Lawrence Paterson

Packed with illustrations, this is the first history of MarinegruppenkommandoSüd, Germany’s southern naval command that fought a fast and furious war at the far end of the Mediterranean. As Germany and Italy overran Yugoslavia and Greece in early 1941, the Kriegsmarine established a new theatre command, tasked with establishing German control over the eastern Mediterranean and coordinating actions with the Italian, Romanian and Bulgarian navies. With the invasion of the USSR that summer, the Black Sea would also become a battleground, and Naval Group South would be established. For the first time, Kriegsmarine historian Lawrence Paterson outlines the dizzying array of Kriegsmarine combat units that fought under Naval Group South – S-boats and U-boats, flotillas of escort ships, landing ships, artillery vessels, patrol boats, submarine hunters and minesweepers – and how they operated, including their organization, their complex logistics, and vital intelligence and communications. Combat was frequently fast and furious, ranging from pitched battles with the Soviet Black Sea Fleet and operations supporting Operation Barbarossa to combat against naval units of Tito’s Partisans off the Croatian coast. Superbly illustrated with rare photos, artwork of dramatic actions, 3D diagrams and maps, this explores the little-known naval war fought by Germany’s smaller craft, at the farthest reach of German naval power in Europe.

‘A fitting tribute to Germany''s clandestine warriors, and a guarantee that their extraordinary efforts have not been relegated to comparative obscurity or entirely forgotten’ - David R Higgins.Hitler''s daring and pioneering Brandenburgers special forces served in every German theatre of action. This is the most comprehensive account of an unusual and profoundly successful band of men.Lawrence Paterson traces the origins of the small unit, before the outbreak of war in 1939, as the brainchild of Admiral Canaris and part of his Abwehr intelligence unit through through to its breaking up in 1944 when it was largely converted to a, conventional Panzergrenadier division. At that point, many Brandenburgers transferred to Otto Skorzeny’s SS Jägdverbände.It is well-known that German troops disguised themselves as Allied troops for the Battle of the Bulge - but less well known the Brandenburger operations used such disguises - more effectively -in in advance of the Blitzkrieg in 1939-41.Despite their profound success as commando raiding troops their history has been overshadowed by equivalent Allied units and largely ignored. However, within North Africa the Brandenburgers employed similar techniques to the SAS and LRDG, at first earning Erwin Rommel’s disapproval for their unorthodox methods until he began to feel the effect of similar Allied raids.Paterson details the roles of key individuals, such as Theodor von Hippel, along with forensic details of key operations. He explodes many of the myths about the unit and provides a clear and comprehensive history of this key part of the Wehrmacht.

An authoritative, illustrated history of how Germany fought to dominate the North Sea in early World War II, and take the naval war to Britain's coasts. Britain’s war economy relied not only on the Atlantic Convoys, but also on superiority in coastal waters. Six days out of seven, convoys left Scotland and northern England, laden chiefly with the coal that the south required – London alone needing 40,000 tons a week. Cutting these lines, as well as challenging military and naval movements, was the responsibility of Germany’s North Sea Command. Here, Kriegsmarine expert Lawrence Paterson offers the first study of Germany’s fierce war in the North Sea from a strategic and operational perspective. Although famous for its dashing S-boats, the North Sea saw an array of ships from battleships (briefly) and cruisers to converted fishing boats. Destroyers, torpedo boats and minelayers laid extensive mine barrages close inshore, in the face of the Royal Navy. He also explores the command's defences, with its many Kriegsmarine shore troops, artillery emplacements, flak batteries and small units of marines. German coastal forces engaged British forces at Dunkirk and, with the fall of France, the war spread along the entire coastline. With diagrams, archive photos (some unpublished) and original artwork, this is the story of the Kriegsmarine’s struggle to cut Britain’s military and trade arteries.

Germany’s legendary Atlantic surface war was fought by Naval Group West. Superbly illustrated, this unpacks the details of how it operated and fought.Having spent the 1930s on an ambitious but confused bid to build a new battle fleet, Germany began World War II woefully unprepared. Under Marinegruppenkommando West, its heavy ships and raiders were tasked with challenging Allied dominance of the Atlantic. In this book, Kriegsmarine specialist Lawrence Paterson explores how Naval Group West took on the challenge. He reassesses the qualities of the fleet, and how the confusion over their original role meant that ships like the Bismarck were less than ideal for raiding. Operating as far afield as the Indian Ocean also relied on an elaborate tanker and supply network, as well as Germany’s superb signals intelligence. He also explains the complex Kriegsmarine command structure during the 1930s and early war, how responsibility for the ships veered between Naval Group West, the Naval Staff, and type commanders, and how the conquest of France transformed the command. He also explains how the Luftwaffe failed the surface fleet, both in scouting at sea and defending them in port.With superb artwork, 3D diagrams, maps and archive photos, this book explores and assesses Germany’s commerce war, from the Graf Spee’s cruise to the ill-fated exploits of Bismarck, and the final high-risk retreat from Brest, the Channel Dash.

Otto Kretschmer bojoval ve válce pouze od září 1939 do března 1941, přesto se stal ponorkovým velitelem s největším skóre potopené tonáže – potopil 47 lodí o celkovém výtlaku 274 333 tun. Tento autoritativní životopis podrobně popisuje jeho osobní příběh a dráhu námořního důstojníka od 1. dubna 1930, kdy vstoupil jako důstojnický čekatel do malého námořnictva Výmarské republiky, až do roku 1970, kdy odešel do důchodu jako admirál válečného námořnictva Spolkové republiky Německa. Kretschmer byl přijat do Hitlerovy rodící se ponorkové zbraně v lednu 1936 a první velení mu bylo svěřeno v říjnu 1937 na ponorce U-23. Do boje s ní poprvé vyplul v roce 1939. Na jaře 1940 názorně dokázal své schopnosti ve válce a byl převelen jako kapitán na novou a daleko výkonnější U-99. Na její palubě se stal během bitvy o Atlantik jedním z ponorkových es nacistického Německa, dokud nebyla jeho ponorka v dramatické noční bitvě v březnu 1941potopena a on spolu s většinou posádky zajat. Kretschmer byl průkopník nové taktiky a v boji dokázal, že nejlepší způsob, jak může ponorka uspět proti konvoji, je ten nejtroufalejší – zaútočit v noci a vynořený. Vedle vojenských dovedností se vyznačoval i typickou pruskou málomluvností, což mu od jeho vrstevníků vyneslo přezdívku „Tichý Otto“. Tento životopis popisuje v úplnosti Kretschmerovy vojenské úspěchy, líčí do nejmenších podrobností každou jeho bojovou plavbu, a to všechno propojuje s náhledem do jeho poněkud záhadné osobnosti. Je to fascinující příběh jedné z nejdůležitějších osobností a jedné z nejvýznamnějších kampaní druhé světové války.