The Alaska Air Route That Sent 8,000 American Warplanes to the Soviet Union in World War II

Between 1942 and 1945, nearly 8,000 American warplanes traveled through Alaska on their way to the Soviet Union as part of a critical supply line that helped defeat Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front. The Alaska-Siberia air route, known as ALSIB, connected Montana to Siberia through some of the most challenging flying conditions in the world to provide the Soviets with vital Lend-Lease aid.

The Route From Montana to Moscow

The June 1942 Lend-Lease agreement between the United States and Soviet Union created an urgent need to move aircraft east. With German U-boats attacking Atlantic convoys and sand damaging engines on African routes, military planners needed another route to get war supplies to the Soviets. The Alaskan mainland is separated from the Soviet Union by only 55 miles, with no Axis forces nearby to intercept. With that, planners created an air route through Canada and Alaska.

The ALSIB route for military aircraft started at Great Falls, Montana, where soldiers painted Soviet red star markings on the planes. Women Airforce Service Pilots and male Army Air Corps pilots from the 7th Ferrying Group flew fighters and bombers from manufacturing plants to Great Falls. From there, male ferry pilots continued north through Canadian airstrips to Ladd Army Airfield near Fairbanks, Alaska. Soviet pilots then took over for the 3,980-mile flight to Krasnoyarsk.

The first five aircraft on the route were Douglas A-20 Havocs that left Great Falls on Sept. 1, 1942, and arrived at Ladd Field two days later. They reached Moscow in time for the Soviet offensive at Stalingrad. At its peak, Great Falls was processing 400 fighters, 80 medium bombers and 15 cargo planes each month.

Ladd Field, built in 1940 as a cold-weather testing station, became the main transfer point. Between 1943 and 1945, the facility expanded from 23 buildings to more than 700, housing over 4,500 military personnel. Soviet inspection teams stationed at Ladd examined each aircraft before they accepted them. 

Temperatures at the field regularly dropped to 50 degrees below zero while winter conditions limited sunlight to only a few hours a day. Mechanics worked tirelessly in the harsh weather, risking frostbite and the loss of fingers.

The Deadly Toll of the Alaskan Route

The program cost lives on both sides of the operation. In North America, 133 aircraft crashed along the route with the loss of over 100 American pilots and crew. Another 44 went down in Siberia. At least 140 Soviet airmen died between Fairbanks and Krasnoyarsk. The Women Airforce Service Pilots suffered 38 deaths during their service delivering aircraft to Great Falls, though not all were related to the Lend-Lease operation. Women pilots were prohibited from flying the Canadian and Alaskan segments due to safety concerns about rescue operations in the dense forests and remote wilderness.

American losses in the Canadian and Alaskan segments included pilots who flew into mountains during whiteouts, crashed due to engine failures in subzero temperatures, or went down when ice buildup on wings caused loss of control. Soviet pilots faced similar dangers plus the additional 4,000-mile flight across Siberia.

Weather created constant hazards. Pilots flew single-seat fighters in formations with multi-engine bombers, but fog, sleet and sudden snowstorms separated groups. Instruments failed when temperatures plunged. Windshields froze over, blocking visibility. Engine oil thickened in extreme cold, and rubber seals became brittle and cracked. Some pilots survived crashes only to die from hypothermia in temperatures reaching 60 below zero before rescue teams could reach them.

Communication problems added to the danger. A shortage of Russian-English interpreters made coordination difficult between American and Soviet crews at Ladd Field.

Soviet Troops in Alaska

Between 150 and 600 Soviet personnel worked at Ladd Field at any given time during the war. Most were experienced combat pilots who viewed the ferry assignment as a break from fighting the Germans. The Soviets organized five separate regiments, with each regiment responsible for a specific segment of the Siberian route.

While off-duty, Soviet pilots and crew members visited shopping areas in Fairbanks and stores in Nome during their time in Alaska. They were ordered to maintain strict conduct with the locals. They paid for purchases, sometimes using old U.S. gold certificates. Many bought luxury goods unavailable in the Soviet Union such as candy, soda, souvenirs and shipped them home on the Lend-Lease aircraft. However, NKVD political officers accompanied the Soviet contingent to ensure their loyalty to the communist state.

The ALSIB route also served other purposes beyond military aircraft delivery. High-ranking officials used it as a diplomatic corridor between Washington and Moscow. Vice President Henry Wallace, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov and diplomat Andrei Gromyko traveled the route during the war. President Franklin Roosevelt even considered meeting Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in Fairbanks in 1944, though the location was later changed to Yalta.

American and Soviet personnel formed friendships despite the language barrier and ideological differences. These relationships would be largely forgotten once the Cold War began following the war. The last Soviet pilots finally departed Fairbanks shortly after Japan's September 1945 surrender. Though some Soviet troops who died in Alaska remain buried at the Fort Richardson National Cemetery in Anchorage, Alaska.

One Man's 84-Day Ordeal in the Alaskan Wilderness

The story of Army Air Corps Lt. Leon Crane remains one of the most remarkable survival tales from the ALSIB route. On Dec. 21, 1943, the B-24 Liberator he was copiloting experienced engine failure during a routine test flight from Ladd Field. The bomber went into an uncontrollable spin over what is now Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.

Crane and flight engineer Richard Pompeo managed to bail out before the aircraft exploded into the mountainside. Of the five-man crew, only Crane survived the jump, landing waist-deep in snow with nothing but a Boy Scout knife, two packs of matches and his parachute.

For nine days, he camped beside the frozen Charley River, attempting unsuccessfully to kill squirrels for food. Facing starvation, he began trekking north along the river. After breaking through ice twice and nearly drowning, he discovered a trapper's cabin stocked with canned food, a rifle and warm clothing, part of Alaska's tradition of leaving cabins supplied for stranded travelers.

Crane spent weeks facing frostbite and regaining his strength before continuing downriver with a makeshift sled. After 84 days in the wilderness, he stumbled into a mining camp at Woodchopper, Alaska, having walked 120 miles through subzero conditions. When he reached Ladd Field, doctors found him remarkably healthy, having even gained weight.

Most pilots who flew the route were not so lucky. The remains of Crane’s crew were recovered years later, though many American and Soviet personnel remain unaccounted for.

Monuments to a Wartime Alliance

Ladd Field transferred to Army control on Jan. 1, 1961, becoming part of Fort Wainwright. The National Park Service designated portions of the original Ladd Field as a National Historic Landmark in 1985, recognizing its important role in cold-weather testing and the Lend-Lease program.

In downtown Fairbanks, sculptor R.T. Wallen created the Alaska-Siberia Lend-Lease Memorial, which was presented to Alaska in 2006. The monument shows an American Army Air Force pilot and a Soviet pilot standing beside a Bell P-39 Airacobra propeller. Russian and American wreaths are usually placed at its base.

The Bell P-39 Airacobra and P-63 Kingcobra fighters made up the majority of aircraft delivered through ALSIB, with nearly 5,000 sent to Soviet forces. Soviet pilots loved the P-39, which proved more effective on the Eastern Front than in American service. 

The warplanes delivered through Alaska eventually comprised about 18 percent of Soviet air forces, contributing to the defeat of Nazi Germany on the Eastern Front. Although the Cold War overshadowed this part of WWII history, it highlights one of the few times American and Soviet troops worked and died together to defeat their common enemy.