German U-boats, known as "iron coffins", terrorized Allied ships during World War II and were responsible for thousands of deaths. This volume, published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic, brings together historians from both sides of the ocean to discuss this important campaign. As well as offering new insights into both familiar and more neglected aspects, the book reflects the human dimension of the conflict, paying tribute to the whole spectrum of personnel involved - planners and strategists, spies and code-breakers, naval officers and crews, merchant sailors, and civilians.

German U-boats, known as "iron coffins", terrorized Allied ships during World War II and were responsible for thousands of deaths. This volume, published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic, brings together historians from both sides of the ocean to discuss this important campaign. As well as offering new insights into both familiar and more neglected aspects, the book reflects the human dimension of the conflict, paying tribute to the whole spectrum of personnel involved - planners and strategists, spies and code-breakers, naval officers and crews, merchant sailors, and civilians.

This first general survey of European naval and maritime history for the period from A.D. 300 to 1500 focuses on Western Europe, including the Baltic, North Sea, and Atlantic traditions, and on the Mediterranean, particularly Byzantine and Moslem naval history. The authors survey a number of interconnected areas: the use of seapower in international and intercultural relations, commerce and trade routes, naval technology and design, military tactics, the physical features of seafaring, and the geography of the sea. They make accessible to the general reader very technical scholarship, and provide numerous maps and illustrations that explain the changes in ship design and construction. The overall result is a powerful historical synthesis whiich gives students, teachers, and general readers a "feel" for the seafaring life and the place of the sea within medieval civilization.