German Commerce Raiders 1914–18 (New Vanguard)

German Commerce Raiders 1914–18 is great reference and a perfect place to start for people interested in WW1 commerce raiding. The book begins with a short introduction giving the background of the German war strategy. It then provides a synopsis of each commerce raider. Each ship’s stats are described followed by an account of its wartime experience.I really liked this book. I’d read a fair amount about the Emden before, but I didn’t know much about the other ships. Now I feel like I have a working knowledge of all the German commerce raiders. Of course, the entry for each ship is brief – only a few pages. But I’ve got enough to work with to start a deeper dive into topic. I also really liked the commissioned artwork in the book. Most Osprey books have high quality art, but the paintings in this one are particularly beautiful and very well done.

Fine quality drawings, good detail and interesting stories of a forgotton part of WW1 and WW2

As other reviewers have said, this book is an introduction to the commerce raider effort. The overview of the support system put in place to make this happen is a nice, easily overlooked point as is the fact that the effort changed due to operational considerations (i.e., yes, it's fun to raid with a cruiser; yes, it's glamorous to raid with a crack liner sporting a few 105s, but it's not as cost effective as using a regular steamer converted to this purpose -- the fuel consumption and ranges bring this out nicely). It is no substitute for more detailed books if one is interested in the exploits of specific units, but it is an excellent reference to determine which ships one may want to read about. The illustrations are superb and the photos are relevant.

I will use the book as a reference for model-making. I would have liked some line drawings, but I realize that the information might not exist. The narrative is very interesting, as others have noted, especially the way the ettapendienst (supply system) supplied the raiders by using German cargo ships and tankers operating out of neutral ports where the German warships themselves would not be able to lay over long enough to resupply directly at the ports.

This is the second book I've gotten by Ryan Noppen with illustrations by Paul Wright, and I can't say anything bad about it.While it is undoubtably an overview and an introduction to the subject, it contains an incredible amount of information, history, and above all, pictures. A defining characteristic of all the books I've seen by Ryan Noppen and Paul Wright is an abundance of quality illustrations, pictures, and cutaways, which really bring the ships to life.In sum, I heartily recommend this book for anyone who is looking to find out more about Germany's navy in World War 1, and the roll its commerce raiders played in it.

These Vanguard books normally aren't too long, around 64 pages, but they always pack a LOT of information into them. This was an unusual choice for me, I don't get many ship books, but commerce raiders have always fascinated me. This book gives nice profiles, ship histories, and combat usage in a small package. A quick read but a fun one..…….

This volume has technical and operational detail on German conventional surface ships and armed merchant cruisers employed to raid Entente shipping in the Great War. The strength of this book is that it provides an excellent overview of the German supply, intelligence and command organization. Most books on the topic of German commerce raiding focus on the exploits of individual ships,mwithout providing adequate context to understandvstrategy or operations.

I knew these commerce raiders existed but little else about them. This effort fills in the gap by providing the basics of the ships' technical data, conversion process and combat record.

Great book well written good pictures and nice price

Another excellent Osprey naval book. This one focuses on WWI German commerce raiders. Informative and interesting with numerous period black an white photos and modern colour plates. Excellent for the beginner.

Very Good

A really interesting and well researched account with some excellent illustrations. Very good from a wargaming perspective. Well worth it.

Normal Osprey offering. Good quality overview of the subject with a number of high quality colour profiles.