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Posted

Hallo 

I intend to build in near future some aircraft from operation Barbarossa onward to 1945.

So, my first question which books you may suggest to read?

I ordered some kits already in 48 scale.

Pe-2 and Il-2.

Some fighter too. The kits I reley on are Zvedzda, Tamiya ( Il-2), and one from ICM.

This field is a white spot in my modelling life. Therefore open for any advice.

Happy modelling 

 

Posted

General aviation history books or modellers specific type books?

I recommend the Massimo Tessitori's Sovietwarplanes site and forum as the best online one-stop-shop for modelling the VVS aircraft.

As for books, Christer Bergstrom's Black Cross - Red Star series is good overall.

Helion published 3 books by Mikhail Timin dealing with events of 1941.

 

Older stuff is a bit of a minefield as there are periods of East and West propaganda books mixed with some revisionism-per-pay books by Russian authors. The definitive account of the war is still to be published.

 

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Posted

Midland Counties published two volumes of "Soviet Combat Aircraft" by Gordon/Khasanov 25 years ago. In my bookcase for a long time, but I can't comment on their usefulness.

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Posted

It is a first tiny step.

Thank you. 

Generally I look less for modelling books.

Modelling questions arrise of course. Due to painting or color questions. 

Generally I asume that production guidelines may have changed during years.

I know the difference of production from the T-34 modelling. 

Happy modelling 

Posted (edited)
10 hours ago, Ed Russell said:

Thanks for the tip - but let‘s invite Jason @Learstang as he may have some recommendations when it comes to more in-depth coverage than possible in those two books [actually I‘m interested in his opinion on the Polygon book on the Jak-1, but also on the AJ Press titles on the Yaks].

Edited by tempestfan
FAT fingers
  • Like 2
Posted

I've had the First Yak book since it was released decades ago. Pretty good for it's time but drawings were slightly chubby.

I don't remember anything about the AJ-press Yak books.

What I do know is that the best scale drawings for Yak-9 appeared in Russian M-Hobby magazine around 2017, and they are the basis for both Modelsvit and Zvezda kits.

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Posted
8 hours ago, dragonlanceHR said:

What I do know is that the best scale drawings for Yak-9 appeared in Russian M-Hobby magazine around 2017, and they are the basis for both Modelsvit and Zvezda kits.

The specific issues of M-Hobby with the Yak-9 drawings by Viktor Bogatov are as follows:

Yak-9 (initial production, no suffix) - 6 (168) 2015 (June)

Yak-9D - 7 (169) 2015 (July)

Yak-9T - 8 (170) 2015 (August)

Yak-9M - 9 (171) 2015 (September)

 

For the Yak-1b (Yak-1M in Polish service), issue 2/91 of the Polish magazine Skrzydla w Miniaturze has excellent drawings by Zbigniew Luranc.

 

John

  • Like 6
  • 2 weeks later...
Posted (edited)

"Dragons on Bird Wings: The Combat History of the 812 IAP, Vol. I" by Igor Utkin and Vlad Antipov, published by Aviaeology, is an absolute must read.

 

It is the only Soviet unit history ever published in English, not only is well researched and quite interesting for the subject matter alone but it is well illustrated with great quality photos and colour profiles, excellent scale drawings and detailed descriptions on the differences of the various series of Yak fighters, making it very useful to scale modelers. The 812th IAP had a very interesting history, including capturing a Bf-109 intact, shooting down an Me-262 in aerial combat, dogfights with FW-190Ds and were even strafed by Mustangs of the 359th FG over Mohrin AF in Germany.

 

There are only two downsides to the book. One, only Vol. I was completed, which is the period between 1941 to May 1944. Two, it was published back in 2006 and finding copies is becoming increasingly difficult.

 

My second recommendation would be the Yakovlev Yak-1 Monograph Special Edition by Sergei Kuznetsov, published by Kagero. It's split to Vol.I and Vol. II covering everything from the design, testing, manufacturing, development and combat history of the type. By far, the best researched volume on the subject, tons of fantastic scale drawings (I believe by Zbigniew Luranc), great photos and color profiles. Multiple series of the Yak-1 described in detail. It is the best source to model any version of the Yak-1.

 

Unlike "Dragons on Bird Wings" it was published recently but in limited quantity and it is difficult to find.

 

If you can find both volumes, and the aforementioned combat history of the 812th IAP, you are more or less settled to model any Yak fighter from the prototype I-26 from 1940 trough to mid-1944, with an added bonus to read some excellent research on the aerial war over the Eastern Front.

 

Links for each book (out of stock at publisher, unfortunately):

 

https://www.aviaeology.com/store/p156/Dragons-on-Bird-Wings_Volume-1.html#/

https://shop.kagero.pl/yak-1-vol-i.html

https://shop.kagero.pl/yakovlev-yak-1-vol-ii.html

Edited by Ventsislav Gramatski
Add links for each book
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Posted

When it comes to Soviet fighter aircraft, this book is quite comprehensive:

 

trojca.jpg

 

It contains loads of original period photographs and color profiles of all types of single-engine aircraft used by the VVS Fighter Regiments, including lend-lease aircraft like Kittyhawk, Hurricane and Airacobra, as well as short biographies of the most successful Soviet Fighter pilots of WW2. 

