Festivals devoted to 75th jubilee of Alaska-Siberia air route and supply of American warplanes to USSR have started in USA, as per TASS. A gala meeting of Russian consul general to Seattle Valery Timashev, local administration, public activists and Russian delegation from Krasnoyarsk – the final destination of the planes’ supply chain was held in the museum of aviation in Ancoridge.
Valery Timashev has noted in his welcome speech that land-lease program and ALSIB air route became a perfect example of USSR-USA interaction for achieving common goals of defeating the mutual enemy.
The only alive witness of those events – a war pilot Mike Hunt was also present at the meeting. He was among other pilots who ferried aircrafts from the factory in Montana to Fairbanks, Alaska, from where the planes were ferried further by Soviet pilots. Their task was delivery of aircrafts to the Soviet Union territory. 15 airfields, including Krasnoyarsk airfield, were constructed for this purpose. The planes were sent to different frontline air grounds after that.
Pilots from Bravo 369 Flight Foundation who followed ALSIB air route two years ago were present at the festival in Ancoridge.
A commemorative jubilee service will be arranged in honor of the Soviet pilots perished during the process of planes’ delivery at the military cemetery of Fort Richardson, Alaska, on May 6.
The day before The Great Victory celebration a wreath-laying ceremony by the monument to Soviet and American pilots of ALSIB air route will be held.
Memorable events dedicated to 75th anniversary of the famous air route will take place in Krasnoyarsk as well.
Russkiy Mir
