73 North: The Battle of the Barents Sea

by Dudley Pope

The events and decisions that culminated in the Battle of the Barents Sea—what many consider to be the most important naval engagement of World War II's European theatre—in which eight of the German navy's most powerful ships failed to sink a Russian convoy guarded by only four small British destroyers, are brought to life by the author in this tale of men struggling to carry out their orders in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

Genres: History, War, Nonfiction, World War II, Military History, Naval History

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1958

About the author

Dudley Pope was born in Ashford, Kent.

By concealing his age, Pope joined the Home Guard aged 14 and at age 16 joined the Merchant Navy as a cadet. His ship was torpedoed the next year (1942). Afterwards, he spent two weeks in a lifeboat with the few other survivors.

After he was invalided out of the Merchant Navy, the only obvious sign of the injuries Pope had suffered was a joint missing from one finger due to gangrene. Pope then went to work for a Kentish newspaper, then in 1944 moved to The Evening News in London, where he was the naval and defence correspondent. From there he turned to reading and writing naval history.

Pope's first book, "Flag 4", was published in 1954, followed by several other historical accounts. C. S. Forester, the creator of the famed Horatio Hornblower novels, encouraged Pope to add fiction to his repertoire. In 1965, "Ramage" appeared, the first of what was to become an 18-novel series.

Pope took to living on boats from 1953 on; when he married Kay Pope in 1954, they lived on a William Fife 8-meter named Concerto, then at Porto Santo Stefano, Italy in 1959 with a 42-foot ketch Tokay. In 1963 he and Kay moved to a 53-foot cutter Golden Dragon, on which they moved to Barbados in 1965. In 1968 they moved onto a 54-foot wooden yacht named Ramage, aboard which he wrote all of his stories until 1985.

Pope died April 25, 1997 in Marigot, St. Martin. Both his wife and his daughter, Jane Victoria survived him.

Reviews

[Nathan Trachta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fairly unknown area of operation for most is the convoy actions in the Arctic Ocean; most are familiar with PQ17 and after that their knowledge starts to fade a little (quick advertisement, a good summary is Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters). When I saw 73 North, I was intrigued due to the subject and by the reviews of others.

73 North is a post war analysis of a fairly unknown action (at least to Americans) in the Arctic pitting British escorts and a convoy headed to Russia against German surface elements. In recounting and assessing the battle Mr. Pope has honestly done an outstanding job. As a wargamer I can say this is an outstand piece describing the battlespace and limitations on each side. The environment is nicely described with the author bringing data from both sides of the battlefield into a merged environment that helps the reader understand things. Many writers could learn from Mr. Pope's work and I'd gladly suggest that the read and evaluate the way he presents things because it's done simply and very nice.

But wait, I called this a 4 star book... yes I did. While I love the way the book is done and can honestly say the middle parts (once the German surface elements begin to engage the convoy) are the cream that make this book, there's something lacking... I think it's the writing style. While I love the presentation and how complete Mr. Pope is, I didn't feel compelled through the first half of the book and when I compare the writing to other historical writers writing individual battle (my Gold standard is The Battle of Hamburg by Martin Middlebrook) Mr. Pope doesn't meet my Gold standard. I love the book and there's lots of good here, but it knocks on the the door of 5 but I can't let it in because of a wanting... Maybe if Mr. Pope had included more information on the ships and their capability I'd look at this at a 5 stars.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling read; Pope wrote this story with a descriptiveness that immerses you in the battle as if you'd been there yourself. And he managed to do it in just a couple hundred pages. Rarely have I read a book where the thoroughness of the storyteller could be maintained in such a short span of a read. This is a MUST READ if you're at all interested in naval history!

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Battle of the Barents Sea took place in the Arctic on the convoy run to Murmansk. It involved a small convoy (14 ships) with a small escort being attacked by heavy elements of the German surface navy (the Lutzow, the Scharnhorst, the Hipper, etc). It resembles the engagement between the American destroyer escorts and the Japanese battleship during Leyte, because the big guns should have won both engagements. But they didn't. How the German heavy forces failed to stop the convoy is fascinating, and Pope has mined every source available, including German ones. The battle’s consequences were significant, as Hitler did away with his surface navy's heavy elements immediately after the battle, choosing to rely on the u-boat fleet to win the war (a war that the u-boats were already losing). I read this book right after reading John Deane Potter’s Fiascoe: The Breakout of the German Battleships (the Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

73 North is a classic in Naval History. Until reading this book I had read only the few paragraphs that Historians give the Battle of the Barents Sea. Pope's account puts you on the traditional (in WWII) open bridge of a Royal Navy destroyer December 31st 1942 understanding all of the options open to Captain Sherbrooke and they weren't very attractive options. His writing was clear and simple that I could imagine the 33 degree water above the Arctic Circle and I could envision the desperate damage control efforts. This is a must have in the library of any Naval Historian.

[Ned Leffingwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great narrative of a WWII naval battle, The Battle of the Barents Sea. The author walks you through the action of the battle through the eyes of the crew as British sailors fight the Arctic cold and German ships. The personal story of the battle is juxtaposed with the larger effect that the battle had on the German navy. I bought this boom with the hopes of using it for research for naval wargaming. The boom is perfect for that as it is full of maps and detailed descriptions of the battle.

[Kiragu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accurate, informative and with proof of research. I didn't know anything about German Navy and its WW II history until this.