On a purely analytical level, one could attribute this Allied victory to the influence of protection groups, sustained air escorts, the new small radar and other new weapons provided by scientists and technologists. But a considerable element should not be forgotten:the progress made by the British Admiralty's tracking center in the interpretation of information concerning the movements of submarines. New ways of processing all forms of intelligence, especially signals from submarines, made it possible to predict, with great precision, the formation of packs and to divert convoys from the main danger zones.
But the reality of victory had even deeper sources. It resided, in fact, in the courage and the endurance of the men who directed the escort ships and the merchant ships, in their refusal to admit defeat during the dark years of 1941 and 1942, and in the stubbornness which drove them to constantly returning to this immense battlefield where adversity weighed so heavily. There have been victories over the centuries in English naval history that shine like jewels through the ages. None of these victories can shine brighter than the one won in this long and cruel battle fought on the oceans.
In the principle of a global strategy, the success of the Battle of the Atlantic has always been recognized as the essential necessity for final victory. When German armies invaded most of Europe in 1940 and 1941, it was England's sea power, aided by the navies of her dominions and allies. yes stood alone against the Axis powers and their desire to dominate the world. This power, with its elasticity and natural spring, held the circle around Germany and Italy, denying the enemy the riches of the world beyond the oceans. The U-boat campaign was the weapon chosen by the Axis powers to break the circle. In fact, it was the only one. She almost succeeded. The figures of the allied losses in l941, in l942 and at the beginning of l943 are there to testify to it. After the victory that was decided in May 1943, the circle was still not broken, but it could still be tightened until it made its own territorial waters dangerous for the German navy.
With this victory, a steady stream of carefully protected convoys crossed the Atlantic in 1944. He brought to England the troops, arms, tanks and ammunition needed to attack German-occupied Europe. The road thus opened made the course of the future European campaign clear and inevitable. Towards England, Malta, North Africa and Russia, flowed the men and the weapons which were soon to give the final attack. Everything was transported by sea and the safe arrival of these men and this material announced the planned offensive. The victories that were to be won later, in a future when the armies and air forces of the Allies were to smash the resistance of the enemy, had been made possible by the complete freedom offered to sea routes throughout the world.
Thus, once again, history repeated itself, because in all wars, victory at sea has always preceded victory on land. By mid-1943, victory at sea was assured and the primary mission of the Allied navies was accomplished; it was now up to the land and air forces to take over and achieve the final victory.