He had flown 2,530 operational flights and had destroyed over 500 Russian tanks and a Russian battleship. The WW2 German Lufftwaffe Junkers JU87 Stuka pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the only pilot in WW2 ever to be awarded the German Knights Cross to the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. The necessary skills would be to build and fly a Stuka to make history come back A next great project for someone with the money, time and New ME262s haveīeen built and are flying. I really wish to see a JU87 Stuka flying again at an airshow.

In addition, Loza details the organization and operations of the unit's noncombat personnel-who refueled and maintained the aircraft, cleaned and reloaded the guns, packed the parachutes, treated the wounded, guarded the airfields, and commanded the squadrons and regiments.īased on interviews with Soviet veterans and extensive access to squadron histories and logbooks, Loza provides a rare and insightful look at what it was like to live and fight in this victorious air unit.German Luftwaffe Junkers JU87 Stuka Dive Bomber Center stage in Loza's story are the P-39 pilots and ground crews themselves, including remarkable Captain Aleksandr Pokryshkin and Major Gregoriy Rechkalov, two of the Soviets' top four aces. So despite the occasional strafing of trains, truck convoys, and troops, most P-39 operations involved attacks on Luftwaffe bombers and dogfights with their fighter escorts. Providing a rare insider’s look at Russian air operations, it’s a welcome addition to the history of the air war in World War II.” -Von Hardesty, author of Red Phoenix: The Rise of Soviet Air Power, 1941–1945 See fewer reviews.įocusing on the combat operations and daily life of one unit-the 9th Guards Fighter Division-Loza refutes the myth that the P-39 was used mainly as a 'tank buster' or 'flying artillery.' Instead, its primary mission was to protect Red Army operations from aerial attacks by the enemy. “Loza’s fascinating and insightful book shows that the seemingly obsolete P-39 aircraft did much more than ‘tank busting’ on the Eastern Front. It deserves a wide readership.” -David M. “An extraordinarily accurate and vivid account-superbly translated by James Gebhardt-of the combat experiences and everyday lives of Red Army fighter pilots who flew American planes during the Great Patriotic War. “If you like vigorous and heroic air combat, you’ll love this book.” - Virginia Quarterly Review Based on interviews with Soviet veterans and extensive access to squadron histories and log books, this account provides a rare and insightful look at what it was like to live and fight in this victorious air unit.” - Air Classics See all reviews. Loza vividly re-creates the battle campaigns of this odd coupling of capitalist planes and Marxist pilots and allows access to a little-known part of the air war on the Eastern Front. The impact was dramatic as the Soviets quickly adapted the planes into a devastatingly lethal force. “During its titanic military struggle with Germany, the Soviet Union received a major boost with the arrival and deployment of nearly 5,000 Bell P-39 Airacobra fighters-courtesy of America’s Lend-Lease program. It is a major addition to air power and World War II history and is highly recommended. This is a splendid book that deals with both of these subjects in detail and with skill. The second area of neglect is the air war on the eastern front viewed from the Soviet perspective.

The first is the aircraft, the Bell P-39. “An important book for air power and World War II history as it covers two topics long neglected by English speaking writers and readers. Built for short range and relatively low altitudes, the P-39 was equipped with a powerful engine and weapons that enabled it to outduel and eventually dominate the Luftwaffe from the Caucusus foothills to Berlin.

The P-39 proved to be the right plane at the right time for a beleaguered Red Air Force. Dmitriy Loza's account, admirably translated and edited by James Gebhardt, vividly re-creates the battle campaigns of this odd coupling of capitalist planes and Marxist pilots and shines a bright light on a little known part of the air war on the Eastern Front. The impact was dramatic, as the Soviets quickly adapted the planes into a devastatingly lethal force. During its titanic military struggle with Germany, the Soviet Union received a major boost with the arrival and deployment of nearly 5,000 Bell P-39 Airacobra fighter planes-courtesy of America's Lend-Lease program.

Tank buster ww2