Project Cedar was a World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 project to deliver short-range aircraft from the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 to the USSR via Abadan, Iran in the Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

.

The project was initiated before the United States' entry into the war, and a base was established on Abadan Island

Abadan Island

Abadan Island is an island in Iran. It is the site of the city of Abadan. The island hosted Anglo-Iranian Oil Company's Abadan Refinary, around which Mohammad Mossadegh's nationalization movement was centered.-See also:...

 in March 1942. Oil tanker

Oil tanker

An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a merchant ship designed for the bulk transport of oil. There are two basic types of oil tankers: the crude tanker and the product tanker. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined crude oil from its point of extraction to refineries...

s, returning from delivering oil to the United States, would take Bell P-39, Curtiss P-40

Curtiss P-40

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...

, and Douglas A-20 parts to Abadan, where they were assembled into aircraft and flown to Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

. The 82nd Air Depot Group was part of Project Cedar.

Another similarly secret operation, Project 19, was set up in Eritrea

Eritrea

Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...

to repair RAF aircraft