The Battle of the Atlantic was a lengthy and complex naval campaign that lasted from 1939 until the end of World War II. It began immediately after Germany invaded Poland in September 1939 and ended with Germany’s surrender in May 1945. The warring sides were the British Empire, France, Canada, Australia, and their allies (the Allies) versus Nazi Germany and Italy (the Axis Powers).
The Battle of the Atlantic was a key turning point of World War II as it impacted Britain’s ability to import food and raw materials necessary for its war effort. The battle involved some of the world’s most powerful navies with over 100,000 combatants engaged in guarding convoys while trying to evade capture by enemy forces. In terms of duration and scale, this military operation became known as the longest continuous military campaign in history.
Aircraft carriers played an important role in defeating Germany during World War II because they provided protection for merchant vessels at sea as well as escorted convoys across dangerous waters such as those near Norway or France where U-boats were known to lurk around waiting for prey that could be easily attacked without fear from above due to air superiority over land or sea surface vessels by means of long-range missile weapons platforms.
In ten years of war, aircraft carriers were the greatest weapon in the Allied arsenal. Their ability to roam the ocean’s waters and bring supplies and reinforcements to harried troops on land gave them an advantage no other armada could match. By mid-1943, many of the world’s major powers had received their first taste of carrier air power, but it was a different story on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Despite their early success, Admiral Ernest King was convinced that he stood no chance against a modern enemy with superior technology: aircraft carriers. At the Battle of Midway in June 1942, King lost his only vessel to attack—the USS Yorktown—and as a result, was forced to retreat from his bases in Hawaii. The Japanese would gain invaluable experience in carrier warfare at Midway that they could use well into 1944; however, by then King had already devised a new strategy for defeating Nazi Germany which called for more army strength than just aircraft carriers: General Dwight D. Eisenhower would become supreme allied commander by 1944 and make it happen.
It is important to note that while they did help protect convoys, bomber aircraft was not a good choice in the Battle of the Atlantic. The reason is simple: Convoys are large and spread out, with dozens of cargo ships trying to stick together as they travel across the ocean. In addition, bomber aircraft were not very effective at being able to find and sinking U-boats because these submarines are designed to be hard to see and hidden underwater. The bombers also could not carry enough bombs for every U-boat that was nearby. Bomber aircraft were designed for combat over land, where there is no ocean to limit their movement or how far they can fly.
The U-Boats were the deadliest weapons in the German arsenal during this time. In 1939, the German Navy had 58 U-Boats. By 1943, they’d expanded their fleet to over 300. They were effective because they were difficult to detect and attack. Instead of deploying them individually, as other navies did with their submarines, Germany employed a tactic called a “wolfpack” strategy. Their U-Boats would wait underwater for convoys of merchant’s vessels to sail across the Atlantic. Once in range, several U-Boats would surface and attack at once using torpedoes and deck guns. This strategy made it difficult for aircraft carriers to counterattack because it was too risky for aircraft carrying bombs or depth charges to fly low enough over the ocean’s surface without getting shot down by anti-aircraft fire from the U-Boats.
As aircraft carriers’ numbers in the battle grew, so did their ability to make headway against enemy forces. Their speed and range allowed them to rapidly respond when a convoy was spotted by radar or plane reconnaissance, leaving little time for German forces to prepare an attack plan or position themselves among incoming ships before being spotted by Allied pilots overhead.
Aircraft are critical to ensuring the Allied victory in WWII. Both land-based and carrier-based aircraft are essential to the battle, as they serve as spotters for submarine activity, but can also attack enemy ships directly if necessary. The carriers’ speed and ability to deploy aircraft anywhere within a broad range make them a formidable adversary for the Germans.
One of the most critical components of the Allied strategy is what we’ll call an “aircraft”. This is a floating airport with both offensive and defensive capabilities. The Germans were so impressed by these aircraft that they used them throughout their own fleet during the war, but due to their lack of radar technology were unable to effectively utilize them.
In addition to better technology, however, the Allies also benefited from an unprecedented collaboration between land forces, sea forces, and air forces. This cooperation was key in allowing Allied nations to access and protect shipping lanes across the Atlantic. It also made it possible for them to launch successful attacks on German military installations throughout Europe. The Allies were also able to achieve more than they could have alone because of their increased collaboration at the strategic level of warfare.
While a number of factors contributed to Allied success in the Battle of the Atlantic—for example, technological advances that enabled improved detection methods and radar systems—collaboration was a key factor in this victory.
The Battle of the Atlantic was a crucial part of World War II. The battle began in September 1939, when German submarines sunk three British cruisers and damaged two more in the North Sea.
The Germans lost about 1,000 men and four submarines during the attack. The British lost 943 men and one destroyer.
However, in the days following the attack, Germany sank another three destroyers, two cruisers, and eight ships with supplies for Britain’s army. The Germans also sank several British merchant ships carrying food and other supplies to Britain, which caused shortages on the island nation.