It’s worth starting with the “deciphering” of the term “Lend-Lease” itself, although for this it’s enough to look at English-Russian dictionary. So, lend - "to lend", lease - "to lease". It was under such conditions that the United States during the Second World War transferred military equipment, weapons, ammunition, equipment, strategic raw materials, food, various goods and services to the allies in the Anti-Hitler coalition. These conditions will still have to be remembered at the end of the article.
The Lend-Lease Act was passed by the US Congress on March 11, 1941, and authorized the President to grant the above species to countries whose "defence against aggression is vital to the defense of the United States." The calculation is understandable: to protect yourself with the hands of others and to preserve your strength as much as possible.
Lend-Lease deliveries in 1939-45. received 42 countries, US spending on them amounted to more than 46 billion dollars (13% of all military spending of the country for the Second world war). The main volume of supplies (about 60%) fell on the British Empire; against this background, the share of the USSR, on whose share the brunt of the war fell, is more than indicative: slightly higher than 1/3 of the British supplies. The largest part of the remaining deliveries came from France and China.
Even in the Atlantic Charter, signed by Roosevelt and Churchill in August 1941, it was said about the desire to "supply the USSR with the maximum amount of those materials that it needs most of all." Although the United States officially signed the supply agreement with the USSR on July 11, 1942, the effect of the "Lend-Lease Law" was extended to the USSR on November 7, 1941 by presidential decree (obviously "for the holiday"). Even earlier, on 10/01/41, an agreement was signed in Moscow between England, the USA and the USSR on mutual deliveries for a period up to 06/30/42. Subsequently, such agreements (they were called "Protocols") were renewed annually.
But again, even earlier, on August 31, 1941, the first caravan came to Arkhangelsk under the code name "Dervish", and more or less systematic Lend-Lease deliveries began in November 1941. At first, sea convoys were the main delivery method , arriving in Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and Molotovsk (now Severodvinsk). In total, 1530 transports followed this route, consisting of 78 convoys (42 - to the USSR, 36 - back). By the actions of submarines and aviation of Nazi Germany, 85 transports (including 11 Soviet ships) were sunk, and 41 transports were forced to return to their original base.
Our country highly appreciates and honors the courageous feat of the sailors of Britain and other allied countries who participated in the escort and protection of convoys along the Northern route.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LEND-LEASE FOR THE USSR
For Soviet Union, who fought with an exceptionally strong aggressor, the supply of military equipment, weapons and ammunition was important, especially given their huge losses in 1941. It is believed that according to this nomenclature, the USSR received: 18,300 aircraft, 11,900 tanks, 13,000 anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns, 427,000 vehicles, a large amount of ammunition, explosives and gunpowder. (However, the figures given may vary considerably from source to source.)
But we did not always receive exactly what we especially needed, and within the agreed time frame (apart from inevitable combat losses, there were other reasons for this). So, in the most difficult period for us (October - December 1941), the USSR was underdelivered: aircraft - 131, tanks - 513, tankettes - 270 and a whole range of cargoes. For the period from October 1941 to the end of June 1942 (the terms of the 1st Protocol), the United States fulfilled its obligations on: bombers - less than 30%, fighters - 31%, medium tanks - 32%, light tanks - by 37%, trucks - by 19.4% (16,502 instead of 85,000)
SUPPLY OF AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT UNDER LEND-LEASE
Soviet ace A.I. Pokryshkin near his Airacobra fighter
This type of supply, of course, was of paramount importance. Lend-lease planes came mainly from the USA, although a certain part (and a lot) also came from the UK. The figures indicated in the table may not coincide with other sources, but they very clearly illustrate the dynamics and range of aircraft deliveries.
In terms of their flight performance, the Lend-Lease aircraft were far from equivalent. So. the American Kittyhawk fighter and the English Hurricane, as A.I. Shakhurin in September 1941, "are not the latest samples American and English technology”; in fact, they were significantly inferior to the German fighters in terms of speed and armament. "Harry-Kane", moreover, had an unreliable engine: due to its failure in battle, the famous North Sea pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union B.F. Safonov. Soviet pilots frankly called this fighter a "flying coffin."
The American fighter Airacobra, on which the Hero of the Soviet Union A.I. Pokryshkin fought three times, was practically not inferior to the German Me-109 and FV-190 in speed and had powerful weapons (37-mm aircraft cannon and 4 machine guns 12.7 mm), which, according to Pokryshkin, "broke the German planes to smithereens." But due to miscalculations in the design of the "Aero-cobra", with complex evolutions during the battle, it often fell into a hard-to-remove "flat" tailspin, deformation of the fuselage "Aerocob-Of course, such an ace as Pokryshkin brilliantly coped with a capricious aircraft, but among ordinary pilots had many accidents and disasters.
The Soviet government was forced to present a claim to the manufacturer ("Bell"), but she rejected it. Only when our test pilot A. Kochetkov was sent to the USA, who over the airfield of the company and in front of its management demonstrated the deformation of the Aerocobra fuselage in the tail area (he himself managed to jump out with a parachute), the company had to redesign the design of his car . The improved model of the fighter, which received the marking P-63 "Kingcobra", began to operate at the final stage of the war, in 1944-45, when our industry mass-produced excellent fighters Yak-3, La-5, La-7 , which surpassed the American ones in terms of characteristics.
A comparison of the characteristics shows that American vehicles were not inferior to the German ones of the same type in terms of basic indicators: the bombers also had an important advantage - night vision bombsights, which the German Yu-88 and Xe-111 did not have. Yes, and the defensive weapons of the American bombers were machine guns of 12.7 mm caliber (for the German ones - 7.92), and their number was large.
The combat use and technical operation of American and British aircraft, of course, brought a lot of worries, but our technicians relatively quickly learned not only to prepare "foreigners" for combat missions, but also to repair them. Moreover, on the part of British aircraft, Soviet specialists managed to replace their rather weak machine guns of 7.71 mm caliber with more powerful domestic weapons.
Speaking of aviation, it is impossible not to mention the provision of fuel. As you know, the shortage of aviation gasoline was an acute problem of our Air Force even in peacetime, holding back the intensity of combat training in combat units and training in flight schools. During the war years, the USSR received 630 thousand tons of aviation gasoline from the USA under Lend-Lease, and more than 570 thousand more from Great Britain and Canada. The total number of light fraction gasoline delivered to us was 2586 thousand tons - 51% domestic production of these varieties in the period 1941 - 1945. Thus, one has to agree with the statement of the historian B. Sokolov that without imported fuel supplies, Soviet aviation would not have been able to act effectively in the operations of the Great Patriotic War. Unprecedented was the difficulty of ferrying aircraft from the United States "under its own power" to the Soviet Union. Particularly long - 14,000 km) was the ALSIB air route (Alaska-Siberia), laid in 1942 from Fairbanks (USA) to Krasnoyarsk and beyond. The uninhabited expanses of the Far North and taiga Siberia, frosts up to 60 and even 70 degrees, unpredictable weather with unexpected fogs and snow loads made ALSIB the most difficult route of the haul. The ferry air division of the Soviet Air Force operated here, and, probably, more than one of our pilots laid down his young head not in battle with the aces of the Luftwaffe, but on the ALSIBA track, but his feat is as glorious as the front. 43% of all aircraft received from the USA passed through this air route.
Already in October 1942, the first group of American bombers A-20 "Boston" was overtaken by ALSIB near Stalingrad. Airplanes made in the USA could not withstand the severe Siberian frosts - rubber products burst. The Soviet government urgently provided the Americans with a recipe for frost-resistant rubber - only this saved the situation ...
With the organization of cargo delivery by sea across the South Atlantic to the Persian Gulf region and the creation of aircraft assembly workshops there, aircraft began to be ferried from the airfields of Iran and Iraq to North Caucasus. The southern air route was also difficult: mountainous terrain, unbearable heat, sandstorms. 31% of the aircraft received from the United States was transported through it.
In general, it must be admitted that the supply of aircraft under lend-lease to the USSR undoubtedly played a positive role in intensifying the combat operations of the Soviet Air Force. It is also worth considering that although, on average, foreign aircraft accounted for no more than 15% of their domestic production, for certain types of aircraft this percentage was significantly higher: for front-line bombers - 20%, for front-line fighters - from 16 to 23%, and for naval aircraft - 29% (especially the sailors noted the Catalina flying boat), which looks very significant.
ARMORED VEHICLES
In terms of importance for combat operations, in terms of the number and level of vehicles, tanks, of course, took second place in Lend-Lease deliveries. It's about specifically about tanks, since the supply of self-propelled guns would not be very significant. And again, it must be noted that the corresponding figures fluctuate quite significantly in different sources.
