Battle of the Atlantic

Battle of the Atlantic

The war at sea

The Battle of the Atlantic

• refers to the sea battles that occurred in the Atlantic over resources

• Canada and the US were trying to get resources to the UK and the continent; Germany was trying to stop them from getting there

• lasted for the entirety of the war from Sept 1939 - May 1945; similar actions in the South Pacific

• saw the involvement of submarines, airforce and naval vessels

Strategies Developed

• German: submarines "hunted" in groups called "Wolf Packs"

• Allies: used the convoy system to try to protect merchant vessels -> outer ring of battleships escorted the supply ships across the ocean

• Allies: Air Cover -> planes were not able to fly the whole distance and we didn't have aircraft carriers yet

• German: Black Pit -> an area of the Atlantic where no air cover could reach and the Germans patrolled extensively; it was the most dangerous part of the journey

Open Ended

Interpret: What limitations of technology do you see in these clips?

Open Ended

Interpret: Why do you think nighttime would be the most dangerous time?

Why were imported goods so important?

• Britain depended on over 1 million tons per week of imported goods to continue the war

• all trading partners in Europe were compromised (occupied)

• without materials, food, and personnel the war would be lost for the want of supplies

Canada's Role:

• Over 700 German U-Boats were sunk - 500 by Canadian and British ships

• Most transports left from Canadian ports like Halifax and St. John's because they were closer to Europe than US ports

• Canada emerged from the war with one of the world's largest and most powerful navies

• The North Atlantic was commanded by a Canadian - the only major battlefield to be overseen by a Canadian

Technology

"Necessity is the mother of invention"

New developments:

• radar and sonar are rapidly developed and continually improved to better track submarines and ships

• Hedgehog bombs are invented to sink U-Boats

• Depth charges use hydrostatic waves to crush U-boats

• Snorkel tubes to allow U-boats to run diesel engines while still submerged

• Longer range planes are developed throughout the war decreasing the zones of no coverage

• Enigma machine - a machine used to communicate in code from land to sea (U-Boats)