By then, British and Canadian forces had begun to provide effective defenses for the North Atlantic convoys and Admiral Ernest J. By May, merchantmen began sailing in convoys as the Navy increased the number of ships and aircraft and improved their crews’ training, which prompted U-boats to shift to easier targets moving through the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.Īmerican escort forces delivered 100,000 troops and their equipment for Operation Torch in North Africa in the fall of 1942, but Germany continued to reposition its boats and hunt effectively in more weakly protected areas until the contest’s third phase began in May 1943. 3 From January through April, German submarines sank over 80 merchantmen off the East Coast and 55 in the region north of Bermuda. Inadequate numbers of aircraft, whether from the Navy or the Army Air Corps, also limited patrolling. The Navy had too few destroyers and subchasers to screen the coast while also escorting merchantmen or troop ships in the Atlantic. The enemy’s Operation Drumbeat continued for months as German submarines enjoyed a “happy time” hunting tankers and merchantmen, which frequently sailed independently and at night silhouetted themselves in front of coastal city lights. U-boats announced their presence off the eastern coast of the United States by sinking the steamer Cyclops on 12 January 1942. 2Īlthough it had improved its readiness before formally being at war, the Navy was inadequately prepared for the ferocity of the German assault it faced in the second phase of the Battle of the Atlantic. Navy ship lost to enemy action in World War II. 1 On 31 October, U-552 torpedoed and sank Reuben James (DD-245), the first U.S. Escorts began accompanying merchantmen up to a mid-ocean meeting point, where British ships took over the convoy responsibilities. Neither opponent scored a hit, but the incident freed President Roosevelt to authorize Navy crews to fire at German U-boats upon sighting. On 4 September, a German submarine, after being attacked by a British plane, fired torpedoes at Greer (DD-145) in waters south of Iceland. forces occupied bases in Greenland and then Iceland.ĭuring this early period, Germany had aimed to avoid directly engaging American naval forces, but the two countries drifted closer to war in the months preceding Pearl Harbor. The following March, he secured passage of the Lend-Lease Act to enable a cash-starved Britain to receive equipment and supplies and then pay for them later. In August 1940, he arranged a “loan” of older destroyers in exchange for the use of British bases in the Western Hemisphere. After signing the “Two-Ocean Navy” legislation in the summer of 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt next pushed to assist Britain. When the war began in Europe, the United States maintained neutrality while also increasing the readiness of its fleet. perspective, the struggle moved through three phases. The U.S., British, and Canadian navies worked together to overcome terrible losses inflicted by German U-boats and Luftwaffe bombers, but the issue remained in doubt until 1943.įrom the U.S. Meanwhile the Allies had to wrestle control of the seas to support several “second” fronts, first in North Africa, then Italy, and finally western Europe. After the Wehrmacht attacked it in June 1941, the U.S.S.R repeatedly asserted its dire need for imported equipment and supplies. In September 1939, Germany immediately sought to capitalize on Britain’s dependence on imports of food and raw materials. The Battle of the Atlantic was one of the most important fronts in World War II.
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