How Britain Secretly Supplied Russia During World War Two

'How Britain Secretly Supplied Russia During World War Two'
In August 1941, the Allies launched Operation Dervish. This was the first of the Arctic Convoys, ships which sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland and North America, and brought essential supplies to the Soviet Union.
After the successful launch of Operation Barbarossa, the USSR was in desperate need of raw materials, fuel, military equipment and food. Realising the importance of keeping the Germans fighting on two fronts, Churchill offered a helping hand to Stalin.
Though eager to cooperate, the task of shipping supplies to the Soviet ports of Murmansk and Archangel was not an easy task. Sailing up through the treacherous Northern Atlantic, the convoys were faced with some of the harshest seafaring conditions, including temperatures that reached -30 degrees Celsius, gale force 10 winds, towering seas, intense fog and drift ice. The sailors on deck also had to be wary of the continuous threat of icebergs.
If this wasn’t enough of a challenge to the 78 convoys that made the journey to the Soviet Union between 1941 and 1945, the merchant vessels also faced the serious possibility of U-Boat attacks or German bombing raids.
As the convoys skirted occupied Norway en route to Murmansk and Archangel, the close proximity of German air and naval bases meant that attacks on the convoys were commonplace, and casualties were inevitable. Over 3,000 men lost their lives on the Arctic Convoys with 87 merchant ships and 18 Royal Navy ships lost.
In this documentary, Dan Snow delves deep into the history of the Arctic Convoys and reveals the ultimate sacrifice of the crews onboard the ships that made the perilous journey.
Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free exclusive podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsely, Mary Beard and more. Watch, listen and read history wherever you are, whenever you want it. Available on all devices: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Roku, Xbox, Chromecast, and iOs & Android.
We're offering a special discount to History Hit for our subscribers, get 50% off your first 3 months with code KZbin: www.access.historyhit.com/
#historyhit #worldwartwo #arcticconvoys #royalnavy

[@dtaylor10chuckufarle]

They were the Greatest Generation. We stand on the shoulders of giants.

[@stevedavy2878]

My Dads Uncle Edgar Walsh from Goole, was on those Convoys. I met him a few times when a boy. He had been all over the world between the Wars. From South Africa, to Rio , Australia and Japan. I remember him saying on one Convoy they fought their way round the top of Norway,constantly being bombed to arrive at Murmansk on Christmas Eve. They wanted to go ashore on Christmas Day to play a game of Soccer, But the Russian Guards would not let them leave their Ship.

[@jannerkev]

Total heroes, those merchant and RN seamen. Terrifying thought of freezing to death on every convoy.

[@stupidfunvids3748]

lmao seamen

[@bigshug2374]

My father was a gunner on HMS Zephyr R19 and as all veterans, he never talked about it.

[@Trecesolotienesdos]

For decades, it's been "USSR stopped Hitler!" Yes, with British and American material help.

[@StekTM1]

This material help represented like 20% of the total production. Plus, in Stalingrad (turning point of the war) pretty much everything was produced in Russia. So please stop the cope.

[@franc9111]

My father was an able seaman in the RN during the latter part of the War. He was on convoy duty to Murmansk and back, but by that time there were fewer U-boat attacks and the convoys were better protected. I think that there was one occasion when the British thought that one of the Kriegsmarine battleships was going to come out from a Norwegian fjord and attack them, but luckily it didn't. He was given special protective clothing and sealskin gloves. He told me once that if you dared to touch an ice-cold guard-rail with you bare hands, you left you skin on it.

[@markflowers1814]

My grandad lost his life on an Arctic convoy on HMS Achaties during the Battles of the Barents Sea , it must have been hell on earth for all of the sailors , hero’s all of them

[@rolfewrites]

One of those videos that talks about a subject that we all might have thought about, but never looked into much. Nice.

[@HistoryHit]

Glad you liked it!

