The Longest Campaign: Britain's Maritime Struggle in the Atlantic and Northwest Europe, 1939–1945

by Brian Walter

The award-winning historian's acclaimed account of British sea power throughout "a must-read for anyone interested in Naval warfare" (PowerShips magazine).

For four centuries the British realm depended on sea power to defend itself against a myriad of threats. The Royal Navy established itself as the "Sovereign of the Seas," helping transform a small island nation into the center of a global empire. But Britain's maritime services faced an unprecedented challenge during World War II, and the survival of the nation was at stake.

The Longest Campaign tells the epic story of British sea power in the Second World War. It is a comprehensive and detailed account of the activities, results, and relevance of Britain's maritime effort in the Atlantic and off northwest Europe. Military historian Brian Walter looks at the entire breadth of the maritime conflict, exploring the contribution of the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and British merchant marines, as well as their Commonwealth equivalents.

Walter puts the maritime conflict in the context of the overall war effort and shows how the various operations and campaigns were intertwined. Finally, he provides unique analysis of the effectiveness of the British maritime effort and role it played in Allied victory.

Genres: World War II, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2020

About the author

Brian E. Walter is a retired army officer from a combat arms branch with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science and International Relations. A Distinguished Military Graduate and recipient of the Excellence in Military History Award from the U.S. Army Center for Military History and the Association of the United States Army, he has been a student of the British military during the Second World War for more than 30 years. He currently resides in his home state of Minnesota in the United States where he continues to write on a number of military and historical subjects.

Reviews

[Dj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many books that discuss the Battle of the Atlantic focus primarily on the U-boat battles with a nod to the Bismarck not so with the Longest Campaign. This book touches on almost every aspect of the Naval War in the Atlantic, although it does have a primary focus on British efforts. Along with the U-boat campaign, it includes such high points as Dunkirk, the German invasion of Norway, British efforts against German Shipping, the naval efforts involved in the D-day invasion, and German efforts to stop it, as well as more. For those looking for information on the Naval War in the Atlantic, this is a one stop shopping effort.

The read is pretty easy, although it does get bogged down in places with a sort of scorekeeping mentality. It not only states the numbers of lost shipping, and the tonnage, but sometimes lists the specific U-boats lost. For me, this seemed to bog down the flow of the read, but for others, I realize that they would see this as a plus of the book, so it will depend on the outlook of the reader how much or little that changes their view of the book.

All in all a very well written and enjoyable book. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in this area of the war.

[Brian Walter]

As the author of The Longest Campaign, I am obviously a biased party. Still, this is a good opportunity to share some additional details regarding the scope and benefits of the book:

Recounting the finest hour of Britain’s long and illustrious maritime heritage, the book provides a complete, balanced and detailed accounting of the activities, results and relevance of Britain’s maritime struggle in the Atlantic and waters off Northwest Europe during World War II. Although arguably less ostentatious in its execution than the concurrent naval conflicts underway in the Pacific and Mediterranean, this campaign constituted the war’s premier maritime struggle in terms of its size, duration and relevance and was the essential catalyst for the overall Allied victory.

More than just another retelling of the U-boat scourge, The Longest Campaign reveals all aspects of this colossal struggle in which British maritime power helped dissuade invasion, sustained the nation’s logistical needs, degraded German capabilities and fulfilled the army’s support requirements. Numerous other books have been written on the subject, but most have only covered specific periods or aspects of the campaign. By comparison, this book provides appropriate space and attention to all facets of the conflict without undo bias or commentary including numerous events and operations that have generally been overlooked or underreported in other related works.

The result of 30 years of historical study utilizing research from a variety of primary and secondary sources, the book presents a highly detailed account of the maritime war full of facts and data presented in a very readable format. It incorporates extensive specificity regarding the forces involved, results attained and casualties sustained during the various engagements and operations covered. In doing so, it wades through the noise of conflicting data and disinformation to present a concise, accurate and informative narrative.

The book provides unique analysis regarding the role and effectiveness of the British maritime effort including a first ever assessment of British warship losses compared to corresponding victories over the competing Axis navies. In reviewing the conflict’s events and results, the book clearly demonstrates the relevance and effectiveness of the British war effort – both in a general sense and specific to the maritime struggle.

