Chapter 117 Volume 4, Chapter 7, Submarine Paradise

A staggering expansion of enemy submarines and raids on ships along the American coast. Heavy losses in February 1942. At home, Hitler desperately concentrated the German fleet. Tirpitz was dispatched to Trondheim. Hitler decided to withdraw from Brest to Saudi Arabia. Earnhorst and Gneisenau escaped successfully on February 11th and 12th Anger in the UK was in our favor Mobilizing the President's view I defended German submarines for the Admiralty at a secret meeting in April Rage on America's Atlantic coast Great Britain dispatches anti-submarine fleet to America March 12 My telegram to Harry Hopkins The President requests air raids on German submarine bases I explain to him our claim Glorious exploits at Saint-Nazaire Four The U.S. Navy began adopting the convoy system on January 1. Admiral Doenitz changed the attack target. Hitler did not concentrate on submarine warfare. Mistakes from January to July Allied loss statistics fall battle Long-range aircraft and escort transport ships need sea power The Support Detachment On November 4th I summoned the new Anti-Submarine Committee and I appealed to Mr. Mackenzie King for assistance as winter brought respite.

We welcome America's entry into the war with lightness and high spirits.Henceforth our burdens will be carried with us by a partner of infinite resources; and we may expect, in naval warfare, that the enemy's submarines will be swiftly brought to their knees.While losses are inevitable until our allies commit their full strength, with American help our lifeline in the Atlantic will be assured.In this way, we can start the war against Hitler in Europe and in the Middle East.However, the Far East will present a gloomy situation for the time being. But 1942 was going to be a year of many thrills, and in the Atlantic it was also the hardest year of the whole war.By the end of 1941, the enemy submarine fleet had grown to some two hundred and fifty, of which Admiral Dönitz reported that about a hundred were operational, and fifteen more were being added every month.

At first, although our joint defense force was much stronger than when we fought alone, since we are now under attack from more targets, our strength is still not enough to deal with the enemy's new attack.For six or seven months, enemy submarines roamed the American waters with impunity, almost dragging us into the catastrophe of an indefinitely protracted war.If we were compelled to suspend, or temporarily impose severe restrictions on, our Atlantic shipping, our joint operations plans would come to a standstill as well. On December 12, at a meeting attended by the German head of state, it was decided to launch a submarine warfare on the coast of America.But since many German submarines and the most able commanders were transferred to the Mediterranean, and since Dönitz had to maintain a strong force on the Norwegian and Arctic seas under Hitler's orders, they initially sent only six The 740-ton larger submarine.These submarines left the port of the Bay of Biscay between December 18 and 30, and were ordered to penetrate the northern end of the coastal route between Newfoundland and New York, near some ports where returning convoys converge.Their harassment succeeded immediately.By the end of January, thirty-one ships, totaling about two hundred thousand tons, had been sunk off the coasts of the United States and Canada.Soon after, the offensive pushed south, across the Hampton Sounds and Cape Hatteras, down the coast of Florida.

On this avenue of sea, there are many undefended ships of the United States and its allies. Valuable tanker fleets also travel continuously between Venezuela and the Gulf of Mexico along this route.If this line of communication is obstructed, our entire war economy and our entire war plan will be affected. In the Caribbean Sea, among the large number of targets, German submarines singled out oil tankers as targets for trouble.Various ships of neutral countries were also attacked along with ships of the Allies.The scope of this massacre is expanding every week.During February, the loss of German U-boats in the Atlantic increased to seventy-one vessels, totaling 384,000 tons, all but two were sunk in the Americas.This is the worst loss we have suffered since the beginning of the war.However, this situation will soon be overcome.

All this devastation, while not yet reaching the tragic figures of the worst period of 1917, far exceeds what has been recorded in this war.All this damage was done when twelve to fifteen U-boats once appeared in the area.For many months, the protection provided by the U.S. Navy was simply insufficient.After two years of total war advancing on the American continent, it is indeed surprising that more was not prepared for such a deadly onslaught.According to the policy of the President of the United States to fully support the United Kingdom and not to participate in the war, it has given us a lot of strength.We got fifty old destroyers and ten American anti-smuggling ships, and in exchange we gave a very valuable base in the West Indies.However, our allies are now haunted by these ships.The Pacific has been a heavy strain on the U.S. Navy since Pearl Harbor.It is remarkable that no plans were made for escorting the coast and adding smaller ships, although they had all the information about our defensive measures before and during this struggle.

