Convoy PQ 11: Difference between revisions

Convoy PQ 11 was never found by the German forces based in Norway and arrived at Murmansk without loss but the [[Admiralty (United Kingdom)|Admiralty]] knew that this might not last much longer as the increasing hours of daylight were to the disadvantage of Allied convoys when it would be up to three months before the polar ice receded and convoys could sail further away from the Norwegian coast. Tovey sent the captain of the cruiser ''Nigeria'' and commander of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, Rear-Admiral [[Harold Burrough]], who was in Murmansk during February to the Russian authorities to increase its anti-submarine effort off the Kola Inlet and to furnish land-based fighter cover for convoys as they approached their destination. The accumulation of German surface ships at Trondheim was increasing the anxiety of the Admiralty staff who also wanted more Soviet escorts for the route between [[Jan Mayen]] and Bear Island ({{lang|no|Bjørnøya}}) where they anticipated attacks by German ships, the last part of the route being left to U-boats and aircraft. Ships of the Home Fleet would be needed for distant cover against a German surface ship operation on the first half of the convoy route and Tovey asked that the next outbound and homeward convoys, Convoy PQ 12 from Iceland and Convoy QP 8 from Murmansk sail at the same time (1 March) so that Convoy QP 8 would be covered by the same Home Fleet sortie. The close convoy escort was to be reinforced, Coastal Command would increase its reconnaissance of the fiords around Trondheim to supplement the watch being kept by submarines and long-range [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator|Liberator]] patrols would be flown to the north-east from Iceland. Convoy PQ 12 and Convoy QP 8 were opposed by German ships in[[Operation Sportpalast]].{{sfn|Roskill|1962|pp=119–120119–122}}