The Longest Campaign, Britain’s Maritime Struggle in the Atlantic and Northwest Europe, 1939-1945.







The Longest Campaign, Britain’s Maritime Struggle in the Atlantic and Northwest Europe, 1939-1945. 



The six-year long Atlantic struggle was the most important campaign waged by the Western Allies during World War II.

 During this epic contest Britain’s maritime services, along with their Allied counterparts, fulfilled five primary roles:

 helping to dissuade invasion in the summer of 1940, sustaining vital seaborne lines of communication, facilitating a debilitating blockade against Germany, providing logistical support to the Soviet Union and satisfying the needs of the army in both Africa and Europe. 

The successful execution of these roles laid the foundation for the entire Allied war effort and was absolutely essential to the ultimate Allied victory. 

There could not have been an Africa campaign, a Southern Europe campaign, a strategic bombing campaign, a Normandy campaign or a Northwest Europe campaign without prior and ongoing success in the maritime realm.

 …In turn, it was the common seamen and airmen, my unsung heroes, who were the ultimate architects of this victory. In all cases, they performed their jobs, and overwhelmingly, they performed their jobs well.    
 
Lest we forget…

Pictured here (top) are sailors from the cruiser Scylla during an Atlantic winter and an aircrew (bottom) of No. 502 Squadron RAF Coastal Command. Hampton J A (Lt), Royal Navy official photographer and Daventry B J (Flt Lt), Royal Air Force official photographer [Public domain].


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