Sasha Frederick, Sherry Hurt, Alexis Shen, and Julia Watt Battle of the Atlantic Sasha Frederick, Sherry Hurt, Alexis Shen, and Julia Watt

Context Occurred throughout the entire six years of World War II (1939-1945) A battle that took place in the Atlantic, that was mainly between the British (Allied Powers) and the Germans (Axis Powers) The Allied Powers consisted of Great Britain, The United States, China, and the Soviet Union The Axis Powers consisted of Germany, Japan and Italy Battle over control of the Atlantic sea routes

Context The Allied Powers wanted to block the Axis Powers, secure their own movement in the Atlantic, and be able to project their naval power The Battle of the Atlantic evolved into the most serious threat that Germany posed

Blue dots- merchant ships sunk Red dots- U Boats sunk Blue dotted line- ship routes Red line- air routes

Military Assets

Military Asset Context ~ Although the British Navy began convoying ships as soon as the war started, its lack of escorts cost the convoys dearly As more and more German submarines entered the battle, British shipping losses increased at an alarming rate The United States agreed to build escort vessels for the British under the Lend Lease Program. It was this program that ultimately led to the development of the destroyer escort Between January and December 1942, German U-boats and aircraft sank over 1,000 Allied ships both in the Atlantic and off the East Coast of the United States

Germany: Type XXIII U-Boat ~ The German Navy was very definite about their requirement of an Atlantic going U-boat. The most important offensive characteristics were: Surface Speed Range Maneuverability Torpedo Carrying Capacity Accordingly, since submerging was the primary escape method, dive speed and depth were definite desirable characteristics. Weapons aboard the U-Boats included: Torpedos Anti-aircraft Deck Guns Mines.

British Royal Navy : The Frigate There were many versions of Frigates made over the course of the Napoleonic Wars (4 “rates” in total), they were provided with; 3 Masts, providing incredible speed Anywhere from 10 - 90 guns all had the ability to outrun anything that could hurt them and outgun anything that could catch them

British Royal Navy: Fairey Swordfish ~ The Swordfish saw active service worldwide, pursuing the enemy afloat and ashore in every theatre of the war. The success of the Swordfish came from its: Versatility Maneuverability Keeping U-boats Submerged Providing Vital Air Cover For The Convoys The Swordfish was equipped with: Torpedos Bombs

Cracking The Enigma Codes ~ The Enigma machine is a piece of hardware much like an old fashioned typewriter that collected the “Enigma Code” which were series of numbers that when placed in a certain order pertaining to a key, would be made in to letters and then to words. The British had many successes in breaking the “unbreakable code” and were able to decipher; Aerial strategies Names Transport Movements Scheduling

First Phase Started Autumn 1939 Started with Britain and France pushing back German forces Except in May, France fell and Italy joined the Axis Powers The Axis had increased air patrols so the Allies had to use a longer trade route and therefore cut how much they could carry

Second Phase Started Autumn 1940 Germany wanted to cut all of the supplies from Britain German U-boats did a great job and the Germans also increased their air and ground attacks on Britain Except Britain still didn’t surrender because Canadians helped Britain to establish a better trade route Germans lost battleship Bismarck

Third Phase 1941-1942 America entered the war except the U.S. left for the Caribbean and Pacific and allowed the Germans to continually let the U.S. accrue losses as they attacked it Canada filled America’s empty ports and set up convoys America did more shipbuilding and balanced their losses

Fourth Phase 1942-1943 Allied convoy system pushed back the U-boats in late 1942 to the mid-Atlantic and the fight escalated over the six months The Allies communications system broke, allowing the Axis to take control of the mid-Atlantic Allies then fought from N. Atlantic and with new technology the Germans surrendered in May 1945

Timeline Allied shipping losses to submarines 21 vessels totaled 51,600 tons. More than 100,000 tons were lost to German mines Five U-boats sailed from Kiel and nine from Wilhelmshaven to take waiting positions in the North Atlantic August 19, 1939 November October December Allied shipping losses are 73 vessels totaled 189,900 tons. 25 are sunk by submarines. The Germans lost one submarine. Allied shipping losses totaled 196,000 tons. German losses were five submarines.

