I was fascinated to read of the long-forgotten exploits of 151 Wing of the Royal Air Force during World War II.
It seems that when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Stalin urgently requested the dispatch of front-line fighter aircraft from Britain to help repulse the onslaught from the Luftwaffe. Churchill could not spare the more advanced Spitfires, but he sent 40 Hurricanes via convoy to North Russia, along with RAF pilots and ground personnel. They would fly and fight their aircraft for four months, while teaching Russian pilots and ground staff how to use and maintain them.
The icy cold conditions in North Russia were a shock to the British servicemen, who’d been told they were going to the desert as a cover story! The food was also a change from their usual English fare:
On the very first day, the Russian hosts produced a welcoming breakfast that included champagne and brandy – delights that were not, however, to be repeated.
The only complaints came from younger officers who found the daily menu of smoked salmon, caviar and cold ham a poor substitute for the bacon and eggs and sausages they were used to. The youngest occasionally complained: ‘Oh, hell, here’s that smoked salmon again.’
The Wing flew its first patrols on September 12th, 1941, less than three months after the German invasion. The British pilots would fly 365 combat missions during their short stay in Russia, shooting down 14 German aircraft for the loss of one of their own. By mid-October the Russian pilots and ground staff were ready to take over their aircraft, and the RAF contingent sailed back to England to continue the war on more familiar territory.
There was a sequel to their mission. In March 1942, four of the pilots were invested with the Soviet Union’s second-highest military award, the Order of Lenin (preceded only by the Order of Victory), at that country’s Embassy in London. The photograph on the left shows Wing Commander H. N. G. Ramsbottom-Isherwood, Commanding Officer of 151 Wing, with his medal. (His rank equates to the USAF rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.) He would survive the war, rising to the rank of Group Captain (equivalent to the USAF rank of Colonel), only to be killed in an aircraft accident in 1950.
The Daily Mail has just published a long article about 151 Wing and its activities in North Russia. It’s a fascinating read.
Peter
Great piece Peter. Hope you don’t mind – but I shared this on Flightline Internet Radio – weekend edition of the Indy Transponder. We credited you, obviously. Too good not to share with the masses!
The Russian writers were really puzzled by the portable collapsible bathtubs the English brought along. They thought that the concept of regular bathing in the Army was a bit odd.