A superb overview of 100 years of German submarine development by a leading U-boat writer A magnificant set of over 400 photographs, many not published before Publication to coincide with the centenary of the launch of Germany's first U-Boat On a sweltering day in August 1906 U-1, or Unterseeboot 1, meaning underwater boat, was lifted into Kiel's waters for trials; 100 hundred years later Kiel still witnesses the launching of U-boats, modern submarines with fuel cell propulsion systems, built for navies worldwide. In the years in between Germany fought two world wars, in which the U-boat almost defeated the Allies. The U-boat was one of the most potent weapons of the 20th century, and here Mallmann Showell, perhaps the world's leading U-boat historian, explains how it was developed and designed and then deployed to wreak havoc in European waters and further afield in the Atlantic and the Far East. This is not a dry technical book but a work that looks behind the scenes at the men who built and fought in them. Weapons systems, operational areas, bases, builders and fleet organisation are covered, and as well as dealing with the world wars, the author brings the story up to date with the third, latest, generation of U-boats. The text is augmented by over 300 images, many never published before. This new work sheds broad and fascinating new insights into the development of the U-boat and will be an essential addition to the library of every modern naval historian and enthusiast. JAK MALLMANN SHOWELL is a well-known naval historian and has written over 20 books on U-boats. He has researched original documents in the UK and Germany extensively.