Rössler, E. Die deutschen U-Boote und U-Bootentwürfe zwischen den Weltkriegen 1922-1939

This publication by Eberhard Rössler, the most outstanding expert on German submarine history and author of numerous standard publications on the subject, provides for the first time a detailed insight into German submarine development during the period from 1922 to 1939, In this period, starting from the first tentative attempts of the German shipyard industry, the German submarine industry, in cooperation with the Reichsmarine and a network of camouflage companies at home and abroad, worked single-mindedly on the medium-term reconstruction of a German submarine weapon. The role and significance of the Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw (IvS), founded in 1922 by German shipyards in Holland, is also examined in detail. With its help, numerous submarines were built for the navies of various European countries. The book also describes in detail the efforts to rebuild a German submarine weapon, which were initially carried out in secret and then officially from 1935 onwards, up to the ambitious fleet construction programme within the framework of the so-called "Z-Plan" in 1939.
All submarine designs developed by German designers from 1922 to 1939 are documented in detail with many design details and illustrations.

The development of German submarine construction is characterised by an astonishing continuity despite the bans on the construction of submarines by the victorious powers after the two lost world wars and the political changes from the Empire to the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich to today's Federal Republic of Germany. The respective preservation and further development of the previously achieved knowledge and experience with the help of the many important German submarine designers of their time during the prohibition phases contributed substantially to this. With the help of numerous, partly covertly executed foreign orders in these years for the design and construction of submarines, valuable practical experience could be gained, which was then useful for the later reconstruction of the submarine weapon.