"Soviet Military Encyclopedia" provides the following data on tanks (pieces): USA - about 7000; Great Britain - 4292; Canada - 1188; total - 12480.
The reference dictionary "The Great Patriotic War of 1941-45" gives the total number of tanks received under Lend-Lease - 10800 units.
The latest edition of Russia and the USSR in Wars and Conflicts of the 20th Century (M, 2001) gives the figure of 11,900 tanks, as does the latest edition of The Great Patriotic War 1941-45 (M, 1999).
So, the number of lend-lease tanks amounted to about 12% of the total number of tanks and self-propelled guns that entered the Red Army during the war (109.1 thousand units). Further, when considering the combat characteristics of Lend-Lease tanks, some, for brevity, omit the number of crew and the number of machine guns.
ENGLISH TANKS
They made up most of the first lots of Lend-Lease armored vehicles (together with two types of American tanks of the M3 series). These were combat vehicles designed to escort infantry.
"Valentine" Mk 111
It was considered infantry, weighing 16.5 -18 tons; armor - 60 mm, gun 40 mm (on parts of tanks -57 mm), speed 32 - 40 km / h (different engines). On the fronts, it proved to be positive: having a low silhouette, it had good reliability, comparative simplicity of device and maintenance. True, our repairmen had to weld spurs on the Valentine's tracks to increase patency (tea, not Europe). They were delivered from England - 2400 pieces, from Canada - 1400 (according to other sources - 1180).
"Matilda" Mk IIA
By class, it was a medium tank weighing 25 tons, with good armor (80 mm), but a weak 40 mm caliber gun; speed - no more than 25 km / h. Disadvantages - the possibility of loss of mobility in the event of freezing of dirt that got into the closed undercarriage, which is unacceptable in combat conditions. In total, "Matild" was delivered to the Soviet Union 1084 units.
"Churchill" Mk III
Although it was considered infantry, by weight (40-45 tons) it belonged to the heavy class. It had a clearly unsatisfactory layout - the caterpillar contour covered the hull, which sharply worsened the visibility of the driver in battle. With strong armor (board - 95 mm, forehead of the hull - up to 150), it did not have powerful weapons (guns were installed mainly 40 - 57 mm, only for some vehicles - 75 mm). Low speed (20-25 km / h), poor maneuverability, limited visibility reduced the effect of strong armor, although Soviet tankmen and noted the good combat survivability of the Churchills. There were 150 of them delivered. (according to other sources - 310 pieces). The engines on the "Valentines" and "Matildas" were diesel, on the "Churchills" - carburetor.
AMERICAN TANKS
For some reason, the M3 index for some reason designated two American tanks at once: the light M3 - "General Stuart" and the medium M3 - "General Lee", aka "General Grant" (in everyday life - "Lee / Grant").
MZ "Stuart"
Weight - 12.7 tons, armor 38-45 mm, speed - 48 km / h, armament - 37 mm caliber gun, carburetor engine. With good armor for a light tank and speed, one has to note reduced maneuverability due to the characteristics of the transmission and poor maneuverability due to insufficient adhesion of the tracks to the ground. Delivered to the USSR - 1600 pcs.
M3 "Lee / Grant"
Weight - 27.5 tons, armor - 57 mm, speed - 31 km / h, armament: 75 mm cannon in the sponson of the hull and 37 mm cannon in the turret, 4 machine guns. The layout of the tank (high silhouette) and the location of the weapons were extremely unfortunate. The bulkiness of the design and the placement of weapons in three tiers (which forced the crew to be brought up to 7 people) made the Grant a fairly easy prey for enemy artillery. Aviation gasoline engine aggravated the position of the crew. We called it "a mass grave for seven." Nevertheless, in late 1941 - early 1942, 1,400 of them were delivered; in that difficult period, when Stalin personally distributed the tanks individually, and the "Grants" were at least some kind of help. Since 1943, the Soviet Union has abandoned them.
The most effective (and, accordingly, popular) American tank of the period 1942 - 1945. the medium tank M4 "Sherman" appeared. In terms of production during the war years (a total of 49324 were produced in the USA), it takes second place after our T-34. It was produced in several modifications (from M4 to M4A6) with different engines, both diesel and carburetor, including twin engines and even blocks of 5 engines. Under Lend-Lease, we were supplied mainly with M4A2 Shsrmams with two diesel engines of 210 hp each, which had different cannon weapons: 1990 tanks - with a 75-mm gun, which turned out to be insufficiently effective, and 2673 - with a 76.2 mm caliber gun capable of hitting armor 100 mm thick at ranges up to 500 m.
"Sherman" М4А2
Weight - 32 tons, armor: hull forehead - 76 mm, turret forehead - 100 mm, side - 58 mm, speed - 45 km / h, gun - indicated above. 2 machine guns of 7.62 mm caliber and anti-aircraft 12.7 mm; crew - 5 people (like our modernized T-34-85).
A characteristic feature of the Sherman was a removable (on the bolts) cast front (lower) part of the body, which served as a cover for the transmission compartment. An important advantage was given by a device for stabilizing the gun in a vertical plane for more accurate shooting on the move (it was introduced on Soviet tanks only in the early 1950s - on the T-54A). The electro-hydraulic mechanism for turning the turret was duplicated for the gunner and commander. The large-liberal anti-aircraft machine gun made it possible to fight low-flying enemy aircraft (a similar machine gun appeared on the Soviet heavy tank IS-2 only in 1944.
Scouts on the English tankette "Bren Carrier"
For its time, the Sherman had sufficient mobility, satisfactory armament and armor. The disadvantages of the car were: poor roll stability, insufficient reliability of the power plant (which was the advantage of our T-34) and relatively poor cross-country ability on slippery and frozen soils, until during the war the Americans replaced the Sherman tracks with wider, with lugs. Nevertheless, in general, according to tankers, it was a completely reliable combat vehicle, easy to set up and maintain, very maintainable, since it used the most automotive units and assemblies, well mastered by the American military - thinking. Together with the famous "thirty-four", although somewhat inferior to them in individual characteristics, American Shermans with Soviet crews actively participated in all the largest operations of the Red Army in 1943-1945, reaching the coast of the Baltic Sea, to the Danube, Vistula, Spree and Elbe.
The sphere of Lend-Lease armored vehicles should also include 5,000 American armored personnel carriers (half-tracked and wheeled), which were used in the Red Army, including as carriers of various weapons, especially anti-aircraft for rifle air defense units (their armored personnel carriers were not produced in the USSR during World War II, only reconnaissance armored cars BA-64K were made)
AUTOMOTIVE EQUIPMENT
Automotive equipment supplied to the USSR in quantity exceeded all military equipment not at times, but by an order of magnitude: in total, 477,785 vehicles of fifty models were received, manufactured by 26 automobile firms in the USA, England and Canals.
AT total number 152,000 Studebaker US 6x4 and US 6x6 trucks, as well as 50,501 command vehicles (jeeps) of the Willys MP and Ford GPW models were delivered; it is also necessary to mention the powerful Dodge-3/4 all-terrain vehicles with a carrying capacity of 3/4 tons (hence the number in the marking). These models were real army models, most adapted to front-line operation (as you know, we did not produce army vehicles until the early 1950s, the Red Army used ordinary national economic vehicles GAZ-AA and ZIS-5).
Truck "Studebaker"
Deliveries of cars under Lend-Lease, which exceeded their own production in the USSR by more than 1.5 times during the war years (265 thousand units), undoubtedly, were of decisive importance for a sharp increase in the mobility of the Red Army during large-scale operations 1943-1945. After all, for 1941-1942. The Red Army lost 225 thousand cars, which in Peaceful time was missing by half.
The American Studebakers, with strong metal bodies that had folding benches and removable canvas awnings, were equally suitable for transporting personnel and various cargoes. Possessing high-speed qualities on the highway and high off-road patency, the US 6x6 Studebakers worked well as tractors for various artillery systems.
When the deliveries of "stude-bakers" began, only on their all-terrain chassis were the "Katyushas" BM-13-N, and since 1944 - BM-31-12 for heavy rockets M31. It is impossible not to mention auto covers, of which 3606 thousand were delivered - more than 30% of domestic tire production. To this we must add 103 thousand tons of natural rubber from the "bins" of the British Empire, and again recall the supply of light-fraction gasoline, which was added to ours, "native" (which was required by the Studebaker motors).
OTHER EQUIPMENT, RAW MATERIALS
Deliveries from the USA of railway rolling stock and rails helped in many ways to resolve our transport problems during the war years. Almost 1,900 steam locomotives were delivered (we ourselves built 92 (!) steam locomotives in 1942-1945) and 66 diesel-electric locomotives, as well as 11,075 wagons (with our own production of 1087). The supply of rails (if we count only broad gauge rails) accounted for more than 80% of their domestic production during this period - the metal was needed for defense purposes. Taking into account the extremely intense work of the railway transport of the USSR in 1941 - 1945, the importance of these deliveries can hardly be overestimated.
