By Terrance McGovern.
McLean, VA: Three Sisters Press, 2022.
ISBN 978-1-7323916-4-2.
Photographs. Maps. Pp. 100.
Coastal defense has always been important to the security of the United States, and by the 1940s and the advent of World War II, coastal security became vital. In The Delaware Bay at War!, Terrance McGovern provides a fine history of one significant part of that defense. McGovern is a historian and author specializing in U.S. coastal defenses who has written eight books and many articles on the subject. His expertise and grasp of the topic are evident in this book.
McGovern begins by giving a history of the defenses around Delaware Bay and the Delaware River. He then proceeds to cover the wartime history of these various forts and batteries. Against the background of changing priorities, shifting threat assessments, and budget and manpower considerations, McGovern provides a narrative of the ebbs and flows of Delaware Bay defenses. As time went on, most defenses were shifted to the entrance of the Bay on both the Delaware side (Fort Miles) and the New Jersey side (Cape May).
McGovern covers artillery of various types and calibers as well as the physical emplacements. Throughout the narrative, McGovern gives a running account of the various Army units involved in the defense of Delaware Bay. These include a variety of Coast Artillery units, including a railway battalion. McGovern gives a brief account of the Army mine-laying vessels that operated in the Bay as well as Navy operations in the area. German U-boats operating in the approaches to the Bay targeted primarily oil tankers. While McGovern provides accounts of sinkings and sightings in the Bay area, effective convoys and the deterrence of coast defenses helped reduce German patrols by the end of 1942. As the threat decreased, and as combat in Europe increased, the allocation of manpower became an issue. By November 1942, “limited service” soldiers began to take over the manning of Delaware Bay defenses thus freeing unlimited service men for duty in Europe.
In the end, there was no serious threat to Delaware Bay from enemy surface vessels, although U-boats operated in the area. In this regard, McGovern’s conclusion is straightforward and probably true of much of the American mainland defense plans during the war: “The existence of controlled mines, rapid-fire guns, detection devices, aircraft patrols, and naval vessels deterred U-Boats from entering the Bay (along with the dangers of shallow waters of the Bay for a submarine)” (p. 81).
The end of the war brought demobilization and the reduction of defenses. McGovern describes the drawdown of personnel and units. The War Department maintained the seacoast defenses in a standby status. Through the 1950s, the Army and the Navy used the defenses for varied purposes. Finally, McGovern covers the conversion of defense property to Delaware state ownership and use. With the departure of the final Navy Reserve unit in 1996, this process was complete. Much of the area is now Cape Henlopen State Park. The Fort Miles Historical Association has been working to preserve much of the remnants of the defenses including gun positions, buildings, and fire control towers.
McGovern has included many contemporary photographs of the forts, batteries, guns, and men, in addition to modern color photographs of the remains of the forts. Schematics of many of the batteries and emplacements provide a technical view of the defenses. Many maps help the reader to understand the importance of the various emplacements. McGovern succeeds in describing the evolution of Delaware Bay defenses against a backdrop of shifting needs during World War II. The Delaware Bay at War! is a fine addition to the historiography of the coastal defenses of the United States as well as an important record of mainland America at war. It is highly recommended to anyone interested in these topics.
Major Peter L. Belmonte, USAF-Ret.
O’Fallon, Illinois
