On Tue, 24 Feb 2015 14:27:37 +0000, Tim Streater
wrote:



And the U-boats sank 5,000 merchant ships (and 5,000 in WW1, come to
that). Shame that convoy protection from the air was not given higher
priority.

what aircraft had the range? None at that time.

And when you're about to be invaded, the priority is homeland defence.

At the start, perhaps, but surely some Lancs or other could have been
modified for the purpose. Even when the longer range planes became
available, Bomber Command got the nod at the expense of the
anti-submarine work.

The Consolidated Liberator was the plane that was chosen to for job,
eventually when enough of them were available to operate from both
sides of the Pond they were able do it.
http://www.uboat.net/allies/aircraft/b24.htm

But the range of aircraft wasn't necessarily one of the main factors
in the stage after the USA entered the War as a Belligerent*
U Boats moved to operate of the East coast of the USA and some
casualties were sunk within sight of people on the shore.
It took time for the USA which wasn't the armed behemoth it was to
become to learn/ accept the tactics that Britain had already adopted
with some success and get themselves equipped to do so.
That took till 1943 but that year being a member of a U boat crew
became a much more dangerous and short lived career.

* They had done some and patrol work ostensibly with other american
nations when still neutral to protect a zone off the americas that was
to be free of war acts, in practice they passed information to Britain
and Canada who could then avoid areas where U Boats had been seen and
also lurked near convoys to provide a presence.
One US warship the Reuben James was sunk as it came between a U Boat
and a merchant ship.

G.Harman