The Bitter Sea: The Struggle for Mastery in the Mediterranean 1935–1949. Simon Ball

      THE BITTER SEA

      The Struggle for Mastery in the Mediterranean, 1935–1949

      SIMON BALL

       To Helen

      Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

       Dedication

Maps

Introduction

1 The Dead Dog

2 Death on the Nile

3 Of Mice and Men

4 Gog & Magog

5 Mediterranean Eden

6 Losing the Light

       7 Italy Victorious

       8 The Last Summer

       9 Of Worms and Frenchmen

       10 The Deceivers

       11 The Good Italians

       12 The Last Supper

       13 Mission Impossible

       14 Goodbye Mediterranean

       Conclusion

       Notes and References

       Index

       Sources and Acknowledgements

       By the same author

       Copyright

       About the Publisher

       MAPS

       Map 1 The Mediterranean in 1938

       Map 2 The Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre of War

       Map 3 The Sicilian Narrows

       Map 4 Malta and the Mediterranean in 1941

       Map 5 Cyrenaica

       Map 6 Greece and the Aegean

       Map 7 The Partition of Yugoslavia in 1941

       Map 8 Axis Sea and Air Transport Routes to North Africa, October 1942–May 1943

       Map 9 TORCH landings in 1942

       Map 10 Italy showing German defensive lines with dates of their fall

       INTRODUCTION

      In July 2008 the Libyan tyrant Muammar Gaddafi announced that he would boycott the inaugural meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean,