دانلود کتاب The Russian Convoys 1941-1945

The convoys which took war material to the USSR via the northern trade route during the Second World War have a special place in the history of the war at sea because of the unequalled hardships they faced. After being assembled in the grim harbour of Hvalfjord in Iceland or a remote Scottish loch the convoys would sail through the Norwegian and Barents Seas to the Russian port of Murmansk in the Kola Inlet or Archangel on the White Sea. The route the convoys had to follow is notorious for bad weather and conditions which border on the limits of human endurance. In winter the northern latitudes produce conditions of continuous darkness, while from May to August there is perpetual daylight. The fierce storms which frequently battered the convoys caused ice to build up on ships superstructures and deck fittings, and this had to be chipped away to prevent the vessels from becoming top-heavy. This was treacherous work, and a mans chances of survival should he fall overboard into that icy water were very slim.