What was the Battle of the Atlantic?The Battle of the Atlantic was the conflict between the Allied and German forces for control of the Atlantic Ocean. The Allies needed to keep the high number of men and supplies going between North America and Europe, where they could be used in the combat, while the Germans wanted to strike these supply lines. To do this, German submarines, called U-boats, and other warships hunted the Atlantic Ocean, sinking Allied transport ships.
The Battle of the Atlantic brought the war to Canada’s doorstep, with U-boats sinking ships within sight of Canada’s East Coast and even in the St. Lawrence River. Canada’s Merchant Navy, along with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), played an important part in the Allied efforts. East Coast cities soon found themselves included in the battle since Allied convoys (groups of ships that crossed the Atlantic together under the protection of naval escorts) were frequently leaving ports like Halifax, Newfoundland, etc. during the war |
Canada's RoleDuring WWII, supplies and reinforcements for the Allied forces in Europe were carried by ships across the North Atlantic Ocean and thousands of Canadian sailors served on these ships delivering food, fuel, weapons, ammunition, and many other supplies. This role was the most dangerous because Canadian sailors faced the constant peril of attack by the German U-boats. The Royal Canadian Airforce (RCAF) didn't play as big of a role as Merchant Navy, and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). RCAF mainly provided air assistance/cover for the ships on the Atlantic.
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StatsHelping the Allies success in the Battle of the Atlantic came at a tremendous cost. More than 1,600 Merchant Navy personnel from Canada and Newfoundland were killed. Percentage wise, their casualty rate was higher than those of any of Canada’s combat services during the Second World War—one out of every seven Merchant Navy sailors who served was killed or wounded.
The RCN and RCAF also paid a high price in the Battle of the Atlantic. Most of the 2,000 RCN officers and men who died during the war were killed during the Battle of the Atlantic, as were 752 members of the RCAF. There were also civilian casualties. On October 14, 1942, 136 people died when the ferry SS Caribou was sunk as it crossed from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland by a German U-boat. When did the Battle of the Atlantic begin? and when did it end? The battle of the Atlantic was the longest battle of the Second World War. The battle started on the first day of WWII September 1939 and ended almost six years later with Germany's surrender in May 1945.
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Navy GrowthThe growth of Canada’s navy was extraordinary. At the beginning of the Second World War, the RCN had only six ocean-going ships and 3,500 personnel. By the end of the war, Canada had one of the largest navies in the world with 434 commissioned vessels and 95,000 men and women in uniform.
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