The Battle BeginsHow do you force an entire nation into submission? By starving it.
The Germans believed this was the case at the start of World War II on September 1, 1939. As the surrounding countries fell, only Britain was left. After an unsuccessful attempt to control the air across the English Channel, Hitler and his Naval Admiral Karl Donitz decided to starve it by cutting off all trade from North America. On September 3, 1939, U-30 torpedoed an ocean liner bound for Montreal. This was the first naval shot in the war. At this time, Canada had very few personnel and ships. They only had 3,500 men, 6 destroyers, 5 minesweepers, 2 training ships, and 1 squadron of flying boats.
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The Royal Canadian Navy Flag
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Britain desperately needed ships and supplies, so eastern Canada started a huge shipbuilding program. When Canada declared war on September 10, 1939, the six destroyers started to escort convoys across the Atlantic. These journeys were very dangerous since, at any time, a merchant ship could be sunk by a U-Boat. On September 16, 1939, The first convoy left Halifax (HX-1). The Royal Canadian Navy realized that they would need quite a few more ships if they were going to win this, and so they searched high and low for a suitable ship. The pattern of a whaler was selected, and these smaller-sized ships became known as Corvettes. They were armed with anti-aircraft guns, cannons, and depth charge throwers for destroying submarines. They were leaky and rolled quite a bit, but these vessels bore the brunt of the convoy work for most of the war. July to September 1940 was “The Happy Time” for the U-Boat commanders, as they raced to sink the most ships. Many convoys gathered at either St. John’s, Newfoundland, or Halifax, Nova Scotia. The German High Command realized these convoys were juicy targets and much of the U-Boat fleet was sent to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Numerous ships were sunk here, until one of the U-Boats sank the ferry Caribou. Once this happened, the St. Lawrence seaway and river were closed to shipping. On December 7, 1941, the United States of America entered WWII. Consequently, the German submarines were sent to attack the unprotected coastline of the US. 400 ships were sunk with only a loss of seven U-Boats. This was the second “Happy Time”, during January to July of 1942. Even so, new technology, such as hedgehog bombs and improved radar, were making it harder and harder on the coastline, and so the subs withdrew. From November of 1942 - May of 1943 the battle was at it’s highest, with many Allied ships being lost. In the middle of the North Atlantic was the “Black Pit”, where the allied aircraft, already stretched to their limit, could not fly. Most of the merchant ships were sunk here as there was less danger. The brave crews of the merchant marine and the RCN were able to push the Germans back in the spring of 1943. On April 30, 1943, the Newfoundland and northwestern Atlantic became a theatre of war and Rear-Admiral L. W. Murray (the only Canadian to direct a theatre) became in charge of the whole sector.
U-Boats: Wolves of the Atlantic
At the beginning of the war Admiral Karl Donitz had only around 50 U-Boats available. Even so, that did not stop Germany from embarking on massive shipbuilding programs of various types. Germany first started to build capital ships, such as the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. Unfortunately, these ships were sunk early on in the war, and so the submarine attacks were focused on more. One of the strategies they had was hunting in wolf packs. They would be spread out in a large area, and once one of them found a convoy, they would radio for the others to join it. Once they were all together, they would attack and inflict huge amounts of damage because of their combined might. Once France and Norway fell, submarine bases were established. With these new locations, the U-Boats were then able to attack directly across the ocean. July to September 1940 was “The Happy Time” for the young U-Boat commanders, as they raced to sink the most ships. Allied aircraft made the submariners nervous, and so the air support went as far as it could go. Even so, there were no transatlantic aircraft built, and so there was a hole in the middle of the North Atlantic called “the Black Pit”. Most ships were sunk here, and the U-Boats attacked on the surface at night where they wouldn’t be able to be detected by ASDIC or seen. As most Allied convoys were assembled off the coast of Canada, Admiral Donitz sent the U-Boats there. Many hid in the hollows and deep waters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the river. When the United States joined the war, The U-Boats started to then attack tankers and cargo ships on the American coast, inflicting heavy losses during January to July 1942. In fact, 400 Allied ships were sunk against a loss of only 7 U-Boats.
This was the second “Happy Time” for the submariners, as the Americans did nothing to protect their shores and ships. In the fall of 1942 there were nearly 300 submarines ready for action. Even so, Donitz started to scale back on the attacks near North America because improved technology was starting to destroy more and more of the U-Boats there. All the U-Boats were moved to the North Atlantic. From the fall of 1942 to the spring of 1943 was the most intense period. The Allies started to hit back with new technology, wearing down the fleet. The Germans continued to improve their U-Boats, and they were now using snorkels and that enabled them to stay underwater longer and in the entrances to harbours. Eventually, the rate of U-Boats sunk to Allied ships being sunk was equalized. The RCN sunk or helped to sink 31 U-Boats during the course of the war.
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"The only thing that ever really frightened me during the war was the U-Boat peril" - Winston Churchill |
The Tide Turns
Battle of the Atlantic: "Thunder on the Sea": Lego Stop-Motion Movie
BOTA Veteran: Carl Bedal
Carl Bedal was born in 1924 in Southern Ontario. He was an enthusiastic and easygoing person who was all right with just about anything. Carl farmed with his family until he finished high school, when he immediately joined the navy. He was excited about serving his country, and wanted the best opportunity he could get: “When asked about, ‘why the navy?’ I recall saying, ‘well, in the navy at least you know where you're going to sleep at night; maybe not in the army and maybe not in the air force.’” Growing up on a farm, Carl knew nothing seafaring but he bravely pushed on training in Halifax until he was ready to see active service. Carl was then sent to patrol the American coast for U-Boats.
