PART 1: TRINIDAD & TOBAGO IN WORLD WAR II:
THE SECRET ROLE THEY NEVER TAUGHT US
By Pearce Robinson
Most people in Trinidad & Tobago grew up completely unaware that our country was one of the most important wartime locations in the entire Western Hemisphere.
But here’s the part nobody really talks about:
1. Germany targeted Trinidad specifically.
Because of our oil.
The Pointe-à-Pierre refinery was the single largest supplier of aviation fuel to the British Royal Air Force during WWII.
No fuel = no planes.
So German U-boats were ordered to hunt and sink ships leaving Trinidad.
2. The deadliest U-boat massacre in the Caribbean happened right off our coast.
Between February and March 1942, multiple ships were torpedoed within hours of leaving Trinidad’s waters, including the Canadian SS Lady Nelson, which was hit twice and sank with civilians onboard.
And at the same time, Tobago faced its own tragedy, when torpedoed vessels sent bodies washing ashore at Bloody Bay in what became known as the Bloody Bay massacre.
Most Trinbagonians have never been told this.
3. Trinidad had one of the largest American military bases outside the US.
Wallerfield Air Base was a major US Army hub, hosting bombers, fighter aircraft, engineers, and communications units.
Chaguaramas became a full naval base with thousands of American personnel.
For a moment in history, Trinidad was practically a North American defense outpost.
4. Blackouts and ration cards were a real thing.
During the height of the U-boat attacks, parts of Trinidad had blackout restrictions at night.
Rationing of flour, rice, soap, butter and gasoline was imposed.
Families still tell stories of it today.
5. Trinidad was the gateway protecting the entire hemisphere.
If the German navy controlled the Caribbean oil routes…
If they knocked out the refinery…
If they cut the sea lanes…
The Allies would have been in serious trouble.
And when you step back, it becomes clear: Trinidad & Tobago helped win the war. We weren’t just another island, we held the largest refinery in the British Empire, the main fuel supply for Allied convoys, the Caribbean sea lanes that kept Britain alive, the southern flank of the Americas, and the strategic position that blocked Germany from gaining hemispheric influence.
That’s how crucial our islands really were.
And THIS is why T&T suddenly became one of the most critical military positions in the world.
