Forgotten Sacrifice: The Arctic Convoys of World War II - Hardcover

"This volume fills in a part of history little known to the average student of the Second World War and is important in the wider knowledge of that time." --Richard Mataka, www.mataka.org "Relying on anecdores from the written accounts of crewmen who served on board the merchantmen and their naval escorts, Walling provides readers with unforgettable snapshots of the horrendous experiences they faced during cobat in ... frigid waters." --Naval History magazine (June 2013) "If the Nazis didn't get you, the weather would in this truly hellish front: the icy U-boat and Luftwaffe-patrolled lend-lease lifeline to Russia." --Gene Santoro, World War II (November/December 2012) ..".through this book I definitely had gained a renewed sense of appreciation for the thousands upon thousands of civilian seamen who had contributed to the war effort, many of whom passed into history without ever receiving their due recognition." --Peter C. Chen, World War II Database (October 2012) ..".tells the complete story of the Allied forces' Arctic Convoys and the role they played in helping Russia repel the Germans. It uses literally hundreds of oral histories from eyewitnesses and veterans of the convoys plus original research in the Russian Naval archives at Murmansk to retell a campaign that has received relatively little in-depth focus in the chronicles of World War II, and is a top pick for any military history holding." --James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review (January 2013)

The story begins in October 1939, when Germany and the Soviet Union began diplomatic maneuvering. The action accelerates with Winston Churchill's decision in 1941 to provide supplies to Soviet forces battling the German invasion and for five long years, thousands of men and women fought ferociously in the coldest corner of hell on earth. Some fought for survival, some struggled to help others survive, and some sought to crush their enemies. The Arctic Convoys were war without mercy. If man-made death didn't get you, the Arctic's weapons of ice and cold would. These natural weapons killed regardless of whose side you were on or how just your cause. No one escaped unscathed. Author Mike Walling captures the convoy's bitter essence and reveals a timeless tale of determination, heroism, sacrifice, and the strength of the human spirit.