The Real Cruel Sea: The Merchant Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939–1943

Richard Woodman

Jul 2011 · Pen and Sword

About this ebook

The renowned maritime historian’s compelling study of the vital role played by merchant seamen during WWII in the Battle of the Atlantic.

For the British, the Battle of the Atlantic was a fight for survival. They depended on the safe transit of hundreds of merchant ships carrying food and supplies from America to feed the country and keep the war effort going. On top of that, they had to export manufactured goods to pay for it all.

Britain's merchant navy, a disparate collection of private vessels, had become the country's lifeline. While its seamen were officially non-combatants, they bravely endured the onslaught of the German U-boat offensive until Allied superiority overwhelmed the enemy.

Drawing extensively on first-hand sources, Richard Woodman establishes the importance of the British and Allied merchant fleets in the struggle against Germany. This important study elevates the heroic seamen who manned these ships to their rightful place in the history of the Second World War.

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About the author

Richard Woodman is a distinguished, prize-winning maritime author. He served at sea from the age of sixteen, spent eleven years in command, spent six years in operational management and is today an Elder Brother of Trinity House. The author of a number of novels, his historical studies include Arctic Convoys 1941–1945, Malta Convoys 194–1943, The Real Cruel Sea: The Merchant Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic 1939–1943 and a five volume History of the British Merchant Navy.