An exciting account of the most famous convoy operation of the war, which was a high point for the German naval campaign in the Arctic. The Arctic was a vital channel for transporting supply goods directly from Great Britain to Russia. The British Home Fleet had taken on the task of protecting these convoys, which passed within range of German bases in Norway. In 1942, the Germans had reinforced their air and naval forces, stationing a powerful surface fleet centered around the battleship Tirpitz. Convoy PQ-17 was intended to be the last convoy to sail until the fall of 1942 and was particularly large, with 35 merchant ships, most of which were American. When it departed from Reykjavik on June 27, bound for Archangel, the Germans were ready and waiting. The convoy was the first major joint Anglo-American naval operation under British command. Naval historian Angus Konstam records the withdrawal of the Allied-approved escort to intercept German raiders as well as the devastating attacks on scattered merchant ships by German aircraft and submarines. Maps and diagrams illustrate the course and fate of the convoy's elements, and striking artworks bring to life key moments of their effort to escape. In the end, 24 Allied ships were sunk, and only ten merchant ships and four auxiliaries reached the port of Archangel. PQ-17 proved to be the worst convoy loss of World War II and the most controversial.