The Secret Raiders (1955) By David Woodward
 
At the beginning of World War II, Gernany sought to repeat a tactic from the First World War and began reconstructing merchant ships as armed ships of war. Donning various disguises they sailed the oceans seeking ships to seize or sink. They achieved substantial successes, but their most important contribution was probably the dislocation of Allied resources they caused. Their greatest military success was the sinking of the of the Australian cruiser Sydney by the Kormoran; their greatest failure was the sinking of the Stier by the lightly armed American liberty ship Stephen Hopkins. There was always difficulty in maintaining and supplying the raiders, but by 1943 it was becoming impossible, in the face of Allied strength and vigilance, to get them out into the open ocean. It is worth noting that although the German commanders served a murderous regime, they were for the most part honorable men who complied with international law. Only one was tried as a war criminal. This is a fine study of an little remembered sidelight to the Second World War.
 
Hard Cover
232 Pages
In Fair Condition