This is a History Extra production.

As the Second World War raged, Atlantic Sea Roots became an absolutely crucial lifeline for the Allies,

as merchant ships kept them supplied with equipment

and critically food.

But of course, that made them an irresistible target for German attacks.

In today's episode from our World War II's greatest battles series,

the military historian James Holland explains why he believes that

the Battle of the Atlantic was the most important engagement of the whole conflict and reveals

what life was really like inside a German U-boat. James is the author of the Lady Bird expert book

on the Battle of the Atlantic and also the co-founder of Chalk History Festival,

which runs from the 24th to the 30th of June this year.

As a media partner of the festival,

we're offering an exclusive 15% off day tickets

when you become a subscriber to either History Extra or BBC History Magazine. You can find that offer at

history extra.com forward slash pod. Putting the questions to James in today's episode is Rachel Dilling.

Hi James. Hello. In 30 seconds, why have you nominated the Battle of the Atlantic as one of the Second World

War's greatest battles?

Well, to me, it is the number one.

It's the most important conflict of the entire war.

It's one that lasts the duration of the Second World War, and without it, the Western

allies would have been literally sunk.

The Atlantic are the waters through which everything flows into the West, whether it's supplying,

...