Arctic naval operations of World War II

The Arctic Circle defining the "midnight sun" encompasses the Atlantic Ocean from the northern edge of Iceland to the Bering Strait in the Pacific Ocean. Military activity in this area between 1939 and 1945 is often consideredRear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison's definitive ''History of United States Naval Operations in World War II'' includes operations from the north pole southward in the first volume entitled ''The Battle of the Atlantic''. Eligibility for the United States European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was defined by Executive Order 9265 to include military service aboard a ship operating in the north polar region eastward from the 75th meridian west longitude to the 60th meridian east longitude. part of the Battle of the Atlantic or of the European Theatre of World War II. Pre-war navigation focused on fishing and the international ore-trade from Narvik and Petsamo. Soviet settlements along the coast and rivers of the Barents Sea and Kara Sea relied upon summer coastal shipping for supplies from railheads at Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. The Soviet Union extended the Northern Sea Route past the Taymyr Peninsula to the Bering Strait in 1935.

The Winter War of 1939-1940 between Finland and the Soviet Union opened the northern flank of the eastern front of World War II. ArcticWartime navigation over the waters within the Arctic Circle should not be confused with the Arctic Ocean as it may have subsequently been defined to exclude areas within the Arctic Circle. naval presence was initially dominated by the Soviet Northern Fleet of a few destroyers with larger numbers of submarines, minesweepers, and torpedo cutters supported by icebreakers. The success of the German invasion of Norway (April to June 1940) provided the ''Kriegsmarine'' with naval bases from which capital ships might challenge units of the British Royal Navy Home Fleet. ''Luftwaffe'' anti-shipping aircraft of Kampfgeschwader 26 (KG 26) and Kampfgeschwader 30 (KG 30) operated intermittently from Norwegian airfields, while ''Küstenfliegergruppen'' aircraft including Heinkel He 115s and Blohm & Voss BV 138s undertook routine reconnaissance.Wood & Gunston pp. 64–75 Following the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union which started on 22 June 1941, the Allies initiated a series of PQ and JW convoys to bring military supplies to the Soviet Union in formations of freighters screened by destroyers, corvettes and minesweepers. Escorting cruisers typically maneuvered outside the formations, while a larger covering force including battleships and aircraft carriers often steamed nearby to engage ''Kriegsmarine'' capital ships or to raid the German naval bases in Norway.

The Soviet Union and Germany each deployed smaller coastal convoys: to maintain the flow of supplies to the Soviet Arctic coast, to transport strategic metal ores from Scandinavia to Germany, and to sustain troops on both sides of the northern flank of the eastern front. Soviet convoys hugged the coast to avoid ice, while German convoys used fjords to evade Royal Navy patrols. Both sides devoted continuing efforts to minelaying and minesweeping of these shallow, confined routes - vulnerable to mine warfare and to submarine ambushes. Minesweepers and submarine chasers typically screened German convoys, while Soviet convoys were often protected by minesweeping trawlers and torpedo cutters.

A branch of the Pacific Route began carrying Lend-Lease goods through the Bering Strait to the Soviet Arctic coast in June 1942. The number of westbound cargo-ship voyages along this route comprised 23 in 1942, 32 in 1943, 34 in 1944 and 31 after Germany surrendered in May 1945. Total westbound tonnage through the Bering Strait was 452,393 - compare the 3,964,231 tons of North American wartime goods sent across the Atlantic to Soviet Arctic ports. A large portion of the Arctic route tonnage represented fuel for Siberian airfields on the Alaska-Siberia air route.

1939 - Early conflict and Winter War

* 6 September 1939: ''Bremen'' was the first of 18 German merchant ships to take refuge in Murmansk after avoiding British naval patrols in the Atlantic.
* 30 November 1939: The Winter War offensive against Petsamo was supported by Soviet Northern Fleet destroyers ''Kuibishev'', ''Karl Liebknecht'' and ''Grozny''.

