Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Reaping the Whirlwind:
More reasons never to go in a submarine.
Quick synopsis:
A look at the submarine war in World War I off the coast of the U.S.
Fact for Non-History People:
Only 5 German subs made it across the Atlantic to the U.S. coast during World War I as opposed to the 370 which operated in the European theater.
Fact for History Nerds:
A Berlin stockyard was slaughtering 25,000 pigs every week to keep up with demand due to British blockades. By 1916 they could only make it to a scant 350.
My Take on Reaping the Whirlwind:
I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time trying to come up with a hook for this review. I wanted to somehow convey how well paced, researched, and presented this book is. Then it hit me like a torpedo.
Dominic Etzold’s Reaping the Whirlwind asks the reader, “Hey you know submarines in World War I did more than just sink the Lusitania, right?”
What follows is a fantastic rundown of the submarine war in the Atlantic mostly told from the point of view of the Germans and Americans. I especially appreciated Etzold’s note in the beginning of the book where he jettisons any ideas of partisanship. The Americans aren’t the heroes and the Germans bloodthirsty villains. These were all men serving their country and the stories are told without chest thumping.
In the end, this review is simple. This is exquisite military history. If you like that sort of thing, you should read this.
(This book was provided as a review copy by the publisher and author.)
Verdict:
A must for World War I nerds. Buy it here!
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