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THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC. SEPTEMBER, 1939 – MAY, 1945. BASIC FACTS. THE LONGEST CONTINUOS MILITARY CAMPAIGN OF WWII (9/39-8/45) WHERE? N.ATLANTIC S. ATLANTIC CARIBBEAN SEA GULF OF MEXICO WHO? AXIS: GERMAN KRIEGSMARINE
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THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC SEPTEMBER, 1939 – MAY, 1945
BASIC FACTS • THE LONGEST CONTINUOS MILITARY CAMPAIGN OF WWII (9/39-8/45) • WHERE? • N.ATLANTIC • S. ATLANTIC • CARIBBEAN SEA • GULF OF MEXICO • WHO? • AXIS: GERMAN KRIEGSMARINE • ALLIES: ROYAL NAVY (U.K.), ROYAL NAVY (CANADA), U.S. NAVY • WHAT? • 100+ CONVOY BATTLES • 1000 SINGLE-SHIP BATTLES
MAJOR ADVANCES & WEAPONS • GERMANS: • U-BOATS (UNTERZEEBOOT): GERMAN SUBMARINES • SURFACE RAIDERS: SURFACE SHIPS USED TO ATTACK CONVOYS • POCKET BATTLESHIPS: SMALLER-SIZED BATTLESHIPS USED TO ATTACK CONVOYS • ENIGMA MACHINES: MESSAGE ENCODING MACHINE • SCHNORKEL: SUBMARINE-MOUNTED AIR /VENTILATION DEVICE • ALLIES: • DESTROYERS: SMALL, FAST, AGILE WARSHIPS USED FOR CONVOY ESCORTING AND SUBMARINE HUNTING • A.S.D.I.C.: ALLIED SONAR • DEPTH CHARGE: PRESSURE / DEPTH DETONATED UNDERWATER EXPLOSIVE • ESCORT CARRIERS: SMALL-SIZED ARICRAFT CARRIERS USED FOR SUBMARINE HUNTING • M.A.C SHIPS: MERCHANT AIRCRAFT CARRIERS • HF/DF (ALSO CALLED “HUFF-DUFF”): HIGH FREQUENCY DIRECTION FINDER (RADAR) • HEDGEHOG: SHIP-MOUNTED UNDERWATER EXPLOSIVE MORTAR • LEIGH-LIGHT: RADAR-GUIDED AERIAL SEARCH LIGHT • B-24 LIBERATOR: LONG-RANGE U.S. BOMBER USED FOR SUBMARINE HUNTING
KEY INDIVIDUALS & STRATEGY • GERMANS: • GRAND ADMIRAL ERICH RADER: COMMANDER, KRIEGSMARINE • VICE-ADMIRAL KARL DONITZ: COMMANDER OF U-BOATS • ALLIES: • U.K.: • ADMIRAL SIR PERCY NOBLE • ADMIRAL SIR MAX HORTON • U.S: • ADMIRAL ERNEST KING, COMMANDER, U.S. FLEET • STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES: • GERMANS: • DISRUPT/CUT OFF SUPPLIES & SHIPPING THAT ALLOWED BRITAIN TO FIGHT • FORCE BRITS. TO SIGN PEACE TREATY • PREVENT SECOND FRONT • ALLIES: • KEEP ATLANTIC SHIPPING LANES OPEN • KEEP BRITS. SUPPLIED • U.S. WANTS TO KEEP BRITS. “ALIVE” UNTIL U.S. ENTERS WAR • ELIMINATE GERMAN NAVAL THREAT BEFORE EVENTUAL INVASION OF EUROPE
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES • STRENGTHS: • AXIS: • EXPERIENCED NAVAL CREWS • GOOD NAVAL SHIP DESIGNS • INITIATIVE / MOMENTUM AFTER GERMAN SUCCESS OF 1939 • ALLIES: • NUMBER OF SHIPS • IMPROVING ANTI-SUBMARINE TECHNOLOGY (ex. A.S.D.I.C. sonar) • AERIAL SUPREMACY • AIRCRAFT CARRIERS • WEAKNESSES: • AXIS: • LACK OF AERIAL COVER • LACK OF SURFACE SHIPS • ALLIES: • DISTANCE OF VOYAGE • SIZE OF CONVOYS • VULNERABILITY OF MERCHANT SHIPS • “AIR GAP” IN ATLANTIC
ADMIRAL ERNEST J. KING, U.S.N. COMMANDER IN CHIEF, U.S. FLEET
WINSTON CHURCHILL, BRITISH P.M. ADMIRAL SIR PERCY NOBLE, R.N.
