Warplanes Gifted by America to the Soviet Union

It can be said that the USA's participation in the war on the side of the allied states changed the course of the Second World War. The course of history might have been different if Japanese planes had not raided the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

The warring parties in the Second World War produced an incredible number of aircraft between 1939 and 1945, even in today's dimensions. Germany, one of the Axis Powers, produced 120,000 aircraft, Japan 76,000 and Italy 11,000 aircraft. Among the Allied states, the USA produced 325,000 aircraft, the USSR 157,000 aircraft and the UK 132,000 aircraft. The number of aircraft produced by France, which was occupied by Germany at the beginning of the war, was only 5,000. The total number of aircraft produced by both sides in the Second World War was over 800,000.

When the advanced industrial production capacity of the USA turned to the defense industry, the number of aircraft produced caused the balance in the sky to change. The United States had begun shipping aircraft and weapons to allied states before it even entered the war. The USSR, which started the war in partnership with Hitler and occupied half of Poland, would later change sides and take sides against Germany and on the side of the allied states. Similar to the weapons aid given to Ukraine by Western countries today, the United States and the United Kingdom provided weapons and aircraft assistance to the USSR for use against Germany on the Eastern Front. The types, customs and delivery methods of the aircraft given within the framework of the loan-lease agreement are interesting.

Number of Aircraft Given to Allies by the USA:

From 1941 until the end of the war, the USA supplied the USSR with a large number of Bell P-39 Airacobra, Bell P-63 Kingcobra, Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk/Kittyhawk warplanes, Douglas A-20 Havoc, North American B-25 bombers, Douglas He sent C-47 transports and North American AT-6 Texan Trainers. The number of warplanes sent by the USA to the USSR is 9600, the number of bomber aircraft is 3780, the number of transport aircraft is 707 and the number of training aircraft is 82. A total of 14168 aircraft were sent.

Delivery Route of Aircraft Given to the Russians:

Planes manufactured in different parts of the USA were first brought to Ladd Air Base in Fairbanks, Alaska, by the special crew, by following the route called the Northwest Stage Exit Route. The Alaska-Siberian route that the planes followed on their way from Alaska to the Pilot Training Centers in the Krasnoyarsk region within the USSR was called the Northern Route or ALSIB (Alaska-Siberia). Consisting of five consecutive tracks, this road was 4740 miles, or 7600 kilometers long. Considering that the majority of the planes supplied to the USSR are single-seat fighters with limited range and navigational capabilities, we understand that flying this distance of 7600 kilometers safely requires precise planning.

The planes were brought to Ladd Air Base in Alaska by American pilots, where they were going to take the ALSİB journey. Planes that would travel 7600 kilometers were controlled and received by Russian pilots here. The journey was planned like a relay race. The route consisted of five successive parts. Separate crews were flying each route segment. Therefore, the teams were specialized because they always flew in the same region.

Flying Formations and Control of the Limitations

Within each route segment were seven intermediate stops. Here, planes were refueled. The distance between the intermediate stops was 370 kilometers on average. Single-seat Bell P-39 Airacobra, Bell P-63 Kingcobra fighter jets or Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk/Kittyhawk fighter jets in groups and accompanied by multi-engine North American B-25 Mitchell or Douglas A-20 Havoc bombers They were flying together.

One of the bombers was passing in front of the fleet and was doing its navigator (pathfinding) task. The Bomber flying behind the squadron was checking that there were no planes leaving the group. Bombers and Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft with navigation facilities and sufficient range could be flown without being included in the fleet, if needed. The C-47 transport aircraft also undertook the task of returning the pilots of the planes eastward from the end of each track segment to the beginning of the track segment and refueling and supplying at intermediate stops.