The Mathews Men: Seven Brothers and the War Against Hitler's U-Boats by William Geroux
One of the least known and understood aspects of World War II is the contribution of America’s maritime industry.
From 1939 through 1945, Free Europe – which at one point was limited to the United Kingdom alone – was largely dependent on American merchant shipping.
Until December, 1941, American merchant ships faced little danger from German submarines, but British merchant ships were being sunk at an alarming rate. After Pearl Harbor and Germany’s declaration of war on the United States, American ships became very dangerous places to be at least through late 1943 when anti-submarine warfare became effective.
The men who manned American merchant ships have never received the credit they were due.
This is the story of some of those men, all from Matthews County, Virginia, including seven brothers.
It is a harrowing story of terror and sudden death. Imagine sailing on the Atlantic on a moonless night and your unarmed or inadequately armed ship is struck without warning by a torpedo and your only hope is diving into the cold ocean and hoping to be picked up by rescue ships that often bypassed helpless survivors. The casualty rate was very high, the life lonely and dangerous just from the job, even before you factored in German submarines and sometimes aerial bombing. Yet, voyage after voyage, these men persisted. It was their job – and without them Britain in particular might have starved and surrendered to the Germans.
This book is tribute to the men of Mathews County in particular and the Merchant Marine in general. It is a masterful telling of the struggle to keep freedom fighting, an often exceedingly dangerous task, by delivering the food and tools needed to first resist and ultimately invade and conquer.
From 1939 through 1945, Free Europe – which at one point was limited to the United Kingdom alone – was largely dependent on American merchant shipping.
Until December, 1941, American merchant ships faced little danger from German submarines, but British merchant ships were being sunk at an alarming rate. After Pearl Harbor and Germany’s declaration of war on the United States, American ships became very dangerous places to be at least through late 1943 when anti-submarine warfare became effective.
The men who manned American merchant ships have never received the credit they were due.
This is the story of some of those men, all from Matthews County, Virginia, including seven brothers.
It is a harrowing story of terror and sudden death. Imagine sailing on the Atlantic on a moonless night and your unarmed or inadequately armed ship is struck without warning by a torpedo and your only hope is diving into the cold ocean and hoping to be picked up by rescue ships that often bypassed helpless survivors. The casualty rate was very high, the life lonely and dangerous just from the job, even before you factored in German submarines and sometimes aerial bombing. Yet, voyage after voyage, these men persisted. It was their job – and without them Britain in particular might have starved and surrendered to the Germans.
This book is tribute to the men of Mathews County in particular and the Merchant Marine in general. It is a masterful telling of the struggle to keep freedom fighting, an often exceedingly dangerous task, by delivering the food and tools needed to first resist and ultimately invade and conquer.
Review from Amazon
No comments:
Post a Comment