The Soviet-British Alliance: Arctic Convoys and the Eastern Front

Between 1941 and 1945, 78 convoys sailed from Britain to the Soviet ports of Murmansk and Archangel, carrying vital war supplies including tanks, aircraft, ammunition, and food. The route through the Arctic seas was one of the most dangerous in the war.

Convoy ships faced attacks from U-boats, surface raiders, and Luftwaffe bombers operating from occupied Norway. The freezing conditions were equally deadly — spray froze instantly on deck, and men who fell overboard survived only minutes in the icy water.

The most notorious disaster was Convoy PQ-17 in July 1942, when 24 of 35 merchant ships were sunk after the convoy was ordered to scatter. The total cost was staggering: 104 merchant ships and 16 Royal Navy warships lost, with over 3,000 lives.

The Arctic convoys delivered approximately 4 million tonnes of supplies to the Soviet Union — a contribution that was vital to the Eastern Front war effort. In 2013, the UK government finally issued the Arctic Star medal to surviving veterans.