Turning the Tide : How a Small Band of Allied Sailors Defeated the U-boats and Won the Battle of the Atlantic

The United States experienced its most harrowing military disaster of World War II not in 1941 at Pearl Harbor but in the period from 1942 to 1943, in Atlantic coastal waters from Newfoundland to the Caribbean. Sinking merchant ships with impunity, German U-boats threatened the lifeline between the United States and Britain, very nearly denying the Allies their springboard onto the European Continent--a loss that would have effectively cost the Allies the war. In Turning the Tide , author Ed Offley tells the gripping story of how, during a twelve-week period in the spring of 1943, a handful of battle-hardened American, British, and Canadian sailors turned the tide in the Atlantic. Using extensive archival research and interviews with key survivors, Offley places the reader at the heart of the most decisive maritime battle of World War II. At times, even his admirers seemed unsure of what to do with General Douglas MacArthur. Imperious, headstrong, and vain, MacArthur matched an undeniable military genius with a massive ego and a rebellious streak that often seemed to destine him for the dustbin of history. Yet despite his flaws, MacArthur is remembered as a brilliant commander whose combined-arms operation in the Pacific — the first in the history of warfare — secured America's triumph in World War II and changed the course of history. In The Most Dangerous Man in America , celebrated historian Mark Perry examines how this paradox of a man overcame personal and professional challenges to lead his countrymen in their darkest hour. As Perry shows, Franklin Roosevelt and a handful of MacArthur's subordinates made this feat possible, taming MacArthur, making him useful, and finally making him victorious. A gripping, authoritative biography of the Pacific Theater's most celebrated and misunderstood commander, The Most Dangerous Man in America reveals the secrets of Douglas MacArthur's success — and the incredible efforts of the men who made it possible. The United States experienced its most harrowing military disaster of World War II not in 1941 at Pearl Harbor but in the period from 1942 to 1943, in Atlantic coastal waters from Newfoundland to the Caribbean. Sinking merchant ships with impunity, German U-boats threatened the lifeline between the United States and Britain, very nearly denying the Allies their springboard onto the European continent--a loss that would have effectively cost the Allies the war. Here, military journalist Ed Offley tells how, during a twelve-week period in the spring of 1943, a handful of battle-hardened American, British, and Canadian sailors turned the tide in the Atlantic. Using extensive archival research and interviews with key survivors, Offley places the reader at the heart of the most decisive maritime battle of World War II.--From publisher description. Praise Title Page Dedication Introduction Chapter 1 - A CITY AT WAR Chapter 2 - THE ADVERSARIES Chapter 3 - MOVEMENT TO CONTACT Chapter 4 - THE U-BOAT Chapter 5 - THE BATTLE OF THE CODES Chapter 6 - THE SIGHTING Chapter 7 - THE BATTLE OF ST. PATRICK’S DAY Chapter 8 - HEAVY LOSSES Chapter 9 - CRISIS IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC Chapter 10 - THE ALLIES FIGHT BACK Chapter 11 - THE FIRST SKIRMISHES Chapter 12 - THE MÊLÉE AT 55 NORTH 042 WEST Chapter 13 - BATTLE IN THE FOG Chapter 14 - DEFEAT OF THE U-BOATS EPILOGUE Acknowledgments Appendix 1 - CRITICAL CONVOY SHIPS, MARCH–MAY 1943 Appendix 2 - NORTH ATLANTIC CONVOYS AT SEA, MARCH 1–MAY 24, 1943 Appendix 3 - GERMAN U-BOATS OF WORLD WAR II Appendix 4 - ESCORT WARSHIPS Appendix 5 - EQUIVALENT WORLD WAR II NAVAL OFFICER RANKS NOTES GLOSSARY BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX Copyright Page Introduction : A fight in the dark A city at war The adversaries Movement to contact The U-boat The sighting The battle of St. Patrick's Day The crisis The allies fight back The first skirmishes The melee at 55 North 042 West Battle in the fog Defeat of the U-boats Epilogue Appendixes. Critical convoy ships, March-May 1943 North Atlantic convoys at sea, March 1-May 24, 1943 German U-boats of World War II Escort warships Equivalent World War II naval officer ranks Presents a military history of the winning of the second Battle of the Atlantic in WWII, when German U-Boats terrorized American coastal waters from Newfoundland to the Caribbean, nearly severing the lifeline between the US and Britain and costing the Allies the war in Europe. A rousing military history of the Battle of the Atlantic, when a high-seas showdown between the Allies and wolf packs of U-boats determined the outcome of the war against Nazi Germany