Germany’s legendary Atlantic surface war was fought by Naval Group West. Superbly illustrated, this unpacks the details of how it operated and fought. Having spent the 1930s on an ambitious but confused bid to build a new battle fleet, Germany began World War II woefully unprepared. Under Marinegruppenkommando West, its heavy ships and raiders were tasked with challenging Allied dominance of the Atlantic. In this book, Kriegsmarine specialist Lawrence Paterson explores how Naval Group West took on the challenge. He reassesses the qualities of the fleet, and how the confusion over their original role meant that ships like the Bismarck were less than ideal for raiding. Operating as far afield as the Indian Ocean also relied on an elaborate tanker and supply network, as well as Germany’s superb signals intelligence. He also explains the complex Kriegsmarine command structure during the 1930s and early war, how responsibility for the ships veered between Naval Group West, the Naval Staff,
