Defeat At Sea

This is the story of the German Navy during 1939-1945.


Inadequately prepared for the Second World War, the navy led a bitter struggle on all seas, and in the end was subjected to an overwhelming defeat. More than 120,000 lives were lost, including many individuals whose firsthand accounts make up this gripping and detailed documentary report; they are indispensable if the spirit of that era and the resulting events, as well as the willingness to take action and the courage to sacrifice these men, are to be fully understood…


Richly illustrated throughout, former WWII German naval officer Hans Dieter Berenbrok first published this book in German in 1953, under the pseudonym Cajus Bekker and the title Kampf und Untergang der Kriegsmarine. Ein Dokumentarbericht in Wort und Bild. It draws on a vast collection of military records, private archives, and countless personal interviews. It was subsequently published in English in 1955.