Notice: Ads help support our website operation, if you would like to turn them OFF for this visit;
Following the Pearl Harbor attack, the United States Army Air Forces (AAF) took on the critical task of aerial antisubmarine warfare, conducting extensive patrols over U.S. coastal waters, the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, and the Panama Canal approaches. This largely forgotten campaign represents one of the most significant contributions of the U.S. Army to winning the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II.
The Second Happy Time, officially known as Operation Paukenschlag (Operation Drumbeat), launched on January 12, 1942, when Admiral Karl Dönitz deployed German U-boats to attack merchant shipping along the American East Coast. By January 1942, the U-boat Force had grown from 57 to 248 submarines and had already sunk 1,124 Allied ships totaling 5.27 million gross registered tons.
Key Statistics of the U-Boat Threat:
America's Vulnerable Coastline
When Hitler declared war on the United States in December 1941, American coastal defenses were poorly prepared for submarine warfare, with vintage gunboats dating back to 1905, some 1919 patrol boats, four converted yachts, and seven Coast Guard cutters comprising the Eastern Sea Frontier defense.
"The crew of that plane had been as inexperienced at interpreting the results of attacks as they were at launching them." - Commentary on early U.S. Army Air Forces antisubmarine efforts
The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was formed on October 15, 1942, under the leadership of Brigadier General Westside T. Larson, establishing a single command to control all antisubmarine warfare activities of the Army Air Forces. The command was formed from the resources of I Bomber Command, which had been carrying out the antisubmarine mission in the Atlantic and Caribbean since the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
AAFAC Organizational Timeline:
By November 20, 1942, the AAFAC had organized its inherited squadrons into the 25th and 26th Antisubmarine Wings, with headquarters in New York and Miami respectively, controlling approximately 40 percent of AAFAC squadrons.
Major AAFAC Units:
The VLR (Very Long Range) Liberators sacrificed armor and gun turrets to save weight while carrying extra aviation gasoline in bomb-bay tanks, and were equipped with ASV Mk. II radar which, together with the Leigh light, gave them the ability to hunt U-boats by day and night.
B-24 Antisubmarine Specifications:
Force Expansion and Equipment
By January 1943, AAFAC consisted of 19 squadrons operating 209 planes, of which only 20 were B-24s. The command grew rapidly until September 1943, when there were 25 antisubmarine squadrons, most equipped with specially modified B-24s.
AAFAC Aircraft Inventory by September 1943:
Atlantic and Caribbean Operations
In the American Theater, USAAF aircraft flew over 135,000 operational combat hours on antisubmarine patrols and participated in 96 attacks on German submarines between December 7, 1941, and August 24, 1943.
Primary Operating Areas:
In November 1942, two AAFAC squadrons flying radar-equipped B-24s moved to England, with six squadrons eventually serving in the eastern Atlantic areas, specifically the Bay of Biscay and Morocco.
European Bases:
Commanding General of AAFAC, Larson advocated for the command to be considered the "strategic" antisubmarine air force, deployed as a long-range, mobile striking force. He was photographed commending Captain Jack H. Shaw, navigator of B-24D "Tidewater Tillie," after successfully sinking a German U-boat in the Bay of Biscay.
Key Squadron Commanders
Major AAFAC Squadron Leaders:
Primary Weapons Systems:
Early in the war, the USAAF primarily used aerial patrol to restrict and hamper enemy operations, requiring precise navigation, reliable communications, and accurate identification of surface craft to avoid attacks on friendly vessels.
Combat Tactics:
Primary German Submarines:
Key U-Boat Aces:
U-Boat Armament:
During the first half of 1942, more than 360 merchant ships and tankers totaling about 2,250,000 gross tons went to the bottom in coastal waters from Canada to the Caribbean.
Significant Attacks:
Of the twenty-three U-boats operating in the Gulf, only one was lost - the U-166, which remained a mystery for fifty-nine years until confirmed sunk by PC-566 on July 30, 1942.
The extension of AAFAC operations beyond the western Atlantic was dictated by fundamental changes in German strategy, as U-boats concentrated forces in Atlantic convoy lanes by fall 1942.
The AAFAC faced significant inter-service rivalry with the U.S. Navy concerning operational control, with the Navy treating Army units as temporary additions operating "in lieu of" Navy squadrons.
Transfer to Naval Control
On July 9, 1943, following a compromise by General Arnold and Admiral McCain, the AAF and Navy agreed that AAFAC would gradually withdraw from antisubmarine operations, transferring 77 B-24 Liberators to the Navy by October 6, 1943.
AAFAC Combat Record:
Strategic Significance
The U-boat threat was successfully contained by mid-1943, with the establishment of the convoy system and improved antisubmarine measures leading to dramatically reduced shipping losses.
The U.S. Army's Antisubmarine Campaign from December 7, 1941, to September 2, 1945, represents a crucial but often overlooked chapter in World War II history. Through the dedication of the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command and its personnel, America successfully defended its coastlines and shipping lanes against the German U-boat threat. The campaign demonstrated the importance of inter-service cooperation, technological innovation, and the decisive role of air power in naval warfare.
The legacy of this campaign continues to influence modern antisubmarine warfare doctrine and serves as a testament to the courage and skill of the airmen who flew long, dangerous patrols over the Atlantic to protect the lifelines that sustained the Allied war effort.