[@krishnamohan1065]

We must never forget those marines and captains

[@Chilly_Billy]

It's a shame that almost immediately after VE Day, the Soviets began to downplay the huge effort made in those Arctic convoys. And continue to do so to this day. I'm sure the ghosts of all those British, Canadian, and American sailors who never returned from those runs would disagree.

[@davidtuck8584]

Well my dad received several medals for his part in those convoys from the Russian state, years before any acknowledgement from this country. Hardly downplaying their gratitude.

[@freebeerfordworkers]

I think it's partly right the Soviets didn't want to know that massive capitalist aid saved them but to the individual sailors I agree they were generous with medals. In the 1960s I worked with a sincere communist who did one Russian convoy in a destroyer. Nevertheless for all his commitment to the Soviet Union and the Communist cause he said he thought seriously of deserting rather than do another. He had seen action before and would do so again he never got over seeing a ship that had been torpedoed and was slowly sinking. They did not dare to stop because they would be torpedoed themselves. He said we could see the men walking round on the deck no injuries or wounded but they were all dead @@davidtuck8584

[@Chilly_Billy]

​@davidtuck8584 Official documents and statements from the Soviet and Putin-era governments tell a different story. I'm not calling you a liar but there must have been unique circumstances for acknowledging your father's service.

[@nicolad8822]

@@Chilly_BillyLook harder.

[@MaboPete]

Whilst much fewer in number now, the veterans of the Arctic Convoys still formerly receive the Medal of Ushakov in recognition of their service. @@davidtuck8584

[@Pookleberry]

My Dad was on these convoys in 1945. He had two main jobs. On board he was radar operator and in Archangel he was an interpreter, as he spoke fluent Russian. I've got photos of him in Archangel with Russian officers. He didn't speak too much about it.

[@JonathanTownend-og9ck]

My dad did over 10 of the Arctic Convoys and 12 of the Atlantic ones. He was 14 and he's 96 now and still going strong.

[@Hellbillyhok666]

4 million tonnes, phew, that's mind-boggling in a war zone, they were brave guys in the ships, if ye got torpedoed or sunk by aircraft you wouldn't last 2 minutes in that icy sea water, they must have been scared a lot, brave brave lads 🙏🏻

[@lucyj8204]

My grandpa was an Arctic Convoy veteran. The convoys immediately before and after his were sunk. He maintained that it was more frightening to contemplate going East after VE Day.

[@JohnEglick-oz6cd]

Kudos to those merchant Marines !

[@TheStrategist314]

Love this channel.

[@MegaWelshie1]

My uncle Mike was on the Russian Convoy and when they eventually arrived in Minsk, the Russians wouldn't let the crew leave the ship. He said he had never been so cold and so terrified because they were constantly stalked by U-boats. Thankfully he survived and in 2012 he received the Artic Star Medal.....

[@Chtulhu1204]

I'm sorry, but I don't know of any Minsk in northern Russia. The only Minsk I know of the capitol of Belarus. Could you be misremembering the ports he visited? The Convoys' goal was the ports at Murmansk and Arkangelsk.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Great video

[@aanchaallllllll]

0:01: 💪 Operation Dervish was the first of the Arctic convoys, which played a crucial role in supplying the Soviet Union and supporting the Eastern Front during World War II. 5:29: ! The Soviet Union and Britain collaborate in their fight against a common enemy. 10:20: 🌍 The video discusses different options for sending supplies during World War II. 15:43: 🚢 The US and UK negotiated new quotas to ensure adequate provisions for their new allies in Europe during World War II. 20:58: ❄ The video discusses the harsh conditions faced by sailors during the Arctic convoys in World War II. 26:17: 🚢 The video discusses the challenges faced by ships, particularly HMS Belfast, during Arctic convoys in World War II. 31:39: 😮 Veterans of the Arctic convoys describe the camaraderie and terrifying experiences of sailing in freezing waters during World War II. Recap by Tammy AI

[@williamrobinson7435]

We had a teacher at school who was a Merchant Navy veteran of this show. He said that the youngsters, when they were seasick were given horrible fatty bacon sandwiches as an aversion therapy /emetic; maybe this was just joshing or banteresque torture (trad. amongst all male establishments).. This always seemed rather harsh to me, considering the poor boys and the horrible conditions. Great film, I enjoyed this. Nice one Dan and team! ⭐👍

[@undergroundgaming3172]

Well done!

