The Battle of the Arctic

From the #1 bestselling author Hugh Sebag Montefiore, a spellbinding and fiercely told history of one of the most extreme episodes of the Second World War.

As the Soviet Union played its role in the fracas, Ally convoys from the UK, the United States and Iceland fought to deliver essential supplies to Russia. In a clash of extreme elements and fierce Axis opposition, the effort demonstrated like no other the commitment from other nations to supporting the Soviet Union.

The Battle of the Artic follows not just the Royal Navy and its successful efforts to shepherd ships through storms and past floating icebergs. It also tells a part of history which has never been properly understood by the British public. It involves the forgotten heroes of the Arctic convoys, the officers, armed guards and the ordinary civilian seamen, mostly from Britain and America, but also from Holland, Norway, Russia and Poland, condemned to carry on steaming their merchant ships slowly through the icy waters to and from Russia, even though they knew that at any moment they might be sunk.

This is a thrilling and important story that will leave you thankful to be on dry ground.

Reviews

PRAISE FOR HUGH SEBAG-MONTEFIORE’S SOMME

'Having read almost everything that is written on this battle, I can vouch that this is the best account yet. Sebag-Montefiore deserves congratulation for restoring humanity to this battle'
Gerard DeGroot, The Times

'Magisterial, exemplary, heartbreaking. So original is the material, and so inventive is Sebag-Montefiore's approach – telling each stage of the fight from the perspective of both the combatants and their families back home – that this well-known tale is rendered strange again. Written with great style and sensitivity, superbly illustrated with many original plates and beautifully drawn maps, Sebag-Montefiore's brilliant new study will set the benchmark for a generation'
Saul David, Daily Telegraph

'Sebag-Montefiore's combination of thoughtful analysis with first-hand testimony from army soldiers, cameramen and diarists lends a gritty immediacy'
Ian Thomson, Observer

'The best historians of the war have always made good use of the words written by the participants themselves, but few have done so as effectively as here. A moving record'
Daily Mail

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 2nd World War (Enigma: The Battle for the Code and Dunkirk: Fight to the Last Man), and one about the 1st World War (Somme: Into the Breach). He also wrote Kings On The Catwalk: The Louis Vuitton Moët-Hennessy Affair.