing on what the ordinary seaman would have seen and experienced during his first weeks aboard a brand new boat. The author draws on the extensive archives of the German U-boat Archive and many of the photos that appear in the book are previously unpublished. Comprehensive captions describe in detail the many aspects of a U-boat at war, from the boat itself, to the crew and its personalities, life above and below the waves, and the weapons and radar with which it fought Allied shipping. This book affords an insight into this much-feared weapon of World War II, and should appeal to all with an interest in the armed forces of the Third Reich.

The product of fifteen years' research, here is the history of the camps to which captured Allied aircrew were sent in the early years of the war. Run by the Germany army, despite the Geneva Convention's decree that aircrew should be the responsibility of the Luftwaffe, their story has been neglected in the concentration on Stalag Luft III and VI in which aircrew officers were assembled from 1942 onwards. 4 maps. 32pp b/w photos. 296 pages. Hardback