This book provides an excellent introduction to the war at sea waged by the Allies against Germany and Italy. All of the books in this series are great starter books for anyone building a library on military actions in World War II.

Naval Historical Foundation

The book is divided into eight sections:

- The sea and heavy weather

- The tramp steamers that formed the bulk of the convoys, particularly the slow ones - life on board and ashore

- How the war was illustrated, mostly via reproductions of posters, some American (and some items are from the First World War)

- The corvette, with a focus on the last surviving one, HMCS Sackville which is preserved as a museum ship in Halifax, and on the RCN’s immense contribution to the Atlantic battle

- Arctic convoys

- Atlantic convoys, including a peaceful passage to and from by aircrew under training, contrasted with an engagement between a corvette and the Hipper

- Malta and the cost of its survival particularly in merchant ships, coming to a climax with Operation Pedestal. (There is an editorial glitch on p.97 where editorial slides into a quotation due to an accidental deletion)

- Normandy, mostly illustrated via shore-side subjects and closing with eight pages of photographs relating to U-boats and their concrete shelters on the Atlantic coast of France.

The illustrations (mostly photographs, excellently selected and informatively sourced) are supported by an eclectic mixture of reminiscences, documents and quotations linked by very informative editorial, for instance regarding lifesaving equipment. These sketch in the background to the section topics.

Army Rumour Service

The selection of pictures is a wide spread of all the aspects of the importance of merchant shipping... The text makes for some interesting reading and, accompanied by suitable photos.

Military Modelling