Midday Monday: Submarines at War - the Battle of the Atlantic

The struggle between German submarines, or “U-boats,” and the British Royal Navy (and later the US Navy) for control of the sea lanes of the Atlantic lasted literally every day of World War II. For Great Britain, cutting off imports, especially from the United States, would have been tantamount to losing the War. But, did the German Kriegsmarine’ submarines have any real chance of winning the war for Nazi Germany? What did it take for the Allies to defeat the undersea menace? This presentation will cover the key elements of the campaign for control of the Atlantic and will illustrate why, for British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, the Uboat peril was the only thing that really frightened him during the war.

Greig Siedor is a retired environmental lawyer with a lifelong interest in World War II.  He has made presentations on various aspects of the War for the Taconic Learning Center in NW Connecticut, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute in western Massachusetts and Sugar Grove IL, the Geneva (IL) Public Library, as well as adult education programs for the College of DuPage.