Teddy Suhren, Ace of Aces: Memoirs of a U-Boat Rebel Hardcover – May 15, 2006

On the plus side, Teddy and his brother, both highly decorated U-Boat Commanders, survived the war. One sad part--almost written as an aside near the end--was that his parents and sister committed suicide rather than be taken by the mob--the Russians.

This is a good autobiography by Teddy Shuren. As such, it is not a book filled with detailed descriptions of a lot of war patrols and attacks, although they are present and we'd described as they pertain to those years of his career. The book covers a bit of his early life and schooling, then training prior to subs. Training in U_boats, then early parts of the war. Since Doenst wanted to save his experienced captains like Topp and Shuren to be trainers,the last third of the book or so describes that part of his career through the war's end and after. Since Teddy was not politically correct, the book does a good job showing the insights of commanders like him as to how the war at sea was being waged, including Doenst and others refusal to believe that Ultra has been compromised, moving new boats and crews to sea patrols before adequate training had been completed, etc. Since Teddy received multiple decorations, also shows his thoughts and reflections on ceremonies with Hitler and others. Again, if you're looking for a book that has 90 percent or more covering attacks and war patrols, this is not it - but if you want a good autobiography with genuine non-edited reflections and personal opinions from the German's perspective as the war progressed and the Allies anti-submarine warfare efforts improved, this book is the one you want.

This is an excellent account of one man's war as a submarine officer in World War Two and significant work within this area of study.I found this book to be a bit of a pleasant surprise. Not only does the book have dozens of great photographs documenting Suhren's experience. The book reminds me extensively of the movie Das Boot and gives the reader good perspective of submarine operations.Things I enjoyed about this book are the stories of working among the sailors as a team and how Suhren made a special effort to take care of his sailors. I also enjoyed his description of action off the Florida coast. Since I'm familiar with the area he writes of it's particularly fascinating reading. In fact a person can almost imagine what it was like years ago when the attacks took place.My only criticism of the book centers on the old fashioned writing style of the book. In some place entire pages are devoted to one large paragraph. And while this may not be daunting to some. It certainly doesn't make things easier from an esthetic standpoint for the reader. The other thing to consider is this is a specialty book, and a good solid foundation in the general history of the war would help a new reader understand the significant place U-boats have in the history of the war.If you're interested in the U-boat war I would suggest you read U-boat Commander by Peter Cremer and The Shooting War by Otto Giese. Both are excellent easy to read books on the topic.

Teddy Suhren was not the regular stiff German soldier who just obeyed orders and followed instructions and this is probably what allowed him to survive the war. His tactics were unorthodox and that made him successful while at sea and allowed him to return after every mission. Also his behavior with high command was different than you may think from a German soldier/officer. His big mouth prevented him from climbing higher in the military hierarchy, but this is what made him different and you end up liking the guy.Life in U-boats during WWII must not have been easy. Narrow, damp, closed quarters, uncertain if you will be able to return to surface after a depth charge attack, and all inside a “tin can”.Interesting of this book is his description of meeting some high command, not only Hitler. Particularly when he spent some time with Eva Brown. This is the first book I read someone addresses her. Teddy mentions also his suspicions on the allies having broken the Enigma Code, which in the end turned out to be correct.I would highly recommend seeing the German movie Das Boot to enrich this book even further.Now I have to read Iron Coffins, which some consider being the best book on U-boat WWII history.

This is a fast-moving, interesting memoir told in the sort of humorous but detached style your uncle might use to tell you war stories. In other words, somewhat sanitized. It's not a U-Boat story that Lothar-Günther Buchheim might have told (the veteran/author of Das Boot), but without having read books like that it would be hard to get a genuine sense of what Suhren and his crew actually experienced. He recounts battle: the maneuvering; the attack; the reprisal, but the gut-wrenching intensity of the experience is not there, nor is the sense of boredom of days cramped in a tiny space. Instead it's told in a matter-of-fact way that, while interesting and useful, glosses over the details of his experience. It simply just isn't that kind of book, but nonetheless it's a good one and well worth a read!

An excellent read, what a courageous life for a chap in his twenties. Could not left it on the table for three days till it was all over. Great leadership insights as well.

