1:72 PQ-18 Operation Orator 1942

Convoy PQ-18 and its air shield

The sailing designated PQ-18 set out in September 1942 for the mouth of the Dvina and went down in the history of the Arctic routes twice over. It was the first to be protected along the whole route by an escort carrier, and at the same time the hardest test of mass torpedo attacks from Norwegian airfields. Of forty merchant ships, thirteen did not arrive. Over the Barents Sea, meanwhile, the threat still hung that heavy surface units, the battleship Tirpitz among them, would move against the slow formation.

The expedition codenamed Orator

The British command therefore moved Handley Page Hampden TB.I torpedo machines from two squadrons to Soviet airfields near Murmansk, together with Catalina flying boats and a single reconnaissance Spitfire. The flight across the Norwegian Sea cost several aircraft before the expedition had even begun its work, and one Hampden ended up in enemy hands complete with its documents. The mere presence of the torpedo bombers served its purpose, though, and the heaviest ships stayed at anchor. The remaining machines were then handed over by their crews to Soviet naval aviation, which went on flying them over the same waters.

The workmanship of the sheet

The artwork is prepared for kits in 1:72 scale from the usual brands. A gloss base gives the best result, because on a matte surface a silvery haze appears under the carrier film. Cut close to the motif, release it in warm water and settle it with a decal softener, so that it sinks into the rivets and the engraved lines. Seal the finished layer with a matte coat, which hides the edges of the film.