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In early 1944, to avoid German fighters on our return bombing runs, it was thought we would go home in a more round about
way - by way of Russia. Although Stalin would not give official approval for U.S. planes to land in Russia - probably due
to Russia's tenuous neutrality with Japan - someone along the chain of command got the OK. It was called, "The Russian Shuttle".
From my personal observations and what is now history the plan was a fiasco. Of the 77 or so B17s that put down at the Russian
air base near the town of Poltava, only 7 were able to fly out!
German fighters found the air field, and without any protection from Allied fighters, the Germans were able to bomb
our planes at will. All we could do was watch the destruction. I and most all the other guys had to be flown out in transport
planes (ATC) and were taken to Italy, then Egypt, then Casablanca and eventually back to our base in England.
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