Watch WW2 Real Colored Footage of the Battle of the Atlantic

During the Second World War, Britain needed lots of supplies to keep fighting. These supplies came from North America and parts of the British Empire. They traveled across the ocean in big ships. But there was a huge problem: German submarines and warships were waiting in the Atlantic Ocean to attack these ships.

To protect them, the ships were put together in groups called convoys. Alongside them sailed warships and sometimes planes, all working together to keep the supplies and each other safe. The first convoy set sail on September 2, 1939, just as the war was starting.

The Struggle Intensifies

Despite these efforts, a lot of the merchant ships were sunk at the beginning of the war. When France was taken over by the German forces in June 1940, it got even worse. The Germans had closer bases, and they built more submarines. This meant they could send out groups of submarines, known as ‘wolf packs’, to attack the convoys.

The name “Battle of the Atlantic” was given by Winston Churchill. He wanted to show that this fight on the water was just as crucial as the famous Battle of Britain in the sky.

A big turning point came with the destruction of the German battleship Bismarck in May 1941. This success helped the Allies, which, besides Britain, included countries fighting against Germany, to stop attacks from the Germans’ biggest ships. Also, better planning made it easier to keep convoys safe from submarine attacks. The Allies found out how to avoid dangerous areas where the German submarines were waiting.

Despite these improvements, the United States entering the war in December 1941 made things harder again, at least for a while. Before America could organize its ships into convoys, nearly 500 ships were sunk near its east coast by German submarines in early 1942.

Advancements and Triumphs in the Battle of the Atlantic

The Atlantic Ocean is vast, more than 100 million square kilometers, making hiding easier than you might think. It was actually harder for submarines to find a group of ships moving together than a single ship. The convoy system spread the ships out in a big box formation, making it difficult for German submarines to attack without being spotted and attacked themselves by the convoy’s protective warships.

Later in the war, the Allies got even smarter about how to fight the submarines. They brought in aircraft carriers and planes that could fly farther than ever before. They also created special groups of warships that moved around, hunting submarines. By the end of May 1943, these new tactics paid off, and the submarines were no longer the big threat they once were.

This fight on the Atlantic Ocean’s waters was long and tough, with both sides trying their hardest to win. What made the difference were bravery, smart strategies, and teamwork. Not just the big battleships and submarines, but every single convoy and the men who sailed them played a big part in this battle across the waves.