Zoom

Battle of the Arctic: The Maritime Epic of World War II

Name: Battle of the Arctic: The Maritime Epic of World War II
Brand: Pegasus Books
SKU: 9781639369010
Price: 30.99 USD
Availability: InStock

$30.99 $42.00

Discount: $11.01 (27%)

Hurry Up! Only 276 Left in Stock!

Out of stock >

Guarantee safe & Secure checkout

Availability: In Stock

Contributors:

Hugh Sebag-Montefiore

Publisher:

Pegasus Books

Binding:

Hardcover

Book Category:

History

Book Subcategory:

Military

Book Topic:

Naval

Shipping & Return +

The product is eligible for a complimentary return within 30 days from the date of purchase. Furthermore, individual items are shipped within 24 hours of receiving the order.

Rating and Reviews +

Specifications +

Release Date:

1/6/2026

ISBN 13:

9781639369010

Weight:

2.15 lbs

Size:

9.14 x 6.23 x 2.21 inches

Pages:

816

Mint Condition +

product description

Description

From the bestselling author of Dunkirk: Fight to the Last Man and Enigma: the Battle for the Code, the story of unsung American heroism in World War II's maritime epic in the Arctic.

It is 1941 and Russia has been invaded. The terms of the new alliance were that Western nations would ship urgently needed war materials to Russia via the shortest but most dangerous route: sailing north of the Arctic Circle while being hunted by U-boats, the Luftwaffe, and a surface fleet spearheaded by Tirpitz and Scharnhorst. This endeavor was called the Arctic convoys.

Battle of the Arctic is about the conflict and naval battles that unfolded while Allied naval and merchant seamen, airmen, submariners, soldiers and intelligence officers delivered on this wartime commitment to Russia from 1941-45, passing through terrific storms, snow, ice and Arctic mirages. When ships went down in seas so cold that a man could die after just five minutes of immersion, it triggered events reminiscent of the do-or-die moments during the sinking of the Titanic. The aftermath of such incidents was harrowing. Men perished one by one in lifeboats and as castaways on deserted Arctic islands where they were stalked by polar bears. Frostbitten and wounded survivors ended up in Russian hospitals so primitive that amputations were carried out without anaesthetics. Other survivors, while stranded for months in the communist state they were aiding, experienced the murky worlds of the NKVD and the gulags as well as famine and prostitution.

In Battle of the Arctic, Sebag-Montefiore has used a remarkable collection of vivid witness accounts brought together at the passing of the last survivors and has been produced with the benefit of research in Russian, German, British and American archives. Polish, Dutch, Norwegian and French sources have also been quoted. This has enabled the telling of this extraordinary story to oscillate between the sailor's eye view on the front line and the political controversies that infuriated world leaders.

Although the relationship with Russia during WWII was far from smooth sailing, this wartime sacrifice for Stalin's Soviet Union is today used by both parties as the historical precedent for future cooperation between Russia and the West.

About the Author
Hugh Sebag-Montefiore was a barrister before becoming a journalist and historian. He has written for the Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph, Observer, Independent on Sunday, and Mail on Sunday. He is the author of three bestselling history books, two about the Second World War (Enigma: The Battle for the Code and Dunkirk: Fight to the Last Man), and one about the First World War (Somme: Into the Breach). He also wrote Kings On The Catwalk: The Louis Vuitton Moët-Hennessy Affair.

Battle of the Arctic: The Maritime Epic of World War II

Customer Reviews

Description

The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World

The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World

Brain Games - U.S. Navy Word Search - Large Print

Brain Games - U.S. Navy Word Search - Large Print

Guardians of the North: Canadian Warships and Maritime Aircraft, 1910-2025

Guardians of the North: Canadian Warships and Maritime Aircraft, 1910-2025

Aegean Sponge Fishing and the Island of Kalymnos (19th-20th Centuries): 19th-20th Centuries

Aegean Sponge Fishing and the Island of Kalymnos (19th-20th Centuries): 19th-20th Centuries

China and the Silk Roads (Ca. 100 Bce to 1800 Ce): Role and Content of Its Historical Access to the Outside World

China and the Silk Roads (Ca. 100 Bce to 1800 Ce): Role and Content of Its Historical Access to the Outside World

Recently Viewed Products

Recently viewed products

Secure Payment

Online Offers

Quick Refunds

Curated Items