Winston Churchill claimed the 'U-boat peril' was the only thing that frightened him during World War II. The U-boat was developed from a small coastal vessel into a state-of-the-art killer, stalking the high seas picking off merchant convoys, until the introduction of the destroyer escort, and the development of dedicated anti-submarine tactics provided a means of defence and attack against the U-boats. Gordon Williamson describes the design and development of these two deadly opponents, their tactics, strengths and weaknesses, weaponry and training. He provides an insight into the lives of the Royal Navy and Wolf Pack crews as they played their deadly games of cat and mouse on the high seas, gambling with their lives and the fate of the nations.

The scourge of Allied shipping during World War II, the U-Boot Waffe was one of the most feared components of Hitler's war machine, yet the Kriegsmarine was the least political branch of the Third Reich. The sailors of the U-boat arm were courageous, highly skilled seamen, who fought a war in the toughest conditions: subject to immense tension, and forced to cope with the challenges of the Atlantic, life for a U-boat recruit was far from easy. This title explores the life of a typical U-boat crewman, from recruitment, through training and service conditions, to combat experience throughout the war. Illustrated with many previously unpublished images, this book offers a fresh insight into the experiences of the men in Dönitz's legendary 'wolf packs'.

Vol. 2. - 64 p.

This is the second book in a two-part series about the German Commanders of World War II and covers distinguished commanders from the Waffen-SS, the Luftwaffe and the Navy. The commanders covered include such famous names as Josef Dietrich, Theodor Eicke, Kurt Meyer, Joachim Peiper and Karl Donitz and the book details their fascinating wartime experiences. The colour plates are in the uniquely meticulous style of the respected World War II illustrator Malcolm McGregor.

This intellectually powerful and highly original book examines Roman expansion through the lens of public lawmaking, the process of negotiation and debate by which citizen assemblies resolved conflict and expressed consensus. Williamson incisively examines how problems of expansion were managed, and boldly argues that in the end it was expansion itself—both of the electorate and its leadership—that overwhelmed the problem-solving capacities of public lawmaking and led to the breakdown of the Republic

Sincerest thanks are due to Teresa Glazer, Irena Haniewicz, Jan K. Siedlecki, Walery Choroszewski, Adam Lasocki, Wadzia Ta÷ski, Louise McCall, Christopher Muszkowski and Mr Naharnowicz – all of whom found time to talk to me about their experiences of the September Campaign. Dr Andrzej Suchcitz, at the Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum, Chris Summerville, my editor, Pamela Covey, my proofreader, as well as the staff at the National Archives and in the Reading Room of the Imperial War Museum, were unfailingly helpful whenever I approached them. The author would also like to thank Ewa Haren, Taisa Kiczkajo and Jerzy Chodyrew for help with sources and Polish spellings, and the following for granting him permission to use copyright material: Teresa Glazer, Irena Haniewicz, Jan K. Siedlecki, Walery Choroszewski and Louise McCall, all of whom lent him copies of unpublished manuscripts. He would also like to thank the owners of the following papers in the Imperial War Museum, London: B.M. Poloniecki, R. Zolski, Wiktor Jackiewicz, Peter Fleming (P.Z. Tarczynski), B.J. Solak, F. Kornicki, M.A. Rymaszewski, R. Smorczewski, S. Kurylak, W. Krey, A. Golebiowski and S. Goldberg. Special thanks are also due to the Taylor Library for the use of images. Finally, the author would like to acknowledge his debt to S.J. Zaloga’s and V. Madej’s book, The Polish Campaign 1939, which greatly assisted in technical matters associated with the September Campaign. Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and the author and the Imperial War Museum would be grateful for any information which might help to trace those whose identities or addresses are not currently known.