Transcript powerpoint
War at Sea and in the Air At Sea 1942: Britain, an island, is in deadly danger 50 million people cannot live or fight without food and other supplies from the outside Britain (and later Russia too) depended on North America for supplies German U-boats – like in WW1 – were lurking in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean German nickname: “The Happy Time” (for the beginning of the war, at least) Submarines blasted merchant ships from Canada and the US headed to Britain Sinking rates: Cargo vessels: 20 / week Building rates: German: for every 1 submarine lost, 8 were built Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) Beginning of war: 11 ships, 20 000 sailors End of war: 400 warships, 113 000 personnel, including 7000 women Escorted groups of ships across the Atlantic: what is this system called? The convoy system By the end of the war, the RCN had escorted over 25 000 merchant ships to Great Britain In the St. Lawrence? 1942: German submarines penetrated the Gulf of the St. Lawrence Sank 19 merchant ships, 2 naval escorts 1942: a U-boat torpedoed the NFLD car ferry, killing 136 people FINAL POINT: getting vital supplies through to Britain may very well be Canada’s most decisive contribution to the war effort The “Black Pit” An area in the Atlantic Ocean where there was no air cover for the convoys Improvements 1942: the Allies lost 1164 ships Better training, battle experience, and improved radar for underwater detection of submarines, and protection provided by patrol aircraft All this helped ships get through to Britain 1944: in the last few months, the Allies lost 24 ships, but the Germans lost 55 U-boats Canadians in the Air: The Allied Bombing Campaign 1942: the systematic bombing of German cities by the Allies had begun Initial goal: destroy industries, bridges, railways, and oil refineries Like the Battle of Britain, Allied leaders decided to destroy the German fighting spirit Like the Battle of Britain, instead of destroying the German morale, the Germans were also more determined to fight (harder) “Total War” This is called “Total War” because of all the elements included: War in the air War at sea Military Civilians Canadian Air Force 1939: Small! Tiny! Embarrassing! 1945: 4th largest in the world! Many Canadians continued to fly with the British Royal Air Force The Canadian task: bomb enemy targets at night High losses Questionable results There are some Allied bombing missions that ended with 500 aircrew lost! Pilots had to deal with: Fast enemy fighters Anti-aircraft fire Radar Poor weather Darkness Unreliable equipment Fatigue Being found in enemy searchlights The fact that they were often bombing women and children when their targets were missed, which happened frequently… John Giblin, a Flight Engineer “You just accept the [bombing]. You are told you are going and that’s that. I can remember, at our briefing. They told us if we didn’t hit the factories … we’d be bombing the homes of people, which rather upset me to a degree. But it didn’t stop me from going.” Allied Bombing Campaign, 1942-1944 Once America joined the War in December 1941, a massive bombing campaign against Germany from England became feasible. America's industrial potential gave the Allies the ability to mount a strategic bombing campaign way above the Luftwaffe's capability. While America began building in facilities in 1942, the British debated how to begin the strategic bombing campaign in 1942. Some wanted to target key German industrial sites, especially German synthetic fuel plants. Had they done so at this time might have changed the course of the War. Allied Bombing Campaign, 1942-1944 Hitting precision targets, however, over heavily defended, often cloud-covered German cities was no easy matter with 1942 bombing technology. In addition the British had been bloodied by the Blitz and the much-easier-to-execute strategy of area bombing was appealing. The strategy of area or terror bombing of civilians won out. The RAF began its area bombing strategy on March 28, 1942 with a massive night-time raid on Lübeck (Germany), virtually destroying the historic city. Hitler transferred two bomber groups of about 100 planes each from Sicily which targeted historic treasures of British cities. The balance of forces, however, had turned decidedly against the Germans. Allied Bombing Campaign, 1942-1944 The RAF responded on May 30 with its first 1,000 bomber raid on Cologne, Germany. The results were devastating. One of the worst hit cities was Hamburg. There were firestorms which devastated the central cities. The firestorms sucked trees, vehicles, sections of buildings, and people into the conflagrations. Those not killed by the bombs and flames were suffocated by the smoke and lack of oxygen. The American 8th Air Force with even larger number of bombers than the British began initial operations against the Germans in 1943. The Americans opened their full-scale daylight bombing campaign on January 27, 1943 with an attack on Wilhelmshaven. Throughout 1943, German cities were exposed to "round the clock bombing" inflicting serious civilian casualties. Allied Bombing Campaign, 1942-1944 The Americans bombed by day. The British bombed by night and at best could hit specific cities. Large numbers of German civilians were killed, injured, or rendered homeless. The RAF on May 16-17 began targeting German industry in the Ruhr. The American and British air crews suffered very heavy casualties against German fighters and increasingly effective anti-aircraft guns. At times it was unclear if the bombing campaign could be sustained. Long range fighters were not available in 1942-43 to escort the bombers to their targets in Germany. Allied Bombing Campaign, 1942-1944 The actual impact of the campaign was disappointing. German civilian morale did not crack under the British area bombing and the Americans found it much more difficult to hit specific industrial targets than anticipated. Even so, the air campaign forced the Luftwaffe to deploy major assets defending German cities rather than on the critically important Eastern Front. Especially important large numbers of Luftwaffe fighters and even more important trained pilots were being shot down by the bombers. In addition large numbers of artillery pieces, which could have been used against Russian tanks, had to be diverted to antiaircraft defenses. These defenses were manned largely by the Hitler Youth. The “Dam Busters” May 17, 1943 Canadian bombers take part in a daring raid on hydroelectric installations In the Ruhr Valley of Germany GOAL: cripple German industry, shorten the war HOW: pilots had to fly dangerously low and then send “spinning bombs” bouncing along the water like skipping stones RESULT: partially successful Targets hit Lots of cost to Canadians (13 of 30 aircrew killed) The “Dam Busters” There have been a number of questions since this courageous and risky mission took place. One of the major questions: Was this mission’s purpose really to destroy German industry? Another of the questions: Did it succeed in destroying German industry like we were told it did? A Hollywood film from the 1950s showcases British pilots who risked it all for a worthy cause. A documentary from decades later (late ‘70s) argues that this raid – though successful in its destruction – served no great purpose for the war effort. What do you think? The “Dam Busters” The documentary: “The Dam Busters Raid” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p4N_t3bDKY