Books on Soviet air units, campaigns in ww2?

[phuture]

There is obviously a huge amount of books available detailing the Luftwaffe during ww2, but very little regarding the soviet air forces during this time.
Can anyone suggest some (English) books on the soviet air war, preferably concentrating on the units and the campaigns they took part in?

I do have Soviet Air Power in World War 2 which is very good at detailing the hardware, but has little on the campaigns and how the aircraft were used.
There are a few osprey aces books which are interesting, and gems like Attack of the Airacobras: Soviet Aces, American P-39s, and the Air War Against Germany.

I've also noticed a few personal accounts of soviet fighter or bomber pilots coming through as books. Can anyone recommend any of these autobiographies that stand out?
thanks
ph

[Nikita Egorov]

The only book that I can recommend and possibly the only detailed history of Soviet unit in WWII released in english is "Dragons on Bird wings" by Vlad Antipov and Igor Utkin, devoted to the history of 812 IAP.

There is more interest in German units histories issued in English than in Soviet units, I suppose this book will remain the single one for the time being...

[mars]

Originally Posted by Nikita Egorov

The only book that I can recommend and possibly the only detailed history of Soviet unit in WWII released in english is "Dragons on Bird wings" by Vlad Antipov and Igor Utkin, devoted to the history of 812 IAP.

There is more interest in German units histories issued in English than in Soviet units, I suppose this book will remain the single one for the time being...

Is there any update about the second volumn of this book?

[phuture]

Thanks Nikita, that book looks very interesting. I've ordered one and hopefully it should be on its way to me soon.
I'd be interested what state volume 2 is in as well.
thanks
PH

[leonventer]

Originally Posted by phuture

Can anyone suggest some (English) books on the soviet air war, preferably concentrating on the units and the campaigns they took part in?

In addition to the excellent book recommended by Nikita, here are some other titles for you to consider.

Books dedicated to the Soviet Air Force:

• "The Soviet Air Force in World War II: The Official History", edited by Ray Wagner, Doubleday, 1973, ISBN 0-385-04768-1, 440 pages
• "Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power 1941-1945" by Von Hardesty, Smithsonian, 1982, ISBN 0-87474-510-1, 288 pages

Books about both sides:

• "Black Cross/Red Star: The Air War over the Eastern Front, vols. 1/2/3" by Bergström et al, Pacifica/Pacifica/Eagle Editions, 2000/2001/2006, 307/232/280 pages
• "Barbarossa", "Stalingrad", "Kursk", "Bagration to Berlin" by Bergström, Classic Pubs, 2007/2007/2007/2008, 144 pages each
• "From Barbarossa to Odessa, vols. 1 & 2" by Bernad, Karlenko and Roba, Midland, 2007/2008, 96 pages each
• "Air War over Russia" by Brookes, Ian Allan Pubs, 2003, ISBN 0-7110-2890-7, 160 pages

I've also noticed a few personal accounts of soviet fighter or bomber pilots coming through as books. Can anyone recommend any of these autobiographies that stand out?

I enjoyed Emelianenko's "Red Star against the Swastika". Mariinskiy's "Red Star Airacobra" is almost unreadable due to poor writing, translation and/or editing -- after several attempts, I've not yet been able to finish it.

I have these books on my to-be-read pile:

• "Barbarossa and the Retreat to Moscow: Recollections of Fighter Pilots on the Eastern Front" by Drabkin
  
• "Bomber Pilot on the Eastern Front: 307 Missions behind Enemy Lines" by Reshetnikov
• "Swastika in the Gunsight: Memoirs of a Russian Fighter Pilot 1941-43" by Kaberov

Hope that helps,
Leon Venter

[kolya1]

- You could also try "Attack of the Airacobras - Soviet Aces, American P-39s & the air war against Germany" by Dmitriy Loza, about 9 GIAD.

The book includes a lot of interresting information but, if I had to choose, I'd clearly prefer Antipov's history of 812th IAP (I'm waiting for the second volume too).

- As far as campaigns are concerned (aside from the "Black Cross/Red Star" series and the "Air Battle" series) : Bernad, Karlenko and Roba wrote "From Barbarossa to Odessa" describing in detail the fighting on the Southern part of the Eastern Front in 1941.

- Emelianenko's "Red Star against the Swastika" is indeed very good (and includes a list of his unit's personnel losses).

I also enjoyed Reshetnikov's "Bomber Pilot on the Eastern Front: 307 Missions behind Enemy Lines", which gives an interesting view of the ADD's war at night, but in which you won't find much precise data. On the other hand, Pokryshkin's memoirs somewhat disappointed me, although that could be in part explained by the poor quality of the French translation I had.

