Bloody winter

This is one of those rare cases where a person involved in the action was able to write about it in a historically-correct and action-packed manner. Capt. Waters, in this book published by the Naval Institute Press in Annapolis, covers in great detail a number of the Allied North Atlantic convoys which were under constant ferocious attack by German U-boat wolf packs in 1942/1943, and which resulted in initial heavy losses of American/British cargo ships, right on through 1943/1944 when the situation was reversed and German U-boat losses rose to such a substantial level that they were withdrawn from the area. Capt. Waters is quite thorough in describing all facets of the struggle: how convoys were put together, how they were to be protected by escorts, the shortage of escorts, the massive sinking of cargo ships, frustration in watching ships go down, which countries supplied what effort and so on. Capt. Waters provides interesting accounts of sinkings, rescues, prisoners, storm damage, people, a number of "little things" that keeps the account at a personal, exciting and imagistic level. - This book is quite good and worth "five stars." In addition, Capt. Waters gives us several "freebies" or appendices: one is on Ultra, another is on German U-boat aces, another is on the weapons used, another is convoy protection by aircraft. Highly recommended as fast moving, highly informative wartime narrative.