Soviet pilots arrive by Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft at Abadan Field, Iran, to receive Lend-Lease aircraft for ferry flights to the USSR, 1942.
In this wartime photograph, Soviet Air Force pilots arrive at Abadan Field aboard a Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft, one of the principal hubs for Allied aircraft deliveries to the Soviet Union. After landing, the crews would receive newly assembled American aircraft and prepare them for the long journey north to operational units of the Red Army Air Force.
Located on the Persian Gulf, Abadan became one of the most important centers of the Persian Corridor, the southern supply route that connected Allied industry with the Soviet war effort. Soviet acceptance commissions worked alongside American and British personnel, inspecting aircraft, completing the transfer process, and assigning crews for ferry flights. Aircraft such as the A-20 Boston, P-39 Airacobra, and other Lend-Lease types passed through the airfield before entering Soviet service.
Once accepted, the aircraft were flown by Soviet pilots through Iran and onward into Soviet territory. The route demanded careful coordination between Allied logistics and Soviet aviation authorities, while return flights often passed through Tehran, where a major Soviet Air Force inspectorate coordinated operations connected with the Lend-Lease program.
This photograph illustrates the human side of the vast Lend-Lease air bridge. Every arriving transport brought experienced Soviet crews who would soon depart in unfamiliar American aircraft, helping deliver thousands of machines that strengthened the Soviet Air Force during some of the most demanding years of the Second World War.
Technical photo data
📝 Source: National Museum of the United States Air Force
📍 Location: Abadan Field, Iran
📅 Date: 1942
📷 Photographer: Unknown
Recommended literature:
- Edward R. Stettinius Jr. — Lend-Lease: Weapon for Victory
- Albert L. Weeks — Russia's Life-Saver: Lend-Lease Aid to the U.S.S.R. in World War II
- Richard C. Lukas — Eagles East: The Army Air Forces and the Soviet Union, 1941–1945
- Soviet pilots arriving at Abadan Field
- Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft WWII
- Abadan Field and the Persian Corridor
- Soviet aircraft acceptance commissions
- Lend-Lease aircraft deliveries to the Soviet Union
- Soviet ferry pilots during World War II
- Persian Corridor air route
- Allied logistics during World War II
- A-20 Boston in Soviet service
- Lend-Lease aviation operations in Iran