Pe-2 Dive Bomber of the Northern Fleet — FAB-100 Arming and Reindeer Supply Crew, 1942

December 6, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

Soviet Northern Fleet ground crew loading FAB-100 bombs onto a Pe-2 with reindeer sled support.

This striking wartime photograph captures a Petlyakov Pe-2 dive bomber of the Soviet Northern Fleet being prepared for a combat mission at a remote airfield in the far northwest of the USSR in 1942. The Pe-2, one of the Red Army’s most important front-line bombers, was heavily used in naval aviation for strikes along the Arctic coast and against German shipping routes.

Soviet armourers are seen mounting FAB-100 aerial bombs under the aircraft’s wings. The work is done directly on the snow-covered ground, typical of improvised northern airstrips where crews often operated in extreme cold, limited daylight, and constant winds.

One of the most remarkable elements of the scene is the reindeer-drawn sled used to deliver the bombs to the aircraft. In the harsh climate of the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, reindeer proved far more reliable than horses or trucks, which frequently failed due to deep snow, ice, or lack of fuel. Indigenous and local civilian herders often collaborated with military aviation units, making reindeer an essential logistical asset of the Northern Fleet.

The photograph was taken by Yevgeny Khaldei, one of the most renowned Soviet war photographers, whose work vividly documented front-line life from the Arctic to Berlin.

Technical Photo Data:

📍 Location: Northwestern USSR
📅 Date: 1942
📝 Subject: Arming a Pe-2 dive bomber; FAB-100 bombs delivered by reindeer sled
📷 Author: Yevgeny Khaldei

• Arctic wartime aviation
• Soviet naval aviation
• Pe-2 ground crew
• WWII northern front operations