The Eastern Front Air War, 1941–1945

Author: Anthony Tucker-Jones
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1473861640
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 188

Book Description
This lavishly illustrated WWII history examines the bitter aerial combat of the Eastern Front through rare wartime photographs and informative text. Though the air war was a major aspect of the Eastern Front conflict, it has long been neglected by historians. Anthony Tucker-Jones’s photographic history offers a vividly detailed introduction to the subject. With more than 150 archival images—most of which have never been published before—this volume examines Stalin’s Red Air Force and Hitlers Luftwaffe, their equipment, and the role they played in supporting the war on the ground. Just before Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union, Stalin had decimated the leadership of the Red Air Force in a series of purges. Thousands of Russian fighter aircraft were swiftly destroyed in the German Blitzkrieg. But a remarkable recovery followed as the Red Air Force turned the tide against the ravages of the Luftwaffe to wrestle back air superiority by 1944.

Women in Air War

Author: Kazimiera J. Cottam
Publisher: Focus
ISBN: 9781585101597
Category : Air pilots, Military
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
This book is a unique collection of WWII memoirs that tell, in a simple, unaffected style, the story of the three women's air fighting groups which owed their existence to Marina Raskova, a remarkable pioneer woman navigator-pilot. My superiors made no distinction between male and female regiments of which the girls were very proud. I must admit, however, I sometimes wished they remembered that our regiment consisted of women, and would not send them into the very hell. Every pilot, every crew member became dear to me. I loved them all, was proud of them, and dreaded the possibility that any one of them might not return...," wrote Major Valentin Markov, the male commander of the women's dive bomber wing, in this unique collection of WWII memoirs that tell, in a simple, unaffected style, the story of the three women's wings which owed their existence to Marina Raskova, a remarkable pioneer woman navigator-pilot. Of the three women's wings, the night bomber regiment was awarded an unprecedented number of Gold Stars of Hero of the Soviet Union, the highest Soviet decoration, and its aircrews at times flew as many as eighteen short-range missions per night. The unit was staffed exclusively by women. In contrast, the dive bomber and fighter wings included some male personnel, mainly in ground support roles. As well, the fighter wing eventually acquired one male squadron, in part as replacement of a female squadron previously sent to Stalingrad. Alexander Gridnev, the unit's second permanent wing commander, recently presented his controversial memoirs to Reina Pennington, Russian history professor and retired U.S. Air Force captain, for translation into English.

Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front

Author: Serhii Plokhy
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0190061014
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 355

Book Description
The full story of the first and only time American and Soviets fought side-by-side in World War II At the conference held in in Moscow in October 1943, American officials proposed to their Soviet allies a new operation in the effort to defeat Nazi Germany. The Normandy Invasion was already in the works; what American officials were suggesting until then was a second air front: the US Air Force would establish bases in Soviet-controlled territory, in order to "shuttle-bomb" the Germans from the Eastern front. For all that he had been pushing for the United States and Great Britain to do more to help the war effort--the Soviets were bearing by far the heaviest burden in terms of casualties--Stalin, recalling the presence of foreign troops during the Russian Revolution, balked at the suggestion of foreign soldiers on Soviet soil. His concern was that they would spy on his regime, and it would be difficult to get rid of them afterword. Eventually in early 1944, Stalin was persuaded to give in, and Operation Baseball and then Frantic were initiated. B-17 Flying Fortresses were flown from bases in Italy to the Poltava region in Ukraine. As Plokhy's book shows, what happened on these airbases mirrors the nature of the Grand Alliance itself. While both sides were fighting for the same goal, Germany's unconditional surrender, differences arose that no common purpose could overcome. Soviet secret policeman watched over the operations, shadowing every move, and eventually trying to prevent fraternization between American servicemen and local women. A catastrophic air raid by the Germans revealed the limitations of Soviet air defenses. Relations soured and the operations went south. Indeed, the story of the American bases foreshadowed the eventual collapse of the Grand Alliance and the start of the Cold War. Using previously inaccessible archives, Forgotten Bastards offers a bottom-up history of the Grand Alliance, showing how it first began to fray on the airfields of World War II.

