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Home from Siberia: The Secret Odysseys of Interned American Airmen in World War II (Texas a&M University Military History Series)

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"Home From Siberia: The Secret Odysseys of Interned American Airmen in World War II" by Otis Hays, Jr. (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1990. Pp. 232.)

Few people realize the extent of the cooperation existing between Stalin's Soviet Union and the United States in World War II, especially in the Soviet Far East. US air crews which were forced to land on Soviet territory were supposed to be interned for the duration of the war, but the Soviets helped to secretly get the US crews back into the war effort against Japan. Otis Hays shows how the US, through diplomatic negotiations which played on Stalin's fear of war with Japan, convinced him to assist the interned aircrews in making their "escape" from Soviet territory.

Stalin was terrified of being drawn into the war with Japan, which would have necessitated opening a second front in the Soviet Far East. US diplomats were able to convince him that the interned crews, which comprised 291 men, were absolutely essential to the war effort. There was no time to adequately train new crews, and a growing shortage of suitable candidates made this an untenable option.

If Stalin was to help, the mission had to be kept secret from Japanese intelligence services, or the USSR could be drawn into the war with Japan. Stalin directed the NKVD (predecessor to the KGB) to arrange four different "escapes." The escapes were arranged and conducted in the utmost secrecy, and many key players never knew the complete truth.

US diplomatic message traffic made formal complaints about the conditions in which the airmen were being held in Siberia, and demanded that changes be made for health reasons. The USSR agreed to move the men to camps in Central Asia, where the warmer climate would be more comfortable. The men were moved through a series of gulag camps until they reached Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan, and were helped by the NKVD in their escape across the border into Iran, where they were met by US personnel.

While other authors have examined the US/Soviet cooperation in World War II, most have focused on the Lend/Lease program and the transfer of US materiel and food through ports in the Far East. Home From Siberia is unique in that it traces the fates of air crews through their ordeals in the gulag to their eventual release. Hays' research gives a view of what life was like in the Soviet Union, and illustrates the kindness and generosity shown to the internees by many Soviet citizens, despite the harsh living conditions. It also shows that the gulag camp system was well-established, and that the Soviets were able to shuttle the captured Americans around in complete secrecy, which is of particular interest to researchers investigating the presence of Americans in the camps following World War II. A precedent was set, and the Soviets saw that they could conduct such operations with relative ease.

The alleged presence of American soldiers from Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War in the gulag is a subject that is being actively investigated by many agencies, both government and private. Hays' research serves as an important base document in the analysis, and shows that the Soviets were quite capable of conducting such operations.

Home From Siberia's strength is the thoroughness in which the American fliers are chronicled. Hays shows the fates of each crew member, using maps, pictures and interviews with the survivors to paint a picture in a clear and fascinating manner. His work fills in a historical gap, and covers previously uncharted ground. The book's weakness is the lack of foreign sources. Hays uses mostly US sources, and should consider writing an updated edition now that many Soviet documents have been declassified and access to archives is more open. An analysis of Japanese diplomatic and intelligence documents would be an important addition as well, because they may indicate how successful the Soviets were in maintaining the secrecy of the operation. Home From Siberia is an important work, and a welcome addition to the history of World War II.

This might not be a review, 'persay', but my thoughts, which are biased, because my brother was one of the internees. I am very proud of him and all the men and women who served. My sister and two other brothers also served in the war. I think more of the younger generation should read this book,to realize just what the men went through so that they may sleep under the 'blanket of freedom'; as in WW1. I am just so proud of my brother, I take every opportunity I can to tell others about him and the book.The sad thing is, the people who should read this book, probably never will.Thanks for letting me share my thoughts. Proud of our Veterans.