Book Review of
Air War on the Eastern Front
Author: Mike Guardia
Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 978-1-61200-908-7
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $24.95
Copyright 2020
ISBN: 978-1-61200-908-7
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $24.95
Copyright 2020
HISTORY:
In June 1941, having conquered most of Western Europe, Hitler turned his attention to the Soviet Union. Disregarding his Non-Aggression Pact with Stalin, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, a full-scale invasion of the Soviet homeland.
The Soviet Air Force of 1941 had not recovered from Stalin’s perennial purges during the 1930’s, when many of its best pilots had been executed. It was therefore no match for the battle-hardened airmen of the Luftwaffe during the opening days of Barbarossa.
Although the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily, the Red Air Force, managed to fly nearly 6,000 sorties on the first day of the air war, thousands of Soviet aircraft were destroyed on the ground before their pilots ever had the opportunity to meet the Luftwaffe in the skies.
Though caught on the back foot, that summer the Red Air Force began to re-evaluate its tactics and increase its effectiveness against the Luftwaffe, and its factories produced new aircraft at a breakneck speed that the Axis could never equal. Over time, the Soviet airmen regained the initiative and eventually wrested air superiority from the now-ailing Axis powers.
During the opening days of Operation Barbarossa in June 1943, the flyers of the Luftwaffe made short work of the Soviet Air force. However, the Soviet pilots slowly regained the initiative and by 1944 had air superiority across the Eastern Front, enabling Russian pilots to support the Soviet advance toward Berlin.
THE BOOK:
Casemate Publishers is based in Pennsylvania, USA.
This book is soft-cover with fold-over panels on the front and rear covers. It is in 10” x 7” page format of 128 pages.
The front cover art shows a line of 3 Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-3’s on an airfield. Although the Mig-3 performed well at higher altitudes, most of the air battles along the Eastern Front were low-altitude engagements – wherein the Mig-3 often fell prey to the German Bf-209.
At the bottom of the front cover there are 3 more black and white photos. The one on the left shows a flight of 3 Bf.109s. On the top right is a photo of a Yak-3 in flight. Below it is a photo of 2 Bf-109s on an airfield.
The back cover shows German soldiers marching, on the left top. On the right top is a photo of a Ju-88 from KG 77 in flight near the Mediterranean. At the bottom there is a photo of 10 U.S. Douglas A-20’s given to Russia as Lend-Lease.
Underneath the A-20’s is a color profile of a Heinkel He-111.
The Casemate Illustrated title examines the Luftwaffe and Red Air Force, the strategy and tactics developed for missions above the immense Eastern Front theater, and how the air war above the steppes played out from Barbarossa through Soviet counter-offensives to the advance on Berlin and the fall of Germany.
The book contains 171 black and white photos and 14 color photos.
There are 7 maps and 8 color profiles. The profiles are of a Ilyushin IL-2 “Sturmovik”, a Lavochkin La-5, Mig-3, a lend-lease P-39 Airacobra, a Junker Ju-97C “Stuka”, a Bf-109G “Gustav”, a Focke-Wulf Fw-190A-9, and a Heinkel He-111.
In black and white photos there are: 15 of the Ju-87 “Stuka”, 17 of the Ilyushin IL-2 “Sturmovik”, 6 of the Messerschmitt Bf 109, a Morane-Saulnier G monoplane, a Polikarpov I-5 prototype, a Su-2, a Yak UT-1, a Lagg-3, a La-5, a La-7, two Yak-1’s, a Yak-3, two of a Yak-9DD, two of a Yak-7A, five of a Mig-3, three of a Pe-2, a Tupolev SB bomber, six of a Heinkel He-111, eight of a Focke-Wulf Fw-190D, five of a Junker Ju-88, a Polikarpov I-16, a Dornier Do-17, two of a lend-lease P-39, a lend-lease British Hurricane, five of a Junkers Ju-52, a Gotha Go-243, two of a Junkers Ju-290, a lend-lease P-40, two of a lend-lease Douglas A-20 and a lend-lease B-17 Fortress.
There is also a photo of a barrage balloon and a portrait of Hermann Goring and a Soviet female fighter ace who had 20 victories.
The fold-over flap on the back cover says that author Mike Guardia an internationally recognized author and military historian. A veteran of the United States Army, he served 6 years of active duty (2008-2014) as an armor officer.
He is the author of the widely acclaimed Hal Moore, A Soldier Once and Always, the first ever biography chronicling the life of LTC. Harold G. Moore, whose battlefield leadership was popularized by the film “We Were Soldiers”, starring Mel Gibson.
Mike has twice been nominated for the Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Book Award and is an active member in the Military Writers Society of America.
This is a neat aircraft picture album, showing the air forces of Germany and Russia on the Eastern Front.
It will be of great interest to both modelers and aircraft historians alike.
