The Battle of the Atlantic was the
longest sustained conflict of the Second World War, a critical fight for the
Allies to stop Nazi U-boats and other warships from sinking supply ships to
Europe. Canadians played a vital role in that war. Author and Canadian Forces
veteran Larry Gray revisits the battle from the Canadian perspective.
Canadians in the Battle of the Atlantic tells the stories of the
courageous people who protected Canada and its allies from their German and
Italian foes:
- The unprepared Royal Canadian Navy entered the hostilities
with only 13 ships, six destroyers, five minesweepers and two small training
vessels
- Practically overnight and with no support, Commander J.D.
Chummy Prentice turned the untrained, partially equipped companies into
fighting units capable of braving the North Atlantic as they escorted countless
convoys to Britain
- Canada committed four of its six newest warships to help the
Royal Navy protect British shores; one of them, the destroyer Saguenay,
was torpedoed west of Ireland in December 1940
- Fighting U-boats lurking in the cold waters of the North
Atlantic became the Royal Canadian Navy's greatest task, and alone or with
other ships or aircraft, it sank 50 of the treacherous submarines
- The Newfoundland Escort Force, led by Commodore Leonard
Murray, escorted convoys to a meeting point south of Ireland where they were
met by Royal Navy escorts for the journey to the U.K.
- And much more.
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