77-502: PQ 14 can refer to : Convoy PQ 14 , an Arctic convoy of the Second World War Culver PQ-14 , an American light aircraft of the 1940s [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title formed as a letter–number combination. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
154-540: A 2-inch mortar . By 1943, each Universal Carrier had a crew of four, an NCO, driver-mechanic and two riflemen. The Boys anti-tank rifle was also replaced by the PIAT anti-tank weapon. The Universal Carrier's weapons could be fired from in- or outside the carrier. A carrier platoon had a higher number of light support weapons than a rifle company. To allow the Universal to function as an artillery tractor in emergencies,
231-549: A 15-cwt GS truck). Each Universal Carrier had a non-commissioned officer (NCO), a rifleman and a driver-mechanic. One Universal Carrier in each section was commanded by a sergeant, the other two by corporals. All the Universal Carriers were armed with a Bren gun and one carrier in each carrier section also had a Boys anti-tank rifle . By 1941, the carrier platoon had increased in strength to contain four carrier sections; one carrier in each carrier section also carried
308-469: A chance of rescue" or morale could not be maintained. After the experience of PQ 16, Stumpff gave the task to the coastal reconnaissance squadrons, whose aircraft were not usually engaged in attacks on convoys. They would henceforth stand by to rescue aircrew during anti-shipping operations. Between Greenland and Norway are some of the most stormy waters of the world's oceans, 890 mi (1,440 km) of water under gales full of snow, sleet and hail. Around
385-411: A convoy was spotted aircraft were to keep contact as far as possible in the extreme weather of the area. If contact was lost its course at the last sighting would be extrapolated and overlapping sorties would be flown to regain contact. All three Fliegerführer were to co-operate as the convoy moved through their operational areas. Fliegerführer Lofoten would begin the anti-convoy operation east to
462-469: A horizontal axis. Small turns moved the crosstube that carried the front road wheel bogies laterally, warping the track so the vehicle drifted to that side. Further movement of the wheel braked the appropriate track to give a tighter turn. The hull in front of the commander's position jutted forward to give room for the Bren light machine gun (or other armaments) to fire through a simple slit. To either side of
539-535: A large explosive charge, these would be driven up to enemy positions under remote control and detonated, destroying both themselves and the target. Twenty-nine of both kinds were deployed in 1942 during the Siege of Sevastopol . They achieved some success in destroying Soviet trenches and bunkers, but a significant number were destroyed by artillery. Others were disabled by land mines before reaching their target or were lost because of mechanical breakdowns. A difficulty for
616-560: A line from Trondheim westwards to Shetland and Iceland , with 1./(F) 22, the Kondors of 1./KG 40, short-range coastal reconnaissance squadrons 1./ Küstenfliegergruppe 406 (1./Kü.Fl.Gr. 406), 2./ Küstenfliegergruppe 406 (2./Kü.Fl.Gr. 406) and a weather reconnaissance squadron. As soon as information was received about the assembly of a convoy, Fliegerführer Nord (West) would send long-range reconnaissance aircraft to search Iceland and northern Scotland. Once
693-466: A line from the North Cape to Spitzbergen Island, whence Fliegerführer Nord (Ost) would take over using his and Fliegerführer Lofoten 's aircraft, which would to Kirkenes or Petsamo to stay in range. Fliegerführer Nord (Ost) was not allowed to divert aircraft to ground support during the operation. As soon as the convoy came into range, the aircraft were to keep up a continuous attack until
770-492: A low-silhouette vehicle that could still fire over obstacles. A one-man design based on Carden Loyd suspension was not adopted, but the inventor was encouraged to design a two-man version. This version was built in 1943, based on the Universal Carrier. The hull was replaced with an enclosed metal-box structure with enough room for a driver and a gunner lying prone. This box, pivoting from the rear, could be elevated. At
847-598: A month and 300 Bren gun carriers . The Anglo-Americans also undertook to send 42,000 long tons (43,000 t) of aluminium and 3, 862 machine tools, along with sundry raw materials food and medical supplies. The growing German air strength in Norway and increasing losses to convoys and their escorts, led Rear-Admiral Stuart Bonham Carter , commander of the 18th Cruiser Squadron , Admiral sir John Tovey , Commander in Chief Home Fleet and Admiral Sir Dudley Pound
