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Arctic naval operations of World War II

November 26, 2023

Arctic naval operations of World War II
Part of the European Theater and the Battle of the Atlantic of World War II

Map of the area of greatest naval activity.
Date6 September 1939 – 29 April 1945
Location
Arctic Circle
Result Allied victory
Belligerents
Germany
 Finland (until 1944)		  United Kingdom
 Soviet Union
 United States
 Canada
 Norway
Poland
Denmark
Commanders and leaders
Hermann Göring
Erich Raeder
Karl Dönitz
Eduard Dietl
Lothar Rendulic
Franz Böhme		 Dudley Pound
Andrew Cunningham
John Tovey
Bruce Fraser
Nikolai Kuznetsov
Arseniy Golovko
Valerian Frolov

Arctic naval operations of World War II were the World War II naval operations that took place in the Arctic Ocean, and can be considered part of the Battle of the Atlantic and/or of the European Theatre of World War II.[1][note 1]

Pre-war navigation in the region focused on fishing and the international ore-trade from Narvik and Petsamo. Soviet settlements along the coast and rivers of the Barents Sea and Kara Sea relied upon summer coastal shipping for supplies from railheads at Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. The Soviet Union extended the Northern Sea Route past the Taymyr Peninsula to the Bering Strait in 1935.[2] The Winter War of 1939-1940 between Finland and the Soviet Union opened[3] the northern flank of the Eastern Front of World War II. The Arctic[note 2] was initially dominated by the Soviet Northern Fleet of a few destroyers, with larger numbers of submarines, minesweepers, and torpedo cutters supported by icebreakers. The success of the 1940 German invasion of Norway provided the Kriegsmarine with naval bases from which capital ships might challenge units of the British Royal Navy Home Fleet. Luftwaffe anti-shipping aircraft of Kampfgeschwader 26 (KG 26) and Kampfgeschwader 30 (KG 30) operated intermittently from Norwegian airfields, while Küstenfliegergruppen aircraft including Heinkel He 115s and Blohm & Voss BV 138s undertook routine reconnaissance.[4] Following the 1941 Axis invasion of the Soviet Union, the Allies initiated a series of Arctic convoys to bring military supplies to the Soviet Union in formations of freighters screened by destroyers, corvettes and minesweepers. Escorting cruisers typically maneuvered outside the formations, while a larger covering force including battleships and aircraft carriers often steamed nearby to engage Kriegsmarine capital ships or to raid the German naval bases in Norway.

The Soviet Union and Germany each deployed smaller coastal convoys: to maintain the flow of supplies to the Soviet Arctic coast, to transport strategic metal ores from Scandinavia to Germany, and to sustain troops on the northern flank of the Eastern Front. Soviet convoys hugged the coast to avoid ice, while German convoys used fjords to evade Royal Navy patrols. Both sides engaged in minelaying and minesweeping of these shallow, confined routes - vulnerable to mine warfare and to submarine ambushes. Minesweepers and submarine chasers typically screened German convoys, while Soviet convoys were often protected by minesweeping trawlers and torpedo cutters.[5]

A branch of the Pacific Route began carrying Lend-Lease goods through the Bering Strait to the Soviet Arctic coast in June 1942. The number of westbound cargo-ship voyages along this route was 23 in 1942, 32 in 1943, 34 in 1944 and 31 after Germany surrendered in May 1945. Westbound tonnage through the Bering Strait totaled approximately 10% of North American wartime goods sent to Soviet Arctic ports.[6] A large portion of tonnage though the Bering Strait was fuel for Siberian airfields on the Alaska-Siberia air route.[7]

1939 - Early conflict and Winter War edit

  • 6 September 1939: Bremen was the first of 18 German merchant ships to take refuge in Murmansk after avoiding British naval patrols in the Atlantic.[8]
  • 30 November 1939: The Winter War offensive against Petsamo was supported by Soviet Northern Fleet destroyers Kuibishev, Karl Liebknecht and Grozny.[9]

1940 - Invasion of Norway edit

 
Destroyers Diether von Roeder and Wolfgang Zenker landing troops at Narvik.
 
HMS Warspite supporting Allied troops at Narvik.
 
Burning fish oil tanks on Lofoten viewed from HMS Legion during Operation Claymore.

1941 - Invasion of the Soviet Union edit

1942 - PQ convoys edit

  • 11 October 1941: Convoy PQ 1 escorted by HMS Suffolk arrived in Arkhangelsk.[37]
  • 17 October 1941: Soviet submarine Shch-402 sank the 682-ton Vesteraalen in Soroysundet. [38]
  • 18 October 1941: U-132 sank the 3487-ton Argun at the entrance to the White Sea.[37]
  • 30 October 1941: Convoy PQ 2 arrived in Arkhangelsk. Return convoy QP 2 departed on 2 November.[39]
  • 24 November 1941: HMS Kenya, Bedouin, Intrepid, and Soviet destroyers Gromky and Gremyashchy shell Vardø.[40]
  • 28 November 1941: Convoy PQ 3 and convoy PQ 4 arrived in Arkhangelsk. Return convoy QP 3 departed on 27 November.[41]
  • 3 December 1941: Soviet submarine K-3 was forced to surface after damages caused by German sub chasers UJ 1403, UJ 1416 and UJ 1708. Submarine engaged the Germans in gunfire battle and UJ 1708 was sunk, while the others retreated.[42]
  • 7 December 1941: Anthony Eden arrived in Murmansk aboard HMS Kent.[43]
  • 12 December 1941: Convoy PQ 5 arrived in Arkhangelsk.[40]
  • 21 December 1941: Soviet submarine M-174 sank the 4301-ton Emshorn off the Varangerfjord.[44]
  • 23 December 1941: Convoy PQ 6 arrived in Murmansk.[45]
  • 25 December 1941: U-134, U-454 and U-584 formed gruppe Ulan patrolling south of Bear Island for PQ convoys until 14 March 1942.[46]
  • 26 December 1941: HMS Arethusa covered the Operation Anklet raid on Lofoten.[47]
  • 11 January 1942: Convoy PQ 7 arrived in Murmansk after U-134 sank 5135-ton Waziristan.[48]
 
Tirpitz waiting in Norway for another Allied convoy.
  • 14 January 1942: Soviet submarine S-102 sank 1877-ton Turkheim off Sytlefjord.[49]
  • 17 January 1942: U-454 damaged 5395-ton Harmatris and sank HMS Matabele from convoy PQ 8 as the convoy reached Kola Bay.[50] The German battleship Tirpitz was based at Trondheim, where its presence required the Home Fleet to retain at least one modern battleship which might have otherwise been used in the Mediterranean or Pacific.[51]
  • 5 February 1942: Soviet submarine Shch-421 sank 2975-ton Konsul Schulte off Porsangerfjorden.[52]
  • 10 February 1942: Combined convoys PQ 9 and 10 arrived in Murmansk escorted by HMS Nigeria, Faulknor and Intrepid. The escort departed with return convoy QP 7 on 12 February.[53]
  • 15 February 1942: Soviet submarine S-101 sank 1147-ton Mimona off Tanafjord.[54]
  • 23 February 1942: Convoy PQ 11 arrived in Murmansk. Admiral Scheer joined Tirpitz in Trondheim.[55]
  • 5 March 1942: A Focke-Wulf Fw 200 located Convoy PQ 12 south of Jan Mayen. As part of Operation Sportpalast, Tirpitz sailed on 6 March with destroyers Hermann Schoemann, Friedrich Ihn and Z25. The convoy covering force of HMS Duke of York, Renown, Kenya, Faulknor, Eskimo, Punjabi, Fury, Echo and Eclipse failed to locate Tirpitz; and Ihn sank the 2815-ton Ijora straggling from convoy QP 8. An unsuccessful airstrike from HMS Victorious on 9 March caused Tirpitz to seek refuge in Narvik.[56]
  • 24 March 1942: Convoy QP 9 escort HMS Sharpshooter sank U-655.[57]
  • 27 March 1942: A Bv 138 located storm-scattered Convoy PQ 13 escorted by HMS Trinidad, Eclipse and Fury. KG 30 Junkers Ju 88s sank 4815-ton Raceland and 7007-ton Empire Ranger as Kriegsmarine destroyers Z24, Z25 and Z26 sailed. Z26 sank 4687-ton Bateau before being sunk by Trinidad. Trinidad and Eclipse were damaged in the engagement. U-376 sank 5086-ton Induna, and U-435 sank 6421-ton Effingham.[58]
  • 1 April 1942: Soviet submarine Shch-404 sank 2318-ton Michael off Tanafjord.[57]
  • 10 April 1942: Convoy QP 10 departed Kola Bay escorted by HMS Liverpool, Oribi, Punjabi, Marne, Fury and Eclipse. KG 30 Ju 88s sank 7164-ton Empire Cowper and 5486-ton Harpalion. U-435 sank 6008-ton Occidente and 5823-ton Kiev.[59]
  • 19 April 1942: Convoy PQ 14 arrived in Murmansk after U-403 sank 6985-ton Empire Howard.[59]
  • 24 April 1942: Soviet submarine Shch-401 was lost after sinking 1359-ton Stensaas.[59]
 
