Full Description
The Soviet Air Force had just started to re-equip with modern fighters when the Germans opened Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Hundreds of fighters were destroyed in the first few days, but many of these were obsolete biplanes and monoplanes. The remaining fighters, including more modern types such as the MiG-3 and LaGG-3, tried to stem the Nazi advance. This book details the development of the Red Air Force fighters, from the dark days of Operation Barbarossa, to eventual triumph over the ruins of Berlin. Starting with obsolete aircraft such as the Polikarpov biplane and monoplane fighters, the Soviets then settled on two main lines of development; the inline-engined LaGG-3 and its radial-engined derivatives, the La-5 and La-7, and the inline-engined Yakovlev fighters, which were produced in greater numbers than any other series of fighters. Not only are these aircraft described in great detail, but experimental fighters are also dealt with. In addition to the descriptions, accurate colour profiles are provided illustrating the evolution of these aircraft in terms of design, camouflage, and markings. From the fixed undercarriage I-15bis biplane of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, to the superb La-7 and Yak-3 fighters of the last year of the war, the fighters of the Red Air Force are all covered in this comprehensive book.
Contents
Acknowledgements; Glossary; Preface; Timeline; Introduction; 1 Pre-Second World War Soviet Fighters; 2 Second World War Fighters; 3 Lavochkin Fighters; 4 Mikoyan-Gurevich; 5 Polikarpov; 6 Yakovlev; 7 Twin-Engined Fighters; 8 Colours and Markings in General; 9 Soviet Second World War Fighter Specifications; 10 Non-Soviet Second World War Fighter Specifications; 11 Experimental Fighters; 12 Experimental Fighter Specifications; 13 Concluding Thoughts; Appendix I: Ordnance; Appendix II: Soviet Fighter Doctrine During the Second World War; Appendix III: Soviet Fighter Organisation During the Second World War; Appendix IV: Soviet Fighter Pilot Training; Appendix V: Top Soviet Fighter Aces (Pilots With Fifty or More Kills); Appendix VI: Production Figures; Appendix VII: Fighter Production During the Great Patriotic War for Germany and the Soviet Union; Appendix VIII: Total Fighter Combat Losses During the Great Patriotic War; Bibliography; Index.
