Quote:
Originally posted by skunk works:
PQ-17 lost 3,350 vehicles, 430 tanks, and 210 aircraft alone.
From what one book tells me in all (going to Russian ports)...7,000 aircraft, 5,000 tanks and over 200,000 tons of other war materials went to the bottom before it arrived. 58 ships, or 7.2% of those who sailed.
More tanks were lost on the Murmansk run than any other battle of the war.
20% casualties for the merchant marine, the most dangerous occupation for an American in WW 2.
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That's why I said elsewhere in this forum that the Murmansk run was done only to keep up appearances and have UK contributing to Lend-Lease, as the really big and safe passage was from the US East Coast to Iran and Vladivostok.
Too many deaths that could have been avoided.