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#1732801730505924-698: A screen along the course of the convoy. At 5:00 a.m. several Ju 88 bombers arrived, one being shot down by the gunners on Briarwood as visibility was deteriorating; the bombers failed to hit any of the ships. At 7:50 a.m. the destroyer Bulldog attacked a submerged U-boat and claimed a possible sinking. The U-boat, possibly U-376, fired torpedoes to no effect as the convoy zig-zagged. Torpedo tracks were seen at 10:07 a.m. and Bulldog attacked with depth charges. As visibility got worse, no more air attacks were received. The German 8th Destroyer Flotilla had sortied from Kirkenes against QP 10 on 12 and 13 April and at 2:00 a.m. Bonham Carter ordered Edinburgh out of
1001-479: A storm, a reconnaissance aircraft arrived on 14 April but the Germans were preparing to attack PQ 14. QP 10 suffered the loss of four vessels but shot down six aircraft, damaged one and evaded two destroyer sorties. On 15 April, east of Bear Island, the convoy was sighted by German reconnaissance aircraft and desultory air attacks began. More determined air and submarine attacks were made on 16 April. Empire Howard
1078-718: A towing attachment that could allow it to haul the Ordnance QF 6 pounder anti-tank gun was added from 1943. Normally the Loyd Carrier – which was also used as a general utility carrier – acted as the tractor for the 6-pdr. In Motorised Infantry Battalions in the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in the early 1950s the Universal was issued one per platoon carrying the Platoon Commander, driver, signaller and
1155-564: The Kriegsmarine , the Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue (RS) and ships on passage, recovered aircrew and shipwrecked sailors. The service comprised Seenotbereich VIII at Stavanger covering Stavanger, Bergen and Trondheim and Seenotbereich IX at Kirkenes for Tromsø, Billefjord and Kirkenes. Co-operation was as important in rescues as it was in anti-shipping operations if people were to be saved before they succumbed to
1232-594: The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France during 1939–1940 were equipped with Scout Carriers – 44 carriers and 28 light tanks in each regiment. There were 10 Bren Carriers in each infantry battalion in the same period. The Reconnaissance Corps regiments – which replaced the cavalry regiments in supporting Infantry divisions after 1940 – were each equipped with 63 carriers, along with 28 Humber Scout Cars . Universal Carriers were issued to
1309-612: The First Sea Lord , the professional head of the Royal Navy , unanimously to advocate the suspension of Arctic convoys during the summer months. The small number of Russian ships available to meet Arctic convoys, losses inflicted by Luftflotte 5 based in Norway and the presence of the German battleship Tirpitz in Norway from early 1942, had led to a large number of ships full of supplies to Russia becoming stranded at
1386-571: The North Atlantic Drift , arriving at the south-west of England the drift moves between Scotland and Iceland. North of Norway the drift splits. A northern stream goes north of Bear Island to Svalbard and the southern stream following the coast of Murmansk into the Barents Sea. The mingling of cold Arctic water and warmer water of higher salinity generates thick banks of fog for convoys to hide in. The waters drastically reduced
1463-560: The O-class destroyers HMS Offa and Onslow . PQ 14 sailed from Iceland on 8 April 1942 escorted from 8 to 12 April by the Hunt -class destroyer HMS Wilton , the Halcyon -class minesweepers HMS Hebe and Speedy and the anti-submarine trawlers HMT Chiltern and Northern Wave . On 9 April 120 nmi (220 km; 140 mi) south-west of Jan Mayen ,
1540-678: The Soviet Air Forces ( Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily , VVS). The British supplied radar apparatuses, machine tools, ASDIC and other commodities. During the summer months, convoys went as far north as 75 N latitude then south into the Barents Sea and to the ports of Murmansk in the Kola Inlet and Archangel in the White Sea . In winter, due to the polar ice expanding southwards, the convoy route ran closer to Norway. The voyage
1617-547: The Thornycroft company. With the introduction of the Universal, production in the UK was undertaken by Aveling-Barford , Ford, Sentinel, Thornycroft, and Wolseley Motors . By 1945 production amounted to approximately 57,000 of all models, including some 2,400 early ones. The Universal Carriers, in different variants, were also produced in allied countries. Ford Motor Company of Canada manufactured about 29,000 vehicles known as
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#17328017305051694-657: The 2-inch Mortar group Nos 1 & 2. Universal and the earlier Bren carriers were used by Australian Army units in the Western Desert campaign . Australian Universal Carriers were deployed to the Western Desert, Egypt during August 1942 serving as command vehicles for the 9th Divisional Cavalry Regiment . Captured Universal Carriers were used in various roles by German forces. A total of around sixty Bren No.2 Carriers and Belgian Army Vickers Utility Tractors were converted into demolition vehicles. Carrying
