Memoirs: Ten Years and Twenty Days

Karl Doenitz's memoir covers his naval career spanning both World Wars, with extensive focus on German U-boat operations. He details his early submarine service in the First World War and traces his involvement through the Second World War, including the U-boat campaigns he directed and the tactical innovations he developed. The memoir presents Doenitz's firsthand account of the war, including his observations and commentary on British and American conduct during the conflict. After Hitler's suicide in May 1945, Doenitz briefly served as the last Führer of Germany before being convicted of war crimes at Nuremberg. He subsequently spent ten years and twenty days imprisoned at Spandau Prison. The book serves as a historical document offering perspective on Atlantic naval warfare from the German side during the Second World War.