bigpigeon.us webpage WW II - Germany > Battle of the Atlantic, updated by RAC 5 Feb 2020.
The Battle of the Atlantic refers to WW II naval warfare between the Allies and the Axis, mostly in the North Atlantic.
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In the Battle of the Atlantic, German and Italian submarines attempted to destroy shipping between North America and the parts of Europe still held by the Allies.
The Battle of the Atlantic was the major component of World War II naval action between Germany and the Allies, with Great Britain playing the leading role for the Allies. Most Pottawattamie County maritime deaths in the War with Germany occurred closer to shore in the Mediterranean and European Theaters and are not listed below. |
One of the many merchant ships sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic
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When Germany defeated France and England in the Blitzkrieg of May and June 1940, the armistice terms dictated by Germany placed all of the Atlantic coast of France under German occupation. Thus,Germany took over existing French submarine bases and added additional facilities. From these French Atlantic ports, the German submarine fleet had much easier access to their Atlantic hunting grounds than earlier when only bases on the North Sea were available. The German Atlantic bases are listed below:
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French Atlantic Coast Ports
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Not until the spring of 1943 did the Allies turn the tide in the Battle of the Atlantic. However, as late as April 1945, one of my Aunt Ethel's former students, George Eugene "Junior" Jorgensen, died when his ship, the army tanker Y-17, was torpedoed by a German midget submarine in the North Sea off the coast of Ostend, Belgium while at sea carrying a cargo of high-octane aviation gasoline to the European Theater.
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the Army Tanker Y-17 Memorial
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Sources for the WW II - Battle of the Atlantic webpage
- The November 1942 header photo Allied Convoy to Casablanca is courtesy of en.wikipedia.org and the National Archives.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Atlantic summarizes the Battle of the Atlantic.
- My chronological report WW II US Maritime Losses - The German War includes major American losses in the Battle of the Atlantic, as well as in the Mediterranean and the sea approaches to the European Theater.
- U-Boat Bases of the Second World War in France - https://www.uboat-bases.com/en/ - lists
- The Army Tanker Y-17 Memorial photo is courtesy of the Imperial War Museum and was found at https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/21142. The memorial is located in Priory Church of St. Andrew the Apostle, Hamble-le-Rice, Hampshire, England.
Pottawattamie County, Iowa WW II Dead - the Battle of the Atlantic
(taken from the bigpigeon.us WW II Dead webarea)
European and Mediterranean theater maritime deaths are in the ETO Sea War and MTO Sea War webpages.
(taken from the bigpigeon.us WW II Dead webarea)
European and Mediterranean theater maritime deaths are in the ETO Sea War and MTO Sea War webpages.
01 - Battle of the Atlantic - Combat: (four dead, updated 20 Apr '20)
† Collins, James Perry - SN 1220881, US Navy
Q-ship USS Atik (AK-101); KIA 27 Mar ’42 off North Carolina; ship sunk by German submarine U-123; BNR.
† Curry, Jack Benton - US Merchant Marine
tanker Pan Massachusetts; KIA 19 Feb ’42, off Cape Canaveral, FL; ship torpedoed by German submarine U-128; BNR.
† Hansen, Arnt Billy - SN 165735, US Navy
US Naval Academy class of ‘43; destroyer USS Leary (DD 158); KIA 24 Dec ’43 at 45N, 22W, ~ 700 miles NE of Azores, North Atlantic; ship torpedoed by German submarine U-275, 98 dead; BNR.
† McLaurin, William Harold, SN 317408, US Merchant Marine, Crawford & Shelby Cos.
radio officer on tanker USS Atlantic Sun; d. 15 Feb 1943 in North Atlantic, 150 miles off of Cape Race, Newfoundland; torpedoed by German submarine U-607, one survivor; BNR.
01 - Battle of the Atlantic - Accident or Illness: (five dead, updated 25 Apr '20)
† Halladay, Robert Monroe - SN O-115172, Naval Aviation
DNB 5 Nov 1942 off Panama, Caribbean Sea; aircraft accident; BNR.
† Peterson, Jack Millard - SN 3217855, US Navy
destroyer USS Brownson (DD-518); DNB 6 Apr 1943, Atlantic Ocean; lost overboard at sea; BNR.
† Senior, Clifford Leo - SN 5767612, US Navy
destroyer USS Warrington (DD 383); DNB 13 Sep ‘44 off Bahama Is., Atlantic Ocean; ship sank in ‘44 Great Atlantic Hurricane, 148 died; BNR.
† Smith, Boyd D. - SN 6631859, US Navy
submarine USS Dorado (SS-248); KIA 12 Oct 1943 off Panama; probably sunk by friendly fire, no survivors; BNR.
† Snyder, Donald Earl, SN 316-77-14, US Navy, Harrison Co.
destroyer USS Ingraham (DD-444), convoy T-20; DNB 22 Aug 1942 off Nova Scotia, Canada; destroyer collided with oil tanker Chemung in dense fog; 11 survivors from crew of 208; BNR.
† Collins, James Perry - SN 1220881, US Navy
Q-ship USS Atik (AK-101); KIA 27 Mar ’42 off North Carolina; ship sunk by German submarine U-123; BNR.
† Curry, Jack Benton - US Merchant Marine
tanker Pan Massachusetts; KIA 19 Feb ’42, off Cape Canaveral, FL; ship torpedoed by German submarine U-128; BNR.
† Hansen, Arnt Billy - SN 165735, US Navy
US Naval Academy class of ‘43; destroyer USS Leary (DD 158); KIA 24 Dec ’43 at 45N, 22W, ~ 700 miles NE of Azores, North Atlantic; ship torpedoed by German submarine U-275, 98 dead; BNR.
† McLaurin, William Harold, SN 317408, US Merchant Marine, Crawford & Shelby Cos.
radio officer on tanker USS Atlantic Sun; d. 15 Feb 1943 in North Atlantic, 150 miles off of Cape Race, Newfoundland; torpedoed by German submarine U-607, one survivor; BNR.
01 - Battle of the Atlantic - Accident or Illness: (five dead, updated 25 Apr '20)
† Halladay, Robert Monroe - SN O-115172, Naval Aviation
DNB 5 Nov 1942 off Panama, Caribbean Sea; aircraft accident; BNR.
† Peterson, Jack Millard - SN 3217855, US Navy
destroyer USS Brownson (DD-518); DNB 6 Apr 1943, Atlantic Ocean; lost overboard at sea; BNR.
† Senior, Clifford Leo - SN 5767612, US Navy
destroyer USS Warrington (DD 383); DNB 13 Sep ‘44 off Bahama Is., Atlantic Ocean; ship sank in ‘44 Great Atlantic Hurricane, 148 died; BNR.
† Smith, Boyd D. - SN 6631859, US Navy
submarine USS Dorado (SS-248); KIA 12 Oct 1943 off Panama; probably sunk by friendly fire, no survivors; BNR.
† Snyder, Donald Earl, SN 316-77-14, US Navy, Harrison Co.
destroyer USS Ingraham (DD-444), convoy T-20; DNB 22 Aug 1942 off Nova Scotia, Canada; destroyer collided with oil tanker Chemung in dense fog; 11 survivors from crew of 208; BNR.