page_title: Arctic naval operations of World War II
section_title: 1942 - PQ convoys
hierarchical_section_title: Arctic naval operations of World War II / 1942 - PQ convoys
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Torpedoangriff mit Heinkel He 111 Torpedoangriff. Ein Flugzeugtorpedo fällt, der Zweite ist noch unter dem Flugzeug sichtbar. 10.10.41 22-41 ADN-ZB/Archiv II. Weltkrieg 1939-45 Ein mit Torpedos ausgerüstetes Kampfflugzeug vom Typ He 111 der faschistischen deutschen Luftwaffe während eines Anfriffs. Aufnahme: Stöcker/Herbst 1941 9223-41
context_page_description: The Arctic Circle defining the "midnight sun" encompasses the Atlantic Ocean from the northern edge of Iceland to the Bering Strait in the Pacific Ocean. Military activity in this area between 1939 and 1945 is often considered part of the Battle of the Atlantic or of the European Theatre of World War II. Pre-war navigation focused on fishing and the international ore-trade from Narvik and Petsamo. Soviet settlements along the coast and rivers of the Barents Sea and Kara Sea relied upon summer coastal shipping for supplies from railheads at Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. The Soviet Union extended the Northern Sea Route past the Taymyr Peninsula to the Bering Strait in 1935.
  The Winter War of 1939-1940 between Finland and the Soviet Union opened the northern flank of the eastern front of World War II. Arctic naval presence was initially dominated by the Soviet Northern Fleet of a few destroyers with larger numbers of submarines, minesweepers, and torpedo cutters supported by icebreakers. The success of the German invasion of Norway provided the Kriegsmarine with naval bases from which capital ships might challenge units of the British Royal Navy Home Fleet.
context_section_description: 11 October 1941: Convoy PQ 1 escorted by HMS Suffolk arrived in Arkhangelsk.
  17 October 1941: Soviet submarine Shch-402 sank the 682-ton Vesteraalen in Soroysundet 
  18 October 1941: U-132 sank the 3487-ton Argun at the entrance to the White Sea.
  30 October 1941: Convoy PQ 2 arrived in Arkhangelsk.  Return convoy QP 2 departed on 2 November.
  24 November 1941: HMS Kenya, Bedouin, Intrepid, and Soviet destroyers Gromky and Gremyashchy  shell Vardø.
  28 November 1941: Convoy PQ 3 and convoy PQ 4 arrived in Arkhangelsk.  Return convoy QP 3 departed on 27 November.
  3 December 1941: Soviet submarine K-3 was forced to surface after damages caused by German sub.chasers UJ 1403, UJ 1416 and UJ 1708. Submarine engaged the Germans in gunfire battle and UJ 1708 was sunk, while the others retreated.
  7 December 1941: Anthony Eden arrived in Murmansk aboard HMS Kent.
  12 December 1941: Convoy PQ 5 arrived in Arkhangelsk.
  21 December 1941: Soviet submarine M-174 sank the 4301-ton Emshorn off the Varangerfjord.
  23 December 1941: Convoy PQ 6 arrived in Murmansk.
  25 December 1941: U-134, U-454 and U-584 formed gruppe Ulan patrolling south of Bear Island for PQ convoys until 14 March 1942.
  26 December 1941: HMS Arethusa covered the Operation Anklet raid on Lofoten.
  11 January 1942: Convoy PQ 7 arrived in Murmansk after U-134 sank 5135-ton Waziristan.
  14 January 1942: Soviet submarine S-102 sank 1877-ton Turkheim off Sytlefjord.
  17 January 1942: U-454 damaged 5395-ton Harmatris and sank HMS Matabele from convoy PQ 8 as the convoy reached Kola Bay.  The German battleship Tirpitz was based at Trondheim, where its presence required the Home Fleet to retain at least one modern battleship which might have otherwise been used in the Mediterranean or Pacific.
  5 February 1942: Soviet submarine Shch-421 sank 2975-ton Konsul Schulte off Porsangerfjorden.
  10 February 1942: Combined convoys PQ 9 and 10 arrived in Murmansk escorted by HMS Nigeria, Faulknor and Intrepid.  The escort departed with return convoy QP 7 on 12 February.
  15 February 1942: Soviet submarine S-101 sank 1147-ton Mimona off Tanafjord.
  23 February 1942: Convoy PQ 11 arrived in Murmansk.  Admiral Scheer joined Tirpitz in Trondheim.
  5 March 1942: A Focke-Wulf Fw 200 located Convoy PQ 12 south of Jan Mayen.  Tirpitz sailed on 6 March with destroyers Hermann Schoemann, Friedrich Ihn and Z25.  The convoy covering force of HMS Duke of York, Renown, Kenya, Faulknor, Eskimo, Punjabi, Fury, Echo and Eclipse failed to locate Tirpitz; and Ihn sank the 2815-ton Ijora straggling from convoy QP 8.  An unsuccessful airstrike from HMS Victorious on 9 March caused Tirpitz to seek refuge in Narvik.
  24 March 1942: Convoy QP 9 escort HMS Sharpshooter sank U-655.
  27 March 1942: A Bv 138 located storm-scattered Convoy PQ 13 escorted by HMS Trinidad, Eclipse and Fury.  KG 30 Junkers Ju 88s sank 4815-ton Raceland and 7007-ton Empire Ranger as Kriegsmarine destroyers Z24, Z25 and Z26 sailed.  Z26 sank 4687-ton Bateau before being sunk by Trinidad.  Trinidad and Eclipse were damaged in the engagement.  U-376 sank 5086-ton Induna, and U-435 sank 6421-ton Effingham.
  1 April 1942: Soviet submarine Shch-404 sank 2318-ton Michael off Tanafjord.
  10 April 1942: Convoy QP 10 departed Kola Bay escorted by HMS Liverpool, Oribi, Punjabi, Marne, Fury and Eclipse.  KG 30 Ju 88s sank 7164-ton Empire Cowper and 5486-ton Harpalion.  U-435 sank 6008-ton Occidente and 5823-ton Kiev.
  19 April 1942: Convoy PQ 14 arrived in Murmansk after U-403 sank 6985-ton Empire Howard.
  24 April 1942: Soviet submarine Shch-401 was lost after sinking 1359-ton Stensaas.
  28 April 1942: Convoy QP 11 departed Murmansk escorted by HMS Edinburgh, Foresight, Forester, Bulldog, Amazon, Beagle and Beverley.  U-456 torpedoed Edinburgh.  Kriegsmarine destroyers Hermann Schoemann, Z24 and Z25 sank 2847-ton Tsiolkovski and damaged Amazon.  Schoemann was sunk by Edinburgh while the German destroyers crippled Edinburgh and damaged Forester and Foresight.
  29 April 1942: Soviet submarine M-171 sank 4969-ton Curityba off Varangerfjord.
  5 May 1942: Convoy PQ 15 arriv
caption: KG 26 He 111 torpedo planes attacked convoys PQ 15, 16 and 17.
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