Allied losses were 73 vessels totalling 214,500 tons, of which 40 vessels totaling 111,200 tons were sunk by submarines. Germany had 38 operational submarines to begin the year Allied losses were 45 vessels, of which 23 were lost to submarines. Germany lost three submarines 1940 January March February October Allied losses were 226,900 tons, of which 45 vessels totaling 169,500 tons were lost to submarines Massacre of Convoy SC 7

Allied losses were 590,000 tons Closing of Mid-Atlantic gap Allied shipping losses were 627,000 tons March, 1942 June, 1941 April May June July August 46 U-boats destroyed Allied shipping losses were 157,000 tons, and 37 U-boats were sunk plus 32 damaged 17 U-boats destroyed 20 U-boats destroyed

Thesis The Axis Powers’ defeat in the Battle of the Atlantic contributed to their overall loss in WWII as the Allies learned to adapt quicker to new technology over the course of the Battle of the Atlantic.

Evidence and Analysis The Allied Powers used trial and error to figure out the least amount of destroyers they could send with their convoys Illustrates the Allies’ efficiency in dealing with wolf packs (groups of U Boats) Less amount of protection ships, allows for more offensive ships

Evidence and Analysis The Allies developed a centralized system of convoy routing, dispersed ships widely, and strengthened escorts, all of which made it more difficult for U-boats to find and attack convoys A system was used to make it difficult for the Axis powers to travel Demonstrates the Allied Powers quick adoption of new technology

Evidence and Analysis New technology, especially more sensitive radars, tipped the scales in favor of the Allies In the end it was the improvement of convoy operations that proved a greater success than the conduct of patrols Technical advancements was the thing that made the way for the Allied Powers win in the Battle of the Atlantic

Evidence and Analysis The Allies develop more accurate sonar technology which, combined with more effective rocket-assisted depth charges and anti submarine torpedoes, destroyed many U-boats Sonar technology allowed the Allied forces to accurately locate submerged U-boats, giving accurate locations for the rockets and torpedoes to be sent to The Allies were able to hit and sink more U-boats, assisting in their win

Works Cited Axelrod, Alan. “Battle of the Atlantic.” Online Infobase, History Research Center, 2013, online.infobase.com/Article/Details/264577?q=battle%2Bof%2Bthe%2Batlantic. “Battle of the Atlantic.” Battle of the Atlantic, University of Wellington, 2016, nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/WH2-2RAF-fig-WH2-2RAF039a.html. “Battle of the Atlantic.” Online Infobase, History Research Center, online.infobase.com/Article/ImageDetails?imageId=61505. Biesinger, Joseph A. “Battle of the Atlantic.” Online Infobase , History Research Center, 2006, online.infobase.com/Article/Details/266880?q=battle%2Bof%2Bthe%2Batlantic. “Battleship Bismarck.” Battleship Bismarck, Kbismarck.com, www.kbismarck.com. “Fighting the U-Boats; The Fairey Swordfish.” Front Page, uboat.net/allies/aircraft/swordfish.htm. “The Fleet Air Arm in the Battle of the Atlantic.” Navy Wings, www.navywings.org.uk/heritage/battle-honours/battle-of-the-atlantic/.

Works Cited G., Coote. “THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC 1939-1945.” Imperial War Museums, www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205194524. “German WW2 Type XXI Submarine.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/pin/476044623086040513/. “10 Greatest Battles of World War 2.” REALITYPOD, 25 Sept. 2010, realitypod.com/2010/09/25/10-greatest-battles-of-world-war-2/. Hess, Gary R. “The Battle of the Atlantic.” The War in Europe: The Turn of the Tide, Harlan Davidson, 2016. History Research Center, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=150531&itemid=WEHRC&articleId=404740. Accessed 22 Apr. 2018. Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. “First Day to Last: The Navy and the Battle of the Atlantic.” GOV.UK, GOV.UK, May 2015, www.gov.uk/government/news/the-navy-and-the-battle-of-the-atlantic. “The Swordfish.” Navy Wings, www.navywings.org.uk/aircraft/twin-aircraft/swordfish/. “U Boat Peril in the Atlantic.” Uncategorized - Page 78, Station HYPO, stationhypo.com/category/uncategorized/page/78/.

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