Russian B24 photo thanks to Ed West & eBay

[Carl-Fredrik Geust]

Alex,
At this moment I have no access to my reference literature, so I have to try to answer out of memory.
The lists of B-17 and B-24 serial numbers in RS 4 are based primarily on a unique Russian article (including a list of serial numbers, and published some 10-12 years ago) about the use of these bombers (which were never officially supplied to USSR), completed (and cross-checked when possible) with additional material from various sources. Unfortunately I had at that time no possibility to check the list against US data about the ultimate fate of all aircraft.

My explanation for your questions are:

- there are either some misprints in the original Russian lists, OR:

- the aircraft explicitely mentioned were in fact RETURNED TO THE AMERICANS in 1945-1946 (possibly disassembled). It is a well known fact that a number of US Lend-lease vessels supplied to the Soviet Navy were returned in the late 1940s, and a big amount of aircraft, trucks and tanks were destroyed under US control (or reported to have been destroyed...) at the same time. Thus I do not consider it impossible that US authorities required the return of big bombers known to have force-landed in Soviet held territory, especially after the interned crews were able to return (see adjacent post by Ed West about interned crews! BTW I highly recommend the book referred to which - if I remember correcly - also gives some serial numbers of interned bombers).

May be someone from our community with access to US archives could check the validity of my assumption?
Carl