Attack of the Airacobras: Soviet Aces, American P-39s, and the

Attack of the Airacobras: Soviet Aces, American P-39s, and the Air War Against Germany (Modern War Studies (Paperback))

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. The impact was dramatic, as the Soviets quickly adapted the planes into a devastatingly lethal 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 P-39 proved to be the right plane at the right time for a beleaguered Red Air Force. 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.

Focusing on the combat operations and daily life of one unitâ€”the 9th Guards Fighter Divisionâ€”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. 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.

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. In addition, Loza details the organization and operations of the unit's noncombat personnelâ€”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.

Based 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.

Country	USA
Author	Dmitriy Loza
Binding	Paperback
Brand	Brand: University Press of Kansas
EAN	9780700616541
Feature	Used Book in Good Condition
ISBN	0700616543
Label	University Press of Kansas
Manufacturer	University Press of Kansas
NumberOfItems	1
NumberOfPages	386
PublicationDate	2002-01-31
Publisher	University Press of Kansas
Studio	University Press of Kansas
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

Attack of the Airacobras: Soviet Aces, American P-39s, and the Air War Against Germany (Modern War Studies (Paperback))

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