The Patuxent River Naval Air Museum Association requested the Southern Maryland Scale Modelers build a number of ship and aircraft models for display to help tell the story of Naval Aviation as part of the World War II Battle of the Atlantic.
Background
The Battle of the Atlantic raged for the entire period of the war in Europe – September 1939 until May 1945. Initially the German strategy was one of commerce raiding using her modern fleet of battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, a strategy that lasted until May 1941 with the sinking of the Bismarck west of the Bay of Biscay. Due to the significant loss of prestige that accompanied the Bismarck sinking, Germany shifted its focus to submarine warfare against England’s lifelines for the remainder of the war.
Initially 30 operational U-Boats operated alone, but as the force grew they worked as teams, or packs, in concert with Luftwaffe Fw-200 Condor aircraft in a surveillance mode that transmitted the location of merchants in the Eastern Atlantic. The only real counter to this airborne threat was a ship-based fighter; the UK first added catapults to merchants that sent Hurricane fighters up to meet the Fw-200, the pilots ditching alongside when the sortie was completed. This was rather successful, with 7 aircraft shot down to the loss of only one pilot. Eventually the UK realized they needed a carrier as escort, so converted a merchant by adding a flight deck and half a dozen Sea Hurricanes. This effectively was the prototype of the US Bogue class of Escort Carriers (CVE) which were also based on merchant hulls.England and the British Commonwealth bore the brunt of the battle until 1942 when the US entered the war and was able to bolster the British fleet with additional escorts and aircraft. England agreed to conduct the battle east of the 40 degrees W longitude whereas the US agreed to take the seas west of 40 degrees. The two countries did not however agree on tactics: the UK wanted to continue a defensive battle, providing escorts to ever increasing convoys to the UK and to Russia; the US wanted to take the battle directly to the U-Boats using hunter-killer groups consisting of ships and aircraft.
Ultimately the two countries agreed to a combined strategy with the US providing additional Escort Carriers (CVE) and aircraft via lend-lease to the UK while the US created hunter-killer groups centered on Escort Carriers (CVE) of the Bogue and later classes. The CVE carried TBM-3 Avengers (hunters/killers) and FM-1/2 Wildcats (killers) to find the U-Boats before they became a threat to commerce. Ultimately both strategies worked in concert to effectively eliminate the U-Boat as a real threat by late 1944.
The Story
To effectively tell the story of the Battle of the Atlantic, the Southern Maryland Scale Modelers have chosen three (3) vignettes that will depict the main elements of the battle:
- Commerce raiders from 1939 to 1941 as depicted by the Battle of the Denmark Straight (May 1941).
- This is the battle between the KM BISMARCK & KM PRINZ EUGEN and the HMS HOOD & HMS PRINCE OF WALES. It followed the breakout of BISMARCK from Norway in May 1941 on her maiden cruise to raid commerce as had earlier German capital ships such as KM ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE (sunk at River Plate), and KM GNEISENAU.
- The battle occurred West of Iceland, between Iceland and Greenland. HOOD was sunk quickly with the loss of all but 3 lives, PRINCE OF WALES was damaged as well as BISMARCK, however BISMARCK retired after HOOD sank because her mission was raiding commerce, not fighting the British Fleet.
- History tells us that ultimately, BISMARCK eluded the British for a few days until spotted by a US built Catalina flying boat. Attacks from Swordfish embarked on HMS VICTORIOUS and HMS ARK ROYAL eventually damaged BISMARCK sufficiently for the British battleships to close on her and destroy her with naval gunfire. The crew of BISMARCK scuttled the ship so as to ensure the British would not capture her, although it was the British intent to sink her at that time. Most of the BISMARCK crew was lost.
- This was the last major sortie of a German capital ship into the Atlantic on a commerce raiding mission. Germany threatened commerce raiding for the remainder of the war (KM TIRPITZ), effectively tying up the British Home Fleet.
