Conflict Over The Bay

Ref: 4599

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{detailed description}For the first three years of the war RAF Coastal Command's battle against the German U-boats had been long and hard. But with the Battle of the Atlantic at crisis point, with the developments in antisubmarine radar and in the Leigh Light carrying aircraft, Admiral Donitz was suddenly forced to change his tactics drastically.
The U-boats were most vulnerable when crossing the Bay of Biscay, coming and going from their French bases. Where-ever their war patrols were carried out they always crossed the stretch of sea from the Brest Peninsula to the northern coast of Spain. Owing to the advances made in detection of U-boats sailing at night across the Bay, Donitz ordered his captains to sail on the surface in daylight and remain there and fight if attacked by Allied aircraft. This they did from May until the beginning of August 1943, singly at first and later in small groups for mutual protection. Almost immediately Coastal Command's crews were presented with a wealth of U-boat sightings, leading to attacks and sinkings. The dangers to these crews were immense as they brought their large aircraft down to within 50 feet of their target in the face of tremendous cannon and machine-gun fire in order to drop their depth-charges.
This is the story of those battles which raged between Coastal Command and the U-boats in these waters between May and August 1943. It is also the story of the air battles between RAF and American aircraft and long range RAF fighters in combat with Ju88 fighters of KG/40 which flew over the Bay seeking out the anti-submarine aeroplanes.
With the help of many former aircrew members who were engaged in these operations, the author has pieced together an enthralling story of courage and tenacity during a brief but momentous period in the anti-submarine war.
{Author / Publisher / Date}by Norman Franks
Published by Grub Street 1999 revised and updated from William Kimber 1986 1st edn. 240pp illustrated, index, appendices, bibliography. 16x24
{condition}mint, inc. d/j.
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