Soviet fighter base

[Dave 1]

Hey guys,

I am writing a story about ww2, and I joined this forum to get help with some details.

I hope to create something you will all enjoy immensely. I know their are some very knowledgeable people on this forum and even those who arent what you consider expert will many times have some good information to share.

I'll get to the point now.

I have a scene that takes place on a Soviet fighter base in 1942 and I have no idea what life on Soviet fighter bases was like and I am hoping we can get some good information together here or at least find some good sources.



Pictures would be great if anyone could post some, but I am really looking for some good stories about the personal interactions and tensions that might have existed.

For example, I think we all know that Stalins minions were frequently looking over peoples shoulders just as the Gestapo in Germany. What was that like?

Can anyone post any personal accounts of friendships or funny things that crews did to pass the time?

Here are a few details. This scene is taking place sometime around spring or summer. A sortie has just returned and will soon be leaving for another. There will be some interaction between pilots and the CO, and seperately the pilots and ground crews.

The characters will briefly look over some maps in preparation for the next sortie. Talk to their crew chiefs about their aircraft. Grab a bite to eat.

What kind of food did they eat? Was it relatively good compared to ground troops or did pilots suffer the same hardships as everyone else?

Anyhow, that's all that comes to mind right now and I have to run. Please share your information with me no matter what your level of expertise.

Thanks
Dave

[michaelmaltby]

Lend-Lease on airforce.ru

MM

[hitoshi]

wow, what a great site. Thanx for posting!
Good luck with your writing Dave....sounds very promising.

[Dave 1]

Thanks MM, thanks Hitoshi.

The site provided no information but I did contact the site staff.

Anyone else? Perhaps someone knows of some biographical sites on the net that I havent come across or can answer any of the questions I posted above.

[B-17engineer]

Amazon.com: RED AIR FORCE AT WAR BARBAROSSA AND THE RETREAT TO MOSCOW: Recollections of Soviet Fighter Pilots on the Eastern Front (The Red Air Force at War) (9781844155637): Artem Drabkin: Books

Try books that are 'recollections or memoirs' because all the books I have about the 8th AF that are memoirs talk about life at their base all the time.

[Dave 1]

Thank you B17engineer, I have also found this kind of information in bios. And it just so happens I failed to notice the bios on the site MM posted. After digging further, I found some great info there. Big thanks again MM.

It may be enough, but more could never hurt. If anyone knows where I might find more of these types of bios, please post them.

As for some of the great info I got there, I learned that Soviet pilots got bounties for aircraft they shot down. 1000 roubles for fighters, 1500 for bombers. And as well for 50 combat missions. Doesn anyone know if any other forces in the war did something like this? I know that the AVG/Flying Tigers did.

[Dave 1]

Something in one of the bios on that site brought up some questions about the "party meetings" the soldiers were subjected to. the pilot states...

"I remember how he surprised me during a party meeting: It was discussed, if I could be accepted as party member, when he suddenly stood up and said:
— No, he is not ready yet. We should not accept him; he has a lot more to learn.
And I was not accepted! Only one was against – and that was it! I thought then: “I work for you, prepare your plane, and you turned out to be such a SOB!”
I was accepted as a party member in Safonov’s regiment."

This comment seemingly was referring to pre-war times. I wonder how common and aggressive the political indoctrination was after say 1941 when the war was in full swing. I have to believe that the war must have slowed this kind of thing down immensely. This comment seems to indicate a very relaxed attitude and even a desire to be indoctrinated. What was the predominant attitude throughout the war?

Anyone care to comment?

[michaelmaltby]

"... I wonder how common and aggressive the political indoctrination was after say 1941 when the war was in full swing. I have to believe that the war must have slowed this kind of thing down immensely."

If they were brave and had leadership-under-fire skills, Commissars were respected - because they led from the front. The ones who "pushed from behind" with pistol drawn to shoot any falterer - perhaps not so much.

MM

[vikingBerserker]

As for some of the great info I got there, I learned that Soviet pilots got bounties for aircraft they shot down. 1000 roubles for fighters, 1500 for bombers. And as well for 50 combat missions. Doesn anyone know if any other forces in the war did something like this? I know that the AVG/Flying Tigers did.

I had no idea the Soviets did this as well, very interesting.

[freebird]

Hey guys,

I am writing a story about ww2, and I joined this forum to get help with some details.

I hope to create something you will all enjoy immensely. I know their are some very knowledgeable people on this forum and even those who arent what you consider expert will many times have some good information to share.

I'll get to the point now.

I have a scene that takes place on a Soviet fighter base in 1942 and I have no idea what life on Soviet fighter bases was like and I am hoping we can get some good information together here or at least find some good sources.

Pictures would be great if anyone could post some, but I am really looking for some good stories about the personal interactions and tensions that might have existed.

Dave

Here is a link to an interesting account " Hurricanes in Russia"
Info & pictures from the RAF pilots service at a Soviet fighter base in northern Russia

RAF Hurricanes in Russia

[hitoshi]

Interesting read, thankyou for posting this Freebird