1771-587: The British had dispatched 450 aircraft, 22,000 long tons (22,000 t) of rubber, 3,000,000 pairs of boots and stocks of tin, aluminium, jute, lead and wool. In September British and US representatives travelled to Moscow to study Soviet requirements and their ability to meet them. The representatives of the three countries drew up a protocol in October 1941 to last until June 1942 and to agree new protocols to operate from 1 July to 30 June of each following year until
1848-581: The British lost access to the Shark cypher and had no information to send in Cypher No 3 which might compromise Ultra. In March 1942, Adolf Hitler issued a directive for a greater anti-convoy effort to weaken the Red Army and prevent Allied troops being transferred to northern Russia , preparatory to a landing on the coast of northern Norway. Luftflotte 5 ( Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen Stumpff )
1925-795: The Enigma machines used in U-boats in the Atlantic and Mediterranean were changed but German ships and the U-boats in Arctic waters continued with the older Heimish ( Hydra from 1942, code-named Dolphin by the British). By mid-1941, British Y-stations were able to read Luftwaffe wireless telegraphy (W/T) transmissions and give advance warning of Luftwaffe operations. In 1941, interception parties (code-named Headaches) embarked on warships. Enigma decrypts were used twice to tell Convoy PQ 14 that
2002-817: The Ford C01UC Universal Carrier. Smaller numbers of them were also produced in Australia (about 5,000), where hulls were made in several places in Victoria and by South Australian Railways workshops in Adelaide, South Australia. About 1,300 were also produced in New Zealand. Universal Carriers were manufactured in the United States for allied use with GAE and GAEA V-8 Ford engines. About 20,000 were produced. The Universal Carrier
2079-484: The Germans using these foreign-built vehicles was the lack of spare parts. The widespread production of the Carrier allowed for several variants to be developed, manufactured and/or used by different countries. An attempted conversion to self-propelled artillery consisting of a single T16 carrier fitted with a six- Model 1968 recoilless gun mount was developed in the late 1960s or early 1970s. American production of
2156-553: The Halifaxes were shot down. PQ 14 was larger than earlier convoys. The British Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) based at Bletchley Park housed a small industry of code-breakers and traffic analysts that intercepted and decoded German naval transmissions. By June 1941, the German Enigma machine Home Waters ( Heimish ) settings used by surface ships and U-boats could quickly be read. On 1 February 1942,
2233-603: The Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine were uncovered and tactical co-operation greatly enhanced, Hermann Böhm ( Kommandierender Admiral Norwegen ) noting that in the operation against PQ 15 and QP 11, there were no problems in co-operation between aircraft, submarines and destroyers. From 152 aircraft in January, reinforcements to Luftflotte 5 increased its strength to 221 front-line aircraft by March 1942. The Luftwaffe Sea Rescue Service ( Seenotdienst ) along with
2310-511: The North Cape and the Barents Sea the sea temperature rarely rises above 4° Celsius and a man in the water would probably die unless rescued immediately. The cold water and air made spray freeze on the superstructure of ships, which had to be removed quickly to avoid the ship becoming top-heavy. The cold Arctic water was met by the Gulf Stream , warm water from the Gulf of Mexico , which became
2387-611: The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill , made a commitment to send a convoy to the Arctic ports of the USSR every ten days and to deliver 1,200 tanks a month from July 1942 to January 1943, followed by 2,000 tanks and another 3,600 aircraft in excess of those already promised. The first convoy was due at Murmansk around 12 October and the next convoy was to depart Iceland on 22 October. A motley of British, Allied and neutral shipping loaded with military stores and raw materials for
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2464-676: The Skaggerak using information gleaned from British wireless signals. In 1941, B-Dienst read signals from the Commander in Chief Western Approaches informing convoys of areas patrolled by U-boats, enabling the submarines to move into "safe" zones. B-Dienst had broken Naval Cypher No 3 in February 1942 and by March was reading up to 80 per cent of the traffic, which continued until 15 December 1943. By coincidence,
