Hurricanes over Murmansk.....and beyond.

[Rheged]

Operation Benedict ( details  here:- http://lend-lease.airforce.ru/english/articles/sheppard/hurricanes/) is reasonably well reported, but might  give rise to some JMN boggling opportunities.  However, I have only recently  discovered documentation outlining Operations  Invective  and Augustine. 

Invective was planned as a much larger undertaking.   153 Wing was formed on the 5th July 1942 at Debden with G/Cpt Ramsbottom Isherwood AFC DFC. 'Invective' would have meant sending four squadrons of Spitfires from the Debden Wing and two Squadrons of Hurricanes. ( 2000 personnel and 96 aircraft) This was  cancelled on the 20th July 1942  due to the increasing convoy casualties.  Stalin made it clear in communications with Churchill that the Spitfire was too fragile for Russian conditions,  but he wanted lots of rugged aircraft as soon as possible.

Augustine was organised on the basis that  a Southern route existed into Russia  through Iran. Lend lease supplies were already  flowing along this route by rail. (my great uncle was a boilermaker with LNER and spent 10 months in Iran repairing the engines used on this run) In  February 1943,aircraft and personnel movements commenced.   100  Hurricane aircraft were taken from the R A F squadrons in North Africa   and flown in stages to Habbaniya  where they were overhauled and prepared  for deployment.  There had been a degree of confusion over which aircraft  were to be used, and four squadrons  were equipped with Hurricane 2D's with the 40mm cannon fit. These aircraft   reached their operating bases in April, and were, in the words of one pilot's diary "nicely worked up" in time to operate against German armoured columns in Operation Zitadelle.   In this cauldron of armoured struggle, Soviet troops cheered on the "  ураган большой молоток"  (Hurricane "big hammer") as they helped to  smash  the assault.  A favourite target for the pilots was the recovery teams, attempting to repair damaged tanks.  The Hurricanes flew under RAF markings, with the red circle in the roundel modified into a red star.  As wing HQ was in a cherry orchard, they took the name of "Chekov Wing"  An increasing number of Soviet pilots and ground  crew joined the wing, and Cyrillic markings appeared on fuselages, especially the phrase "Za Rodinu"

As winter closed in, the aircraft and spares of    "1st Guards Hurricane  Regiment" were handed to the Soviet airforce and all RAF personnel repatriated via Iran, Egypt and Gibraltar. The airframes are believed to have been repainted in white/light grey winter camouflage by the Soviet ground crews, but retained the red star modified RAF roundel.

The 1st Guards Hurricane  Regiment is believed to have flown under  the operational command of Georgy Zhukov as Soviet forces advanced towards Germany.  Final disposal of the aircraft is uncertain, but reports of  "Hurricane Fighters" harrassing  transport aircraft during the Berlin Airlift are almost certainly misidentifications.


I'm possibly moving house in the near future, so I've had my stash packed away. If anyone would like to convert  ideas here into styrene, or add to the material  here , please do so!!