[Carl-Fredrik Geust]

The cited Wikipedia story about the "disallowance of P-63 use in Europe" does not sound at all credible to me.

BTW "4 GIAP" did NEVER use Airacobras nor Kingcobras; 4 GIAP belonged to VVS KBF (Baltic Fleet Air Force, ex-13 IAP, which used La-5s from 1943 and converted to La-7s in autumn 1944). Furthermore Pokryhskin had NOTHING to do with the Soviet Naval AF.

On the other hand 4th Guards Aviation Regiment of VVS RKKA was an Bomber Regiment (ex 31 PBAP).

To the best of my knowledge the story of P-63s in USSR is as follows (updated and corrected section of my book Red Stars Vol 4 - Lend-lease aircraft in USSR):

"Bell P-63 Kingcobra
Over two-thirds of the total Kingcobra production was sent to USSR over the ALSIB-route. The total number of Kingcobras allocated was 2421 of which 2400 arrived in Russia.

As mentioned above in the Airacobra section, a number of mid-air disintegration accidents with Airacobras, and in particular A.G.Kochetkov’s narrow escape during a test flight at the Bell Factory in Buffalo, N.Y. with P-63 A-10 Kingcobra 42-68939, led to reinforcement of the rear fuselages of all early Kingcobras (P-63A-10 subtype included) in USSR as required by strength analysis made by TsAGI. Only the later P-63C subtypes (with considerably redesigned tail) fulfilled Soviet g-load requirements as delivered.

Only a handful Kingcobras joined VVS regiments in the European theatre during WW II (e.g. 6 GIAK got six Kingcobras in March 1945, used by 67 GIAP in the Berlin operation). In the short Manchurian campaign against Japan in August 1945 several of the fighter regiments of the Pacific Fleet were equipped with Kingcobras, which remained in service until the early 1950s.

A total of some hundreds (!) of two-seater Kingcobra modifications were produced in various VVS Aircraft Repair Depots (ARP). The two-seater Kingcobras (called P-63 UTI or UP-63) were used for e.g. intermediate pilot training during conversion to nose-wheel MiG-15 fighters in VVS TOF, where the pilots performed 6-12 training flights in UP-63s before independent MiG-15 flights.

From July to December 1947 comparative air combat exercises were performed in GK NII VVS between MiG-9 (c/n 106005), La-9, P-63 C-1 Kingcobra, Spitfire Mk. IX, Jak-15, “156” with afterburner and Tu-2.

Identified Kingcobra operators:
6 GIAK:
- 273 IAD: 67 GIAP (ex 436 IAP, Berlin 1945)
PVO: 17 IAP (Aug 1945-), 28 IAP (Moscow, spring 1945-), 39 IAP (Moscow, 1945-), 821 IAP (Aug 1945-)
12 VA:
- 190 IAD (June 1945-): 17 and 21 IAP;
- 128 SAD (July 1945-): 410 and 888 IAP
- 245 IAD (1945-): 781 and 940 IAP;


VVS TOF: 7 IAP (Aug 1945-), 37 OAE, 43 AP, 19 ABr, 50 AP, 27 AP, 888 IAP

Post-war:
81 IAP (fighter unit for comparable testing of Soviet and Lend-Lease fighters, 1945)
VVS ChF: 6 GIAP, 11 GIAP
VVS KBF: 314 GIAP (ex 21 GIAP), 246 GIAP

Other identified units:
- 53 SAK: 307 and 308 IAP (Kurile islands, early 1950s)
- 83 IAK (Port-Arthur)
- 1 GIAD (East Germany),
- 5 GIAD (Baltic Military District)
- 6 GIAD (Ukraine)
- 269 IAD (Armenia)
- 329 IAD: 57 GIAP (Peenemünde May-June 1945), 66 IAP (Peenemünde May-June 1945), 101 GIAP (Peenemünde May-June 1945)
- 18 IAP (PVO Khabarovsk, June 1950-)
- 28 GIAP (Brüster Ort, East Prussia; 1945-1947)
- 81 GIAP (Lvov 1947)
- 116 GIAP (1946)
- 149 GIAP (PVO, Chirlik 1950-52)
- 307 and 308 IAP (Kurile Islands)
- 821 IAP 54 VA (Vladivostok, Primorsk, early 1950s)
also Soviet fighter regiments in Moldavia, Austria, China."

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The Kingcobra "disallowance" reminds me of the oral information of the Finnish Diplomatic Mission in Washington D.C. in 1941-1943 (it is a remarkable - albeit virtually unknown - fact that USA and Finland had diplomatic relations until Jun 1944, and USA never declared war on Finland, athough both countries had allies which were in war with each other, i.a. USSR and Germany!).


According to this story (as published by Lt.Eng. N-E. Stenback, Finnish Assistant Military Attache in USA 1940-1943) President Roosevelt promised the Finnish diplomats that no Lend-lease weapon system delivered to USSR shall be used against Finland. However, when Stenback in the 1990s wrote his memoirs (published 2000 in Finnish and Swedish) he was unable to find any documents to support this information. The fact is that Airacobra fighters, Mitchell and Boston bombers, Sherman tanks, Studebaker trucks etc. were widely used against Finland by Leningrad and Karelian Fronts of the Red Army, ADD, Baltic Fleet etc.

I would be most grateful if someone can draw light on the above mentioned obscure allegations of "disallowance"
1. to use Kingcobras aganist Germany
2. to use Lend-lease weapons at all against Finland


Carl