All Battles

Operation second happy time

1942 US-Ostküste

Allied tanker Dixie Arrow torpedoed in Atlantic Ocean by German submarine. Ship crumbling amidship under heat of fire, settles toward bottom of ocean, 1942.

Allied tanker Dixie Arrow torpedoed in Atlantic Ocean by German submarine. Ship crumbling amidship under heat of fire, settles toward bottom of ocean, 1942.

Author: Unknown authorUnknown author U.S. Navy (photo 80-G-43376)License:PD
Source

Historical Overview

The Second Happy Time was a phase in the Battle of the Atlantic during which Axis submarines attacked merchant shipping and Allied naval vessels along the east coast of North America. The First Happy Time was in 1940–41 in the North Atlantic and North Sea. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini declared war on the United States on 11 December 1941, and as a result their navies could begin the Second Happy Time.

Quick Facts

Outcome:German victory.

Kriegsmarine

  • Commander: Karl Dönitz
  • Strength: ca. 12 U-Boote
  • Casualties: 0

US Navy / Merchant

  • Commander: -
  • Strength: -
  • Casualties: ca. 400 Schiffe

Strategic Context

Exploiting lack of US preparation after entering the war.

Read more on Wikipedia

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