Soviet aviation fuel: More bang for the buck or the ruble?

[Paul Thompson]

Originally Posted by Bruce Dennis

Just an aside, but some accounts of the 617 Squadron raid on Tirpitz in September 1944 from Yagodnik near Archangel include statements that there was no high octane fuel available when the Lancasters first arrived...

Hello Bruce,

Thank you for mentioning this incident. A search through Leo McKinstry's book using the term "octane" suggests that the Russians provided their highly leaded gasoline for 617's flight back to Britain. This was 4B-78, in all likelihood, since this had both a high octane number and a high lead content. See link - https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=eDHF9gwqUF0C .

Soviet sources report that the Allison engines of Airacobras had very serious trouble with 4B-78, to the extent that this fuel could only be used for training missions at low boost. Given that there were quite a few P-39s and other Lend-Lease aircraft in the North in 1944, I am surprised that their Lend-Lease fuel stocks could not be spared for the Lancasters. This is perhaps a reflection of the poor state of Anglo-Soviet cooperation by this stage of the war.

Regards,

Paul

[Tango Echo Dog]

I would like to thank all the members who have responded to my query on Soviet aviation fuel and especially Juha. They have provided a great deal of illumination but also added to the considerable confusion.
As Paul noted we remain uncertain exactly which fuels were supplied to which types of units. I am surprised, for example, given the Soviet Union's limited production and distribution resources that different fighter regiments might receive different categories of, for example, B-78. Where was the relevant additive added, at a forward base or at the refinery and if the latter how did the VVS supply organisation ensure the right fuel reached the right regiment without regularly falling foul of the loveable NKVD?
There is an added complication on the Russian reminisences website 'I Remember.' Many fighter pilots report received B-89 fuel yet even here there is a lack of uniformity. Pilots in the Aircobra equipped 68 GvIAp and 9 IAP report receiving B-78, although one from the latter unit mentions B-100, a 196 IAP pilot reported B-89 for his Aircobra/Yakovlev equipped regiment while another in the Yakovlev-equipped 867 IAP mentions B-86, B-90 and B-100.
If any member can bring order out of this chaos I would be very, very grateful