Product Description On June 10, 1940, Italy declared war on Britain and France. Fighting commenced in the Mediterranean the following day with the bombing of Malta. What quickly developed was a war-within-a-war. Control of the Mediterranean Sea was essential for the Allies. Without it Gibraltar would be lost, the Suez Canal would be useless, and the planned invasion of Southern France would never happen. In The Med , author Gerald Reminick describes, through interviews, photos and documentation, how World War II was fought in this crucial area, how close the Axis came to winning and the essential role played by the U. S. Merchant Marine in achieving victory in the crucial battle for the Mediterranean for the Allies. Review The U. S. Merchant Marine and the U. S. Navy Armed Guard in World War II have struggled for recognition for their roles in victory in World War II. This author is one who comes to the rescue with his account of U. S. supply shipping in the Mediterranean theater. The book also describes the allied and enemy merchant fleets in the region and the roles they performed. The resupply effort for besieged Malta and the invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Italy and southern France are chronicled. The heart of the book consists of the individual first-hand accounts of the seamen who sailed the ships into harm's way. --Sea Power, July/August 2016 About the Author Gerald Reminick is a Professor Emeritus of Library Services at the Grant Campus Library, Suffolk County Community College, Brentwood, New York. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Adelphi University in 1967, a Master of Arts from State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook in 1975 and a Master of Science in Library and Information Science at Long Island University in 1979. He is a member-at-large of the American Merchant Marine Veterans and an associate member of the National Association of Fleet Tug Sailors. He is also a Preserve Monitor for the Long Island Chapter of the Nature Comservancy This is his ninth book about the U. S. Merchant Marine. He has begun work on his tenth regarding this subject. He is also author of a children s book, two books about St. John s Pond in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, and is a published poet.