As for communications equipment, 35,800 radio stations, 5,839 receivers and 348 locators, 422,000 telephone sets and about a million kilometers of field telephone cable were delivered from the USA, which basically satisfied the needs of the Red Army during the war.
Certain importance for providing the USSR with food (of course, in the first place - active army) also had supplies of a number of high-calorie products (4.3 million tons in total). In particular, the supply of sugar accounted for 42% of its own production in those years, and canned meat - 108%. Even though our soldiers nicknamed the American stew mockingly “the second front”, they ate it with pleasure (although their own beef was still tastier!). To equip the fighters, 15 million pairs of shoes and 69 million square meters of woolen fabrics became very useful.
In the work of the Soviet defense industry in those years, the supply of raw materials, materials and equipment under Lend-Lease also meant a lot - after all, in 1941, large production facilities for smelting cast iron, steel, aluminum remained in the occupied regions, production of explosives and gunpowder. Therefore, the supply of 328 thousand tons of aluminum from the USA (which exceeded its own production), the supply of copper (80% of its smelting) and 822 thousand tons of chemical products had, of course, great importance"as well as the supply of steel sheet (our" one and a half" and "three-ton" were made in the war with wooden cabins precisely because of the shortage of sheet steel) and artillery gunpowder (used as an addition to domestic ones). Deliveries of high-performance equipment had a tangible impact on raising the technical level of domestic mechanical engineering: 38,000 machine tools from the USA and 6,500 from Great Britain worked for a long time after the war.
ARTILLERY GUNS
Automatic anti-aircraft gun "Bofors"
The smallest number of Lend-Lease deliveries turned out to be the classic types of weapons - artillery and small arms. It is believed that the share of artillery pieces (according to various sources - 8000, 9800 or 13000 pieces) was only 1.8% of the number produced in the USSR, but if we consider that most of them were anti-aircraft guns, then their share in similar domestic production during the war (38,000) will rise to a quarter. Two types of anti-aircraft guns were supplied from the USA: 40-mm automatic guns "Bofors" (Swedish design) and 37-mm automatic "Colt-Browning" (actually American). The Bofors were the most effective - they had hydraulic drives and were therefore guided by the entire battery at the same time with the help of the AZO launcher (artillery anti-aircraft fire control device); but these tools (in the complex) were very complex and expensive to manufacture, which was only possible for the developed US industry.
SUPPLY OF SMALL ARMS
In terms of small arms, the deliveries were simply miserable (151,700 units, which amounted to somewhere around 0.8% of our production) and did not play any role in the armament of the Red Army.
Among the samples supplied to the USSR: the American Colt M1911A1 pistol, Thompson and Reising submachine guns, as well as Browning machine guns: easel M1919A4 and large-caliber M2 HB; English light machine gun "Bran", anti-tank guns "Boys" and "Piat" (English tanks were also equipped with machine guns "Beza" - an English modification of the Czechoslovak ZB-53).
At the fronts, samples of Lend-Lease small arms were very rare and did not enjoy much popularity. The American "Thompsons" and "Raising" our soldiers sought to quickly replace with the usual PPSh-41. The Boys PTR turned out to be clearly weaker than the domestic PTRD and PTRS - they could only fight German armored personnel carriers and light tanks (there was no information about the effectiveness of the Piat PTR in parts of the Red Army).
The most effective in their class were, of course, the American Brownings: the M1919A4 were mounted on American armored personnel carriers, and the large-caliber M2 HBs were mainly used as part of anti-aircraft installations, quad (4 machine guns M2 HB) and built (37-mm anti-aircraft gun "Colt-Browning" and two M2 HB). These installations, mounted on Lend-Lease armored personnel carriers, were very effective means of air defense for rifle units; they were also used for anti-aircraft defense of some objects.
We will not touch on the naval nomenclature of Lend-Lease supplies, although in terms of volumes it would be large quantities: in total, the USSR received 596 ships and ships (not counting captured ships received after the war). In total, 17.5 million tons of Lend-Lease cargo were delivered along ocean routes, of which 1.3 million tons were lost from the actions of Hitler's submarines and aviation; the number of heroes-sailors of many countries who died at the same time has more than one thousand people. Deliveries were distributed along the following routes of delivery: Far East- 47.1%, the Persian Gulf - 23.8%, Northern Russia - 22.7%, the Black Sea - 3.9%, along the Northern Sea Route) - 2.5%.
RESULTS AND ASSESSMENTS OF LEND-LISA
For a long time, Soviet historians pointed out only that Lend-Lease deliveries amounted to only 4% of the products of domestic industry and Agriculture during the war years. True, from the data presented above it can be seen that in many cases it is important to take into account the specific range of equipment samples, their quality indicators, the timeliness of delivery to the front, their significance, etc.
As a repayment for Lend-Lease supplies, the United States received from allied countries various goods and services worth 7.3 billion dollars. The USSR, in particular, sent 300 thousand tons of chromium and 32 thousand tons of manganese ore, and in addition, platinum, gold, furs and other goods for a total amount of 2.2 million dollars. The USSR also provided a number of services to the Americans, in particular, opened its northern ports, took over the partial provision of the Allied troops in Iran.
08/21/45 The United States of America stopped Lend-Lease deliveries to the USSR. The Soviet government turned to the United States with a request to continue part of the deliveries on the terms of a loan to the USSR, but was refused. A new era was coming... If most of the other countries' debts on deliveries were written off, then negotiations on these issues were held with the Soviet Union in 1947 - 1948, 1951 - 1952 and in 1960.
The total amount of lend-lease deliveries to the USSR is estimated at $11.3 billion. At the same time, according to the law on lend-lease, only goods and equipment that have survived after the end of hostilities are subject to payment. Such Americans were estimated at 2.6 billion dollars, although a year later they reduced this amount by half. Thus, initially the United States demanded compensation in the amount of 1.3 billion dollars, paid over 30 years with an accrual of 2.3% per annum. But Stalin rejected these demands, saying, "The USSR fully paid off its Lend-Lease debts with blood". The fact is that many models of equipment supplied to the USSR immediately after the war turned out to be morally obsolete and no longer represented any combat value. That is, American assistance to the allies in some way turned out to be a “pushing” of obsolete and obsolete equipment that the Americans themselves did not need, which, nevertheless, should have been paid for as something useful.
To understand what Stalin meant when he spoke of “payment in blood”, one should quote an excerpt from an article by a professor at the University of Kansas Wilson: “What America experienced during the war is fundamentally different from the trials that befell its main allies. Only the Americans could call the Second World War a “good war”, since it helped to significantly raise living standards and demanded too few victims from the vast majority of the population ... ”And Stalin was not going to take away resources from his already war-ravaged country in order to give them to a potential enemy in Third world.
Negotiations on the repayment of Lend-Lease debts resumed in 1972, and on 10/18/72 an agreement was signed on the payment by the Soviet Union of 722 million dollars, until 07/01/01. 48 million dollars were paid, however, after the introduction by the Americans of the discriminatory Jackson-Vanik Amendment, the USSR suspended further Lend-Lease payments.
In 1990, at new negotiations between the presidents of the USSR and the USA, the final maturity of the debt was agreed upon - 2030. However, a year later the USSR collapsed, and the debt was "reissued" to Russia. By 2003, it was about $100 million. Adjusted for inflation, the US is unlikely to receive more than 1% of its original cost for its supplies.
(The material was prepared for the site "Wars of the XX century"
Let me start with some statistics. Deliveries of aircraft under Lend-Lease to the USSR in 1941-1945, according to Lebedev I.P., who from October 1943 to October 1945 was a military representative of the USSR government procurement commission in the USA and based on information from the archives of the General Staff of the Russian Air Force, amounted to (by aircraft type):
Fighters:
R-40 "Tomahawk" ("Tomahawk") 247
P-40 "Kittyhawk" ("Kittyhawk") 1887
P-39 "Airacobra" ("Airacobra") 4952
P-63 "Kingcobra" ("Kingcobra") 2400
P-47 Thunderbolt 195
Total fighters: 9681
Bombers:
A-20 "Boston" ("Boston") 2771
B-25 Mitchell 861
Total bombers: 3632
Other aircraft types: 813
Total aircraft from USA: 14126
Fighters from the UK: 4171
"Spitfire" ("Spitfire")
"Hurricane" ("Hurricane")
Total delivered under Lend-Lease: 18297
As can be seen from the table, only the fighters and bombers that were delivered in the largest numbers are listed here by name. However, the Soviet Air Force also served single copies of other types of aircraft from the United States and England, in particular, about 20 British Heindley-Peinge Hempden bombers and 10 American P-51 Mustang fighters. But a much larger contribution to the victory was made by 707 Douglas C-47 Dakota transport aircraft and PBY-1 Catalina seaplanes.
