Soviet Soldier Shakes Hands with American Sergeant at Poltava Airbase, June 1944

September 12, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

Soviet soldier shakes hands with US Sergeant Bernard McGuire at Poltava airfield, Ukraine, June 1944, during Allied shuttle bombing missions.

Soviet infantryman shakes hands with US Sergeant Bernard McGuire at Poltava airfield, Ukraine, June 1944, during Allied shuttle bombing operations in WWII.

This photograph captures a historic moment of camaraderie between a Soviet infantryman and US Sergeant Bernard McGuire at the 169th Special Airbase, Poltava, Ukraine, in June 1944. The meeting took place during the Allied shuttle bombing missions, when American heavy bombers operated from Soviet territory to strike targets in eastern Germany and the Balkans, avoiding a return flight to England or Italy.

Following a 1943 request by the United States, Stalin approved the use of three airfields in the Poltava region — Poltava, Mirgorod, and Pyriatyn — ensuring they were protected by Soviet air defense and equipped for seamless operations. These shuttle missions demonstrated unprecedented cooperation between US and Soviet forces in a highly contested theater of war.

On the night of June 22, 1944, German forces launched a devastating air raid on the Poltava and Mirgorod airfields. Despite careful dispersal of aircraft and strong anti-aircraft defenses, the Luftwaffe destroyed 44 American and 15 Soviet aircraft. The image of the handshake stands as a symbol of allied solidarity and mutual respect amid the dangers of wartime aviation.

This rare photograph illustrates the personal side of US-Soviet collaboration, showing how soldiers and airmen of different nations worked closely together under extreme conditions to achieve a common goal against the Axis powers.

Technical photo data:
📍 Location: Poltava, Ukraine, USSR
📅 Date of photo: June 1944
📝 Event: Allied shuttle bombing missions, 169th Special Airbase
📷 Photographer: Unknown (USAAF archive)