Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power, 1941-1945

288 pp. Includes maps and nearly 150 black-and-white photographs. "Here for the first time is the full story, grippingly told, of the epic four-year conflict between the Soviet Air Force and Hitler's vaunted Luftwaffe--a little-known aspect of what has been described as the "Unknown War." Against a backdrop of brutal ground combat during World War II, air battles raged along the vast Eastern front as the adversaries struggled for mastery of the air. Caught woefully unprepared by the sudden German onslaught, on Sunday, June 22, 1941, the Soviet Air Force was all but annihilated at the outset. German aircraft were able to strike at will against critical targets, while Soviet pilots bravely struggled to fly into action from burning airfields. Once airborne, the Soviets faced an enemy with vastly superior training and equipment." "The author carefully researched the many Russian-language memoirs and histories that have appeared since 1960, and incorporates significant highlights from them in his text. He also examines such aspects of the Soviet war effort as air force leadership and tactics, pilot training and life at the front, the role of the Communist party, the concept of the "air offensive," aircraft design and production, and the functions of fighter, ground-attack, and bomber aviation."