[Carl-Fredrik Geust]

Dear friends,

thank you for your interest in my books Red Stars 5 (published in 2004 together with Samuil Tirkeltaub and Gennadiy Petrov; both from St.Petersburg), and the recent Red Stars 7 (with me as sole author). These two books are entirely different, as is indicated by the subtitles:

- RS 5 - "Baltic Fleet Air Force in Winter War" (192 pages, day-by day chronicle of VVS KBF from 30 Nov 1939 to 13 March 1940),
- while RS 7 - "The Winter War in the air" describes the air operations along the over 1000 km long land border from Gulf of Finland up to the Arctic Ocean.

RS 7 is in fact a "VVS RKKA encyclopedia" on 352 pages, incorporating history and war chronicle of ALL participating VVS RKKA units, from VVS RKKA command, Army Air Forces [eg. VVS 7.A etc], Aviation Brigades [ABr], Aviation Regiments [IAP etc], down to Detached Aviation Escadrilles [OAE], Detached Aviation Units [OAO], Aviation Groups [AG] and Civil Aviation Fleet units. Appendices include OoB (30 Nov 1939 and 13 Mar 1940), full lists of HSUs, personell losses, AF bases and numbers, target codes etc.

The back cover text of the publisher reads as follows:
" The seventh volume of the acclaimed Red Stars-book series by the well-known aviation historian Carl-Fredrik Geust presents the operations of the Soviet Air Force (VVS) along the long Finnish-Soviet front during the Winter war 1939-1940. The extremely detailed unit and combat chronicles are based on extensive archive research in Russia and Finland. The text is accompanied by over 320 top quality photos (most of which most are published for the first time ever), 28 color profiles and 5 maps. The Soviet Air Force Order of Battle 30 Nov 1939 and 13 Mar 1940, AF Unit Numbers, AF Bases, Aerial Victory Claims and Losses are presented in detailled data tables."

Waiting for the comments of the esteemed Board membership,
Carl-Fredrik Geust