The Arctic route starts in Iceland and ends in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. Murmansk is near, it is an all-year-round ice-free port, but the route is threatened by the German navy and air force stationed in northern Norway; The route of Arkhangelsk is about 2200 nautical miles. Although it is a little safer, there is a half-year ice-covered period, and shipping is quite limited.
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean. Sailors usually call it the Arctic Ocean. This is a daunting world of ice and snow, and many areas are frozen all year round. Ice floes float on the unfrozen sea. It's dark in winter, and the wind roars at night. In summer, the white night is boundless and foggy, making navigation difficult.
Even in peacetime, few ships take risks except explorers. During the war, German planes, surface ships and submarines blocked the Arctic route, which made it even more creepy. Sailors sailing on other oceans in the world can hardly imagine the hardships and dangers of the Arctic route. Nevertheless, the Allies used this route to transport a lot of arms to the Soviet Union, which made great contributions to the Soviet Patriotic War. The British Navy named the cargo escort fleet of China Eastern Airlines departing from Iceland PQ Fleet, and the air fleet returning to the west from the Soviet Union QP Fleet.
On September 28th, 194 1, the QP- 1 fleet consisting of 14 merchant ships set out from Arkhangelsk under the escort of 1 cruiser; On the third day, the PQ-1 fleet of 10, which was escorted by1heavy cruisers and two destroyers, was untied in Iceland. Both fleets arrived safely and the Arctic route was officially opened.
In the long winter night, the sun rarely shines on the ends of the earth, only Polaris crouches in the dark sky. Allied sailors overcame the bad weather with fearless spirit. By the end of the year, seven PQ fleets had arrived in the Soviet Union, carrying 750 tanks, 800 fighter planes, 1, 400 trucks and 654.38+10,000 tons of ammunition, and only 1 cargo ship was sunk by drifting ice.
1942 In the spring, with the warming of the temperature and the fading of the extreme night, the fleet on the Arctic route became active, and more and more arms were transported to the Soviet Union. When the Germans found a large number of western arms on the battlefield against the Soviet Union, Hitler realized the great role of the Arctic route and immediately ordered it to be cut off.
To this end, the German navy sent four submarine fleets to Norwegian waters, and deployed the battleship Tirpitz, the battle cruiser scharnhorst, the heavy cruiser Admiral Schell, Admiral Hill and prinz eugen to northern Norway, and strengthened the maritime assault force with more than 200 bombers of the Fifth Flying Team of the German Air Force. There was a sudden murderous look on the Arctic route.
Due to the attack of the German navy and air force, PQ-7A, PQ-8, PQ- 13, QP-9, PQ- 14, PQ- 15, PQ- 16 and other fleets suffered losses to varying degrees.
Churchill and the British Admiralty attached great importance to the action in the Arctic Ocean and sent some of the best aircraft carriers, battleships and cruisers as escorts. However, the Germans occupied the right place at the right time, and the situation became more and more ugly.