Bahamas in World War II
This is the only reference book detailing exactly what happened in the Bahamas – then a British colony - during WWII: in the air, on the sea surface, and below it, as 112 German and Italian submarines attacked 130 ships.
Synopsis
The overall area covers from Key West to Savannah, to Bermuda to Anegada; 90% of it beyond Bahamas’ boundaries. Bisected by half a dozen key channels, the Bahamas archipelago was a strategic choke point particularly for oil from Venezuela and Texas to Halifax. Two subs were lost and several Allied military vessels and a blimp. This unique study covers from Sept. 1939 to May 1945
Details:
- All attacks on Allied merchant ships in the area
- All U-Boat patrols by both five Italian submarines and 107 German missions to the area
- All Convoy transits - including actual ship names
- All air traffic from Royal Air Force OTU 111 in Nassau, and bases in Florida and beyond
- Daily entries in the Gulf Sea Frontier, with US air, local convoys, and US naval craft moves.
Because the Bahamas was a little-known (or unknown) theatre, this research establishes an important baseline. This is not an editorial work, but as close to pure fact as possible. It is not a study of the sociology, politics, or even people of the Bahamas; rather it depicts in great detail the massive war effort swirling around them which, because of censorship, has gone unnoticed.