[.ca] Iron Coffins: A Personal Account Of The German U-boat ... (ISBN 030681160X)

A personal account of life in command of a U-Boat.:
This author commanded a series of German U-Boats throughout WW2 and this is his own personal story. The photographs are also from his own personal collection and are, therefore, unlikely to have been published elsewhere. The Maps, however, could so easily be improved. In Part One of this book, Herbert Werner takes the reader through the glorious years of success after success for both Germany and her U-Boat offensive. In Part Two, however, we reach that turning point in the war which he aptly describes as "Above us Hell." Finally, Part 3 is equally effectively described as "Disaster to Defeat." An interesting and well written account of the U-Boat war of WW2 - not only because the author actually took part, but also because he was fortunate enough to survive that war and relive his experiences so that we might read and learn. NM.

The best d**n sub book I've read:
It been a while since I have read this.In fact the last time I looked this was out of print. Everybody has seen "das boot".If this peeked your interest then come to feast on this real life account.Towards the end I was cheering for the wrong team. It was that entralling. I am not a voracious reader. But I enjoyed this thoroughly. It is definitely a book I use as a reference of quality for the miltary genre. Definitely up there with "element of surprise", "low-level hell" and "feet wet" books that have the level of detail that entrace you so much you swear that your right beside them.

Getting a 10th life . . . .:
Werner's book is an excellent account of survival under over-whelming odds. What an exceptional breed of men these were to endure the months of patrol, in less than anything close to congenial conditions, and the ever present terror and possibility of being doomed in their U-boats at the bottom of the sea. The author's single-mindedness to accomplish what his war purpose was is the backbone of what sustained Germany's extended holdout on all the crumbling fronts. It is a great book and every bit worthy of the 5 star accolades accorded it.

Another Option:
A riveting account, as so many others have noted here. Just a heads-up for those of you who read German: you can get the original version of Iron Coffins (Die eisernen Särge) together with Wolfgang's Hirschfeld's U-boat memoir, Feindfahrten, in one convenient paperback volume from Amazon.de. It includes quite a few photos and illustrations, too.

Best U boat book ever!!!:
This book is amazing. You won't be able to put it down!!