WW2 Newsreel : U-boat warfare against the USA

[MsZathras]

Thanks for posting the newsreels with English subs..

The Battle for the Atlantic sure was a long one for the Allies. Lots of Merchant Mariners lost their lives before the Battle for the Atlantic was won.

I'm surprised there wasn't wide-spread panic along the US' Eastern Seaboard with the U-boats having free-reign for so long and the US Navy unable to stop them at first. I live near the coast and I'd be concerned if enemy subs were patrolling the waters and our navy unable to stop them.

[Celeon999A]

@MsZathras

There was indeed a widespreed uboat paranoia hitting the towns and cities along the u.s east coast during that time. Wild tales about uboats going up and down the Mississipi as they please, inserting agents and saboteurs. :-D

There is even this tale of a dead german uboat crewman who , allegedly, got washed ashore somewhere and in whose pockets they found a ticket for the local cinema for a movie that was shown the weekend before. Most of that was just scuttlebutt of course. :-)

[Roguethoughts]

The Germans owned us in Drumbeat. Especially in the first months. There were no blackouts, all the lighthouses and buoys were kept working, and had the Anti-Sub patrols follow set times and paths and acted like nothing could touch us. That hubris cost us many ships and many lives.

The U-boats sank ships with their Surface guns while people on shore watched. Other times they attacked in broad daylight.

It was embarrassing, the U-boat commanders were shocked about how clueless we were.

[immortal4942]

my grandfather told me about a uboat sinking a fishing ship with its gun in st.lawrence river! That's in Canada over 5,000 kilometers away from base!

[Roguethoughts]

I'm not surprised, the St.Lawrence river had some major attacks also.

It ended up being called "The Battle of St.Lawrence"

At the beginning of the war there were only 4 ships guarding the river.

And they were all old and mostly useless ones.

And the Canadian navy couldn't send anything in the beginning because all of their ships were being used for Convoy duties.

Because of that German U-boats sank 23 ships in the St.Lawrence river and gulf. 3 of them warships.

[immortal4942]

i think the candians kicked the uboats out after though and that's when they moved south to sink us tankers.

[Celeon999A]

The north american areas of operation , which include the Saint Lawrence river inlet were among the first.

The trade and supply shipping routes to Britain were the main targets here but also random opportunities for attacks on the inner american or Canadian/American trade shipping were taken whenever they arose.

Oiltankers, larger merchant ships etc.

[Roguethoughts]

Interestingly if the German Navy had it's way they would have sent all of their U-boats to the US coast those first few months. Since it would be easier to hit the convoy ships while they were still in the harbors.Thankfully for us Hitler said otherwise.

[Celeon999A]

There is a lot of controversy for the causes of the huge u.s losses.

I would say that it was a mixture of factors.

Shortsightedness by certain politcians who left the USN with unsufficient anti-sub vessels by the decision to loan 50 ww1 anti-sub vessels to Britian.

Ignorance towards British advice on anti-submarine warfare and a general underestimation of Germany's sea warfare capabilities resulted in the loss of 397 ships and 5000 lives in the first 5 months of Operation Drumbeat.

[autozonesucks]

THANK YOU! ENJOYED

[angelofheaven07]

Nice.