1940 - Invasion of Norway

* April 1940: Operation Weserübung included an invasion of Narvik by troops embarked aboard ten ''Kriegsmarine'' destroyers. Covering battleships and briefly engaged ; and subsequent battles of Narvik involved Norwegian coastal defence ships ''Eidsvold'' and ''Norge'', U-boats, and units of the Royal Navy.
* 4 May 1940: The Polish destroyer ''Grom'' was sunk off Narvik by a KG 100 bomber.
* 21 May 1940: was scuttled after grounding on a shallow pinnacle off Narvik.
* 4 June 1940: Operation Alphabet troopships ''Monarch of Bermuda'', ''Batory'', ''Sobieski'', ''Franconia'', ''Lancastria'', ''Georgic'', ''Oronsay'', ''Ormonde'', ''Arandora Star'', ''Royal Ulsterman'', ''Ulster Prince'', ''Ulster Monarch'' and ''Duchess of York'' began evacuation of 24,600 Allied soldiers from Narvik.
* 8 June 1940: With some of the longest range naval gunnery hits ever documented, ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Gneisenau'' sank the British aircraft carrier and her escorting destroyers and during Operation Juno.
* 9 July 1940: Raider ''Komet'' sailed north from Bergen and waited near Novaya Zemlya until 13 August 1940 for ice conditions to allow passage through the Matochkin Strait into the Kara Sea. ''Komet'' proceeded east with the assistance of three Soviet icebreakers to enter the Pacific Ocean through the Bering Strait on 5 September 1940. Soviet submarine ''Shch-423'' made a similar trip from Murmansk to Vladivostok from 5 August to 17 October.
* 25 July 1940: ''Admiral Hipper'' sailed for a two-week Arctic patrol.
* 15 August 1940: Army transport departed Petsamo for New York City carrying American nationals from Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands. ''American Legion'' also carried Princess Märtha of Sweden with her children, and a Bofors 40 mm gun manufactured in Sweden which became the prototype for American manufacture of the primary United States Navy anti-aircraft gun of World War II.
* 25 August 1940: and sailed for a five-day patrol to Bear Island.
* 16 October 1940: launched an airstrike against the Tromsø seaplane base.

* 4 March 1941: and covered the Operation Claymore raid on Lofoten.
* 11 April 1941: HNoMS ''Mansfield'' destroyed the Øksfjord fish oil factory.
* 7 May 1941: Destroyers , , and captured code documents aboard the German weather ship ''München'' near Jan Mayen while covered by cruisers HMS ''Edinburgh'', and . HMS ''Nigeria'' made a similar capture of the weather ship ''Lauenburg'' on 28 June.

