A fascinating and detailed analysis of the Kriegsmarine's Atlantic raids in the early war, ideal for readers interested in Germany's World War II naval operations.At the outbreak of World War II the German Kriegsmarine still had a relatively small U-boat arm. To reach Britain's convoy routes in the North Atlantic, these boats had to pass around the top of the British Isles - a long and dangerous voyage to their "hunting grounds". Then, the fall of France, Denmark and Norway in early 1940 dramatically altered the strategic situation. The Atlantic was now far easier to reach, and to escape from.Featuring coverage of the armoured cruiser Deutschland, battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and cruisers Admiral Scheer and Admiral Hipper, this book by acclaimed naval expert Angus Konstam examines the efficacy and risk of German naval operations in the Atlantic, from Operation Berlin to the Bismarck.