Aces at Kursk: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943

[Edward]

Thank you Nick and Leon for your description of Lawrence's new book.

I own copies of Christer Bergström's two books:
Kursk - The Air Battle: July 1943 (2008)
Black Cross Red Star Vol. V - The Great Air Battles: Kuban and Kursk April-July 1943 (2020)

I do not especially need a copy of Aces at Kursk (and certainly don't have room for it on any book shelf) but am very curious as to what new material it might bring to the table.

Edward

[Edward]

Coming next year from Osprey

Kursk 1943: Airpower in the Eastern Front's most pivotal battle
(Osprey Publishing - 28 August 2025)
By William E. Hiestand
Illustrated by Graham Turner

"A history and analysis of the fierce air war over the Kursk battlefield, where the Soviet air forces for the first time fought the all-conquering Luftwaffe to a standstill.

The battle of Kursk was the last opportunity for the Luftwaffe to fully support a large-scale offensive, and was the Soviet air forces’ first success in battling their opponents to a standstill during summer months. Aiming to gain a success to stabilize the Eastern Front for the summer, Hitler ordered a concerted attack intended to cut off and destroy Red Army forces holding the Kursk salient. The Axis and Soviets deployed thousands of armoured fighting vehicles, and huge clashes took place among the minefields and trenches to the north and south of the salient.

In this book William E. Hiestand explains how the complex air war over Kursk played out. Massive engagements took place above the clashes of armor, with both sides deploying for the first time masses of aircraft specifically designed for destroying tanks and other ground targets. It was a struggle to attain air superiority, while bringing their Stukas, Hs 129s, and Il-2 Shturmoviks down for repeated low-level attack runs in the face of enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire. But the campaign also involved strategic bombing behind the front lines, attacking airfields and rail junctions.

Offering a day-by-day examination of the air forces’ actions, this book reveals the scale and intensity of the combat over the Kursk salient, the great turning point on the Eastern Front."

https://www.ospreypublishing.com/uk/...-air-campaign/

[NickM]

Originally Posted by Edward

Thank you Nick and Leon for your description of Lawrence's new book.

I own copies of Christer Bergström's two books:
Kursk - The Air Battle: July 1943 (2008)
Black Cross Red Star Vol. V - The Great Air Battles: Kuban and Kursk April-July 1943 (2020)

I do not especially need a copy of Aces at Kursk (and certainly don't have room for it on any book shelf) but am very curious as to what new material it might bring to the table.

Edward

I don't know what would constitute 'new' material RE: Kursk, though he does do a deep dive into the stats RE: the battle. Now, however early in the book the author did reference the battle of Kuban (I got the impression the Germans did quite well in that theater) so I immediately concluded a good book about the Air Battle over Kuban was a must. Apart from Bergstrom's, can you also recommend any other books on the subject?


TIA


NM