1941 - Invasion of the Soviet Union

* 25 June 1941: The Soviet troopship ''Mossovet'' brought reinforcements to Titovka; and Soviet destroyers ''Kuibishev'' and ''Uritski'' landed additional reinforcements on 30 June.
* 1 July 1941: and are the first U-boats stationed in the Arctic.
* 12 July 1941: ''Kriegsmarine'' destroyers ''Richard Beitzen'', ''Hermann Schoemann'', ''Hans Lody'', ''Friedrich Eckoldt'' and ''Karl Galster'' attacked a small Soviet convoy near Cape Teriberski.Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 73
* 14 July 1941: Soviet destroyers ''Gromky'', ''Gremyashchy'', ''Stremitleny'' and ''Kuibishev'' delayed a German infantry advance near Zapadnaya Litsa River.
* 20 July 1941: The Soviet destroyer ''Stremitleny'' was sunk in Kola Bay by a LG 1 Junkers Ju 87.Brown p. 48
* 23 July 1941: ''Kriegsmarine'' destroyers ''Richard Beitzen'', ''Hermann Schoemann'', ''Friedrich Eckoldt'' and ''Karl Galster'' sank the Soviet survey ship ''Meridian'' near Teriberka.Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 75
* 30 July 1941: HMS ''Furious'' and launched airstrikes on Petsamo and Kirkenes. ''Victorious'' launched an airstrike on Tromsø on 31 July. These airstrikes turned back a patrol of ''Kriegsmarine'' destroyers.
* 31 July 1941: HMS ''Nigeria'', , and destroyed a weather station on Bear Island.
* August 1941: British submarines and were transferred to Murmansk.
* 10 August 1941: ''Kriegsmarine'' destroyers , , and sank the Soviet patrol ship '' Tuman'' near Kola Bay. sank Soviet patrol vessel ''Zhemchug'' in the White Sea entrance.
* 19 August 1941: Troopship ''Empress of Canada'' sailed from Scapa Flow with HMS ''Aurora'', ''Nigeria'', , and to evacuate Soviet and Norwegian residents following destruction of Spitsbergen coal mines by Operation Gauntlet.Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 77 The warships encountered a German troop convoy off Porsangerfjorden and sank the escort ''Bremse'' on 6 September.
* 26 August 1941: sank 3870-ton ''Mariya Ulyanova''.
* 31 August 1941: The Dervish Convoy arrived in Arkhangelsk initiating transport of Allied war materials around Norway to the Soviet Union. The convoy was escorted by , and ''Victorious'', which launched airstrikes against Tromsø.
* 12 September 1941: Soviet submarine ''Shch-422'' sank 1459-ton ''Ottar Jarl'' off Tanafjord
* 27 September 1941: Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook and W. Averell Harriman arrived in Arkhangelsk aboard .
* 7 October 1941: HMS ''Victorious'' launched an airstrike against Vestfjorden.

1942 - PQ convoys

* 11 October 1941: Convoy PQ 1 escorted by HMS ''Suffolk'' arrived in Arkhangelsk.Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 89
* 17 October 1941: Soviet submarine ''Shch-402'' sank the 682-ton ''Vesteraalen'' in Soroysundet
* 18 October 1941: sank the 3487-ton ''Argun'' at the entrance to the White Sea.
* 30 October 1941: Convoy PQ 2 arrived in Arkhangelsk. Return convoy QP 2 departed on 2 November.
* 24 November 1941: , ''Bedouin'', , and Soviet destroyers ''Gromky'' and ''Gremyashchy '' shell Vardø.Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 101
* 28 November 1941: Convoy PQ 3 and convoy PQ 4 arrived in Arkhangelsk. Return convoy QP 3 departed on 27 November.
* 3 December 1941: Soviet submarine ''K-3'' was forced to surface after damages caused by German sub chasers ''UJ 1403'', ''UJ 1416'' and ''UJ 1708''. Submarine engaged the Germans in gunfire battle and UJ 1708 was sunk, while the others retreated.
* 7 December 1941: Anthony Eden arrived in Murmansk aboard HMS ''Kent''.
* 12 December 1941: Convoy PQ 5 arrived in Arkhangelsk.
* 21 December 1941: Soviet submarine ''M-174'' sank the 4301-ton ''Emshorn'' off the Varangerfjord.
* 23 December 1941: Convoy PQ 6 arrived in Murmansk.
* 25 December 1941: , and formed gruppe ''Ulan'' patrolling south of Bear Island for PQ convoys until 14 March 1942.
* 26 December 1941: covered the Operation Anklet raid on Lofoten.
* 11 January 1942: Convoy PQ 7 arrived in Murmansk after ''U-134'' sank 5135-ton ''Waziristan''.