The United States has no definite plan for coastal air defense.the U.S. Army Aviation, which controls almost all coast-based military aircraft, is not trained in anti-submarine warfare; and the navy, despite its seaplane and amphibian equipment, has no means of conducting anti-submarine warfare .Thus, during these crucial months, an effective defense system for the United States was built through troublesome and hesitant steps.During this time, the United States and its allies suffered heavy losses in ships, freight, and lives.Had the Germans invaded the Atlantic with their heavy surface ships, the losses would have been far greater.Hitler fully expected that we intended to attack northern Norway in the near future.By focusing only on this aspect, he missed the great opportunity in the Atlantic and concentrated all available surface ships and many valuable submarines on the Norwegian sea.He said:

Norway is the fateful region in this war.The Norwegian region is indeed important, and readers understand it, but at this moment, Germany's opportunity lies in the Atlantic Ocean. The German admirals advocated an offensive at sea, but their Führer was ineffective because of his obstinate insistence; at the same time, his strategic decisions were strengthened by a lack of fuel. In January he had sent to Trondheim his only battleship Tirpitz, the strongest in the world. PM sends General Ismay to Chiefs of Staff Committee January 25, 1942 1. It has been three days since I learned that the Tirpitz appeared in Trondheim.

Destroying, or even damaging, this warship is the greatest event at sea at present.No other goal can compare with it.It cannot now be protected by anti-aircraft fire like Brest and the German mainland ports.Even if it is only wounded, it is not easy to drag it back to Germany.There is no doubt that it is better to wait until the moonlight to attack, but the effect of attacking in moonlight is not as good as that in daylight.If it succeeds, the naval situation in the entire world will be completely changed, and the command of the sea in the Pacific Ocean will also be lost and regained. 2. There must be cooperation between bomber fleets, naval aviation units, and aircraft carriers.A plan should be drawn up immediately to send torpedo planes and heavy bombers on the aircraft carrier to attack by day or dawn.The whole strategic plan of the war was at this time centered on this ship, which had crippled a British battleship four times its size, not to mention the two new American battleships stuck in the Atlantic.I consider this matter to be of the most urgent and important importance.I will raise this question in Cabinet tomorrow, and it will have to be considered in detail when the Defense Committee meets on Tuesday evening.

Hitler decided to return the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau to their home ports as part of his defensive policy.The two warships have been blockaded at Brest for nearly a year, during which time they have presented yet another serious threat to our sea convoy.On January 12 a special meeting was held in Berlin on this question, when the German naval authorities discussed plans for carrying out the Führer's intentions.Hitler spoke as follows: The naval forces at Brest played a particularly commendable role in keeping the enemy air forces from attacking Germany itself.This favorable situation will continue as long as the enemy feels compelled to attack because of the integrity of these ships.Our ships in Brest are capable of keeping the enemy navy at bay; it would be equally possible if they were stationed in Norway.

If I thought it possible for the ships to remain intact for four or five months, and then, in the light of the general situation, be available for engagement in the Atlantic, I should have preferred to keep them in Brest.However, in my opinion ‧ the situation does not necessarily develop in this way, I decided to withdraw them from Brest, so as not to expose them to the possibility of being attacked every day. This decision caused so much commotion and outcry in England at the time that a few words need to be said here in passing. On the night of February 11, the two battlecruisers, together with the cruiser Prinz Eugen, escaped from Brest, passed the English Channel smoothly, and regained the cover of their home port.

