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Teddy Suhren Ace Of Aces: Memoirs Of A U-Boat Rebel

Suhren, Teddy and Brustat-Naval, Fritz

$26.00

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MILITARY GENERAL World War II U-Boats –

Reinhard Teddy Suhren fired more successful torpedo shots than any other man during the war and he was the first junior officer to be awarded the Knight s Cross for his achievements. However, this is not the reason Teddy remains legendary within the U-boat world. Fondly remembered for his good humour and leadership skills, he was also rebellious by nature, and frequently in trouble with higher authority. Despite his refusal to conform to the rigid thought-patterns of National Socialism, his operational successes protected him, and he found himself accepted in the highest circles of power in Germany, staying as a guest at Martin Bormann s house and on one occasion even dancing with Eva Braun. He was also one of the first to publish his reminiscences, his account being typically forthright and unconventional. He died in 1984 but interest in his career was revitalized by the discovery of a cache of photographs documenting one of his operations in U-564, published with great success in 2004 as “U-Boat War Patrol” by Lawrence Paterson.His collaborator, Frank James, was the man who discovered the significance of the photographs, and interest in the project led to his translation of Suhren’s own book.
Teddy Suhren: Ace of Aces – Memoirs of a U-Boat Rebel is the autobiography of Reinhard “Teddy” Suhren, one of the most decorated and iconoclastic German U-boat commanders of World War II. 
Co-written with Fritz Brustat-Naval, the book offers a candid, often humorous, and politically irreverent look at the Battle of the Atlantic from the German perspective.
  • The “U-Boat Rebel”: Suhren earned his nickname due to his notorious irreverence toward Nazi ideology, military bureaucracy, and upper command. He famously refused to give the Nazi salute, choosing instead a standard military salute or a casual wave. [1]
  • Combat Record: Suhren was a top-tier tonnage ace. He served as the watch officer under the legendary Herbert Schultze on U-48 (the most successful submarine of the war) before commanding U-564. He was the first naval officer to receive the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords based entirely on his achievements as a watch officer and commander, rather than a flotilla leader. [1, 2, 3]
  • Life and Camaraderie: Unlike dry, purely tactical naval histories, Suhren focuses heavily on the psychology of the crew, the claustrophobic reality of submarine life, and the heavy drinking and partying used to cope with the immense stress of combat.
  • Post-War Survival: The memoirs cover his transition to staff roles later in the war, the collapse of Nazi Germany, and his survival and adaptation in the post-war era.
  • Uncensored Perspective: Historians value the book because Suhren does not sanitize his memoirs to fit post-war political correctness, nor does he defend the Nazi regime. He presents the raw, cynical mindset of frontline combatants.
  • Humanising the Enemy: The book provides deep insight into the daily routine, black humour, and fatalism of the German U-boat force, which suffered a staggering 75% casualty rate during the war.
  • pp. 248 illusts #140826

Additional Information

AuthorSuhren, Teddy and Brustat-Naval, Fritz
Number of pages248
PublisherFrontline Books
Year Published2017
Binding Type

Softcover

Book Condition

FINE!

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