War at Sea and in the Air

1. War at Sea and in the Air

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. The “Black Pit” • An area in the Atlantic Ocean where there was no air cover for the convoys

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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)

10. “Total War” • This is called “Total War” because of all the elements included: • War in the air • War at sea • Military • Civilians

11. 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!

12. 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…

13. 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.”

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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 anti-aircraft defenses. • These defenses were manned largely by the Hitler Youth.

21. 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

22. 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)

25. 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?

26. The “Dam Busters” • The documentary:“The Dam Busters Raid” • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p4N_t3bDKY