When Nazi Germany struck out from its borders in 1939, the force and efficiency of its land and air forces cut an unstoppable swath through mainland Europe. Only at sea was their new-found might tamed. Afraid to confront the British fleet in battle Hitler kept his most lethal ships hidden, although the Kriegsmarine's superior ships and guns probably would have won a confrontation. This is the story of how, despite all odds, the Royal Navy helped Britain survive during the critical times of the Battle of the Atlantic, the Siege of Malta, the convoys to northern Russia, and the D-Day landings. It credits the dogged determination of British seafarers in the early part of the war for causing the demise of the German big-ship fleet, leaving the U-boat and E-boat to fight Hitler's war at sea. The book also explains why the British could not play the part they wished in the Eastern and Pacific war.


Heavily illustrated with more than 170 authentic wartime action photographs, this book captures Britain's proud tradition as one of the world's greatest seafaring nations, and it offers a wealth of information to all students of World War II history.