At All Costs

At All Costs reads like the work of an ardent World War II buff who is trying to unearth some minutia of history. Malta sits on a key trade route, and was deeply coveted by the Axis powers. However, it lacked naturual resources and oil, and was heavily dependent on deliveries of goods and oil. The story in this book is on a convoy that landed in Malta. The books goes into the history of some of the men. (Such as the sailor who was trying desperately to get his wife out of Nazi-occupied Norway) It covers the flagging of the Ohio to the British fleet and the launching of the convoy. Ships were shot down. Many people died. Many others were rescued. Some ships had to be towed to make it to Malta. The allies also benefited from the infighting among the Axis. Germany didn't want to give Italy all the fuel it needed because the Italians seemed to spend most of it just moving around. The book proceeds along the primary narrative, but also pauses numerous times to describe "what happened" to some of the figures mentioned.