in order to maintain this neutrality, international law required Soviet authorities to intern any Western Allied personnel forced to seek refuge in the USSR as a result of operations against Japan. In reality, however, US aviators who made forced landings on Kamchatka were secretly returned to the United States, by way of a camp in the Kazakh SSR and Iran (which was under British and Soviet occupation at the time). The US aircraft involved were generally retained in the USSR. Over the next few years, dozens of US aircraft with mechanical problems and/or damage from by Japanese defenses were diverted to Soviet bases on Kamchatka – usually Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. By the end of 1944, several hundred US aviators had been interned in the Soviet Union. Some of the internees complained about their treatment in the USSR – including accommodation which, to the Americans, resembled prisoner of war camps, and their interrogation by Soviet officials. The aerial photos taken on the raid of 11 August 1943 showed that the Japanese were building up forces in the area, transferring aircraft presumably from air bases on Hokkaido. The Japanese early-warning system, however, did not seem to be effective as the interceptor aircraft were launched after the B-24s attacked their targets. After a month, in which the Eleventh Air Force units on Shemya and Attu concentrated on attacking Kiska and forcing the Japanese to withdraw from the island, the next mission against the Kuriles was flown on 11 September 1943. It was the most disastrous mission flown by Eleventh Air Force and was the last flown in 1943. Seven B-24s of the 404th Bombardment Squadron and twelve B-25s of the 77th Bombardment Squadron lifted off from Alexi Point AAF and headed to the Kuriles. The B-24s attacked the Kashiwabra Army Staging Area and as they turned towards home, they were attacked by numerous Japanese interceptors. Three of the Liberators were severely damaged and headed for Petropavlovsk where they crash-landed. The B-25s conducted a low-level raid on shipping between Paramushir and Shumshu Islands. On coming out of their bomb run, they also were attacked by numerous Japanese interceptors. After an hour of continuing attacks by the interceptors, one B-25 was shot down and five others were severely damaged and had to land at Petropavlovsk. Eleventh Air Force had lost over half its bombers. It was six months before another attack was made by IX Bomber Command