On the basis of archival materials Lebedev I.P. an analysis was carried out comparing deliveries from the USA to the USSR under Lend-Lease of front-line combat aircraft with the number of similar aircraft manufactured by the Soviet aviation industry:
Aircraft types Manufactured in the USSR Lend-lease deliveries from the USA
Fighters 59602 9681
Bombers 17877 3632
Total 77479 13313
Lend-lease deliveries were: for front-line fighters, 16% of those produced by the Soviet aviation industry, for front-line bombers 20% of those produced by the aviation industry of the USSR. If, however, we make a calculation for front-line combat aircraft, taking into account 4171 fighters received from Great Britain, then 17484 aircraft received under Lend-Lease from 77479 front-line fighters and bombers manufactured by Soviet industry will amount to 23%. It should be noted that the quality of the supplied equipment varied from first-class combat aircraft (for example, the Airacobra and Mitchell) to obsolete models that were inferior to both Soviet and German counterparts, which the Allies frankly "pushed" into the USSR (Hurricane and P- 40).
In this post, we will consider samples of aircraft from the USA and England, the most massively used in the Red Army. Well, I'll start with fighters ...
1. CurtisP-40Warhawk"(translated into Russian "Fighting hawk"). For the British Air Force, fighters were supplied under the name « Tomahawk"(Russian "Tomahawk"), and the modification of the P-40D and later modifications - « Kittyhawk" in honor of the city of the same name in North Carolina, near which the first flight of the Wright brothers took place.
A group of Black Sea P-40Ks over the liberated Crimea
The single-engine all-metal fighter P-40 was put into production in the spring of 1940. Especially high performance it did not differ, but it was simple, reliable and technologically advanced in production, which was required by the rapidly growing American military aviation. Hastily strengthening their Air Force England and France also gave him their orders. Had 19 modifications. In total, the company built about 15 thousand P-40 fighters of all modifications, which were in service with 26 countries of the world (including 2134 aircraft were delivered to the USSR). The last production P-40 rolled off the assembly line on 30 November 1944.
Model specificationsP-40E("KittyhawkI")
Crew: 1 person
Length: 9.66 m
Wingspan: 11.38 m
Height: 3.76 m
Wing area: 21.92 m²
Empty weight: 2,880 kg
Curb weight: 3,760 kg
Maximum takeoff weight: 4,000 kg
Engines: 1 × V-12 Allison V-1710-39 with 1150 hp (860 kW)
Flight characteristics
Maximum speed: 580 km/h
Cruise speed: 435 km/h
Practical range: 1,100 km
Service ceiling: 8,800 m
Rate of climb: 11 m/s
Thrust-to-weight ratio: 230 W/kg
Armament
Machine gun armament: 6 × 12.7 mm (50 inch) Browning M2 machine guns, 281 rounds per gun
The P-40 was the first combat aircraft supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease. The first batch of aircraft was shipped from the USA along with other military materials for the USSR in September 1941. This was not yet Lend-Lease, which began to spread to the USSR only in November - the aircraft were bought in America for gold. This batch included 20 P-40s of the very first series (without any letter indexes), which by this time were used by the Americans only for training purposes. In October 1941, with the first convoys going to Arkhangelsk, they sent their Tomahawk IIB as military assistance from England, similar to the P-40C, but somewhat different in equipment and with English 7.69mm wing machine guns. British and American aircraft began to be assembled at a site 25 km south of Arkhangelsk with the help of British technicians and American instructor pilots, and then they were transferred to Vologda. In 1942 "Tomahawk" went through Iran. In total, 146 Tomahawk IIBs from Great Britain arrived in our country, and 49 more were shipped directly from the Curtiss plant in Buffalo on account of British obligations. From the beginning of 1942, in parallel with the Tomahawk, their improved version, the Kittyhawk I (P-40E), began to arrive in the USSR. In total, 247 P-40 "Tomahawk" (aircraft of early modifications) and 1887 "Kittyhawk" got into the Soviet Union. 
Tomahawk II 126IAP Lieutenant S.G. Ridny, Moscow region, December 1941. Photo by TsAKFD
Apparently, the 126th Air Defense Fighter Regiment was the first to master overseas equipment. He began combat operations on the Tomahawk on October 12, 1941. Operating on the Western and Kalinin fronts, the regiment participated in the defense of Moscow. For a month of fighting (until November 15), the pilots of the regiment made 665 sorties on American fighters and shot down 17 enemy aircraft. Senior Lieutenant S.G. Ridny flying on this machine received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A little later, in November 1941, the 154th regiment began to fight on the Tomahawk near Leningrad, and in December the 159th. Both of them were part of the Eastern Operational Group, which provided cover for transport aircraft delivering cargo through Ladoga to besieged Leningrad. During the war years, the R-40 fighters were in service with the three main types of aviation of the USSR: the Red Army Air Force (VVS KA), VVS Navy(Navy Air Force) and air defense aviation, and fought on almost all fronts from the Black Sea to the Barents Sea. A little-known fact: Tomahawk and Kittyhawk with red stars took part in all decisive battles: the battle of Moscow, near Stalingrad, the defense of Leningrad, in the Kuban, on the Kursk salient and further until the liberation East Prussia. True, nowhere (except the North) their number did not reach critical number(as a rule, no more than 1 - 2 regiments per air army) and therefore they did not have any decisive influence on the course of battles (unlike, for example, from "Aerobr").
On the whole, our pilots rated the P-40 higher than the English Hurricane, which was indeed inferior to the American machine in all key indicators, except for takeoff and landing characteristics. However, the pilots did not like him for his low maneuverability, rate of climb and top speed. The mechanics expressed their claims to the aircraft. They spoke especially sharply about the "Tomahawks" in winter period operation. In cold weather, the fluid in the hydraulic system often froze, the oil cooler failed, and the propeller shaft bearing fell apart, which led to the propeller jamming in flight. So on this plane, due to engine failure, twice Hero of the Soviet Union pilot-ace B.F.Safonov died. For the sake of objectivity, it must be said about the merits of the aircraft. It was distinguished by mechanical strength, had a long flight range, could take more bombs into overload than the IL-2, and had a comfortable protected cabin. But all this did not pay for its many shortcomings. In the late period of the war, those units that suffered heavy losses without showing noticeable success were equipped with R-40 machines as a punishment. Good Yak-7s, Yak-9s, Aerocobras and La-5s were delivered to the best units.
Tomahawk 126 IAP is preparing for the next sortie
Tomahawks in winter camouflage
First of all, we tried to use the advantages of this aircraft - powerful weapons (although the R-40E was somewhat inferior to the German FW190A-3 and the English Spitfire VC in a second salvo, but nevertheless surpassed both the Messerschmitt Bf-109f and the American R -39D), long range and duration of flight, survivability, good radio and instrumentation by Soviet standards of that time. Therefore, the P-40 was used where these qualities could be realized - in air defense, for bombing and assault strikes, for escort and reconnaissance. In air defense, the Kittyhawk was also used as an illuminator aircraft. Such machines occupied a position 2500-3000 m above the formation of enemy night bombers and dropped luminous SAB-100 bombs down, highlighting targets for the attackers. 
Soviet P-40E "Kittihawk", in the USSR it was called "Tomahawk"
The P-40 successfully fought the enemy. For example, Major Naydenov on "Tomahawk" and "Kittyhawk" until May 1942 shot down 16 German aircraft and became a Hero of the Soviet Union. He was far from the only one. Twice the Hero was P.A. Pokryshev from the 154th regiment, in which there were other pilots awarded this high rank, including A.V. And the Hero of the Soviet Union A.S. Khlobystov from the 147th regiment rammed three times, and the first two times - in the same battle. Moreover, he hit with the same right plane. Six of our fighters met up with a large group of Junkers and Messerschmitts heading for Murmansk. Having spent ammunition in battle, Khlobystov smashed the tail of one of the German fighters with a blow from behind. Continuing to drive the car, he went for the second time to ram - now a frontal one - and broke the wing of the Messerschmitt. Refusing to jump out with a parachute, the hero safely reached his native airfield. It happened on April 8, 1942. In the same battle, another ram was made by Captain A. Pozdnyakov. And in March 1943, two Kittyhawks from the 766th Regiment engaged twelve Messerschmitts. Lieutenant B. Nikolaev rammed the German and escaped by parachute. In January 1943 on Northwestern Front Sergeant A. Borodachev directed his burning Kittyhawk to a German pillbox.
