Convoy PQ-17 1942 - Disaster in the Arctic

A gripping account of the most famous convoy operation of the war, which marked a high-water mark for the German naval campaign in the Arctic. The Arctic was a vital conduit for transporting supplies directly from Great Britain to Russia. The British Home Fleet was tasked with protecting these convoys, which passed within range of the German bases in Norway. By 1942, the Germans had reinforced their air and naval forces, stationing a powerful naval surface group there centred around the battleship Tirpitz . Convoy PQ-17 was set to be the last convoy to sail until the autumn of 1942, and was a particularly large one, involving 35 merchant ships, over half of which were American. When it departed Reykjavik on 27 June, bound for Archangel, the Germans were ready and waiting. The convoy was the first large joint Anglo-American naval operation under British command. Here, expert naval historian Angus Konstam documents the withdrawal of the Allied close escort to intercept the German raiders, and the devastating attacks on the scattered merchant ships by German aircraft and U-boats. Maps and diagrams plot the passage and fate of the convoy elements, and stunning artworks bring to life key moments of their efforts to escape. In the end, 24 Allied ships were sunk, and only ten merchant ships and four auxiliaries reached the port of Archangel. PQ-17 would prove to be the worst convoy loss of World War II, and the most controversial.>

Product details

• Authors: Angus Konstam, Konstam Angus
• Assisted by: Adam Tooby (Illustration), Tooby Adam (Illustration)
• Publisher: Osprey Publishers
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 25.03.2025
• EAN: 9781472864277
• ISBN: 978-1-4728-6427-7
• No. of pages: 96
• Dimensions: 182 mm x 246 mm x 8 mm
• Series: Campaign
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; USA, Germany, HISTORY / Military / Pictorial, Naval forces & warfare, Second World War, United Kingdom, Great Britain, United States of America, USA, c 1938 to c 1946 (World War Two period), c 1939 to c 1945 (including WW2), Naval forces and warfare, Military & Naval Ships, Battles and campaigns, Arctic Ocean, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / World War II / General, HISTORY / Russia / General