- Besides, a number of unit histories and memoirs were written in French about the "Normandie-Niemen" fighter group which fought on the Eastern Front with Yak fighters. Maybe some of them were translated in English...

[phuture]

thanks for the replies.
Yes Leon, very helpful. I'll look up some of those books especially Emelianenko’s.
What is The Soviet Air Force in World War II: The Official History, by Ray Wagner like? I wonder if more detailed information has come to light since this book was published....
I do have the Bergström books ( barring the impossibly priced Black Cross/Red Star vol 1 and 3).
Kolya1, I believe there is an English translation of a Normandie-Niemen book called French Eagles, Soviet Heroes. It does have some poor reviews on amazon regarding the quality of translation though. Shame.

[Evgeny Velichko]

Try this:

Air Power History, Fall, 2008 by Daniel J. Simonsen

Barbarossa and the Retreat to Moscow: Recollections of Fighter Pilots on the Eastern Front. By Artem Drabkin. UK: Pen and Sword, 2007. Map. Photographs. Notes. Illustrations. Appendices. Glossary. Index. Pp xv, 158. $39.95. ISBN: 1-84415-563-7

Artem Drabkin does an excellent job of sharing the stories and experiences of a handful of Soviet fighter pilots (all with fewer than 15 individual kills--typical for the VVS) and one aircraft maintenance troop. He searched out and interviewed Soviet Air Force (VVS) veterans from the Great Patriotic War (World War II). This book is a compilation of six of these interviews and is divided into separate chapters for each interview. It is very apparent that Drabkin painstakingly recorded and transcribed the veterans' experiences, making sure to share their stories in their own words. By always relaying the interviews in an intact format, some points are, of necessity, repeated. However, this helps to press home certain underlying themes or shared experiences throughout the book.

The book contains candid, honest, unedited opinions and memories from the Soviet viewpoint. The interviewees discuss how unprepared the Soviet Air Force was for war. They all share their stories about how they became interested in flying and ended up as fighter pilots. Interestingly, several of the pilots mentioned they were attracted to the uniforms!

Each of the pilots gave his opinion of how Soviet fighters compared to German fighters, his favorite airplane, and the most dangerous German aircraft to try to shoot down. All of them disliked the British Hurricane. Most of them preferred flying a Soviet plane, such as the Yak-1, rather than fly a Lend-Lease aircraft like the P-39 or P-40. They all compared their aircraft honestly and often favorably to their German foes, making sure to point out how to fight with and against each aircraft. Interestingly, at one time or another, all the pilots were shot down. Several were shot down multiple times and to a man worked to get away from the substandard medical care available in the Soviet hospitals.

A theme that flows through the book is how alcohol, mainly vodka, was a constant in their day. Only one pilot said that he didn't drink before or after a sortie and commented that, for him, alcohol and flying didn't mix. A second theme is the greater Soviet mistrust of their own people. Each squadron had a SMERSh (death to spies, part of the NKVD) representative. "The rule was: if you disengaged without reason, SMERSh would investigate you immediately." Another pilot relates how he was shot down behind German lines. His face was severely burned, but after ton days he miraculously escaped and got back to Soviet lines. He was subsequently investigated as a traitor and released only because he was a prisoner for just ten days.

The book is filled with interesting stories of Soviet bureaucracy, air combat on the Eastern Front, and personalized insight into the Soviet war experience. The chapters are captivating and gripping, helping to make the book an easy and enjoyable read. Any reader not overly familiar with World War II aircraft should first read Appendix 2 (Soviet Aircraft) and look at the photos of the aircraft.

If you're looking for an in-depth, comprehensive analysis of the early days of the air war on the Eastern Front, this is not the book for you. However, if you want a personalized view from the seldom seen Soviet viewpoint, this book is an absolute must read.

Lt. Col. Daniel J. Simonsen, USAF, Commander AFROTC Detachment 305, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, Louisiana

http://cgi.ebay.com/Barbarossa-and-t...24148006r32135

[yogybär]

- 1973 "official history" is a real soviet book with propagandistic episodes but also some useful information
- Pokrishkin's german version is quite nice IMHO (and cheap because GDR-print)
- A 70'ies german translation of an IL2-pilot is called "Lebe in Sekunden", quite interesting (and cheap because GDR-print)
- Another cheap GDR-print is "Als erste in der Heimat" bei Fajtl, a "czechoslovak" fighter pilot who left the RAF to fight in the VVS togteher with comrades
- "Attack of the Aircobra" is not as good as I hoped, "just" nice
- Astonishingly very good is the Osprey book on IL2 guards units, their other stuff is not worth mentioning
- One very good german book with hundreds of pilot's short-bigraphies is "Stalins Falcons" or so, please PM me for the exact title