Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle, Soviet users

 

The Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle was a British twin-engine transport aircraft that entered service during World War II. It was initially designed as a medium bomber but it was used for target towing and general transport duties. This aircraft served also with the Soviet Air Force, the VVS.

In October 1942 the VVS placed an order for 200 (other sources claim it was 500) which was soon reduced to 100 Albemarles. On 1st January 1943 a Royal Air Force (RAF) unit, the No. 305 Ferry Training Unit (FTU) Squadron was set up at RAF Errol, in Scotland, to train Soviet ferry crews. This unit was part of the No.44 (Ferry Service) Group. The first Soviet trainees arrived on 11th January and, by the 25th the training programe was already set up and functioning. 

The first, Soviet-crewed Albemarle flew from Scotland to Vnukovo airfield, in Moscow via Kola peninsula, on 3rd March 1943 and, on the 11th it was followed by three more machines.

Training and deliveries continued throughout March and April and, when the No.305 FTU Squadron was disbanded on 30th April, a total of 20 crews had been trained but only 14 Albemarles were eventually delivered with two of them crashing when on route to the USSR. 

A hero of the Soviet Union, Cpt. Gruzdin, and his crew died when his aircraft crashed into a hill near Kenmore, in Perthshire during the training programme in 1943.

Once in Russia, the Albemarles were assigned to the 1st Transport Aviation of the Civil Air Fleet, where they were used mainly for freight transport. It's known that some other units of the VVS employed the type, like the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Air Division which later would be part of the 10th Guards Division, the 65th Fleet Air Arm Regiment, based at Izmailovo airfield in Moscow with 4 Albemarles and some of them were used also as bomber trainers in the Levanevsky Training School, located at Berenchuck/Nilolaïev. Apart from that very little is known about the Albemarle service in the USSR or their fate.

Sources:

1. https://www.raf38group.org/ussr

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_Whitworth_Albemarle

3. https://airpages.ru/eng/uk/aw41.shtml

4. https://www.valka.cz/Armstrong-Whitworth-A-W-41-Albemarle-t55777 (translated)

5. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 115 - Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle