Armstrong Whitworth AW 41 ALBEMARLE in the USSR

During WWII, the USSR received armament from his allies and by this fact was the only other country with Great Britain to fly Albemarle. 500 Albemarles should be allocated to the USSR, but the additional hatch was soon reduced to 100 and, in the event 14 Albemarles were actually allotted to Russia.
On 1st January 1943, No 305 Ferry Training Unit (FTU) was formed at Errol as part of 44 Group, RAF, to train Soviet Air force aircrew on the Albemarle. The first Soviet trainees arrived on 11 January and the training program started on 25th of that month. The first

Albemarle to be delivered to Russia (P1567) left the UK on 3 March and was followed on 11 March by three more, P1455, P1477 and P1590. Training and deliveries continued throughout March and April and by the time N° 305 FTU was disbanded on 30 April. A total of 20 crews has been trained and all the 14 Albemarles despatched ; unfortunately, two aircraft (P1455 and P1645) failed to arrive at their destination, having presumably crashed on route. Upon their arrival in USSR, the Albemarles were taken on charge by the 1st Transport Aviation of the Civil Air Fleet, which used them mainly in the freighting rôle. A soviet crew led by Capt Gruzdin, a Hero of the Soviet Union, was lost during the training programme when their Albemarle (P1503) crashed into a hill near Kenmore in Perthshire. Very little is known of the Albemarles’ later service or ultimate fate in the USSR.

Source : Air Enthusiast

Known Units :

- 3rd Regiment, 1st Air Division (later 10th Guards Division)

- 65th Fleet Air Arm Regiment, Izmailovo-Moscow (4 planes)

- Training School of Levanevsky as a training bomber (Berenchuck, later Nilolaïev)

Albemarles alloted to the USSR :

P1455, P1477, P1562, P1567, P1590, P1595, P1636, P1637, P1638, P1640, P1642, P1645, P1647, V1598.