"No Ordinary War" -The Eventful Career of U-604.

[Tychsen]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1...ef=oss_product

I bought this last Decemebr and picked it up a day or two ago to make a start on it and have been returning to it and enjoying it.
To date I have read about a quarter of the book - and some of the other sections which I just opened and "started on" , "an hour with it" passes very quickly for this is so good.
( If you have never rad anything about the Atlantic or "U Boats" this is one you should read you will come away with a real feel for the subject balanced with an insight into the uncomfortable dirty life and death lottery which they were part of.

Published by Seaforth" it is well put together the font is excellent the paper is good quality, the range of illustrations are excellent , their reproduction is very good, the maps and diagrams are clear well sized and uncluttered - easy to read and are immediately applicable to the text.

The book "No Ordinary War - The Eventful Career of U-604" describes the career of U-604 from her building to her loss in September 43.
Each patrol is dealt with as a separate chapter at the end which are listed all the U Boats lost in that period - this is a reminder of the nature of the fray which U604 entered, at what stage of the war the battle of the Atlantic was actually decided and at what cost it was continued.

The author tells not only the story of the boat , her captain , her crew but he also blends very nicely the background and progression of the Convoy / U Boat conflict which 604 was a part of and he does it in a way which does not intrude on "the boat" - he makes it part of the overall narrative.

The eventual fate of 604 is worth reading so I won't do a "spolier" on it but if you feel alike a bit of "Das Boot" this is one to go for it is above average .

The author lists the individual crew members and their fates, they have been an instrumental part of this very excellent study.

I have but one regret - I didn't start reading it in December 2010.

[Franz repper]

sounds interesting I just might get this one

[Tychsen]

It would not be money wasted Joel, there is a refreshing honesty with which the book has been written and in telling U604's story the author touches on other boats and crews some of them very notable.

The account of her loss ( scuttled , being beyond saving) and the rescue of crew by Emmermann's U-172 and Maus's U185 - 185 and the damaged 604 shot down a liberator .(U172 having crash dived).
U172 ( with 23 survivors from U604) was to meet with Kuppisch's U-847 when Emmermann closed he came in with his guncrews on alert, his sky watch doubled and had no more men on deck than he required - to deal with the supplies Kuppisch was to give him.
Kuppisch's U-847 was the exact opposite he had men all over the place, his flak unmanned - far too relaxed and oblivious to the danger they were in .

Kuppisch had returned to the "front" after a time ashore and he did not full appreciate the very real and ever present acute danger posed by VLR aircraft and carrier borne aircraft, he thought he was in "an air gap" - days later Kuppisch's boat was lost...... "the air gap" had ceased to exist when he had been ashore.
The battle was ever changing and even an "ace" could be lost if he did not keep his wits about him.

http://www.subart.net/U185.htm
Above a well known image of U-185 sinking , so closely connected with 604 and 847.