anything on the airbattle over Kuban?
 

Hi;


I am going thru 'Aces at Kursk' by Lawrence, and early on it referenced the very hard fought air battle over the Kuban bridgehead. I don't suppose anything has been published on this particular airbattle?


Thanks, ahead of time


NM

Re: anything on the airbattle over Kuban?
 

Hi Nick (this is Dan using Gabor's account for this message), Black Cross Red Star Vol 5 by forum member Christer Bergström covers both Kuban and Kursk.


All the best,
Dan (using Gabor's account)

Re: anything on the airbattle over Kuban?
 

OK thanks; so that means nothing 'dedicated' to that "air" battle written-yet.

Re: anything on the airbattle over Kuban?
 

The Kuban 1943: The Wehrmacht's last stand in the Caucasus
(Osprey Publishing - 2018)
by Robert Forczyk
96 pages - paperback

"In the summer of 1942, the Wehrmacht invaded the Caucasus in order to overrun critical oil production facilities at Maikop, Grozny, and Baku. However, the Red Army stopped the Germans short of their objectives and then launched a devastating winter counteroffensive that encircled them at Stalingrad. Consequently, Hitler grudgingly ordered an evacuation from the Caucasus, but ordered 17. Armee to fortify the Kuban bridgehead and hold it at all costs in order to leave open the possibility of future offensives. On the other side, the Soviet Stavka ordered the North Caucasus Front and the Black Sea Fleet to eliminate the Kuban bridgehead as soon as possible. The stage was set for a contest between an immovable object and an unstoppable force.

With the help of stunning specially commissioned artwork, this book tells the enthralling story of the impressive but strategically foolish German stand at Kuban, which tied down seven Soviet armies in a sideshow battle of attrition, which the Soviets dubbed "the Kuban meat grinder."

Re: anything on the airbattle over Kuban?
 

Thanks; While I'm only interested in the air war, Forczyk is one of my favorite writers.

Re: anything on the airbattle over Kuban?
 

Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II. By Von Hardesty and Ilya Grinberg.

Has one chapter devoted to the air battles, "Chapter Four: Over the Kuban". 50 odd pages. That's the most I have found on that subject in a book.

Re: anything on the airbattle over Kuban?
 

Thanks! I've only read the 'official Soviet' Red Phoenix that first came out--it was a disappointment; I have had opportunity to leaf thru the one written by Hardesty and Grinberg and I found it much more 'candid' about things, especially when it came to the issue of combat losses

Re: anything on the airbattle over Kuban?
 

Hi Nick,

Here are some more details about the books already mentioned, plus some additional resources:

• "Black Cross Red Star, Volume 5 - The Great Air Battles: Kuban & Kursk April-July 1943" by Christer Bergström, Vaktel Books, 2020, ISBN 978-91-88441-57-7
  By far the most comprehensive reference, with 133 pages dedicated to the Kuban Bridgehead.
• "Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941-45" by Von Hardesty, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1982, ISBN 0-87474-510-1
  Contains a chapter (27 pages) describing the air engagements over the Kuban.
• "Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II" by Von Hardesty & Ilya Grinberg, University Press of Kansas, 2012, ISBN 978-0-7006-1828-6
  A completely revised and expanded version of "Red Phoenix". The updated Kuban chapter spans 42 pages.
• "The German Air Force Versus Russia 1943" by Hermann Plocher, Arno Press, 1967, no ISBN
  The German perspective. Part of a series of historical studies written by German officers for the USAF Historical Division. Contains a 27-page chapter on the Kuban air battle.
• "The Soviet Air Force in World War II: The Official History" by Roy Wagner (editor), Doubleday, 1973, ISBN 0-385-04768-1
  The official Soviet perspective. 17 pages on the Kuban.
• "Air War over Russia" by Michael Brookes, Ian Allan Publishing, 2003, ISBN 0-7110-2890-7
  The Kuban chapter isn't long (8 pages), but it's quite dense.
• "Black Cross Red Star, Volume 4 - Stalingrad to Kuban" by Christer Bergström, Vaktel Books, 2019, ISBN 978-91-88441-21-8
  Contains two chapters (36 pages) covering the period from February and March 1943, during which both sides were preparing for the Kuban air battle.

Hope that helps,
Leon Venter

Re: anything on the airbattle over Kuban?
 

Hi Nick,

Russian historian Andrey Kuznetsov has been researching for a book on this subject for many years now, and no doubt it will be the definitive work when it sees the light of day. He has studied all the available Soviet and German sources, and is an excellent researcher and writer.

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

Re: anything on the airbattle over Kuban?
 

Now that is great news!