Work in Progress

ESCAPE TO NEUTRALITY

Aborts to the Soviet Union

   Late in the war, USAAF bombers that had been damaged in raids over the Reich would put down in Soviet-controlled territory rather than try to make it back to Western bases, and in April 1945 the Red Air Force issued a directive to its units in the field to report the location of any aircraft of its Western Allies that were in Soviet hands.

   The Soviets found about 162 aircraft, including 73 B-17s and an equal number of B-24 Liberators. The Fortresses and Liberators that were in the best condition were returned to the USAAF, but a number were retained as interim heavy bombers

    The Red Air Force crews had no training in flying the American bombers, and their maintenance crews had neither training nor proper spares. Many of the aircraft had been damaged, which is why they had ended up in Soviet hands to begin with, and their original crews had often trashed vital items such as bombsights, radar, and radios after they landed. However, the Soviets proved ingenious at keeping them flying, and in fact Red Air Force crews were delighted with the B-17's handling, comparing it to a "swallow" and the nimble PO-2 biplane trainer. In contrast, they called the B-24 "Iron", in reference to its sluggish takeoff characteristics and lumbering handling.

   One of the oddities of the matter was that Soviet officials, with the humorlessness and peculiar prudery that often seems to afflict ruthless dictatorships, were indignant at the lurid nose art on the bombers, and ordered the "filthy pictures" removed or painted out. The big American bombers were in principle used as part of heavy bomber units, but their main purpose was to give the Red Air Force experience in flying such types of aircraft preparatory to flying the Tu-4. The B-17s remained in service until 1948, when the Tu-4 began to arrive at operational squadrons.

Aborts to Sweden

 

B-17 Seven/Nine The Swedes, returned most of their Fortresses after the war, but were sold nine of them at a bargain price and rebuilt them into a fairly clean airliner configuration, with a longer nose and seats for 14 passengers. One of these airliners was used by Denmark

 

Aborts To Switzerland

 

1943

B-17F 4

B-24D 1

1944

B-17G *

B-24H **

 

13 August 1943

9th Air Force Benghazi, Lybia B-24D 93rd BG, Target Wiener Neustadt, Austria; Burned by crew upon landing.

 

17 August 1943

8th Air Force England, B-17F 100th BG, Target Regensburg, Germany; Interned and test flown.

 

1 October 1943

12th Air Force Tunesia, (2) B-17F 99th BG, Target Augsburg, Germany; One shotdown by Swiss AA, three crewmen bailed out. The second crashed due to battle damage from German Fighters, there were five survivors.

 

14 October 1943

8th Air Force England, B-17F 305th BG, Target Schweinfurt, Germany; Interned and dismantled.

 

7 January 1944

??? B-24H 93rd BG Target Ludwigshafen, Germany; Interned, safe landing.

 

25 February 1944

8th Air Force England, B-17G  92nd BG, Target Stuttgart, Germany; Crash Landed

15th Air Force Italy, B-24H 450th BG, Target Regensburg, Germany; Crashed crew bailed out

 

16 March 1944