On the night of 13/14 October 1939, the Type VIIB
U-boat U-47, on its second War Patrol, penetrated the main
Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow and sank the British
battleship HMS Royal Oak. This legendary attack is
remembered as one of the most audacious raids in the history
of submarine warfare. Entering service in December 1938
under the command of Oberleutnant zur See, later
Kapitanleutnant Gunther Prien, after sinking HMS Royal Oak
both Prien and his famous U-boat were known thereafter as
‘The Bull of Scapa Flow’. During a celebration in Berlin to
mark the sinking, the crew members of U-47 were received by
Adolf Hitler. For his part, Prien received the Knight´s
Cross, becoming the first U-boat officer and only the second
member of the Kriegsmarine to receive this decoration.
New in d/w - 450pp, numerous colour &
b/w photos & illustrations
