Outcomes
The Germans failed to stop the flow of strategic supplies to Britain. This failure resulted in the build-up of troops and supplies needed for the D-Day landings. The defeat of the U-boat was a necessary precursor for accumulation of Allied troops and supplies to ensure Germany's defeat.
Victory was achieved at a huge cost: between 1939 and 1945, 3,500 Allied merchant ships (totalling 14.5 million gross tons) and 175 Allied warships were sunk and some 72,200 Allied sailors and merchant seamen lost their lives. The Germans lost 783 U-boats and approximately 30,000 sailors killed, three-fourths of Germany's 40,000-man U-boat fleet.
Losses:
| Allies | Germans |
|---|---|
| 36,200 sailors | 30,000 sailors |
| 36,000 merchant seamen | 783 submarines |
| 3,500 merchant vessels | |
| 175 warships |
Read more about this topic: Battle Of The Atlantic