Comments on: World War II: Convoy PQ-17 http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-convoy-pq-17.htm From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:40:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Dean Thomas http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-convoy-pq-17.htm#comment-1180671 Dean Thomas Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:36:55 +0000 #comment-1180671 One can only image the bitterness felt by the surviving seamen towards the Royal Navy after the PQ-17 debacle. Admiral of the Fleet Pound did a grave disservice in making the decision to retire: not just to the Navy and the ships he left to the tender mercies of the Germans, but also to the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union. In war, mistakes are made, but this decision went beyond being described as a 'mistake'... BTW, the USSR did award a campaign medal to allied merchant seamen who delivered supplies to Archangel and Murmansk. One can only image the bitterness felt by the surviving seamen towards the Royal Navy after the PQ-17 debacle. Admiral of the Fleet Pound did a grave disservice in making the decision to retire: not just to the Navy and the ships he left to the tender mercies of the Germans, but also to the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union. In war, mistakes are made, but this decision went beyond being described as a 'mistake'…
BTW, the USSR did award a campaign medal to allied merchant seamen who delivered supplies to Archangel and Murmansk.

]]> By: Hazel Burd http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-convoy-pq-17.htm#comment-964760 Hazel Burd Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:10:25 +0000 #comment-964760 My Father was a coder in world war 2 and He was also in the PQ 17 convoy. He has also passed away. My Father was a coder in world war 2 and He was also in the PQ 17 convoy. He has also passed away.

]]> By: Wayne Felong http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-convoy-pq-17.htm#comment-848116 Wayne Felong Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:47:46 +0000 #comment-848116 This past Thursday, 24 January, 2013, Anthony Sobiech, who at the time was a USMC Corporal, passed away at the age of 91. He served aboard the USS Tuscaloosa during PQ-17. This past Thursday, 24 January, 2013, Anthony Sobiech, who at the time was a USMC Corporal, passed away at the age of 91. He served aboard the USS Tuscaloosa during PQ-17.

]]> By: David Lilley http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-convoy-pq-17.htm#comment-806275 David Lilley Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:16:24 +0000 #comment-806275 Years ago I was in contact with the radio operator of one of the escort ships to the convoy, PQ-17. His captain was being used as a scapegoat by the Admiralty as to his abandoning the convoy, and leaving them to there own fate. Fortunately, (even if wrongly,) the radio operator had kept the written message from the Admiralty and so saved the day for his captain. There was a court case where all this evidence was bought out and the case thrown out of court. The captain had a gold pocket watch given at a special award ceremony to his radio operator. Any information about such a court case, and its conclusions would be most appreciated. Years ago I was in contact with the radio operator of one of the escort ships to the convoy, PQ-17. His captain was being used as a scapegoat by the Admiralty as to his abandoning the convoy, and leaving them to there own fate. Fortunately, (even if wrongly,) the radio operator had kept the written message from the Admiralty and so saved the day for his captain. There was a court case where all this evidence was bought out and the case thrown out of court. The captain had a gold pocket watch given at a special award ceremony to his radio operator. Any information about such a court case, and its conclusions would be most appreciated.

]]> By: Monk Johanan http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-convoy-pq-17.htm#comment-796773 Monk Johanan Sun, 22 Apr 2012 06:01:03 +0000 #comment-796773 God bless the men; God bless the souls. God humble the man who understood not the heavy price and the heavy contribution. And God humble the man who cursed the English when they wore the same uniform, fought together, had a smoke together, and died together - it didn't matter then whether you were a Scot or English then, they fought FOR and died FOR each other (and I have both proud races blood flowing through my veins!) Should be ashamed of yourself. The men who fought under the Union Jack were just as surely fighting for St Andrew's and don't you forget it. What is upsetting is just this loss of character with a generation or two. And so the Saint Bede said even that will be solved by God's curative - chastisement on our own shores because we weren't worthy of these heroes that fought and died before us. May God bless them, their souls, and the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia & New Zealand and our Russian and German comrades. God bless the men; God bless the souls. God humble the man who understood not the heavy price and the heavy contribution. And God humble the man who cursed the English when they wore the same uniform, fought together, had a smoke together, and died together – it didn't matter then whether you were a Scot or English then, they fought FOR and died FOR each other (and I have both proud races blood flowing through my veins!) Should be ashamed of yourself. The men who fought under the Union Jack were just as surely fighting for St Andrew's and don't you forget it. What is upsetting is just this loss of character with a generation or two. And so the Saint Bede said even that will be solved by God's curative – chastisement on our own shores because we weren't worthy of these heroes that fought and died before us. May God bless them, their souls, and the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia & New Zealand and our Russian and German comrades.

]]> By: Dennis http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-convoy-pq-17.htm#comment-796587 Dennis Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:58:47 +0000 #comment-796587 My father just recently passed away and my favorite merchant marine story was of the PQ17 in which he was aboard the Winston Salem. He worked in the engine room and I just couldn't imagine the hell that this convoy went threw..About 8 years ago he had received a gold medal from Russia and a letter thanking him for his services during this run. My father was very proud to be apart of PQ17. My father just recently passed away and my favorite merchant marine story was of the PQ17 in which he was aboard the Winston Salem.
He worked in the engine room and I just couldn't imagine the hell that this convoy went threw..About 8 years ago he had received a gold medal from Russia and a letter thanking him for his services during this run.
My father was very proud to be apart of PQ17.

