Yank Magazine in Poltava, Ukraine – Soviet and US Airmen, June 1944

September 9, 2025 - Reading time: 5 minutes

Soviet and American airmen at Poltava Airfield, Ukraine, reading Yank magazine with Rita Hayworth, June 1944.

Soviet and American airmen at Poltava Air Base, Ukraine, looking at Yank magazine with Rita Hayworth on the cover, June 1944.

This photograph captures a unique moment of wartime camaraderie at Poltava Air Base, Ukraine, June 1944. Soviet and American aviation ground personnel are seen gathered together, smiling as they look through the June 2, 1944 issue of the weekly magazine Yank, the Army Weekly. On the cover was none other than Rita Hayworth, one of Hollywood’s brightest stars and a celebrated pin-up girl of the 1940s.

The scene took place at the 169th Special Purpose Air Base, which formed part of the Poltava air hub established under the USAAF’s Operation Frantic. Beginning in early 1944, the Soviet Union permitted American heavy bombers to use three airfields in Ukraine—Poltava, Mirgorod, and Piryatin—as shuttle bases. This allowed US bombers to strike deep into Eastern Germany and the Balkans without having to return to England or Italy, landing instead in Soviet territory before flying back west.

The bases were jointly operated but protected primarily by the Soviet Air Defense Forces, and they were organized with remarkable efficiency. The presence of both Soviet and American personnel at these fields symbolized a rare moment of close cooperation between the Allies, despite the underlying political tensions.

For the men stationed at Poltava, the appearance of a magazine like Yank, with its lighthearted features and glamorous Hollywood imagery, offered a welcome escape from the grim realities of war. The sight of Rita Hayworth smiling from the cover provided not only entertainment but also a shared cultural connection between the two very different armies.

This photograph stands as a reminder of the brief but significant collaboration between the Soviet Union and the United States in conducting shuttle bombing raids during World War II.

Technical photo data:
📝 Source: National Museum of the United States Air Force
📍 Location: Poltava, Ukraine, USSR
📅 Date: June 1944
📷 Photographer: US Army Signal Corps