[@andyc750]

my grandad was on some of the Arctic convoys, a Royal Navy gunner placed with a civilian crew, he would say very little about what went on, I do know many of the sailors resented the Russians as they wouldn't let the crews off the ships for some time out when they got to Russia, he also spent time on destroyers and was at the evacuation of Crete and was one of the crew bringing lease lend destroyers back to the UK, I know he sailed on HMS Campbelltown when they brought it from the States but what else he did he would never say, one telling thing though s the only war memento he had and displayed was a picture of the Campbelltown so I have always wondered if he was part of the raid on St Nazaire, his RN records are not available for some reason so obviously something is secret

[@jamesfletcher279]

Got your money’s worth out that top Dan hole under the arm cuffs shredded lol

[@user-kf5mn5vn3t]

My father was on Destroyer's on Atlantic and Russian Convoys. He never spoke about those trips. But he told me once how one trip when they got to Russia they were not allowed ashore as two British sailors had been found dead striped of their clothes and their fingers cut off to steal their rings. After that they looked at the Russians in a different way.

[@willhovell9019]

Hats off to the merchant navy and the RN There was no secret bad title Mr Snow

[@katherinecollins4685]

This was interesting

[@briancopson266]

My dad was on HMS Keppel as a huff duff operator for a convoy & witnessed the torpedoing of HMS Kite

[@sc2320]

like it 💯💪

[@David-hq4lq]

Dear friends , can anyone tell me where the monument to the Brave Artic Convoy Sailors is and the Soviet war Memorial in South London. Thanks .

[@conceptalfa]

👍👍👍!!!

[@user-mu1kn5xe6u]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[@Getoffmytrain_97268]

Discovered this channel last night and I'm addicted! Watched about 15 videos already 😂

[@twonumber22]

There's a bunch of good History Hit podcasts.

[@SynapseDriven]

Meanwhile in russia they teach that the mighty soviets won WWII alone while inventing football and pizza

[@piccalillipit9211]

Actually, you're completely wrong. They still remember the Arctic convoys, and especially the people of Hull and Grimsby et cetera venerated in Russia. Моля, не генерализирайте неща, които не знаете

[@JJLewin1]

My Father-in-Law served in the Merchant Navy, his ship was torpedoed and he became a POW and was held in Germany until the end of the war. I wish I had more information, but sadly not!

[@davidwass8366]

Lost an uncle on one of those convoys.

[@jimmy23417]

They supplied the Soviet Union, not Russia. Change the title.

[@scottkrater2131]

Why? While it's the politically correct language of today, Russia and the Soviet Union are synonymous, since Russia dominated the Soviet Union, just as they do the Russian Federation today. Just sayin. Don't take my word, both Churchill and Roosevelt used the name Russia.

[@davidtuck8584]

Hardly a secret when on pathe news!!

[@krishnamohan1065]

The artic convoys were certainly a great effort of bŕitain

[@foldvarimarton]

Dan Snow has a striking resemblance to Ben Van Lier.

[@vladddtfan]

so what did “Soviet Union provide”? to the UK? Guys I’m from the USSR, my grandfather fought in the war, but be honest with yourselves - YOU helped save USSR dictatorship from collapse, and the help was one sided. And the USSR was ungrateful subsequently.

[@hansolowe19]

His pronunciation is different. Still better than me. 😘

[@thhseeking]

I think Dan Snow has had some dental work done.

[@hansolowe19]

@@thhseeking makes sense. I guessed it might be something like that, or braces.

[@thedisabledwelshman9266]

@@thhseeking he,s probably breaking in a new set of choppers.