As a result of our heavy losses in the Mediterranean during the winter, and the temporary incapacity of the entire Eastern Fleet, we were obliged, as I mentioned in the previous volume, to send nearly all of our torpedo planes to defend Egypt against the possibility that the enemy might come from Sea invasion.However, we made every possible preparation to keep watch on Brest, and to deal with bombs and torpedoes by air and sea against any breakout by the enemy.Mines were laid on the Strait and along the coast of the Netherlands along the assumed route.The Admiralty expected to sneak across the Strait of Dover at night; however, the German admiral chose to leave Brest at night, using the darkness of the night to evade our patrols, and escaped in broad daylight. gunfire. He set off from Brest just before midnight on the 11th. On the morning of the 12th, the fog was misty; when the enemy ship was spotted, the radar of our patrol plane suddenly failed.Our radar on the shore also failed to detect it.At the time we thought it was just an unfortunate accident.When the war began, we learned that General Martini, the German radar director, had drawn up an elaborate plan.German radar jamming, previously ineffective, had been greatly strengthened by the addition of many new devices, but the new jammers had been introduced gradually in order not to arouse suspicion on this day of life and death, so that the jamming seemed It's getting better day by day. Our radar operators weren't whining, and no one noticed anything unusual.However, by February 12, the interference was so severe that our coastal radars were practically useless.It was not until 11:25 in the morning that the Admiralty received the news.By this time the fugitive cruiser and powerful escort aircraft and destroyers were within twenty miles of Boulogne.Shortly after noon, the heavy artillery batteries in the Strait of Dover opened fire, and the first combat team composed of five motorized torpedo boats also immediately went to sea to attack.Six Sailfish torpedo planes led by Major Esmond (who had led the first attack on Bismarck) also took off from Manston, Kent, too late to wait for support from more than a dozen Spitfires.These sailfish planes were violently attacked by enemy planes. Although they dropped torpedoes on the enemy, the price was heavy.None of them returned, and only five people were rescued.Esmond was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. Groups of bombers and torpedo bombers attacked the enemy one after another, and did not stop until evening.Our side had a fierce melee with German fighter jets. Due to the superiority in the number of enemy planes, our losses are heavier than those of the enemy.When the German cruiser left the coast of Holland at about 3:30 in the afternoon, five destroyers from Harjj made another vigorous attack, launching torpedoes from a distance of about 3,000 yards under heavy artillery fire.However, under the gunfire of the Dover Strait batteries and the torpedo attack, the German fleet was not damaged at all, and continued to advance on its course; by the morning of the 13th, the entire German fleet had returned to its home country.The news stunned the British public, who did not understand what was going on, and naturally took it as proof that Germany had control of the English Channel.Soon, we discovered through our special agents that both the Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau had become victims of the torpedo nets we dropped.It took six months for the Scharnhorst to regain combat capability, but the Gneisenau never appeared in the war again.However, this news could not be made public, so the nationwide fury was unstoppable. To assuage the censure, a formal inquiry was held, and the facts which could be published were reported.In hindsight, this episode worked out very well for us in the larger picture.President Roosevelt said in the telegram: Since some people regard this episode in the Channel as a failure, I will say a few words about it when I make a radio address next Monday night.I am more and more convinced that the concentration of all German ships in German territory simplifies our common problems in the North Atlantic Navy.But, at the time, it looked bad to everyone in the big leagues, except our little circle involved in the secrecy. I agree with Mr. Roosevelt. prime minister to president roosevelt February 17, 1942 The naval situation in the home seas and in the Atlantic was certainly eased by the