Arctic Convoys by Richard Woodman

Arctic Convoys by Richard Woodman

For the last four gruelling years of the war, the Western Allies supplied arms and ammunition to Soviet Russia, essential to the Russian war effort. Allied merchant ships ran the gauntlet of the icy Barents Sea, outflanked by German bases in Norway, from where bombers, surface warships and U-boats could attack without warning. Each delivery of arms was an epic achievement; an eminent British historian described it as undertaking the impossible. Under pressure from both Stalin and Roosevelt, Churchill compelled the hardpressed British navy to fight convoy after convoy through to Murmansk and Archangel, with considerable loss. It was the Arctic that saw the last concentration of the U-boats; the Arctic that saw the last Royal Naval ship sunk in European waters; and the Arctic that saw the greatest defeat of a convoy in modern history. It was a theatre dominated by the weather: fog, storm-force winds and the ever-present numbing cold; and accretions of ice caused ships to capsize.The debacle of PQ17, the surface actions, the U-boat attacks and running air battles culminating in the final destruction of the Scharnhorst are fully covered, but so too are the personal angle and the perspective of the long-suffering merchant ships and their crews, together with the political implications.

'Those of us who sailed on the Arctic Convoys are teh best judges of books written about them; and I can say with truth that this account is the most comprehensive and the most accurate I have ever read, relying as it does not only on official British and German sources but on the often heartbreaking accounts of participants and survivors' -- Ludovic Kennedy 'A magnificent book and unreservedly recommended' -- Maritime Books 'His account provides an extraordianrily vivid and accurate picture of the conduct of the convoys and the conditions they faced' -- Lord Lewin 'For sheer heroism and brazen drama the icy saga Woodman tells is hard to beat ! His comprehensive and exciting narrative is a splendid achievementAs a ship's captain he is especially well qualified to explore the hazards mariners faced in the Barents Sea' -- Frank McLynn, Literary Review 'Woodman has written a necessary and valuable book ! [and] describes vividly the huge seas and freezing cold which were as unpleasant as anything produced by German firepower' -- Alan Ross, The Spectator '[Arctic Convoys] is an admirable work of scholarship ! It is also a gripping narrative, filled with stories of bravery, self-sacrifice and sheer doggedness which at times defy credibility' -- John Keegan, Daily Telegraph 'Woodman explains how it was done and why, according to him, it was so necessary.' -- The Good Book Guide 20050101

Richard Woodman, well known for his Nathaniel Drinkwater series, first became fascinated with the Arctic campaign when he sailed with survivors of PQ17. His subsequent obsession with naval history and practical experience both of command and operational planning combine to qualify him as author of this major work.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9780719566172
ISBN 10	0719566177
Titel	Arctic Convoys
Autor	Richard Woodman
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Paperback
Verlag	John Murray Press
Erscheinungsjahr	2004-04-26
Seitenanzahl	560
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.