Why Were German Pilots Trained In The Soviet Union Before WWII?
The cooperation between the two countries went beyond the economy, extending to the military sphere. One of the airfields of the Red Army Air Force near Lipetsk became a secret training base for German pilots.
A cunning scheme was used to circumvent the prohibitions of the Treaty of Versailles. 50 Fokker D XIII fighters were allegedly purchased by Argentina from Holland. In fact, they were delivered in disassembled form by sea to Leningrad, and then by rail to Lipetsk, where German pilots trained on them.