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Ivan Widmer

Mr. Ratica

Computer Apps

9 October, 2018

The Battle of the Atlantic

Nobody ever seems to talk about The Battle of the Atlantic. There are a lot of people that

hardly know that this naval battle even took place. However, this battle happened to be one of

the most crucial battles in the Second World War. Being the longest struggle in the entire war,

the allies and the axis battled for supremacy and dominance in the Atlantic. The Germans tried to

utilize their U-boats to gain control of the crucial Atlantic to disrupt the communication and

contact between the United States and the ally powers. This long struggle lasted for most of the

entire Second World War and was crucial to the development and outcome of World War Two.

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest and one of the most, crucial battles in World

War II. As Winston Churchill once said, “The Battle of the Atlantic was the dominating factor all

through the war. Never for one moment could we forget that everything happening elsewhere, on

land at sea or in the air, depended ultimately on its outcome” (“The International Memorial for”).

The battle affected all aspects of the war. The Germans were attempting to block the allies from

trading with the United States, while also gaining access to the Atlantic trade routes (Hughes and

Milner). On the opposing side, Britain and the Allies were attempting to stop the German naval

blockade, so they could continue to trade with the United States to get valuable resources to aid

the war effort (“Turning Point in the”). If the Axis powers would have successfully defeated the
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allies during this campaign, the Allies would have lost the aid from the United States, and would

have most likely lost the entire war. The war had many stages and many crucial points to it, each

of which changed the complexity of the battle and the war itself.

The beginning of the Battle of the Atlantic coincided with the beginning of the war itself.

On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland (Dean). Two days later, due to political ties

with Poland, Britain’s Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, issued an ultimatum to Germany.

On September 3, 1939, Britain officially went to war with Germany (Hughes and Costello 3).

During this period of time, German U-boats had been patrolling the waters of the Atlantic. After

war was declared, the Germans issued orders to their own U-boat commanders. The commanders

of these boats were commanded to operate under the Hague Convention Prize Laws. These terms

made it illegal for the U-boats to sink a ship,

Without having first placed passengers, crew and ship’s papers in a place of safety. For

this purpose the ship’s boats are not regarded as a place of safety unless the safety of the

passengers and crew is assured in existing seas and weather conditions by the proximity

of land or the presence of another merchant vessel which is in position to take them on

board (Hughes and Costello 4).

However, despite the strict codes and rules regarding unrestricted submarine warfare, the

German U-boats did not play by the rules. During the night on September 3, 1939, the same day

Britain declared war on Germany, Kapitänleutnant zur Fritz Julius Lemp of U-boat 30 gave the

order to fire on the Athenia, a passenger liner that was carrying 316 passengers (Hughes and

Costello 6). The sinking of the Athenia marked the start of the Battle of the Atlantic. The overall

goal of the Germans was to deplete Britain’s power and resources. This would make it
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increasingly difficult for Britain to sustain a war effort. Eliminating Britain would be a

devastating defeat to the allies and would have potentially won the war for the axis powers

(Hughes and Milner). To achieve this, the Germans sought to control the Atlantic by utilizing

their submarines. The United States President, Franklin Roosevelt, was very concerned with the

Neutrality Laws, which denied him the authority to directly aid the war effort for any of the

warring European countries (Hughes and Costello 11). Roosevelt felt that these laws were

essentially helping Hitler out because inaction by the United States was hurting the Allies

(Hughes and Costello 14). Even though the United States continually affirmed their neutrality,

they were still aiding Britain and the Allies by sending World War One destroyers to Great

Britain (Hughes and Milner). The United States did not supply the Allies with troops. However,

“Arms would be supplied, provided the Allies could pay cash for them and transport them to

Europe in their own ships” (Hughes and Costello 14). The aid of the United States significantly

altered the outcome of this battle and the war overall. Without assistance from the United States

early in this battle, Britain may not have been able to hold off the Germans, which would have

dramatically shifted the outcome of the entire war.

This battle dramatically affected the outcome of the war. As President Roosevelt said, “If

Britain should go down, all of us in all America would be living at the point of a gun” (Hughes

and Costello 115). The Battle of the Atlantic was long and grueling, with each side gaining an

upper hand at some point. The momentum changed hands on multiple occasions. The Allies were

able to defend against the U-boats using three different methods. One was the convoy system,

“in which merchant ships were herded across the North Atlantic and elsewhere in formations of

up to 60 ships, protected, as far as possible, by navel escorts and patrolling aircraft.” (“Turning
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point in Battle”). Another method of defense used against the U-boats was the “secret work of

Allied signals intelligence, especially the breaking of the U-boats’ sophisticated Enigma code”

(“Turning point in Battle”). The third method of defense was “the development of longer-range

aircraft and more powerful, better-equipped escort forces” (“Turning point in Battle”). These

methods allowed the Allies to hold on long enough to outlast the Germans. The biggest moment,

according to some, came on May 24, 1943, when Admiral Karl Dönitz, the commander-in-chief

of the German Navy, ordered the withdrawal of U-boat wolf packs from the North

Atlantic. Dönitz was concerned with the large losses handed to them by the increasingly strong

Allied escort forces. While the submarines would eventually return, the Germans never regained

the initiative (“Turning point in Battle”). The combination of the steady assistance from the

United States, which enabled the Allies to outlast the Germans, and the advanced defensive

measures taken by the Allies allowed the Allies a significant victory in the Atlantic.

The Battle of the Atlantic lasted the entirety of the Second World War. It was the longest

military campaign in the entire war, and it is no coincidence that it was the most crucial. There

were many different aspects of this battle that made it significant. An Ally victory kept the

Atlantic trade routes open to the Allies. This battle also sapped the Axis powers of precious

resources. The Germans started the battle by utilizing their U-boats and sinking many ships

before the Allies could figure out what to do. The Germans were able to push and attack for a

while, but when the United States started sending aid, and the Allies figured out how to defend

against the U-boats, the Allies were able to gain the upper hand permanently. Overall, The Battle

of the Atlantic was crucial in deciding the outcome of World War II.
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Works Cited

Battle of the Atlantic Memorial. “The International Memorial for the Battle of the Atlantic

1939-45.” Battle of the Atlantic Memorial, 19 Nov. 2004, battleoftheatlantic.org/.

Costello, John, Hughes, Terry. “The Battle of The Atlantic.” Wm. Collins Sons & Co., Ltd.,

1977.

Dean Mark. “When Did World War 2 Start?” World War 2 Facts, 9 Jan. 2017,

www.worldwar2facts.org

Ha, Commander in H. “Turning Point in the Atlantic: The British harnessed technological

advances and adopted an offensive operational doctrine to reverse the course of the Battle

of the Atlantic.” EBSCOhost, 2018.

Hickman, Kennedy. “Battle of the Atlantic in World War II.” ThoughtCo., 2018,

www.thoughtco.com

“Turning point in Battle of the Atlantic.” New Zealand History, 24 May, 2017, nzhistory.govt.nz
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