'Aussie Rick'’s Comments (group member since Jun 12, 2009)

'Aussie Rick'’s comments from the THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP group.

Nice review Happy, thanks for sharing.

Hi Mike and welcome to the group.

"Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II" - The end of the Stalingrad campaign and the Soviet air force's efforts:

"For the VVS, the Stalingrad conflict brought honors and recognition. A total of nine air divisions were given the designation 'Guards'. Seventeen pilots received the highest decoration for bravery, Hero of the Soviet Union. Another 1,000 medals were awarded to VVS personnel for their participation in the air war at Stalingrad. The official Soviet claim was up to 3,000 German combat and transport aircraft downed (1,000 during defensive operations, and 2,000 during offensive operations). This expansive figure stood in contrast to the German's admission of the loss of 488 aircraft. Actual Soviet losses were high: 2,000 aircraft lost during the defensive stage, and 2,769 lost during offensive operations. The VVS tally also included 102,392 sorties, of which 67,500 were in the defensive stage and 34,892 in the offensive stage."

Stalingrad: Was the German Airlift Defeated by the Weather, or by the Red Air Force:
https://www.ospreypublishing.com/uk/o...

"Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II" - Some interesting information in regard to the Soviet 434th Fighter Regiment:

"A fateful turn came with the air regiment's close association with Vasiliy Stalin, the son of the Soviet ruler and then an inspector in the VVS. His aim was to transform the 434th into an elite fighter unit. Owing to his patronage, the 434th welcomed into its ranks some of the most talented and aggressive pilots. A privileged son of the Soviet political elite, the young Stalin was not alone in his enthusiasm for aviation: Timur Frunze, the son of a hero in the Russian Civil War and a key organizer of the Red Army, chose the air force for his military career. Two other sons of the Soviet elite, Leonid Krushchev and Vladimir Mikoyan, would die in air combat; Stepan and Aleksey Mikoyan were also airmen. Vasiliy Stalin's stepbrother, Yakov Stalin, was captured in the opening days of the war ad would die as a prisoner of war."

Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II by Von Hardesty

Mike wrote: "On sale at all the ebook sites unless noted:

[book:Sniper on the Eastern Front: The Memoirs of Sepp ..."

Thanks for that information Mike.

"Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II" - The end result of the German airlift at Stalingrad:

"Soviet and German accounts of the Stalingrad airlift differ on the extent of Luftwaffe losses. Most Soviet sources list more than 1,000 German aircraft destroyed in the air and on the ground, with about 80 percent of them being transports and bombers. Against the German airlift attempt, lasting from November 19, 1942, to February 2, 1943, the VVS claimed 35,920 sorties flown, which, by their estimate, surpassed the number of German sorties by about two to one. Instead of 300 tons of supplies reaching the trapped German Sixth Army each day, the Soviet air blockade allowed, on average, only 50 to 80 tons of resupply per day."

Further:

"The Il-2 Shturmoviks, being faster than the Ju 52s, reversed their role on occasion and intercepted Ju 52s en route to the pocket. One German account acknowledges the loss of around 488 aircraft, along with 1,000 flight crew personnel: 266 Ju 52s, 42 Ju 86s, 164 He 111s, 9 Fw 200s, 5 He 177s and 1 Ju 290. Besides the grievous loss of machines and personnel, the failure of the Stalingrad airlift resulted in serious interruption of the Luftwaffe training program, for many experienced flight instructors were lost at Stalingrad."

German Airlift at Stalingrad:
https://militaryhistorynow.com/2022/1...

The Stalingrad airlift statistics:
https://www.stalingrad.net/german-hq/...

"Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II" - The author mentioned Valeriya Khomyakova, a pilot of the 586th IAP who on a night mission on September 23, 1942, shot down a Ju 88. According to the author this was the first and only night aerial victory by a female pilot.

Valeriya Khomyakova:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valeria...

"Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II" - The German airlift to supply the Demyansk pocket, setting the stage for the disaster at Stalingrad:

"The Demyansk airlift worked, but barely. It established the fateful precedent of using airpower to supply surrounded troops even during the rigorous Russian winter. From January 1942 to the final removal of the Soviet threat to Demyansk early in 1943, the Luftwaffe flew a total 64,844 tons of ammunition, supplies, weapons, spare parts, and fuel. Moreover, German reinforcements amounting to more than 30,000 troops reached Demyansk by way of the airlift, while return flights brought out more than 35,000 wounded. During the most critical phase in late winter and spring (February 18 - May 19, 1942), the Luftwaffe managed to deliver an average of 302 tons per day, narrowly exceeding the daily needs of Demyansk. The price tag for the entire airlift was high: 265 aircraft lost. In addition, Luftwaffe transports assigned to airlift consumed 42,155 tons of aviation fuel and 3,242 tons of lubricant."

