STALKING THE U-BOAT (Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight Series)

Stalking the U-Boat recounts the vital but untold story of the U.S. Army Air Forces' antisubmarine operations against German U-boats during the crisis of the Battle of the Atlantic in late 1942 and 1943. During this period, the 479th and 480th USAAF Antisubmarine Groups, deployed to England and North Africa, worked with the Royal Air Force to stop German Admiral Doenitz's raiders before they could prey on Allied commerce and supply routes in the shipping corridors of the North Atlantic. Although the Americans scored some notable successes against U-boats, the Luftwaffe would become by mid-1943 a major enemy contesting the air over the Bay of Biscay and off the coast of Portugal. By the end of 1943, the U.S. Navy assumed sole American responsibility for antisubmarine warfare, but not before USAAF planes and men had made a distinctive contribution to the battle at sea. Booknews Recounts the US Army Air Force offensive against German submarines in the Atlantic during late 1942 and 1943, describing both the overall strategy of actively seeking targets along heavily travelled routes, and the routes themselves. Also traces the development of antisubmarine technology and the grumbling of the crews stationed in England and North Africa that they were doing the Navy's job. It was in fact turned over to the Navy in 1943 when German planes moved in to contest the territory.