Convoy to North Africa
The convoy route was from New York to Casablanca. They took about 17 days to make the voyage across the Atlantic. These convoys were typically 20 ships with 12 escorts. They were very heavily guarded, more so than most Atlantic convoys, due to the strategic value of the North Africa campaign. In these convoys were the men, equipment and supplies needed to for their mission. Equipment included the tanks that were needed to fight Rommel’s forces.
There were three main American convey efforts for this invasion: for Operation Torch, the Western Task Force, and the Tunisia Campaign. All of these arrived intact, with no lost ships. It was with this third set of convoys in which Carol Johnson arrived in North Africa. The later convoys were routed directly from New York to Gibraltar, after French North Africa was secured by the Allies.
The Submarine War
The submarine war of WW2 is a story that is largely untold (as compared to D-Day), and was a vital success for the USA and our allies. This is known as The Battle of the Atlantic, and was the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, running from 1939 to the defeat of Germany in 1945.
The Battle of the Atlantic pitted U-boats and other warships of the Kriegsmarine (German navy) and aircraft of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) against the Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Navy, and Allied forces, and later, the US Navy and Air Force, and allied merchant shipping.
With Europe mainly under Hitler’s control, Allied success in WW2 depended on the ability to move great numbers of men, and enormous amounts of war machines, armaments, and supplies from the USA to Europe and North Africa. In addition, Britain required more than a million tons of imported material per week in order to be able to survive and fight. So WW2 can be looked on as a “logistics war” in which the victor will be the side that best supplies its war machine and allies, and both sides knew this.
As with all the other elements of WW2, the submarine war started off badly for the USA and England. German submarines were at sea, and started attacks within a few hours of the beginning of the war against England and France. After many losses, England started using convoys with escorts ships. Germany countered with “Wolf Packs” which could attack the escorts and then the convoy. New tactics and equipment would continue to be developed and deployed throughout the war.
German U-boats caused enormous damage to naval shipping in WWI, and in the early years of WW2. During WW2, German submarines sunk more than 6,000 Allied vessels.
In 1941 and 1942 Germany was having particular success in the area off the eastern coast of the USA, through which our ships had to navigate, and which were out of range of the protecting US aircraft. By the time of this convoy, in early 1943, real progress had been made though.
The convoy system greatly reduced losses to these U-boats. Once put in place, the submarine kills were mainly unaccompanied ships. These loses must have worried those on board theseconvoys, like the young Carol Johnson.
The loss of ships in the first years of WW2 was outstripped by the ship building in the USA, once the USA was really mobilized after the attack n Pearl harbor and subsequent declaration of war.
Anti-submarine efforts improved as the war drew on. Convoys with escort ships and radio silence made shipping safer. Then in 1943, improved airborne radar made a big difference. You can see the effects of the improved radar in the chart below. Starting in 1943 German loses of their U-Boats increase significantly. This turned the tide in the Battle of the Atlantic.
Boarding ships to North Africa
On the way from the USA to North Africa
Using semaphore flags to prevent German submarines from locating the convoy
Bunks onboard a US Army troop transport, home for 2 1/2 weeks.
GIs gazing at a nearby ship,
“The nurses were on a ship by themselves but a guy could dream, anyway.”