Allied Convoy to Casablanca

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WWII Germany

bigpigeon.us webpage WWII Germany > Battle of the Atlantic, © 2024 by Robert A. Christiansen, updated by RAC 13 Feb 2024.

The Battle of the Atlantic denotes World War II naval warfare in the Atlantic Ocean between the Allies and the Axis, with the main Axis weapon being U-boats using torpedoes. 
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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.

Some Pottawattamie area 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

When Germany defeated the French and British armies in the Blitzkrieg of May and June 1940, the armistice terms Germany dictated to France placed all of the French Atlantic coast under German occupation. Germany took over existing French submarine bases and subsequently  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:

• Brest U-Boat base : 1st and 9th flotillas
• Lorient U-boat base : 2nd and 10th flotillas
• St-Nazaire U-boat base : 7th and 6th flotillas
• La Rochelle U-boat base : 3rd flotilla
• Bordeaux U-boat base : 12th flotilla (+ Italian submarines)

French Atlantic Coast Ports

​Not until the spring of 1943 did the Allies turn the tide in the Battle of the Atlantic. March 1943 is often considered as the turning point.

Many factors were involved in the Allied victory in the Battle of the Atlantic, one being an increased number of escort vessels. Escort vessels included:

• armed ships smaller and slower than a destroyer, such as destroyer escorts and corvettes, primarily armed with depth charges.
• small aircraft carriers for accompanying convoys through mid-Atlantic areas that were out of reach of long range patrol aircraft.

The sinking of German submarine U-175 by USCGC Spencer, 17 April 1943

Sources for Big Pigeon's WWII Germany > Battle of the Atlantic webpage:
Major sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Atlantic summarizes the Battle of the Atlantic.​

Sources for webpage header images: (C/O = courtesy of)

• The webpage header photo, Allied Convoy to Casablanca, dates from early November 1942 and is courtesy of en.wikipedia.org and the National Archives. The convoy is carrying General Patton's forces to Morocco for the 8 November 1942 invasion.
• U-Boat Bases of the Second World War in France - https://www.uboat-bases.com/en/​  
• One of the many merchant ships sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic photo, https://www.flickr.com/photos/gbaku/3418426627- c/o https://flickr.com.
• The French Atlantic Coast Ports map is courtesy of the late Gordon Smith, founder of the website https://www.naval-history.net.
• The Sinking of German Submarine U-175 photo is courtesy of the National Archives.

Internal sources:

• My 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.

Pottawattamie Area WWII Dead - Battle of the Atlantic:

• Taken from the bigpigeon.us WWII Dead module.

01-01 - WWII Germany > Battle of The Atlantic (15 dead, updated 13 Feb 2024)

• Mediterranean and European theater maritime deaths are in the MTO Sea War and ETO Sea War webpages.

† Anderson, Elmer Dean, SN O-075023, US Navy, Montgomery Co.

• Destroyer USS Truxtun (DD-229); DNB 18 Feb 1942 Placentia Bay, near Argentia, Newfoundland; Truxtun & supply ship USS Pollux (AKS-2) lost on rocks in winter storm while on convoy duty returning from Reykjavik, Iceland; 110 dead from Truxtun & 99 dead from Pollux, 186 survivors; BNR.

† Bernhardt, Paul Richard, SN 620-27-93, US Navy, Union Co. 

• Destroyer USS Leary (DD-158); KIA 24 Dec 1943 north of the Azores, North Atlantic; Leary sunk by submarine U-275 torpedo; 98 died; BNR.

† Brown, Gerald Keith, SN 620-11-60, US Navy, Cass Co.

• Attack Cargo Ship USS Almaack (AKA-19); KIA 15 Nov 1942 off Portugal; Almaack had participated in Operation Torch landings in North Africa and was in convoy to Great Britain when damaged by torpedo from submarine U-155; four dead.

† Collins, James Perry, SN 122-08-81, US Navy, Pott. Co.

• Q-ship USS Atik (AK-101); KIA 27 Mar 1942 off North Carolina; Atik sunk by submarine U-123, 141 dead, no survivors; BNR.

