South Atlantic War Ii

From early December 1941 through much of 1945, many U.S. Navy and U.S. Army Air Force and Army personnel served at joint Brazilian-U.S. bases in the coastal cities of Brazil and on two islands in the Atlantic Narrows between that country and Africa. The U.S. Fourth Fleet, based in Recife, Brazil, and its Fleet Air Wing 16, based at several coastal cities, were there to wage war on Axis Power submarines, surface raiders, and blockade runners. The U-Boats and armed raiders were sinking Allied ships at an alarming rate. The blockade runners were carrying vital war materials to the Axis Powers. This compilation of anecdotes, photographs, and maps is presented to provide the reader with a perspective on the experiences of U.S. service personnel who were lucky enough to serve in Brazil. It is hoped that the commentary on the history of Brazil and its people will inspire greater interest in that country and the realization of its importance in the future of South America and the entire western hemisphere. AUTHOR: John Harrison is a retired chemical/environmental engineer. 304 illustrations

Galloping Ghosts of the Brazilian Coast: United States Naval Air Operations in the South Atlantic During World War II is the story of United States Navy combat aircrews, their counterparts in the Brazilian Air Force, and those who served aboard German U-boats in the South Atlantic during World War II. It covers efforts by the United States Navy to protect the flow of strategic materials, men, and military equipment from ports in South America to points around the Western Hemisphere and Europe. Between January 1943 and September 1944, United States Navy air units sank 16 German U-boats and one Italian submarine in the course of providing aerial coverage for Allied and neutral merchant shipping and conducting anti-submarine sweeps in the South Atlantic. Taken from official sources and personal recollections, Galloping Ghosts of the Brazilian Coast provides an in-depth analysis of United States Navy air operations against German and Italian submarines.

The Falklands War is an ideal showcase for how British policy evolved in the 1970s and 1980s. The background of the dispute over the island group in the remote South Atlantic (called Las Malvinas by the Argentines) is given first, then the events that precipitated the 1982 conflict and extensive examination of the military aspects of the war are provided. An overview follows of the many hypotheses offered for the British motivation to recapture the Falklands, showing that only those theories pertaining to the British perception of their national honor and the defense of democratic principles are significant. The Falklands War did not result in a dramatic shift in British defense policy, but did show the importance of external developments and political realism in policy formation, and these considerations are fully detailed here.

Readers of Clive Cussler, Bernard Cornwell and Wilbur Smith will love this gripping, spell-binding and unputdownable WW2 historical adventure full of vivid battle scenes and masterful characterisation from multi-million copy bestselling author Douglas Reeman. Guaranteed to have you hooked from page one... 'One of our foremost writers of naval fiction' -- Sunday Times 'A wonderfully entertaining book' -- ***** Reader review 'Another brilliant story from the master of sea battles, I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish' -- ***** Reader review 'Well-paced & difficult to put down' -- ***** Reader review 'Highly rated indeed. Excellent!' -- ***** Reader review ***************************************************************************** 1941: the S.S. Benbecula is already old when she is turned into an armed merchant cruiser,. Yet even she is needed to protect the vital Atlantic sea lanes. Commander Lindsay, her new captain, has to work desperately to mould the ship's company - raw recruits and old timers - into a fighting force. And better than anyone, Lindsay knows this could be his last command, his last chance...

Admiral Ingram was the commander of a small seagoing force that grew into a fleet, charged at first with reconnaissance, later with the protection of shipping, and finally with the waging of relentless warfare against the enemy.

Volume I: The Battle of the Atlantic, September 1939-May 1943 concerns Allied efforts to protect shipping, supply, and troop transport against Axis submarines and their supporting aircraft and ships. Morison discusses all U.S. naval operations in the Atlantic from pole to pole and in the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Barents Sea, and Atlantic territorial waters.

This is the second of three volumes covering the U-boat campaign in the Atlantic during the Second World War.This is the fascinating account, as told from the German perspective, of the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest-running, continuous military campaign in World War II, spanning from 1939 through to Germany's defeat in 1945. At its core was the Allied naval blockade of Germany, which was announced the day after the declaration of war, although it quickly grew to include Germany's counter-blockade. The name "Battle of the Atlantic", was coined by Winston Churchill in 1941 and he famously stated that the U-boats were the only thing that really frightened him. The U-boat war encompassed a campaign that began on the first day of the European war and lasted for six years, involved thousands of ships and stretched over thousands of square miles of ocean, in more than 100 convoy battles and perhaps 1,000 single-ship encounters. In the 68 months of World War II, 2,775 Allied merchant ships were sunk for the loss of 781 U-boats.This is the story of that massive encounter from the German perspective. Published in three volumes, this work was compiled under the supervision of the U.S Navy Department and the British Admiralty by Fregattenkapitan Gunther Hessler. The author, though without previous experience as a writer, had first hand experience of U-boat warfare having commanded a U-boat in 1940 and 1941. For the remainder of the war he was Staff Officer to the Flag Officer commanding U-boats. He had access to German war diaries and other relevant documents concerning U-boat command, and this work based on these many documents, tells the story entirely from the viewpoint of that command. For this reason this work is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of World War II from primary sources and will be of enduring interest to those engaged in attempting to unravel the true nature of submarine warfare in World War II.

A Royal Air Force veteran of the Falklands Conflict presents a comprehensive, myth-busting study of the air campaign. In the spring of 1982, Argentina and the UK engaged in tense combat over control of the Falkland Islands. The ten weeks of fighting are often portrayed with a decidedly one-sided narrative: either heroic Argentine pilots relentlessly pressing home their attacks, or the Sea Harrier force utterly dominating its Argentine enemies. In Air Power in the Falklands Conflict, RAF veteran John Shields presents a detailed and even-handed analysis of the Falkland Islands air war. As an RAF officer, John Shields spent two and a half years in the Falklands as an air defense navigator. Using recently released primary source material, Shields looks at the air campaign at the operational level. He develops a considered view of what should have occurred, and contrasts it with what actually happened. In so doing, John Shields has produced a comprehensive account of the air campaign that has demolished many of the enduring myths of this Cold War conflict.