Black May (1943)
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‘Black May’ refers to a period (May 1943) in the Battle of the Atlantic campaign during World War II, when the German U-boat arm (U-Bootwaffe) suffered high casualties with fewer Allied ships sunk; it is considered a turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic.
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[edit] Allied success
May 1943 saw the U-boat strength reach its peak, with 240 operational U-boats of which 118 were at sea[1], yet the sinking of allied ships continued to decline. May 1943 also saw the greatest losses suffered by U-boats up to that time, with 41 being destroyed in May 1943 — 25% of the operational U-boats[2]. This change was the result of a combination of the sheer numbers of allied ships at sea, allied air power at sea, and technological developments in anti-submarine warfare. On 24 May 1943 Karl Dönitz, shocked at the defeat suffered by the U-boats, ordered a temporary halt to the U-boat campaign; most were withdrawn from operational service.
[edit] German response
The Germans tried to turn the campaign in the Atlantic back in their favour by introducing tactical and technological changes. The first tactical change saw U-boats starting operations in new waters, such as the Indian Ocean, in the hope that their targets would be less defended. Although the U-boats found fewer escort ships, there were also fewer merchant ships to sink.
The first technological change was to fit U-boats with a heavy armament of anti-aircraft guns in the hope of fighting off allied aircraft. When U-333 came under attack from an aircraft in March 1943, rather than diving, she stayed on the surface and shot down the attacking aircraft. It was hoped that this success could be repeated if U-boats were given greater anti-aircraft defenses. Several U-boats converted to flak U-boats (such as U-441), but proved unsuccessful; few aircraft were shot down, and several U-boats were lost on the surface due to aircraft. Furthermore, the extra anti-aircraft guns caused drag when the U-boat was submerged and the U-boats still proved to be vulnerable on the surface. The U-333 incident had proved to be the exception rather than the rule; the best defence for U-boats against aircraft was to dive if attacked.
In mid-1943, two new technologies were introduced to the U-boats: the Wanze warning device and T5 Zaunkönig torpedoes. The Wanze warning device was designed to give U-boats advanced warning of aircraft in the hope U-boats could dive before the aircraft started its attack run. The T5 Zaunkönig torpedoes were designed to zigzag in the hope that they would have a better chance of finding a target within a convoy.
The first Schnorkel fitted U-boats, which went into service in August 1943, utilized the Schnorkel extendable breathing tube which allowed the U-boat's diesel engines to run submerged for longer periods. However, the Schnorkel suffered from technical problems and did not see wide use until mid-1944.
None of the new tactics or technologies could reverse the tide of war for the U-boat arm and heavy losses of U-boats continued. After May 1943, the rate of loss of U-boats was greater than the rate at which new U-boats were commissioned, and the number of operational U-boats slowly declined.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Miller, David. U-Boats: the Illustrated History of the Raiders of the Deep. Washington: Brassey’s Inc, 2000.
- Stern, Robert C. U-Boats in action. Squadron/Signal pub., 1977.
