The Second Happy Time - German U-boats Rampage Only Miles off the US Coast

It was the

second

happy

moment or, more ominously, the American firing season in early 1942 during World War II. The German Navy ushered in a new phase of the Battle of the Atlantic with Operation Pokenschlag, or Drum Access to Forces. Naval forces were given free rein to harass and destroy all Allied vessels military or otherwise along the east

coast

of the United States. German submarines carried out the heaviest lifting, devastating mainly merchant ships early in the campaign. During this operation, the Axis powers sank a total of 3.1 million tons of Allied hardware or 609 ships alone lost 22 submarines. Historians criticized the Allied response to the attacks and historian Michael Gannon described it as the

second

pearl port. of the United States, but many at the

time

did not mention this German attack due to the United States' efforts at the

time

to conceal the truth.

To the public, to avoid widespread panic, German submarines had achieved a devastating series of successes against both the British Royal Navy and Allied shipping since the beginning of the war. The first operations against British ships in 1940 became known as siege iglooket or quotes.

happy

time on a

german

submarine cruiser after the fall of france

german

y allowed its submarine fleet to intercept british shipping lanes in the atlantic until october 1940 during that period the germans sank 282 allied ships totaling 1,489,795 tons in merchant goods Ships that German submarines attacked indiscriminately due to the British ships' lack of radar and sonar equipment and lack of cohesive defensive strategies.

Night surface attacks by submarines were also largely successful once Germany declared war on the United States following the attack on Pearl Harbor, it seems. The United States was in an ideal position to conquer, while the allies had sacrificed and suffered much in manpower, weapons, ships and aircraft. The United States was fully equipped. Military strategists carefully observed the conflicts posed by the Mediterranean and the North Sea. The navy had considerable experience in dealing with us. -Boats Due to the Pan-American security zone in terms of manufacturing capacity, the United States had the most extensive and developed electrical engineering worldwide, perhaps rivaled

only

by Germany, which was an ocean away from submarine bases, He also assisted Vice Admiral Carl Donuts, who supervised.

The German submarines considered the entry of the United States into the war as an opportunity to use their fleet to deal strong blows for Hitler using standard Type 7 submarines. They patrolled the

coast

of North America, however, they did not confront the Germans. They needed to use the larger Type 9 submarines to achieve that objective. These vehicles took longer to submerge or were less maneuverable and were fewer in number in the German arsenal. They were more vulnerable and too valuable to be used, but Admiral General Eric Raider, the commander of The German Navy lifted all previous restrictions on attacks on American shipping by all ships and submarines on December 9, 1941, although skirmishes between the two nations preceded this resolution by months, the move allowed for an official escalation by Hitler himself gave the order to assault American ships on December 12, 1941.

The second happy moment would last from January 1942 to August of that same year, for Admiral Donuts frustration. Submarines were

only

available on a limited basis once Germany and Britain began fighting. the germans only had 57 of which 46 were operational the third reich industry was mainly focused on the armed forces and land and air forces the creeks navy only received about two submarines a month the shortage was not the only problem that the submarines had There were ongoing mechanical problems and somewhat unreliable torpedoes, but efforts against British ships in the 1940s were a success. Admiral Dona estimated that 300 submarines were needed to isolate the British Isles from outside resources before the United States joined the war.

He hoped to achieve that goal by increasing production to 20 submarines per month beginning in December 1941. Once the United States joined the war, Modernity hoped to strike preemptively, thus deterring the United States from sending troops, although its ambitious goal did not was achieved. Submarines did provide significant disruption to transatlantic shipping. sink several supply ships essential to Allied success the Germans wanted to attack aircraft near the US coast to demoralize American forces dona himself gave the operation the name palkenschlach or drumbeat when hitler approved the attack The Arroyo Navy had 91 operational units, ships, 23 of which were stationed in the Mediterranean Sea with three more layers behind, six additional submarines were west of Gibraltar and four near Iceland, 33 of the 55 were undergoing repair or routine maintenance, the rest. were refitted in the middle of the patrol or returned to the homeland donuts requested 12 type 9b and 9c submarines, mostly longer range.

The German high command can only spare six. Soon the sailors would be nicknamed Vice Admiral of the Karl Dynasty or the Lion due to the severe expectations he had for his men to ensure standardization. Leading through fear however, he paid special attention to his men, if they had sufficient rations and the best access to medical facilities, they were as prepared as possible in return, his men were fiercely loyal and eager to please the captain. Lieutenant Reinhard Hardigan played an important role in the battles to come naval pilot until an accident in the 1930s left him with a shortened right leg, damaged stomach lining and diphtheria.

