The life of a young man, from sailor in 1933 to U-boat commander in 1940, can be traced through his voyages above and below the sea. Eberhard Hoffmann's handwritten logbooks take us along on the maiden voyage of the popular "Gorch Fock" into the Baltic Sea and on a circumnavigation of the globe aboard the cruiser "Karlsruhe." The cruiser's "goodwill tour" led through the Suez Canal to Sri Lanka, onward to Australia, Hawaii, along the west coast of the USA, through the Panama Canal, to New York, and back home. On both ships, he underwent the rigorous training to become a naval cadet. His military career continued with coastal reconnaissance aircraft and culminated in the war with the rank of lieutenant commander. Eberhard Hoffmann first received command of U-146 and then of U-451, with which he initially patrolled the Arctic Ocean. In November 1941, he was ordered to the Mediterranean with U-451. Before reaching the Strait of Gibraltar, he met his tragic end when the submarine sank. The entire crew drowned, except for one man.
Group
Books (first-hand)
Author
Blumenthal, Stefan
Title
Das kurze Leben des U-Bootkommandanten Eberhard Hoffmann
Details
Paperback, 211 Abb., Großformat. 136 Seiten.
State
new
Subtitle
Von der Gorch Fock und dem Kreuzer Karlsruhe zum Untergang der U 451
Helios Verlags- und Brückstr. 48 52080 Aachen Deutschland