In the Soviet Union, P-40s survived until the end of the war. In 1945 our air defense still had 644 Kittyhawks and 27 Tomahawks, more than any other foreign fighter. AT postwar period they were all scrapped. At present, the Air Force Museum of the Northern Fleet has the only restored copy of the Kittyhawk in our country. In addition, the Tomahawk was found in the North and delivered to Moscow. 
P-40E of the 29th IAP. Karelian Front, 1943. Photo by TsAKFD 
The commissar of the 147th GIAP congratulates A. Khlobystov on a successful sortie in which he shot down two enemy planes. Note the damage to the wing. The photograph is dated April 8, 1942, Murmashi airfield, Karelian Front. Photo by TsAKFD
Guard captain Alexei Stepanovich Khlobystov and his "Tomahawk"
Art. Lieutenant N.F. Kuznetsov after a successful flight in his P-40K. Senior Lieutenant Kuznetsov N.F. especially distinguished himself on January 6, 1943. In a dogfight, Kuznetsov's P-40K was shot down. On a burning fighter, a Soviet pilot, fighting off the demonstrative attacks of five German vultures, went to the front line. The Germans could not finish off the plane: Kuznetsov was on fire, losing altitude, but he left the Germans first in one direction, then in the other, glided through the air, and stubbornly pulled towards his own. When there was nothing left to the front line, the three "Messers" turned aside and left, and the two decided to attack the Russian from above, hit the cockpit in order to surely finish him off. Then Kuznetsov lifted the nose of the plane up and responded to the attack with all six machine guns that the Kittyhawk was armed with, and he hit and landed exactly on the German - then, working with the rudders, he dived sharply down. Kuznetsov worked masterfully - with his screw he chopped off, or rather, broke off the tail of the fascist. The German fell to the ground like a stone and exploded at the same moment. And Kuznetsov continued to pull on the wrecked car to his own, felt that the fire was about to make its way into the cabin - because of this, he did not open the lantern, he was afraid that it was only a little to open it, as the flame would penetrate into the cabin, it would even make its way through a very small gap, and then everything - the pilot will turn into a torch. Kuznetsov could not reach the airfield. His plane crashed just behind the front line. Further, the pilot managed to go about seven kilometers and lost consciousness from fatigue and loss of blood. And then there was a hospital, a difficult operation and a return to service. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on May 1, 1943. Photo by TsAKFD
Considering the history of the Great Patriotic War, one cannot ignore Lend-Lease. The help provided by the Allies was very significant, especially in the early years of the war. What aircraft did America and Great Britain transfer to the USSR - further in the review.
Fighters
As part of Lend-Lease, a variety of aircraft were supplied to the USSR, but most of all there were fighters. At the beginning of the war, the P-40 Tomahawk, Spitfire, and especially the Hurricane were considered good aircraft with powerful weapons, but they quickly became obsolete and could not compete with the main German fighter Messerschmitt.
Later, fighters of the latest designs were sent to the Soviet Union: P-47 Thunderbolt, P-39 Airacobra, P-63 Kingcobra. "Thunderbolt" is little known to us, since the aircraft mainly hit air defense units.
But "Aircobra" can be called one of the symbols of Lend-Lease. The best Soviet aces flew on the fighter: Grigory Rechkalov, Alexander Pokryshkin, Nikolai Gulaev, who shot down several dozen Germans each.
Bombers
Medium American bombers became a serious help for the long-range aviation of the Red Army. The twin-engine A-20 "Boston" and B-25 "Mitchell" fell in love with our pilots, as they were very comfortable to fly, had good instruments and radio communications.
Transport
Even before the start of World War II, there were many Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft in the USSR. Passenger and trucks were even produced in the USSR under the designation Li-2 or PS-84. The plane could carry up to 28 passengers, and quite comfortably.
And during the war years, another 707 copies of the Douglas C-47, the military version of the DC-3, were delivered from America. On May 9, 1945, one of these vehicles transported the Banner of Victory and the Act of Surrender of Germany. In the USSR, Douglas transport aircraft flew until the 1970s.
seaplanes
Before the start of the war, the USSR also assembled GTS flying boats under license, built on the model of the American PBU Catalina. Perhaps this is the most famous seaplane of the twentieth century, which was indispensable in the fleet. These aircraft carried out reconnaissance and rescue missions, sea surveillance, bombing, torpedo attacks.
To date, the development of aviation has stepped far forward. Continuing the theme
Probably it was the only kind military equipment under lend-lease, the benefits of which were never denied even in Soviet times. Although there were both pluses and minuses.
Thanks to the exploits of Alexander Pokryshkin, the American fighter R-39 "Cobra" ("Aerocobra") became famous. Until 1943, when he boarded this aircraft, Pokryshkin personally recorded three downed enemy aircraft, and already in 1943, fighting on the Airacobra, he shot down 38 enemy aircraft. Sometimes other figures are called, but in any case, the proportion is approximately the same. Another Soviet ace - Grigory Rechkalov - from the end of 1942 also fought on the Aerocobra and destroyed 53 or 59 German aircraft on it personally and 6 or 4 as part of a group. Prior to that, he had three downed German fighters on his account. So the merit of American technology was also great in the victories of the famous Soviet pilots.
The Cobra had its drawbacks, like any weapon. For example, the plane easily fell into a tailspin after all the ammunition was used up - the centering was disturbed. These shortcomings were not without its continuation - R-63 "King Cobra" ("Kingcobra"). Lieutenant Colonel Ibragim Dzusov, according to Pokryshkin, told him, introducing the Cobra: “The plane is good. In terms of speed, it is not inferior to the Messerschmites and has strong weapons. It really was so, and it is very important for the Soviet pilots. During the war, 4423 Aircobras and 2397 Kingcobras were delivered to the USSR.
The situation was different with the British Hurricane fighter. Already during the battle over England in 1940, he was inferior to the German Messerschmitt-109. However, in 1941-44. the allies delivered 3082 units of these fighters to the USSR.
In his memoirs, aircraft designer Alexander Yakovlev cited Stalin's remark: "Their Hurricanes are rubbish, our pilots do not like these planes." Pilot Alexander Kutakov noted the slowness of this model, in comparison with German fighters, although he named among its advantages a better view from the cockpit than on domestic I-16s, and radio equipment. By the way, the equipment of radio communications was an advantage of almost any model of aircraft and tanks supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease over the Soviet ones. Other famous pilots - Georgy Zimin and Nikolai Golodnikov - noted the unimportant aerodynamic qualities of the Hurricane.
Nevertheless, the annals of the Great Patriotic War are full of successful battles fought on the Hurricanes. These fighters became especially famous in the Arctic, where, next to the Soviet pilots, the pilots of the 151st British aviation wing fought on them. The Hurricanes were armed with air defense rear areas, where it was discovered that these aircraft were insufficiently armed to attack the German He-111 and Ju-88. The Hurricane was clearly inferior to the new types of Soviet aircraft, but it surpassed the pre-war I-16s, which by the beginning of the war formed the basis of the Soviet fighter fleet. At the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, even the Hurricanes were progress for the Soviet Air Force.
The British had more advanced Spitfire fighters, but their delivery did not begin until 1943 and was produced in very limited quantities. They were mainly armed with air units of the Moscow air defense zone, although there is evidence of the use of these aircraft in battles at the front.
Winston Churchill on August 30, 1941 proposed to Stalin to supply 200 Hurricane fighters as part of the Lend-Lease. These machines were supposed to supplement the batch of 200 P-40 Tomahawks. At that time, the USSR had virtually nothing to choose from, so consent was given almost immediately. These aircraft were planned to be delivered by sea to Murmansk, where they would be assembled and handed over to the Soviet side, but the first Hurricanes in the USSR were not quite usual.
On August 28, 1941, 24 Mk.liB Hurricanes from the 151st RAF Wing landed at the Vaepga airfield near Murmansk (commander - Wg.Cdr. H.N.G. Ramsbottom-Isherwood). These aircraft took off from the deck of the Argus aircraft carrier. Later, 15 aircraft were added to them, delivered and assembled by British specialists in Arkhangelsk. The British group consisted of two squadrons - the 81st under the command of Squadron Leader Topi Ruka and the 134th under the command of Squadron Leader Tony Miller. British pilots were supposed to help Soviet pilots master new technology. But soon the British got involved in combat work, including joint patrols with Soviet pilots of the airspace, covering convoys, as well as ports where aid arrived from the West.
Soviet brigade for testing the aircraft "Hurricane". Fighters of this model were delivered to the USSR under Lend-Lease. Second from the right - V.A. Ivanov
The British pilots made their first sortie on September 11, and the very next day they suffered the first and only loss for the entire trip - when attacking the Hurricane 126, which was covered by the Me-109 trio, the British were able to shoot down two fighters, but they themselves lost one aircraft. The pilot - Sergeant Smith - died.
