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 AtlanticThe 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.

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)

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

The Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic

Phase Two

The “Happy Time”

June 1940 – Lend Lease

The Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic

Phase ThreeStalemate

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

The Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic

Phase Four

The Second “Happy Time”

January 1942 - destruction of PQ17

The Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic

Phase Five: The Wind Shifts

August 1942 - April 1943ASDIC – Anti-Submarine Detection

Depth Charge Hedgehog

RADARHF/DFENIGMA/UltraLiberty ShipsB24D – Liberator

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.

The Battle of the Atlantic

Phase Six

The Sea Lanes Secured

May 1943 - May 1945

Combined TechnologiesReducing the Mid-Atlantic GapCentimetric RadarMerchant Aircraft CarriersHunter Killer Groups

Escort CarriersDestroyer Escorts

The Battle of the Atlantic

Balance SheetAllied 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)