“Relying on anecdores from the written accounts of crewmen who served on board the merchantmen and their naval escorts, Walling provides readers with unforgettable snapshots of the horrendous experiences they faced during cobat in ... frigid waters.” —Naval History magazine (June 2013)

“If the Nazis didn't get you, the weather would in this truly hellish front: the icy U-boat and Luftwaffe-patrolled lend-lease lifeline to Russia.” —Gene Santoro, World War II (November/December 2012)

“...through this book I definitely had gained a renewed sense of appreciation for the thousands upon thousands of civilian seamen who had contributed to the war effort, many of whom passed into history without ever receiving their due recognition.” —Peter C. Chen, World War II Database (October 2012)

“...tells the complete story of the Allied forces' Arctic Convoys and the role they played in helping Russia repel the Germans. It uses literally hundreds of oral histories from eyewitnesses and veterans of the convoys plus original research in the Russian Naval archives at Murmansk to retell a campaign that has received relatively little in-depth focus in the chronicles of World War II, and is a top pick for any military history holding.” —James A. Cox, The Midwest Book Review (January 2013)

". . . effectively tells the story of the sailors or dared fight both man and nature." —WWII History