#year 1940

[secondworldwarremembrancedays]

Remember the Battle of the Atlantic: September 1939–May 1943.

Submarine warfare had some impact in the First World War, but became vastly more significant in WWII as the German U-boat packs aimed to blockade Europe. Merchant ships took to sailing in large convoys, protected by screens of destroyers and corvettes armed with depth charges and sonar. Daring U-Boat commanders carried out torpedo attacks within the defensive screen, and when several submarines attacked at once, the defenders had little chance of striking back.

In the end, the Battle of the Atlantic was eventually won by technology. Radar to detect U-Boats from the surface, radio interception, and code-breaking all played a part. By the end of the war, more than 3,000 merchant ships had been sunk, as well as almost 800 U-Boats.

[secondworldwarremembrancedays]

Remember the Battle of Britain: July–October 1940.

By late 1940, Britain faced the threat of a German invasion, but the incursion would succeed only with air superiority. What followed was the first major campaign fought by opposing air forces.

For four months, the German Luftwaffe carried out attacks on British airfields, radar stations, and aircraft factories, and bombed British cities, too. But the Stukas proved too vulnerable to being intercepted, and the Germans couldn’t mass enough planes to defeat the fighter pilots of the Royal Air Force in their Hurricanes and Spitfires. Heavy casualties forced the Luftwaffe to scale down operations. Hitler’s invasion plans were put on hold indefinitely.

[Must Read: What if the Nazis Bombed Britain Earlier?]

[historystack-blog]

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