I wish to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. All Casemate book titles can be viewed on their website at:
In June 1941, having conquered most of Western Europe, Hitler turned his attention to the Soviet Union. Disregarding his Non-Aggression Pact with Stalin, Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, a full-scale invasion of the Soviet homeland.
The Soviet Air Force of 1941 had not recovered from Stalin’s perennial purges during the 1930’s, when many of its best pilots had been executed. It was therefore no match for the battle-hardened airmen of the Luftwaffe during the opening days of Barbarossa.
Although the Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily, the Red Air Force, managed to fly nearly 6,000 sorties on the first day of the air war, thousands of Soviet aircraft were destroyed on the ground before their pilots ever had the opportunity to meet the Luftwaffe in the skies.
Though caught on the back foot, that summer the Red Air Force began to re-evaluate its tactics and increase its effectiveness against the Luftwaffe, and its factories produced new aircraft at a breakneck speed that the Axis could never equal. Over time, the Soviet airmen regained the initiative and eventually wrested air superiority from the now-ailing Axis powers.
During the opening days of Operation Barbarossa in June 1943, the flyers of the Luftwaffe made short work of the Soviet Air force. However, the Soviet pilots slowly regained the initiative and by 1944 had air superiority across the Eastern Front, enabling Russian pilots to support the Soviet advance toward Berlin.
THE BOOK:
Casemate Publishers is based in Pennsylvania, USA.
This book is soft-cover with fold-over panels on the front and rear covers. It is in 10” x 7” page format of 128 pages.
The front cover art shows a line of 3 Mikoyan-Gurevich Mig-3’s on an airfield. Although the Mig-3 performed well at higher altitudes, most of the air battles along the Eastern Front were low-altitude engagements – wherein the Mig-3 often fell prey to the German Bf-209.
At the bottom of the front cover there are 3 more black and white photos. The one on the left shows a flight of 3 Bf.109s. On the top right is a photo of a Yak-3 in flight. Below it is a photo of 2 Bf-109s on an airfield.
The back cover shows German soldiers marching, on the left top. On the right top is a photo of a Ju-88 from KG 77 in flight near the Mediterranean. At the bottom there is a photo of 10 U.S. Douglas A-20’s given to Russia as Lend-Lease.
Underneath the A-20’s is a color profile of a Heinkel He-111.
The Casemate Illustrated title examines the Luftwaffe and Red Air Force, the strategy and tactics developed for missions above the immense Eastern Front theater, and how the air war above the steppes played out from Barbarossa through Soviet counter-offensives to the advance on Berlin and the fall of Germany.
The book contains 171 black and white photos and 14 color photos.
There are 7 maps and 8 color profiles. The profiles are of a Ilyushin IL-2 “Sturmovik”, a Lavochkin La-5, Mig-3, a lend-lease P-39 Airacobra, a Junker Ju-97C “Stuka”, a Bf-109G “Gustav”, a Focke-Wulf Fw-190A-9, and a Heinkel He-111.
In black and white photos there are: 15 of the Ju-87 “Stuka”, 17 of the Ilyushin IL-2 “Sturmovik”, 6 of the Messerschmitt Bf 109, a Morane-Saulnier G monoplane, a Polikarpov I-5 prototype, a Su-2, a Yak UT-1, a Lagg-3, a La-5, a La-7, two Yak-1’s, a Yak-3, two of a Yak-9DD, two of a Yak-7A, five of a Mig-3, three of a Pe-2, a Tupolev SB bomber, six of a Heinkel He-111, eight of a Focke-Wulf Fw-190D, five of a Junker Ju-88, a Polikarpov I-16, a Dornier Do-17, two of a lend-lease P-39, a lend-lease British Hurricane, five of a Junkers Ju-52, a Gotha Go-243, two of a Junkers Ju-290, a lend-lease P-40, two of a lend-lease Douglas A-20 and a lend-lease B-17 Fortress.
There is also a photo of a barrage balloon and a portrait of Hermann Goring and a Soviet female fighter ace who had 20 victories.
The fold-over flap on the back cover says that author Mike Guardia an internationally recognized author and military historian. A veteran of the United States Army, he served 6 years of active duty (2008-2014) as an armor officer.
He is the author of the widely acclaimed Hal Moore, A Soldier Once and Always, the first ever biography chronicling the life of LTC. Harold G. Moore, whose battlefield leadership was popularized by the film “We Were Soldiers”, starring Mel Gibson.
Mike has twice been nominated for the Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Book Award and is an active member in the Military Writers Society of America.
This is a neat aircraft picture album, showing the air forces of Germany and Russia on the Eastern Front.
It will be of great interest to both modelers and aircraft historians alike.
I wish to sincerely thank Casemate Publishers for this review sample. All Casemate book titles can be viewed on their website at:
Highly recommended.