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Summary: The Irony of Iron Coffins
Review: If you are at all interested in the U-Boat war in the North Atlantic during World War II, then this book is for you. Werner tells the story of his wartime career in gripping detail. What I found most interesting about the book, however, was not so much the descriptions of combat (although those are certainly interesting enough), but rather the fascinating glimpse into ordinary life in Germany and occupied France during the war, as described by Werner when he recounts his leaves and furloughs and visits home. Likewise, Werner's story of the brutality of French treatment of German POWs at war's end is also very eye opening. Aside from that, there are plenty of Asdic pings, depth charge runs, torpedo fan shots, and silent runnings to keep even the most demanding submarine fan enthralled for hours. Immerse yourself in the excitement and the horror of World War II under the waves with the words of a true master. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Absolutely the Best!
Review: I am an ex-submariner in the U.S Navy with eight strategic deterrent submarine patrols in the North Atlantic and I can only imagine the absolute courage and patriotism shown by the men described in this book! Captain Werner describes what is truly a life of adventure bordering on madness as he and his crew dodge British and US aircraft and destroyers in the most dramatic cat and mouse game of all time.The book follows Werner's career as a U-Boat officer that starts at the beginning of WWII. He talks about the initial glory and successes of the German U-Boat campaign against the British and he follows the war as the tide changes against Germany. Werner describes reports of boat after boat being sunk and most of his fellow commanders being killed at sea and he shares his thoughts as he continues to bring his boat to sea in spite of almost a guarantee of being killed. I can't recommend this book strongly enough. It is the BEST submarine saga that I have read to date and it is also a tribute to men who have gone to sea in defense of their country.
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Summary: Best U boat book ever!!!
Review: This book is amazing. You won't be able to put it down!!
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Summary: A former enemy's viewpoint is all too human, and thrilling
Review: Herbert Werner's book has been printed many times, a testament to its writing and story. Werner joined the German Navy at the outset of World War II, and was able to rise through the ranks fo this extremely dangerous calling to command his own U-Boats by the end of the war. Werner writes his account from a chronological perpsective, from the early, easy successes to the end of the war and the bleak outlook Germany had ahead of them. Key events like the "Happy Time," the sinking of the Bismarck, the Battle of Britain and operation Sea Lion figure in, as do the attacks on Pearl Harbor, D-Day, and the waning days of the war.
Iron Coffins also exudes humanity, finding fault with the Nazi high command and the naval leadership that caused too many losses, weakened morale, and doomed Germany's effort. The title itself refers to Werner's view of the U-boats as floating deathtraps for most of their crews (perentage-wise, German U-boat crews had one of the top positions in any list of potential losses). Werner was lucky to survive, given his job, and we are luckier still to have his account of U-boat work in World War II.
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Summary: A magnificent story that leaves you in awe that he survived!
Review: Reading World War II epics is a hobby of mine, and I can easily say that Iron Coffins is my all-time favorite book. I first read it in 1984 and couldn't put it down. I have read it about 15 times, and each time, it never ceases to captivate me at how Werner survived time and time again while the majority of his comrades met their fate at the bottom of the Atlantic. It is as if it was his destiny to preserve in writing this critical campaign of World War II. It tells you in vivid detail, the other side of the story-all Nazis were Germans, but not all Germans were Nazis. They had men, just like us, who would rather be somewhere else than in the heat of combat, wondering when they were going to get theirs. The vivid descriptions, going from Years of Glory to Disaster and Defeat made me feel like I was right there next to Werner, riding out the brutal storms in the North Atlantic, the ceaseless depth chargings, gasping for air, limping back into port, mauled and beaten, yet still alive. They went to war for their country. Nearly all of them perished. Now, read this tragic true story of one of the few U-boat commanders who lived to tell the tale. The Iron Coffin would not claim Herbert Werner's life. His book preserves the saga of Germany's undersea struggle. A masterpiece!
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Summary: Another Option
Review: A riveting account, as so many others have noted here. Just a heads-up for those of you who read German: you can get the original version of Iron Coffins (Die eisernen Särge) together with Wolfgang's Hirschfeld's U-boat memoir, Feindfahrten, in one convenient paperback volume from Amazon.de. It includes quite a few photos and illustrations, too.
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Summary: Getting a 10th life . . . .
Review: Werner's book is an excellent account of survival under over-whelming odds. What an exceptional breed of men these were to endure the months of patrol, in less than anything close to congenial conditions, and the ever present terror and possibility of being doomed in their U-boats at the bottom of the sea. The author's single-mindedness to accomplish what his war purpose was is the backbone of what sustained Germany's extended holdout on all the crumbling fronts. It is a great book and every bit worthy of the 5 star accolades accorded it.
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Summary: Right on the mark
Review: It reads a lot like "Soldat" by Siefried Knappe, for those of you who enjoy reading about the ground war also. I mean that as a compliment--both books give a good balance of operational detail with personal experience and insight, for a thoroughly enjoyable read.
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Summary: hervorragend!
Review: "Iron Coffins," by Herbert A. Werner is a wonderfully written and compelling history based on Werner's personal experience as a U-boat officer and captain from 1942 to 1945, including his periodic leaves ashore in France and Germany.
"Iron Coffins" describes with precision and tense drama Werner's war patrol experiences that mirrored the parabolic history of the overall German war machine from its relentless trajectory to brief domination, followed by a startlingly abrupt containment and gradual reversal, and culminating in its final accelerating decline into virtual annihilation.
This book surprised me in several ways. That Werner, a U-boat alpha-warrior of exceptional skill, instinct, success and luck, should be also so capable with a pen gives the story a solid foundation of credibility and authenticity, even as Werner's subjective view changes tremendously with the fortunes of war from that of the eager, proud, young super-warrior to the final devastating and very personal realization of the role he had inadvertently played in the destruction of his own family, friends, countrymen, and country. The madness of war becomes clear to the defeated.
Another surprise is the almost unbelievable string of luck that protected Werner and his crews from destruction from a seemingly inexhaustible and relentless stream of depth charges, aerial bombs, and mines, on top of the threat of normal mechanical failures and emergencies that existed in U-boats. That Werner survived to write this book is a wonder. In surviving, he beat odds of several hundred to one against him.
A factual surprise that is made more powerful and dramatic by Werner's personal perspective is the jolting suddenness of the turning point in the Battle of the North Atlantic. On March 26, 1943, Werner triumphantly returned to port in France for repairs and replenishment after another in an uninterrupted string of victorious patrols spent torpedoing tens of thousands of tons of allied merchant shipping. On April 24 he returned to patrol and within days German radio reports of U-boat sinkings started to mount alarmingly and inexplicably. Allied technological advances and its air and naval surface escort superiority had been firmly established over the U-boat wolfpacks in the space of about one month. The U-boats, and Germany, never recovered.
In my opinion, this book ranks at the pinnacle of its submarine warfare history genre alongside the stellar "Clear the Bridge," by Richard O'Kane, one of America's most aggressive and most decorated WWII submarine commanders. Of final interest that reflects back on this story's ending is the fact that Mr. Werner came to the United States in 1947 and became an American citizen.
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Summary: A must read!! I Could not put it down.
Review: This book is a MUST read for any WWII enthusiast. This book is not a documentary account of WWII submarine tactics, but a first hand account of Werner's thrilling land and sea adventures. This book details the gripping accounts of Werner's victories at sea as well as his personal family losses that took their toll toward the end of the war.
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