HMS Edinburgh during the battle for convoy QP 11.
  • 28 April 1942: Convoy QP 11 departed Murmansk escorted by HMS Edinburgh, Foresight, Forester, Bulldog, Amazon, Beagle and Beverley. U-456 torpedoed Edinburgh. Kriegsmarine destroyers Hermann Schoemann, Z24 and Z25 sank 2847-ton Tsiolkovski and damaged Amazon. Schoemann was sunk by Edinburgh while the German destroyers crippled Edinburgh and damaged Forester and Foresight.[60]
  • 29 April 1942: Soviet submarine M-171 sank 4969-ton Curityba off Varangerfjord.[61]
  • 5 May 1942: Convoy PQ 15 arrived in Murmansk after KG 26 Heinkel He 111s sank 5848-ton Botavon and 3807-ton Cape Corso and damaged 6153-ton Jutland which was then sunk by U-251. St Albans of the convoy escort accidentally sank supporting Polish submarine ORP Jastrząb.[60] In the covering force, King George V collided with Punjabi, and exploding depth charges on the sinking destroyer damaged the battleship.[62]
 
HMS King George V with bow damage from collision with HMS Punjabi.
  • 10 May 1942: Scheer moved from Trondheim to Narvik.[63]
  • 14 May 1942: A KG 30 Ju 88 dive bomber sank HMS Trinidad.[64]
  • 15 May 1942: The 11th U-boat Flotilla was established and based at Bergen for Arctic Ocean patrols.[65] Sturzkampfgeschwader 5 (StG 5) Ju 87s attacked Murmansk, damaging 6187-ton Yaka and Soviet submarine Shch-403.[66]
  • 25 May 1942: Lützow joined Admiral Scheer in Narvik. KG 26 and KG 30 damaged 5127-ton Carlton from Convoy PQ 16, and U-703 sank 6191-ton Syros. Continuing aircraft attacks sank Alamar, Mormacsul, Empire Lawrence, Empire Purcell, Lowther Castle, and City of Joliet and damaged Stari Bolshevik, Ocean Voice, Empire Baffin, and HMS Garland before the convoy reached Murmansk on 31 May.[67]
  • 1 June 1942: StG 5 Ju 87s sank 7850-ton Empire Starlight and damaged Soviet submarine Shch-404 in Murmansk.[68]
  • 24 June 1942: A StG 5 Ju 87 sank HMS Gossamer in Kola Bay.[69]
 
KG 26 He 111 torpedo planes attacked convoys PQ 15, 16 and 17.
  • June 1942: Shiploads of strategic materials begin moving westbound from North America through the Bering Strait over the Northern Sea Route taking advantage of Soviet neutrality in the Pacific War to augment supplies delivered by PQ convoys.[6]
  • 4 July 1942: A He 115 sank Liberty ship Christopher Newport from convoy PQ 17; and KG 26 He 111s sank 4841-ton Navarino and damaged Liberty ship William Hooper and 6114-ton Azerbaidzhan. Twenty-two more ships were sunk by aircraft and U-boats after the convoy scattered on 5 July to avoid attacks by German surface ships.[70]
 
U-255, painted white for arctic camouflage, returning to base after attacking convoy PQ 17.
  • 30 July 1942: Soviet Pacific Fleet destroyers Razumny, Razyaryonny and Baku entered the Bering Strait and traveled west to reach the Soviet Northern Fleet on 14 October.[71]
  • 1 August 1942: U-601 sank 2513-ton Krestyanin off the Kostin Strait.[72]
  • 16 August 1942: Scheer left Narvik for the Operation Wunderland two-week patrol of the Kara Sea.[73]
  • 25 August 1942: HMS Marne, HMS Martin and HMS Onslaught sank the German minelayer Ulm east of Bear Island.[74]
  • 12 September 1942: Convoy PQ 18 escort HMS Faulknor sank U-88 near Bear Island. U-405 and U-589 sank Liberty ship Oliver Ellsworth and 3559-ton Stalingrad on 13 September; while KG 26 and KG 30 bombers sank 5432-ton Wacosta, 4826-ton Oregonian, 6131-ton Macbeth, 5441-ton Africander, 6209-ton Empire Stevenson, 7044-ton Empire Beaumont and 3124-ton Sukhona. U-457 sank 8992-ton Atheltemplar on 14 September; and HMS Onslow sank U-589. HMS Impulsive sank U-457 on 16 September. The 5446-ton Kentucky was sunk and 6458-ton Troubador damaged before the convoy reached Murmansk.[75]
  • 13 September 1942: Convoy QP 14 sailed from Arkhangelsk. On 20 September U-435 sank HMS Leda, U-255 sank 4937-ton Silver Sword, and U-703 sank HMS Somali. U-435 sank 5345-ton Bellingham, 7174-ton Ocean Voice and 3313-ton Grey Ranger on 22 September.[76]
  • 29 October 1942: Operation FB attempted independent routing of Allied merchant ships. U-586 sank 6640-ton Empire Gilbert on 2 November. KG 30 Ju 88s sank 7363-ton Dekabrist and damaged Liberty ship William Clark and 5445-ton Chulmleigh which were sunk by U-354 and U-625. U-625 also sank 7455-ton Empire Sky; and Z27 sank 7925-ton Donbass on 7 November.[77]
  • 5 November 1942: VP-84 Consolidated PBY Catalina H sank U-408 north of Iceland.[78]
  • 17 November 1942: Convoy QP 15 departed Kola Bay. A storm dispersed the convoy and sank escorting Soviet destroyer Sokrushitelny on 22 November.[79] U-625 sank 5851-ton Goolistan, and U-601 sank 3974-ton Kuznets Lesov.[80]

