Lendlease to Soviet

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/pearl/www.geocities.com/Pentagon/6315/lend.html

That's about as comprehensive a list as I've seen of deliveries of Lend Lease items.

The vast majority of lend lease constituted things like industrial equipment and supplies to boost the Soviets own war machine. Tanks and vehicles, ships, aircraft and the like are mist remembered, but there were all sorts even down to denim overalls. Aviation fuel was another important part of lend lease,.

Weapons like the Thompson were delivered, but due to the .45 calibre being rocking horse shit rare in the Soviet Union, they weren't particularly common in front line units and were usually relegated to second line roles. The NKVD had some in Moscow in 1941. Colts 1911's? God knows. I doubt it. Soviet firearms were for the most part tried, tested and brutally effective, they didn't really need any imported.

Actual uniform items? Not much. Blankets, yes. The Soviet Union did receive over 15 million pairs of boots via Lend Lease. I think these were basically ammo boots in all but name, someone will correct me on that.

Feel free to tuck into large quantities of U.S stamped food, mind.

Just done a quick wiki look,
US deliveries, $ 11 billions worth! 400,000 jeeps and trucks, 12000 armoured vehicles, inc. 7000 tanks, 11,400 aircraft, and 1.75 million tons of food!
They did send small arms weapons, such as Thompson's, Springfield 1903's and 1911's doesn't say how many. Yet to see pic's of Soviet soldiers with 1911's

That's some list posted there, Allenby, very good, some of it quite funny, that people would risk lives to deliver some of those items!

http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/WRHARTICLES/pearl/www.geocities.com/Pentagon/6315/lend.html
Actual uniform items? Not much. Blankets, yes. The Soviet Union did receive over 15 million pairs of boots via Lend Lease. I think these were basically ammo boots in all but name, someone will correct me on that.

Feel free to tuck into large quantities of U.S stamped food, mind.

Well predicted there, Chief.

The Soviets were sent both the US Garrison shoe (the kind with the pretty stitched toecap) and the British Ammo boot from the US and UK respectively, they hated the latter thanks to the hobnails which are very good at transferring cold directly to the wearers feet in winter, a recipe for frostbite in the dreaded Russian winter... as the Germans found out. Captured footwear was not really seen in use for the same reason. I can also tell you for certain the Soviets received US messtins/canteens I'm certain there were other items of personal kit that I am unaware of. As for weapons, the Thompson certainly was sent in small numbers and is occasionally seen in posed photographs, I'm certain they saw use somewhere on the largest front in history., but as Allenby says, finding ammo for the things would have been a nightmare, on top of which they had the PPSh which was being made in huge numbers, chambered in the natively produced 7.62mm tokarev, and frankly, a better submachinegun in all categories bar finish. Not that the Hollywood aficionados will hear that

That's some list posted there, Allenby, very good, some of it quite funny, that people would risk lives to deliver some of those items!

Nearly as bad as all the lives risked and lost on the 'Road of life' getting supplies into Leningrad, only for the authorities continue to hoard it while the populace starved on two slices of bread a day!

It was the mundane stuff that kept the wheels turning! Fascinating though the number of railway locomotives that were shipped over. The Soviet Union had dramatically expanded their railway infrastructure as a result of lessons learned during the First World War. I bet a few of them are still running somewhere!

We sent them a ridiculous number of tanks and aircraft that I'm not entirely convinced wouldnt have been better off shipped to Singapore or Burma.

It was the mundane stuff that kept the wheels turning! Fascinating though the number of railway locomotives that were shipped over. The Soviet Union had dramatically expanded their railway infrastructure as a result of lessons learned during the First World War. I bet a few of them are still running somewhere!

We sent them a ridiculous number of tanks and aircraft that I'm not entirely convinced wouldnt have been better off shipped to Singapore or Burma.

I'd agree with that. The Luftwaffe all but vanished from the skies of the Eastern front in the later years of the war, giving the Red Army's Sturmoviks free reign, which they made use of. Sending tanks to the soviets seems peculiar too, with the T-34 being produced in onerous numbers and again, outclassing anything we sent them, providing the tooling required to produce their own warmachines was a better strategy, most curious to me is the fact the Soviets took on the Valentine tank from us here in the UKright up to 1945! I can only imagine they valued it's reliability.