Hardigan continued his service by transferring from one post to another before his medical records were released, but his medical records eventually caught up with him by sharing his situation with a donut lieutenant. Hardigan said he wanted to return to sea missions. Donuts was so impressed by his determination. and ambition that sent him to the United States in the U-123. In addition, Admiral Donuts became part of the Hardigan group along with Richard Zapp of the U-66 and Ernest. The colts of U-130 approached the American coast and met with a memory group that included two submarines. The five submarines were the least devastating blows that sent terror throughout the east coast of the United States.

Still, the American public ignored the operation and was still obsessed with Japan. and they deliberately stayed out of it in the same way the german people ignored the operation they were concentrated in russia yet the second happy moment would leave its dark mark on the second world war the attacks proceeded quite quickly ernst khalsa's u-130 shot down the steamer Norwegian Frisco in the Gulf of San Lorenzo on January 13 followed by a Panamanian cargo ship eight hours later the next day Hartigan's U-123 shot down a Norwegian ship the Nordness off Long Island Watch Officer Horst von Schroeder recalled After patrolling around New York Harbor, we could see the cars driving along the coast road, we could even smell the forest.

Hardigan was not impressed by the lack of American preparation. Frankly, German forces met little resistance with impunity. The submarines attacked targets. Likewise, coastal defenses seemed nonexistent. The attacks were carried out even in broad daylight. The first five type nine submarines in the first wave of the attack actually had a happy time eliminating merchant ships. The first ship sank 23 ships or 150,000 tons. In total, Hardigan sank seven ships totaling 46,744 tons. She stopped only when she ran out of Ernst Kaul's torpedoes sank six ships totaling 36,188 tons, while Zap's submarine sank five ships totaling 33,456 tons. Only one submarine commanded by Ulrich Volkers was disappointed by hitting only one ship and was criticized by Vice Admiral Carl Donuts Fulcrum, yet he received the same honors as his fellow commanders of the second happy time, Admiral Dearness, made sure that all commanders received the knight's cross, commenting on the leader, quoting the drummer, Hardigan, bravo, you played the drum well, the admiral addressed everyone saying that they had had so many opportunities to attack. that there was no way I could use them all there were times when there were up to 10 ships in sight sailing with all lights on on peacetime courses just as the Germans hoped the American coast would be a happy hunting ground the second wave of the happy second The weather sent Type 9 submarines back to US waters while a third wave established a patrol area near oil platforms in the Caribbean.

Shorter-range Type 7 submarines flocked to the east coast, which required stocking up on supplies and filling freshwater tanks with diesel, plus the submarines had to travel at low speeds on a single engine to cross the ocean. In the United States there was no concrete plan to deal with the attacks, as Admiral King was almost exclusively focused on fighting the Japanese in the Pacific, meanwhile, Adm. Andrews was placed in charge of the newly named Eastern Maritime Frontier, needing most of the ships and aircraft that were otherwise committed and under the control of Admiral Royal and Ingersoll, Commander of the Atlantic Fleet, Super Progress Reports of the submarine tracking room in england were basically ignored by decision makers during the first happy era britain gained experience even if it suffered deep losses the english concluded that sailing with convoys independently was safer than traveling with an escort the government The British advised traders to avoid typical routes and requested the removal of navigation markers such as lighthouses.

Additionally, all available warships and aircraft patrolled the coast to limit submarine movements. They suggested the United States do the same for months. None of these suggestions were followed up, ultimately resulting in expected losses. Coastal blackouts did not begin until December 18, 1941. That did not deter most tourist ports from relenting. The British issued a strict warning to Admiral Andrews on January 12, 1942. Three or four submarines were arriving. He ignored the advice stating that imposing a convoy would only create more targets for the Germans. However, the United States needed to form an immediate response. However, the navy lacked anti-submarine vessels.

Roosevelt's loan of destroyers to the United Kingdom during World War I in exchange for military bases abroad had significantly reduced the navy's arsenals. Insufficient firepower meant a lack of defense. Against surface attacks, the destroyers of the 25 belonging to the Atlantic Convoy Escort Command still remained inactive. They were all deployed to the East Coast once a submarine sank in northern Norway near Long Island on January 14. Battleships were sent to investigate the next day. A submarine sank the British tanker Coinbra near Sandy Hook, Connecticut. 13 destroyers left for New York as the submarines hungrily watched as they attacked. Citizens who witnessed the sinking of the ships were silenced to avoid widespread public alarm.

The United States treated the sinkings in secrecy and grandiose propaganda. The US Navy publicly announced that submarines approaching the American coast would never return to German waters, however, no follow-up information came out about the sunken submarines, presumably with the pretext of reducing the information available to the enemy.