retreat of the German naval forces from Brest.There they threatened all our convoys to the east, and we had to send two warships to escort them.Their squadrons can sail both to the Atlantic trade routes and to the Mediterranean Sea. We wish it was where it is, not where it was.The strength of our bombers can no longer be dispersed, and can now be used exclusively against Germany. Finally, you may have learned that Prinz Eugen was damaged, and that Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were torpedoed, the former twice.In this way, at least they will not be able to come out to misbehave for six months; during this period, the naval strength of both of us will be strongly supplemented.It is of course a great pity that we were not able to sink them.We are investigating why we didn't know they were driving during the day. It was not until more than two months later that I was able to announce these obvious facts to the House of Commons at a private meeting on April 23rd. I was deeply moved by the shock of the passage of these two enemy ships through the Channel to the loyal British populace.Our torpedo planes were weakened by the needs of Egypt.As for the Navy, we did not keep our capital ships in the Straits, for obvious reasons.Please note that we have only six destroyers to attack the German battlecruisers.It was asked, where is the rest of our fleet? The answer is that they were and are far out in the Atlantic, escorting food and munitions from America, without which we cannot live.Many people think that the passage of the German ship through the strait is very surprising and frightening.They could have broken through south, perhaps into the Mediterranean.They could have sailed across the Atlantic to attack merchant ships.They could have sailed to the north and managed to return to their own seas by way of the Norwegian fjords.However, in the eyes of the general public, the only possibility is to go through the English Channel and pass through the Strait of Dover.I shall therefore read the summary of the Admiralty's review.This document was drawn up on 2 February, ten days before the breakout of the German cruisers.At this time, their maneuvers and sailing tests, as well as the arrival of the German destroyer escort, had already shown what they were thinking.The review said: At first glance, it seemed risky for the Germans to go north through the strait in this way.But it is likely that since their huge ships are not very useful, they would rather take this route, relying on the safety of medium-sized destroyers and aircraft, and knowing full well that we have no large ships to sail in the Strait. block them.Therefore, we are likely to find these two battlecruisers and the eight-inch cruiser with five large and five small destroyers, and twenty or so fighters in the sky (with reinforcements on call As you arrive), go north through the strait. All things considered, it appeared that the German ships would have been far less risky going east through the Channel than by going to Norway by sea; and that being the case, the Germans would not have taken the risk until they were fully prepared.Once they left Brest, the channel seemed the most likely course they would take. The citation of documents drawn up by the Naval Staff prior to the incident, as I expected, impressed the House of Commons more than any ex post facto explanation can do. At the same time, German harassment on the Atlantic coast of the United States remained rampant.A German submarine commander reported to Doenitz that ten times as many submarines could find a large number of targets.German submarines stay on the bottom of the sea during the day, and at night they select their most valuable targets at high surface speeds.Almost every torpedo they carried found their victim.When the torpedoes are depleted, the cannons are almost as effective.The cities of the Atlantic coast, whose shores were once brightly lit, heard battles near the coast every night, and saw ships burning and sinking on the sea, and they rescued the living and the wounded. People were very angry with the government, and the government was very embarrassed.But Americans, though easily provoked, are not easily intimidated. We in London watch this misfortune with anxiety and distress.As early as February 6, I sent Hopkins a personal piece of advice: German submarines sank ships in the northwest of the Atlantic Ocean and suffered heavy losses. I don't know if it has attracted the attention of the President. It