Gordon Williamson was born in 1951 and currently works for the Scottish Land Register. He spent seven years with the Military Police TA and has published a number of books and articles on the decorations of the Third Reich and their winners. He is author of several World War II titles for Osprey, but has a special interest in German naval forces, particularly the U-boat fleet.

Darko Pavlovic was born in 1959 and currently lives and works in Zagreb, Croatia. An architect by profession, he started his career as a full-time illustrator several years ago, with a specialist interest in military subjects. He has already illustrated titles on the Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941-45, and U-Boat Crews 1914-45 in the Elite series. Darko has also written two Men-at-Arms on the Austrian cavalry of the 19th century.

The scourge of Allied shipping during World War II, the U-Boot Waffe was one of the most feared components of Hitler's war machine, yet the Kriegsmarine was the least political branch of the Third Reich. The sailors of the U-boat arm were courageous, highly skilled seamen, who fought a war in the toughest conditions: subject to immense tension, and forced to cope with the challenges of the Atlantic, life for a U-boat recruit was far from easy. This title explores the life of a typical U-boat crewman, from recruitment, through training and service conditions, to combat experience throughout the war. Illustrated with many previously unpublished images, this book offers a fresh insight into the experiences of the men in Dönitz's legendary 'wolf packs'.