i knew that in ww2 the ussr had p-40s but i didn't know this
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I got this e-mail from an American friend of mine today.
Have you ever heard about it?
The article is too long, so I had to divide it in 2 parts:
So here is the part # 1:
In the summer of 1941, when President Roosevelt signed off for a volunteer group of American fighter pilots to fight the Japanese in China. But with unfailed secrecy, the President had also authorized a second American Volunteer Group . . to ' head for ' Russia.
The Central Aircraft Manufacturing Corp (CAMCO) was used as a front for the second AVG group about to fly their fighters from Las Vegas, Nevada to Russia. Each would receive $500 for each Nazi aircraft they could bring down.
FDR's secrecy was shattered, when a reporter working in Rangoon for Time, reported P-40s and American fighter pilots arriving in Burma, presumably for combat.
Although there was no mention of the Russia-bound AVGs . . Time magazine's breaking the news of his strategic, secret move greatly worried
the President. And he feared an international diplomatic backlash and/or an investigation from Congress. In an effort to confuse the press and our enemies abroad, he continued to maintain the American Volunteer Group operation in Russia as a top secret project. And the fighter pilots preparing for their trip to Russia were given a set of false orders assigning them to March Air Base in Riverside, California . . half a world away from there purposeful destination.
The decades of secrecy surrounding the American Volunteer Group in Russia, rendered historians mere fragments of information. Aviation historian Everett Long, noted : " The Triple 7's . . unlike the Flying Tigers . . had so little written about them over the past fifty years it appears as if the squadron never even existed."
In August 1941, Army Air Corps Colonel Jason Williams signed a contract with CAMCO to lead the new group. Williams and CAMCO executives then visited bases throughout the U.S. to recruit pilots. Finding volunteers was not difficult considering the mission's importance and monetary bonus.
In September 1941, the eager volunteers began training in their Warhawks and Airacobras at a military airstrip near the small gambling town of Las Vegas. Following the War Department's careful plan of deception, these pilots were assigned to the 77th Pursuit Squadron of the 7th Air Force.
A young pilot in the squadron quickly realized the irony of 77 plus 7 and he reminded Col. Williams of the slot machines they had seen in town. He also reminded him that ' seven ' was a lucky number, then showed him his crude sketch of Red, White and Blue 7's for an insignia. Colonel Williams ordered
the insignia to be painted on each aircraft.
In November 1941, the unit began the long journey to the Soviet Union as the squadron flew north from Nevada to Canada, then to Ladd Field near Nome.
Their route would later be come well-known as ' The Air Bridge.' And thousands of U.S. Lend-Lease aircraft would follow the 77th's path.
The pilots of the 77th, flew into Siberia. During the first dangerous flight beyond the Bering Strait, two of the aircraft developed mechanical problems and they crashed in Siberia. Neither pilot was seen again.
For the next 3 1/2 years, the Triple 7 fought in every major battle on the Germans' Eastern Front.
The AVG spent most of their combat time in P-40's and P-39's. But later in the war, the Triple 7's were given surplus USAAF P-47's and P-51's that were ferried up from Italy.
Untitled 109 Interestingly, the AVG never adopted the much improved Bell P-63 KingCobra fighter that the Soviets loved so much.
Their American-built fighters did well for them. As a side benefit, they were able to lay their hands on a few Soviet-built fighters to fly and to fight.
As the only American unit operating within the Soviet, our War Department
used the espionage opportunity to inspect the design, materials, and workman-ship of Soviet fighters. The Triple 7's leaders were then able to convince several corrupt Soviet commanders to swap surplus or damaged Russian fighters in exchange for whatever it required in cases of expensive liquor, or actual bribes in U.S. dollars.
After interpreting the Soviet aircraft operating manuals, the skilled grease monkeys of the 77th were able to repair the Russian fighters, then fly them
on their combat missions. And by the end of 1943, the AVG had several types of Russian fighters in operation.
Beginning in early 1943, Soviet-built . .
- Lavochkin [ nickname : varnished guaranteed coffin ]
- Yak [ nickname : Rata-rat ]
- Ilyushins [ nickname : flying infantryman ]
were all used in combat sorties by the 77th pilots.
After they had arrived in Russia, the 77th AVG was posted to an airfield
on Moscow's outskirts, where they practiced aerial intercepts. Once they were deemed combat-ready by Soviet commanders, the AVG began Air Defense patrols in skies above Moscow.
The Triple 7's achieved their first aerial victory against the Germans, just prior to Pearl Harbor, by shooting down a German Ju-88 reconnaissance aircraft near Moscow. After several months defending the city, the 77th was ordered to help defend Stalingrad.
Without the loss of even pilots or aircraft, the Triple 7 had scored 27 aerial victories against the Germans. Although most of their kills had been against
' reccy ' aircraft or stray bombers, it was a good learning experience.
The German advance on Stalingrad was swift and deadly. And the Russian Air Force was forced to move east to the Volga to just to survive. The 77th
was also pulled back. In the intense air action that followed, the Triple 7's pilots battled against many of the Luftwaffe's greatest aces.
Their BF-109F and G models were far superior to the P-39 and P-40 and
they exacted a heavy toll from the AVG. Also, not in their best interest, the
newly manufactured Focke-Wulf 190's began sorties.
The legacy of the Triple 7's had been lost during the Cold War. But in the early 1990's old Soviet archives were opened to release historical documents.
The records proved that many AVG pilots had earned the prestigious Hero
of the Soviet Union medal. But Stalin ordered the Americans' medals to be withheld and should, instead, had then issued to brave communist pilots.
As a gesture of good will, in 2001, Vladimir Putin surprised the newly elected President G.W. Bush with the long forgotten medals. And he then asked the President to please direct them to the surviving pilots of the AVG, or to their widows or grand-children.
Until quite recently, many of the Triple 7 pilots' family members were unaware their fathers or grandfathers had ever been to Russia, let alone fought against the Germans to help them out.
I am fairly certain that this claim is not legitimate. However, I have read that US Pilots did fly into Russia, generally on a ferry operations, after the entry of the US. They flew LL aircraft from Alaska, into somewhere in central siberia. I suspect, even that there was some form of conversion course going on, being run by the Americans.
The Alaskan route became increasingly important as an air ferry service route asuff, and has a theory to explain the disastrous famines in India in 1943. .
The only American pilots that would of been remotely welcomed by the Soviets during WW2 were those who fought in the Spanish Civil War-and the best one of the lot, Frank Tinker put a bullet in his head in 1939.