Air Campaign 32 Arctic Convoys 1942 Paperback

Description

A new history of the most crucial few months of the Arctic Convoys, when Germany'sair power forced the Allies to retreat to the cover of winter.Between spring and autumn 1942, Germany was winning the battle of the ArcticConvoys. Half of PQ-15 was sunk in May, PQ-17 was virtually obliterated in July, and inSeptember 30 percent of PQ-18 was sunk. The Allies were forced to suspend theconvoys until December, when the long Arctic nights would shield them.Mark Lardas argues that in 1942, it was Luftwaffe air power that made the difference.With convoys sailing in endless daylight, German strike aircraft now equipped andtrained for torpedo attacks, and bases in northern Norway available, the Luftwaffe couldwreak havoc. Three-quarters of the losses of PQ-18 were due to air attacks. But inNovember, the Luftwaffe was redeployed south to challenge the Allied landings in NorthAfrica, and the advantage was lost. Despite that, the Allies never again sailed an Arcticconvoy in the summer months.Fully illustrated with archive photos, striking new artwork, maps and diagrams, this isthe remarkable history of the Luftwaffe's last strategic victory of World War II.Sales and Marketing HighlightsThis was a gruelling, dramatic, and high-stakes air campaign, fought in oftenappalling conditions.This covers the most famous and crucial few months of the Arctic Convoys,including the notorious episode of PQ-17.The story of the Arctic Convoys is usually told as a naval subject but this bookoffers a new take, arguing that not only the Luftwaffe was the crucial factor in1942, but that this was the Luftwaffe's last strategic victory of World War II.