Carl recalls: “I think it was difficult in the navy to be on a run like that, because when we got signals from sonar or whatever it was called, we couldn’t be sure that indeed we were chasing a sub, then of course we’d throw these depth charges overboard and hope we’d have a kill. A kill, of course, displayed itself with oil or the actual appearance of the sub, if it’s damaged, and we saw nothing of this on any of the occasions when we thought we were chasing a sub, so it was frustrating.” He patrolled the “Triangle Run” (a route from New York and Halifax/St. John’s to Britain) for the remainder of the war. When the war was over Carl became a schoolteacher and orator. He now lives in Aurora, Ontario, at the age of 92. |
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Sources Cited:
Text Sources:
"Battle of the Atlantic." Veterans Affairs Canada. Government of Canada, 07 Aug. 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/battle-atlantic>.
"Dispatches." The Royal Canadian Navy and the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1945. Canadian War Musuem, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.warmuseum.ca/learn/dispatches/the-royal-canadian-navy-and-the-battle-of-the-atlantic-1939-1945/#tabs>.
DuBreuil, Brian, and W.A.B. Douglas. "Battle of the Atlantic." The Canadian Encyclopedia. The Canadian Encyclopedia, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-the-atlantic/>.
@HISTORYUK. "Battle of the Atlantic." HISTORY. History.co, 15 Apr. 2014. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/battle-of-the-atlantic>.
"History | From Vimy to Juno." History | From Vimy to Juno. From Vimy to Juno, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.vimytojuno.ca/en/history>.
Sarty, Roger. "The Battle of the Atlantic." The Life and Times of A.D. Blumlein (n.d.): 419-58. 2005. Web. <http://www.navalreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/public/vol1num1/vol1num1art5.pdf>.
"Timeline of the Battle of the Atlantic (September 3rd, 1939 - May 7th, 1945)." World War 2 Timelines. Second World War History, 2016. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/battle-of-the-atlantic.asp>.
"The History Place - Defeat of Hitler: Battle of the Atlantic." The History Place: Defeat of Hitler: Battle of the Atlantic. The History Place, 2010. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/defeat/battle-atlantic.htm>.
Veteran Bio:
Bedal, Carl. "- Veteran Stories - The Memory Project." Carl Bedal - The Memory Project. The Memory Project, 2016. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/2659:/>.
Images:
Brennan, Richard J. "German U-boat Wreck May Be at Bottom of Churchill River in Labrador | Toronto Star." Thestar.com. Toronto Star, 26 Dec. 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2012/07/26/german_uboat_wreck_may_be_at_bottom_of_churchill_river_in_labrador.html>.
Government, US. "Wikimedia Commons: Submarine Attack." Wikipedia, n.d. Web. <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Submarine_attack_(AWM_304949).jpg>.
The Battle of the Atlantic." The Life and Times of A.D. Blumlein (n.d.): 419-58. Naval Review. Web. <http://www.navalreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/public/vol1num1/vol1num1art5.pdf>.
U-Historia. "U-History." U-historia.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.u-historia.com/uhistoria/historia/articulos/u225u529/u225u529.htm l>.
Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Atlanticflagsub.jpg/250px-Atlanticflagsub.jpg>.
GIFs from the Government of Canada (RCN Youtube Channel). Public Use.
"Battle of the Atlantic." Veterans Affairs Canada. Government of Canada, 07 Aug. 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/second-world-war/battle-atlantic>.
"Dispatches." The Royal Canadian Navy and the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1945. Canadian War Musuem, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.warmuseum.ca/learn/dispatches/the-royal-canadian-navy-and-the-battle-of-the-atlantic-1939-1945/#tabs>.
DuBreuil, Brian, and W.A.B. Douglas. "Battle of the Atlantic." The Canadian Encyclopedia. The Canadian Encyclopedia, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-the-atlantic/>.
@HISTORYUK. "Battle of the Atlantic." HISTORY. History.co, 15 Apr. 2014. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-ww2/battle-of-the-atlantic>.
"History | From Vimy to Juno." History | From Vimy to Juno. From Vimy to Juno, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.vimytojuno.ca/en/history>.
Sarty, Roger. "The Battle of the Atlantic." The Life and Times of A.D. Blumlein (n.d.): 419-58. 2005. Web. <http://www.navalreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/public/vol1num1/vol1num1art5.pdf>.
"Timeline of the Battle of the Atlantic (September 3rd, 1939 - May 7th, 1945)." World War 2 Timelines. Second World War History, 2016. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/battle-of-the-atlantic.asp>.
"The History Place - Defeat of Hitler: Battle of the Atlantic." The History Place: Defeat of Hitler: Battle of the Atlantic. The History Place, 2010. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/defeat/battle-atlantic.htm>.
Veteran Bio:
Bedal, Carl. "- Veteran Stories - The Memory Project." Carl Bedal - The Memory Project. The Memory Project, 2016. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/2659:/>.
Images:
Brennan, Richard J. "German U-boat Wreck May Be at Bottom of Churchill River in Labrador | Toronto Star." Thestar.com. Toronto Star, 26 Dec. 2012. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2012/07/26/german_uboat_wreck_may_be_at_bottom_of_churchill_river_in_labrador.html>.
Government, US. "Wikimedia Commons: Submarine Attack." Wikipedia, n.d. Web. <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Submarine_attack_(AWM_304949).jpg>.
The Battle of the Atlantic." The Life and Times of A.D. Blumlein (n.d.): 419-58. Naval Review. Web. <http://www.navalreview.ca/wp-content/uploads/public/vol1num1/vol1num1art5.pdf>.
U-Historia. "U-History." U-historia.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2016. <http://www.u-historia.com/uhistoria/historia/articulos/u225u529/u225u529.htm l>.
Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. <https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Atlanticflagsub.jpg/250px-Atlanticflagsub.jpg>.
GIFs from the Government of Canada (RCN Youtube Channel). Public Use.