Donald F. Blake
(English, 1908-1997)

The Battle of the Atlantic, 1944

Offset lithograph
760 x 506 mm
1944 Marks a Triumph in the Battlen of the Atlantic

In the early stages of the war Hitler hoped to starve Britain of food and raw materials by hunting down her merchant shipping with his U-boat packs. Just how those hopes have been dashed was revealed early in 1944, when Britain's First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. A. V. Alexander, stated in the House of Commons that there had been periods when more U-boats had been sunk than merchant ships. He added: "The reduction is further exemplified by the falling proportion of ships lost in main North Atlantic and United Kingdom coastal convoys. In 1941, one ship was lost out of every 181 which sailed; in 1942, one out of every 233; in 1943, one out of every 344. The losses in these convoys during the second half of last year were less than 1,000." This remarkable record has been achieved by the unceasing watchfulness of R.A.F. Coastal Command, which sank more U-boats in 1943 than in all the other years of the war put together; by the growing number of escort vessels safeguarding convoys, and by the pounding of U-boat bases and factories by the Allied Air Forces.
University of Minnesota Library, msp03259