Stalin'S Falcons Resurgent  (English, Hardcover, O'Neill Mark A.)

This book describes the impact of Soviet air power on the battles in and around the Kursk bulge during the Summer and Autumn of 1943. Soviet fighter, ground-attack and bomber pilots contributed dramatically to the success of both the defensive and offensive phases of the Battle of Kursk and the subsequent drive to the Dnepr. After a slow start against initial Luftwaffe attacks on 5th July, the 16th, 2nd and 17th Air Armies adjusted battlefield tactics to resist German bombers as well as provide increasingly effective support to Soviet infantry and armour units. The Summer of 1943 saw the Red Air Force complete its return from near annihilation during the first months of Operation Barbarossa. While Soviet pilots were still dramatically short on training and other resources, they would increase in combat effectiveness for the rest of the Great Patriotic War, while their opponents would continue to lose combat effectiveness.Stalin's Falcon's Resurgent utilises previously unavailable contemporary Soviet documents to gain a clearer idea of how the Soviet Air Force (or VVS) gained air superiority over the Luftwaffe during the Summer offensive of 1943, besides drawing on German unit histories from many of the ground units that participated in the battle.About the AuthorMark A O'Neill is currently an adjunct history instructor at the Florida State University and Tallahassee Community College. He received his Ph.D. in Modern Soviet and Russian History from Florida State University in 1996.