The Fort Miles Historical Association’s lecture series will continue at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Fort Miles Museum in Cape Henlopen State Park.
In a presentation titled “Battle of the Atlantic: Eastern Sea Frontier,” historian Edward Paterline will discuss a pivotal World War II campaign that involved German U-boats attempting to cut the supply lines between the United States and Great Britain. The fighting in the shipping lanes around Great Britain is well known, but few are aware of how much of the battle took place in United States home waters.
Paterline will provide particular focus on the Mid-Atlantic region. Who was involved? What was the strategy? Why was it so little known? What happened off the Delaware coast? How did Fort Miles, designed and built to counter enemy surface ship attacks, protect the Delaware River from enemy submarine incursion? Paterline’s 45-minute slide show, with commentary, will reveal the answers to those questions.
A director at the Fort Miles Museum and the Fort Miles Historical Association, Paterline serves as a historian for the group, works on development and interpretation of exhibits, leads the FMHA docent program and is one of its key speakers. Prior to retirement, he worked for 45 years in human resources within multiple companies. Paterline retired from major defense contractor Raytheon in 2020.
Seating in the Fort Miles Museum’s media room is limited to 65 attendees, so reservations are recommended. For more information, go to fortmilesmuseum.org, and to reserve a seat, scroll down to Historical Lecture Series 11/16/24 under Fort Miles Tours and Events.