(Circa 1943: Russian Zebra Commander Maxim Chibisov’s US Navy identification card.) In 1943, a decorated Russian commander arrived in America under cover of night to lead 300 fellow Soviet aces on a “once-in-lifetime” mission that had no blueprints. America had built 185 state-of-the-art amphibious warplanes that no Russian had ever seen, much... Learn More

(Circa 1944. Russian and American pilots take a break from the war on a hill near Project Zebra headquarters in Elizabeth City.) Harry Truman refused to let the story of Project Zebra become public. He detested Stalin and everything Russian. But a young U.S. Navy Lieutenant by the name of Gregory Gargarin (second... Learn More

(circa 1944: Russian and American pilots take a break from the war at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.) Russians have been fascinated with flight since the Wright Brothers first took to the skies. In fact, the first Russian flyer, built in 1912, was based on Wright Brother designs By the 1930s, Russian obsession with flight... Learn More

-Boris Sapunov, PhD., Hermitage Museum   One of the world’s great museums acknowledges the cultural importance of the groundbreaking book about the life and times of Russia’s greatest female flying hero. Ten years ago, I visited a little-known traveling exhibition called World War II though Russian Eyes, at a museum in San Diego,... Learn More

11-year Lilia Litvyak becomes fascinated with flight as she reads about the Wright Brothers. Tragedy strikes when her father is unjustly executed as an enemy of the state. Six years later, Hitler brutally invades Russia. The supremely self-confident yet conflicted 17-year-old Lilia realizes she must use now substantial flying skills to defend her... Learn More

Project Zebra was the brainchild of Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin. And, it would be the only time in history Soviet airmen were trained in America by Americans to fly American built aircraft. During the course of the 24-month mission, 185 huge, state-of-the-art amphibious warplanes, hand painted with Red Army stars, were built in... Learn More