The Grey Wolves of Eriboll

In wartime they were the scourge of the Allied campaign, Germany’s U-boats in the Second World War almost brought Great Britain to its knees. History shows that the Allies won the Battle of the Atlantic but only just. With the end of the war came the inevitable collecting and disposing of the U-boat fleet and Loch Eriboll became one of the main centres for this task. 160 U-boats eventually ended their days at Loch Eriboll. David M Hird’s excellently researched and written book has been revised, updated and expanded to include more details about the originally featured 23 commanders but also a further 23 commanders, including four outstanding military men who could even be considered to be ‘submarine aces.’ The book also contains fascinating personal recollections from the men involved in their capture, internment and ultimate destruction. The text of this book is well written and easy to read. The facts and figures are important but not so much as the real life stories that are recounted with great clarity. David Hird has managed to convey the importance of the operation at Loch Eriboll together with the human stories. This book isn’t just a list of captured submarines and their fates, it also contains valuable information regarding how submarines were designed, built and fought in the North Atlantic, Mediterranean, North Sea and Aegean. In fact in many ways this book redresses the slight that Loch Eriboll has endured since the end of the war and has shed light on the invaluable if rarely lauded role it played during and after the Battle of the Atlantic was won.