U-552 – The Red Devil Boat

U-552 – The Red Devil Boat: Its Operational History in Words and Images

U-552 was one of the legendary U-boats of World War 2. Under the command of Erich Topp, it carried out a total of ten operational patrols, sinking 30 ships and damaging three in a period of 20 months. In the days of the big convoy battles, when the Allies’ detection technology had not yet been perfected, before the German radio codes had been broken, and convoys were not or at best weakly escorted, Topp was among the U-boat arm’s most successful commanders. Within 16 months he was decorated with the Knight’s Cross, the Oak Leaves and the Swords. U-552, the boat with the Red Devil emblem, was probably photographed more by war reporters than any other U-boat.

Despite its wartime fame and notoriety, there has been no comprehensive history of U-552. This book changes the status quo. Photos from all of the boat’s patrols, a war cruise chronology including the period after Topp, and a detailed description of all patrols together form a special U-boat book. 

The book supplied will have a German or English cover, but the content of all Luftfahrtverlag-Start’s books is dual English & German.

Book Data

Author: Axel Urbanke & Michael Rey
Language: German/English
Pages: 352
Photos: 318 black & white
Artwork: 18 colour maps and 6 colour graphics
ISBN: 9783941437340
Physical: Hardcover, 285x240mm, landscape