Quote
waterfield
The North Atlantic is so big I didn't know the Germans had enough subs to summon those in range. I suppose it would be narrowed down to the "path" to England.
They did actually. From before and during the war, the Germans built 1154 U boats. Of course not all were deployed at once but they had sufficient numbers on patrol at any one given time to summon several to meet a sighted convoy. Sometimes attacks included 15-20 U boats.
It was very effective until Allied counter measures won the battle. That included launching so-called "jeep carriers" that were basically smaller escort carriers capable of making the entire voyage. Air cover made a huge difference.
So yes, the Atlantic may be huge but you're right, there are only so many fuel-efficient paths from Canada and the USA to England. Merchant ships had to conserve fuel so there were no roundabout paths.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/12/2020 10:20AM by zn.
