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THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC: Hitler's Gray Wolves of the Sea and the Allies' Desperate Struggle to Defeat Them, Andrew Williams, Basic Book, Cambridge, MA, 2003, 320 pages, $30.00.
"The U-boat attack was the only thing that ever really frightened me during the war," said British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Coming from a man who lived through one of the most storied air battles in history-the Battle of Britain-as well as the nightmare of never-before-seen rocket attacks, such a comment gives one pause. Why, with the major defeats Great Britain and her allies suffered in Africa and Europe and the harrowing escape from Dunkirk, was Churchill only frightened of the U-boat war? The reason is the U-boat war gave the Nazis their greatest hope for defeating the British. Surprisingly, few knew then how close Great Britain was to defeat. Unfortunately, fewer know now.
As an island nation, Great...