THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC

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1 THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
SEPTEMBER, 1939 – MAY, 1945

2 BASIC FACTS THE LONGEST CONTINUOUS MILITARY CAMPAIGN OF WWII (September 1939-May, 1945) WHERE? N.ATLANTIC S. ATLANTIC CARIBBEAN SEA GULF OF MEXICO WHO? AXIS: GERMAN KRIEGSMARINE (GERMAN NAVY ) ALLIES: ROYAL NAVY (U.K.) ROYAL NAVY (CANADA) U.S. NAVY WHAT? 100+ CONVOY BATTLES 1000 SINGLE-SHIP BATTLES

3 MAJOR PHASES -BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC

4 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

5 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: DISRUPT/CUT OFF SUPPLIES & SHIPPING THAT ALLOWED BRITAIN TO FIGHT FORCE BRITS. TO SIGN PEACE TREATY PREVENT SECOND FRONT 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

6 THE NORTH ATLANTIC & MAJOR PORTS

7 STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
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: LACK OF AERIAL COVER LACK OF SURFACE SHIPS DISTANCE OF VOYAGE SIZE OF CONVOYS VULNERABILITY OF MERCHANT SHIPS “AIR GAP” IN ATLANTIC

8 VICE-ADMIRAL KARL DONITZ, KRIEGSMARINE COMMANDER OF U-BOATS

9 ADMIRAL ERNEST J. KING, U.S.N. COMMANDER IN CHIEF, U.S. FLEET

10 WINSTON CHURCHILL, BRITISH P.M. ADMIRAL SIR PERCY NOBLE, R.N.

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12 ADMIRAL SIR MAX HORTON, ROYAL NAVY (U.K.)

13 FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 1933-45

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15 FDR & CHURCHILL DURING WWII

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18 WWII WAR BOND POSTERS

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20 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

21 ALLIED ATLANTIC CONVOY

22 WWII ROYAL NAVY DESTROYER

23 ROYAL NAVY DESTROYERS

24 WATCH DUTY, NORTH ATLANTIC CONVOY

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26 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”

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28 INTERIOR DESIGN-WWII SUBMARINE

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31 THE WOLFPACK SYSTEM DEFINITION: ORIGIN: TACTIC: RESULT?
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

32 U-BOAT STARTING ATLANTIC PATROL

33 U-BOAT OFFICERS ON OBSERVATION DECK

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35 WORLD WAR II GERMAN U-BOAT “SCHNORKEL”

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37 U-BOAT DURING ATTACK ON CONVOY

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43 U-BOAT CREWMEN AFTER RETURN FROM LONG-RANGE PATROL

44 U-BOAT CREWMEN CELEBRATE SUCCESSFUL HUNT

45 GERMAN U-BOAT ACE, OTTO KRETSCHMER 47 SHIPS SUNK 274,333 TONS OF SHIPPING

46 U-BOAT “PENS”, La ROCHELLE, FRANCE

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48 U-BOAT “REFITTING”, La ROCHELLE, FRANCE

49 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.

50 GERMAN POCKET BATTLESHIP GRAF SPEE

51 GERMAN SURFACE RAIDER

52 GERMAN BATTLESHIP BISMARCK

53 BATTLESHIP BISMARCK

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55 BISMARCK FIRING SALVO AT H. M. S. HOOD, BATTLE OF THE DENMARK STRAIT
BISMARCK FIRING SALVO AT H.M.S. HOOD, BATTLE OF THE DENMARK STRAIT MAY 27, 1941

56 ROYAL NAVY (U.K.) SEAPLANES, WWII FLEET AIR ARM

57 STANDARD WWII NAVAL RANGE FINDER

58 ROYAL NAVY SAILORS USING RANGER FINDER, WORLD WAR II

59 ROYAL NAVY BATTLESHIP H.M.S. HOOD

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61 HMS HOOD(R) EXPLODES AFTER BEING HIT BY BISMARK’S SHELLS

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63 EXPLOSION & SINKING OF H.M.S. HOOD, Sat., May 24, 1941

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66 ROYAL NAVY (U.K.)“SWORDFISH” TORPEDO PLANE

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68 BATTLESHIP BISMARCK SINKING BY HER STERN, MAY 30, 1941

69 WRECKAGE OF BISMARCK ON FLOOR OF NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN

70 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

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72 DEPTH CHARGE HEDGEHOG

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76 DEPTH CHARGE ATTACK

77 ALLIED AERIAL ATTACK ON U-BOAT

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80 LEIGH-LIGHT ATTACK ON U-BOAT

81 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

82 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

83 WHY THE ALLIES WON ALLIED TECHNOLOGY BEGAN TO…
IMPROVE AND… BEGAN TO SIMULTANEOUSLY EFFECT U-BOATS INCREASED ALLIED RESOURCES (Ships, Aircraft, Aircraft Carriers, Anti-Sub. Weapons, etc.) MORE AERIAL SUCCESS (Long-Range Planes, Escort Carriers, Leigh-Light, etc.) THE “AIR GAP” IS CLOSED DECODING OF GERMAN ENIGMA MACHINE MESSAGES EFFECT? INCREASE IN U-BOAT LOSSES THE GERMANS CAN’T REPLACE RESULTS? GERMANS FAIL TO STRANGLE SUPPLIES TO BRITAIN BRITAIN BECOMES FOCUS OF BUILD-UP FOR INVASION OF EUROPE 2-FRONT WAR WILL HAPPEN (AFTER GERMANS INVADE RUSSIA)

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86 AUGUST, 1942 – MAY, 1943

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88 Grumman F-4-F Fighters on deck of U.S.S. Santee

89 GRUMMAN F-4-F “WILDCAT” FIGHTER,U.S.NAVY

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91 GRUMMAN TBF “AVENGER” TORPEDDO PLANE, U.S.NAVY

92 TBF “AVENGERS” IN FORMATION AVEBGERS IN CARRIER LAUNCH

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94 GERMAN ENIGMA MACHINE

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96 CASUALTIES & FINAL TOLL
ALLIES: 30,248 KIA / LOST AT SEA** 3500 MERCHANT SHIPS SUNK 175 NAVAL SHIPS SUNK 14.5 MILLION TONS OF SUPPLIES LOST **SOME SOURCES CLAIM MUCH HIGHER TOTAL (50,000+) GERMANS: 25,870 KIA OUT OF TOTAL FORCE OF 40,900 5000 POW 696 U-BOATS SUNK / DESTROYED OUT OF TOTAL U-BOAT FORCE OF 830 CASUALTY RATE: HIGHEST CASUALTY RATE FOR ANY BRANCH OF ANY MILITARY FORCE OF ANY NATION IN WWII 63% FATAL 75% OVERALL

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99 “THE ONLY THING THAT REALLY FRIGHTENED ME DURING THE WAR WAS THE U-BOAT PERIL…IT DID NOT TAKE THE FORM OF FLARING BATTLES AND GLITTERING ACHIEVEMENTS – IT MANIFESTED ITSELF THROUGH STATISTICS, DIAGRAMS, AND CURVES UNKNOWN TO THE NATION, AND INCOMPREHENSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC.” WINSTON CHURCHILL

100 DISCUSSION QUESTION WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE EFFECT IF THE GERMANS, NOT THE ALLIES, HAD WON THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC?