[leonventer]

Originally Posted by phuture

Can anyone suggest some (English) books on the soviet air war, preferably concentrating on the units and the campaigns they took part in?

In addition to the excellent book recommended by Nikita, here are some other titles for you to consider.

Books dedicated to the Soviet Air Force:

• "The Soviet Air Force in World War II: The Official History", edited by Ray Wagner, Doubleday, 1973, ISBN 0-385-04768-1, 440 pages
• "Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941-1945" by Von Hardesty, Smithsonian, 1982, ISBN 0-87474-510-1, 288 pages

Books about both sides:

• "Black Cross/Red Star: The Air War over the Eastern Front, vols. 1/2/3" by Bergström et al, Pacifica/Pacifica/Eagle Editions, 2000/2001/2006, 307/232/280 pages
• "Barbarossa", "Stalingrad", "Kursk", "Bagration to Berlin" by Bergström, Classic Pubs, 2007/2007/2007/2008, 144 pages each
• "From Barbarossa to Odessa, vols. 1 & 2" by Bernad, Karlenko and Roba, Midland, 2007/2008, 96 pages each
• "Air War over Russia" by Brookes, Ian Allan Pubs, 2003, ISBN 0-7110-2890-7, 160 pages

I've also noticed a few personal accounts of soviet fighter or bomber pilots coming through as books. Can anyone recommend any of these autobiographies that stand out?

I enjoyed Emelianenko's "Red Star against the Swastika". Mariinskiy's "Red Star Airacobra" is almost unreadable due to poor writing, translation and/or editing -- after several attempts, I've not yet been able to finish it.

I have these books on my to-be-read pile:

• "Barbarossa and the Retreat to Moscow: Recollections of Fighter Pilots on the Eastern Front" by Drabkin
  
• "Bomber Pilot on the Eastern Front: 307 Missions behind Enemy Lines" by Reshetnikov
• "Swastika in the Gunsight: Memoirs of a Russian Fighter Pilot 1941-43" by Kaberov

Hope that helps,
Leon Venter