Which Battle Lasted Longer Than You Think in World War II?

• The Battle of the Atlantic started when WWII began and ended when it finished.
• It was the longest continuous battle of World War II.
• German submarines (U-boats) tried to sink Allied ships carrying supplies.
• Allied ships and planes fought to protect the supply routes.
• Winning this battle was key for the Allies to win the war.

The Atlantic Ocean was a vital path for trade during the Second World War. Great Britain needed food and weapons from the United States to keep fighting. Germany wanted to block these supplies to force Britain to surrender. They built a large fleet of submarines called U-boats to patrol the deep waters. The Allied countries knew they had to protect these ships at all costs. This struggle became known as the Battle of the Atlantic. It lasted for the entire length of the war. It was the longest continuous military campaign of the global conflict.

The fighting began on September 3, 1939, right when war was declared. German U-boats waited in the dark waters for slow cargo ships. They used torpedoes to sink hundreds of vessels carrying oil and steel. Many Allied sailors lost their lives when their ships went under. To fight back, the Allies organized their ships into groups called convoys. These groups were protected by destroyers and airplanes circling overhead. Scientists invented new technology like sonar to find the hidden submarines under the waves. Aircraft carriers were later used to close the gap where subs liked to hide. The Allies also cracked the secret codes used by the German navy to track their movements. By 1943, the Allies were sinking more U-boats than Germany could build. This victory allowed millions of soldiers and supplies to arrive safely in Europe. The Battle of the Atlantic finally ended when the war in Europe finished in 1945. It was a very hard victory that helped win the whole war.

The Allies had to win the Battle of the Atlantic to keep Britain supplied and to eventually launch invasions in Europe. If Germany had succeeded in starving Britain or stopping the flow of American troops and supplies, the Allies might have lost the war.

• Royal Navy
• Royal Canadian Navy
• United States Navy
• German Kriegsmarine (U-boat Arm)
• Allied Air Forces
• Merchant Navy

• 1.The Battle of the Atlantic
• 2.Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy's Battle for the Atlantic
• 3.U-Boat Ace: The Story of Wolfgang Petersen
• 4.The Hunters and the Hunted: A Marine Combat Diary