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Battle of the Atlantic begins. Also, today marks the day when Germans sink a British passenger liner.
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SS Bosnia was a 2,402 ton cargo ship launched on 6 February 1928, by Thompson, J.L. in North Sands, England. Torpedoed and sunk by the German U-boat U-47 on 5 September 1939.
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36 ships of the Allies set out to cross the atlantic ocean.
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The first british convoys sail outbound from the British Isles:
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U-27 is sunk with depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Fortune and HMS Forester.
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Allied losses are 73 vessels totaling 214,500 tons, of which 40 vessels totaling 111,200 tons are sunk by submarines. Germany has 38 operational submarines to begin the year.
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June, 1940 – Allied loss of Norway brings U-boats closer to convoy routes
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U Boats are given permission to attack any merchant vessel. Combatant or not.
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German U Boats start operating in wolfapcks of 20.
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An attack on 2 allied convoys yields 36 sunken ships by attacking German U Boats
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The Lend-Lease Bill is signed by USA's President: Roosevalt.
Allows unrestricted help and aid of the Allies against the Axis powers. -
USA's first ocmbat action against the German U-Boat takes place. A defence ship fires at a maurading German U-Boat which has passed the US security zone.
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Allied losses are 590,000 tons
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By this time, escorts are continously leaving.
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JAN- MARCH Off the East Coast of the US, around 216 vessels fall prey to the German U Boat scourge.
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June of 1942 marks the single worst month of Allied shipping losses, totaling some 834,000 tons of goods at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
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U Boats are targetted by the Royal Air Force at Cherbourg and Lorient
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April, 1943 – U-boat strength up to 425, with 240 boats operational
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Allied aircrafts are fitted with U-Boat radar detectors.
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U Boats are withdrawn as they suffer heavy casualties.
Allied shipping losses are 157,000 tons, and 37 U-boats are sunk plus 32 damaged.
There were heavy casualties for both sides in May. However the excorts started to use startegic plans. Eventually, many convoys destroyed many U-Boats during the month. ONE OF THEM HAD DONITZ'S SON IN THEM - He was shaken by this, and retreated the other U Boats -
Karl Donitz recalls his U Boats from the Atlantic
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By Spring 1944, Canada had the sole responsibilty of the Arctic
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D-Day landings from the Allies eventually render the French-German U-Boat Bases inoperable.
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Battle of the Atlantic is officailly over.
Total Losses from September, 1939 = 5,150 British, Allied and neutral ships of 21,570,000 tons (300,000 tons per month)