2541-548: The Soviet war effort would be assembled at Hvalfjörður in Iceland , convenient for ships from both sides of the Atlantic. By late 1941, the convoy system used in the Atlantic had been established on the Arctic run; a convoy commodore ensured that the ships' masters and signals officers attended a briefing to make arrangements for the management of the convoy, which sailed in a formation of long rows of short columns. The commodore
2618-537: The Universal Carrier family can be traced back generally to the Carden Loyd tankettes family, which was developed in the 1920s, and specifically the Mk VI tankette. In 1934, Vickers-Armstrongs produced, as a commercial venture, a light tracked vehicle that could be used either to carry a machine gun or to tow a light field gun . The VA.D50 had an armoured box at the front for driver and a gunner and bench seating at
2695-705: The Universal followed the same design as the British Marks I to III In 1942, at the request of the Italian Army ( Regio Esercito ), Fiat produced a prototype carrier copied from a captured Universal Carrier; it was known as the Fiat 2800 or CVP-4. It is uncertain whether production vehicles were manufactured. Bren carriers captured by the Italians in the field were often fitted with Breda M37 machine guns. The Praying Mantis came from an attempt to produce
2772-766: The aircraft carrier HMS Victorious , the County-class heavy cruiser HMS Kent , the Fiji -class light cruiser Nigeria with the Tribal-class destroyers HMS Bedouin , Eskimo and Somali , the E- and F-class destroyers HMS Escapade and Faulknor , the Hunt-class destroyers HMS Belvoir , Ledbury , Middleton and Wheatland , the M-class destroyer HMS Matchless and
2849-679: The attempt would weaken our influence with both our major allies. PQ 13 had been the first convoy to suffer serious casualties, five ships being sunk by submarines, aircraft and surface ships. Tovey asked the Russians for more submarine patrols in the Barents Sea and more destroyer escorts for the final leg of convoys. More escorts were diverted from Western Approaches Command to increase the close escort to about ten vessels. Bomber Command had sent 33 Halifax heavy bombers to attack Tirpitz on 31 March in exceedingly poor weather, through which few aircraft managed to bomb, no hits were obtained and five of
2926-406: The back for the gun crew. The War Office considered it as a possible replacement for their Vickers "Light Dragon" artillery tractors and took 69 as the "Light Dragon Mark III". One was built as the "Carrier, Machine-Gun Experimental (Armoured)", carrying a machine gun and its crew. The decision was made to drop the machine gun and its team and the next design had a crew of three—driver and gunner in
3003-532: The big German ships had not sailed. The rival German Beobachtungsdienst ( B-Dienst , Observation Service) of the Kriegsmarine Marinenachrichtendienst (MND, Naval Intelligence Service) had broken several Admiralty codes and cyphers by 1939, which were used to help Kriegsmarine ships elude British forces and provide opportunities for surprise attacks. From June to August 1940, six British submarines were sunk in
3080-538: The climate and severe weather. The sea rescue aircraft comprised Heinkel He 59 floatplanes, Dornier Do 18 and Dornier Do 24 seaplanes. Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL, the high command of the Luftwaffe) was not able to increase the number of search and rescue aircraft in Norway, due to a general shortage of aircraft and crews, despite Stumpff pointing out that coming down in such cold waters required extremely swift recovery and that his crews "must be given
3157-523: The convoy docked at Murmansk or Archangelsk. From late March to late May the air effort against PQ 13, 14, 15 and QP 9, 10 and 11 had little effect, twelve sinkings out of 16 lost in PQ convoys and two out of five sinkings from QP convoys being credited to the Luftwaffe; 166 merchant ships had sailed for Russia and 145 had survived the journey. Bad weather had been nearly as dangerous as the Luftwaffe but in April,
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3234-490: The convoy gunners held their fire to avoid giving away the position of the ships. The weather began to clear and the British minesweepers Gossamer , Harrier , Hussar and Niger , based at Kola Inlet, arrived after turning back from QP 10. On the final leg to Kola, a north-westerly gale blew up. On 19 April the seven remaining ships entered Kola Inlet and docked at Murmansk . The seven ships and those of PQ 13 were attacked by Luftwaffe bombers as they were unloaded. Despite
3311-598: The convoy rendezvoused with the destroyers HMS Amazon , the B-class destroyer HMS Beagle and Bulldog , the ex-US HMS Beverley the Flower-class corvettes HMS Campanula , Oxlip , Saxifrage and Snowflake , with the Admiralty trawler HMS Duncton and the requisitioned trawlers HMT Lord Austin and Lord Middleton . The cruisers Edinburgh and Norfolk with
