"At the end of World War II, British naval intelligence persuaded a number of German admirals held as prisoners of war to write down their thoughts on Germany's buildup to war, its early victories, and its eventual defeat. Their comments languished in the British archives, unnoticed by researchers until a father-son team of naval historians recognized their value and produced this book. Among the writers are the heads of the Kriegsmarine, surface fleet, and naval intelligence, the chief of the naval war staff, the flag officer of U-boats, a senior liaison officer to the Italian navy, the commander of small battle units, the senior naval officer in the Black Sea, and the Commander-in-Chief West. This book is arranged by themes, from the time of the Weimar Republic to the surrender, to allow readers to compare and contrast the opinions held by admirals of different levels of seniority and with different spheres of responsibility. These essays clearly indicate their intimate knowledge of every aspect of the war at sea and the decision-making processes that determined how Germany conducted the war."--BOOK JACKET.