1943 - JW convoys edit

 
Convoy PQ 18 under attack by KG 30.
  • 31 December 1942: Admiral Hipper, Lützow, Richard Beitzen, Theodor Riedel, Friedrich Eckoldt, Z29, Z30 and Z31 attacked convoy JW 51B in the battle of the Barents Sea. The German ships damaged HMS Obdurate, Obedient and Onslow and sank HMS Achates and Bramble, before the covering force arrived to damage Hipper and sink Friedrich Eckoldt.[81]
  • 1 January 1943: Soviet submarine L-20 sank 5472-ton Muansa off Kongsfjorden. U-354 sank 2418-ton Krasnyj Partizan.[82]
  • 29 January 1943: Soviet submarines L-20 sank 7007-ton Othmarschen off Cape Nordkinn and M-171 sank 3243-ton Ilona Siemers off Kongsfjorden. U-255 sank the Soviet icebreaker Malygin and 1892-ton Ufa. U-255 then sank 7460-ton Greylock from convoy RA 52 on 3 February.[83]
  • 12 February 1943: Soviet submarine K-3 sank 8116-ton Fechenheim.[84]
  • 26 February 1943: Convoy JW 53 arrived in Kola Bay with one ship damaged by KG 30 Ju 88s. StG 5 Ju 87s damaged three more ships from the convoy on 27 and 28 February; air attacks on 6 and 13 March damaged another ship and sank 7173-ton Ocean Freedom.[85]
  • 5 March 1943: U-255 sank Liberty ship Richard Bland and 4978-ton Executive from convoy RA 53. U-586 sank 6076-ton Puerto Rican on 9 March.[86]
  • 11 March 1943: The German weather station Holzauge at Hansa Bay stationed on the northern coast of Sabine Island was discovered by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol. The Germans realized they had been discovered, and gave chase, forcing the patrol to abandon their equipment and run back to Eskimonæs.
  • 12 March 1943: Tipitz, Scharnhorst and Lützow assembled in Narvik causing cancellation of Allied convoys through the summer.[85]
  • 16 March 1943: Soviet submarine M-122 sank 4533-ton Johannisberger off Varangerfjord.[87]
  • 29 March 1943: Soviet submarine S-55 sank 2297-ton Ajax.[88] Also S-101 is said to have sunk her.[89]
  • 7 April 1943: HMS Tuna sank U-644 near Jan Mayen.[90]
  • 29 April 1943: Soviet submarine S-55 sank 708-ton Sturzsee off Nordkyn [91]
  • 17 May 1943: Soviet submarine S-56 sank tanker 1118-ton Eurostadt off Kongsfjord. 3676-ton Wartheland was lightly damaged by dud hit from the same salvo.[92]
  • June 1943: The 13th U-boat Flotilla was established at Trondheim to reduce U-boat losses to Allied bombers patrolling approaches to U-boat bases on the French Atlantic coast.[93]
  • 8 July 1943: HMS Duke of York, Anson, Malaya, and Furious of the Home Fleet with USS South Dakota, Alabama, Augusta and Tuscaloosa conducted exercises off Norway intended to divert attention from Operation Husky.[94]
  • 17 July 1943: Soviet submarine S-56 sank minesweeper M-346.[92]
  • July - September 1943: German U-boats operated in Kara Sea against Soviet shipping: U-255 operated near Novaya Zemlya as a refueling station for a BV 138. The BV 138 searched for Kara Sea convoys to be attacked by Lützow and the Wiking Gruppe of U-302, U-354 and U-711. The U-boats torpedoed 3771-ton Petrovski and sank 2900-ton Dikson, 7169-tons Tbilisi, 2480-tons Arkhangel´sk and 4169-tons Sergej Kirov in addition to 3 minesweepers and 3 other auxiliary vessels. However U-639 was lost after being intercepted and torpedoed by Soviet submarine S-101 .[95]
  • 8 September 1943: Scharnhorst, Tirpitz and ten destroyers bombarded Spitsbergen as Operation Zitronella.[96]
  • 23 September 1943: Tirpitz was immobilized in Kåfjord by Operation Source.[97]
 
SBD Dauntless dive bomber from USS Ranger during the Bodø airstrike.
 
Aircraft carriers of Operation Tungsten preparing for an airstrike on Tirpitz.
  • 2 April 1944: HMS Keppel sank U-360, and other convoy JW 58 escorts sank U-288.[105]
  • 3 April 1944: British carrier aircraft damage Tirpitz during Operation Tungsten.[105]
  • 30 April 1944: U-711 sank Liberty ship William S. Thayer from convoy RA 59. Convoy escorts sank U-277, U-959 and U-674. The convoy covering force launched an airstrike sinking three ships from a German convoy near Bodø.[106]
  • 26 May 1944: Soviet aircraft sank 3402-ton Solviken and damaged 3672-ton Herta Engeline Fritzen near Kirkenes.[107]
  • 31 May 1944: HMS Milne sank U-289 southwest of Bear Island.[108]

1944 and 1945 - Last operations edit

  • 17 June 1944: Soviet aircraft sank 1,610-ton Dixie and damaged 1,112-ton Marga Cords and 7,419-ton Florianopolis from a convoy near Hammerfest.[109]
  • 17 July 1944: Unsuccessful British carrier attack on Tirpitz during Operation Mascot.[110]
  • 31 July 1944: Tirpitz completed battle damage repair at Altafjord.[111]
  • 17 August 1944: Soviet aircraft sank two merchant ships near Kirkenes.[112]
  • 19 August 1944: Soviet torpedo cutters sank 3,946-ton Colmar from a German convoy near Persfjord.[112]
  • 21 August 1944: U-344 sank convoy JW 59 escort HMS Kite, and was sunk by Swordfish of the covering force aircraft carrier HMS Victorious.[113]
  • 22–29 August: British carrier aircraft repeatedly attack Tirpitz during Operation Goodwood, but inflict only light damage. U-354 sank HMS Bickerton and damaged HMS Nabob from the British fleet before being sunk by escorts on 24 August.[113]
 
USCG cutter Northland operating off Greenland.
  • August–September 1944: German U-boat operations in Kara Sea against Soviet shipping resulted in the loss of three former American minesweepers of the Admirable-class transferred to the Soviets under Lend-Lease: T-118, T-114 and T-120 in addition to the Soviet corvette Brilliant. However, only one merchant was lost: 7540-tons Marina Raskova (7540 GRT), in addition to a survey vessel. Germans lost U-362 after depth charges by Soviet minesweeper T-116 (another Admirable-class vessel transferred from United States).[114]
  • 1 September 1944: The German weather ship Kehdingen scuttled off Greenland when found by USCGC Northland.[115]
  • 2 September 1944: Convoy RA 59 escorts sank U-394.[113]
  • 16 September 1944: Soviet aircraft sank 3668-ton Wolsum at Kirkenes. Another attack damaged 5434-ton Friesenland off North Cape on 20 September.[116]
  • 29 September 1944: U-310 sank 7219-ton Samsuva and Liberty ship Edward H. Crockett from convoy RA 60. No. 813 Naval Air Squadron Swordfish F of HMS Campania sank U-921 on 30 September.[117]
  • 11 October 1944: Soviet torpedo cutters sank German minesweeper M-303 off Kiberg.[118]
  • 12 October 1944: Soviet submarine S-104 sank 1730-ton Lumme east of Tanafjord.[119]
  • 16 October 1944: United States Coast Guard icebreaker Eastwind captured the German weather ship Externsteine off Greenland.[115]
  • 21 October 1944: Soviet torpedo cutters sank German minesweeper M-31 off Honningsvåg.[120]
 
Soviet Northern Fleet ships carrying landing parties for the Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive.
  • 26 October 1944: Soviet naval infantry captured Kirkenes with the support of Soviet Northern Fleet destroyers and smaller warships.[121]
  • 2 November 1944: U-295 damaged convoy RA 61 escort HMS Mounsey with a G7se torpedo. HMS Venturer sank U-771 off Lofoten on 11 November.[122]
  • 12 November 1944: Operation Catechism: Tirpitz was capsized by Royal Air Force Avro Lancasters.[123]
  • 2 December 1944: U-363 sank 1123-ton Proletari off Finland.[124]
  • 9 December 1944: Convoy RA 62 escorts sank U-387 at the mouth of Kola Bay. U-365 torpedoed HMS Cassandra on 11 December before being sunk by No. 813 Naval Air Squadron Swordfish from HMS Campania on 13 December.[124]
  • 30 December 1944: U-956 torpedoed 7176-ton Tbilisi off Kola Bay.[125]
  • December 1944: The 14th U-boat Flotilla was established at Narvik to absorb displaced U-boats as bases on the French coast were captured by Allied troops.[126]
  • 16 January 1945: U-997 sank Dejatelnyj with a G7se torpedo at the mouth of Kola Bay.[127]
  • 13 February 1945: KG 26 Ju 88 and 188 torpedo bombers withdrawn from France following the Normandy landings made unsuccessful attacks against convoy JW 64.[4] U-992 sank convoy escort HMS Denbigh Castle at the mouth of Kola Bay.[128]
  • 14 February 1945: U-boats sank 8129-ton Norfjell and Liberty ship Horace Gray from convoy BK 3 outside Kola Bay.[129]
  • 17 February 1945: Escorts clearing Kola Bay for the departure of convoy RA 64 sank U-425.[129] U-711 sank HMS Bluebell and U-968 damaged Liberty ship Thomas Scott and HMS Lark with G7se torpedoes.[130] On 23 February KG 26 sank Liberty ship Henry Bacon – the last ship to be sunk by German aircraft in the second world war.[129]
  • 20 March 1945: U-968 torpedoed Liberty ships Horace Bushnell and Thomas Donaldson from convoy JW 65 and convoy escort HMS Lapwing with a G7se torpedo.[131]
  • 22 April 1945: U-997 sank 1603-ton Onega and torpedoed 4287-ton Idefjord from convoy PK 9.[132]
  • 29 April 1945: In the last trade convoy battle of the Second World War, U-286 sank HMS Goodall at the mouth of Kola Bay as convoy JW 66 escorts sank U-307 and U-286.[133]
  • 8 May 1945: Supply ships from the United States continue westbound through the Bering Strait along the Northern Sea Route to encourage the Soviet Union to declare war on Japan on 9 August 1945.[6]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison's definitive History of United States Naval Operations in World War II includes operations from the north pole southward in the first volume entitled The Battle of the Atlantic. Eligibility for the United States European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was defined by Executive Order 9265 to include military service aboard a ship operating in the north polar region eastward from the 75th meridian west longitude to the 60th meridian east longitude.
  2. ^ Wartime navigation over the waters within the Arctic Circle should not be confused with the Arctic Ocean as it may have subsequently been defined to exclude areas within the Arctic Circle.

