Why wasn’t the Arctic Front and the Kola Peninsula a higher priority for the Axis to occupy and prevent the arctic convoys?

Hi Indy and Team, would you happen to have any information about why the Axis did not target the city of Murmansk and the Kola Peninsula to cut off the arctic convoy shipments? You all do fantastic work every week!

Simply put its pure logistics. There was no direct route to Murmansk and despite German air superiority until early 1944 they did not have a navy that was capable of landing there and going by road was a very long route through Soviet held territory. Making their own roads was economically infeasible and the terrain was not conducive to making their own roads.

While it was an important target it was also not something the Germans were prepared to take on

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Exactly so. It could have been done, but it would have taken far more logistical support away from the more active sectors of the theatre, so it would have needed to be at the Führer-directive level of command, not the local corps or army commander.

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