THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC

⦁ Germany was aiming to catch allied convoys with limited success

⦁ Germany wanted to escalate U-boat war

⦁ U-boats had great success attacking on the surface at night where they could not be detected
⦁ Sank merchant ships with torpedoes and submerged to avoid counterattack

1941

⦁ Britain was inflicted with huge losses (875 allied ships)

⦁ Britain received 50 American destroyers in exchange for US access to British bases

⦁ Canadians increased their escort missions

⦁ Warships began escorting Allied convoys as far as Iceland

⦁ Technological developments such as radars that could detect U-boat periscopes as far as a mile away were also develop

1942

⦁ New submarines were entering service quickly (rate of about 20 submarines a month)

⦁ Convoys were still vulnerable in the “Atlantic Gap” which was an area that could not be covered by anti-submarine aircrafts

⦁ US Navy was unable to protect all convoy ships

⦁ 1664 recorded ships were sunk and Britain’s supplies were reaching perilous levels

1943

⦁ Advantage shifted over to the Allies once again

⦁ Allies now had sufficient aircrafts to cover the Atlantic Gap

⦁ The “hedgehog depth charge” mortar was invented which made U-boat operations even more difficult

⦁ U-boat losses were too much and could not be sustained

⦁ Germans withdrew from the Atlantic

⦁ New submarines arrived in 1945, but they were far too late

Stats

⦁ 100 Convoy battles

⦁ Allied side – 30000 men and 3000 ships

⦁ Germans – 783 U-boats and 28000 men

 

 

SOURCES:
"Battle of the Atlantic." HISTORY. 1 Apr. 2014. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/battle-of-the-atlantic>.

"Battle of the Atlantic." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Web. 31 May 2015. <http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-the-atlantic/>.