The Type VII U-boat was the backbone of the fighting strength of Nazi Germany"s U-boats at the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. The first submarine sinking of the war was by a Type VII boat, and some of the most dramatic events of the first year of the war involved a Type VII - the sinking of HMS Courageous by U29 in the Atlantic in September 1939 and the sinking of HMS Royal Oak by U47 in Scapa Flow a few weeks later. The "Anatomy of the Ship" series aims to provide the finest documentation of individual ships and ship types ever published. What makes the series unique is a complete set of superbly executed line drawings, both the conventional type of plan as well as explanatory views, with fully descriptive keys. These are supported by technical details and a record of the ship"s service history.