This is the third entry in MMP's Maritime Series (No. 3103). It is an 8-1/4" x 11-3/4" square bound card cover with 152 pages. Color is restricted to the front cover and is a reproduction of a very nice oil painting. The book is not an original offering but a reprint of a Czech book from 2001. Often pre-existing works don't fit well into a series with an established format but there doesn't seem to have been much problem this time. Translation was excellent with hardly a false note anywhere.
The subject is exactly reflected in the title of the book. The history of the submarine in the service of the Dual Monarchy is covered minutely from the beginnings to the final collapse. The text is more of an administrative, political, and operational history than a technical one. The technical aspects are only lightly covered in the text but there are numerous builder's drawings scattered throughout the book to cover this aspect. There are also extensive photographs.
One gets a complete picture of the difficulties that the Austro-Hungarians fought under and the reader comes away with an appreciation for the results achieved. Interestingly, this is the only time I've ever read of Georg von Trapp without "The Sound of Music" being mentioned. The German U-boats that operated from Austro-Hungarian are only mentioned when their story impinges on the main theme of the book.
Like the first two books in this series there are specially prepared profile line drawings of the submarines in the back along with tables of technical data and successes and losses.
There are two shortcomings with the book. First, a map or two would have been welcome. Second, a comprehensive list of Austrian U-numbers including the ones used by the Germans would have been useful.
All in all an outstanding work and I'm glad MMP decided to translate it so it could be appreciated by English speakers worldwide. Highly recommended.