Could the Germans have won the battle of the Atlantic?

It is conceivable, for instance, that Imperial Germany may have won the Battle of the Atlantic—the U-boats' effort to sever sea routes connecting beleaguered Great Britain with North America—had it done certain basic homework.

Why did Germany fail to win the Battle of the Atlantic?

Hitler had lost the Battle of the Atlantic, due the perseverance of individual sailors and merchant seamen who kept the ships moving no matter what, along with improved coordination between the British Navy and Air Force, and technological developments that tipped the scales in favor of the Allies.

What was the Germans goal in the Battle of the Atlantic?

The German aim in the Battle of the Atlantic was to prevent food and war materials from reaching Great Britain and the Soviet Union. The Allies responded by organizing their cargo ships into convoys.

How was the US able to win the Battle of the Atlantic?

The Allies' defence against, and eventual victory over, the U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic was based on three main factors: 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 naval escorts and ...

What would happen if the Allies lost the Battle of the Atlantic?

It was fundamental. The Atlantic was the route by which all resources came to Britain, without which the country would have collapsed. Had we lost the battle, we wouldn't have had enough weapons – nor the industrial capacity to make weapons – and American troops would not have been able to get across for D-Day.

Could Germany Have Won WW2?

Who sank the most U-boats in ww2?

Of the U-boats, 519 were sunk by British, Canadian, or other allied forces, while 175 were destroyed by American forces; 15 were destroyed by the Soviets and 73 were scuttled by their crews before the end of the war for various reasons.

Who lost the most ships in ww2?

The US Navy lost over 350 ships during World War II, but less than 30 since then. These are the most notable losses.

How many American ships were sunk by German U-boats in ww2?

During the first three months of 1942, German U-boats sank more than 100 ships off the east coast of North America, in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Caribbean Sea. Some of those ship losses were within site of land.

How did US defeat German U-boats?

Improving spring weather by April, modern radar equipment, repenetration of the U-boat codes, new escort aircraft carriers, very-long-range patrol aircraft, and aggressive tactics had resulted in a major defeat of Germany's submarine fleet by May.

Why were there no aircraft carriers in the Atlantic?

Early in the War, large areas in the Atlantic could not be covered by land-based aircraft from Canada, Iceland, and Britain. Britain did not have enough fleet or light carriers to provide sufficient protection for convoys in those gaps.

How many U-boats did Germany have in ww2?

In World War II Germany built 1,162 U-boats, of which 785 were destroyed and the remainder surrendered (or were scuttled to avoid surrender) at the capitulation. Of the 632 U-boats sunk at sea, Allied surface ships and shore-based aircraft accounted for the great majority (246 and 245 respectively).

How many U-boats did Germany have in ww1?

The order, however, was temporary. Germany built new and larger U-boats to punch holes in the British blockade, which was threatening to starve Germany out of the war. In 1914, Germany had just 20 U-boats. By 1917, it had 140 and the U-boats had destroyed about 30 percent of the world's merchant ships.

Were any troop ships sunk in ww2?

Newly available records show Hann was aboard the HMT Rohna, a transport ship sunk by a German bomber in a devastating attack off the coast of Algeria on Nov. 26, 1943. A staggering 1,015 American soldiers lost their lives in the incident, making it the deadliest encounter at sea in the history of the U.S. military.

Could the Luftwaffe have won the Battle of Britain?

Luftwaffe 'could have won Battle of Britain if they attacked earlier,' new study suggests. Germany's Luftwaffe could have won the Battle of Britain if they had attacked earlier and focused on bombing airfields, a new study has suggested.

Why did Germany never invade Britain?

It suffered from constant supply problems, largely as a result of underachievement in aircraft production. Germany's failure to defeat the RAF and secure control of the skies over southern England made invasion all but impossible.

Why did the Luftwaffe lose the Battle of Britain?

The decisive factors were British capability and determination, but German mistakes, before and during the battle, contributed significantly to the outcome. German rearmament was forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War I, but aircraft development continued under the guise of civil aviation.

What percentage of German submarine crews were killed in World War II?

It was the German subs that were in perilous waters. Blair attributes to the German historian Axel Niestle the conclusion that of 859 U-boats that set off on war patrols, 648 were lost -- 75 percent. Of these, 429 yielded no survivors.

How many German U-boats are still missing?

A U-boat of this type, listed for decades as being sunk off Gibraltar, was found on the sea bottom about 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey in 1991. According to the definitive website Uboat.org, a total of 50 German U-boats remained unaccounted for after the end of World War II.

Did any U-boats survived the war?

Two U-boats that survived Operation Deadlight are today museum ships. U-505 was earmarked for scuttling, but American Rear Admiral Daniel V. Gallery argued successfully that she did not fall under Operation Deadlight.

How close did German subs get to USA?

So the two Bremen submarines are united 3,000 miles away at one of the United States' great forts of WWII. Their story is told to thousands of visitors to the Fort Miles museum as part of the German attack on the American homeland in World War II.

How close did German U-boats get to the coast?

detection by enemy ships, and to avoid bad weather. U-boats could only travel about sixty miles underwater before having to surface for fresh air. They often attacked ships while on the surface using deck-mounted guns.

How deep can a German U-boat dive?

All modern German submarines are tested for a depth of 197 feet, but for short periods they can go deeper. Cases are known of boats having dived to 250 to 300 feet without injury.

Who has the best navy in WW2?

1939 - 1945

At the beginning of World War II, the Royal Navy was the strongest navy in the world, with the largest number of warships built and with naval bases across the globe. It had over 15 battleships and battlecruisers, 7 aircraft carriers, 66 cruisers, 164 destroyers and 66 submarines.

Was the Russian navy any good in WW2?

The Soviet Navy (Sovietskiy Flot) that fought in WW2 was a small (comparatively however on a larger scale than the kriegsmarine) in 1941, but with losses and fall in wartime production, dwindled rapidly; Nevertheless she was still an asset that Stalin used at best in the black sea and the Baltic until 1945.

Was the Yamato ever found?

A salvage team announced Saturday that wreckage found in the East China Sea is that of the World War II Japanese battleship Yamato, sunk in 1945 while on a desperate mission to try to turn the tide of the Pacific war. The Japan Broadcasting Corp.