Bitter ocean : the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1945 / David Fairbank White.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 319-327) and index.

Prologue : winter, North Atlantic -- Pt. 1. The British mace -- Pt. 2. America goes to war -- Pt. 3. The tide turns -- App. A. Losses in the North Atlantic 1939-1945 -- App. B. U-boat fleet strength 1939-1945 -- App. C. Royal Navy fleet strength 1940-1945 (home waters).

"Bitter Ocean is an authoritative account of perhaps the least-known major battle of World War II, the Battle of the Atlantic. British, Canadian, and American air and sea forces fought the German U-boats in this desperate battle, and prevailed - at a terrible cost." "Between 1939 and 1945, over 36,000 Allied sailors and navy airmen and 36,000 merchant seamen lost their lives in the Atlantic Ocean. They were attempting to deliver the weapons, food, and supplies essential to keeping Britain alive, as well as the supplies vital to the armies fighting in Europe. In addition to the troops themselves, every tank, plane, and bomb crossed the Atlantic aboard ship. As dreadful as the loss of life was for the Allies, the Germans fared even worse. More than 80 percent of German U-boat crewmen never made it home, the highest casualty rate of any branch of the military on either side."--BOOK JACKET.