[Paul Marks · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review is an overview with a bias on the ASW/convoy content which is more my area.
This ambitious book fits a lot into 286 pages. The lead title of “The Longest Campaign” might make some history readers assume it is another RN/Kriegsmarine Atlantic naval account of convoy battles but the book has a wider maritime brief to include the Channel, European coast, Russian convoys, the Mediterranean and sections on coastal raids, D-Day and the subsequent land campaign. Both the Army and the RAF (Fighter Command & Bomber Command) feature, not just Coastal Command. On the German side the major capital ship encounters all appear.
Much of it is a worthy statistics driven account with little in the way of personal anecdotes. Lots of numbers, tons of tonnages and lists of vessels. A lot of work has gone in and the sources used are good although some slightly surprising omissions such as Niestle’s “U-boat Losses”.
It focuses on events and people do not feature so much. Of the usual Battle of the Atlantic culprits Horton appears only once, and even then as Flag Officer Submarines, with Gretton and MacIntyre miss the cut. Johnny Walker gets three mentions while Kretschmer, Prien and Schepke do pop up.
It correctly identifies the often unspoken role of the RN in being a crucial deterrent for Sealion. Something that needs to be said more.
Very little content on sensor and weapons technology. HF/DF – not always clear if it is shore-based or shipborne – a bugbear of mine. Code/cipher-breaking gets more detail.
All the primary sources listed are from the UK National Archives. No German or US primary sources. A few pleasant illustrations and three simple maps which cover the geography of the book.
I list the things not covered to manage reader expectation not as a criticism. You cannot fit everything in and the book is coherent in its aims.
The conclusion chapter is a very good read although I found that the impact became weakened when it shifted to a numbers argument. The final burst of statistics is interesting although I was not fully convinced about including war-end surrendered ships in the total of losses. I would have preferred the numeric argument to be a separate section either before the conclusion or as an appendix.
Overall the book flows well through the 6 years and would be a good acquisition for anyone wanting a one-volume history. The numbers do need a little consideration to get the best value from them but a general reader will get the right impression without excessive brain strain. Equally for someone wanting to delve deeper onto the stats it gives some good steers on where to dig. Recommended.
Inevitably with the breadth of the content there are a few points I had issue with.
P86 Roskill’s table P464 Escort Vessel strength needed explanation as it is the global availability for mercantile convoys and the main fleet. Not that Roskill made that clear in the first place.
P86 Correlli Barnett is quoted that in June 1941 St John’s was the base for 30 destroyers, 9 sloops and 24 corvettes. Barnett gives no source for these numbers. The DD figure looks excessive to me given escort groups only had one to three DDs each and a greater number of corvettes. The Canadian official history “No Higher Purpose” mentions ten named DDs operating locally at that time. Milner’s “North Atlantic Run” states that in May there were 7 RN DDs, 6 RCN DDs, 4 sloops and 21 corvettes which sounds more in proportion.
P89 Speed of independents. This decrease is described as a positive step. Really it was just reversing a poor decision by Churchill in March when he forced through an increase in the number of independent sailings against Admiralty advice. The losses quickly deteriorated and the decision was reversed. See Max Schoenfeld “Winston Churchill as War Manager: The Battle of the Atlantic Committee 1941”. Military Affairs July 1988
P126 Enigma. The extra rotor increased outcomes by a factor of ten. David Kahn “Seizing the Enigma” P214 says x26 = alphabet. Each rotor has the alphabet on it so 26 settings.
P153 T3 Falke. Actually T4. T3 was an unguided torpedo with an improved proximity fuse. However many books and accounts refer to the Falke as the T3 so a persistent mistake. Eberhard Rossler has the best account I have in “The U-boat, the Evolution and Technical History of German Submarines” P143 & P345.
P174 Increased U-boat AA improved defence. I think this gives an inaccurate impression. While more guns at first sight aided the defence what it actually did was increase the targets for Coastal Command, a fact that Slessor appreciated immediately. One step forward, two steps back. See Alfred Price’s “Aircraft versus Submarine” P155.