3388-489: The convoy. The remaining eight ships, with Edinburgh and the twelve escorts, pressed on. PQ 14 had no interference from German forces, though its reciprocal, Convoy QP 10 , was attacked from its departure from Murmansk until it passed Bear Island three days later. On 11 April a ship was bombed and sunk and on 12 April, a U-boat attacked a destroyer and sank two merchant ships. A freighter was severely damaged on 13 April and sunk by its escorts. After fog descended, followed by
3465-413: The convoy. The visibility had increased and the ship hoisted battle ensigns as it bore west towards the superstructures of Hermann Shoemann , Z24 and Z25 which were above the horizon; the destroyers turned away and faded from view. Later in the day an attack by aircraft, submarines and surface ships was anticipated, thick fog "saved the convoy's bacon". German aircraft could be heard above the low cloud and
3542-557: The convoys. In late 1941 and early 1942 the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine had reinforced Norway with aircraft and ships. The convoy sailed in April 1942, when the hours of daylight were increasing and the Polar ice had yet to recede. On the night of 10/11 April, thirty hours' sailing in fog and pack ice caused so much damage that 16 vessels had to turn back and return to Iceland. On 16 April, air and U-boat attacks sank one merchant ship and
3619-413: The destroyers Foresight and Forrester sailed nearby. On the night of 10/11 April, south-west of Jan Mayen, the convoy ran into fog which held for thirty hours and sailed through pack ice for twelve hours. The convoy was thrown into disarray and many ships were damaged by the ice. Sixteen ships and the two minesweepers Hebe and Speedy were forced to turn back through damage or being unable to rejoin
3696-468: The effectiveness of ASDIC as U-boats moved in waters of differing temperatures and density. In winter, polar ice can form as far south as 50 mi (80 km) of the North Cape and in summer it can recede to Svalbard, forcing ships closer to Luftwaffe air bases or being able to sail further out to sea. The area is in perpetual darkness in winter and permanent daylight in the summer which makes air reconnaissance almost impossible or easy. In October 1941,
3773-420: The end of Lend-Lease. The protocol listed supplies, monthly rates of delivery and totals for the period. The first protocol specified the supplies to be sent but not the ships to move them. The USSR turned out to lack the ships and escorts and the British and Americans, who had made a commitment to "help with the delivery", undertook to deliver the supplies for want of an alternative. The main Soviet need in 1941
3850-459: The engine was an area in which passengers could sit or stores could be carried. Initially, there were several types of Carrier that varied slightly in design according to their purpose: "Medium Machine Gun Carrier" (the Vickers machine gun ), "Bren Gun Carrier", "Scout Carrier" and "Cavalry Carrier". The production of a single model came to be preferred and the Universal design appeared in 1940; this
3927-489: The ex-USN Town class destroyer Richmond and the Dance-class trawler HMT Tango . Convoys had a standard formation of short columns, number 1 to the left in the direction of travel. Each position in the column was numbered; 11 was the first ship in column 1 and 12 was the second ship in the column; 21 was the first ship in column 2. Ships in column sailed at intervals of 400 yd (370 m) until 1943 when
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#17328017305054004-408: The front sitting side by side; the driver to the right. The Ford V8 sidevalve engine with four speed gearbox was placed in the centre of the vehicle with the final drive (a commercial Ford axle ) at the rear. The suspension and running gear were based on that used on the Vickers light tank series using Horstmann springs . Directional control was through a vertical steering wheel which pivoted about
4081-460: The front, third crew-member on the left in the rear and the right rear open for storage. Fourteen of this design were built in mild steel as "Carrier, Machine-Gun No 1 Mark 1" and entered service in 1936. Six were converted into pilot models for the Machine gun Carrier No.2, Cavalry Carrier and Scout Carrier designs – the remainder were used for training. The carrier put the driver and commander at
4158-477: The insulating effect of becoming coated in oil. The vice-convoy commodore, Captain W. H. Lawrence, Master of Briarwood , took over. To the east of Bear Island, U-376 narrowly missed Edinburgh . At 4:30 a.m. on 17 April the convoy was joined by the local escort, comprising the Soviet destroyers Gremyashchy and Sokrushitelny , which had escorted QP 10 to 30°E then turned back with PQ 14. The Russian submarines K-1, K-2, K-3, S-101 and Shch-401 had provided
