On March 14, the Mission ALSIB play, dedicated to the pilots of the Krasnoyarsk airway, better known as «Alaska–Siberia», was performed for teachers and students at the gymnasium №13. The performance was presented by the actors of the Siberian Federal University Theatre of Historical Reconstruction «Artifact» and the participants of the Krasnoyarsk team of the «Brotherhood of Orthodox Rangers» public organisation.

The «Mission ALSIB»’s plot is based on the 2015 «Air Convoy Pioneers» book by Grigory Kiselev depicting real events. The story tells us about the fate of a crew of a leading bomber aircraft: pilot Pyotr Gamov, navigator Alexander Sorokin, and army interpreter Elena Makarova. The book was based on the personal memories of the heroes, because the author himself is a relative of Alexander Sorokin and for many years kept in contact with both Pyotr Gamov and Elena Makarova.

«Alaska-Siberia is an important stage in our history, so it’s nice seeing all those wonderful young people showing it to the new generation. The memory of those who conquered the world will live in our hearts,» – shares her impressions Lyudmila Yudina, director of the gymnasium.

The agreement between the Governments of the USSR and the USA on mutual assistance in the war against fascism was signed on June 11, 1942. This agreement became the basis for future Lend-Lease deliveries. More than 8,000 military and transport aircraft from the United States were delivered to our country via the Alaska-Siberia route. The political decision to create the airway was secret, therefore, for many years, very few knew about the existence of the Krasnoyarsk airway.

«Almost everyone knows of the turning points of the war, for example, the Battle of Stalingrad or Kursk. But in the Great Patriotic War there were many other events that brought us this shared victory, and we need to know about them. The performance is unique in that, since we can talk about unknown heroes, about their feats with excitement and emotion,» – said Ivan Kunchevsky, director of the play and head of the Artifact theatre.

The play is staged as part of the «Flight in My Heart» project with the support of the city administration. Assistance in the implementation of the plan was provided by the Krasnoyarsk War Memorial Museum and the Krasnoyarsk regional branch of the Brotherhood of Orthodox Rangers public organisation. In November 2019, the premiere of the performance took place.

Before that, the play has been successfully performed outside of Krasnoyarsk, which is why the Mission ALSIB is set to premiere in various areas of the Krasnoyarsk Region as well. 

An exhibition dedicated to the heroes of AlSIB will continue working within the walls of the gymnasium №13 up until April 2020. 

Conference materials on the Krasnoyarsk airway can be read here.