28-02-2013, 09:57 AM
Yorkie said about the Russian Convoys that "... escort ships were ordered not to stop to pick up any survivors when ships were sunk by enemy action".
Just trying to put the record a little straighter. In the book I've started reading "Forgotten Sacrifice" (ref. given in a previous post) it says 2% in on my Kindle (too early for page numbers) "... before the addition of more rescue ships to a convoy in October 1941 the rear ship of each column was to serve as a rescue ship in the event of the sinking of one of the ships ahead of her"
David also said “ They (the convoys) could only operate in summer months, so were in almost constant daylight.”
Again according to the book they operated all year round. There is a poor map that shows the summer route being much further north, around Bear Island and keeping well away from Norway. In winter that was the way they had to go with the obvious dangers.
Following on at 3% there is this bit “… in time of war when ships operate without lights, the almost perpetual darkness which persists in lat. 77 deg. N, for instance , for 115 days in each year makes station keeping in convoys or formations … one long nightmare”.
At 14% “The British seamen and the first of the American ones learned bitterly in the winter of 1941-42 about arctic weather … the crews lived in almost perpetual darkness”.
Finally at 14% “Winter was brutal for the men on the convoys, and summer was little better, bringing its own dangers”.
I haven’t found the part but remember reading that during one winter, a break was asked for in the convoys. But Churchill said what ever the cost they must go on.
Gary
