The Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign of World War II, running from 1939 right through to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, and was at its height from mid-1940 through to about the end of 1943.

World War II lasted for a total of 2,075 days World War II lasted for a total of 2,075 days. The Battle of the Atlantic lasted for 2,073 of these. It started with the sinking of the passenger liner Athenia on the day Britain and France declared war on Germany.

Battle of the Atlantic German U-Boats patrolled the Atlantic against in an effort to stop supplies from Canada from ever reaching Britain. The German navy, carried out submarine warfare to cut off Britain's imports and military supplies. U-boats operated in groups of 10 called "wolf packs." The Allies developed a convoy system where merchant ships were guarded by destroyer escorts. The British developed a system for detecting U-boats that resembled radar (Asdic). This development gave the Allies the edge in the Battle for the Atlantic.  

During the battle: More than 2,000 merchant ships were lost to a submarine attack in the North Atlantic and more than 30,000 merchant seamen died as a result. About 330 convoys in the Atlantic were attacked by U-boats. 565 escorts and 234 stragglers were sunk. 1,100 proceeding independently were also sunk. 96,977 crossings were completed successfully. Pictured here ex-veteran Reginald Draper from Chester, reading the comments on the wreaths laid by the lord Mayor and the ships commanders. Reginald a former Lieutenant Commander, served in the Royal Navy 1943-1946.

Now You Are Going to Watch “Convoy: The Battle of the Atlantic” During you need to answer the following questions: Draw and describe what a convoy is. Draw and describe what a wolf pack is. What ship did the Allies develop to combat the German u-boat and what was its nickname? Why were the WWII u-boats better and more of a challenge for the allies compared to the u-boats from WWI?