]]> By: Pieter Graf http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-convoy-pq-17.htm#comment-674861 Pieter Graf Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:18:09 +0000 #comment-674861 Dear Willard Brown, I'd very much like to get a copy of your diary Yours Sincerely, Pieter Graf Dear Willard Brown,

I'd very much like to get a copy of your diary

Yours Sincerely,

Pieter Graf

]]> By: Allan Watson http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-convoy-pq-17.htm#comment-478113 Allan Watson Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:19:12 +0000 #comment-478113 I have read your interesting article on convoy PQ17. Throughout the article you make various references to England and Great Britain. Great Britain is made up of four seperate countries, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Your continuing references to England when you mean Great Britain is annoying and does a great disservice to the many servicemen and women from the non English parts of the UK who died for the cause during WW2. I am Scottish, and my uncle who came from Wales served on the Russian convoys during the war. He is now dead but if he was alive he would be furious to be classed as English. Please take the time and trouble to research the history of the UK as well as you have researched the story of convoy PQ17. I have read your interesting article on convoy PQ17.
Throughout the article you make various references to England and Great Britain.
Great Britain is made up of four seperate countries, Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Your continuing references to England when you mean Great Britain is annoying and does a great disservice to the many servicemen and women from the non English parts of the UK who died for the cause during WW2.
I am Scottish, and my uncle who came from Wales served on the Russian convoys during the war. He is now dead but if he was alive he would be furious to be classed as English.
Please take the time and trouble to research the history of the UK as well as you have researched the story of convoy PQ17.

]]> By: Drew Dorman http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-convoy-pq-17.htm#comment-216836 Drew Dorman Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:29:05 +0000 #comment-216836 I think you need to dig a little deeper - the Soviet Union needed food, aircraft, tanks, and railroad equipment (rails, locomotives, etc.). The U.S. Lend Lease supplied 92.7% of the Soviet Union's railroad equipment, and from 15% to 90% of all other categories. Author M.N. Suprin states "The foodstuffs provided by Lend-Lease to the USSR would have sufficed to feed an army of ten million men for 1,688 days, that is, for the course of the entire war." It is a proven fact that Stalin (and all the way to Gorbachev) downplayed the amount of materials sent, not wanting to acknowledge in its system of government. So state historians came up with an arbitrary figure of 4% of the Soviet war production. Soviet Army Marshal Georgii Zhukov has even stated that the Lend Lease aid was indispensable, despite Soviet propaganda otherwise. Read the book "Russia's Life-Saver: Lend-Lease Aid to the U.S.S.R. in World War II" by Albert L. Weeks for more on this. I think you need to dig a little deeper – the Soviet Union needed food, aircraft, tanks, and railroad equipment (rails, locomotives, etc.). The U.S. Lend Lease supplied 92.7% of the Soviet Union's railroad equipment, and from 15% to 90% of all other categories. Author M.N. Suprin states "The foodstuffs provided by Lend-Lease to the USSR would have sufficed to feed an army of ten million men for 1,688 days, that is, for the course of the entire war."

It is a proven fact that Stalin (and all the way to Gorbachev) downplayed the amount of materials sent, not wanting to acknowledge in its system of government. So state historians came up with an arbitrary figure of 4% of the Soviet war production. Soviet Army Marshal Georgii Zhukov has even stated that the Lend Lease aid was indispensable, despite Soviet propaganda otherwise.

Read the book "Russia's Life-Saver: Lend-Lease Aid to the U.S.S.R. in World War II" by Albert L. Weeks for more on this.

]]> By: Paul Siebert http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-convoy-pq-17.htm#comment-114599 Paul Siebert Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:07:36 +0000 #comment-114599 It's deplorable the way history is being falsified so casually. Not only the Soviets kept thanking the Americans on an official level for the lend-lease program, they actually PAID for all that cargo that sunk to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. As they paid fully for everything that was SOLD to them by the US during WWII. Yes, I said it right - tanks, fighters and bombers were not given to the USSR in a friendly gesture, that was in reality a commercial transaction. I guess there's a fundamental cultural difference at play here. When you are in the States, you dial a phone number and hear: 'How can I help you?', which in reality is a euphemism for 'What can I sell you?' Was it what the author meant? The Russians didn't say thank you after they paid for what they bought? Isn't a payment 'thank you' enough? Just for the record The Soviet Union never used US made tanks and bombers and the number of fighters was around 3000. Overall, according to Averell Harriman, US Ambassador to the USSR the US 'help' amounted to only 4% of the Soviet military industrial output from 1941-1945. So of course the Soviets were mad, 24 ships - 2/3 of the convoy sunk due to a cowardly decision to disband the military escort and they had to pay for it in gold! It's deplorable the way history is being falsified so casually. Not only the Soviets kept thanking the Americans on an official level for the lend-lease program, they actually PAID for all that cargo that sunk to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. As they paid fully for everything that was SOLD to them by the US during WWII. Yes, I said it right – tanks, fighters and bombers were not given to the USSR in a friendly gesture, that was in reality a commercial transaction. I guess there's a fundamental cultural difference at play here. When you are in the States, you dial a phone number and hear: 'How can I help you?', which in reality is a euphemism for 'What can I sell you?' Was it what the author meant? The Russians didn't say thank you after they paid for what they bought? Isn't a payment 'thank you' enough? Just for the record The Soviet Union never used US made tanks and bombers and the number of fighters was around 3000. Overall, according to Averell Harriman, US Ambassador to the USSR the US 'help' amounted to only 4% of the Soviet military industrial output from 1941-1945.
So of course the Soviets were mad, 24 ships – 2/3 of the convoy sunk due to a cowardly decision to disband the military escort and they had to pay for it in gold!

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