Or just turned up at the front with them to give the troops a laugh!

It was the mundane stuff that kept the wheels turning! Fascinating though the number of railway locomotives that were shipped over. The Soviet Union had dramatically expanded their railway infrastructure as a result of lessons learned during the First World War. I bet a few of them are still running somewhere!

We sent them a ridiculous number of tanks and aircraft that I'm not entirely convinced wouldnt have been better off shipped to Singapore or Burma.

I'd agree with that. The Luftwaffe all but vanished from the skies of the Eastern front in the later years of the war, giving the Red Army's Sturmoviks free reign, which they made use of. Sending tanks to the soviets seems peculiar too, with the T-34 being produced in onerous numbers and again, outclassing anything we sent them, providing the tooling required to produce their own warmachines was a better strategy, most curious to me is the fact the Soviets took on the Valentine tank from us here in the UKright up to 1945! I can only imagine they valued it's reliability.

They hauled a Valentine out of a swamp not too long ago in decent order. Strangely eerie.

Good little tank the Valentine, arguably the best this country produced until the development of the Comet.

It was the mundane stuff that kept the wheels turning! Fascinating though the number of railway locomotives that were shipped over. The Soviet Union had dramatically expanded their railway infrastructure as a result of lessons learned during the First World War. I bet a few of them are still running somewhere!

We sent them a ridiculous number of tanks and aircraft that I'm not entirely convinced wouldnt have been better off shipped to Singapore or Burma.

I'd agree with that. The Luftwaffe all but vanished from the skies of the Eastern front in the later years of the war, giving the Red Army's Sturmoviks free reign, which they made use of. Sending tanks to the soviets seems peculiar too, with the T-34 being produced in onerous numbers and again, outclassing anything we sent them, providing the tooling required to produce their own warmachines was a better strategy, most curious to me is the fact the Soviets took on the Valentine tank from us here in the UKright up to 1945! I can only imagine they valued it's reliability.

They hauled a Valentine out of a swamp not too long ago in decent order. Strangely eerie.

Good little tank the Valentine, arguably the best this country produced until the development of the Comet.

Mechanically a good tank indeed, biggest problem it faced was being designed around our outmoded tank doctrine and perceived needs, nonetheless this tended to result in well armoured tanks, something the crews probably appreciated!

As usual under gunned, good mover, quite fast, but no weapon power.

I think they made them in Canada too!

Including Canadian output, iirc over 8000 produced. A lot of the ones sent to Russia were the 6pdr version. As the sovs classified tanks by gun size, Valentine's we're generally classed and used as light tanks.

As above, not much personal kit sent to Russia, captured German stuff was often used as the mess tins and shovels were identical, and K98 bayonets issued as trench knives. Which is handy for those of us with Jerry kit.

Damn this predictive text, lots of Wierd apostrophes.

I can recommend this book.... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soviet-Soldier-Philippe-Rio/dp/2352501008
A very useful reference for all things pertaining to the WW2 Soviet soldier. About the only lend lease personal kit which was used fairly extensively were leather belts, boots, and some greatcoats.

I did have a British wartime greatcoat, but I don't think I have it now, and it probably wouldn't fit me now, it would have most definitely shrunk through not being worn, there's no way I could have put weight on!
I haven't searched, but what came back from Russia, ships would not have come back empty, not that many came back as went!

According to Wikipedia,the US received minerals, and gold, during the war, some talk of platinum, but money wasn't sorted until 1972! Even then a large amount was written off.

As well as Thompson M1a1's and 1911A1's, they also sent M50 Reising smg's they were .45acp too.

..........and M3's were sent, again doesn't say how many.

Generally the small arms were shipped out as part of vehicle equipment kits, although there is the odd photo of Russians (and Germans) using Thompsons on the Eastern Front.

I've read a couple of accounts where the Russians didn't seem to like the Thompson much (although not as much as George McDonald Fraser who threw his into a river as he hated it so much and got his beloved Lee Enfield back).