Damaged B-17 Flying Fortress at Poltava Airbase, Ukraine, June 1944

September 12, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

Heavily damaged B-17G Flying Fortress on Poltava airfield, Ukraine, June 22, 1944 — part of Allied shuttle missions during WWII.

This striking photograph shows a heavily damaged B-17G Flying Fortress, late production model, on the airfield of Poltava, Ukraine, following a German air strike on June 22, 1944. The bomber was part of the shuttle missions operated from Soviet territory, where American heavy bombers flew from bases in Poltava, Mirgorod, and Pyriatyn to targets in eastern Germany and the Balkans, avoiding a return flight to England or Italy.

The United States requested access to Soviet airfields in late 1943, and Stalin approved, providing special airbases under high-level Soviet protection, with anti-aircraft artillery and fighter coverage. Despite thorough preparations and dispersal of aircraft, the Luftwaffe managed to inflict significant damage during the night raid, destroying 44 American and 15 Soviet aircraft on the Poltava and Mirgorod fields.

This photo captures the tense collaboration of Allied forces on Soviet soil, highlighting both the strategic significance of shuttle bombing missions and the ever-present danger posed by German air attacks. The B-17, known as the “Flying Fortress”, symbolized the reach and industrial might of the U.S. Army Air Forces while operating in a complex theater far from home bases.

Shuttle missions like these demonstrated early Soviet-American operational coordination, laying the groundwork for combined operations against the Axis powers. The damage sustained by this particular B-17 serves as a vivid reminder of the hazards faced by aircrews and the intense efforts to maintain air superiority over contested Soviet airspace.

Technical photo data:
📍 Location: Poltava, Ukraine, USSR
📅 Date of photo: June 22, 1944
📝 Aircraft: Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress (late production)
📷 Photographer: Unknown (USAAF archive)

B-17 shuttle missions USSR
Poltava airfield 1944 air raid
Damaged Flying Fortress photo
American bombers Eastern Front WWII
USAAF missions from Soviet bases
German night air strikes 1944
US-Soviet WWII air cooperation
Allied heavy bombers in Ukraine