This year sees the 80th anniversary commemorations for the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous campaign of the Second World War. British and Allied convoys struggled valiantly to make their way across the vast Atlantic ocean, against extreme weather, violent seas and the deadly German U-boats hunting them.
Liverpool was at the very heart of the battle, playing a vital role as the main entry port for resources, supplies and food as well as home to the many allied navies involved in the battle against the U-boats, as one of the most prolific shipbuilding and repairs yards, and as home to a top secret headquarters tasked with protecting the convoys and developing new tactics to defeat the German ‘Wolf Packs’. Liverpool though would suffer for this with almost two years of bombing by the German Luftwaffe, becoming the second most bombed city outside of London.
Local historian, Dave Roberts, presents an insight into the role Liverpool played in the Battle of the Atlantic and the ultimate victory over the German U-Boats as well as the price the city and its people paid.
