Murmansk Run
In May 1942 the cargo ship SS Atlantic, laden with aircraft and explosives, was sailing above the Arctic Circle, bound for Murmansk, Russia. Arctic ice forced Atlantic and the other thirty-five ships in this convoy close to the north coast of Norway and German airbases located there. May 27 brought clear weather and almost continuous air attacks for ten hours. Seven ships were lost, and three badly damaged. One of the officers assessed the toll:
Taking stock, ships were being sunk at the rate of one every two hours. We still had at least 60 hours sailing to get to Murmansk with 29 merchant ships left. Moreover, our ship had used up more than half its ammunition, and presumably the others were in similar straits.
If the pace of the attacks was kept up, the arithmetic seemed to add up to the possibility of all our ships being sunk… Everything depended on where the bomb or torpedo would strike. No. 3 hold was full of explosives. If that were hit, we would all disappear in a flash of light and a cloud of smoke—one ship had already done so.93
These sailors on the Murmansk Run were pushed to the limit of human endurance by arctic storms, ice, deadly cold water, volatile cargoes, and the constant threat of attack by enemy aircraft and submarines. They understood the overwhelming odds against their own survival and still found the courage to do their duty as sailors and to fight every battle as soldiers. Thanks to their valiant effort a tenuous but absolutely critical lifeline between the Allied nations was kept open throughout World War II.
In the same way, many great heroes of the faith have achieved much while doubting their own ability to succeed or survive. There are times when we too feel that God is asking us to do more than we are capable of doing. In times like these, remember that if God asks us to accomplish something, he will not forsake us on the way.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
—Deuteronomy 31:6