is best to find out.Since January 12, confirmed losses amounted to 158,208 tons, estimated losses amounted to 83,740 tons, and possible losses amounted to 17,300 tons Sixty-three tons, a total of 259,311 tons. On February 10, we offered to the U.S. Navy twenty-four anti-submarine trawlers with the best equipment and ten fast-moving submarines with well-trained crews.They are welcomed by our allies.The first batch arrived in New York in March. Although it is very small, we have drawn the greatest strength.It's all from England, it's all from England.Coastal convoys could not set out until the necessary organization had been established, and until the basic minimum of escort ships had been assembled.Existing combat ships and fighter jets will initially be used only to patrol threatened areas.The enemy could easily evade patrols and pursue undefended victims elsewhere. On February 16, a German submarine appeared outside the large oil port of Aruba in the Netherlands West Indies, after destroying a After killing a small tanker and damaging another, the shore installations were bombarded from outside the harbor, but without serious damage.Attempts to torpedo a large oil tanker moored nearby also failed.On the same day, several other submarines sank three tankers in the same area.Not long after, another submarine sailed into the port of Castries on the British island of St. Lucia, sank two ships at anchor, and withdrew unscathed.A recent accident obliged us to divert the course of the liners which used to refuel at this point, carrying troops to the Far East.Fortunately, the Queen Mary and other large cruise ships were not attacked in this area. In March, the area between Charleston and New York was the most tense.A single submarine can run rampant throughout the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, unscrupulous and unbearable.Nearly half a million tons of ships were sunk during this month, three-quarters of which were sunk within three hundred miles of the U.S. coast, and nearly half of that tonnage belonged to oil tankers.In contrast, the German submarines lost only two submarines in the American Ocean. They were sunk in March by American aircraft while escorting them off Newfoundland, until April 14, when the American destroyer Roper sank one. Submarines, this is the first harvest of surface ships on the Atlantic coast of the United States. In March, I reconsidered an issue that at the time was an important point in the Great War. Prime Minister to Mr Harry Hopkins March 12, 1942 1. Countless oil tankers have been sunk west of 40 degrees west longitude and in the Caribbean Sea. I am extremely concerned about this.Eighteen ships were sunk or damaged in January, totaling 211,000 tons of cargo; in February this increased to thirty-four ships, totaling 364,941 tons of cargo; In the first eleven days of March, seven ships were sunk, totaling 88,449 cargo tons.It was reported that 30,000 tons were sunk or damaged in a single day yesterday.Calculated in this way, in a little over two months, more than 60 oil tankers were sunk or damaged in this area alone.A total of about 675,000 cargo tons.In addition, many tankers were delayed. 2. After the tasks of the Atlantic transport fleet were adjusted, quite a few American destroyers got rid of the escort missions on the transatlantic route and could take on other jobs.We have released twenty-four anti-submarine trawlers, twenty-three of which are now at your disposal. 3. The situation is serious enough to require some drastic action, and we would very much like you to take some destroyers out of the Pacific, and provide additional escorts, so that the ten submarine destroyers we hand over to you can join the battle in the West. The Bermuda region of the Indian Islands organizes an emergency convoy. 4. There are only two other workarounds: either temporarily suspend the voyage of oil tankers, but this will seriously jeopardize our supply of combat materials; or prolong the transportation turnaround period between Halifax | quantity), so that, for a period of time, sufficient escorts could be brought in to supplement the convoys of the West Indies.However, it must be realized that not only will this reduce our imports by about 30,000 tons per month, but it will take some time to take effect. 