Blue Water War: Maritime Struggle in the Mediterranean and Middle East, 1940–1945

Brian E. Walter

kesä 2022 · Casemate

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A complete history of naval combat in the Mediterranean and North African campaigns throughout WWII.

In the early summer of 1940, the Kingdom of Italy joined with Nazi Germany by challenging Britain for dominance in the Mediterranean region. With France on the verge of collapse and Britain facing imminent invasion, the Italians seized upon a rare opportunity to re-establish control. Heavily outnumbered, the British Mediterranean Fleet and its ground and air forces braced for a long and bloody conflict. Blue Water War tells the story of this epic struggle.

The fighting across the Mediterranean and Middle East was waged at differing times against the combined forces of Italy, Germany and Vichy France over a wide area stretching from the coastal waters of Southern Europe to Madagascar and from Africa’s Atlantic coast to the Persian Gulf.

Utilizing a variety of weapons including warships, submarines, and aircraft along with sizable merchant fleets, the British and their subsequent American partners maintained vital lines of communication, conducted numerous amphibious landings, interdicted Axis supply activities and eventually eliminated Axis maritime power within the theater. In turn, these actions facilitated multiple Allied victories that helped secure the defeat of the European Axis.

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Brian E. Walter is a retired army officer from a combat arms branch with a BSc in Political Science and International Relations. A distinguished military graduate and recipient of the Excellence in Military History Award from the U.S. Army Center for Military History and the Association of the United States Army, he has been a student of the British military during World War II for more than 30 years. He is the author of The Longest Campaign and Blue Water War.