The Alaska-Siberia Connection The World War II Air Route by Otis Hays, Jr.

Early in World War II, two hundred years after Vitus Bering made the first Siberian connection with Alaska, Russians once again returned to Alaska as part of the U.S.-Soviet Lend-Lease program to ferry American-made aircraft to Siberia.

The Alaska-Siberia Connection presents the untold story of how the Soviets and Americans worked together to deliver fighting aircraft where they could be used effectively. They shared dangerous and sometimes deadly sub-arctic flying hazards, surmounted most of the language and cultural barriers they faced, and staunchly refused to allow mutual mistrust to overcome their efforts.

The ALSIB route became the fastest and most productive means of moving combat aircraft to the Russian-German front. Additionally, although it was primitive and dangerous, it established a direct and time-saving artery between Moscow and Washington, and it was heavily used by diplomats, politicians, and countless military officials, both Soviet and American.

Declassified U.S. military records and selected Russian sources, as well as reminiscences from former American liaison officers, serve as the basis for this intriguing story.

OTIS HAYS, JR., was the author of Home from Siberia: The Secret Odysseys of Interned American Airmen in World War II, also published by Texas A&M University Press. He served as a senior member of the Alaska Defense Command's military intelligence staff in 1943–44. He died in May 2006.

Number Forty-eight:
Texas A&M University Military History Series

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The Alaska-Siberia Connection
ISBN 0-89096-711-3 cloth $39.95s

LC 96-17489. 6x9. 200 pp. 16 b&w photos.
2 maps. 2 apps. Bib. Index.
Military History. World War II.

Publication Date: July 1996.

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