This is the 3rd book in MMP’s Maritime Series (# 3103), entitled Austro-Hungarian Submarines in WWI. It is published in an A4 format (8.25 x 11.75) soft cover book; containing 152 pages packed with black and white photographs, submarine line drawings and tables of technical data. This is a much needed book on the subject of WWI. Whenever I hear of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, I’m reminded of their biplanes, which are represented better in scale modeling. Submarine warfare at that time was largely the domain of Germany, with Austria having more of a supportive role. This book covers their submarines from their beginnings to the collapse of the monarchy and the relationship they had with the German navy.

This book is well written and is actually a reprint of a Czech book from 2001. The book is broken down into 18 chapters which are easy to understand and not too full of technospeak. While explaining the different types of submarines, it also gives a good narrative of what is going on during the war. Also included are cutaway drawings of the U3 and U4, the older Havmanden boats U20 to U23, and the German coastal boats BI, BII, and BIII.

I highly recommend this book. Being a submarine veteran myself, I’m always looking for historical data on earlier submarines and this is a book on a little known subject about how a small empire made a large impact on WWI. I’m very pleased to include it in my submarine reference book shelf. Thanks to IPMS/USA and Mushroom Model Publications for providing me the opportunity to review this book.