Curtiss Kittyhawks in the Soviet Far North Volume 1: Origins and Early Combat Operations, 1942–May 1944

Curtiss Kittyhawks in the Soviet Far North Volume 1: Origins and Early Combat Operations, 1942–May 1944 offers a richly researched and authoritative account of one of the lesserknown but strategically significant episodes of the Second World War: the deployment and early combat history of the P-40 Kittyhawk fighter under the Soviet Northern Fleet Air Force. Drawing on a wealth of archival materials—many previously inaccessible to Western readers—this volume examines the arrival, adaptation, and operational role of the Curtiss Kittyhawk in one of the harshest theatres of the Eastern Front.

Introduced through the Allied Lend-Lease programme, the Kittyhawk entered Soviet service in the Arctic in 1942. This volume explores the logistical hurdles of maintaining and operating these American-built aircraft in extreme northern conditions, and details their early missions supporting convoy protection, intercepting German bombers, and later, transitioning into reconnaissance and fighter-bomber roles. The book offers a granular look at the day-to-day experience of Kittyhawk pilots, especially those of the 2nd Guards RedBanner Fighter Aviation Regiment named after the legendary B.F. Safonov. Firsthand accounts, original combat reports, and operational flight logs illuminate both victories and losses, and give voice to the pilots who flew and fought in these formidable machines.

Volume 1 meticulously reconstructs the evolution of tactics, the impact of technological upgrades, and the Kittyhawk’s shifting role on the front lines from 1942 through to May 1944. While the aircraft was ultimately judged inferior to the Bell P-39 Airacobra in air-to-air combat, the Kittyhawk proved highly effective in ground-attack roles, thanks to its robust construction, long range, and powerful armament. It played a crucial part in ‘free hunting’ missions targeting German supply ships along the Norwegian coast and the Barents Sea, conducting strikes with precision dive and skip bombing techniques.

Enhanced by detailed maps, photographs, and colour profiles, this book offers a vivid and comprehensive portrait of an often-overlooked aspect of the air war in the Arctic. It also provides invaluable context on the evolving organisation of the Soviet Northern Fleet’s air arm, and the broader strategic interplay between Soviet and German forces in the region.

This is the first volume in a two-part series and is essential reading for aviation historians, military enthusiasts, modellers, and anyone interested in the unique dynamics of Lend-Lease aircraft in Soviet service. Volume 1 lays the vital groundwork for understanding the Kittyhawk’s continued adaptation and impact in the final year of the war, to be covered in Volume 2.