Book excerpt: This volume charts the life of a German U-boat from construction through to active service, and looks at commissioning, sea trials and the first patrol of a typical boat during World War II. This illustrated book also offers a glimpse at domestic life on board a German U-boat, focusing on what the ordinary seaman would have seen and experienced during his first weeks aboard a brand new boat. The author draws on the extensive archives of the German U-boat Archive and many of the photos that appear in the book are previously unpublished. Comprehensive captions describe in detail the many aspects of a U-boat at war, from the boat itself, to the crew and its personalities, life above and below the waves, and the weapons and radar with which it fought Allied shipping. This book affords an insight into this much-feared weapon of World War II, and should appeal to all with an interest in the armed forces of the Third Reich.