Citations edit

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  3. ^ Citino, Robert. "White Death". The National WWII Museum. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b Wood & Gunston pp. 64–75
  5. ^ Suggs, Robert C. (1986). "Soviet Subs in Scandinavia: 1930 to 1945". Proceedings. United States Naval Institute. 112 (3): 100–106.
  6. ^ a b c Vail Motter pp. 481–482
  7. ^ "Arming the Soviets". Columbia Magazine. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
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  9. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 8
  10. ^ Grove pp. 7–35
  11. ^ Brown p. 31
  12. ^ Brown p. 32
  13. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen pp. 21&22
  14. ^ Kemp pp. 65–67
  15. ^ Muggenthaler pp. 54–59
  16. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 30
  17. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 29
  18. ^ Cressman p. 29
  19. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 32
  20. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 39
  21. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 53
  22. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 58
  23. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen pp. 62&71
  24. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen pp. 70&71
  25. ^ Ruge p. 222
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  27. ^ a b Brown p. 48
  28. ^ a b c Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 75
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  53. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen pp. 120&123
  54. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 123
  55. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen pp. 121&125
  56. ^ Grove pp. 117–121
  57. ^ a b Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 131
  58. ^ Kemp p. 237
  59. ^ a b c Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 134
  60. ^ a b Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 137
  61. ^ "M-171". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  62. ^ Brown p. 61
  63. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 139
  64. ^ Morison p. 166
  65. ^ "11th Flotilla". Guðmundur Helgason. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
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  67. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 141
  68. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 143
  69. ^ Brown p. 65
  70. ^ Irving
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  72. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 152
  73. ^ Ruge p. 275
  74. ^ Brown p. 68
  75. ^ Macintyre pp. 292–312
  76. ^ Macintyre pp. 312–317
  77. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 173
  78. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 174
  79. ^ Brown p. 75
  80. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 178
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  92. ^ a b "S-56". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
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  95. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 225
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  97. ^ Grove pp. 123–131
  98. ^ Cressman p. 185
  99. ^ Stephen pp. 198–218
  100. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 256
  101. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 257
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  103. ^ Brown p. 105
  104. ^ a b Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 264
  105. ^ a b Grove pp. 131–136
  106. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen pp. 272–273
  107. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 276
  108. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 279
  109. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 285
  110. ^ Brown (1977), p. 37
  111. ^ Grove p. 137
  112. ^ a b Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 299
  113. ^ a b c Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 298
  114. ^ Brown pp. 122&123
  115. ^ a b Ruge pp. 286&287
  116. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 303
  117. ^ Taylor p. 142
  118. ^ Brown p. 124
  119. ^ "S-104". Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  120. ^ Brown p. 125
  121. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 309
  122. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 313
  123. ^ Grove p. 139
  124. ^ a b Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 318
  125. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 322
  126. ^ "14th Flotilla". Guðmundur Helgason. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  127. ^ Brown p. 138
  128. ^ Brown p. 139
  129. ^ a b c Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 334
  130. ^ Brown pp. 139&140
  131. ^ Macintyre p. 444
  132. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 348
  133. ^ Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 350

References edit

  • Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler's U-Boat War:The Hunters 1939–1942. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-58839-8.
  • Blair, Clay (1998). Hitler's U-Boat War:The Hunted 1942–1945. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-679-45742-9.
  • Brown, David (1977). Tirpitz: The Floating Fortress. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 0853683417.
  • Brown, David (1995). Warship Losses of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-914-X.
  • Cressman, Robert J. (2000). The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-149-1.
  • Grove, Eric (1993). Sea Battles in Close-Up: World War II: Volume Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-758-9.
  • Hill, Alexander (2018). Soviet Destroyers of World War II. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781472822567.
  • Irving, David (1968). The Destruction of Convoy PQ.17. New York: Simon and Schuster.
  • Kafka, Roger; Pepperburg, Roy L. (1946). Warships of the World. New York: Cornell Maritime Press.
  • Kemp, P. K. (1957). Victory at Sea 1939–1945. London: Frederick Muller.
  • Macintyre, Donald (1971). The Naval War Against Hitler. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. ISBN 9780684123752 – via Archive Foundation.
  • Morison, Samuel Eliot (1975). History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Volume 1: The Battle of the Atlantic September 1939 – May 1943. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
  • Muggenthaler, August Karl (1977). German Raiders of World War II. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-354027-8.
  • Potter, E. B.; Nimitz, Chester W. (1960). Sea Power. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen; Hummelchen, Gerhard (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-105-X.
  • Ruge, Friedrich (1957). Der Seekreig. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute.
  • Silverstone, Paul H. (1968). U.S. Warships of World War II. Doubleday and Company.
  • Stephen, Martin (1988). Sea Battles in Close-Up: World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-556-6.
  • Taylor, J. C. (1966). German Warships of World War II. New York: Doubleday & Company.
  • Vail Motter, T. H. (1952). The Persian Corridor and Aid to Russia. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
  • Wood, Tony; Gunston, Bill (1977). Hitler's Luftwaffe. New York: Crescent Books. ISBN 0-517-22477-1.

