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World War II

World War II. European Theater of Operations The Naval War. Components of the War in Europe. The Naval War The Air War The Ground War. The Naval War. The Battle of the Atlantic

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World War II

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  1. World War II European Theater of Operations The Naval War

  2. Components of the War in Europe The Naval War The Air War The Ground War

  3. The Naval War • The Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic was a tonnage war: the Allied struggle to maintain and the Axis struggle to cut off the shipping that enabled Britain to survive. From 1942 onwards, the Germans also sought to prevent the build-up of Allied troops and equipment in the British Isles in preparation for the invasion of occupied Europe and to destroy all Allied navies. The defeat of the German threat was a pre-requisite for the invasion.

  4. The Battle for the Atlantic • Six phases: • First phase - Opening moves (September 39 – Fall of France) • Second phase - “Happy Time” (June 40 – Lend Lease) • Third phase - Stalemate (April 41 – Pearl Harbor) • Fourth phase - Second “Happy Time” (January 42 – destruction of PQ17) • Fifth phase - Allied Advantage (August 42 – Doenitz Withdrawal) • Sixth phase - Sea lanes secured (May 43 - May 45)

  5. The Battle of the Atlantic • Phase One • Opening Moves • September 1939 – Fall of France • “… the only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was the U-boat peril.” • Winston Churchill

  6. The Battle of the Atlantic

  7. The Battle of the Atlantic • Phase Two • The “Happy Time” • June 1940 – Lend Lease

  8. The Battle of the Atlantic

  9. The Battle of the Atlantic • Phase Three • Stalemate • April 1941 – Pearl Harbor • Beginning in May, 1941 the US Navy became a British ally by taking over convoy escort duties in the western Atlantic. • 31 October – USS Reuben James sunk by U562

  10. The Battle of the Atlantic

  11. The Battle of the Atlantic • Phase Four • The Second “Happy Time” • January 1942 - destruction of PQ17

  12. The Battle of the Atlantic

  13. The Battle of the Atlantic • Phase Five: The Wind Shifts • August 1942 - April 1943 • ASDIC – Anti-Submarine Detection • Depth Charge • Hedgehog • RADAR • HF/DF • ENIGMA/Ultra • Liberty Ships • B24D – Liberator

  14. The Battle of the Atlantic • May 1943 was the turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic. • For the first time, German U-boat losses began to outstrip Allied shipping losses. • A number of technological advances made this victory possible.

  15. The Battle of the Atlantic • Phase Six • The Sea Lanes Secured • May 1943 - May 1945 • Combined Technologies • Reducing the Mid-Atlantic Gap • Centimetric Radar • Merchant Aircraft Carriers • Hunter Killer Groups • Escort Carriers • Destroyer Escorts

  16. The Battle of the Atlantic • Balance Sheet • Allied losses - • 4,600 merchant ships lost (21,000,000 tons) • 175 warships lost • Over 30,000 sailors & merchant seamen lost • German losses - • 785 of 1162 u-boats lost in action • Of 49,000 officers & men - 28,00 dead; 5,000 captured (67% casualty rate)

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