Coastal Shipping

In November 1942 the RAF formed special Strike Wings to attack the heavily defended and seemingly invulnerable convoys that brought Germany's vital supplies of iron ore from Scandinavia down the coast of Europe to feed its war machine.

In 1942 the RAF began to form special Strike Wings to attack the heavily defended and seemingly invulnerable convoys that brought Germany's vital supplies of iron ore from Scandinavia down the coast of Europe to feed its war machine. The outcome was a series of air/sea battles at close quarters, fought with increasing ferocity until the last days of the war. The author, himself a survivor of strike aircraft of Coastal Command, has researched these little-known and complex battles from British and German records, assisted by first-hand accounts from some of the brave and distinguished airmen who flew in the attacks. He has also analyzed the effects of the tactics employed on the German war economy, with some startling conclusions. The result is a vivid history of events that were little publicized during the war for reasons of security. There are detailed diagrams of some of the attacks, as well as photographs taken in action.

The 'little ships' of the Second World War - the fast and highly manoeuvrable motor torpedo boats and gunboats which fought in coastal waters all over the world - developed a special kind of naval warfare.