November 26, 2023
arctic, naval, operations, world, part, european, theater, battle, atlantic, world, iimap, area, greatest, naval, activity, date6, september, 1939, april, 1945locationarctic, circleresultallied, victorybelligerentsgermany, finland, until, 1944, united, kingdom. Arctic naval operations of World War IIPart of the European Theater and the Battle of the Atlantic of World War IIMap of the area of greatest naval activity Date6 September 1939 29 April 1945LocationArctic CircleResultAllied victoryBelligerentsGermany Finland until 1944 United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Canada Norway Poland DenmarkCommanders and leadersHermann Goring Erich Raeder Karl Donitz Eduard Dietl Lothar Rendulic Franz BohmeDudley Pound Andrew Cunningham John Tovey Bruce Fraser Nikolai Kuznetsov Arseniy Golovko Valerian Frolov Arctic naval operations of World War II were the World War II naval operations that took place in the Arctic Ocean and can be considered part of the Battle of the Atlantic and or of the European Theatre of World War II 1 note 1 Pre war navigation in the region focused on fishing and the international ore trade from Narvik and Petsamo Soviet settlements along the coast and rivers of the Barents Sea and Kara Sea relied upon summer coastal shipping for supplies from railheads at Arkhangelsk and Murmansk The Soviet Union extended the Northern Sea Route past the Taymyr Peninsula to the Bering Strait in 1935 2 The Winter War of 1939 1940 between Finland and the Soviet Union opened 3 the northern flank of the Eastern Front of World War II The Arctic note 2 was initially dominated by the Soviet Northern Fleet of a few destroyers with larger numbers of submarines minesweepers and torpedo cutters supported by icebreakers The success of the 1940 German invasion of Norway provided the Kriegsmarine with naval bases from which capital ships might challenge units of the British Royal Navy Home Fleet Luftwaffe anti shipping aircraft of Kampfgeschwader 26 KG 26 and Kampfgeschwader 30 KG 30 operated intermittently from Norwegian airfields while Kustenfliegergruppen aircraft including Heinkel He 115s and Blohm amp Voss BV 138s undertook routine reconnaissance 4 Following the 1941 Axis invasion of the Soviet Union the Allies initiated a series of Arctic convoys to bring military supplies to the Soviet Union in formations of freighters screened by destroyers corvettes and minesweepers Escorting cruisers typically maneuvered outside the formations while a larger covering force including battleships and aircraft carriers often steamed nearby to engage Kriegsmarine capital ships or to raid the German naval bases in Norway The Soviet Union and Germany each deployed smaller coastal convoys to maintain the flow of supplies to the Soviet Arctic coast to transport strategic metal ores from Scandinavia to Germany and to sustain troops on the northern flank of the Eastern Front Soviet convoys hugged the coast to avoid ice while German convoys used fjords to evade Royal Navy patrols Both sides engaged in minelaying and minesweeping of these shallow confined routes vulnerable to mine warfare and to submarine ambushes Minesweepers and submarine chasers typically screened German convoys while Soviet convoys were often protected by minesweeping trawlers and torpedo cutters 5 A branch of the Pacific Route began carrying Lend Lease goods through the Bering Strait to the Soviet Arctic coast in June 1942 The number of westbound cargo ship voyages along this route was 23 in 1942 32 in 1943 34 in 1944 and 31 after Germany surrendered in May 1945 Westbound tonnage through the Bering Strait totaled approximately 10 of North American wartime goods sent to Soviet Arctic ports 6 A large portion of tonnage though the Bering Strait was fuel for Siberian airfields on the Alaska Siberia air route 7 Contents 1 1939 Early conflict and Winter War 2 1940 Invasion of Norway 3 1941 Invasion of the Soviet Union 4 1942 PQ convoys 5 1943 JW convoys 6 1944 and 1945 Last operations 7 Notes 8 Citations 9 References1939 Early conflict and Winter War edit6 September 1939 Bremen was the first of 18 German merchant ships to take refuge in Murmansk after avoiding British naval patrols in the Atlantic 8 30 November 1939 The Winter War offensive against Petsamo was supported by Soviet Northern Fleet destroyers Kuibishev Karl Liebknecht and Grozny 9 1940 Invasion of Norway edit nbsp Destroyers Diether von Roeder and Wolfgang Zenker landing troops at Narvik nbsp HMS Warspite supporting Allied troops at Narvik April 1940 Operation Weserubung included an invasion of Narvik by troops embarked aboard ten Kriegsmarine destroyers Covering battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau briefly engaged HMS Renown and subsequent battles of Narvik involved Norwegian coastal defence ships Eidsvold and Norge U boats and units of the Royal Navy 10 4 May 1940 The Polish destroyer Grom was sunk off Narvik by a KG 100 bomber 11 21 May 1940 HMS Effingham was scuttled after grounding on a shallow pinnacle off Narvik 12 4 June 1940 Operation Alphabet troopships Monarch of Bermuda Batory Sobieski Franconia Lancastria Georgic Oronsay Ormonde Arandora Star Royal Ulsterman Ulster Prince Ulster Monarch and Duchess of York began evacuation of 24 600 Allied soldiers from Narvik 13 8 June 1940 With some of the longest range naval gunnery hits ever documented Scharnhorst and Gneisenau sank the British aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and her escorting destroyers HMS Acasta and Ardent during Operation Juno 14 9 July 1940 Raider Komet sailed north from Bergen and waited near Novaya Zemlya until 13 August 1940 for ice conditions to allow passage through the Matochkin Strait into the Kara Sea Komet proceeded east with the assistance of three Soviet icebreakers to enter the Pacific Ocean through the Bering Strait on 5 September 1940 15 Soviet submarine Shch 423 made a similar trip from Murmansk to Vladivostok from 5 August to 17 October 16 25 July 1940 Admiral Hipper sailed for a two week Arctic patrol 17 15 August 1940 Army transport USAT American Legion departed Petsamo for New York City carrying American nationals from Finland Estonia Latvia Lithuania Sweden Denmark Norway Germany and the Netherlands American Legion also carried Princess Martha of Sweden with her children and a Bofors 40 mm gun manufactured in Sweden which became the prototype for American manufacture of the primary United States Navy anti aircraft gun of World War II 18 25 August 1940 HMS Norfolk and HMAS Australia sailed for a five day patrol to Bear Island 19 16 October 1940 HMS Furious launched an airstrike against the Tromso seaplane base 20 nbsp Burning fish oil tanks on Lofoten viewed from HMS Legion during Operation Claymore 4 March 1941 HMS Edinburgh and Nigeria covered the Operation Claymore raid on Lofoten 21 11 April 1941 HNoMS Mansfield destroyed the Oksfjord fish oil factory 22 7 May 1941 Destroyers HMS Somali Bedouin Eskimo and HMAS Nestor captured code documents aboard the German weather ship Munchen near Jan Mayen while covered by cruisers HMS Edinburgh Manchester and Birmingham HMS Nigeria made a similar capture of the weather ship Lauenburg on 28 June 23 1941 Invasion of the Soviet Union edit25 June 1941 The Soviet troopship Mossovet brought reinforcements to Titovka and Soviet destroyers Kuibishev and Uritski landed additional reinforcements on 30 June 24 1 July 1941 U 451 and U 652 are the first U boats stationed in the Arctic 25 12 July 1941 Kriegsmarine destroyers Richard Beitzen Hermann Schoemann Hans Lody Friedrich Eckoldt and Karl Galster attacked a small Soviet convoy near Cape Teriberski 26 14 July 1941 Soviet destroyers Gromky Gremyashchy Stremitleny and Kuibishev delayed a German infantry advance near Zapadnaya Litsa River 26 20 July 1941 The Soviet destroyer Stremitleny was sunk in Kola Bay by a LG 1 Junkers Ju 87 27 23 July 1941 Kriegsmarine destroyers Richard Beitzen Hermann Schoemann Friedrich Eckoldt and Karl Galster sank the Soviet survey ship Meridian near Teriberka 28 30 July 1941 HMS Furious and Victorious launched airstrikes on Petsamo and Kirkenes Victorious launched an airstrike on Tromso on 31 July These airstrikes turned back a patrol of Kriegsmarine destroyers 28 31 July 1941 HMS Nigeria Aurora Punjabi and Tartar destroyed a weather station on Bear Island 29 August 1941 British submarines HMS Tigris and Trident were transferred to Murmansk 30 10 August 1941 Kriegsmarine destroyers Z4 Richard Beitzen Z10 Hans Lody and Z16 Friedrich Eckoldt sank the Soviet patrol ship Tuman near Kola Bay 28 U 451 sank Soviet patrol vessel Zhemchug in the White Sea entrance 27 19 August 1941 Troopship Empress of Canada sailed from Scapa Flow with HMS Aurora Nigeria Icarus Antelope and Anthony to evacuate Soviet and Norwegian residents following destruction of Spitsbergen coal mines by Operation Gauntlet 31 The warships encountered a German troop convoy off Porsangerfjorden and sank the escort Bremse on 6 September 32 26 August 1941 U 571 sank 3870 