The United States Army Antisubmarine Command and the Battle of the Atlantic
Bartee, Seth J.
Southern New Hampshire University
2019
112
A.M.
Southern New Hampshire University
2019
The Army Antisubmarine Command has been overlooked and understudied in the larger historiography of World War II. The Army Antisubmarine Command demonstrated the importance of airpower and airpower doctrine in relation to antisubmarine warfare, created numerous political debates, and a military doctrinal gap between the United States Army and Navy. The offensive military strategy of the Army Antisubmarine Command was key to the Allied victory in the Atlantic, signified the global impact of the Battle of the Atlantic to other Allied military operations in Europe and the Pacific, and created a tipping point against the German U-boats, ultimately leading to a turning point and Allied victory in World War II. The offensive strategy of the Army and the defensive strategy of the Navy created a political and military debate that overshadowed the Army Antisubmarine Command for its entire operational history and significantly impacted the Allied perception and military strategy against the German U-boats operating in the Atlantic. The significant role and contribution of the Army Antisubmarine Command to the Allied victory during the Battle of the Atlantic and World War II becomes apparent using a variety of primary sources, such as, the Army Antisubmarine Command unit history, Allied and German combat narratives, attack reports, and after action reports, along with secondary sources that discuss the current historiography on the Battle of the Atlantic. The success of the Army Antisubmarine Command cannot be measured in the number of German U-boats sunk, but the impact offensive antisubmarine operations had on the German U-boat tactics and military strategy. Until topics, like the Army Antisubmarine Command, are acknowledged and studied the significant impact of World War II cannot be completely understood.