5. I hope that the highest naval authorities will discuss these workarounds side by side. If we temporarily have to reduce imports due to the extended turnaround period of the transport fleet, you must consider adding new tonnage in the second half of the year to help us solve it.I don't know if it is appropriate to propose all the above to the President, please let me know. 6. I have received excellent telegrams from the President on various important issues. It is a great relief and a relief to know that we are on the same page about the war. Please give my personal compliments to Kim (and) Marshall, and to the They said: better days are coming again. The President of the United States, after an eager discussion with his admirals on this question and the general situation in the Navy, replied to my telegram in detail.He welcomed the arrival of the trawler and anti-submarine speedboat.In terms of escort forces across the Atlantic, he proposed various methods of saving, including extending the turnaround period for transportation before July 1. By that time, the United States will increase the production of small escort ships and aircraft in large quantities.He re-assured me about our import plan for the second half of the year. A few days later, he called again to add an explanation, and I felt that he was a little nervous. President Roosevelt's Message to Former Navy Personnel March 20, 1942 Your recent telegram to Hopkins for attention on the subject of action against the submarine threat in the Atlantic compels me to request your special attention on the question of how to storm submarine bases, places of construction and repair, etc. Consider this, so that the activities of submarines can be stopped at the source, where the submarines are bound to gather. After researching and planning, I replied: former navy personnel to president roosevelt March 29, 1942 1. In order to deal with the future conspiracy of German submarines, we emphasized bombing the nests of submarines. Last night, 250 bombers, including 43 heavy bombers, were dispatched to Lübeck. It was reported that the results were unprecedentedly brilliant.This is done according to your intention. 2. The Admiralty and the Royal Air Force Coast Defense Corps have drawn up a plan for day and night patrolling of the various seaports of the Bay of Biscay.The ports in the Bay of Biscay are the closest and most ideal starting points for submarines to go to the Caribbean Sea and the American coast for operations.Germany's current habit is to dive in the water during the day and drive at full speed on the sea surface at night.We hope that the night raids and threats of aircraft will hinder their night-flying activities and force them to be more exposed during the day.Therefore, it is important to make threats day and night, thereby prolonging their range and reducing your combat time.Since the number of submarines coming and going in the patrol area has never been less than six, it is expected to achieve some results of destruction and damage every month. The above-mentioned benefits are even more icing on the cake. 3. In view of the fact that you are still suffering serious losses, and the transport fleet can only partially make up for it after the formation of the transport fleet, the Admiralty is eager to send four bomber squadrons and six more squadrons to the Bay of Biscay to implement this new plan. patrol duties.Since I have these advantages, I request their wishes to be fulfilled with 12 very earnest hearts. 4. On the other hand, the bombing of Germany is very necessary.Our new approach to targeting is paying off.However, our bomber fleet has not expanded as we would have liked.We are deeply disappointed that the wingtips of the Lancaster have structural defects.This put the latest and greatest aircraft of our four squadrons out of service for several months.Just at this time, when the weather is improving, when the Germans are pulling their anti-aircraft guns out of the cities and preparing to attack Russia, when you're expecting us to bomb the submarine lairs, when the oil targets are particularly noticeable, from Bomber Commander I found it difficult to draw the other six squadrons out of the Ministry, especially since Harris had done an excellent job there. At the end of March we had a brilliant and heroic victory at Saint-Nazaire.On the Atlantic coast, this place is the only place where the Tirpitz can be docked for repairs in the event of damage.Destroying this place, which has one of the largest dockyards in the world, would make Tirpitz's breakout from Trondheim into the Atlantic so much more dangerous that it might not be considered worthwhile.Our various commandos are