Essay On The Battle Of The Atlantic

Importance of the Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest battle of World War Two. Fought between the Allies, led by the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States, and the Axis, led by Nazi Germany, the battle would directly lead to the defeat of Nazi Germany. It was fought over millions of miles of ocean, between thousands of warships and millions of sailors, and the most crucial battle of the entire war. As Winston Churchill said in 1941, “Everything turns on the Battle of the Atlantic.”

In September of 1939, the battle would begin with the war. Germany would quickly overrun Poland, and in 1940, took over France and Norway. The Fall of France and Norway had a huge impact on the Battle of the Atlantic, which

Merchant ships sunk went from 120 to 39, and 15 U-Boats would be lost. In total, Germany would lose 25% of their entire U-Boat fleet, leading their commander, Karl Donitz to declare “We have lost the Battle of the Atlantic.”

Although the battle would continue for 2 more years, Germany was never able to threaten Britain’s lifeline again. The last actions would take place on May 8th, the last day of the war. The battle lasted 5 years and 8 months; from September 3rd of 1939 until May 8th of 1945. The Canadian navy had grown from just 6 ships in 1939 to the third largest navy at the end of the war, behind only the Royal Navy and the US

Involvement began in 1939 when Canada only had a small navy of 6 warships. Canada was forced to defend the entire Western part of the Atlantic while sending supplies through its merchant navy to the beleaguered United Kingdom and played a crucial role throughout the battle. Canada fought through all 5 years of the battle, and a Canadian, Rear Admiral Leonard W. Murray, would be the overall commander of all Allied troops in the Western Atlantic Theater, the only Canadian theatre commander of the war. The role of Canada in the Battle of the Atlantic was the most crucial role the country would play in any battle of the Second World War and established Canada as one of the major Allies and a key member of the Allied forces. By the end of the conflict, the Royal Canadian Navy was the third largest in the world, and had, as one of the major powers, fought and defeated Nazi Germany in the longest and most important battle of World War II.

The Battle of the Atlantic would also be extremely costly to both sides. Nazi Germany would lose over 800 warships, with ~30 000 sailors being lost. Over 75% of U-Boat crews died during the battle. The Allies would suffer even more casualties, losing 3 500 merchant vessels totalling an astonishing 21 million tons, as well as losing ~36 000 naval sailors and ~36 000 sailors of the merchant