Good information on what went on from mid rank officers view. He did his best to ensure the crews would come back.

Very Interesting book written by the leading German U-Boat "ace." I find it so very "telling" when I read these true stories written about and by those that had been our "enemies." It is amazing how similar mos of them are to "Our " soldiers. They care about their men and have the same fears/hates and loves all of us have. The sad truth about war is that most of those called to serve their country are decent human beings and many on both sides would probably have a good time over a beer, if not for the megalomaniacs that caused/sought the war. Teddy is one such person...he has a sense of humor and a strong sense of right and wrong. His story is compelling and interesting. Well worth the time to read!

The man found himself envolved in the caos of WWII and he did his job as it was required. Waging war is a dirty business and comes to the mind of everyone about the rightness of doing what he does. This particular kind of action spares the individual from the actual horrors of war. So this narrative is nearly exempt of that, rather centering on his performance as a sailor engaged in such a deadly confrontation. Very good reading.

Leitura muito fácil e o autor conta suas experiências como tripulante dos submarinos.

As the son of a man who fought against the wolf-packs in the Atlantic, this theatre of the war has always fascinated me. I try to read as many memoirs as I can because they were there. Historians are ok for an overview, but to smell the oil fuel, or taste the fear, nothing beats a good first hand account!This is such a book. It takes you right from the beginning of the war, through to the end with someone who was not only there but was able to meet many of the principal actors on the axis side of the war.You see how U-boat tactics developed early in the war, go on patrol, attack convoys and withstand sustained depth-charge attacks. Later on you start to see the weariness coming on and the realisation that the war is lost.This is not the account of an ardent Nazi but the tales of a naval officer, doing his duty in the best way he can. Not necessarily with the blessings of his superiors either! His style is relaxed, almost as if you're listening to him speaking. I like that, it's so hard to do.I really enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who wants to know what the U-boat crews felt, bearing in mind the fantastic losses they suffered, yet their morale remained intact to the end.

Teddy Suhren was a very successful u-boat captain who was heavily decorated for his achievements. But the full story is much more than this. Suhren did not take well to the formality of the German navy, but found his place in the closer comradeship of u-boats. He was well-aware of his abilities, and was often cocky to senior staff, usually getting away with this because of his prowess.His captaincy was during the earlier years of the war at sea, and he was quick to see that later Allied developments in convoy protection, especially radar, put the u-boat in an increasingly weak position. After 15 tours he was then put in charge of u-boat officer training where he saw that the time allowed for training u-boat captains was inadequate - very young men were ill-prepared and unfairly sent to their deaths, Suhren felt. He was unable to extend training, and this lack marked the increasingly weak position of u-boats, especially as the area in the centre of the Atlantic once free of air Allied air cover ceased to be a safe area for u-boats.Suhren makes searching observations of senior staff - sometimes critically, but always fairly. He had no time for the kowtowing that Hitler encouraged, but interestingly when they met, Hitler seemed prepared to listen to Suhren, perhaps valuing Suhren's honest views. After the war, in an address to ex u-boat crews, Suhren - who was no Nazi - says he was 'doing his job' as a u-boat captain.I recommend this interesting and very well-written account. It includes simple photographs placed appropriately within the text.

As a German Naval Officer Cadet, Teddy Suhren was not the kind of man who deferred to anyone because of their rank and despite scoring highly in training, he was not favoured by many of his senior officers. It appeared, he was not cut out for the social scene of General Service and so began his career in submarines. The nature of the work there suited him and the exclusive company of a U/Boat's crew allowed him to develop his own brand of leadership, in which although in charge he shared the management of the vessel with his crew. This leadership proved lethal and with many sinkings of Allied Ships to his credit, his qualities were recognised and he became a highly respected, highly decorated senior Naval Officer.I was interested to notice that even at the beginning of hostilities, when merchant shipping went unescorted, he did not seem to equate his actions with loss of life, rather referring to his successes as 'thousands of tons of shipping.' The book follows his career to the end of the War and after. I noted that although enjoying a 'good time' when the occasion arose, his interpersonal skills could on occasion be less than successful. Although he did mention his wife, he had more to say about his mother-in-law.This is a good account of the actions of formidable submariner, even if he served on the 'other side.'