ISBN 1-55750-186-6
301 pages

Foreword (by Jurgen Rohwer); Preface; Translator's Note; German Naval Ranks; photos; Index

   Despite coming from today's foremost publisher of naval books, U-Boat Commanders is something of a disappointment and probably destined for the bookshelves only of hard-core submarine enthusiasts and researchers. What's more, the very specialized nature of the book is somewhat camouflaged by its relatively lush physical treatment; for example, whereas Axel Niestle's German U-Boat Losses during World War II from NIP, seemingly aimed at a niche market, was published in a fairly minimalist edition sans dust jacket, U-Boat Commanders with its brighter appearance, oversize dimensions, and full color jacket looks more like a "mainstream" NIP naval book with broader appeal. Studying its contents, however, proves the Busch and Roll title is closer to the Niestle book than the physical evidence might indicate.
   Which is not to say the book is devoid of value.
   Indeed, the authors have done a fine job of researching the careers of over 1400 U-boat skippers (largely in Horst Bredow's U-boat archives in Cuxhaven, along with interviews with wartime veterans) and devoted countless additional hours to comparing and reconciling conflicting sources. The breadth of information is unequaled-- it's unlikely any skippers slipped through their net.
   Arranged alphabetically, each entry contains the encapsulated history of one U-boat commander: the sources of information for the entry; full name and title; an identification number; date and place of birth; date of entry into naval service; highest rank attained through August 1945; "crew" year; nature of service (reservist, enlistee, conscript, etc); naval assignments with month and year; decorations; and fate (such as POW, lost at sea, etc). The data is presented in a consistently abbreviated format with standardized layout, which is duplicated as closely as possible below:

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Cranz, Wilhelm [177]
19.4.1915, Kiel
Entry X/1939; ObltzS (R) 1.2.44
Platoon Leader, Destroyer and Torpedo-Boat
 Crews Holding Div. 1/42-7/42; U-boat trg
 7/42-12/42; Personnel Reserve, 1st U-Flotilla
 1/43; 2WO U 653 1/43-6/43; 1WO U 653
 6/43-1/44; U-Cdr's Course, 24th U-Flotilla
 2/44-3/44 (U-Cdr's Torpedo Course 66);
 Comp. Officer 15th Naval Reserve Division
 4/44-11/44
Cdr U 398 9.11.44-4/45
Missing in English waters 17.4.45

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   Unfortunately, the typeface, font size, and textual treatment are not calculated to make the words especially easy to read and the layout actually hinders a reader's ability to quickly skim the entries in search of key words.
   Similarly, while the facts included in each entry are useful, they are somewhat limited. For example, why is there no list of vessels sunk by each skipper? At a minimum, it would seem that the total tonnage sunk could be listed for each officer. Although there will always be gaps in the information, uncertainty over some specific sinkings, and debate about murky incidents, the raw data for adding this kind of information to the entries is readily available. (See, for example, Axis Submarine Successes by Rohwer [who also wrote the Foreword to this volume] and U-Boat Operations of the Second World War by Wynn, both published by Naval Institute Press.)
   It is also worth remarking that the entries, exacting though they might be, are virtually lifeless, almost as if the authors intentionally stripped away any personal tidbits that might individualize the presentation. When glancing through Wynn's U-boat histories boat by boat, the differences between the subs almost jump off the page. This one was sunk on its first patrol. That one survived many patrols with a long list of victories. In U-Boat Commanders, the most unusual and dramatic aspects of the commanders' careers are squeezed dry or even ignored. Only the translator's notes rescue some of the entries from utter flatness.
   Of Wolfgang Luth, the authors say "Shot dead in error at Flensburg-Murwik Naval College at 2300hrs on 13.5.45." The translator thankfully adds a paragraph explaining the circumstances and pointing out that "'in error' does not seem justified."
   Of Heinz-Wilhelm Eck, the authors say "Condemned to death by British Military Tribunal and executed by firing squad." Again, it's up to the translator to add a paragraph explaining the incident which caused the trial and the nature of the controversial proceedings.
   Of Oskar-Heinz Kusch, the authors say "Executed by firing squad 12.5.44." The translator reminds us that he was court-martialed and condemned to death not by the Allies, but by Germany, for sedition.
   Of Peter Zschech, the authors say "Suicide 24.10.43." The translator points out this actually occurred at sea in the control room of U 505 (and in fact he shot himself in the head during a depth charge attack).
   U-Boat Commanders has considerable value as a tool for researching the basic, unadorned facts of the officers' careers, but it omits much and is not likely to find a wide audience among general naval readers, even those with an interest in the U-boat war.
   Available from online booksellers, local bookshops, or directly from Naval Institute Press in the US and Greenhill Books in the UK. (Originally published in German by Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn as Die Deutschen U-Boot-Kommandanten in 1996.)
   Thanks to NIP for providing this review copy.