The Soviet SB-2 bomber flies over after taking off above the British Hurricane escort fighter Mk IIB Thor from the 151st wing of the British Royal Air Force. Airfield Vaenga.
To participate in joint military operations in the Arctic and retrain the Soviet pilots on their new Hurricane fighter with their subsequent transfer, in July 1941 the 151st wing was formed as part of the Royal Air Force. It consisted of two squadrons (134th and 81st). The wing consisted of approximately 550 people, including more than 30 pilots, up to hundreds of command officers, technicians and flight dispatchers, and about 400 service personnel: doctors, cooks, drivers, translators. In total, from the moment of the first combat departure on September 11, 1941. before the date of his departure 10/18/1941 British pilots won 15 victories in the sky of the Soviet Arctic. The combat losses of the 151st wing amounted to one “Hurricane” (pilot – Sergeant Smith died). As for the “Hurricanes” Mk IIV Tror, they were originally intended for military operations in North Africa. However, they probably came to Vaenga for several reasons. The first is that the British tried to mislead German intelligence by loading tropical-colored planes of the same configuration onto the Argus aircraft carrier that sent them to the USSR. Another possible reason was the Vaenga unpaved sandy airfield, where the filters came in handy. It is also possible that because of the urgent need to send Hurricanes to other theaters of war, they sent to the USSR what was at hand at that time.
Location: Vaenga, Murmansk Region, USSR
Photo Time: October 1941