ton Mariya Ulyanova 33 31 August 1941 The Dervish Convoy arrived in Arkhangelsk initiating transport of Allied war materials around Norway to the Soviet Union The convoy was escorted by HMS Devonshire Suffolk and Victorious which launched airstrikes against Tromso 31 12 September 1941 Soviet submarine Shch 422 sank 1459 ton Ottar Jarl off Tanafjord 34 27 September 1941 Max Aitken Lord Beaverbrook and W Averell Harriman arrived in Arkhangelsk aboard HMS London 35 7 October 1941 HMS Victorious launched an airstrike against Vestfjorden 36 1942 PQ convoys edit11 October 1941 Convoy PQ 1 escorted by HMS Suffolk arrived in Arkhangelsk 37 17 October 1941 Soviet submarine Shch 402 sank the 682 ton Vesteraalen in Soroysundet 38 18 October 1941 U 132 sank the 3487 ton Argun at the entrance to the White Sea 37 30 October 1941 Convoy PQ 2 arrived in Arkhangelsk Return convoy QP 2 departed on 2 November 39 24 November 1941 HMS Kenya Bedouin Intrepid and Soviet destroyers Gromky and Gremyashchy shell Vardo 40 28 November 1941 Convoy PQ 3 and convoy PQ 4 arrived in Arkhangelsk Return convoy QP 3 departed on 27 November 41 3 December 1941 Soviet submarine K 3 was forced to surface after damages caused by German sub chasers UJ 1403 UJ 1416 and UJ 1708 Submarine engaged the Germans in gunfire battle and UJ 1708 was sunk while the others retreated 42 7 December 1941 Anthony Eden arrived in Murmansk aboard HMS Kent 43 12 December 1941 Convoy PQ 5 arrived in Arkhangelsk 40 21 December 1941 Soviet submarine M 174 sank the 4301 ton Emshorn off the Varangerfjord 44 23 December 1941 Convoy PQ 6 arrived in Murmansk 45 25 December 1941 U 134 U 454 and U 584 formed gruppe Ulan patrolling south of Bear Island for PQ convoys until 14 March 1942 46 26 December 1941 HMS Arethusa covered the Operation Anklet raid on Lofoten 47 11 January 1942 Convoy PQ 7 arrived in Murmansk after U 134 sank 5135 ton Waziristan 48 nbsp Tirpitz waiting in Norway for another Allied convoy 14 January 1942 Soviet submarine S 102 sank 1877 ton Turkheim off Sytlefjord 49 17 January 1942 U 454 damaged 5395 ton Harmatris and sank HMS Matabele from convoy PQ 8 as the convoy reached Kola Bay 50 The German battleship Tirpitz was based at Trondheim where its presence required the Home Fleet to retain at least one modern battleship which might have otherwise been used in the Mediterranean or Pacific 51 5 February 1942 Soviet submarine Shch 421 sank 2975 ton Konsul Schulte off Porsangerfjorden 52 10 February 1942 Combined convoys PQ 9 and 10 arrived in Murmansk escorted by HMS Nigeria Faulknor and Intrepid The escort departed with return convoy QP 7 on 12 February 53 15 February 1942 Soviet submarine S 101 sank 1147 ton Mimona off Tanafjord 54 23 February 1942 Convoy PQ 11 arrived in Murmansk Admiral Scheer joined Tirpitz in Trondheim 55 5 March 1942 A Focke Wulf Fw 200 located Convoy PQ 12 south of Jan Mayen As part of Operation Sportpalast Tirpitz sailed on 6 March with destroyers Hermann Schoemann Friedrich Ihn and Z25 The convoy covering force of HMS Duke of York Renown Kenya Faulknor Eskimo Punjabi Fury Echo and Eclipse failed to locate Tirpitz and Ihn sank the 2815 ton Ijora straggling from convoy QP 8 An unsuccessful airstrike from HMS Victorious on 9 March caused Tirpitz to seek refuge in Narvik 56 24 March 1942 Convoy QP 9 escort HMS Sharpshooter sank U 655 57 27 March 1942 A Bv 138 located storm scattered Convoy PQ 13 escorted by HMS Trinidad Eclipse and Fury KG 30 Junkers Ju 88s sank 4815 ton Raceland and 7007 ton Empire Ranger as Kriegsmarine destroyers Z24 Z25 and Z26 sailed Z26 sank 4687 ton Bateau before being sunk by Trinidad Trinidad and Eclipse were damaged in the engagement U 376 sank 5086 ton Induna and U 435 sank 6421 ton Effingham 58 1 April 1942 Soviet submarine Shch 404 sank 2318 ton Michael off Tanafjord 57 10 April 1942 Convoy QP 10 departed Kola Bay escorted by HMS Liverpool Oribi Punjabi Marne Fury and Eclipse KG 30 Ju 88s sank 7164 ton Empire Cowper and 5486 ton Harpalion U 435 sank 6008 ton Occidente and 5823 ton Kiev 59 19 April 1942 Convoy PQ 14 arrived in Murmansk after U 403 sank 6985 ton Empire Howard 59 24 April 1942 Soviet submarine Shch 401 was lost after sinking 1359 ton Stensaas 59 nbsp HMS Edinburgh during the battle for convoy QP 11 28 April 1942 Convoy QP 11 departed Murmansk escorted by HMS Edinburgh Foresight Forester Bulldog Amazon Beagle and Beverley U 456 torpedoed Edinburgh Kriegsmarine destroyers Hermann Schoemann Z24 and Z25 sank 2847 ton Tsiolkovski and damaged Amazon Schoemann was sunk by Edinburgh while the German destroyers crippled Edinburgh and damaged Forester and Foresight 60 29 April 1942 Soviet submarine M 171 sank 4969 ton Curityba off Varangerfjord 61 5 May 1942 Convoy PQ 15 arrived in Murmansk after KG 26 Heinkel He 111s sank 5848 ton Botavon and 3807 ton Cape Corso and damaged 6153 ton Jutland which was then sunk by U 251 St Albans of the convoy escort accidentally sank supporting Polish submarine ORP Jastrzab 60 In the covering force King George V collided with Punjabi and exploding depth charges on the sinking destroyer damaged the battleship 62 nbsp HMS King George V with bow damage from collision with HMS Punjabi 10 May 1942 Scheer moved from Trondheim to Narvik 63 14 May 1942 A KG 30 Ju 88 dive bomber sank HMS Trinidad 64 15 May 1942 The 11th U boat Flotilla was established and based at Bergen for Arctic Ocean patrols 65 Sturzkampfgeschwader 5 StG 5 Ju 87s attacked Murmansk damaging 6187 ton Yaka and Soviet submarine Shch 403 66 25 May 1942 Lutzow joined Admiral Scheer in Narvik KG 26 and KG 30 damaged 5127 ton Carlton from Convoy PQ 16 and U 703 sank 6191 ton Syros Continuing aircraft attacks sank Alamar Mormacsul Empire Lawrence Empire Purcell Lowther Castle and City of Joliet and damaged Stari Bolshevik Ocean Voice Empire Baffin and HMS Garland before the convoy reached Murmansk on 31 May 67 1 June 1942 StG 5 Ju 87s sank 7850 ton Empire Starlight and damaged Soviet submarine Shch 404 in Murmansk 68 24 June 1942 A StG 5 Ju 87 sank HMS Gossamer in Kola Bay 69 nbsp KG 26 He 111 torpedo planes attacked convoys PQ 15 16 and 17 June 1942 Shiploads of strategic materials begin moving westbound from North America through the Bering Strait over the Northern Sea Route taking advantage of Soviet neutrality in the Pacific War to augment supplies delivered by PQ convoys 6 4 July 1942 A He 115 sank Liberty ship Christopher Newport from convoy PQ 17 and KG 26 He 111s sank 4841 ton Navarino and damaged Liberty ship William Hooper and 6114 ton Azerbaidzhan Twenty two more ships were sunk by aircraft and U boats after the convoy scattered on 5 July to avoid attacks by German surface ships 70 nbsp U 255 painted white for arctic camouflage returning to base after attacking convoy PQ 17 30 July 1942 Soviet Pacific Fleet destroyers Razumny Razyaryonny and Baku entered the Bering Strait and traveled west to reach the Soviet Northern Fleet on 14 October 71 1 August 1942 U 601 sank 2513 ton Krestyanin off the Kostin Strait 72 16 August 1942 Scheer left Narvik for the Operation Wunderland two week patrol of the Kara Sea 73 25 August 1942 HMS Marne HMS Martin and HMS Onslaught sank the German minelayer Ulm east of Bear Island 74 12 September 1942 Convoy PQ 18 escort HMS Faulknor sank U 88 near Bear Island U 405 and U 589 sank Liberty ship Oliver Ellsworth and 3559 ton Stalingrad on 13 September while KG 26 and KG 30 bombers sank 5432 ton Wacosta 4826 ton Oregonian 6131 ton Macbeth 5441 ton Africander 6209 ton Empire Stevenson 7044 ton Empire Beaumont and 3124 ton Sukhona U 457 sank 8992 ton Atheltemplar on 14 September and HMS Onslow sank U 589 HMS Impulsive sank U 457 on 16 September The 5446 ton Kentucky was sunk and 6458 ton Troubador damaged before the convoy reached Murmansk 75 13 September 1942 Convoy QP 14 sailed from Arkhangelsk On 20 September U 435 sank HMS Leda U 255 sank 4937 ton Silver Sword and U 703 sank HMS Somali U 435 sank 5345 ton Bellingham 7174 ton Ocean Voice and 3313 ton Grey Ranger on 22 September 76 29 October 1942 Operation FB attempted independent routing of Allied merchant ships U 586 sank 6640 ton Empire Gilbert on 2 November KG 30 Ju 88s sank 7363 ton Dekabrist and damaged Liberty ship William Clark and 5445 ton Chulmleigh which were sunk by U 354 and U 625 U 625 also sank 7455 ton Empire Sky and Z27 sank 7925 ton Donbass on 7 November 77 5 November 1942 VP 84 Consolidated PBY Catalina H sank U 408 north of Iceland 78 17 November 1942 Convoy QP 15 departed Kola Bay A storm dispersed the convoy and sank escorting Soviet destroyer Sokrushitelny on 22 November 79 U 625 sank 5851 ton Goolistan and U 601 sank 3974 ton Kuznets Lesov 80 1943 JW convoys edit nbsp Convoy PQ 18 under attack by KG 30 31 December 1942 Admiral Hipper Lutzow Richard Beitzen Theodor Riedel Friedrich Eckoldt Z29 Z30 and Z31 attacked convoy JW 51B in the battle of the Barents Sea The German ships damaged HMS Obdurate Obedient and Onslow and sank HMS Achates and Bramble before the covering force arrived to damage Hipper and sink