- Convoy escorts of US Lend-Lease materiel as depicted by the battle surrounding Convoy PQ18 from Scotland to Russia, near Norway (September 1942)
- This battle was a turning point for the Allies in the Battle of the Atlantic as it marked the first use of Escort Carriers (CVE) to protect the convoy against a concerted effort by the German U-Boat and Luftwaffe forces to destroy the convoy.
- PQ18 had 1 CVE, 1 cruiser, 19 destroyers, 2 anti-aircraft destroyers, 4 corvettes escorting 40 merchants from Scotland to Arkhangelsk, supported by 9 US built Catalinas, 32 Hampdens and 3 PR Spitfires. The Germans had 12 U-boats, battleship SCHEER, cruisers HIPPER and KOLN with 4 destroyers supported by 42 He-111 torpedo bombers and 35 Ju-88 dive bombers from bases in Norway.
- While many of the merchant ships were sunk, so too were U-Boats sunk, and ultimately the Allied convoy tactic was proven as losses declined with each subsequent convoy.
- Hunter-Killer Group as depcted by the capture of U-505 by US Task Group 22.3 on 4 June 1944.
- This represents the pinnacle of the Hunter-Killer tactic when TG 22.3, consisting of the USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60), supported by 5 destroyer escorts found and attacked U-505 in the South Atlantic.
- U-505 was “booby trapped” to be scuttled by her crew, but the US boarding party was able to defuse the charges before they blew. The officer-in-charge of the boarding party was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism.
- U-505 exists today, preserved in a museum in Chicago.
Sources: Various books and the Internet.
The Display
Each vignette will be in constant 1/700 scale. The base of the display will be a 4 foot by 8 foot board with blue ocean painted and land masses added to depict the edges of the North Atlantic from just north of Norway to just south of the Equator.
Of necessity, no more than about 20 ships will be displayed due to space limitations.
Vignette 1: – Battle of the Denmark Straight, May 1941
- KM Bismarck
- KM Prinz Eugen
- HMS Hood
- HMS Prince of Wales
- Catalina aircraft from Iceland on search patrol
Note: All other ships and aircraft in vicinity did not engage.
Vignette 2: Depicting PQ18 near Norway during September 1942
- HMS Avenger with Sea Hurricanes & Swordfish (note, Avenger is somewhat similar to Bogue class)
- 6 Merchant Vessels
- 3 Destroyers – UK E & O classes
- 2 Type VII U-Boats
- German Luftwaffe Fw200 and Ju88 aircraft on either patrol or attack
- UK Coastal Command Halifax, Fortress and Catalina aircraft from UK on search patrol
Note: PQ18 had 1 CVE, 1 cruiser, 19 destroyers, 2 AA destroyers, 4 corvettes escorting 40 merchants from Scotland to Arkhangelsk, supported by 9 Catalinas, 32 Hampdons and 3 PR Spitfires. The Germans had 12 U-boats, battleship Scheer, cruisers Hipper and Koln with 4 destroyers supported by 42 He-111 torpedo bombers and 35 Ju-88 dive bombers.
Vignette 3: Depicting capture of U-505 by TG 22.3 on 4 June 1944
- USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60) with US Wildcats & Avengers (note, Casablanca class is very similar to Bogue class)
- 2 Destroyers – US Edsall class
- U-505 Type IX class
Note: Chatalein (DE-149), Pillsbury (DE-133), Pope (DE-134), Flaherty (DE-135), and Jenks (DE-665) were also part of TG 22.3
Separate 1/72 Scale Aircraft Display
The display is limited to a 2 ½ by 5 foot size.
FAA Sea Hurricane IIFAA Swordfish I
FAA Walrus ASR
FM-1 Wildcat/Martlet (either USN or FAA)
USN TBM-3 Avenger
Coastal Command Catalina
Coastal Command Halifax GR II
Luftwaffe Fw200 Condor
FM-1 Wildcat/Martlet (either USN or FAA)
USN TBM-3 Avenger
Coastal Command Catalina
Coastal Command Halifax GR II
Luftwaffe Fw200 Condor
Note: More aircraft if space permits