Overview

Soviet Airpower in World War II examines the Red Air Force as it actually fought-shaped by industrial constraint, doctrinal upheaval, and the brutal demands of a continental war fought at close range. From the catastrophic losses of 1941 through the hard-won operational competence of 1944-45, this volume traces how Soviet aviation evolved in structure, training, tactics, and material culture under relentless pressure. Rather than celebrating individual aces or isolated aircraft types, the book treats airpower as a system: design bureaus struggling with metallurgy and engines, production lines forced into evacuation and improvisation, and frontline units adapting doctrine to weather, terrain, and enemy response. Fighters, bombers, reconnaissance aircraft, trainers, and ground-attack aviation are examined in terms of how they were organized, armed, and employed, not how they appeared on paper. Drawing on technical data, operational records, and contemporary accounts, this study places Soviet airpower alongside its German, British, and American counterparts without propaganda or apology. The result is a clear, technical portrait of an air force that survived near collapse and emerged effective through attrition, adaptation, and scale-an essential reference for readers seeking to understand how air war was actually fought on the Eastern Front.

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