WW2 Bunker
The Wolf How One German Raider Terrorized the Allies in the Most Epic Voyage of WWI
The Wolf How One German Raider Terrorized the Allies in the Most Epic Voyage of WWI
Author: Richard Guilliatt and Peter Hohnen
Condition: Like New
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In this gripping account of an audacious and lethal World War I expedition, Richard Guilliatt and Peter Hohnen depict the Wolf ’s assignment: to terrorize distant ports of the British Empire by laying minefields and sinking freighters, thus hastening Germany’s goal of starving her enemy into submission. Yet to maintain secrecy, she could never pull into port or use her radio, and to comply with the rules of sea warfare, her captain fastidiously tried to avoid killing civilians aboard the merchant ships he attacked, taking their crews and passengers prisoner before sinking the vessels.
The Wolf thus became a huge floating prison, with more than 400 captives, including a number of women and children, from twenty-five different nations. Sexual affairs were kindled between the German crew and some female prisoners. A six-year-old American girl, captured while sailing across the Pacific with her parents, was adopted as a mascot by the Germans.
Forced to survive on food and fuel plundered from other ships, facing death from scurvy, and hunted by the combined navies of five Allied nations, the Germans and their prisoners came to share a common bond. The will to survive transcended enmities of race, class, and nationality.
It was to be one of the most daring clandestine naval missions of modern times. Under the command of Captain Karl Nerger, who conducted his deadly business with an admirable sense of chivalry, the Wolf traversed three of the world’s major oceans and destroyed more than thirty Allied vessels.
We learn of the world through which the Wolf moved, with all its social divisions and xenophobia, its bravery and stoicism, its combination of old-world social mores and rapid technological change. The story of this epic voyage is a vivid real-life narrative and simultaneously a richly detailed picture of a world being profoundly transformed by war.
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Keywords, content and topics in this Book
Keywords, content and topics in this Book
Basic Bibliographic Data
Title: The Wolf: How One German Raider Terrorized the Allies in the Most Epic Voyage of WWI
Authors: Richard Guilliatt; Peter Hohnen
Publisher: Free Press (New York)
Publication year: 2010
ISBN: 9781416573173
Type of Book
Non-fiction
Narrative history
Naval history
World War I history
Campaign / voyage history (single ship)
Social and political history of WWI
Main Subjects and Focus
German naval operations in World War I
World War I – social aspects
World War I – political aspects
German raider warfare against Allied shipping
Long-range sea raiding voyage of SMS Wolf
Theater(s) of War and Operational Context
World War I – naval war
High seas commerce raiding against Allied shipping
Global / oceanic theater (raider operating across distant sea lanes)
Main Nations and Sides Involved
Germany – Imperial German Navy
Allies (Allied merchant and passenger shipping targeted by Wolf)
Branch of Service / Unit Focus
Imperial German Navy
German auxiliary cruiser / commerce raider Wolf
German Q-ship operations
Naval prisoners of war and civilian detainees at sea
Vessels, Weapons, and Technology
Q-ships – disguised armed merchant vessels
Warship camouflage techniques (German, WWI)
Prison hulks used by Germany in WWI
Naval mines and torpedoes used in German naval operations (via raider warfare context)
People, Groups, and Experience
German naval officers and crew of Wolf
Allied merchant seamen as prisoners of war
Civilian passengers and crews captured at sea
POW experiences aboard a German prison hulk / raider
Home-front and political repercussions of raider attacks (WWI, social and political aspects)
Content Features
Includes bibliographical references
Includes index
Descriptive and Thematic Keywords
Commerce raiding, World War I
German surface raiders
Disguised warships
Naval deception and camouflage
Long-distance naval operations
Maritime prisoners of war
Civilian detainees in wartime
Life aboard a raider
Mutiny and discipline at sea
Wartime secrecy and intelligence at sea
Impact of naval warfare on civilians
Political and social consequences of naval raiding in WWI
Classification-Oriented Tags
World War, 1914–1918 – Prisoners and prisons, German
Civilians in war – 20th century
Prisoners of war – 20th century
Q-ships – Germany – History – 20th century
Warships – Germany – Camouflage – History – 20th century
Prison hulks – Germany – History – 20th century
Wolf (Steamship)
Naval history – Germany
Naval history – World War I
Book Condition: Like New
Book Condition: Like New
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New: Fresh Out of Bootcamp
Flawless and untested. This book is in pristine, new condition and ready for its first assignment.
Like New: Light Combat Experience
Almost new and in great shape. It has clearly been read before and is ready to fight again, but it shows very little wear from its time in the field.
Good: A Few Scars or Shell Shock
A reliable veteran. The book might have some bent corners or a dust cover with a few scratches, but it’s still sturdy and standing tall.
Fair: Battle-Hardened
Visible signs of a long campaign. Expect some stains, bent pages, and perhaps some minor tears on the cover. It’s seen the trenches, but the intel inside is still solid.
Poor: Survived Iwo Jima
This one has been through the meat grinder. It carries noticeable damage, heavy staining, or significant wear—but like any old soldier, it would love to be read one last time before it retires.
