Russia's Back Door to the West

[Dac]

One of the more interesting aspects of the war was the presence of American ships with Russian/American crews inside the Sea of Japan during the war.

In 1939 Japanese and Soviet forces fought at Nomonhan, Mongolia with disastrous results for the Japanese. Out of a force of 60,000 Japanese, over 45,000 were killed. Realizing they had no chance of defeating the Soviets in a land war, the Japanese signed a Neutrality Act with Stalin. Under this treaty Russia was granted full use of its only warm-water Pacific port. Before December 1941, just over 100 America ships were transfered to the Russian flag and, with their Russian/American crews, delivered millions of tons of cargo to Vladivostok during the war. The Japanese were powerless to stop the supplies that were destined for use against their Ally, Germany. If they had closed Vladivostok the Russians could have forced them out of China.

Btw the topic title is a spelling mistake, not a comment on Russia's place in the world.

[spidge]

Originally posted by Dac@Sep 19 2005, 05:11 AM

Btw the topic title is a spelling mistake, not a comment on Russia's place in the world.

Quoted post

Hi Dac,

What does this last statement mean?

I must not be on the right wavelength!

[Dac]

The title should have read "Russia's Back Door to the West", not "Russia Back Door to the West." Sorry for the confusion.

[Kiwiwriter]

Brian Garfield's "The Thousand-Mile War" has a lot of material on "ALSIB," the Alaska-Siberia Lend-Lease route. The Russians, being neutral in the Pacific, took advantage of it.

[Dac]

Originally posted by Kiwiwriter@Sep 19 2005, 09:58 AM
Brian Garfield's "The Thousand-Mile War" has a lot of material on "ALSIB," the Alaska-Siberia Lend-Lease route. The Russians, being neutral in the Pacific, took advantage of it.

Quoted post

Good book. Nome, Alaska was a very busy place with all the lend-lease aircraft being ferried to Siberia.

[Gnomey]

The Japanese were powerless over the issue of lend lease in the Pacific, if she had started intervening then it would have had disasterous consequences for her war in China.

*Moderator* Changed topic title to read what you meant to say Dac.

[Dac]

Thanks Gnomey

[spidge]

Originally posted by Dac+Sep 20 2005, 06:54 AM-->

Good book. Nome, Alaska was a very busy place with all the lend-lease aircraft being ferried to Siberia.

Quoted post

[/b]

Almost 8,000 aircraft were ferried over the ALSIB route, usually by Air Transport Command pilots, through Great Falls, Montana to Fairbanks, Alaska. There, Soviet pilots took over and flew the aircraft to Nome, Alaska and then to Siberia.

Winter ground temperatures of minus 50º Fahrenheit, the threat of being forced down in remote wilderness, hazardous flying weather, spartan living conditions, and a lack of sufficient hangar space which sometimes forced mechanics to work outside under cruel winter conditions made life difficult for personnel assigned to duty along the ALSIB route.

Neither the Red Army Museum in Moscow nor the Soviet Air Force Museum makes any mention of Soviet use of American aircraft during WWII or that the Western Allies even participated in that war.

[Dac]

There's an abandoned airfield about 50 miles from where I live here in central British Columbia that I've been told was used for the ferrying of lend-lease aircraft.
The terrain between Montana and Fairbanks is rugged, with several mountain ranges to cross. I don't have any statistics, but they must have lost a lot of planes and pilots.

[spidge]

Originally posted by Dac@Sep 20 2005, 11:16 AM
There's an abandoned airfield about 50 miles from where I live here in central British Columbia that I've been told was used for the ferrying of lend-lease aircraft.
The terrain between Montana and Fairbanks is rugged, with several mountain ranges to cross. I don't have any statistics, but they must have lost a lot of planes and pilots.

Quoted post

The line of existing airfields ran from Great Falls, Montana to Edmonton, Alberta to Fairbanks Alaska. The latter two and the others were also utilised for the construction of the ALCAN highway in early 1942.

If you are near Dawsons Creek or Fort St. John the line was through there to Whitehorse then Ladd Field, Fairbanks. New air bases were built in Grande Prairie, Alberta; Fort Nelson, BC; Watson Lake and Whitehorse, Yukon.