Myths and Legends of the Eastern Front: Reassessing the Great Patriotic War [off topic]

[Jukka Juutinen]

E.g. against Finns in the summer of 1944 Soviet air power employment was very backward. It concentrated on close support when the most effective use would have been interdiction.

Soviet pilots' fighting spirit left also a lot to be desired. Even in 1944 Soviet fighter formations superior in numbers and equipment often fled from battle. A Soviet pilot shot down in late summer wondered during interrogation that Finnish pilots kept attacking even when way outnumbered and that without extra money for scoring (yes, the regime that promised to eliminate money actually paid extra for scoring etc. Hypocrites!).