Explain How Significant Was The Sea Power In The Battle Of The Atlantic

The bloodiest war mankind had ever seen, World War Two resulted in the defeat of the Axis powers,
Germany, Japan and Italy, by the Allied forces, including Britain, USA and the Soviet Union. A nations sea power can be defined as the naval strength of a country, especially as a weapon of war.
The question is how significant was the sea power in relation to the outcome of this war? The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous campaign in the whole duration of WWII, lasting from the beginning in 1939 until the end in 1945. As an island Britain required food and supplies to be shipped into the country. Receiving a great deal of raw materials from the U.S, the supplies were safe whilst in American waters and close to the British coast
In 1939, 222 ships were sunk while in 1941 the numbers went up to 1328, clearly presenting the impact of German control of the coast . With the U.S joining the war, it was 2 made easier for the Germans to endanger the supply line as now there was no need to avoid US supply convoys. According to Beevor (282), Britain would be faced with starvation and would breakdown if the Battle of the Atlantic were lost.
In the Pacific the war began with the Japanese bombing of the U.S naval base Pearl Harbor. The
Japanese, having caught the U.S by surprise, achieved multiple victories reaching all the way to
Burma . However, the turning point in the Pacific theatre of the war was in June 1942 with the 3
Battle of Midway, a decisive victory which put Japan on the defensive. Beevor (307), states that with the progression of the war the US submarines destroyed 55 percent of all Japanese vessels sunk, which had a very destructive result on naval and land forces who became short on fuel and supplies. This was the general case with the war at sea as it expanded the battle area and allowed the destruction of equipment and supplies even before entering a ‘traditional battlefield’. According
The invasion of Sicily led to the gradual capture of Italy, which also relieved pressure from the Eastern front. The greatest seaborne invasion of the war was the invasion of Normandy, known as D-Day, which allowed the allied forces to move into northern France and “begin the long struggle to invade Germany” . Even Beevor (523) 5 6 remarks that had not D-Day succeeded the map of post-war Europe would have been very different.
Seaborne invasions required efficient co-operation between forces, logistical organization and control of the air and the seas. Wells (112) states, that had the German navy been stronger or the
Japanese naval resources superior to the U.S, these operations would not have been possible.
According to Walter Mills , sea power is a immense military asset as a “great highway of both 7 aggression and defence” and a base for weapons and aircraft. Air power or control of the airspace was a critical factor in the outcome of the war, however it could not deliver victory for the allies by itself but tactical air support was powerful in weakening war production and resistance. The 8 aircraft carriers were significant in supporting important aerial campaigns, especially when