A rare and unprecedented look into the lives of German U- boat captains Karl-Heinz Moehle, Reinhard Hardegen, and Horst von Schroeter. This unique volume in the U-boat Aces series from Schiffer Military features the three German naval captains Karl-Heinz Moehle, Reinhard Hardegen, and Horst von Schroeter, who commanded the U-123, a type IXB U-boat. In 12 patrols and 720 days at sea during its four-year WWII combat career, U-123 sank an incredible 44 Allied merchant and warships, ranking it with the third-most U-boat sinkings. Moehle, the first commander of U-123, successfully conducted three patrols in the North Atlantic and was awarded the Knight’s Cross. Hardegen sank the first ship in US waters and was eventually awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight’s Cross. Schroeter, appointed U-123’s commander in June 1942, also received the Knight's Cross after four combat patrols. All 12 of U-123's combat patrols are discussed in detail, as well as its participation in the wartime propaganda film U-boats Westward! The featured rare photography comes from the German U-boat Archive in Cuxhaven and former crew members. Luc Braeuer was born in Paris in 1970 and, with his brother Marc, was cocreator of three Second World War museums in France: Le Grand Blockhaus at Batz-sur-Mer near Saint-Nazaire (www.grand-blockhaus.com), Le Blockhaus Hôpital des Sables d'Olonne (blockhaus-sables.com), and Le Bunker de La Rochelle (www.bunkerlarochelle.com). A computer engineer and officer in the reserve, he has published forty books on the ports of Brest, Lorient, and Saint-Nazaire and specializes in German U-boats in France. He is also the French correspondent for the U-boat Archive, Cuxhaven.