Soviet Pilots on Leave in Fairbanks, Alaska, During Lend-Lease Ferrying, 1942

September 6, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

Soviet pilots in Fairbanks, Alaska, during Lend-Lease aircraft ferrying to the USSR, 1942.

Soviet pilots on leave in Fairbanks, Alaska, during Lend-Lease ferrying of American aircraft to the USSR, 1942.

This rare photograph captures Soviet pilots enjoying leave in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1942. These men were part of the historic Lend-Lease program, ferrying American-made combat aircraft from the United States across Alaska and Siberia to the Soviet Union for use on the Eastern Front against Nazi Germany.

The Alaska–Siberia (ALSIB) air route was established in 1942 and became a vital supply chain for the Red Army Air Force. Aircraft such as the Bell P-39 Airacobra, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, and Douglas A-20 Havoc were delivered through this dangerous route, which crossed vast stretches of tundra, mountains, and Arctic wilderness.

Fairbanks served as a key transfer point, where American crews handed over aircraft to Soviet pilots. From there, the planes would continue across the Bering Strait and into Siberia. The risks were enormous: severe weather, primitive airfields, and the constant danger of mechanical failure over uninhabited terrain.

Despite these hardships, nearly 8,000 aircraft were successfully transferred to the Soviet Union through ALSIB, significantly strengthening the Red Army’s air power. This photo offers a rare glimpse into the lives of Soviet aviators far from the frontlines, during a brief moment of rest in wartime America.

Technical photo data:
📝 Source of information: U.S. Air Force Museum archives
📍 Location: Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
📅 Date: 1942
📷 Author: Unknown (US Army Air Forces archive)