The Battle of the Atlantic

Perfect for fans of Jonathan Dimbleby, Terence Robertson, Marc Milner and John Winton.

The Battle of the Atlantic was a remarkable conflict which started on the first day of the Second World War and was still being waged on the last.

This book provides a fascinating history of the struggle which raged between 1939 and 1945 and on which the outcome of the war depended. No major offensive operation against the mainland of Europe could be undertaken until the Atlantic battle had been won, and the material imports needed for Great Britain’s survival were assured.

Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Gretton — a distinguished Royal Navy escort commander — has written an authoritative history of the war he fought. The subjects range from merchant shipping to intelligence, the role of Operational Research, the battle for maritime air in Whitehall, the contribution of the Royal Canadian Navy, and the strategies employed by the convoys to defeat the ‘wolf pack’ system of attack by the U-boats — interspersed with narrative chapters which illustrate the points he has been making. Above all, he describes the courage of the Allied merchant seamen who carried out their dangerous work with devotion.

Battle of the Atlantic: The War against Allied Shipping 1939–1945 combines Peter Gretton’s expert analysis of the records with his own experience to take the reader to the heart of the action. Peter Gretton’s son Vice-Admiral Mike Gretton provides a Foreword to explain the book’s publication 40 years after it was written, and Professor Marc Milner’s Afterword provides a commentary with historical developments since the 1980s.

‘Having played no small part in the Allied victory over the U-boat threat Peter Gretton understood the role of history was not to record the past, but to inform the present, and prepare for the future. His understanding of the Battle of the Atlantic developed through a combination of hard-won experience and deep reflection, constantly enhancing the performance of men, ships, formations and systems as the battle approached a climax. He continued this work throughout his post-war career, both naval and civilian, conducting and encouraging serious scholarship. These are his final thoughts on the single most important campaign of the Second World War, a campaign with which his name will always be linked.’ Professor Andrew Lambert

‘A fascinating, previously unpublished detailed account of the Battle of the Atlantic by a highly decorated escort commander who participated in much of the action he describes. In this thoughtful work, based on research and memory, Admiral Gretton’s views on the merit of convoy protection during the war have been validated by subsequent maritime historians. This book is an important addition to the historical record of the Battle of the Atlantic.’ David Collins, The Naval Review

‘The combination of research, reflection and memory marks this … a unique document in the history — and the historiography — of the Battle of the Atlantic’ Professor Marc Milner

‘provides not only a valuable insight into the numerous actions of Allied seamen when pitted against the might of the German Kriegsmarine, but also reminds us of the immense cost of human conflict.’ Victoria Schofield