The+Battle+of+the+Atlantic

Reko & Preston Social Studies 11
 * Battle of the a****tlantic**

**Who & Where?**  ¨ - The countries in this war were Britain and  her allies against Germany and her allies. - The Battle of the Atlantic was fought all over such as: Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, Irish Sea, Labrador Sea, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Outer Banks, Arctic Ocean

**When?**

 ¨ The Battle of the Atlantic Started September 3rd 1939 and ended June 30th 1940.

**What?**  ¨ - The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest campaign of the Second w orld war. ¨ - The United Kingdom had always been dependent on the seas for its economy, importing vital food and other supplies for its own survival. Germany knew this well. Too weak to directly challenge the British and French fleets, the German Navy adopted a strategy of using surface ships, submarines, and aircraft to raid Allied commerce shipping. ¨ - The Battle of the Atlantic was the Germans trying to take over the seas to stop the United Kingdom from trading cross seas.

**Why?**  ¨ - The War broke out because a German U-30 attacked a passenger liner boat and killed 112 Civilians. Which is why Britain declared war on Germany. The French and British reacted quickly and blocked off the German ports.

**How?**  ¨ - On September 3, 1939 the German U- Boats had attacked what they that was a supply ship for the Allies, but it turned out to be the passenger liner Athenia. ¨ - After the death of 112 civilians on the Athenia, Winston Churchill started what he calls the Battle of the Atlantic. ¨ - The British and the French had responded immediately with a blockade towards the German’s ports. ¨ - This interference with German materials from Northern Europe, but this did not change the course of the battle much. ¨ - German U-Boats had responded by lunching torpedoes at the Ark Royal; the carrier narrowly escaped as the torpedoes detonated prematurely media type="youtube" key="Q7xu0DDLIP0" width="425" height="350"media type="custom" key="9457640"