If you’ve watched submarine thrillers like “The Hunt for Red October” or “U-571,” you might wonder why submarine captains made specific decisions in combat. In Mark Lardas’s new book, “US Destroyers vs German U-Boats: The Atlantic 1941–45,” readers have their questions answered while they learn about the history of German submarines and American destroyers.
Mr. Lardas fills his pages with information about the builds, capabilities, and limitations of the U-boats and destroyers through the decades covering the pre-World War I and World War II eras. He describes the engine types, the speed, the surface and below-surface ranges, as well as the weaponry of each vessel. It is within these descriptions that many questions, such as, why a submarine would surface while being chased, or why a submarine would dive so deep as to risk implosion, are answered.