In total, the British before the departure, which took place on October 18, announced 15 victories. All commanders and three pilots were awarded the Order of Lenin, the highest award of the USSR.
Of the 37 abandoned aircraft, a new unit of the Northern Air Force was formed - the 78th Fighter Aviation Regiment. Boris Safonov, already a well-known North Sea ace, became the commander.
On September 22, 1941, the Commission of the Research Institute of the Air Force accepted the first Hurricane, from those assembled directly in the Soviet Union. In the acceptance certificate, among other things, it was noted that the aircraft was previously in use and underwent a major overhaul.
The first batch of Hurricanes arrived in Murmansk in October. These aircraft were not put into service with combatant regiments, since the required number of trained pilots was not available.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the first regiment of the Red Army Air Force to receive new aircraft was the 27th Reserve Aviation Regiment, based near Vologda at the Kadnikov airfield. Following was the Sixth Reserve Aviation Regiment in Ivanovo. Later, the training of pilots was transferred to flight aviation schools, while the main one was Kachinskaya, which was evacuated inland. The use of "Hurricanes" (as well as most foreign-made fighters) on the Soviet-German front was started from the North. In addition to the Seventy-second and Seventy-eighth Fighter Aviation Regiments of the Air Force of the Northern Fleet, "Kharitons" (this nickname was given to the fighters in the troops) were in service with the One hundred and fifty-second and Seven hundred and sixtieth Fighter Aviation Regiments that fought in Karelia. The lack of trained mechanics forced the engineers of the Air Force of the Karelian Front to come up with their own ways to keep the Hurricane aircraft in combat readiness. It was even harder for the pilots - after all, the first flights were carried out without instructors, especially since there were not only a two-seat version, but even a flight manual in Russian! This circumstance forced self-made double fighters.
In December 1941, the pilots of the 152nd Fighter Aviation Regiment, despite enormous difficulties, completed their first sorties. It immediately became clear to Poti that the standard armament of the aircraft was clearly rather weak, and therefore two 12.7 mm BK machine guns were installed in each wing (100 rounds of ammunition for each barrel). In addition, a suspension for one 50-kilogram bomb was installed under each wing. Initially, such modernization was carried out on nine aircraft of the Air Force of the Karelian Front, and after this re-equipment was recognized as appropriate on the following fighters. Later, in this sector of the front, fighters were modified to use rockets.
In January 1942, the 760th Fighter Aviation Regiment began to act in the interests of the 26th Army. Soviet pilots, having mastered the aircraft quite well, they began to win victories on it, even though the characteristics of the aircraft at that time were already clearly insufficient. For example, a trio of "Hurricanes" from the 760th Fighter Aviation Regiment under the command of Senior Lieutenant Nikolaenko A.I. On May 16, 1942, she attacked seven Yu-87s under cover of 4 Me-109s. During the first attack, two "lappeters" were shot down, and the rest turned around. However, it was not there - on the retreat, the "Stalin's falcons" shot down another bomber. Link senior lieutenant Kuznetsova N.A. on the same day, three Yu-87s and two Me-109s were shot down.
However, the Hurricanes of the 760th Fighter Aviation Regiment were most extensively involved in air defense Kirov railway line connecting Murmansk and the rest of the country. Soviet pilots, in addition to patrolling sorties, also carried out preventive attacks on enemy bases. For example, in early August, Hurricanes from the 760th Fighter Aviation Regiment, together with Il-2s of the 17th GvShAP and LaGT-3 of the 609th, made several raids on the Tung-Ozero airfield. These attacks led the Luftwaffe to soon abandon its base at Tung Lake.
The battles of the summer of 1942 in the Murmansk direction for Soviet side turned out to be quite heavy. The Germans stepped up their air strikes, and the Air Force of the Fourteenth Army on July 1 had only 6 fighters. In September, the last reserve, the 837th Fighter Aviation Regiment, was transferred to the Air Force. However, the pilots of this regiment completed only a two-month training course and had no combat experience. This affected the results of air battles - the aircraft of the Fourteenth Army lost 18 fighters in a few days, another 23 were damaged. Only on September 15, while repelling a raid on the Murmashi airfield, 5 Hurricanes from the 837th and 197th Fighter Aviation Regiments were shot down. In total, to intercept twenty Yu-87s under the cover of 16 Me-109s and 8 Me-110s, they raised all available forces from 6 Hurricanes, 2 Airacobras and 2 Kittyhawks. Over the same airfield, 4 Me-109 "free hunters" on September 27 shot down 2 Hurricanes from the 837th Fighter Aviation Regiment and 2 P-40V from the 20th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment without loss.
In addition to the 760th, 195th and 152nd Fighter Aviation Regiments, consolidated into the 295th Fighter Aviation Division, the 835th and 435th IAPs, which were armed with Hurricanes, participated in the battles on the Karelian Front. Interestingly, these regiments were armed with aircraft assembled in Murmansk at the Kirovsk airfield, which were originally intended for other countries. So, one of the Soviet veterans recalled that at some point they had to assemble fighters with blue Finnish swastikas! However, apparently over the years, the veteran's memory began to fail, because, firstly, the Finns applied the identification marks on the spot themselves, and secondly, the Mk.P cars were delivered to the Soviet Union, and the Finns used the Mk.I.
A certain number of Hurricanes came into service with the 20th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, and in the spring and summer of 1942 they were part of the 65th Attack Aviation Regiment (which later became the 17th Guards Attack Aviation Regiment).
A Soviet pilot stands on the wing of his English-made Hurricane fighter.
A sufficient number of Hurricanes were assembled at the northern airfields in the winter of 1941/1942. This made it possible to start transferring these fighters to other sectors of the front. The first was the Fourth Fighter Aviation Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Serenko A.V. This regiment began to be based near Yaroslavl in early February and performed the functions of air defense covering the industrial facilities of Rybinsk and Yaroslavl. Despite the fact that this area was quite far from the front line, German bombers "visited" it quite often. At first, the bomber attacks were ineffective due to the weak armament of the Hurricanes, but soon the planes were transferred to Moscow, where engineers replaced the original British machine guns with two UBT heavy machine guns and two 20 mm ShVAK cannons. Already at the end of May, after sufficient development personnel fighter the fourth fighter regiment was divided into two. The "original" regiment continued to be used in the air defense system, and a group of pilots, led by Hero of the Soviet Union, Major Morozov A.A., was sent to the 287th Fighter Aviation Division to the Bryansk Front. The pilots of the "new" fourth fighter regiment in the first battle managed to shoot down 3 Me-109s, one Hurricane was damaged. In early July, the regiment was deployed near Yelets, where, from July 6 to July 28, the pilots shot down 40 enemy aircraft in 196 battles. In the second half of August, the regiment was re-equipped with the Yak-1\7, and the remaining "hariki" were given to another unit.
However, most of the Hurricanes at the beginning of 1942 were concentrated near Moscow. One aircraft of this type already in December 1941 was listed as part of the 728th Fighter Aviation Regiment, and on February 2, 1942, the 429th and 67th Fighter Aviation Regiments with 22 Hurricanes became part of the Sixth Air Defense Aviation Corps of Moscow. They were later joined by fighter regiments 438, 488 and 746. Most often, in units, aircraft were re-equipped with Soviet weapons, there were often cases of mounting guides for rockets. This rather chaotic process ended in March 1942 - Hurricanes began to re-equip teams of technicians from the Moscow Aircraft Plant No.
The Hurricanes of the Moscow zone carried out not only air defense tasks, but also actively participated in the counteroffensive near Moscow.
On March 1, the 488th Fighter Aviation Regiment with two other regiments was transferred to the Air Force of the North-Western Front, where it took part in covering the landing of an airborne assault in the Ostashkovo-Bologoye area. After completing the mission, the regiment was returned to its place of deployment.
The biggest problem during this period was the wooden propellers of fighters, constantly breaking on field airfields. It got to the point that one of the Moscow factories mastered their production.
To make up for the losses of the 106th Fighter Air Defense Division from the Moscow Air Defense, at the end of November 1942, Fighter Aviation Regiments 67 and 488 were transferred there. In the winter of 1942, the following regiments armed with Hurricanes took part in the counteroffensive near Moscow: fighter regiments 157, 191 and 195. The pilots of the 1st GvIAP in March 1942 carried out 451 sorties, having conducted 12 air battles, during which 4 enemy aircraft were shot down.
In the spring of 1942, there was only one regiment armed with Hurricanes in the air force of the Western Front - the 179th Fighter Aviation Regiment. An interesting feature of the vehicles of this regiment was the presence of original British weapons, supplemented by guides for rockets. The regiment was later transferred to the 204th Bomber Air Division to escort Pe-2s.
