[Graham Boak]

Thanks for the information.

We shouldn't push analogies too far. No, I don't think the changeover freed any escorts for hunter-killer groups. There were simply a lot more escorts available. A group could be detached to keep a U-boat down long enough to force it up again: an under-escorted convoy could not spare the escorts long enough. This can be seen in the number of kills awarded to the later faster later Captain class (US DEs) rather than the earlier ones, which being slower could not be spared away for as long because of the extra time they would take to catch up. Which isn't quite the same as dedicated h-k groups, but makes similar points. And doesn't read across at all....