Submarine Warfare in the Caribbean: Notes and Supplements to the Book of the Same Title by G. T. M. Kelshall

Abstract

Submarine warfare in the Caribbean during World War II represents an often underestimated, yet strategically vital, chapter of the global conflict. The region, with its crucial oil production and refining facilities in places like Aruba and Curaçao, and its essential shipping lanes for the Allied war effort, became a prime target for German U-boat operations. G. T. M. Kelshall’s pioneering work, The U-Boat War in the Caribbean (1988), was instrumental in shedding light on this theater of operations, establishing a detailed initial narrative of the events. However, Gerhard Sandner’s work, «Annotations and Supplements to the Book of the Same Title by G. T. M. Kelshall, » emerges as an indispensable scholarly contribution that refines, corrects, and expands the understanding of this conflict. The submarine campaign had a significant impact on Allied shipping and regional economies and exacted a heavy human toll, profoundly affecting sailors and coastal populations.