eager to try, and this honorable task is closely linked with smart strategy.An expedition of destroyers and light coast guards, led by Lieutenant Colonel Ryder of the Royal Navy, assisted by Colonel Newman of the Essex Regiment, with 250 commandos, Set out from Falmouth on the afternoon of the 5th.They had to cross four hundred miles of sea under constant enemy patrol, and five miles up the Loire mouth. The purpose of the expedition was to destroy the gates of the Great Sluice.One of the fifty old American destroyers of the USS Campbellton loaded three tons of high explosives on the bow of the ship, and under intensive and powerful artillery fire, it rushed into the lock.Here it was scuttling itself, and the fuses of the ship's main mass destruction bombs were installed and were due to explode in some time.It was Major Beatty who had brought the destroyer here, and Major Copeland jumped ashore with a landing force from the decks to destroy the dock machinery. The enemy intercepted them with overwhelming numbers, and a fierce battle began.All but five of the landing troops were killed or captured.When Lieutenant Colonel Ryder's ship broke out to the sea with his remnant forces, although it was bombarded from all sides, it miraculously rushed to the sea without sinking, and finally returned home safely.However, the Big Bang hasn't happened yet.Something went wrong with the letter tube.It was not until the next day when a large group of German officers and technicians were inspecting the wreck of the HMS Campbellton blocked at the lock gate that the warship exploded with devastating force, killing hundreds of Germans and destroying the The great sluice was destroyed, and it was never repaired during the war.The Germans treated our prisoners well, four of whom were awarded the Victoria Cross, but they severely punished the brave French.On impulse, these Frenchmen rushed from all directions to rescue their hoped-for vanguard of liberation. On April 1, the U.S. Navy was finally able to implement a partial coastal escort system.At first this enabled no more than a few fleets of escorted ships to cover a distance of a hundred and twenty miles between well-guarded anchorages by day, while at night all ships had to be grounded.On any given day, there were more than a hundred and twenty ships plying between Florida and New York to be secured, and the resulting delay became another disaster.It was not until May 14 that a fully organized convoy of convoys sailed from the Hampton Sounds to Key West.From there, the system quickly spread north to New York and Halifax.By the end of May, the chain stretching north along the East Coast from Key West finally took shape.The situation immediately eased, and although the enemy's submarines were trying to avoid being destroyed, the losses of our ships were reduced after all. Admiral Doenitz immediately shifted the focus of his attack to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, where the escort system had not yet been implemented.At this time, the tonnage lost by the oil tankers here suddenly increased.German submarines traveled farther and farther, and began to haunt the coast of Brazil and the St. Lawrence River.It was not until the end of the year that a system of chain convoys covering all these vast areas was fully implemented.But the situation improved only slightly during June, and by the last days of July the terrible havoc of ships along the American coast may be said to have ended.Readers can see from the chart on page 109 of this book that during these seven months, the losses suffered by the Allies in the Atlantic Ocean due to the aggressive actions of submarines amounted to more than three million tons, including one million tons. Eighty-one British ships totaling 1.13 million tons.The convoy lost less than one-tenth of the total loss.Before July the enemy had paid for all this by sinking fourteen submarines all over the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, of which only six were sunk on the surface of North America.After July, we again took the initiative in this area.In July alone we destroyed five U-boats off the Atlantic coast, and six German and three Italian U-boats elsewhere.We were encouraged by the fact that a total of fourteen ships were destroyed during the month, half of which were by escorts.This is an all-time high.Even so, however, the number of new submarines entering the war each month exceeds the number we destroy. Not only that, wherever the Allies began to