* 14 January 1942: Soviet submarine ''S-102'' sank 1877-ton ''Turkheim'' off Sytlefjord.
* 17 January 1942: ''U-454'' damaged 5395-ton ''Harmatris'' and sank from convoy PQ 8 as the convoy reached Kola Bay. The German battleship ''Tirpitz'' was based at Trondheim, where its presence required the Home Fleet to retain at least one modern battleship which might have otherwise been used in the Mediterranean or Pacific.
* 5 February 1942: Soviet submarine ''Shch-421'' sank 2975-ton ''Konsul Schulte'' off Porsangerfjorden.
* 10 February 1942: Combined convoys PQ 9 and 10 arrived in Murmansk escorted by HMS ''Nigeria'', and ''Intrepid''. The escort departed with return convoy QP 7 on 12 February.
* 15 February 1942: Soviet submarine ''S-101'' sank 1147-ton ''Mimona'' off Tanafjord.
* 23 February 1942: Convoy PQ 11 arrived in Murmansk. ''Admiral Scheer'' joined ''Tirpitz'' in Trondheim.
* 5 March 1942: A Focke-Wulf Fw 200 located Convoy PQ 12 south of Jan Mayen. As part of Operation Sportpalast, ''Tirpitz'' sailed on 6 March with destroyers ''Hermann Schoemann'', ''Friedrich Ihn'' and ''Z25''. The convoy covering force of , ''Renown'', ''Kenya'', ''Faulknor'', ''Eskimo'', ''Punjabi'', , and failed to locate ''Tirpitz''; and ''Ihn'' sank the 2815-ton ''Ijora'' straggling from convoy QP 8. An unsuccessful airstrike from HMS ''Victorious'' on 9 March caused ''Tirpitz'' to seek refuge in Narvik.
* 24 March 1942: Convoy QP 9 escort HMS ''Sharpshooter'' sank .Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 131
* 27 March 1942: A Bv 138 located storm-scattered Convoy PQ 13 escorted by , ''Eclipse'' and ''Fury''. KG 30 Junkers Ju 88s sank 4815-ton ''Raceland'' and 7007-ton ''Empire Ranger'' as ''Kriegsmarine'' destroyers ''Z24'', ''Z25'' and ''Z26'' sailed. ''Z26'' sank 4687-ton ''Bateau'' before being sunk by ''Trinidad''. ''Trinidad'' and ''Eclipse'' were damaged in the engagement. sank 5086-ton ''Induna'', and sank 6421-ton ''Effingham''.
* 1 April 1942: Soviet submarine ''Shch-404'' sank 2318-ton ''Michael'' off Tanafjord.
* 10 April 1942: Convoy QP 10 departed Kola Bay escorted by , , ''Punjabi'', , ''Fury'' and ''Eclipse''. KG 30 Ju 88s sank 7164-ton ''Empire Cowper'' and 5486-ton ''Harpalion''. ''U-435'' sank 6008-ton ''Occidente'' and 5823-ton ''Kiev''.Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 134
* 19 April 1942: Convoy PQ 14 arrived in Murmansk after sank 6985-ton ''Empire Howard''.
* 24 April 1942: Soviet submarine ''Shch-401'' was lost after sinking 1359-ton ''Stensaas''.

* 28 April 1942: Convoy QP 11 departed Murmansk escorted by HMS ''Edinburgh'', , , , , and . torpedoed ''Edinburgh''. ''Kriegsmarine'' destroyers ''Hermann Schoemann'', ''Z24'' and ''Z25'' sank 2847-ton ''Tsiolkovski'' and damaged ''Amazon''. ''Schoemann'' was sunk by ''Edinburgh'' while the German destroyers crippled ''Edinburgh'' and damaged ''Forester'' and ''Foresight''.Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 137
* 29 April 1942: Soviet submarine ''M-171'' sank 4969-ton ''Curityba'' off Varangerfjord.
* 5 May 1942: Convoy PQ 15 arrived in Murmansk after KG 26 Heinkel He 111s sank 5848-ton ''Botavon'' and 3807-ton ''Cape Corso'' and damaged 6153-ton ''Jutland'' which was then sunk by . of the convoy escort accidentally sank supporting Polish submarine ORP Jastrząb. In the covering force, collided with ''Punjabi'', and exploding depth charges on the sinking destroyer damaged the battleship.

