The story of two German surface raiders & the havoc they caused amongst Allied shipping in WWII. One was the 8″ gun cruiser Admiral Hipper & the other a converted merchantman Kandelfels armed with a few old 5.9 guns manned largely by reservists. The author emphasises the striking contrast between the conduct of the respective captains.

Ton Class Association

A commendable and valuable book

Firetrench

There’s a strong narrative throughout which guides you along – essential for any truly gripping historical book. There’s enough detail so that you feel involved, and yet not so much that you feel overwhelmed by the detail.

Suppressing Fire

I found Beware Raiders! to be a highly informative and captivating account of the very different careers of the two ships, HK 33 Pinguin and Admiral Hipper. Bernard Edwards does an excellent job of focusing in on the human side of the story, providing personal details and information about the captains, their crews, as well as the opposing crews they faced on their victims. Some of the accounts would strain credibility if they were to take place today in terms of the ‘chivalry of the sea’ that was practiced between the combatants and overall the story presented is a gripping one of how the war at sea was fought in the early stages. The pace of the writing and the organization of the different events moves things along easily and makes for a very entertaining read at the same time. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in WW II naval history or even just looking to learn a little bit more about this not often talked about but important component of the battle to control the sea lanes and keep the supply lines open.

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