The Naval War Against Hitler

Donald Macintyre’s authoritative and impeccably researched study is the perfect book for fans of Craig L. Symonds, Samuel Eliot Morison, and James D. Hornfischer.

Without overcoming Hitler’s Kriegsmarine, the Allies would have had no chance of victory in the Second World War: Britain would have been starved of resources, its small expeditionary force would have been stranded in Dunkirk, and the Normandy landings four years later would have been impossible.

Renowned naval historian and active participant as a convoy escort commander, Macintyre charts the course of the naval war from Hitler’s invasion of Norway, covering how the Atlantic and Arctic convoys kept the Allies fighting even in their darkest moments, through to the largest amphibious invasion in history with Operation Overlord.

The Naval War Against Hitler sheds light on some of the most fascinating aspects of World War Two, including how Malta became a strategically vital battleground in the fight for the Mediterranean, and why fast battleships like the Scharnhorst, Bismarck, and Tirpitz were able to strike terror among the Allies even though they were often outnumbered.

Drawing on countless official histories, eyewitness accounts, as well as his own personal memories of the war, Macintyre recreates a thorough and gripping history. This book is essential for anyone interested in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, or Arctic campaigns, and brings to life how close Hitler and his navy were to winning the Second World War.

‘This is a straightforward, salty account of battle at sea, written from the Allied point of view, by one of the best U-boat hunters.’ The Journal of Modern History