COURSE OF BATTLE • INITIAL BASIC TACTICS (Sept.,’39 – May,’40) • GERMANS: • ATTACK MERCHANT SHIPS • HOW? U-BOATS, SURFACE RAIDERS, PLANES, etc. • WHY? U-BOAT FLEET IS SMALL AT FIRST • ALSO MINE BRITISH PORT CITIES • BRITISH: • “CONVOY” SYSTEM CREATED • ***“ESCORT” SHIPS USED TO PROTECT CONVOYS • ***DEFINE “ESCORT”: SMALLER, FASTER NAVAL SHIPS USED TO HUNT / ATTACK SUBMARINES • (EX.: “DESTROYERS”) • PROBLEM: CHURCHILL WANTS MORE AGGRESSIVE STRATEGY • RESULT? • ANTI-SUBMARINE HUNTING GROUPS FORMED • AIRCRAFT CARRIER GROUPS USED TO HUNT U-BOATS • PROBLEM (again): • U-BOATS TOO ELUSIVE FOR A.C. GROUPS • ALLIED SONAR NOT ADVANCED ENOUGH YET
GERMAN SUCCESS • “THE HAPPY TIME”: JUNE, 1940-FEB., 1941 • OCCUPATION OF FRANCE = DIRECT ACCESS TO ATLANTIC PORTS FOR KRIEGSMARINE • EFFECT? • U-BOAT RANGE INTO ATLANTIC INCREASES • BRITS LOSE BIGGEST ALLY (AT THAT TIME) • BRITS. HAVE TO DIVERT MORE FORCES TO MEDITERRANEAN SEA • RESULT? • FEWER SHIPS AVAILABLE FOR CONVOY ESCORT • U-BOATS ATTACKS VERY SUCCESSFUL • EXAMPLE: • JUNE – OCT., 1940 = 270 ALLIED SHIPS SUNK • WHY? GERMAN “WOLFPACK SYSTEM”
THE WOLFPACK SYSTEM • DEFINITION: • MULTIPLE U-BOAT ATTACKS ON CONVOYS • ORIGIN: • GERMANS HAD DECYPHERED BRIT. NAVAL CODES • MOVEMENT / LOCATION OF CONVOYS COULD BE MORE EASILY PREDICTED • TACTIC: • U-BOATS SPREAD OUT IN LINE ACROSS EXPECTED PATH OF CONVOY • U-BOAT FIRST TO SIGHT CONVOY SIGNALS TO OTHER U-BOATS • U-BOATS MOVE TO GATHER FOR ATTACK • ATTACKS OFTEN MADE AT NIGHT • RESULT? • VERY SUCCESSFUL – BECOMES PRIMARY GERMAN ATTACK METHOD • EX.: 9/21/40 – CONVOY HX 72 (42 MERCHANT SHIPS) ATTACKED 4 U-BOATS • LOSSES = 11 SHIPS, 2 BADLY DAMAGED
GERMAN U-BOATACE, OTTO KRETSCHMER47 SHIPS SUNK274,333 TONS OF SHIPPING
SURFACE RAIDERS • DEFINE: SURFACE SHIPS (naval and disguised merchant ships) USED TO ATTACK CONVOYS • USED MOSTLY FROM LATE 1940 – EARLY 1942 • NOMRALLY OPERATED IN GROUPS OF 2-3 • TYPES OF SURFACE RAIDERS: • “POCKET BATTLESHIPS” (smaller, less heavily armed naval versions of full-scale battleships) • FULL SIZED BATTLESHIPS (ex. BATTLESHIP BISMARCK) • ARMED MERCHANT SHIPS • GERMAN BATTLESHIPS WERE BOTH FAST & HAD EXCELLENT NAVAL ARTILLERY (“GUNNERY”) • EX.: BATTLE OF THE DENMARK STRAIT, May 1941 • BISMARCK SINKS H.M.S. HOOD • 1415 KIA ON H.M.S HOOD, 3 SURVIVORS • SURFACE RAIDER THREAT EFFECTIVELY ENDS W/ SINKING OF BISMARCK, May 1941 • 2200 KIA ON BISMARCK, 100 P.O.W.
ALLIED ADVANCES • SONAR: “A.S.D.I.C.” • ALLIED SUBMARINE DETECTION INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE • USED BY DESTROYERS TO FIX U-BOAT LOCATION BEFORE ATTACK BEGAN • M.A.C.s: MERCHANT AIRCRAFT CARRIERS • MERCHANT SHIPS CONVERTED INTO CATAPULT-LAUNCHING AIRCRAFT CARRIERS • “HEDGEHOG”: SHIP-MOUNTED, MULTIPLE WARHEAD, ANTI-SUB MORTAR LAUNCHER • “LEIGH-LIGHT”: AIRCRAFT-MOUNTED, RADAR OPERATED SEARCHLIGHT • HF/DF (“HUFF-DUFF”) – HIGH FREQUENCY, DIRECTION FINDER; RADAR SYSYEM USED TO LOCATE U-BOATS
OPERATION DRUMBEAT • JAN. – JUNE, 1942 • WHAT? EXTENSION OF U-BOAT ATTACKS TO N. AMERICAN COAST & MED. SEA • CAUSES? • ALLIED SUCCESSES IN MID/LATE 1941 • U.S. ENTERS WAR AFTER PEARL HARBOR ATTACK • GERMANS HAVE TO CHANGE TACTICS • RESULTS: • GERMANS ATTACK U.S. COAST • SUCCESS – MERCHANT SHIPS HEAVILY TARGETED • 157,000 TONS OF SHIPPING SUNK • U.S. FORCED TO USE CONVOYS W/ BRITS. & CANADA
ALLIES GAIN THE UPPER HAND • WHY? • IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS MORE ACCURATE ANTI-SUB. ATTACKS • GROWING INVOLVEMENT OF… • U.S. NAVY • CANADIAN ROYAL NAVY • U.S. ENTRY INTO WAR (& MILITARY POWER & SUPPLIES ) • U-BOAT LOSSES INCREASE (ESPECIALLY AFTER MID-1942) • “BLACK MAY”,MARCH – MAY, 1943 • SERIES OF VISCIOUS BATTLES IN N. ATLANTIC • MARCH – MAY = 70 U-BOATS SUNK • DONITZ HALTS U-BOAT OPS. IN N. ATLANTIC • BATTLE OF ATLANTIC IS NOW IN ALLIES FAVOR