German-Soviet Air Enterprise “Deruluft” (1921–1937): Activity, Staff and Its Role in Assistance to “Aeroflot” and “Lufthansa”

Abstract

During the 1920-1930s the USSR managed to attract foreign organizational, technical and manufacture experience by means of concessions. The “Deruluft” concession granted to the German-Soviet society was one of the first concessions in the Soviet Russia. That concession was the first one in the Russian history granted for the organization of air passenger-and-freight transport. A lot of highly skilled Soviet and German pilots and technicians worked for “Deruluft”. The management of the society, besides the organization of a number of the international air-lines between the USSR, Germany and some countries of Europe, rendered an important assistance to the companies known nowadays as “Aeroflot” and “Lufthansa” (organization of the flight of the Soviet ANT-25 and ANT-35 planes to the 15th Parisian aviation exhibition in 1936 or organization of the transfer of the German Junkers (D-5 and D-7) planes from Germany to China through the territory of the USSR in 1933 etc.). It also became possible due to high vocational training of flight and technical personnel of “Deruluft”. Till March, 1937 this air enterprise continued air traffic in Berlin – Moscow line, in spite of the fact that the term of concession contract already expired in 1936.