Repairing B-17 Flying Fortress Landing Gear at Poltava Airbase, 1944

September 14, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

US technicians repair B-17 Flying Fortress landing gear at Poltava airfield, Ukraine, 1944, during Allied shuttle bombing missions.

American ground crew repairing B-17 Flying Fortress landing gear at Poltava airbase, Ukraine, 1944, during shuttle bombing operations.

This wartime photograph shows American ground crew repairing the landing gear of a B-17 Flying Fortress at the 169th Special Airbase, Poltava, Ukraine, in 1944. The heavy bomber was damaged during Operation Frantic, the Allied shuttle bombing missions that used Soviet airfields as forward bases.

In late 1943, the United States requested Soviet approval for heavy bombers to operate from Ukrainian territory. Stalin granted access to three airfields in Poltava Oblast — Poltava, Mirgorod, and Pyriatyn — forming the so-called Poltava Air Hub. These bases were carefully organized with Soviet anti-aircraft defenses and full technical support, ensuring the success of joint operations.

The shuttle missions allowed USAAF B-17s to bomb targets in eastern Germany and the Balkans, land in the USSR, refuel and rearm, and then strike again on the return flight to Italy or England. This unique cooperation represented a rare moment of direct US-Soviet military collaboration during the Second World War.

The image highlights the role of the technical personnel, whose expertise in aircraft maintenance and field repairs was critical to keeping the “Flying Fortresses” in combat condition. Without their work, the ambitious shuttle bombing campaign would have been impossible.

Technical photo data:
📍 Location: Poltava, Ukraine, USSR
📅 Date of photo: 1944
📝 Event: Shuttle bombing missions (Operation Frantic)
📷 Source: National Museum of the US Air Force