Walter, Brian E. Blue Water War

The Maritime Struggle in the Mediterranean and Middle East, 1940–1945

For three millennia, the Mediterranean Sea was the center of Western civilization and the scene of numerous epic wars and naval battles. In the early summer of 1940, this ancient body of water once again became the stage for a major conflict when the Kingdom of Italy challenged Great Britain for regional supremacy. France was on the verge of collapse, and Britain faced the threat of invasion. The Italians hoped to regain control of the Mediterranean. Standing in their way was the vastly outnumbered British Mediterranean Fleet, as well as the equally outnumbered British land and air forces in the region. These forces would jointly determine whether the Mediterranean would fall back under Italian rule or whether the Allies would maintain control of this vast body of water. This book tells the story of this epic struggle. It was a protracted and massive conflict, fought at various times against the combined forces of Italy, Germany, and the Vichy regime across a vast area stretching from the coastal waters of Southern Europe in the north to Madagascar in the south, and from the Atlantic coast of Africa in the west to the Persian Gulf in the east. Using a variety of weapons systems, including surface warships, submarines, and aircraft, as well as substantial merchant fleets, the British and their later American partners secured vital sea lanes, conducted numerous amphibious landings, disrupted Axis supply lines, and ultimately eliminated all Axis naval power in the theater. These actions, in turn, enabled numerous Allied victories that contributed to the defeat of the European Axis powers.