Stalin's Eagles: An Illustrated Study of the Soviet Aces of World War II and Korea

by Hans D. Seidl

Stalin’s Eagles is the most complete and detailed book ever published on the Soviet aces. All of the great names are Kozhedub, Pokryshkin, Rechkalov, Koldunov, Popkov and numerous others whose thrilling exploits were an inspiration to their comrades, and who handily outscored the top American and British aces. Hundreds of portraits illuminate the lives of many aces, most unknown to western readers, and the desperate struggles of these outstanding fighter pilots who in the end were to make the skies above Eastern Europe their fiefdom. The history of the Soviet fighter command in World War II began in tragedy with the slaughter of inexperienced squadrons by the triumphant Luftwaffe. Read here of their dramatic recovery and the terrible losses of the Luftwaffe at the hands of Russian elite pilots as they were winning complete supremacy in the air. In almost four years of continuous action, the Soviet air forces were credited with destroying over 43,000 enemy aircraft in aerial combat producing some 800 aces with 15 or more kills. Illustrated with over 300 photographs, many taken from the personal collections of veteran pilots, and supplemented by exhaustive statistical information this unique record represents a major research effort and will prove fascinating to all who have an interest in the history of aerial warfare. For the first time the deeds and feats of the Shturmovik aces – the tank hunters and assault aircraft of the Soviet Air Force – are recorded in detail, and an entire chapter presents the history of all Soviet fighter units. Little known in the West, Soviet pilots flew over Korea and many achieved ace status – all are named here with details of their careers and aerial victories. Forewords are by twice hero of the Soviet Union V.I. Popkov, himself an ace with 41 kills in World War II and three more in Korea, and Günther Rall, number three ace of all time with 275 aerial victories.

368 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1998

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stalin's Eagles. Hans Seidl. An encyclopedia of Russian WWII aviators. For me, the connotation that the title "Stalin's Eagles" suggests is: strong leadership coupled with a fierce allegiance of his aviators. In actuality, during the critical opening days of the German invasion of 1941, Stalin was unable to function, utterly paralyzed, and having recently executed his top generals, he was left with out an experienced staff. Stalin's pilots, surprised, woefully ill prepared and with out leadership were pulverized by the highly trained and experienced Luftwaffe. Stalin continued to betray his 'eagles' commanding them to fight with out reverence for human life on an individual scale. Despite Stalin's unpreparedness and his inability to lead under stress, his aviators fought fiercely for their country, eventually regaining air superiority. This book documents their lives. An interesting foot note is the amazing achievements made by the women of Russia during WWII. In 1943, while American feminist were still decades away from the rhetoric of 'bra burning' and pursuing bachelor degrees in 'women studies', courageous, young Russian women, flying American built P-39 Cobras, were blasting Nazi pilots out of the skies over Stalingrad. Fighter pilot ace Lidiya Litvyak, with 12 kills to her credit remains the world's highest scoring female ace. It's saddening to flip through the photographs of the young aviators standing proudly in front of their machines. -knowing that most would soon die. Ease of access to information since the fall of the Soviet Union has thankfully made works like this possible. Shiffler Military History continuos to produce top tier historic works.