Scattered to the Arctic Winds: The Tragedy of Convoy PQ17

By SLt James Shelley RN

Message from the Editor

The author explores the PQ17 disaster, questioning First Sea Lord Dudley Pound’s decision to scatter the convoy in the face of Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine threats. The principles of mission command should have left the decision to the convoy commanders. A 25 minute read.

Convoy PQ17 sailed in June 1942 to deliver precious war supplies to the Soviet Union. However, First Sea Lord Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound, out of an unfounded fear of attack by the dreaded Tirpitz battleship, scattered the convoy in the Barents Sea. Robbed of its mutual protection, the convoy succumbed piecemeal to air and submarine attack. What drove Pound to make such an unjustified and disastrous decision, and what did this look like from the German point of view? This article charts the course of PQ17 from sailing to scattering, and explores the aftermath from both the German and…

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