 

 

 

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Posted
On 03/08/2024 at 14:38, Roman Schilhart said:

When it comes to Soviet fighter aircraft, this book is quite comprehensive:

 

trojca.jpg

 

It contains loads of original period photographs and color profiles of all types of single-engine aircraft used by the VVS Fighter Regiments, including lend-lease aircraft like Kittyhawk, Hurricane and Airacobra, as well as short biographies of the most successful Soviet Fighter pilots of WW2. 

 

 

 

seems there is an English version as well

https://www.zinnfigur.com/en/Books-Media/Books/Air-Forces/Russia/Trojca-Waldemar-History-of-the-Great-Patriotic-War-Sovier-Union-Air-Aces-1941-1945.html

5682_340.jpg

 

some preview pages here

https://www.super-hobby.co.uk/products/Soviet-Union-Air-Aces-1941-1945-Waldemar-Trojca.html

 

36900_2_TRJ66_4.jpg

 

AFAIK the 'red wing' MiG-3 is a long running myth.

 

36900_2_TRJ66_9.jpg

 

And a red La-7 is new one.... 

  • Like 2
Posted
On 8/4/2024 at 4:47 PM, Troy Smith said:

Yep. A hard pass.

Posted
On 8/4/2024 at 5:20 PM, Werdna said:

I read this while on holiday a few weeks back.  The author is clearly is not a fan of Stalin (not sure many are, tbh), but it was a fascinating read...

 

 https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Stalins-Falcons-Hardback/p/21714

 

Tried reading thru this one but the author's bias is just too tiresome to read. Pity because the infighting and talent poaching between KB's were brutal. And he called the I-16 ugly right at the start. Pass.

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Posted
9 hours ago, dragonlanceHR said:

 

Tried reading thru this one but the author's bias is just too tiresome to read. Pity because the infighting and talent poaching between KB's were brutal. And he called the I-16 ugly right at the start. Pass.

 

He almost certainly doesn't have a portrait of Stalin hanging in his living room, that's true.. ;)  I still found it an interesting read though, despite the obvious bias.  As for the I-16, he may be right.... :D 

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Posted

 

Hallo

This is quite interesting.

This what counts is the verdict, they learned and got it well done. Finally.

This is what counts.

 

Happy modelling

 

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Posted (edited)

I am currently reading through the combat diary of the previously mentioned 812 IAP (the actual archival documents) as well as the memoirs of pilots from the regiment, and I continue to be amazed at just how skewed the history of Soviet combat aviation during the Second World War is, pretty much as with Soviet history in general.

 

There are two pervasive, polar opposite views.

 

One is the Soviet propaganda where the brave and utterly outnumbered pilots galanty overcame the hordes of German aircraft, where Soviet planes were somehow both vastly inferior and greatly superior, depending on what the narrative requires. The Germans were competent but cowardly, suffered horrendous losses, and were overcame by the stellar Soviet qualities and planes.

 

The opposing view is the Western one where Soviet pilots were incompetent and poorly trained up to the very end of the war, fighting without tactics, Soviet planes were atrocious in terms of build quality and design, the only capable planes being those second-rate ones provided over Lend-Lease. The Luftwaffe was simply swamped by hordes of planes that were mowed down in insane amounts.

 

There is some truth to both opinions but the actual story is far more complicated and nuanced. I find Soviet publications poorly researched and regurgitating the same inaccuracies over and over, while German pilot memoirs tend to be very professional and factologically accurate in terms of dates and events but quite opinioned in terms of qualitative and quantitative analysis.

 

Take Daniel and Gabor Horvat's excellent recent publication on the claims by the leading aces of JG52 in Hungary between Fall 1944 and Spring 1945. Yes, they did continue to inflict serious losses on the VVSKA until the end but many (Hartmann in particular) vastly over-claimed.

 

And it's not limited to German and Soviet claims. I don't know if it's the language barrier, the divisions of the Cold War that have flared again, or both, but I've rarely seen good research that taps into both Soviet and German (or other) archives.

 

I am hoping to one day detail the now mostly forgotten air battles between American and Soviet planes on March 18th 1945 in the area East of Berlin. I can tell you that either narratives are very one-sided and inaccurate, and do not reflect at all the actual events and losses.

 

 

Edited by Ventsislav Gramatski
typos
  • Like 7
Posted

All air forces have been guilty of overclaiming, but the Soviets claimed they destroyed roughly 95,000 German aircraft (according to "Red Stars") with numerous tales of being outnumbered on occasion 10 vs 40, or 15 vs 50; odd since the entire aircraft production run of the Third Reich from 1934 is 100,000 planes of all types.  Not denigrating the accomplishments of pilots of either side, but I believe the Allied losses are closer to the German claims than the Allied claims are to German losses; but I could very well be wrong.  But there is the fact that many hundreds, maybe more, of German planes were captured intact and lit up in bonfires all over Germany.

And I also thought the I-16 was an ugly little thing when I first saw a photo of it when I was a young kid, which was not helped later by Revell's poor rendition.  It has grown on me since and I now find it quite appealing....

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