Black May | |||||||
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Part of The Battle of the Atlantic | |||||||
Depth charges exploding from the destroyer HMS Vanoc during an Atlantic convoy in May 1943 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United Kingdom Canada | Germany | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Max Horton John Slessor | Karl Dönitz | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Royal Navy Merchant navy | 240 submarines | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
58 ships sunk |
43 submarines destroyed 37 submarines damaged |
Black May refers to a period (May 1943) in the Battle of the Atlantic campaign during World War II, when the German U-boat arm (U-Bootwaffe) suffered high casualties with fewer Allied ships sunk; it is considered a turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic.