Book cover of 'Battle of the Arctic' by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore with a naval battle scene.

Battle of the Arctic

£30.00

Free UK delivery on orders over £60.00
Standard UK delivery from £5.95

International delivery cost can be calculated here and at checkout
£30.00
No campaign during World War Two contained more spinetingling drama, outstanding courage and heartbreaking tragedy than the Arctic convoys. Yet they – and the multifaceted Battle of the Arctic that had to be fought to get them through to Russia – remain one of the war’s most undercelebrated feats.

As this book’s title implies, Battle of the Arctic tells a unique story. For much of the conflict was complicated by terrific storms, snow, ice, fog, whales and Arctic mirages, so that what is chronicled at times sounds like a cross between the nightmarish torment experienced by both Shackleton in his ship Endurance and Scott of the Antarctic, and an Arctic version of Robinson Crusoe.

The action unfolded as Allied naval and merchant seamen, airmen, submariners, soldiers and intelligence officers delivered on their countries’ promise to take arms to Russia notwithstanding the German attempts to hunt them in their aircraft, U-boats and surface fleet spearheaded by Tirpitz and Scharnhorst. When ships were attacked, and went down in seas so cold that a man could die after five minutes of immersion, it triggered events reminiscent of the do-or-die moments during the sinking of the Titanic. Men perished one by one in lifeboats, and as castaways on deserted Arctic islands where they were stalked by polar bears. Frostbitten and wounded survivors ended up in primitive Russian hospitals where amputations were carried out without anesthetics. Others, while stranded for months in the communist state they were aiding, experienced the murky worlds of the NKVD, and the gulag, as well as famine and prostitution.

Using new material unearthed in American, British, Russian and German archives, as well as Polish, Norwegian, French and Dutch sources, and a remarkable collection of vivid witness accounts brought together at the passing of the last survivors, Hugh Sebag-Montefiore can at last shine a revealing light on this extraordinary tale that oscillates between the sailors’ eye view on the front line, and the controversies that infuriated world leaders.

Hugh Sebag-Montefiore was a barrister before becoming a journalist and historian. He has written for theSunday Times,Sunday Telegraph,Observer,Independent on Sunday, andMail on Sunday. He is the author of three bestselling history books, two about the 2nd World War (Enigma: The Battle for the CodeandDunkirk: Fight to the Last Man), and one about the 1st World War (Somme: Into the Breach). He also wrote Kings On The Catwalk: The Louis Vuitton Moët-Hennessy Affair.
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Collins
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 6 Nov. 2025
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 816 pages
  • ISBN : ‎ 978-0008335779
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 270 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.9 x 5.8 x 24 cm

Members

Museum Members receive 10% off* shopping both online and at the museum sites.

Join as a Member today

Subscribers

Sign up to our newsletter for a 10% discount* off your next order.

Subscribe now

*Exclusions apply, please see our Terms and Conditions

Our standard processing and fulfillment time is 1-3 working days. Excludes Custom Prints and customised clothing.

We hope you will be pleased with your purchase. Should you wish to return anything bought from us, we will be happy to refund or exchange a product provided it is in fully resellable condition.

Please read our Delivery and Returns page for more detail.

 
Battle of the Arctic
£30.00

Frequently asked questions

Our standard processing and fulfillment time is 1-2 working days from the time you placed your order, excluding Custom Prints, online-only telescopes and personalised clothing.

All UK orders (excluding personalised clothing) are sent using a tracked service.

Custom Prints (those which are customised by choosing a size and frame) and personalised clothing take a little longer to fulfill due to being made to order.

Please see our Delivery and returns page for more information and last order dates.

Online-only telescopes are shipped directly from Celestron.

FREE Standard UK delivery for all orders over £50 (Royal Mail)

For all other orders, we offer Standard UK delivery for £4.95 per order (Royal Mail).

Delivery rate varies by country and value of order, and starts from as little as £6.95. 

Please allow 5-7 working days for standard orders to be dispatched.

Custom Prints (those which are customised by choosing a size and frame) and personalised clothing take a little longer to fulfill due to being made to order. Please see our recommended last order dates for these items on our  Delivery and returns page.

We send using a Royal Mail/FedEx tracked delivery service (excluding personalised products). Please allow 7-10 working days to receive after we have dispatched.

Please see our Delivery and returns page for all information.

For all returns, please contact us as soon as possible using the contact form, expressing your wish to return. Please wait for confirmation from one of our team before returning.

Custom Prints (those which are customised by choosing a size and frame) and personalised clothing are made to order and therefore we are unable to offer a refund or exchange, unless they are faulty.

Please see our Delivery and returns page for full information.