In Ivanovo, in May 1942, he completed the re-equipment of the 438th Fighter Aviation Regiment with Hurricanes, which was sent to the Voronezh Front as part of the 205th Fighter Aviation Division. Basically, the regiment served as an assault regiment. The first sortie turned out to be very successful - during the cover of a raid on the Rossosh airfield, IL-2 destroyed 17 aircraft on the ground, 4 more were shot down in the air. But further events for the pilots were not so victorious - the obsolete characteristics of the machine affected, since only in one battle they lost 3 cars at once. Ultimately, this was the reason for changing the tactics of using the Hurricanes and refusing to conduct battles on bends. Fighter Aviation Regiment 438 held out at the front for a long time - until the end of 1942. At that time it was based at the Buturlinovka airfield and had only 4 Hurricanes and 7 pilots. At the beginning of the next year, he was withdrawn for reformation. An interesting fact is that the opponents of the Hurricanes near Voronezh at some point were Italian pilots on MS.200 (according to other sources, these were Hungarians on Re.200).
In the summer of 1942, a crisis arose in the Stalingrad direction. The 235th Air Division of Lieutenant Colonel Podgorny I.D. was immediately transferred there. It included fighter regiments 46, 191 and 436 (later joined by the 180th). Each regiment was armed with 22-24 Hurricanes, mostly Mk.Ilc modifications. During the first days of July, the pilots of the division shot down 29 enemy aircraft, 20 of them from the 436th Fighter Aviation Regiment. Senior political instructor Ibatulin distinguished himself the most, having shot down 2 Me-109s in one of the battles and did not leave the battle even after the engine hood was blown off his plane.
Assistant commander of the 3rd Guards Aviation Regiment of the 61st Fighter Aviation Brigade of the Air Force of the Baltic Fleet Guards Captain A.F. Myasnikov. During the period of his combat activity, Alexander Fedorovich Myasnikov made 315 sorties, in 70 air battles he shot down 3 enemy aircraft personally and 15 in a group. On September 11, 1942, he died in an air battle (his Hurricane was mistakenly shot down by his own fighters)
But soon the hardest battles began to affect and by the end of August there were 4-5 vehicles left in the regiments, assembled in the 436th Fighter Aviation Regiment under the command of Major A.B. Panov. In the end, this regiment was re-equipped with the P-40. In the spring and summer of 1942, the 485th Fighter Aviation Regiment of Major Zimin G.V. effectively operated on the North-Western Front. 18 Hurricanes of this regiment arrived at the Vypolzovo airfield at the end of March. From there, the Hurricanes supported the Soviet units, which surrounded the parts of the Sixteenth near Demyansk german army. Due to the fact that this sector of the front was considered secondary by the Soviet and German command, the war in the air was generally uncharacteristic here for 1942.
Despite this, the Germans tried to supply their troops by air, so the pilots of the 485th Fighter Aviation Regiment shot down a lot of German transport workers. So, for example, on May 29, a Hurricanes flight intercepted about 20 Yu-52s, 3 of them were shot down and 6 more were damaged. The next day, another link of the regiment intercepted a group of Yu-52s that covered 4 Ms-109s. During the battle, 2 Ms-109 and 1 Yu-52 were shot down.
In May 1942, the regiment's pilots shot down 56 enemy aircraft, while 13 of them were shot down with rockets. For comparison, further data will be given on the one hundred and sixty-first fighter aviation regiment, armed with the Yak-1 and participating in battles on the same sector of the front. His pilots scored approximately the same number of victories (54), but in January-November 1942!
In July, eight Yak-1s were handed over to the regiment, which continued to perform combat missions in a mixed composition. In this composition, the regiment fought until 1943, when it was completely re-equipped with Yaks. On the North-Western Front, in addition to the 485th Fighter Aviation Regiment, the Ninth Fighter and Twenty-First Guards Fighter Aviation Regiments fought on Hurricanes, but they stayed here for less than a month.
As of January 1, 1944, 37 Hurricanes of the Mk.IId modification were transferred to the 246th Fighter Aviation Regiment. Mastering by personnel dragged on for 7 months (at a rate of 2), and 10 aircraft were destroyed in 18 accidents. Only on 07/30/1944 a regiment consisting of 34 vehicles was sent to the front - to the 215th Fighter Air Division, which at that time fought near Bobruisk. However, the regiment practically did not participate in the battles, and by September 17 it was re-equipped with the Yak-1.
air defense
"Hurricanes" at the beginning of 1942 began to enter the air defense unit - mainly for the defense of the northern ports and Moscow.
In March, the 122nd Fighter Aviation Division of the Murmansk Air Defense was formed, which included Fighter Aviation Regiments 767, 768 and 769, armed with "hariks". The task of the air division was to cover the Kirov railway line and the port itself.
Later, fighters began to be attracted in the interests of the Karelian and Northern fronts. As already noted, the summer of 1942 in the north was extremely difficult for Soviet aviation - the following testifies to the fierceness of the fighting - as of July 1, only 4 pilots and 9 aircraft remained in the 122nd Fighter Air Division! However, the pilots, even in this composition, continued to fight - in June they carried out 40 air battles, in which they shot down 28 enemy aircraft. Losses on the Soviet side - 14 fighters. In total, the pilots of the division shot down 88 enemy aircraft in 1942.
The intensity of the raids on Murmansk in 1943 somewhat weakened - only a few cases can be cited: on March 11, 1943, Hurricanes shot down 2 enemy aircraft, and Senior Lieutenant Nikolaev from the 768th Fighter Aviation Regiment rammed an enemy plane on March 27. In 1943, the number of trained pilots in the division was 60, 40 of whom could perform night sorties. In addition to the Hurricanes, the division included American P-40Es and Soviet Yak-7s.
"Kharitons" in addition to the air defense of Murmansk were also involved in the air defense of Arkhangelsk, another important northern port. It was carried out by pilots from the 730th Fighter Aviation Regiment from the 104th Fighter Air Defense Division. The same fighters entered service with units of the Leningrad Air Defense District. It was the twenty-sixth Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment under the command of Major Petrov. Until November 6, 1942, the regiment received 20 Hurricanes, while 6 MiG-3s and 3 I-16s remained in service. Already on November 15, pilots shot down Non-111 at night. Later, the Hurricanes began to be attracted to support ground troops.
On April 26, 1943, the 26th GvIAP received 8 Hurricanes equipped with Soviet weapons, until May 6 - another 10 fighters equipped with Redut and SON-2 radar stations. Soon the Spitfires joined them.
Soviet fighter "Hurricane" Mk IIB (T), piloted by the commander of the air forces of the Northern Fleet, Major General of Aviation A.A. Kuznetsov
"Hurricanes" in November 1942 also fought over Stalingrad - as part of the 269th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which was part of the 102nd Fighter Air Defense Division. In April 1943, IAP 933 and 934 were added to the division, having the same materiel. Moreover, among the MkJIc there were 4 aircraft armed with 40 mm cannons. But by this time the front had moved westward, and there were practically no encounters with German aircraft. So, for example, on May 23, 4 fighters from the 933rd Fighter Aviation Regiment damaged the Fw 200 Condor, which made an emergency landing in the steppe, its crew was taken prisoner.
"Hurricanes" at the beginning of 1943 appeared in service with the 964th Fighter Aviation Regiment of Major Tarasov A. (130th Fighter Aviation Division of Leningrad Air Defense). Since June, the regiment's aircraft have been operating in the area of the Mga station and Doroga Zhizni.
"Hurricanes" in late 1943 - early 1944 remained in service only in the 439th Fighter Aviation Regiment from the 147th Air Defense Fighter Division, which covered Yaroslavl. The Spaniards who ended up in the USSR after the end of the civil war also flew on British fighters as part of this regiment.
"Hurricanes" over the seas of the Air Force of the Northern Fleet
Pilots of the Air Force of the Northern Fleet mastered the new type of fighter very quickly. The first victory for the 78th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Northern Fleet was won by Lieutenant D. Siniev in November 1941, who shot down a Me-110 on a Hurricane. The regiment commander, Safonov Boris, won his first victory on this fighter on November 27. Until the end of the year, the pilots of the regiment shot down about 10 more enemy aircraft.
arctic winter aviation opposing sides chained to the ground for a long time - active hostilities were resumed only in the spring, when the Luftwaffe carried out raids on targets in the port of Murmansk itself and in the Kola Bay. Together with the Air Force of the Northern Fleet, this area was covered by the 104th and 122nd Fighter Aviation Divisions. In the newly formed 27th Fighter Aviation Regiment in March 1942, in addition to the I-153 and I-16, there were several British fighters. "Hurricanes" in the summer of 1942 were in service with one squadron of the 20th Fighter Wing.