* 10 May 1942: ''Scheer'' moved from Trondheim to Narvik.
* 14 May 1942: A KG 30 Ju 88 dive bomber sank HMS ''Trinidad''.
* 15 May 1942: The 11th U-boat Flotilla was established and based at Bergen for Arctic Ocean patrols. Sturzkampfgeschwader 5 (StG 5) Ju 87s attacked Murmansk, damaging 6187-ton ''Yaka'' and Soviet submarine ''Shch-403''.
* 25 May 1942: ''Lützow'' joined ''Admiral Scheer'' in Narvik. KG 26 and KG 30 damaged 5127-ton ''Carlton'' from Convoy PQ 16, and sank 6191-ton ''Syros''. Continuing aircraft attacks sank ''Alamar'', ''Mormacsul'', ''Empire Lawrence'', ''Empire Purcell'', ''Lowther Castle'', and ''City of Joliet'' and damaged '' Stari Bolshevik'', ''Ocean Voice'', ''Empire Baffin'', and before the convoy reached Murmansk on 31 May.
* 1 June 1942: StG 5 Ju 87s sank 7850-ton ''Empire Starlight'' and damaged Soviet submarine ''Shch-404'' in Murmansk.
* 24 June 1942: A StG 5 Ju 87 sank HMS ''Gossamer'' in Kola Bay.

* 4 July 1942: A He 115 sank Liberty ship ''Christopher Newport'' from convoy PQ 17; and KG 26 He 111s sank 4841-ton ''Navarino'' and damaged Liberty ship ''William Hooper'' and 6114-ton ''Azerbaidzhan''. Twenty-two more ships were sunk by aircraft and U-boats after the convoy scattered on 5 July to avoid attacks by German surface ships.

* 30 July 1942: Soviet Pacific Fleet destroyers ''Razumny'', ''Razyaryonny'' and ''Baku'' entered the Bering Strait and traveled west to reach the Soviet Northern Fleet on 14 October.
* 1 August 1942: sank 2513-ton ''Krestyanin'' off the Kostin Strait.
* 16 August 1942: ''Scheer'' left Narvik for the Operation Wunderland two-week patrol of the Kara Sea.
* 25 August 1942: , and sank the German minelayer ''Ulm'' east of Bear Island.

* 12 September 1942: Convoy PQ 18 escort HMS ''Faulknor'' sank near Bear Island. and sank Liberty ship ''Oliver Ellsworth'' and 3559-ton ''Stalingrad'' on 13 September; while KG 26 and KG 30 bombers sank 5432-ton ''Wacosta'', 4826-ton ''Oregonian'', 6131-ton ''Macbeth'', 5441-ton ''Africander'', 6209-ton ''Empire Stevenson'', 7044-ton ''Empire Beaumont'' and 3124-ton ''Sukhona''. sank 8992-ton ''Atheltemplar'' on 14 September; and sank ''U-589''. sank ''U-457'' on 16 September. The 5446-ton ''Kentucky'' was sunk and 6458-ton ''Troubador'' damaged before the convoy reached Murmansk.
* 13 September 1942: Convoy QP 14 sailed from Arkhangelsk. On 20 September ''U-435'' sank HMS ''Leda'', sank 4937-ton ''Silver Sword'', and sank . ''U-435'' sank 5345-ton ''Bellingham'', 7174-ton ''Ocean Voice'' and 3313-ton ''Grey Ranger'' on 22 September.
* 29 October 1942: Operation FB attempted independent routing of Allied merchant ships. sank 6640-ton ''Empire Gilbert'' on 2 November. KG 30 Ju 88s sank 7363-ton ''Dekabrist'' and damaged Liberty ship ''William Clark'' and 5445-ton ''Chulmleigh'' which were sunk by and . ''U-625'' also sank 7455-ton ''Empire Sky''; and ''Z27'' sank 7925-ton ''Donbass'' on 7 November.
* 5 November 1942: VP-84 Consolidated PBY Catalina ''H'' sank north of Iceland.
* 17 November 1942: Convoy QP 15 departed Kola Bay. A storm dispersed the convoy and sank escorting Soviet destroyer ''Sokrushitelny'' on 22 November. ''U-625'' sank 5851-ton ''Goolistan'', and ''U-601'' sank 3974-ton ''Kuznets Lesov''.

