ALSIB (or the Northern Trace) was the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

portion of the

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

n air road receiving

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft) * 28 naval vessels: ** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign) * ...

aircraft from the Northwest Staging Route. Aircraft manufactured in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

were flown over this route for

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

combat service on the Eastern Front.Lebedev pp.44-49 A-20s Nome Alaska 1943-44

Routing

United States ferry pilots delivered aircraft to Ladd Army Airfield in

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a Municipal home rule, home rule city and the county seat, borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior Alaska, interior region of Alaska and the second la ...

. There each aircraft was serviced by

USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

personnel in preparation for Soviet inspection. After Soviet inspectors accepted the aircraft, five regiments of ferry pilots conveyed aircraft from Fairbanks to Soviet pilot training facilities near

Krasnoyarsk Krasnoyarsk is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yenisey, Yenisey River, and is the second-largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk, with a p ...

. Each regiment was assigned to a specific segment of the route to become familiar with navigation and weather within that segment. Single-seat Bell P-39 Airacobra and Bell P-63 Kingcobra fighters flew in groups with a pair of multi-engine North American B-25 Mitchell or Douglas A-20 Havoc bombers. The lead bomber navigated for the flight and the trailing bomber watched for stragglers. Bombers and

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for tro ...

s might fly independently, and C-47s transported ferry pilots east for new aircraft.

1st regiment

Soviet First regiment pilots accepted the planes at Fairbanks and flew over the Bering Strait via St. Lawrence Island. * Ladd Army Airfield * Galena Airport * Marks Army Airfield * Gambell Army Airfield * Uelkal

2nd regiment

Second regiment pilots flew from Uelkal to Seymchan. * Uelkal * Anadyr * Markovo * Seymchan Airport

3rd regiment

Third regiment pilots flew from Seymchan to

Yakutsk Yakutsk ( ) is the capital and largest city of Sakha, Russia, located about south of the Arctic Circle. Fueled by the mining industry, Yakutsk has become one of Russia's most rapidly growing regional cities, with a population of 355,443 at the ...

. * Seymchan * Zyryanka West Airport * Susuman Airport *

Oymyakon Oymyakon is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, rural locality (a ''village#Russia, selo'') in Oymyakonsky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located in the Yana-Oymyakon Highlands, along the Indigirka River, northwest of Tomtor, Oy ...

* Khandyga *

Ust-Maya Ust-Maya (; , ''Uus Maaya'') is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement) and the administrative center of Ust-Maysky District of the Sakha Republic, Russia, southeast of Yakutsk, the capital of the republic. As of the 2010 Census, its pop ...

* Yakutsk Airport

4th regiment

Fourth regiment pilots flew from Yakutsk to Kirensk. * Yakutsk * Aldan * Olyokminsk * Bodaybo Airport * Vitim Airport * Kirensk Airport

5th regiment

Fifth regiment pilots flew from Kirensk to Krasnoyarsk. * Kirensk * Ust-Kut Airport * Krasnoyarsk Northeast

Notes

Sources

* * *

External links

"ALSIB – The Route of Courage: Voice of Russia."
''Ruvr.ru.'' Retrieved 19 July 2012
Map of the route from gcmap.com
{{Authority control Aircraft ferrying Soviet Union–United States relations Aviation in Alaska World War II sites of the Soviet Union Soviet Air Forces in World War II