Air War Over Russia Hardback - 2003

In June 1941 Adolf Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia and the defining moment of World War 2. Unrestricted total war was released onto a massive area of central and Eastern Europe. On the ground and in the air the massive forces of Germany and the Soviet Union fought out opic battles that stretched as far east as Moscow and Stalingrad before the inexorable strength of the Soviet forces gradually forced the Axis armies to retreat westwards to Berlin and beyond. Historians have made us familiar with the period's great land battles, for example, Starlingrad, Kursk and Leningrad. What is less familiar, however, is the tale of the evolving aerial strategies adopted by the Luftwaffe and the Russians. Initially outclassed and outperformed by the might of the Luftwaffe on the Eastern Front, Soviet equipment and tactics improved immeasurably during the war, thereby helping to negate the potency of the Luftwaffe in the various theatres. Drawing upon his knowledge as a professional pilot and on detailed researches, Andrew Brookes examines the history of the aerial war on the Eastern Front.Covering the war chronologically, the author initially examines the strategic balance before analysing the role of the Luftwaffe in the first phase of Barbarossa, with the Germans again adopting their Blitzkrieg tactics. Subsequent chapters record the changing strategic balance as the Russians employ more potent aircraft, including many supplied through the Arctic convoys by Britain and the USA, as the tide of war turned against the Germans. Supplementing the author's well-researched and authoritative text are over 160 mono illustrations including line drawings and contemporary photographs.