[Robert Neil Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discerning readers of World War II know about the importance of the naval war in the Atlantic, a titanic struggle between German U-boats and the Allied navies protecting vital convoys. In this excellent survey, however, Brian Walter reveals that there was far more to naval operations around Britain and Europe’s coasts than guarding merchant ships and hunting submarines.
Walter is quick to point out that in the beginning of the war there was no ‘Phoney War’ at sea to match that on land. Already, the British and Germans recognised the importance of Britain’s Atlantic supply lines, where U-boats hunted down convoys and the Royal Navy tried to fend them off. Walter highlights, however, that the Royal Navy was also involved in attempting to deter then counter the German invasion of Norway. Then came the successful evacuation of Dunkirk and prevention of a German assault on Britain. Germany seemed ascendant in its offensive operations, but in Spring 1941, that changed when the RN sank five U-boats and the German battleship Bismarck. Britain also cracked the German naval codes, and US assistance in the Atlantic began to pay off. Walter follows the back and forward struggle through 1942 and into 1943, when Allied improvements in technology, tactics, and numbers in the Atlantic started to pay off. By the end of that year, the Germans were firmly on the back foot. That trend continued into 1944, with the RN and RAF sinking German battleships to protect Arctic convoys, while the RAF also bombed industrial facilities to retard German production and maintenance. Both were heavily involved in the D-Day landings that the Germans did not have the maritime power to interdict. With the Allies driving across Europe, German naval options deteriorated under incessant attacks and catastrophic losses in ships and working ports. The German war effort at sea had all but collapsed by 1945 and the war’s end. Walter concludes that while most attention in the naval war has been on the Pacific and Mediterranean, it was the ‘long and gruelling slog’ of the Atlantic War that determined Allied victory. The British played the largest role in that, though Walter points out this was the Royal Navy’s swansong.
The Longest Campaign is an ambitious effort to present a comprehensive overview of the naval war effort in northern European waters and the Atlantic. Walter succeeds admirably, at least for this reader with a working knowledge of the period. I came away from this book with a better understanding of not only naval operations but also how they were integrated into the broader sweep of the European theatre. The text is a bit dry and dusty at times, with the inclusion of material better placed in the footnotes or appendices, but Walter livens up the text with some narrative detours into specific operations, such as the ‘channel dash’ by the Germans in February 1942. Overall, this is a survey that covers more than the basics while providing a solid platform for further reading.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book, providing a history of the Royal Navy’s operations in the Atlantic during WWII. The author, American historian Brian E. Walter, gives a blow by blow account of the maritime fight between Britain and Germany in the Atlantic and surrounding waters from the beginning of the war to its very last day. This is much more than merely a story of U-Boats and Escort Ships; the book does a good job explaining the many different operations and battles taking place in the Atlantic. The large number of engagements around Norway, the minelaying campaign, and the various sorties by German surface units are covered in detail. Of course, the narrative regularly returns to the convoy battles, but it integrates that war of attrition within the larger trends of engagement between the combatants. I really appreciated the detailed description of the littoral and riverine operations that took place after Normandy, as the Royal Navy closely supported the land campaign in Northwest Europe. A great book for understanding the maritime conflict in the Atlantic holistically. Highly recommended for any student of WWII’s naval actions.

[Scott Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Audiobook) (3.5 stars) This work is a straight military history about the Battle of the Atlantic, with focus on the Royal Navy and its battles with the Nazis for control of the key logistical battleground for England. It covers the ships, leaders and key engagements of World War II in this theater. There are concessions to other allies as needed in the narrative, but this is all from the British perspective. The writing is not as dry as it could be with a topic like this. The reader does an okay job with the material. However, if you are not someone who would read a military history book, then this work is probably not going to be all that fun. Not a bad read, but not one that will climb the most read lists.

[Roy Van Den Brande · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. Especially in the beginning and the end it has a broader view (for example the Scandinevian question). Some chapters felt like a list of losses. The author likes the word earmarked. I've read it more in this book alone, than all other books I've read combined. But I'm knitpicking because all in all it really was an enjoyable read.

[Kayla Tornello · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book stays quite focused on the topic of the Atlantic maritime battles during WWII. It goes quite in depth, which might be a bit too much for a very casual reader, but will fascinate those with an interest in this topic. I appreciated the pictures included in the book and the many tables.

[Peter B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed and accurate.

A good basic overview of this aspect of WWII. At times overly minute in detail, nonetheless clearly written. Decent read.

[Derek Nudd · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a single volume work covering six years of unremitting combat we can't expect this book to delve into minute detail, and it doesn't. Events that have attracted multi-volume studies in their own right are covered in a few paragraphs. What this does very well is draw together the different threads - blockade, U-boat, airborne - of the northern battle and relate them to the wider conflict.
Some surprising insights emerge. Despite the absence of the large set-piece battles found in the Pacific and South-East Asia theatres the sheer, continuous grind of warfare in the Atlantic and northern waters led to eye-watering losses on both sides. The other side of the coin is the staggering volume of materiel delivered to Russia, Britain and Western Europe, especially in the last eleven months of the war.
The point is made with tables, lists and extensive references. The first two of these may slow the reader down a bit but are worth pausing over for a moment.

[Daniel Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Longest Campaign: Britain's Maritime Struggle in the Atlantic and Northwest Europe, 1939–1945, by Brian Walter, managed to do the impossible. Within 320 pages, the author has written a comprehensive history of the Second World War’s longest campaign that covers the pertinent information, while still delving into the details of individual events.
I have read a large number of books on the subject, and in The Longest Campaign, the author informs the reader in an unbiased way, sticking to the facts without inserting emotional or national interest. That’s a tough job for any military historian, as it is natural to embue, either on purpose or self-consciously, a positive spin on their own country or side. This would be a great book for someone who hasn’t read much about the Battle of the Atlantic and is seeking an unbiased work.
Walter has taken a very complex subject and broken it down to the details that matter without leaving out the human aspect of the conflict. As mentioned, I’ve read a lot of books on this very subject, but still enjoyed this one. I would highly recommend it to any student of military history, especially in a history studies environment where it would make a perfect foundation for discussions leading to the varying opinions of who did what in the conflict and why did they do it.

www.daniellittle.com May 25 2021