[leonventer]

Originally Posted by NickM

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

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