The Battle Of The Atlantic 1939-1945

Britain's survival during World War Two depended upon the maintenance of the trade routes to North America. On the outbreak of war, the convoy system was adopted to protect merchant ships. The defeat of France in 1940 transformed the effectiveness of the U-boats since they gained bases in the Bay of Biscay much closer to Britain's trade routes. At first many escorts were used to defend Britain against invasion and the U-boats sank large numbers of unescorted ships. As the invasion threat lessened the escorts returned to convoy work.

Initially the Royal Navy lacked sufficient convoy escorts and air cover was almost non-existent. Large numbers of 1,000 ton coastal escorts, 62 metres long and based on a whalecatcher design were built. Despite their small size these Corvettes were used as ocean escorts but were very uncomfortable in heavy weather. They carried a 102mm gun and up to seventy two depth charges. The Corvettes played a key role in the Battle of the Atlantic. In 1942 ocean going escorts called Frigates, 1,400 ton ships just over 90 metres long and capable of 20 knots, were introduced.

In 1941 more ships were placed in convoys, now escorted all the way across the Atlantic. Advances in radio intelligence and code breaking allowed these convoys to be routed around the U-boats. The German effort was largely contained until the USA entered the war and delays in introducing coastal convoys off the American coast and in the Caribbean boosted losses once more. Convoys were introduced to solve this problem and, by late 1942, the U-boats returned in larger numbers to the mid-Atlantic. They were searching for weaknesses in convoy defences that could be exploited by 'wolf packs' of U-boats.

The Battle of the Atlantic, as it became known, now rose to a peak. Britain had lost the ability to decrypt U-boat signals but, in any case, there were too many U-boats to avoid. The Germans concentrated their wolf packs where air cover was not available, the 'black hole' in mid-Atlantic.

A combination of factors finally tilted the balance against the Germans. The British again broke the German codes so they could concentrate escorts around threatened convoys. Most importantly the RAF agreed to the Admiralty's demands for very long range Liberator maritime patrol aircraft to support the escorts in the 'black hole'. Small escort carriers were also deployed to protect convoys.

The German offensive was failing and on 23 May 1943 the Germans withdrew their U-boats from the Atlantic campaign. This withdrawal was only temporary but later German efforts were broken by the now formidable escort forces. The Battle of the Atlantic had been won. By the end of the war the losses suffered by both sides were appalling. The Allies lost 30,000 seamen and 2,500 merchant ships were sunk. More than 28,000 German submariners were killed and 781 U-boats destroyed.
(http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk)

Me 109, the great warplane that possible never was

The Messerschmitt Bf 109, like the North American P-51,1 might have been the plane that never was. Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (Bavarian Aircraft Company/BFW) was initially blocked from being sent contracts due to a long running feud between Willy Messerschmitt and the Secretary of State for Aviation, Erhard Milch.2 In order to save BFW from liquidation,3 Messerschmitt and his joint manager Herr Kokothanki, obtained a contract from a Romanian cartel, to develop the M-37 light transport. Protests were made against Messerschmitt's acceptance of a foreign contract, but Willy Messerschmitt argued that due to a lack of home support, he was forced to seek contracts outside of Germany. Consequently, BFW was awarded a contract for fighter development.4
In 1934 the German Air Ministry (Reichs Luftsfahrt Ministerium / RLM) issued specifications for a new fighter monoplane to replace the Heinkel He 51 and Arado 68 biplanes.5 It was to be equipped with at least two MG-17 7.9 millimeter machine guns, and to have the capability of utilizing the new liquid cooled vee 12 engines under development by Junkers and Daimler-Benz. The request was sent to Focke-Wulf, Arado, Heinkel and BFW. Focke-Wulf submitted the Fw 159V1, Arado the Ar 80V1 and Heinkel the He 112. The Bf 109 was the winner in the trials, exceeding its nearest rival, the Heinkel He 112, by 17 mph.6 Only the He 112 provided any other serious competition besides the Bf 109 in the trials, and ten preproduction prototypes were ordered for the Heinkel He 112 and Bf 109.