A B-24L Liberator of the 459th Bomb Group based in Italy after arriving at Poltava Air Base, Ukraine, 12 Apr 1945.

Caption     A B-24L Liberator of the 459th Bomb Group based in Italy after arriving at Poltava Air Base, Ukraine, 12 Apr 1945. ww2dbase
Photographer    Unknown
Source    ww2dbaseUnited States Army Air Force
More on...   
B-24 Liberator   Main article  Photos  Maps  
Operation Frantic   Main article  Photos  
Photo Size 900 x 564 pixels
Photos on Same Day 12 Apr 1945
Photos at Same Place Poltava, Ukraine
Added By David Stubblebine
Licensing  Public Domain. According to the United States copyright law (United States Code, Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105), in part, "[c]opyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government".

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Colorized By WW2DB     Colorized with Adobe Photoshop



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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Commenter identity confirmed David Stubblebine says:
14 Mar 2021 12:12:54 PM

According to an American intelligence officer stationed at Poltava, this aircraft was arriving to deliver a mystery passenger. This passenger was said to be Morris Shenderoff, an American who was part Russian and forcibly drafted into the Red army while he was visiting Russia when war broke out. Shenderoff managed to stow away on a U.S. aircraft out of Poltava and made it as far as Italy. Responding to Soviet demands, U.S. officials returned Shenderoff to the Soviets who took him from Poltava to Moscow. Upon arrival in Moscow, Shenderoff was reportedly shot within minutes of leaving the plane, as was the Russian practice with deserters.

13 days after this photo was taken, this aircraft was lost due to mechanical failure on a raid to Linz, Austria. All 11 crew members bailed out and were taken POW.

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Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name Poltava, Ukraine
Lat/Long 49.5739, 34.3986
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