Hitler's Forgotten Flotillas
- Subject: General Military & Naval History | World War II | Clear the Decks Up to 80% OFF
- Format:
Hardcover
- Pages:
336pages
- Published:
June 15, 2017
- ISBN-10:
1473882397
- ISBN-13:
9781473882393
- Product Dimensions:
9.2 × 6.5 × 1 in
- Product Weight:
33 oz
Overview
As naval construction was unable to keep pace with the likely demand for security vessels, Grossadmiral Erich Raeder turned to the conversion of merchant vessels. For example, trawlers were requisitioned as patrol boats (Vorpostenboote) and minesweepers (Minensucher), while freighters, designated Sperrbrecher, were filled with buoyant materials and sent to clear minefields. Submarine hunters (U-Boot Jäger) were requisitioned fishing vessels. More than 120 flotillas operated in wildly different conditions, from the Arctic to the Mediterranean, and eighty-one men were to be awarded the Knight’s Cross; some were still operating after the cessation of hostilities clearing German minefields. Paterson documents organizational changes, describes the vessels, and recounts individual actions of ships at sea. Extensive appendices are included. ↵
About the Author
Editorial Reviews
"'Naval Books of the Year'. This book is an excellent treatment of a side of naval warfare that is rarely given the attention it deserves. It is thus heartily recommended."—Warship