Greetings All,
I wonder if I may ask for a little help regarding a story which occasionally circulates about Soviet Pe-8 aircraft in Scotland. The story goes that two such aircraft arrived in Leuchars (Tealing?) in 1942 carrying Minister Molotov, and that following his departure to Chequers the second such machine, and I quote, “…crashed in the Vale of York, killing various members of Molotov’s staff and senior RAF personnel”. Said information is attributed to Sir Archibald Hope, Senior Controller of Fighter Command in Scotland in 1942.
I must say that the claim strikes me as absurd. There is no data whatsoever regarding any second Pe-8 participating on the Molotov flight. There is no photograph of said aircraft, which is truly beyond belief given the extensive spy photography that was conducted on Molotov’s Pe-8 p/n 42066. No crew losses are known for such circumstance in any Russian/Soviet records, nor mention of any such crew in participation. In short, there is no evidence at all.
Has there ever been any attempt to travel to the Vale of York and search for the remains of a large Soviet four-engined bomber? Are there any known losses to “senior RAF personnel” in this manner? Or, is this story just a ridiculous tale which has been ignored?
I reckon it must be the latter, honestly. Wherever do these things get started, one wonders….
By: steve_p - 10th September 2008 at 21:37
I have never heard that story but it sounds like a myth. The Pe-8 landed at RAF Tealing, near Dundee and I believe it also flew to Prestwick from there. I have some notes about this somewhere.
Yep, the photographs of Molotov’s arrival definitely show Tealing airfield. They were published in Volume V of the Aircraft of the Fighting Powers series. The IWM also has film of the event.
The ORB of one of the Errol units mentions a second aircraft arriving later in the month. I have a copy of it somewhere so I’ll see what it says.
Apparently, Prestwick at this time had a Russian-speaking ATC section – presumably to assist the Albermarle ferry pilots? Source was an ex-WAAF who worked in ATC there at the time.
Best wishes
Steve P
By: ian_ - 10th September 2008 at 15:48
There is a big report on the Flamingo loss in the AVIA files at the NA (I think its the same one) it certainly mentioned the loss of Soviet diplomats and gave the impression it had to be proved to be an accident! I think there were photos of the wreckage included and certainly plans of it’s distribution.
By: paulmcmillan - 10th September 2008 at 14:10
2 different Stories mixed up!
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=112495&highlight
In fact this site reveals that there was 3 different flights of the Pe-8 to the UK on different dates
The De Havilland DH-95 Flamingo that crashed, killing the RAF Personnel was R2764 of 24 Sqn at 1m NE of Gt. Ouseburn. Yorks on 30th April 1942
By: Atcham Tower - 10th September 2008 at 11:02
I have never heard that story but it sounds like a myth. The Pe-8 landed at RAF Tealing, near Dundee and I believe it also flew to Prestwick from there. I have some notes about this somewhere.
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September 10, 2008 at 10:09 am