Book Review: To the Last Salute: Memoirs of an Austrian U-Boat Commander

Archives

by Georg von Trapp, translated & with an introduction by Elisabeth M. Campbell

Lincoln, Nb.: Bison/University of Nebraska Press, 2007. Pp. xvii, 192. Illus., notes. . $14.95 paper. ISBN:0803246676

Georg von Trapp was an ace Austro-Hungarian submarine commander during World War I, and the pater familias of the "Trapp Family Singers" memorialized in the film The Sound of Music.

To the Last Salute, written in 1935, is von Trapp's memoir of the war, and is a very readable, but professional account of naval operations in the Adriatic. Although focused on life and service in the amazingly primitive u-boats of the age, the book puts this within the framework of the overall naval war between Austria-Hungary, with slight aid from Germany, and the combined resources of Italy, France, and Britain. 

With several gripping accounts of a number of now long forgotten but often interesting naval actions, surface as well as undersea, this is a good read for anyone interested in the naval side of the Great War, naval tactics, and naval operations in general.

Reviewer:    


Buy it at Amazon.com

X

ad

Help Keep StrategyPage Open

First came Facebook, then came Twitter, and finally, AI has arrived. They have all caused a decline in our business, but AI may be the deadliest innovation. We are currently in survival mode. Our writers and staff receive no payment in some months, and even when they do, it is below the minimum wage for their efforts. You can support us with your donations or subscriptions. Please help us keep our doors open.

Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on X.

Subscribe   Donate   Close