The 2nd Guards Aviation Regiment began to receive American P-40 fighters in May (Boris Safonov made his first sortie on the "American" on May 17). 2 GvIAP until the summer of 1942 was completely re-equipped with the R-39 and R-40. The Hurricanes were mostly flown by young pilots.
As of March 1943, 96 Kharitons remained in the Air Force of the Northern Fleet, 60 of which could take to the air. In total, these vehicles were in service with the 27th and 78th NAL until the fall of 1943.
3rd Guards Aviation Regiment of the Air Force of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet
The 3rd GvIAP of the KBF Air Force in June 1942 was taken to the rear for retraining on new fighters - Hurricanes Mk.IIb. In August, the regiment returned to the front, but the first flight was unsuccessful - they shot down an I-153 mistakenly taken for a Finnish aircraft.
Due to the relative weakness of Finnish aviation, fighters were used to cover the Il-2 (primarily the 57th assault air regiment).
In September, the regiment was transferred to the Karelian Isthmus, where the Hurricanes were used mainly as an attack aircraft. Here the regiment remained until November, having shot down 68 enemy aircraft, losing 11 pilots and 14 aircraft. After that, the 3rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment was re-equipped with LaGG-3
Aces who flew the Hurricanes
In connection with the difficult "Hurricane" in the Red Army Air Force, it is clear that most of the aces on this aircraft were in the North - precisely as part of the Seventy-eighth Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Northern Fleet Air Force, which flew it the longest on the German-Soviet front.
Among the aces of the North Sea, one can name Adonkin Vasily, who underwent flight training at the Yeisk Naval School even before the war. He began the war as part of the 72nd mixed aviation regiment of the Air Force of the Northern Fleet on the I-153. It was on this fighter that he won his first victory, shooting down an enemy bomber on August 9, 1941.
In March 1942, he retrained for the I-16 and was transferred to the Twenty-seventh Fighter Aviation Regiment of the Air Force of the Northern Fleet. Later he was sent to the 78th Fighter Wing, where he mastered the Hurricane. By July 1943, Captain Adonkin made 365 sorties, of which 31 were to attack enemy troops, ships and military installations, conducted 42 air battles and shot down 13 enemy aircraft. January 22, 1944 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Having received the rank of major, he began to command the 255th Fighter Wing, flying the Air Cobras.
On March 17, 1944, our reconnaissance discovered German convoy No. 110, which consisted of 20 escort ships and 4 transports. In one of the attacks on this convoy, Major Adonkin, deputy commander of the 78th Fighter Regiment, was killed in an air battle. This happened near the Finnish island of Eckere. By the time of his death, he had 16 personal victories and 6 group victories (according to other sources, 16 and 3).
Krupsky Viktor Iosifovich distinguished himself on the Karelian front. Having an excellent pre-war flight education, he began the war as part of the 147th Fighter Aviation Regiment (Karelian Front) on the MiG-3. Already in July he won his first victory. In December, after the formation of the 760th Fighter Aviation Regiment, he was sent there. For a year of combat activity, by July 1942, Senior Lieutenant Krupsky V.I., Deputy. squadron commander, made 240 sorties, having conducted 28 air battles and won 3 personal and 8 group victories in them. In the regiment, Krupsky was considered a specialist in the fight against reconnaissance aircraft. So, for example, covering railway facilities, only in 5 days of July 1942 they shot down three Yu-88s.
Krupsky ended the war with 9 group victories and 10 personal victories in 330 sorties, all victories in the Hurricane or Kittyhawk.
In the 760th air regiment, together with Krupsky, another wonderful pilot flew - Alexander Nikolaenkov. He began to fight in June 1941, in December he was appointed deputy squadron commander of the regiment. On his account in April 1943 there were already 229 sorties, 23 group and 8 personal victories, which were won in 28 battles (all on the Hurricane). On July 2, 1943, he was wounded during an air battle, was able to bring the plane, but on July 7 he died in the hospital from his wounds. August 24, 1943 was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously.
Another Hero of the Soviet Union, Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Fedorovich Repnikov from the 152nd Fighter Aviation Regiment, also flew and died on the Hurricane. In addition to downed aircraft, he also has rams on his account. Here is an extract for December 4 from the regiment's combat log: "12.55-14.10 3 aircraft flew to the area of station N13 of the western part of Medvezhyegorsk, Par-Gub, Kamselga, Kums, Pokrov for reconnaissance of the enemy. The task was completed. 2 kilometers south of Kriv they led air battle with 7 enemy fighters Me-109 and Heinkel, as a result of the battle 2 enemy aircraft were shot down, the Me-109 aircraft was rammed in a frontal attack by Senior Lieutenant Repnikov, the pilot died. This is an official document, but the reality was different.
Firstly, the Finns did not have any "Heinkels" and "Messerschmitts" in this area at that time and, according to Finnish sources, they lost only one aircraft. One of the participants from the Finnish side, Art. Sergeant Vassinen.
Then over the state farm "Vichka", where the Finns attacked at that time the positions of the 24th regiment of the 37th rifle division, an air battle took place between 4 Finnish "Moran-Solne" MS.406 (pilots Tomminen, Vassinen, Jussila, Mesinen) with 2 Soviet "Hurricanes" - Repnikov and his wingman (it was not possible to establish which of his fellow soldiers took part in that battle , presumably it was Ivanov or Basov). "Morans", according to the Finnish description this case, marched in formation "a step of two pairs." At the same time, the second pair moved 300 meters behind and 200 meters higher than the first. Suddenly, a pair of Hurricanes attacked the lead fighter from the lower hemisphere behind. Tomminen, who was flying second, opened fire from a cannon and saw clear hits in the cockpit (in Repnikov's car). Almost immediately, the Soviet car went up. The Finnish pilot, carried away by the attack, fell under a volley of 12 Ivanov (or Basov?) machine guns. As a result, Tomminen's car, falling over, hit Repnikov's fighter, which apparently was already uncontrollable. The Hurricane's wing fell off and crashed to the ground in an erratic fall. Tomminen's fighter rolled over "on its back", broke into a dive and crashed into the ground nearby. None of the pilots even tried to jump out with a parachute. Left alone, led by Repnikov, he went on a frontal attack on the leader of the group, Yussil, and he sharply turned away. Without changing the speed and course, the Soviet fighter disappeared into the clouds ... Apparently, two uncontrolled aircraft collided in the air, and another, unknown pilot tried to ram.
Both planes fell on the territory occupied by the Finns. On December 10, a Finnish commission worked at the site of their fall, discovering the wreckage of the Moran (tail number MS-329) with the remains of Tomminen and Hurricane (tail number BD761), painted black and having traces of English identification marks. The fact itself was recorded by the Finns, some equipment was removed from the Hurricane. Everything was left in its place (the remains of two aircraft, therefore, lie there today).
Another successful ace of the Red Army Air Force, Stepanenko Ivan Nikiforovich, began his combat account, piloting the Hurricane. The future ace in 1941 graduated from the Kachin Military Aviation Pilot School. Sergeant Stepanenko began his combat activities in the Balta region on the Southern Front in mid-July. On June 12, 1942, he conducted the first air battle. On June 15, during the battle near Yelnya, he shot down a Yu-87, scoring his first victory.
Stepanenko came to real maturity near Stalingrad, where, commanding a flight from the autumn of 1942 to the beginning of 1943, he made about a hundred sorties, shooting down seven enemy aircraft. Later, Stepanenko fought over the Kuban, near Orel and Kursk. Ivan Nikiforovich was considered a master of frontal attacks. Stepanenko in June 1943 moved to the Yak-9T and his combat score increased rapidly (by the end of the year he had won 8 victories).
By August 1943, the deputy squadron commander of the Fourth Fighter Aviation Regiment, Senior Lieutenant Stepanenko, carried out 232 sorties, personally destroying 14 enemy aircraft. At the end of 1943, he was appointed squadron commander of the Fourth Fighter Aviation Regiment, which was already operating on the Baltic Front. 08/13/1944 he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. In total, Ivan Stepanenko made 414 sorties by the end of the war, conducted 118 battles, personally shooting down 33 enemy aircraft. August 18, 1945 - on the first post-war Aviation Day - for the courage and courage shown in battle, the squadron commander, Major Stepanenko, was awarded the second medal "Gold Star" of the Hero.
On the Hurricane, Amet Khan-Sultan, another future twice Hero of the Soviet Union, also won his first victory. On March 31, 1942, Lieutenant Amet-Khan Sultan, on the outskirts of Yaroslavl, during one of the battles of that day, destroyed an enemy aircraft with a ram. He safely landed his Hurricane at the airfield. Moreover, the German archives confirm the loss of a scout. It was a Ju-88D-1 (tail number 5T+DL, serial number 1604) from 3.(F)/ObdL, which went to the Vologda-Rybinsk region for long-range reconnaissance.