Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Christopher Lawrence, the author of "Battle of Prokhorovka: The Tank Battle at Kursk, the Largest Clash of Armor in History " will have a new book about the Kursk air war out in this August.
Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aces-Kursk-...books&sr=1-481

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
(Air World - an imprint of Pen & Sword books - October 2022)
by Christopher A Lawrence
392 pages - hardback
$42.95

"The Battle of Kursk in July 1943 is known for being the largest tank battle in history. A Russian victory, it marked the decisive end of the German offensive capability on the Eastern Front and set the scene for the Soviet successes that followed. While many have focused on the tank engagements, especially the Battle of Prokhorovka, there was an intense air battle going on overhead that was bigger than the Battle of Britain.

As part of the German offensive, the Luftwaffe’s VIII Air Corps deployed around 1,100 aircraft in the south alone, while the opposing Soviet Second and Seventeenth air armies initially deployed over 1,600 aircraft. There was a similar effort surrounding the German attack in the north.

The battle in the south began with a Soviet air strike on German airfields and a fight for control of the air that continued throughout the day across the front. On the first day of the battle, 5 July 1943, the Germans flew at least 2,387 sorties in the south while the two Soviet air armies flew 1,688 sorties. That first day of battle resulted in 19 to 27 German planes and 189 Soviet aircraft shot down. This was an aerial engagement like no other ever seen before.

Involved on the German side were the 52nd and 3rd Fighter Wings. The 52nd Fighter Wing was the most accomplished fighter wing in history and many of its top aces were involved in the combats over the Kursk battlefield. These included Walter Krupinski (197 claimed kills in the war), Günther Rall, the third highest scoring ace in history (275 claimed kills), and the highest scoring ace in history, Erich Hartmann (352 claimed kills). Opposing them were what were to become three of the top five Soviet aces: Kirill Yevstigneyev (53 claimed kills), Nikolai Gulayev (55 claimed kills) and the top scoring Allied ace of the war, Ivan Kozhedub (62 claimed kills). This was indeed the battle of the aces.

But there was also the massive ground attack effort by both sides, including the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka fitted with 37mm anti-tank guns flown by the man who would become most decorated soldier of the Third Reich, Hans-Ulrich Rudel. The aerial battle involved hundreds of Soviet Sturmoviks, or IL-2s, Stalin’s armored ground attack plane. The battle featured the famous attack by Luftwaffe Hs-129s and Fw-190s on Soviet armor on 8 July 1943.

Aces at Kursk is not just a war story, but a revealing investigation that analyses the entire air battle that turned the tide of the war on the Eastern Front."

About The Author
"Christopher A. Lawrence is a professional historian and military analyst. He is the Executive Director and President of The Dupuy Institute, an organization dedicated to scholarly research and objective analysis of historical data related to armed conflict and the resolution of armed conflict. The Dupuy Institute provides independent, historically-based analyses of lessons learned from modern military experience. His published works include the 1,662-page Kursk:The Battle of Prokhorovka (2015), papers and monographs for the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment and the Vietnam Veterans of American Foundation, as well as over 40 articles written for limited-distribution newsletters and over 60 analytical reports prepared for the Defense Department."

https://penandswordbooks.com/subject...-at-kursk.html

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

I will be in for a treat if this book is on the same level of Battle of Prokhorovka

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Publication date moved up to 30 August 2022

Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943

£30.00 - £24.00 Introductory Offer

https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Aces...rdback/p/21480

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Anyone seen/read this book yet?

I would like a review please

Cheers
Stig

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Publication date changed to 28 February.

https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Aces...rdback/p/21480

Usual disclaimer,
Ed

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Sigh..... :)
No wonder if no one thus has seen it.....
Cheers
Stig

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

..the 52nd Fighter Wing and Rudel?. Think we can guess what this is going to read like...

