The Arctic Convoys:

A Lifeline Across the Atlantic

 
 

In July 2008, veterans of the Arctic Convoys from World War Two joined academics, students, and other interested parties in Reykjavík, Iceland at the conference: The Arctic Convoys: A Lifeline Across the Atlantic.  The veterans were interviewed about their wartime experiences and the presentations delivered were all recorded. 


This DVD combines the interviews and lectures, along with archival footage, to tell one story of the heroism and bravery from this unheralded chapter of the Second World War.


This film was produced in Reykjavík, Iceland with the support of the embassies of Canada, Denmark, Norway, the United Kingdom, and, in particular, the United States and Russia.

LANGUAGES: English, Icelandic, Russian     SUBTITLES: English and Russian

DVD Release Date:  09.09.2009

Produced by:

Eliza Reid


Directed by:

Örn Einarsson

Skúli Sæland


Edited by:

Örn Einarsson

2009, 120 min.

The Convoys during WWII


Following the decision by Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill in 1941 to support the defensive fight of the Soviet Union against Axis forces on the Eastern front, the Arctic Convoys played an increasing and vital role in the outcome of the Second World War. To assist the Soviet armies the Allies began sending navy ships and maritime vessels from different countries to assemble in Iceland and convoy to the northwestern ports of Murmansk and Archangelsk in the Soviet Union. The convoys operated under heavy fire and were among the most daring and difficult ventures of World War II. The Arctic Convoys are proof that the contributions of individual citizens can influence global events and demonstrate how friendship between different nations brought about a successful conclusion to a terrible war.

Remembering


The Arctic Convoys were an important contribution to the allied war effort, and conducted under the harshest of conditions.  Yet despite the tireless efforts of the veterans of these convoys to garner recognition for their and their comrades’ wartime sacrifices, the Arctic Convoys have not as yet become as well-known as other campaigns from the war.   In 2004, the Russian Polar Convoy Association in St. Petersburg  made contact with Pétur H. Ólafsson, one of only two remaining Icelandic veterans of the convoys (the other, Guðbjörn Guðjónsson, passed away in December 2008), to discuss the possibility of increasing ties between convoy veterans from around the world.


Pétur wanted to encourage this friendship and enlisted the assistance of the president of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, in supporting an international conference to commemorate the Arctic Convoys. The conference would be merely a first step in strengthening the ties between the Russian veterans’ association and those in other countries. Its goal remained as Pétur and his fellow veterans wanted it: to maintain peace between all the countries that took part.

The Arctic Convoys conference


After visits between Pétur and Russian veterans in both Iceland and Russia, the conference took place in Reykjavík, the “cradle” of the convoys, in July 2008. The conference attracted participants from Iceland, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Australia. The programme was a unique combination of convoy veterans’ recollections, many of whom were making their first journey to Iceland since the war, and academic presentations. It also included three prize-winning lectures by Russian secondary school students on convoy-related subjects and featured a photographic exhibition of images, letters and memorabilia from the convoys. The convoy veterans who attended were interviewed about their wartime experiences.

Commemorative DVD


This commemorative DVD is a permanent product of the 2008 conference and has been created for those who were unable to attend in person, as well as for anyone interested in learning more about this heroic chapter of the Second World War.


It is dedicated to those who participated so courageously under such treacherous conditions: those who are featured on this disk, those who were unable to attend in person, and those who are no longer with us.