Struggle for the Middle Sea
Subtitle: the great navies at war in the Mediterranean theater, 1940-1945
By: Vincent P. O'Hara.
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Annapolis, Md
Language: eng
Number of pages: 324
ISBN-13: 9781591146483
Subjects: Great Britain. -- Royal Navy -- History -- World War, 1939-1945; France. -- Marine -- History -- World War, 1939-1945; Italy. -- Regia Marina -- History -- World War, 1939-1945; Germany. -- Kriegsmarine -- History -- World War, 1939-1945; United States. -- Navy -- History -- World War, 1939-1945; World War, 1939-1945 -- Mediterranean Sea; World War, 1939-1945 -- Naval operations; Mediterranean Sea -- History, Naval -- 20th century
Description: The Mediterranean Sea was the most intensely contested body of water in World War II. As the maritime crossroads where Europe, Asia, and Africa meet, more major naval actions were fought in the Mediterranean than in the Atlantic or Pacific. Despite its importance, remarkably little has been written about the subject, and what exists is largely one-sided and outdated. This fresh study of the naval war in the Mediterranean analyzes the actions and performances of the five major navies British, Italian, French, German, and American during the entire five-year campaign and objectively examines the national imperatives that drove each nation s maritime strategy. The Struggle for the Middle Sea sidesteps the myths that haunt this campaign, such as Great Britain enjoying a moral advantage over Italy, or the French being Germany s puppet, or the North African campaign significantly contributing to the eventual Allied victory.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: The eve of war : June 1940; title: The defeat of France; title: Italy's parallel war : June and July 1940; title: Quick peace : August-December 1940; title: Enter the Germans : winter 1941; title: The Red Sea : 1940-41; title: A close-run thing : spring 1941; title: France defends the empire; title: The convoy war intensifies : summer and fall 1941; title: The Axis resurgent : 1942; title: The Allies resurgent : torch to Tunis; title: The Italian armistice; title: Germany's War : 1943-45.