4235-463: The interval was increased to 600 yd (550 m) then 800 yd (730 m) to cater for inexperienced captains reluctant to keep so close. The Ocean Escort Group was composed of the cruisers HMS Edinburgh and Norfolk with the F-class destroyers HMS Foresight and Forester . The distant escort comprised the battleships HMS Duke of York and King George V ,
4312-470: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=PQ-14&oldid=839984565 " Category : Letter–number combination disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Convoy PQ 14 1941 1942 1943 1944 1942 1943 1944 1945 Convoy PQ 14
4389-443: The perpetual daylight of the midnight sun. Despite the recent reinforcement of convoy escorts, the last four days of the voyage would be under continuous observation and submarine attacks would increase just as the escorts were inhibited by shortage of fuel; Bonham Carter predicted serious losses . Universal Carrier The Universal Carrier , a development of the earlier Bren Gun Carrier from its light machine gun armament ,
4466-459: The safe arrival of seven ships of PQ 14, that so many ships were forced to turn back with ice damage, created a shortfall in Lend-lease deliveries to the USSR. The Allies would have to run larger convoys during the hazardous summer months to catch up. Bonham Carter reported that the co-ordination of German aircraft and submarine attacks was a cause for concern as daylight hours increased towards
4543-457: The seven remaining ships in the convoy reached Murmansk . The Allies would have to run larger convoys during the hazardous summer months to catch up with deliveries. The co-ordination of German aircraft and submarine attacks caused the Navy concern as daylight hours increased towards the perpetual daylight of the midnight sun. Despite the recent reinforcement of convoy escorts, the last four days of
4620-548: The speed, course and zig-zagging of the merchant ships and liaised with the escort commander. By the end of 1941, 187 Matilda II and 249 Valentine tanks had been delivered, comprising 25 per cent of the medium-heavy tanks in the Red Army and 30 to 40 per cent of the medium-heavy tanks defending Moscow. In December 1941, 16 per cent of the fighters defending Moscow were Hawker Hurricanes and Curtiss Tomahawks from Britain; by 1 January 1942, 96 Hurricane fighters were flying in
4697-466: The spring thaw grounded many Luftwaffe aircraft and in May bad weather led to contact being lost and convoys scattering, being impossible to find in the long Arctic night. When air attacks on convoys had taken place, the formations rarely amounted to more than twelve aircraft, greatly simplifying the task of convoy anti-aircraft gunners, who shot down several aircraft in April and May. Failings in liaison between
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#17328017305054774-423: The support companies in infantry rifle battalions for carrying support weapons (initially 10, 21 by 1941, and up to 33 per battalion by 1943 ). A British armoured division of 1940–41 had 109 carriers; each motor battalion had 44. A British Carrier platoon originally had ten Universal Carriers with three carrier sections of three Universal Carriers each plus another Universal Carrier in the platoon HQ (along with
4851-725: The top end was a machine-gun turret (with two Bren guns). The intention was to drive the Mantis up to a wall or hedgerow, elevate the gun, and fire over the obstacle from a position of safety. It was rejected after trials in 1944. An example of the Mantis is preserved in The Tank Museum . Many variants of the British Universal Carrier have been fielded and used by the armed forces of the following countries, amongst many others: Background: British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II , Tanks in
4928-451: The voyage would be under continuous observation and submarine attacks would increase just as the escorts were inhibited by shortage of fuel; the Navy predicted serious losses. After Operation Barbarossa , the German invasion of the USSR , began on 22 June 1941, the UK and USSR signed an agreement in July that they would "render each other assistance and support of all kinds in the present war against Hitlerite Germany". Before September 1941
5005-407: The west end and empty and damaged ships waiting at the east end. Despite the views of the Navy, Churchill came under pressure from the president of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Soviet leader , Joseph Stalin , bowed to political reality and ordered the dispatch of a larger convoy to reduce the backlog, The operation is justified if half gets through. Failure on our part to make
5082-416: Was an Arctic convoy sent from Britain by the Western Allies to aid the Soviet Union during the Second World War . Convoys from Britain had been despatched since August 1941 and advantage had been taken of the perpetual darkness of the Arctic winter. German operations against the convoys had been muted due to the need to support Operation Barbarossa , confidence in imminent victory and the small size of
