Image: Arctic Star medal

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Description: The Arctic Star medal. The medal recognises service between 1941 and 1945 delivering vital aid to the Soviet Union, running the gauntlet of enemy submarine, air and surface ship attacks. The campaign cost the lives of around 3,000 sailors and merchant seamen, and over 100 civilian and military ships were lost, with the nadir coming in the summer of 1942 when convoy PQ17 was mauled by the Luftwaffe and 9 U-boats. Beyond the threat of the enemy, the men endured terrible weather conditions, the darkness of the polar winter and 24-hour daylight at the height of summer. If ships were sunk, sailors perished in minutes in waters barely above freezing.
Title: Arctic Star medal
Credit: Ministry of Defence (if unable to access this link, please go to http://www.defenceimagery.mod.uk/, select "downloadable images" and enter 45155226 in the search box)
Author: Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC
Usage Terms: Open Government License version 1.0
License: OGL v1.0
License Link: http://NationalArchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/1/
Attribution Required?: Yes

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