Black Cross/red Star: Operation Barbarossa, 1941

Author: Christer Bergström
Publisher: Pacifica Press (CA)
ISBN: 9780935553482
Category : World War, 1939-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
In assembling the first installment of a projected six-volume series documenting the air war on the Eastern Front, the authors combed hitherto unexplored archives in the former Soviet Union to produce the first balanced history of the subject. More than 180 photographs that have never been seen by any reading public accompany color maps and an authoritative text debunking 50-year-old Western beliefs about Operation Barbarossa. The lives and accomplishments of Soviet fighter aces, about which little, if anything, has previously been published, make this groundbreaking history essential reading for both enthusiasts and casual history buffs.

Air War Over Russia

Author: Andrew Brookes
Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing
ISBN: 9780711028906
Category : Air warfare
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
In June 1941 Adolf Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia and the defining moment of World War 2. Unrestricted total war was released onto a massive area of central and Eastern Europe. On the ground and in the air the massive forces of Germany and the Soviet Union fought out opic battles that stretched as far east as Moscow and Stalingrad before the inexorable strength of the Soviet forces gradually forced the Axis armies to retreat westwards to Berlin and beyond. Historians have made us familiar with the period's great land battles, for example, Starlingrad, Kursk and Leningrad. What is less familiar, however, is the tale of the evolving aerial strategies adopted by the Luftwaffe and the Russians. Initially outclassed and outperformed by the might of the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front, Soviet equipment and tactics improved immeasurably during the war, thereby helping to negate the potency of the Luftwaffe in the various theatres. Drawing upon his knowledge as a professional pilot and on detailed researches, Andrew Brookes examines the history of the aerial war on the Eastern Front.Covering the war chronologically, the author initially examines the strategic balance before analysing the role of the Luftwaffe in the first phase of Barbarossa, with the Germans again adopting their Blitzkrieg tactics. Subsequent chapters record the changing strategic balance as the Russians employ more potent aircraft, including many supplied through the Arctic convoys by Britain and the USA, as the tide of war turned against the Germans. Supplementing the author's well-researched and authoritative text are over 160 mono illustrations including line drawings and contemporary photographs.

War Over the Steppes

Author: E. R. Hooton
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472815629
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 338

Book Description
The air war over the Steppes was more than a brutal clash in which might alone triumphed. It was a conflict that saw tactical and technological innovation as the Soviet air force faced off against Herman G�ring's Luftwaffe. As Germany and the Soviet Union battled for victory on the Eastern Front, they had to overcome significant strategic and industrial problems, while fighting against the extreme weather conditions of the East. These factors, combined with the huge array of aircraft used onthe Eastern Front, create one of the most compelling conflicts of the war. Told primarily from the strategic and command perspective, this account offers a detailed analysis of this oft-overlooked air war, tracing the clashes between Germany and the Soviet Union over the course of World War II. Historical photographs complement the examination as author E. R. Hooton explores these epic aerial battles between the Third Reich and the Soviet Union.

Bagration to Berlin

Author: Christer Bergström
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781903223918
Category : World War, 1939-1945
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Describes how the German Army Group centre developed a 'master of defence' strategy, which inflicted atrocious losses on the Red Army's attack formations in 1942 and 1943. Explores the German defensive operations around the River Dnepr and Sea of Azov in September 1943, as well as the subsequent German retreat and the air bridge operation to Cherkassy in early 1944. Examines the major Soviet offensive in mid 1944, the fall of Romania and the autumn battles in Poland, Courland and on the Vistula, ending with the major Soviet winter offensive of early 1945 against the Neisse and Oder rivers and last-ditch battles over Berlin itself.

Air War Over Kursk

Author: Dmitriĭ Khazanov
Publisher: Sam Publications
ISBN: 9781906959265
Category : Operation Citadel
Languages : en
Pages : 144

Book Description
The German Kursk offensive, or Operation Zitadelle, was launched on 4th July 1943. However a resolute Soviet defence ensured that the Germans failed to make their planned breakthrough and after three weeks, defence was turned to assault. The author looks at this momentous air conflict.

Stalingrad

Author: Christer Bergström
Publisher: Midland Publishing
ISBN: 9781857802764
Category : Stalingrad, Battle of, Volgograd, Russia, 1942-1943
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Compiled by one of the world's leading experts on the air war over the Eastern Front, this book is the second in a series of books to cover the major phases of World War II in this theatre of operations.

Air Battles Over the Baltic 1941

Author: Mikhail Timin
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781911512561
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
The air battle in the skies over the Baltic region on the first day of the Great Patriotic War.