† Curry, Jack Benton, SN 98652, US Merchant Marine, Pott. Co.

• Tanker Pan Massachusetts fireman/wiper; KIA 19 Feb 1942, off Cape Canaveral, FL; Pan Massachusetts torpedoed and sunk by submarine U-128; 20 dead, 18 survivors; BNR.

† Halladay, Robert Monroe, SN O-115172, US Naval Aviation, Pott. Co.

• Naval Air Scout Sqdn. VS-2 or VS-1D15, based at Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone; Vought OS2N-1 Kingfisher BuNo 01408 pilot; DNB 5 Nov 1942 in Caribbean Sea NE of Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone; aircraft accident; BNR.

† Hansen, Arnt Billy, SN O-165735, US Navy, US Naval Academy class of 1943, Pott. Co.

• Destroyer USS Leary (DD 158), Task Group 21.14, formed around the Escort Carrier USS Card (CVE 11); German reconnaissance aircraft spotted the task group in the North Atlantic on 24 Dec 1943 and the submarine wolfpack Borkum was ordered to attack; KIA 24 Dec 1943 at 45N, 22W, ~ 700 miles NE of Azores; submarine U-275 torpedoed and sank Leary; 97 dead, 59 survivors; BNR.

† Heckman, Gail Wayne, SN 620-18-37, US Navy, Cass Co.

• US Navy Armed Guard on SS Topa Topa enroute from Port of Spain, Trinidad in the Caribbean to Takoradi in today's Ghana, Africa; KIA 29 Aug 1942 350 miles N of Cayenne, French Guinea; Topa Topa sunk by two torpedoes from submarine U-66; 18 crew & seven armed guards died, abt. 35 survived; BNR.

† Keat, Harry Martin, SN 101-67-78, US Navy, Carroll Co.

• US Navy Armed Guard on tanker SS Gulfoil; KIA 17 May 1942 in Gulf of Mexico ~75 miles SW of Mississippi delta; Gulfoil sunk by torpedoes from submarine U-506; of 40 men on board, abt. 19 survived; BNR.

† McLaurin, William Harold, SN 317408, US Merchant Marine, Crawford & Shelby Cos.

• Tanker USS Atlantic Sun radio officer; d. 15 Feb 1943 in North Atlantic, 150 miles off Cape Race, Newfoundland; Atlantic Sun torpedoed and sunk by submarine U-607, one survivor; BNR.

† Peterson, Jack, SN 321-78-55, US Navy, Shelby Co.

• Destroyer USS Brownson (DD-518); DNB 6 Apr 1943, Atlantic Ocean; lost overboard; BNR.

† Ruff, Paul Russell "Russell", SN 307354, US Navy, Wapello & Polk Cos.

• Minesweeper USS Valor (AMc-108) Executive Officer, based at Eastern Sea Frontier, Newport, RI; d. 29 Jun 1944 at southern reaches of the Cape Cod Canal; Valor struck by destroyer escort USS Richard W. Suesens; nine of crew of 18 died.

† Senior, Clifford Leo, SN 576-76-12, US Navy, Pott. Co.

• Destroyer USS Warrington (DD 383); DNB 13 Sep 1944 off Bahama Is., Atlantic Ocean; Warrington sank in 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane; 148 dead, 73 survivors; BNR.

† Smith, Boyd D., SN 663-18-59, US Navy, Pott. Co. & Douglas Co., NE

• Submarine USS Dorado (SS-248); KIA 12 Oct 1943 in Caribbean Sea off Panama; Dorado disappeared, crew of 78 died, possibly sunk by German naval mine; BNR.

† Snyder, Donald Earl, SN 316-77-14, US Navy, Harrison Co.

• Destroyer USS Ingraham (DD-444), fast convoy AT-20 from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada to Greenock, Scotland; DNB 22 Aug 1942 off Nova Scotia; Ingraham passed in front of oil tanker Chemung in dense fog, was hit and sank; 11 survivors from crew of 208; BNR.