Saluting air heroes as US wartime planes land again in Anadyr after seven decades

Two DC-3 Douglas planes built in 1942 crossed the Bering Strait and landed safely in Anadyr, capital of Chukotka autonomous district, said Dmitry Litovkin,  head of the Russian Aviation Society.

'The flight lasted for about 12 hours and had passed without emergencies despite the planes' old age. 'The Russian-American crews have coped with the task.' Both sides have put aside the current strains in relations to mark this historical achievement. 

The United States used the Alaska-Siberia route to supply almost 8,000 warplanes under the Lend Lease programme during the Second World War, and the commemoration flight marks the 70th anniversary of the end of hostilities. 

The planes were greeted by Pilot-Cosmonaut Alexey Leonov and Russian military commander General Pyotr Deinekin.

Leonov, the first man to walk in space, said the  Alaska-Siberia 2015 commemoration of 2015 was needed to remind people of the joint heroics of the Soviet and Russian people. 

'So much is forgotten: the generous deeds of people, who surpassed the planes, the actions of the American people who sent them. They also put in these planes dolls and other things like greetings from the American people to Russians ... 

'It was a manifestation of the extraordinary qualities of the human soul from both sides. And we have forgotten this. This year we celebrate 70 years of the Victory. So let us remember that in this victory a very important role was played by the planes that were sent to us from the United States.'

The planes started their epic trip from Great Falls, Montana and will complete the commemoration in Krasnoyark, via Magadan, Yakutsk and Bratsk, recreating precisely the wartime route. Later they will go on to Moscow. 

A 94 year old US wartime pilot came to see the planes when they stopped over in Fairbanks, Alaska last weekend. 

The US Ambassador to Russia John Tefft said the  project was an example of co-operation between the two countries regardless of current tensions over the Ukraine crisis. 

'The Alaska-Siberia air route is a historic example of how Russians and Americans can work together,' he said. 'During World War II and many times before and since then, our countries have cooperated to bring the world of peace and prosperity.

'Initiatives like this serve as an important reminder that our countries can, have, and do work together. Let us commit ourselves to ensuring that this will always be the case.'

He added: 'Despite the current tensions in our relationship I am confident that Americans and Russians will continue to find common cause on issues of mutual interest.'

The aircraft were delivered to the USSR in the war under a Lend-Lease agreement. The project demanded the reconstruction of airports in Yakutsk and Krasnoyarsk.

16 special airports on the Soviet territory and 15 on the North American side were constructed for this air road. Severe weather and hostile conditions meant flying conditions were sometimes treacherous. There were 39 air crashes, the largest in November 1942 near Krasnoyarsk when 30 people were killed.