1943 - JW convoys

* 31 December 1942: ''Admiral Hipper'', ''Lützow'', ''Richard Beitzen'', ''Theodor Riedel'', ''Friedrich Eckoldt'', ''Z29'', ''Z30'' and ''Z31'' attacked convoy JW 51B in the battle of the Barents Sea. The German ships damaged , and ''Onslow'' and sank and , before the covering force arrived to damage ''Hipper'' and sink ''Friedrich Eckoldt''.
* 1 January 1943: Soviet submarine ''L-20'' sank 5472-ton ''Muansa'' off Kongsfjorden. ''U-354'' sank 2418-ton ''Krasnyj Partizan''.
* 29 January 1943: Soviet submarines ''L-20'' sank 7007-ton ''Othmarschen'' off Cape Nordkinn and ''M-171'' sank 3243-ton ''Ilona Siemers'' off Kongsfjorden. ''U-255'' sank the Soviet icebreaker ''Malygin'' and 1892-ton ''Ufa''. ''U-255'' then sank 7460-ton ''Greylock'' from convoy RA 52 on 3 February.
* 12 February 1943: Soviet submarine ''K-3'' sank 8116-ton ''Fechenheim''.
* 26 February 1943: Convoy JW 53 arrived in Kola Bay with one ship damaged by KG 30 Ju 88s. StG 5 Ju 87s damaged three more ships from the convoy on 27 and 28 February; air attacks on 6 and 13 March damaged another ship and sank 7173-ton ''Ocean Freedom''.Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 195
* 5 March 1943: ''U-255'' sank Liberty ship ''Richard Bland'' and 4978-ton ''Executive'' from convoy RA 53. ''U-586'' sank 6076-ton ''Puerto Rican'' on 9 March.
* 11 March 1943: The German weather station ''Holzauge'' at Hansa Bay stationed on the northern coast of Sabine Island was discovered by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol. The Germans realized they had been discovered, and gave chase, forcing the patrol to abandon their equipment and run back to Eskimonæs.
* 12 March 1943: ''Tipitz'', ''Scharnhorst'' and ''Lützow'' assembled in Narvik causing cancellation of Allied convoys through the summer.
* 16 March 1943: Soviet submarine ''M-122'' sank 4533-ton ''Johannisberger'' off Varangerfjord.
* 29 March 1943: Soviet submarine ''S-55'' sank 2297-ton ''Ajax''. Also ''S-101'' is said to have sunk her.
* 7 April 1943: sank near Jan Mayen.
* 29 April 1943: Soviet submarine ''S-55'' sank 708-ton ''Sturzsee'' off Nordkyn
* 17 May 1943: Soviet submarine ''S-56'' sank tanker 1118-ton ''Eurostadt'' off Kongsfjord. 3676-ton ''Wartheland'' was lightly damaged by dud hit from the same salvo.
* June 1943: The 13th U-boat Flotilla was established at Trondheim to reduce U-boat losses to Allied bombers patrolling approaches to U-boat bases on the French Atlantic coast.
* 8 July 1943: , , , and ''Furious'' of the Home Fleet with , , and conducted exercises off Norway intended to divert attention from Operation Husky.
* 17 July 1943: Soviet submarine ''S-56'' sank minesweeper ''M-346''.
* July - September 1943: German U-boats operated in Kara Sea against Soviet shipping: ''U-255'' operated near Novaya Zemlya as a refueling station for a BV 138. The BV 138 searched for Kara Sea convoys to be attacked by ''Lützow'' and the ''Wiking'' Gruppe of , ''U-354'' and . The U-boats torpedoed 3771-ton ''Petrovski'' and sank 2900-ton ''Dikson'', 7169-tons ''Tbilisi'', 2480-tons ''Arkhangel´sk'' and 4169-tons ''Sergej Kirov'' in addition to 3 minesweepers and 3 other auxiliary vessels. However U-639 was lost after being intercepted and torpedoed by Soviet submarine S-101 .Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 225
* 8 September 1943: ''Scharnhorst'', ''Tirpitz'' and ten destroyers bombarded Spitsbergen as Operation Zitronella.
* 23 September 1943: ''Tirpitz'' was immobilized in Kåfjord by Operation Source.

