Strategic Implications of the Battle of the Atlantic

The battle of the Atlantic is perhaps the most pivotal battle of the Second World War. In it, Germanys use of asymmetric warfare, mines and submarines, once again threatened Britains economic survival. Although Hitler correctly identified Britains economy as its center of gravity and had success in attacking it through 1943, he failed to demonstrate the strategic vision necessary to achieve a decisive victory in the Atlantic. Hitler failed because he did not grasp the impact that submarine warfare had in WWII, he wanted a quick, decisive victory like Poland, and he underestimated both the will of the British leadership and the industrial capacity of the United States. Allied success in this campaign enabled the successful prosecution of the war on the European continent through the sallyport of England. From an Allied perspective the Atlantic became the proving ground for the advancement of the carrier-based navy and emerging technology, gave Roosevelt a means with which to invigorate an isolationist society, and gave Britain the time she needed to develop and improve measures to fight the asymmetric threat confronting them. This study looks at the battle of the Atlantic in closer detail while examining Hitlers overarching strategic objectives and those in this decisive theater in an attempt to explain why Hitler allowed it to simply run its course.