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How did the Allies counter threats posed by German U boats?
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The Allies countered the threat of German U-boats by improving convoy tactics, using larger convoys with stronger escorts, and developing specialized naval ships like corvettes and frigates for anti-submarine warfare. Aircraft equipped with radar, such as the PBY and Ventura, were used for patrols and nighttime attacks. Depth charges were deployed against submerged U-boats. Additionally, breaking the Enigma codes allowed the Allies to anticipate and thwart German submarine operations effectively.
German submarines definitely did a lot of damage against the Allies, but as the war progressed, the Allies got better and better at avoiding and/or hunting and destroying German submarines. Convoy travelling was definitely a tactic that was used throughout the war, but convoy structuring improved. Operational research showed that the size of the convoy was generally irrelevant. What became important was the size of the escort force. The Allies used this knowledge and began sending larger convoys at less frequent intervals. This allowed the escorts to offer better protection. Ship construction changed as well. Smaller and faster naval ships were designed with the specific intent of seeking out and hunting down submarines. These ships were corvettes and frigates and were often called "submarine chasers" and even incorporated into "hunter-killer" groups whose main mission was the hunt for submarines. Aircraft like the PBY and the Ventura were used as advanced...
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patrol planes, and they were equipped with radar that allowed them to locate surfaced U-boats. These aircraft became quite adept at attacking U-boats at night. Depth charges were used to attack submerged U-boats. Finally, the Allies were able to keep it a secret that they had broken the Enigma codes used by the German submarines.
There were a few actions the Allies did to counter the threat of German submarines in World War I and in World War II. In World War I, we told the Germans that if they continued to sink our ships, which violated our rights as a neutral nation, that we would go to war against Germany. For a period of time, this worked as Germany agreed to stop sinking our ships. However, in 1917, Germany resumed sinking our ships, leading the United States to join World War I on the side of the Allies.
In both World War I and World War II, we used the convoy system to protect our merchant marine. Our navy accompanied our merchant and troop transport ships across the ocean. By the time World War II came, we were using new technology to deal with the threat of Germany submarines. Radar and sonar were used to locate the ships, and depth charges were used to disrupt the operation of the submarines. These tactics and the new forms of technology helped us deal with the threat of the German submarines.