Hello Bronc,
Maybe you remember the thread of 2017 with your participation about "War Over The Steppes:
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showth...ht=War+Steppes
The beginning of that closed thread is more or less informative.
I should add that the book in question is full of strange statements.
For example the statement "On any given combat mission in 1941, 1942, 1943, and 1944, well over half (1/2) of the Russian combat pilots (in a vast formation) were flying their very first combat mission" is absolutely incorrect. To date on
https://pamyat-naroda.ru/documents/ has uploaded a lot of scans of regiments' diaries with day-by-day list of missions with the names of all participated pilots in each mission. You can personally check whether the statement you quoted is true.
There were definitely serious problems with training etc., but still the picture was less apocalyptic than can be concluded from the book.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Broncazonk
...the desperate need for them (Russian replacement pilots in 1942) meant the 'foals' (sherebyat) went to reserve units ...
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It is unclear where he got the idea that young pilots were called "foals". It sounds strange. Pilots who were not put into operation yet or inexperienced pilots were called "young pilots" or, more unofficially, youngsters. This Hooton's statement is a trifle, but it creates an additional feeling of falseness.
The same is for the statement "... two aircraft ("para"), commonly described by the
very un-socialist term of ‘Master’ and ‘Slave’ (vedushchiy i vedomyy)".
"Vedushchiy" (= ведущий) is a leader or, literally, "the one who leads", vedomyy (= ведомый) is a wingman or, literally, "the one who is being led. It is a great error to translate it as "master and slave" with the emphasis on the "non-socialist" nature of the terms. Neither in the Soviet nor in the Tsarist Air Forces, the terms "master and slave" were impossible in principle.
Best regards,
Andrey