THE BATTLE OF ATLANTIC1939- 1945

Background of the Event

Who was involved?

Germany

England

Soviet Union

Canada

When and Where?

It started on September 1939- May 1945

It was at the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Germany

What happened?

In 1941 more ships were placed in convoys, that now escorted all the way across the Atlantic

By the help of developing technology the convoys routed around the Germans U-boats.

By the late 1942, the U-boats returned in larger number to the mid-Atlantic

They were searching for weakness in convoy defence, that could be exploded by “wolf packs” of U-boats

Britain lost ability to decode U-boat signals They were too many U-boats to avoid Britain again broke German codes RAF agreed to help escort in the “black hole” The Allies won the battle at a terrific price, and the food fuel

and war supplies continued to flow throughout WWII

Facts

Mainly between German U-boats and the British Royal Navy and the United States Navy.

The key for the Allied navies was to get supply convoys across the Atlantic Ocean, while the German navy, mainly with U-boats, tried to cut off Great Britain

Longest Campaign in WWII

Causes Effect

Germans, British, and U.S all had powerful navies

Caused a oceanic war between them

The U.S had to support the British by sending supplies

The US transporters needed to be defended by their navy because they were often attacked by the German navy.

Germany lost the battle Complete surrender to Britain

Why was this important for the Allies?

The Allies depended on the cross Atlantic convoys to get :- much needed supplies and food for Britain- the equipment that was used by the Allies in the battle- 60% of men (who were involved in war)

Canada’s Role

Europe needed war materials made in North America, that came across the Atlantic Ocean on a ship

The ships were escorted by convoys. Majority of those ships were part of the Royal

Canadian Navy. Men were shipped to Europe through the Atlantic The winter caused a lot of problems , so in order

to survive it the RCN escort ships needed to be tough and hard and determined

They did this for years and kept on getting better

Significance of the battle

Britain (and the Soviet Union NEEDED supplies

Germany was attacking the supply ships (commerce raiding)

If the battle was lost, the Britain might not be saved

Personal Diary

“What a miserable, rotten hopeless life . . . an Atlantic so rough it seems impossible

that we can continue to take this unending pounding and still remain in

one piece . . . hanging onto a convoy is a full-time job . . . the crew is almost a

dream from the night marishness of it all . . . and still we go on hour after hour.”

-Frank Curry

Political Cartoon

This cartoon shows two boxers, one of them represents the 'ships' of the Allies and the other one symbolizes the German 'U-boats'. It depicts that the Allies' 'shipping' is losing and even though they are working on it…it still needs more help. This cartoon is encouraging people/politicians to help the Allies more.

Works Cited

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/atlantic

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=history/secondwar/atlantic/atlanticvid

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0000379

http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/images/s03396u.jpg