Arctic convoys of World War II

Overview

The Arctic convoys of World War II were oceangoing convoys which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports in the Soviet Union, most to Arkhangelsk (Archangel) or Murmansk in Russia. There were 78 convoys, Convoy PQ 1 to Convoy PQ 18 (outbound), Convoy QP 1 to Convoy QP 15 (inbound), Convoy JW 51 – Convoy JW 67 (outbound) and Convoy RA 51 to Convoy RA 67 (inbound). Convoys ran from August 1941 to May 1945, sailing via the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, with periods of no sailings during several months in 1942 and in the summers of 1943 and 1944.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Arctic convoys formed a sustained Allied supply line running from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to the Soviet northern ports of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk across the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Comprising 78 convoys—designated in outbound series PQ 1–18 and JW 51–67, and inbound series QP 1–15 and RA 51–67—they operated from August 1941 to May 1945, with interruptions during several months of 1942 and in the summers of 1943 and 1944. The route sustained the Soviet war effort on the Eastern Front by moving materiel through some of the most operationally hostile waters of the war, making the convoy campaign a key logistical component of the Allied coalition against Germany.