The Battle of the Atlantic the war at sea.
The Story of it All
Source Battleship Bismarc: The picture was taken in Hamburg Germany.
The Bismarc was Germany’s greatest navy vessel. Germany’s technology and making ships was clearly shown to us that they were highly advanced and well prepared. The allies knew that the Germans were capable of inflicting heavy damage. Germany had the resources necessary to make super ships like the Bismarc which proved well in its battles against most ships. But her match came by the British ships: Gorge the Fifth and Rodney which sunk the Bismarc off the southern coast of Ireland.
Source: Map of the Air Gap (Pictures of WW II)
The Air gap in the Western Atlantic. In the early stages of the war, the U-boats were extremely effective in destroying Allied ships, initially in the mid-Atlantic, where there was a large gap in air cover. There was an extensive trade in war supplies and food across the Atlantic, which was critical for Britain's survival. The German U-boats prayed on these merchant ships which were important for Britain’s maintenance and the shortage of the ships had slowed down Britain’s plans to defend itself and to regain control of the seas.
Source: Taken by a journalist. A meeting at Berlin, Hitler wanted a new strategy
Admiral Karl Dönitz, the German commander-in-chief of the German navy and the U-boat operation. He was one of Hitler’s main commanders that would speak to Hitler himself directly. Dönitz had the idea of bringing Britain to her knees by cutting off her supply ships that was so vital for its survival. He advocated a battle strategy called “Wolfpacks” where multiple submarines would stay close together, making it easier for them to sink a specific target. This strategy would have a deadly impact on the Allies supply ships.
German U-boats responded by hunting in what were called "wolfpacks"
Source: Allied ASDIC station in Canada Newfoundland (an early form of sonar)
Between 1939 and 1943, German U-boats had a clear advantage over Allied merchant and vessel ships. They drew into convoys without being detected. They fired their torpedoes and escape without a fight from the allies. To counter the German attacks, Allied scientists developed an underwater (ASDIC) detection systems. The ASDIC emits a sound signals. The sound waves travel through water and, once they hit a solid body (submarine), it bounces back as an echo, which is intercepted, amplified and then heard by the operator. The operator would report any suspicious readings. In 1943 Allies had finally neutralized the German siege of the sea with more ships, better armament and more reliable detection systems(RADAR).
