author
Freiherr von E. (Edgar) Spiegel
b. 1885
A German naval officer turned writer, he is best known for vivid first-hand books about submarine warfare in World War I. His best-known work draws on real experience at sea, giving his stories an unusual sense of tension and detail.
1 Audiobook
The Adventures of the U-202: An Actual Narrative
by Freiherr von E. (Edgar) Spiegel
About the author
Born in 1885, Edgar Freiherr von Spiegel von und zu Peckelsheim was a German U-boat commander in the First World War who later became known as a writer. Reference sources identify him as born on October 9, 1885, in Padrojen and note that he died in Bremen in 1965.
His writing was closely tied to his naval career. Biographical records describe him as the author of several largely autobiographical books about naval warfare, with Kriegstagebuch U 202 becoming his best-known title; English-language editions appeared under titles including The Adventures of the U-202 and U-Boat 202: The War Diary of a German Submarine.
Later in life, he also served as a German consul, including postings in New Orleans and Marseille. That mix of military service, diplomacy, and memoir-like storytelling helps explain why his books still stand out as personal accounts of a dramatic period in maritime history.