implement countermeasures, Admiral Dönitz transferred his submarines from there.Now that there is ocean water to move about, he can always find short-term security in the new area until we get there. In May only, a convoy was attacked some seven hundred miles west of Ireland, and seven merchant ships were lost, so that our transatlantic voyage, which enjoyed considerable freedom, was ruined .The submarine then carried out attacks in the Gibraltar area and reappeared near Freetown.Here again Hitler came to our aid by insisting on keeping a fleet of submarines in reserve in order to thwart the Allied attempts to occupy the Azores and Madeira.The reader understands that he is not entirely wrong in this respect, but the submarines alone may not be able to play a decisive role in interfering if we decide to make this move.Admiral Dönitz regretted this new request for his cherished submarine, for at a time when the halcyon days on the American coast were over and he was regrouping for a new attack on the main routes of the convoy. A submarine attack is our greatest disaster.It would be wise for the Germans to be desperate.I remember hearing my father say that in politics, once you get a good idea, stick to it.This is also a strategic principle.Just as Goering repeatedly shifted the targets of his air strikes during the Battle of Britain in 1940, submarine warfare has now subsided somewhat as tantalizing targets have emerged.But submarine warfare is still a terrible thing when things go wrong. The statistical table on the next page should be studied. 在這裡敘述一下別處的事態發展，並略提一提大西洋戰役截至一九四二年年底所取得的進展，還是適當的。 八月間，德國潛艇把它們的注意力轉到特立尼達周圍的地區和巴西的北海岸，在那兒，運輸鐵礬土到美國以供航空工業用的船隻，以及帶著供應品源源開往中東去的船隻，都是最有引誘力的目標。另外還有一些出沒無常的潛艇在弗里敦一帶活動；有些往南一直開到好望角，有幾艘甚至深入到印度洋。南大西洋的情況，一度使我們焦慮不安。九月與十月間，有五艘獨自返航的大郵船在這裡被擊沉了。但是，所有在護航之下開往中東的軍隊運輸艦都平安無事地通過了。 在擊毀的大船中，有幾近兩萬噸的拉科尼亞號，上面載著兩千名意大利戰俘，運往英國去。其中許多人都淹死了。 到這時候，主要的戰鬥又沿著北大西洋上幾條主要的航線發生了。德國潛艇已經受到教訓，重視空軍的力量，它們在新的攻勢中總是在我方以冰島和紐芬蘭為基地的飛機鞭長莫及的中間地帶活動。八月間，有兩支護航運輸船隊受到嚴重的破壞，其中一支運輸船隊損失了十一艘船隻；在這一個月裡，德國潛艇擊沉了一百零八艘船隻，共計五十餘萬噸。九月和十月間，德國人又採用老辦法，在白天進行水下襲擊。由在以上總共三百一十一萬六千七百零三噸的五百六十八艘船隻中，有護航的只佔五十三艘，二十八萬四千噸。 於現在作戰的狼群【１】的數目增多了，又由於我們的實力有限，運輸船隊免不了遭受嚴重的損失。直到現在，我們才痛切地感覺到空軍海防總隊缺乏數量足夠的超遠程飛機。空軍掩護區域離我們海岸的基地仍未超出六百哩以外，而且離紐芬蘭不過四百哩左右。本書所附的大西洋地圖，標明了這些區域，顯示了中間有很大的無防禦的空隙地帶，歷經風險的水面護航艦隻，在那裡就得不到任何空中的援助。 【１】狼群（wolfpacks），指二次大戰時德國潛艇小隊。translator 在一九四二年最初幾個月，我們的空軍海防總隊經歷了一段不幸的時期。遠東和地中海方面紛紛要求增援，大大佔去了飛機和訓練有素的飛行員的力量，而這些力量又要滿足別處的迫切需要，以致逐漸分散。而且，添設新的遠程飛行中隊來擴充空軍海防總隊一事，雖然盼望已久，也被迫暫時停止了。在這樣黯淡的形勢下，我們的空軍人員還是盡了最大的努力。 海軍的護航艦隻，雖然提供了相當的保護來應付潛艇慣使的白天襲擊的伎倆，但是，單靠護航艦隻絕不能達到運輸船隊四周很遠的地方，也不能粉碎在船隊兩側高度集中的攻擊。因此，當狼群進攻時，它們就能夠使用足以衝破防禦力量的數量，發動聯合進攻。我們認識到，補救的辦法是： 不僅要派水面上的護航艦來護衛運輸船隊，而且還要用足夠數量的飛機來掩護，以便發現附近的潛艇時，迫使它們潛入水中，這樣，才能開避一條通道，使運輸船隊可以暢通無阻。 單純防禦措施是不夠的。要戰勝德國潛艇，我們必須海空並進，多方搜尋，一旦發現它們，就當場予以猛烈的打擊。所需的飛機、訓練有素的飛行人員和空中武器，在數量上還不足以產生決定性的影響，不過我們現在已利用水上部隊組成一支支援分遣隊，展開了活動。 這一戰術思想早已有人提出來了，只是缺乏手段。 第一個支援分遣隊只有兩艘海岸炮艦、四艘剛從造船廠出來的新式快速巡洋艦和四艘驅逐艦，它們後來在潛艇戰裡成了一個十分強大的力量。它們配備著訓練有素和經驗豐富的船員以及最新式的武器；它們打算不靠護航艦隊而獨立活動，不受任何其他任務的約束，要在任何受到威脅的地方，進行搜尋潛艇群，追捕它們，予以殲滅。支援分遣隊和飛機的合作是使這些計劃獲得成功的主要因素；在一九四三年，當飛機發現潛艇後，即引導支援分遣隊圍剿獵物，這是已經屢見不鮮的了。而且，追逐一艘潛艇的時候，往往很可能會發現別的潛艇，這樣，找到一個就會找到一群。 與此同時，運輸船隊需要有海上空軍的支援力量，已經得到了密切注意。讀者讀過上一卷書，可以回想起我們第一艘護航航空母艦大膽號在它短促而活躍的經歷中所取得的成就；它已在一九四一年十二月遇難了。到一九四二年底，已有這樣的航空母艦六艘投入戰鬥。後來，除英國建造的幾艘以外，美國還建造了許多艘，英國建造的頭一艘復仇者號曾在九月間隨俄國北部的運輸船隊航行。十月下旬，它們在護送火炬運輸船隊時，打擊潛艇，初顯身手。它們配備了海軍旗魚式飛機以後，更滿足了當時的需要即能不依靠陸上的基地而對深海進行全面的偵察，並同海面護航艦隻密切配合。這樣經過最大的努力，發揮絕頂的機智，我們反潛艇的措施有了顯著的進步；但是敵人的力量也在增長，因此我們還要面臨許多嚴重的挫折。 在一九四二年一月至十月間，可以作戰的德國潛艇數目，除損失不計外，從九十艘增至一百九十六艘，而且，其中約有半數到秋季又在北大西洋活躍起來；我們的運輸船隊在那裡遭到隊伍比從前更大的潛艇的猛烈襲擊。與此同時，由於我們在非洲進行主要的戰鬥，我們的護航艦隻不得不極度削減，盟軍在十一月分的海上損失，在整個戰爭期間要算最慘重的了，單由潛艇造成的損失就包括船隻一百一十七艘，共重七十萬噸以上，由其他原因造成的損失還有十萬噸。 外圍的海面，因空軍不能掩護，情況更是嚴重，因此我要在十一月四日親自召開了一個新成立的反潛艇委員會，專門處理這方面的事宜。這一組織有作出重大而影響深遠決定的權力，在這場戰爭中起了不小的作用。我們為了力圖加長有雷達設備的解放者式飛機的航程，決定把它們從戰鬥中調回，以便暫時作必要的改進。羅斯福總統應我的要求，將所有適用的、裝有最新式雷達的美國飛機全部調到聯合王國來展開活動。這樣一來，我們目前就能在比斯開灣恢復軍事行動，力量更大，設備更好了。這一決定以及在一九四二年十一月所採取的其他措施，將在一九四三年得到收穫。 首相致麥肯齊‧金先生 一九四二年十一月二十三日 一‧我對於運輸船隊最近在橫渡大西洋航線中段遭受的嚴重損失，深感不安。經驗說明，空軍護航隊起了巨大的保護作用，能使潛艇在白天潛入海底，從而極難糾集成群。 二‧在輔助航空母艦還未能出動以前，我們必須依靠以海岸為基地的遠程飛機。所有的輔助航空母艦現在全都用在聯合作戰上，在幾個月以內，無論如何不足以供應所有運輸船隊之用。我們打算加大一些解放者式飛機的油箱容量，使有效航程達到二千三百哩；但是為了使力量達到所有的運輸船隊，這些航程極遠的飛機，既需要從冰島和北愛爾蘭的機場起飛，也需要從大西洋你岸的機場起飛。 三‧因此，也們極希望能利用拉布拉多半島的古斯機場，以便這些遠程飛機進行反潛艇戰，可否請把必要的加油和地勤設備盡早準備一下。我們在甘德還需要同樣的設備，請在當地採取同樣的步驟。不久以後我們還想派空軍海防總隊的一個空軍中隊到這些基地去作戰。與此同時，加拿大飛機只要能擴大航程，支援遭受威脅的運輸船隊，都會對減少損失起莫大的作用。 加拿大人同我們進行了最大的合作，在我們防禦力量的衝擊下，潛艇的攻勢開始減弱，不那麼肆無忌憚了。十月間，共擊毀了潛艇十六艘，成為戰爭期間前所未有的最高的月記錄。但是，在一九四二年年終，約有二十艘的一群潛艇，又在亞速爾群島附近襲擊了一支出航的運輸船隊。三天之內，損失了船隻十五艘，其中有十二艘是英國的。 在一九四三年決戰時，敵軍潛艇雖然實力最強，卻遭受了有效的挑戰和控制；關於這段經過且待下卷說明。 冬季的氣候給我們帶來了喘息的機會。