At the strategic core of the Allied naval effort in the Battle of the Atlantic were Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve Commander Rodger Winn of the Admirality Operational Intelligence Center and U.S. Navy Commander Kenneth Knowles of the U.S. Navy "F-21 Atlantic Section". Together, Winn and Knowles influenced the most pivotal decisions and operations in the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and other naval theaters as well. They fostered an atmosphere of Anglo-American cooperation that was once described by Patrick Beesly as "probably closer than between any other British and American organizations in any service and in any theater".
The purpose of the present study is to reassess some previously established assumptions about the Winn and Knowles team. Fresh perspectives and conclusions will be offered drawn from recently accessible documents and photographs.
