WW2 What is generally described as the "Battle of the Atlantic" should well be termed the "Battle of the Oceans". For it was waged throughout the Seven Seas. It extended round the globe, from beyond the Arctic Circle to the Antarctic Ocean, the outcome of the struggle was determined by the tally of ships built against ships sunk. "These matters of sea power and sea transport involved our lives, they are the foundations upon which we live and carry forward our cause. Our greatest danger in this war is the u-boat attack upon our communications" Mr Churchill in the House of Commons 1941 "I am convinced it is clear what shipping means to the Anglo Saxon absolutely everything. I am certain the u-boat has prevented the English from developing their power in the European theatre. If we had been able to sink more ships, the English could not have gone to North Africa, they would not have had the necessary shipping. The full flow of American supplies could not have reached Europe, Merchant Shipping means everything to the enemy" Grand Admiral Donitz Kriegsmarine, December 1943. Six months later British and American forces, by a great seaborne invasion, had burst into "Fortress Europe" Australian Fleets Burns Philp Shipping Company New Zealand Shipping Company The Anglo Saxon Petroleum Company (Shell) Koninklyke Paketvaart Maatschappij (Royal Packet Navigation Company) Union Castle Line Prince Line Ellerman Line |
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