* 4 October 1943: launched an airstrike on Bodø as Operation Leader.
* 12 October 1943: Soviet submarine ''S-55'' sank 5381-ton ''Ammerland'' off Porsangerfjord.
* 26 December 1943: ''Scharnhorst'' was sunk during the battle of the North Cape while attempting to engage convoys JW 55B and RA 55A.
* 26 January 1944: ''Isegrim'' gruppe U-boats damaged HMS ''Obdurate'' and sank Liberty ships ''Penelope Barker'', ''Andrew G. Curtin'' and ''Fort Bellingham'' from convoy JW 56A near Bear Island. On 30 January sank with a G7es torpedo; and the convoy escort sank .
* 28 January 1944: Soviet submarine ''S-56'' sank 5056-ton ''Henrietta Schulte''.
* 24 February 1944: HMS ''Furious'' of the convoy JW 57 covering force conducted Operation Bayleaf airstrikes against the Norwegian coast. Convoy escort sank .Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 262 sank with a G7es torpedo on 25 February.
* 2 March 1944: sank an 8340-ton merchant ship in Folda fjord.Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 264
* 4 March 1944: ''U-703'' sank 7062-ton ''Empire Tourist'' from convoy RA 57. No. 816 Naval Air Squadron Fairey Swordfish from escorting sank , and .
* 28 March 1944: was sunk by a mine off Bodø.

* 2 April 1944: HMS ''Keppel'' sank , and other convoy JW 58 escorts sank .Grove pp. 131–136
* 3 April 1944: British carrier aircraft damage ''Tirpitz'' during Operation Tungsten.
* 30 April 1944: sank Liberty ship ''William S. Thayer'' from convoy RA 59. Convoy escorts sank , and . The convoy covering force launched an airstrike sinking three ships from a German convoy near Bodø.
* 26 May 1944: Soviet aircraft sank 3402-ton ''Solviken'' and damaged 3672-ton ''Herta Engeline Fritzen'' near Kirkenes.
* 31 May 1944: sank southwest of Bear Island.

1944 and 1945 - Last operations

* 17 June 1944: Soviet aircraft sank 1,610-ton ''Dixie'' and damaged 1,112-ton ''Marga Cords'' and 7,419-ton ''Florianopolis'' from a convoy near Hammerfest.
* 17 July 1944: Unsuccessful British carrier attack on ''Tirpitz'' during Operation Mascot.
* 31 July 1944: ''Tirpitz'' completed battle damage repair at Altafjord.
* 17 August 1944: Soviet aircraft sank two merchant ships near Kirkenes.Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 299
* 19 August 1944: Soviet torpedo cutters sank 3,946-ton ''Colmar'' from a German convoy near Persfjord.
* 21 August 1944: sank convoy JW 59 escort , and was sunk by Swordfish of the covering force aircraft carrier HMS ''Victorious''.Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 298
* 22–29 August: British carrier aircraft repeatedly attack ''Tirpitz'' during Operation Goodwood, but inflict only light damage. sank and damaged from the British fleet before being sunk by escorts on 24 August.

