Military airfield Uelkal Alaska-Siberia route

 airport, Second World War 1939-1945, military, place with historical importance, interesting place

Military airfield service, during the Great Patriotic War airways AlSiba designed to run on the lend-lease planes from Alaska to the front.

It was built in an incredibly short time in 1942 for navigation by the summer Dalstroya gulag. 7 Oct., 1942 began transhumance aircraft.
During 1942 - 1945 biennium. on the route Krasnoyarsk - Uelkal pilots have flown the plane 8094. During the war years on the air route was reconstructed and built 16 airfields, 274 buildings and structures, capital investment amounted to some 80 million rubles.

In the early years of the Great Patriotic War in connection with the temporary successes of Hitler's army, many aircraft factories were evacuated to the heartland. Their relocation is reflected in the number of aircraft produced.
State Defense Committee took steps to ensure that along with the acceleration of start-up plants in the field quicker evacuation from the aircraft were delivered to the anti-Hitler coalition partner - the United States. Jun 17, 1942 FD Roosevelt wrote to IV Stalin: "The Ambassador Litvinov informed me that you have approved the transfer of U.S. aircraft through Alaska and northern Siberia to the Western Front."

9 Oct, 1941 State Committee of Defense of the USSR adopted a decision on the construction of air routes for flights in the U.S.. It ordered the GKO Directorate GVF, party, the Soviet authorities, economic organizations in Eastern Siberia and the Far East as soon as possible on the airline to build a huge extent - from Krasnoyarsk to the Chukchi village Uelkal.
Construction of the route led by D. Chusovaya, who in 1934 worked as deputy chief of the East Siberian administration GVF. To ensure building materials, machinery, industrial and food products in Irkutsk was transshipment base. The construction of airfields in Irkutsk, Yakustke. East of Yakutsk airport construction equipment was placed on the organization Dalstroya.
The main difficulties in the construction of airports in the route were of Chukotka, where everyone had to start from scratch, ie, with the selection of land for the construction of airfields. In this regard, before the Louisiana okruzhkomom Party was tasked to provide full assistance to the management of PG GVF in the timely performance of tasks of T-bills. In winter it is impossible to determine the exact location of construction, so as soon as the snow came down, GVF expedition under the leadership of the Chief Engineer of VS Ivanova found in areas previously identified townships - Uelkale and Markovo.

Construction of the first U.S. airport to the Soviet territory - Uelkal began in July 1942 the Government commissioned the Primorsky krayispolkomu provide for the application of PG GVF is necessary for the construction of airport and deliver to the Uelkal. Already on 13 August in Uelkal arrived first steamer "Volhovstroy", which were delivered to the various construction materials and workers.
Builders had to come immediately to work on four areas: the main runway and a temporary admission to the aircraft, to build housing and auxiliary services, and simultaneously unload incoming ships. The peculiarity of the construction of the main runway at Uelkale was that it built on permafrost. Her reason was wooden slab that fell on the edge, fastened nails and dirt covered the special mixture.

Due to lack of workers at a construction site created a threat to disrupt the timing of the construction set of T-bills. This point was emphasized in the ruling bureau Chukotka okruzhkoma VKP (b), which stated: "On the construction of a special line of GVF in Markov and Uelkale created exclusively tense situation. Steamers in Uelkal significantly late, the timing of construction is further reduced. Objects in Chukotka become a bottleneck for the entire special lines. "
Day and night in extremely difficult conditions were unloading ships. Frequent autumn storms dump laden boats and kungasy, but the people, disregarding the danger, selflessly working for 16-18 hours a day, dragged to the shore of the icy water derevoplitu, barrels of gasoline and other products. Despite exceptional hardship and material deprivation, construction finished in an incredibly short period of time. Already 25 Sept., 1942 Bureau of Chukotka okruzhkoma party reported that "special air line adopted by the Government, transferred to the Red Army and put into effect."

Despite the fact that a lot of time and took cleaning strips, roads, quarries, workshops on snow construction of the main strip was a high rate. Stacking lanes derevoplitoy cover an area of 120 thousand square meters, started in October 23, 1942 and ended on February 6, 1943, and a week later, on 13 February, builders filled the gaps with wooden lattice special cocktails. This date is the day the task - construction of the main runway. April 17, she was transferred to a permanent operation.

The implementation of the air routes is not limited only to the construction and renovation of airfields. It was necessary to equip them more reliable means of navigation, deliver power sources, to prepare cadres Radio constantly meet the logistical needs of the air route. General Directorate of GVF, the deputy chief of the liaison KI Novikov using specialists Aerosvyazstroya, Siberian offices GVF well chosen and these challenges.
In 1941, PG GVF has instructed the East Siberian manage to train a large number of radiopelengatorschikov for the road. In Irkutsk sent to study the best radio operators from many countries airlines. Team training squad went to the responsible fulfillment of this task. The squad has prepared about 300 radiopelengatorschikov.

Distillation of aircraft on the route started in October 7th, 1942. Office of the Air Force sent to Siberia and Alaska to the distillation of five aircraft aviation regiments, and GVF - transport aviation regiment under the command of V. Pushchino. The first aviation is located in the main air base in Alaska - Ferbenkse. Has the American aircraft to be supplied under the land-lease, the Soviet team, headed by Colonel M. Machín, who for his personal contribution has been awarded the Order of the President F. Roosevelt 'Legion of Honor. "

During World War II, workers in Eastern Siberia, Kolyma and Chukotka, specialists GVF, sailors, Far Eastern Shipping Company in harsh climatic conditions in the absence of roads, lack of human and material resources committed a tremendous feat of labor. In total during the war years it was renovated and built 16 airfields, 274 buildings and facilities, capital investments amounted to 79.75 million rubles. On the route Krasnoyarsk - Uelkal aircraft flown in 7928.

By the end of the war, the air route Krasnoyarsk - Uelkal turned into a large and complex economy, which was a good basis for further development of air transport in Eastern Siberia and the North-East USSR.