ACADEMIC JOURNAL
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ISSN 2542-1077 (Print) ISSN 1994-5973 (Online) |
Stepanov, A. S. THE INFLUENCE OF THE SOVIET-FINNISH WAR ON THE STATE OF THE SOVIET AVIATION INDUSTRY BEFORE THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR. Proceedings of Petrozavodsk State University. 2025;47(8):37–43. DOI: 10.15393/uchz.art.2025.1247
Russian history |
THE INFLUENCE OF THE SOVIET-FINNISH WAR ON THE STATE OF THE SOVIET AVIATION INDUSTRY BEFORE THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR
| Stepanov A. S. | Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation |
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Keywords: Soviet-Finnish War Air Force Flight Crew Aircraft Equipment Irrecoverable Losses Accidents Aircraft Industry Production Plan Moral Embargo Aviation Technologies |
Summary: During the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939–1940, military and civilian aviation of the USSR was widely
used in battles. About a thousand aviators were killed in the battles, which weakened the personnel potential of Soviet
aviation. The significant number of aircraft involved in the war, the difficult weather conditions, and the high intensity
of aviation use resulted in significant losses of The tragic incident of a mistaken naval air strike on residential areas in
Helsinki at the beginning of the war led to the breakdown of Soviet-American contacts in the field of aviation technology
and aviation gasoline production. An analysis of archival sources, domestic and foreign published documents, and
published works by domestic and foreign authors has revealed the impact of the consequences of the air war with
Finland on the development of Soviet aviation on the eve of the Great Patriotic War. The Soviet aviation industry, which
was already overburdened with production plans, including the urgent need to replace the huge losses in military
aviation, and was simultaneously developing new generation aircraft, faced serious consequences of the freezing of
American technical assistance, which played a crucial role for the industry in the 1930s. The supply of machine tools
for aircraft factories and strategic raw materials was frozen, and access to new technologies was restricted. Additionally,
the construction of aviation gasoline plants was halted due to a shortage of aviation fuel, which affected the training of
personnel. As a result, the development of Soviet aviation was severely hindered during a critical period for the country
before the Great Patriotic War. Due to the fact that this topic is practically not reflected in Russian historical science, the relevance of this article is due to the need to analyze the negative impact of the above-mentioned consequences on the potential capabilities of one of the key sectors of the Soviet defense industry, the aviation industry, during its radical restructuring in the face of German aggression. |
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