Lone Wolf: Life and Death of U-boat Ace Werner Henke

This book relates the life - and death - of the rebel German seaman who became one of the most successful U-boat commanders of World War II. In this carefully documented study, Timothy P. Mulligan tells the story of Werner Henke and the crew of "U-515" in the Battle of the Atlantic, where they engaged in long-range "lone wolf" operations against Allied ships. The story of "U-515" is closely correlated to the overall conduct of the U-boat war, including assessments of Karl Donitz's strategy, the influence of technological innovations and the contributions of Allied signal intelligence. Henke sank 24 merchant vessels and two warships before "U-515" itself was sunk and he and his crew captured by a US task force in 1944. Fearing he would be turned over to the British and tried as a war criminal, Henke became the only U-boat captain killed in North America while trying to escape as a prisoner of war.