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Hi,

The author has published the following blog posts on his forthcoming book:

- http://www.dupuyinstitute.org/blog/2...apter-listing/
- http://www.dupuyinstitute.org/blog/2...aces-at-kursk/
- http://www.dupuyinstitute.org/blog/2...rsk-summation/

Cheers,
Andrew A.
Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com/earticles

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

A small question re this book; does it also cover the night airwar during the Battle of Kursk?

Cheers, Theo

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

The release date has now moved to 30 July.

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

The release date has now moved to 7 October at Amazon U.S.

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

The release date has now changed to 7 January.

https://www.amazon.com/Aces-Kursk-Ba...=ast_author_dp

Ed

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Ed - The author's book on the Kursk ground battle, shown on the same page as Aces at Kursk on Amazon, gives a price of $395.00..............do you think this is a typo?

L. deZ.

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Hi Larry,

The $395 price tag on Amazon might seem very high, but it's not a typo. At 1662 pages, "Kursk: The Battle of Prokhorovka" is likely the thickest and heaviest book you'll ever see. It's generally acclaimed as the definitive work on the southern salient of Operation Citadel.

I haven't read it yet, but it appears to be a thoroughly-researched account of the battle, covering both sides in great detail. It also includes much info on the air campaign. The review by Dave Schranck on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Kursk-Battle-.../dp/0971385254) provides an informative overview of the book. On the Stone & Stone WW2 book site (http://books.stonebooks.com/book/1019024/), the summary review reads as follows: "The ultimate book about 'the largest tank battle in history' and easily one of the very best books published in 2015."

It's important to note that the first edition of this book (978-0971385252, Aberdeen Books, 2015) is the most comprehensive one. In 2019, Stackpole put out an abridged edition (656 pages) for around $50.

If you want the first edition at the best available price, you can get it from Aberdeen Books for $299 (https://www.aberdeenbookstore.com/bo...of-prokhorovka)

Regards,
Leon Venter


Disclaimer: Not connected in any way to the author or publisher of the book. Bought a copy with my own funds.

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Leon V. wrote in part:

Thanks for that, Leon! At that number of pages and the weight to go along with it, I'm surprised the publisher didn't make the author turn it into 2 volumes! I think this ponderous tome is for the Kursk specialist to use as a reference or as a textbook for command and general staff training.

L. deZ.

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

The original price (when just published) was less than $200. And the publisher had no intention to split it into two volumes. I was kept well-informed about the publishing progress...This refers to the big Kursk book.

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Jukka -

In 70+ years of doing World War II research, I can't recall a single volume with that many pages...............it all seems very unusual.

L. deZ.

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

That is true. The book is also in larger format than most "scholarly" military history books. There is the big book on Japanese Cruisers. But even that has fewer than 1000 pages.

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Amazon U.S. is now showing May 16th.

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

WILL THEY MAKE UP THEIR DARNED MINDS??!?!

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Interesting they say published 29 Feb 2024, a date which has
not yet appeared.... :)

Cheers
Stig

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Hi,

In his blog post published in late-January 2024, Chris wrote the following: "I have been doing the (hopefully) final edits on Aces at Kursk".

Cheers,
Andrew A.
Air War Publications - www.airwarpublications.com/earticles

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Thank you Andrew.

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Gang,

Casemate publishers has the book as being ready May 2024, but Amazon has the release date as being July 2024.

Do we actually have a proper release date?

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

OK, both Amazon and Casemate (which originally said they were releasing in September 2024) sent me the book and I am in the process of reading it. It's a bit 'dry' but pretty well apportioned with chronology, statistics and 'general' break down of daily info like losses, vics, sorties, etc.

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Any photos, diagrams or profiles?

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Some photos of Russian and German Aces, the various aircraft used on both sides as well as monuments to the USSR Heroes.



Maps (though I can't REALLY tell what's what in this first go thru)


Daily breakdowns during the battle of what each side's airfleet and air army flew how many sorties-sometimes broken down by aircraft type; some tables of daily losses by type;


A few thumbnail biographies (For the Germans: Hartmann, Rall, and standouts like Scheel; there were Russian/USSR pilot bios and interviews as well);

Some commentary on the claims/losses on both sides, including overclaiming and loss ratios

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Just to add to what NickM said:

Lawrence's "Aces over Kursk" is extracted from his 1662-page tome, "Kursk: The Battle of Prokhorovka". (Just to be clear, it covers the aerial activity over both the Southern and Northern fronts of the Kursk salient.)