* August–September 1944: German U-boats operations in Kara Sea against Soviet shipping resulted in the loss of three former American minesweepers of the Admirable-class transferred to the Soviets under Lend-Lease: T-118, T-114 and T-120 in addition to the Soviet corvette ''Brilliant''. However, only one merchant was lost: 7540-tons ''Marina Raskova'' (7540 GRT), in addition to a survey vessel. Germans lost U-362 after depth charges by Soviet minesweeper T-116 (another Admirable-class vessel transferred from United States).
* 1 September 1944: The German weather ship scuttled off Greenland when found by .Ruge pp. 286&287
* 2 September 1944: Convoy RA 59 escorts sank .
* 16 September 1944: Soviet aircraft sank 3668-ton ''Wolsum'' at Kirkenes. Another attack damaged 5434-ton ''Friesenland'' off North Cape on 20 September.
* 29 September 1944: sank 7219-ton ''Samsuva'' and Liberty ship ''Edward H. Crockett'' from convoy RA 60. No. 813 Naval Air Squadron Swordfish ''F'' of sank on 30 September.
* 11 October 1944: Soviet torpedo cutters sank German minesweeper ''M-303'' off Kiberg.
* 12 October 1944: Soviet submarine ''S-104'' sank 1730-ton ''Lumme'' east of Tanafjord.
* 16 October 1944: United States Coast Guard icebreaker captured the German weather ship ''Externsteine'' off Greenland.
* 21 October 1944: Soviet torpedo cutters sank German minesweeper ''M-31'' off Honningsvåg.

* 26 October 1944: Soviet naval infantry captured Kirkenes with the support of Soviet Northern Fleet destroyers and smaller warships.
* 2 November 1944: damaged convoy RA 61 escort HMS ''Mounsey'' with a G7se torpedo. sank off Lofoten on 11 November.
* 12 November 1944: Operation Catechism: ''Tirpitz'' was capsized by Royal Air Force Avro Lancasters.
* 2 December 1944: sank 1123-ton ''Proletari'' off Finland.Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 318
* 9 December 1944: Convoy RA 62 escorts sank at the mouth of Kola Bay. torpedoed on 11 December before being sunk by No. 813 Naval Air Squadron Swordfish from HMS ''Campania'' on 13 December.
* 30 December 1944: torpedoed 7176-ton ''Tbilisi'' off Kola Bay.
* December 1944: The 14th U-boat Flotilla was established at Narvik to absorb displaced U-boats as bases on the French coast were captured by Allied troops.
* 16 January 1945: sank ''Dejatelnyj'' with a G7se torpedo at the mouth of Kola Bay.
* 13 February 1945: KG 26 Ju 88 and 188 torpedo bombers withdrawn from France following the Normandy landings made unsuccessful attacks against convoy JW 64. sank convoy escort at the mouth of Kola Bay.
* 14 February 1945: U-boats sank 8129-ton ''Norfjell'' and Liberty ship ''Horace Gray'' from convoy BK 3 outside Kola Bay.Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 334
* 17 February 1945: Escorts clearing Kola Bay for the departure of convoy RA 64 sank . sank and damaged Liberty ship ''Thomas Scott'' and HMS ''Lark'' with G7se torpedoes. On 23 February KG 26 sank Liberty ship ''Henry Bacon'' – the last ship to be sunk by German aircraft in the second world war.
* 20 March 1945: ''U-968'' torpedoed Liberty ships ''Horace Bushnell'' and ''Thomas Donaldson'' from convoy JW 65 and convoy escort with a G7se torpedo.
* 22 April 1945: ''U-997'' sank 1603-ton ''Onega'' and torpedoed 4287-ton ''Idefjord'' from convoy PK 9.
* 29 April 1945: In the last trade convoy battle of the Second World War, ''U-286'' sank HMS ''Goodall'' at the mouth of Kola Bay as convoy JW 66 escorts sank and .Rohwer & Hummelchen p. 350

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Naval battles and operations of World War II involving the United Kingdom
Naval battles and operations of the European theatre of World War II
Naval battles of World War II involving the Soviet Union
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Military in the Arctic