5159-438: Was based at Bardufoss but had no permanently attached units, which were added according to events. At the start of the anti-shipping campaign only the coastal patrol squadrons 3./ Küstenfliegergruppe 906 at Trondheim and 1./1./Kü.Fl.Gr. 123 at Tromsø were attached to Fliegerführer Lofoten . Fliegerführer Nord (West) was based at Sola and was responsible for the early detection of convoys and attacks south of
5236-569: Was based at Kirkenes with 2./ JG 5 , 10.( Z )/JG 5, 1./ StG 5 (Dive Bomber Wing 5) and 1. Fernaufklärungsgruppe 124 [1./(F) 124] (1 Squadron, Long Range Reconnaissance Wing 124) charged with attacks on Murmansk and Archangelsk as well as attacks on convoys. Part of Fliegerführer Nord (Ost) was based at Petsamo (5./JG 5, 6./JG 5 and 3./ Kampfgeschwader 26 (3./KG 26), Banak (2./KG 30, 3./KG 30 and 1./(F) 22) and Billefjord (1./Kü.Fl.Gr. 125). Fliegerführer Lofoten ( Oberst Hans Roth)
5313-433: Was between 1,400 and 2,000 nmi (2,600 and 3,700 km; 1,600 and 2,300 mi) each way, taking at least three weeks for a round trip. PQ 14, including six British, ten US, two Soviet, one Dutch and one Panamanian-flagged merchant ships, gathered at Oban on the west coast of Scotland and sailed for Iceland on 26 March 1942, with the escorts HMS Ambuscade , Błyskawica , the B-class destroyer Bulldog ,
5390-468: Was hit by three torpedoes fired by U-403 , sinking within a minute of the first torpedo hit. Of the fifty-four men on board, about forty were able to abandon ship but the trawler Northern Wave was nearby when it depth-charged the U-boat, the shock of the explosions killing many of the crew in the water. The trawler Lord Middleton took 18 men on board, of whom nine, including Eric Rees the convoy commodore, died. Captain Downie survived and ascribed this to
5467-434: Was military equipment to replace losses because, at the time of the negotiations, two large aircraft factories were being moved east from Leningrad and two more from Ukraine. It would take at least eight months to resume production, until when, aircraft output would fall from 80 to 30 aircraft per day. Britain and the US undertook to send 400 aircraft a month, at a ratio of three bombers to one fighter (later reversed), 500 tanks
5544-767: Was one of a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and other companies. The first carriers – the Bren Gun Carrier and the Scout Carrier which had specific roles – entered service before the war, but a single improved design that could replace these, the Universal, was introduced in 1940. The vehicle was used widely by British Commonwealth forces during the Second World War . Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or as machine gun platforms. The origins of
5621-498: Was the most widely produced of the carriers. It differed from the previous models in that the rear section of the body had a rectangular shape, with more space for the crew. Production of carriers began in 1934 and ended in 1960. Before the Universal design was introduced, the vehicles were produced by Aveling and Porter , Bedford Vehicles , Ford of Britain , Morris Motors Limited , the Sentinel Waggon Works , and
5698-437: Was to be reinforced and the Kriegsmarine was ordered to put an end to Arctic convoys and naval incursions. The Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine were to work together with a simplified command structure, which was implemented after a conference; the Navy had preferred joint command but the Luftwaffe insisted on the exchange of liaison officers. Luftflotte 5 was to be reinforced by 2./ Kampfgeschwader 30 (KG 30) which
5775-405: Was to increase its readiness for operations. A squadron of Aufklärungsflieger Gruppe 125 (Aufkl.Fl.Gr. 125) was transferred to Norway and more long-range Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Kondor patrol aircraft from Kampfgeschwader 40 (KG 40) were sent from France. At the end of March, the air fleet was divided. Fliegerführer Nord (Ost) [ Oberst Alexander Holle ], the largest command,
5852-589: Was ubiquitous in all the theatres during the Second World War with British and Commonwealth armies, from the war in the East to the occupation of Iceland . Although the theory and policy was that the carrier was a "fire power transport" and the crew would dismount to fight, practice differed. It could carry machine guns, anti-tank rifles, mortars, infantrymen, supplies, artillery and observation equipment. The seven mechanized divisional cavalry regiments in
5929-400: Was usually a retired naval officer or a Royal Naval Reserveist and would be aboard one of the merchant ships (identified by a white pendant with a blue cross). The commodore was assisted by a Naval signals party of four men, who used lamps, semaphore flags and telescopes to pass signals in code. In large convoys, the commodore was assisted by vice- and rear-commodores with whom he directed
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