[@mf3281]

What the hell is up with the hosts voice? He sounds heaps didferent did he have an operation?

[@hughjarse4627]

A lot of the lads where from HULL

[@stevieneilson2451]

God bless these men for their service. The Russian people also appreciated this with friends for life..❤

[@juliankowalewski908]

They loved the British Army boots.

[@wor53lg50]

And planes tanks and trucks...

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

I love (History Hit) channel... this documentary coverage shows the smartness practiced of certain political platforms by Winston Churchill ( the enemy of my enemy, is my friend🤝) .. rather than USSR economic capabilities had not sufficient capabilities& solidified founded for containing Nazism aggressions casualties ... when communism always proclaimed communism economic superiority strength in its propaganda and hype work...

[@kolrhcp]

Yeah and it has a lot of parallels to today as well. The Soviet Union then would never have held out against their invaders without the help, and now Russia is trying to paint the west as evil for supporting Ukraine against their invaders with similar amounts of aid.

[@Thomas-41234]

Patton was right. The allied should have marched straight to Moscow.

[@mattcast8903]

Why secretly , at that time they were allies.

[@kolrhcp]

Secretly because if it wasn't secret the Germans would send more submarines to sink them as much as possible.

[@marcdavis4509]

I’m hindsight, I wonder if the West should have given the Soviets as much as they did?

[@grantchallinor5263]

In hindsight, we were very lucky today that the Soviets didn't stop to wonder if they should be giving us (the West) as much help as they did.

[@scottkrater2131]

​@@grantchallinor5263 They didn't help the West. They did everything possible to help the Nazis from 1 Sep 39, unto 22 Jun 41. And if not for allied aid they wouldn't have won at all.

[@scottkrater2131]

It was the lesser of two evils. The Soviets killed more people. But the Germans made a for profit industry from it. They had to go for the good of the world.

[@mzwonaruk]

Meow!

[@46FreddieMercury91]

Big mistake

[@conceptalfa]

Did Britain got something in exchange for all this help, like i e raw oil and other???

[@grantchallinor5263]

Something like 70% of Nazi Germany's forces were fighting the Red Army on the Eastern Front, the size of the tank battles fought in places like Kursk and Minsk, dwafed anything in Western Europe (or in history), because of this our soldiers had a comparitive tea party compared to what the Russians faced. Millions of Russians died. What more would you ask in exchange for "all this help?"

[@scottkrater2131]

​@HedgeWalker For what? Not doing a thing before the war for them? Or during the war? Nobody fought Germany to stop what they were doing to the Jews.

[@grantchallinor5263]

@@EBM65-wh3fn Your version of history is a little bit skewed. Nazi Germany's attack on Poland was undertaken without the fear of Red Army intervention. But to try and suggest that the Soviets started WW2 isn't correct. Especially, when you consider the Munich Agreement one year earlier (September 1938), when Great Britain, France, and Italy essentially provided for Nazi Germany's annexation of part of Czechoslovakia....

[@wor53lg50]

You do realise the soviets got hammered at Kursk dont you, and you think loosing thousands of men and equipment is actually winning and gives some sort of moral high ground, if stalin wasn't such a ruthless incompetent idiot the loses wouldn't have been so astounding, 3 men to a rifle, using divisions to clear minefields without telling them it is a actual minefield, also shooting their own trying to pull back and regroup..also North Africa, Italy, greece, crete, raids on Norway and Iron ore, diverted many Axis forces from the Eastern front, also Battle of Britain, Malta and the Bombing Germans in the west also diverted the majority of their fighters and bombers aswell.. Remember the Axis forces was sitting at the Gates of Moscow waiting for Spring until stalin begged the allies to relieve some of the pressure...

[@Thomas-41234]

It was a huge mistake. The Russians got too far into Europe - We are suffering of that mistake now in 2023.

[@petethebastard]

I was a Soldier for about 15 years and I'll easily admit that being a Pusser is a different kind of brave as...!!