Interesting facts about the Battle of the Atlantic
- The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous campaign of the Second World War.
- Not for nothing did Winston Churchill say, “The Battle of the Atlantic was the only battle that really frightened me”.
- 100,000 merchant ships crossed the Atlantic to arrive safely at their destinations with food, clothing, and raw material for industry, weapons and fuel. However, the cost was high: over 2,000 ships were sunk, and many thousands of personnel from the Royal Navy, Merchant Navy and other branches of the Armed Forces lost their lives.
- In spite of the immense sacrifice involved, the Battle of the Atlantic has never really been commemorated in the same fashion as the other major turning points of the Second World War.
- Overseas, the position is different, with Canada, the United States and even Germany having long-established focal points of remembrance for those who fought in the Atlantic Campaign.
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| Allied tanker torpedoed by German U-Boat |
With the last living survivors of the Battle of the Atlantic now entering the eighties, the time is right to create a permanent British memorial to this, the longest Battle.
