The Last Year of the Kriegsmarine May 1944-1945 Последний год Кригсмарине

Издание на английском языке
The book is a detailed historical study of the armed conflicts and strategies of the German navy during World War II. It focuses on the development and combat operations of destroyers, submarines, and the latest naval technologies, such as electric boats and radar. The author covers the course of military campaigns, descriptions of combat engagements, tactics and strategic assessments, and dramatic moments of the struggle in various naval theaters—from England to the Mediterranean. The book illuminates both the successes and defeats of German forces, demonstrating the struggle for control of sea lanes and analytically assessing the effectiveness of military decisions. It includes supplements with technical data, ratings, and casualty figures, making it a valuable resource for historians, military researchers, and anyone interested in the history of naval conflicts.

Content
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: A Belief in Miracles
The Development of the Walter Boats
The Development of the Electro-Boats
The Development of Snorkel
Radar Development
Radar Detector Developments
The Introduction of ‘Small Battle Units
Chapter 2: The Sounding of the Tocsin
Naval Group West, 40 Schnellboote in the West
U-boats in the West
Too Few Too Late
Enemy Appreciations
Chapter 3: The Strategy of Despair
Four Against a Thousand
An Impossible Mission
Ants Against Leviathan
Chapter 4: Great Expectations
Group Holzbein’s Odyssey
Bay of Biscay Operations
Group Mitte
Ordeal in the Channel
Chapter 5: Defeat in the West
The K-Verband Fiasco
Schnellboote Resurgent
The Collapse of Marinegruppe West
Chapter 6: Twilight in the Middle Sea
The Supply Problem
The Swamping of the U-boats
Strategic Impotence
Demise of the U-boats
Defiant to the End
Chapter 7: Death of a Giant
The Queen of the North
Group Trutz Operations
Strikes from the Sea
Disaster off Haakoy
Chapter 8: The Setting of the Midnight Sun
A New-Found Optimism
The Freezing Sting of Reality
Cat and Mouse
The Balance Sheet
Chapter 9: Nil Desperandum
The Inshore Campaign: The First Wave
The Inshore Campaign: The Second Wave
Strategic and Tactical Assessment
The Inshore Campaign: The Third Wave
The Inshore Campaign: The Fourth Wave
Far-Distant Waters
Schnellboote Operations: September-December 1944
K-Verband Operations: September-December 1944
Chapter 10: End Game
The Fatal Delays
The Inshore Campaign: The Fifth Wave
The Inshore Campaign: The Sixth Wave
The Collapse of the Inshore Campaign
Chapter 11: Reaping the Whirlwind
K-Verband Operations: January 1945
Schnellboote Operations: January 1945
K-Verband Operations: February 1945
Schnellboote Operations: February 1945
K-Verband Operations: March 1945
Schnellboote Operations: March 1945
K-Verband Operations: April 1945
Schnellboote Operations: April 1945
To the Bitter End
Appendixes
German Naval Officer Ranks and British Equivalents
Type XXI Electro-Boats Commissioned into Service
Type XXIII Electro-Boats Commissioned into Service
Type XVIIB and XVIIG Walter Boats Commissioned into Service
U-boat Losses May 1944 to May 1945
Source Notes
Bibliography
Index