Friedrich Eckoldt 81 1 January 1943 Soviet submarine L 20 sank 5472 ton Muansa off Kongsfjorden U 354 sank 2418 ton Krasnyj Partizan 82 29 January 1943 Soviet submarines L 20 sank 7007 ton Othmarschen off Cape Nordkinn and M 171 sank 3243 ton Ilona Siemers off Kongsfjorden U 255 sank the Soviet icebreaker Malygin and 1892 ton Ufa U 255 then sank 7460 ton Greylock from convoy RA 52 on 3 February 83 12 February 1943 Soviet submarine K 3 sank 8116 ton Fechenheim 84 26 February 1943 Convoy JW 53 arrived in Kola Bay with one ship damaged by KG 30 Ju 88s StG 5 Ju 87s damaged three more ships from the convoy on 27 and 28 February air attacks on 6 and 13 March damaged another ship and sank 7173 ton Ocean Freedom 85 5 March 1943 U 255 sank Liberty ship Richard Bland and 4978 ton Executive from convoy RA 53 U 586 sank 6076 ton Puerto Rican on 9 March 86 11 March 1943 The German weather station Holzauge at Hansa Bay stationed on the northern coast of Sabine Island was discovered by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol The Germans realized they had been discovered and gave chase forcing the patrol to abandon their equipment and run back to Eskimonaes 12 March 1943 Tipitz Scharnhorst and Lutzow assembled in Narvik causing cancellation of Allied convoys through the summer 85 16 March 1943 Soviet submarine M 122 sank 4533 ton Johannisberger off Varangerfjord 87 29 March 1943 Soviet submarine S 55 sank 2297 ton Ajax 88 Also S 101 is said to have sunk her 89 7 April 1943 HMS Tuna sank U 644 near Jan Mayen 90 29 April 1943 Soviet submarine S 55 sank 708 ton Sturzsee off Nordkyn 91 17 May 1943 Soviet submarine S 56 sank tanker 1118 ton Eurostadt off Kongsfjord 3676 ton Wartheland was lightly damaged by dud hit from the same salvo 92 June 1943 The 13th U boat Flotilla was established at Trondheim to reduce U boat losses to Allied bombers patrolling approaches to U boat bases on the French Atlantic coast 93 8 July 1943 HMS Duke of York Anson Malaya and Furious of the Home Fleet with USS South Dakota Alabama Augusta and Tuscaloosa conducted exercises off Norway intended to divert attention from Operation Husky 94 17 July 1943 Soviet submarine S 56 sank minesweeper M 346 92 July September 1943 German U boats operated in Kara Sea against Soviet shipping U 255 operated near Novaya Zemlya as a refueling station for a BV 138 The BV 138 searched for Kara Sea convoys to be attacked by Lutzow and the Wiking Gruppe of U 302 U 354 and U 711 The U boats torpedoed 3771 ton Petrovski and sank 2900 ton Dikson 7169 tons Tbilisi 2480 tons Arkhangel sk and 4169 tons Sergej Kirov in addition to 3 minesweepers and 3 other auxiliary vessels However U 639 was lost after being intercepted and torpedoed by Soviet submarine S 101 95 8 September 1943 Scharnhorst Tirpitz and ten destroyers bombarded Spitsbergen as Operation Zitronella 96 23 September 1943 Tirpitz was immobilized in Kafjord by Operation Source 97 nbsp SBD Dauntless dive bomber from USS Ranger during the Bodo airstrike 4 October 1943 USS Ranger launched an airstrike on Bodo as Operation Leader 98 12 October 1943 Soviet submarine S 55 sank 5381 ton Ammerland off Porsangerfjord 91 26 December 1943 Scharnhorst was sunk during the battle of the North Cape while attempting to engage convoys JW 55B and RA 55A 99 26 January 1944 Isegrim gruppe U boats damaged HMS Obdurate and sank Liberty ships Penelope Barker Andrew G Curtin and Fort Bellingham from convoy JW 56A near Bear Island On 30 January U 278 sank HMS Hardy with a G7es torpedo and the convoy escort sank U 314 100 28 January 1944 Soviet submarine S 56 sank 5056 ton Henrietta Schulte 101 24 February 1944 HMS Furious of the convoy JW 57 covering force conducted Operation Bayleaf airstrikes against the Norwegian coast Convoy escort HMS Keppel sank U 713 102 U 956 sank HMS Mahratta with a G7es torpedo on 25 February 103 2 March 1944 HMS Sceptre sank an 8340 ton merchant ship in Folda fjord 104 4 March 1944 U 703 sank 7062 ton Empire Tourist from convoy RA 57 No 816 Naval Air Squadron Fairey Swordfish from escorting HMS Chaser sank U 472 U 366 and U 973 102 28 March 1944 HMS Syrtis was sunk by a mine off Bodo 104 nbsp Aircraft carriers of Operation Tungsten preparing for an airstrike on Tirpitz 2 April 1944 HMS Keppel sank U 360 and other convoy JW 58 escorts sank U 288 105 3 April 1944 British carrier aircraft damage Tirpitz during Operation Tungsten 105 30 April 1944 U 711 sank Liberty ship William S Thayer from convoy RA 59 Convoy escorts sank U 277 U 959 and U 674 The convoy covering force launched an airstrike sinking three ships from a German convoy near Bodo 106 26 May 1944 Soviet aircraft sank 3402 ton Solviken and damaged 3672 ton Herta Engeline Fritzen near Kirkenes 107 31 May 1944 HMS Milne sank U 289 southwest of Bear Island 108 1944 and 1945 Last operations edit17 June 1944 Soviet aircraft sank 1 610 ton Dixie and damaged 1 112 ton Marga Cords and 7 419 ton Florianopolis from a convoy near Hammerfest 109 17 July 1944 Unsuccessful British carrier attack on Tirpitz during Operation Mascot 110 31 July 1944 Tirpitz completed battle damage repair at Altafjord 111 17 August 1944 Soviet aircraft sank two merchant ships near Kirkenes 112 19 August 1944 Soviet torpedo cutters sank 3 946 ton Colmar from a German convoy near Persfjord 112 21 August 1944 U 344 sank convoy JW 59 escort HMS Kite and was sunk by Swordfish of the covering force aircraft carrier HMS Victorious 113 22 29 August British carrier aircraft repeatedly attack Tirpitz during Operation Goodwood but inflict only light damage U 354 sank HMS Bickerton and damaged HMS Nabob from the British fleet before being sunk by escorts on 24 August 113 nbsp USCG cutter Northland operating off Greenland August September 1944 German U boat operations in Kara Sea against Soviet shipping resulted in the loss of three former American minesweepers of the Admirable class transferred to the Soviets under Lend Lease T 118 T 114 and T 120 in addition to the Soviet corvette Brilliant However only one merchant was lost 7540 tons Marina Raskova 7540 GRT in addition to a survey vessel Germans lost U 362 after depth charges by Soviet minesweeper T 116 another Admirable class vessel transferred from United States 114 1 September 1944 The German weather ship Kehdingen scuttled off Greenland when found by USCGC Northland 115 2 September 1944 Convoy RA 59 escorts sank U 394 113 16 September 1944 Soviet aircraft sank 3668 ton Wolsum at Kirkenes Another attack damaged 5434 ton Friesenland off North Cape on 20 September 116 29 September 1944 U 310 sank 7219 ton Samsuva and Liberty ship Edward H Crockett from convoy RA 60 No 813 Naval Air Squadron Swordfish F of HMS Campania sank U 921 on 30 September 117 11 October 1944 Soviet torpedo cutters sank German minesweeper M 303 off Kiberg 118 12 October 1944 Soviet submarine S 104 sank 1730 ton Lumme east of Tanafjord 119 16 October 1944 United States Coast Guard icebreaker Eastwind captured the German weather ship Externsteine off Greenland 115 21 October 1944 Soviet torpedo cutters sank German minesweeper M 31 off Honningsvag 120 nbsp Soviet Northern Fleet ships carrying landing parties for the Petsamo Kirkenes Offensive 26 October 1944 Soviet naval infantry captured Kirkenes with the support of Soviet Northern Fleet destroyers and smaller warships 121 2 November 1944 U 295 damaged convoy RA 61 escort HMS Mounsey with a G7se torpedo HMS Venturer sank U 771 off Lofoten on 11 November 122 12 November 1944 Operation Catechism Tirpitz was capsized by Royal Air Force Avro Lancasters 123 2 December 1944 U 363 sank 1123 ton Proletari off Finland 124 9 December 1944 Convoy RA 62 escorts sank U 387 at the mouth of Kola Bay U 365 torpedoed HMS Cassandra on 11 December before being sunk by No 813 Naval Air Squadron Swordfish from HMS Campania on 13 December 124 30 December 1944 U 956 torpedoed 7176 ton Tbilisi off Kola Bay 125 December 1944 The 14th U boat Flotilla was established at Narvik to absorb displaced U boats as bases on the French coast were captured by Allied troops 126 16 January 1945 U 997 sank Dejatelnyj with a G7se torpedo at the mouth of Kola Bay 127 13 February 1945 KG 26 Ju 88 and 188 torpedo bombers withdrawn from France following the Normandy landings made unsuccessful attacks against convoy JW 64 4 U 992 sank convoy escort HMS Denbigh Castle at the mouth of Kola Bay 128 14 February 1945 U boats sank 8129 ton Norfjell and Liberty ship Horace Gray from convoy BK 3 outside Kola Bay 129 17 February 1945 Escorts clearing Kola Bay for the departure of convoy RA 64 sank U 425 129 U 711 sank HMS Bluebell and U 968 damaged Liberty ship Thomas Scott and HMS Lark with G7se torpedoes 130 On 23 February KG 26 sank Liberty ship Henry Bacon the last ship to be sunk by German aircraft in the second world war 129 20 March 1945 U 968 torpedoed Liberty ships Horace Bushnell and Thomas Donaldson from convoy JW 65 and convoy escort HMS Lapwing with a G7se torpedo 131 22 April 1945 U 997 sank 1603 ton Onega and torpedoed 4287 ton Idefjord from convoy PK 