The Progress and Results of Combat Operations of the Northern Fleet Submarines in 1941: A Modern View

The preparation and conduct of combat operations by submarines of the Soviet Northern Fleet in 1941 are considered. The hypothesis is substantiated that due to insufficient preparation in the prewar period, Soviet submarines achieved insignificant results in the destruction of enemy ships and vessels, but their high activity caused a reduction in the volume of German transportation at the end of 1941. The impact exerted on German maritime communications in the Arctic by the actions of submarines and surface ships of the British Navy is revealed, and the previously existing historiographic concepts regarding this topic are assessed.