It was probably the most important battle of the Second World War. The German attempt to stem the vital trans-Atlantic flow of men and supplies to Britain would cost the Allies more than 2,600 merchant ships, 30,000 merchant seamen’s lives, 5,000 aircrew, and about 2,500 aircraft. The battle ranged across the ocean: from the waters of the St. Lawrence, through the treacherous open sea of the North Atlantic, to the fjords of Norway and the Bat of Biscay. Spencer Dunmore traces the complete history of the Battle of the Atlantic, giving equal time to all aspects of the conflict: in the air, on the water, and below its surface. He follows the action from the earliest days, when surface raiders – such as the infamous Bismarck – were seen by the Allies as the greatest danger at sea, through the heyday of Germany’s U-boats and the catastrophic damage the dreaded Wolfpacks wrought on the heavily laden convoys steaming their way to Britain. His is also one of the few books to acknowledge the pivotal role of the air-force in determining the final outcome fo the battle. Dunmore tells the story from the perspective of both sides, and includes the first-hand accounts of individual participants, both Allied and German. For all involved – whether on board merchant ships or their escort vessels, whether in submarines prowling below or aircraft patrolling above – life was a combination of awful anticipation of attack and nerve-shattering tension when it came. Behind the scenes were the politicians and strategists, fully mindful of the stakes of this epic battle; the ingenious scientists and their race to improve radar technology, torpedoes, and depth charge; the brilliant code breakers of England’s Bletchley Park; and, most remarkable of all, Admiral von Donitz, the extraordinary mastermind of Germany’s U-boat campaign and eventual successor to Adolf Hitler himself. The Battle of the Atlantic, which lasted for the length of World War II in Europe, claimed nearly 2,500 Allied vessels and a like number of aircraft. On the German side, three out of four sailors on the U-boat crews that caused much of that damage died, while the surface navy was almost wholly destroyed. A great part of the battle in the western ocean was borne by Canadian sailors and airmen, who have received comparatively little attention in American and British histories of the campaign. Canadian historian Spencer Dunmore gives his compatriots their due in this well-written account, which includes interesting interpretations of the United States's Lend-Lease program of aid to Great Britain (which, Dunmore suggests, helped undermine Britain's postwar commercial and political power) and useful studies of German tactics, which gave great leeway to individual commanders and encouraged acts of initiative that cost the Allies dearly, especially at the war's outset. Dunmore traces the battle from the early days of Nazi wolf-pack domination of the seas to the destruction of the seemingly invincible battleship Bismarck ; then to the Enigma decoding of German radio transmissions, which enabled the Allies to locate and destroy the "milk cows" that fueled the U-boats in midocean; and finally to the capitulation of the Nazi armada in May 1945. Less comprehensive than Clay Blair's two-volume Hitler's U-Boat War , Dunmore's book nonetheless illuminates lesser-known aspects of the Battle of the Atlantic. --Gregory McNamee “Dunmore’s In Great Waters is the best book I have read of the many histories of the Battle of the Atlantic.…His research is impeccable.” – Globe and Mail “A splendid narrative of a battle that alone could have lost World War II.” – Toronto Star “Dunmore brings a considerable amount of fresh research into recounting the horrifying challenges facing the North Atlantic convoys that kept Britain alive through the darkest days of the Second World War.” – Regina LeaderPost “Spender Dunmore is, unquestionably, one of Canada’s best writers of military history…Dunmore brings to the task his usual thorough research, thoughtful organization and superior writing skills.” – St. John’s Telegram “An engrossing account of an epic battle between two great navies.” – Hamilton Spectator It was probably the most important battle of the Second World War. The German attempt to stem the vital trans-Atlantic flow of men and supplies to Britain would cost the Allies more than 2,600 merchant ships, 30,000 merchant seamen’s lives, 5,000 aircrew, and about 2,500 aircraft. The battle ranged across the ocean: from the waters of the St. Lawrence, through the treacherous open sea of the North Atlantic, to the fjords of Norway and the Bat of Biscay. Spencer Dunmore traces the complete history of the Battle of the Atlantic, giving equal time to all aspects of the conflict: in the air, on the water, and below its surface. He follows the action from the earliest days, when surface raiders – such as the infamous Bismarck – were seen by the Allies as the greatest danger