It's a very detailed, scholarly study with many tables, maps and some charts. It contains OOBs and extensive quantitative comparisons and analyses, incl. losses, claims, sortie counts, serviceability rates, times & altitudes of Luftwaffe claims, top ace listings for the battle, and several other statistics.

The narrative includes accounts of individual aces, a day-by-day chronicle of the battle's development, weather reports, and even sunrise-sunset times. It's the definitive study of the air war over Kursk, along with Christer Bergström's "Black Cross Red Star Vol. 5".

However, if you're primarily interested in photographic coverage and aircraft profiles, then I would recommend the following:

• The Bergström book mentioned above, 2020, 377 pages
  Very good photographic content and several color profiles of Luftwaffe and Soviet aircraft.

• "Luftwaffe Colours: Jagdwaffe Vol. 4 Section 3" by Bergström and Pegg, 2004, 96 pages
  Many photographs and profiles of Luftwaffe aircraft.

• "Авиация в Битве Над Орловско-Курской Дугой (Aviation in the Battle of the Orel-Kursk Bulge)" by Khazanov and Gorbach, 2004, 200 pages
  Many photographs and several color profiles of Luftwaffe and Soviet aircraft.

Coverage of night operations is limited, but I did see at least a few mentions of Soviet and Luftwaffe night bomber raids and statistics.

Leon Venter

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Thank you Nick and Leon for your description of Lawrence's new book.

I own copies of Christer Bergström's two books:
Kursk - The Air Battle: July 1943 (2008)
Black Cross Red Star Vol. V - The Great Air Battles: Kuban and Kursk April-July 1943 (2020)

I do not especially need a copy of Aces at Kursk (and certainly don't have room for it on any book shelf) but am very curious as to what new material it might bring to the table.

Edward

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

Coming next year from Osprey

Kursk 1943: Airpower in the Eastern Front's most pivotal battle
(Osprey Publishing - 28 August 2025)
By William E. Hiestand
Illustrated by Graham Turner

"A history and analysis of the fierce air war over the Kursk battlefield, where the Soviet air forces for the first time fought the all-conquering Luftwaffe to a standstill.

The battle of Kursk was the last opportunity for the Luftwaffe to fully support a large-scale offensive, and was the Soviet air forces’ first success in battling their opponents to a standstill during summer months. Aiming to gain a success to stabilize the Eastern Front for the summer, Hitler ordered a concerted attack intended to cut off and destroy Red Army forces holding the Kursk salient. The Axis and Soviets deployed thousands of armoured fighting vehicles, and huge clashes took place among the minefields and trenches to the north and south of the salient.

In this book William E. Hiestand explains how the complex air war over Kursk played out. Massive engagements took place above the clashes of armor, with both sides deploying for the first time masses of aircraft specifically designed for destroying tanks and other ground targets. It was a struggle to attain air superiority, while bringing their Stukas, Hs 129s, and Il-2 Shturmoviks down for repeated low-level attack runs in the face of enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire. But the campaign also involved strategic bombing behind the front lines, attacking airfields and rail junctions.

Offering a day-by-day examination of the air forces’ actions, this book reveals the scale and intensity of the combat over the Kursk salient, the great turning point on the Eastern Front."

https://www.ospreypublishing.com/uk/...-air-campaign/

Re: Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943
 

I don't know what would constitute 'new' material RE: Kursk, though he does do a deep dive into the stats RE: the battle. Now, however early in the book the author did reference the battle of Kuban (I got the impression the Germans did quite well in that theater) so I immediately concluded a good book about the Air Battle over Kuban was a must. Apart from Bergstrom's, can you also recommend any other books on the subject?


TIA


NM