9 132 29 April 1945 In the last trade convoy battle of the Second World War U 286 sank HMS Goodall at the mouth of Kola Bay as convoy JW 66 escorts sank U 307 and U 286 133 8 May 1945 Supply ships from the United States continue westbound through the Bering Strait along the Northern Sea Route to encourage the Soviet Union to declare war on Japan on 9 August 1945 6 Notes edit Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison s definitive History of United States Naval Operations in World War II includes operations from the north pole southward in the first volume entitled The Battle of the Atlantic Eligibility for the United States European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was defined by Executive Order 9265 to include military service aboard a ship operating in the north polar region eastward from the 75th meridian west longitude to the 60th meridian east longitude Wartime navigation over the waters within the Arctic Circle should not be confused with the Arctic Ocean as it may have subsequently been defined to exclude areas within the Arctic Circle Citations edit Kher Aparna What Is Midnight Sun or Polar Day timeanddate com Retrieved 18 April 2020 Drent Jan Commercial Shipping on the Northern Sea Route p 4 Citino Robert White Death The National WWII Museum Retrieved 18 April 2020 a b Wood amp Gunston pp 64 75 Suggs Robert C 1986 Soviet Subs in Scandinavia 1930 to 1945 Proceedings United States Naval Institute 112 3 100 106 a b c Vail Motter pp 481 482 Arming the Soviets Columbia Magazine Archived from the original on 16 April 2013 Retrieved 13 July 2012 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 3 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 8 Grove pp 7 35 Brown p 31 Brown p 32 Rohwer amp Hummelchen pp 21 amp 22 Kemp pp 65 67 Muggenthaler pp 54 59 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 30 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 29 Cressman p 29 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 32 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 39 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 53 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 58 Rohwer amp Hummelchen pp 62 amp 71 Rohwer amp Hummelchen pp 70 amp 71 Ruge p 222 a b Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 73 a b Brown p 48 a b c Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 75 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 76 Rohwer amp Hummelchen pp 76 amp 77 a b Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 77 Brown p 49 Patrols by U 571 Gudmundur Helgason Retrieved 4 July 2012 ShCh 422 Retrieved 10 October 2014 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 87 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 90 a b Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 89 ShCh 402 Retrieved 10 October 2014 Rohwer amp Hummelchen pp 93 amp 96 a b Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 101 Rohwer amp Hummelchen pp 97 amp 101 K 3 Retrieved 10 October 2014 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 103 M 174 Retrieved 10 October 2014 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 106 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 111 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 110 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 114 S 102 Retrieved 10 October 2014 Brown p 56 Irving pp 4 6 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 117 Rohwer amp Hummelchen pp 120 amp 123 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 123 Rohwer amp Hummelchen pp 121 amp 125 Grove pp 117 121 a b Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 131 Kemp p 237 a b c Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 134 a b Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 137 M 171 Retrieved 10 October 2014 Brown p 61 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 139 Morison p 166 11th Flotilla Gudmundur Helgason Retrieved 24 June 2012 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 140 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 141 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 143 Brown p 65 Irving Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 151 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 152 Ruge p 275 Brown p 68 Macintyre pp 292 312 Macintyre pp 312 317 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 173 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 174 Brown p 75 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 178 Stephen pp 179 197 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 185 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 189 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 191 a b Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 195 Cressman p 152 M 122 Retrieved 10 October 2014 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 201 S 101 Retrieved 10 October 2014 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 205 a b S 55 Retrieved 10 October 2014 a b S 56 Retrieved 10 October 2014 13th Flotilla Gudmundur Helgason Retrieved 24 June 2012 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 221 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 225 Stephen p 198 Grove pp 123 131 Cressman p 185 Stephen pp 198 218 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 256 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 257 a b Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 262 Brown p 105 a b Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 264 a b Grove pp 131 136 Rohwer amp Hummelchen pp 272 273 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 276 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 279 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 285 Brown 1977 p 37 Grove p 137 a b Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 299 a b c Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 298 Brown pp 122 amp 123 a b Ruge pp 286 amp 287 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 303 Taylor p 142 Brown p 124 S 104 Retrieved 10 October 2014 Brown p 125 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 309 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 313 Grove p 139 a b Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 318 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 322 14th Flotilla Gudmundur Helgason Retrieved 24 June 2012 Brown p 138 Brown p 139 a b c Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 334 Brown pp 139 amp 140 Macintyre p 444 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 348 Rohwer amp Hummelchen p 350References editBlair Clay 1996 Hitler s U Boat War The Hunters 1939 1942 New York Random House ISBN 0 394 58839 8 Blair Clay 1998 Hitler s U Boat War The Hunted 1942 1945 New York Random House ISBN 0 679 45742 9 Brown David 1977 Tirpitz The Floating Fortress London Arms and Armour Press ISBN 0853683417 Brown David 1995 Warship Losses of World War Two Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 1 55750 914 X Cressman Robert J 2000 The Official Chronology of the U S Navy in World War II Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 1 55750 149 1 Grove Eric 1993 Sea Battles in Close Up World War II Volume Two Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 1 55750 758 9 Hill Alexander 2018 Soviet Destroyers of World War II Oxford Osprey Publishing ISBN 9781472822567 Irving David 1968 The Destruction of Convoy PQ 17 New York Simon and Schuster Kafka Roger Pepperburg Roy L 1946 Warships of the World New York Cornell Maritime Press Kemp P K 1957 Victory at Sea 1939 1945 London Frederick Muller Macintyre Donald 1971 The Naval War Against Hitler New York Charles Scribner s Sons ISBN 9780684123752 via Archive Foundation Morison Samuel Eliot 1975 History of United States Naval Operations in World War II Volume 1 The Battle of the Atlantic September 1939 May 1943 Boston Little Brown and Company Muggenthaler August Karl 1977 German Raiders of World War II Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall ISBN 0 13 354027 8 Potter E B Nimitz Chester W 1960 Sea Power Englewood Cliffs NJ Prentice Hall Rohwer Jurgen Hummelchen Gerhard 1992 Chronology of the War at Sea 1939 1945 Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 1 55750 105 X Ruge Friedrich 1957 Der Seekreig Annapolis Maryland United States Naval Institute Silverstone Paul H 1968 U S Warships of World War II Doubleday and Company Stephen Martin 1988 Sea Battles in Close Up World War II Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press ISBN 0 87021 556 6 Taylor J C 1966 German Warships of World War II New York Doubleday amp Company Vail Motter T H 1952 The Persian Corridor and Aid to Russia Washington DC U S Government Printing Office Wood Tony Gunston Bill 1977 Hitler s Luftwaffe New York Crescent Books ISBN 0 517 22477 1 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Arctic naval operations of World War II amp oldid 1182862527, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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