The Demyansk pocket:
https://ww2days.com/germans-abandon-d...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demyans...

I have just placed an order for this new release; "Arnhem: Black Tuesday: The Classic Battle Told As Never Before" by Al Murray.

Arnhem: Black Tuesday by Al Murray
Description:
The Battle of Arnhem is one of the best-known stories in British military history: a daring but doomed attempt to secure a vital bridgehead across the Rhine in order to end the war before Christmas 1944. It is always written about, with the benefit of unerring 20/20 hindsight, as being destined to fail, but the men who fought there, men of military legend, didn't know that that was to be their fate.


By focusing on the events of one day as they happened through the eyes of the British participants and without bringing any knowledge of what would happen tomorrow to bear, Al Murray offers a very different perspective on a familiar narrative. Some things went right and a great many more went wrong, but recounting them in this way allows the reader to understand for the first time how certain decisions were taken in the moment and how opportunities were squandered.

Tuesday 19 September 1944 was the terrible day which became known as Black Tuesday. From just after 1200 hours while plans were being made to seize the initiative and optimism reigned, to the following midnight, when Arnhem was burning and the Allied fortunes looked very different, a mere twenty-four hours changed the course of the war.

‘Utterly brilliant... this book really is the last word on the Battle of Arnhem.’ James Holland

’Superb... A military historian of originality and insight to compare with the best.’ Saul David

'This book is a revelation, not in facts delivered, but in the mood evoked. This is Arnhem unplugged By confining himself to men in and around Arnhem on that Tuesday, Murray achieves something special' The Times

Jerome wrote: "A June 2025 release:

by Jeffrey Cox
Descriptio..."

Need to complete the series so on my shopping list it goes!

"Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II" - From the first chapter covering the start of the air campaign for Operation Barbarossa:

"One of the most alarming tactics employed by Soviet pilots was the taran, or the deliberate ramming of an enemy plane. In fact, the 123rd IAP initiated this perilous maneuver as early as 1000 hours on that first day: in an attempt to save fellow pilot G. N. Zhidov from enemy attack, P. S. Ryabtsev successfully downed a German aircraft from this extraordinary tactic near Brest and then managed to parachute to safety. As the air battles unfolded, it turned out, he was not alone: on the same day, I. I. Ivanov of the 46th IAP rammed a German He 111 bomber with his I-16 fighter in the Zholkva region, a move he employed after his ammunition had been exhausted. However, Ivanov did not survive this bold exploit. The taran can be traced to August 26, 1914, at the beginning of World War 1, when famed Russian aviator P. N. Nesterov rammed the plane of Austrian Baron von Rosenthal. Both Ryabstev and Ivanov, along with a recorded eight other fighter pilots, followed in the tradition of Nesterov on the first day of Operation Barbarossa."

The taran:
https://www.eurasiantimes.com/russia-...

Research paper on the taran:
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand...

"Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II" - The results of the start of the air campaign for Operation Barbarossa:

"Once the Germans began to tally the results of their opening air assault, the air triumph surpassed their boldest expectations. At 1330 hours, General Franz Halder recorded in his diary 800 Soviet aircraft destroyed, compared with German losses of only 10! BY the end of the day, the tally had reached over 1,200 aircraft - 800 on the ground, and the rest in the air. One German archival source recorded German losses for the day as 63 aircraft. During the next twenty-four hours, another 1,000 Soviet aircraft (or perhaps twice that number) were destroyed, totaling around 4,000 VVS and DBA (Dalne-bombardirovovhnaya Aviatsiya, or long-range aviation) aircraft alone by the end of the first week of the war.

The German estimates for VVS losses were not uniform or necessarily consistent. Erhard Milch, for example, recorded in his diary the destruction of 1,800 Soviet aircraft on the first day, another 800 on the second, 557 on the third, 351 on the fourth, and 300 on the fifth. Even Hermann Goering, a man often prone to hyperbole, found the first reports of Soviet losses for June 22-24 to be suspect. Fearing exaggeration, he ordered a hurried recount with verification. The subsequent recount, to his amazement, added 300 Soviet aircraft to the original figure. One Russian archival source, in fact, revealed that on the second day, VVS losses had reached a total of 3,922 aircraft, with the downing of 78 enemy aircraft. This particular Russian source may well be close to reality. Whatever the actual count, the Luftwaffe achieved firm control of the air in the first week of the war. German air units now shifted to a different role - one of ground support of the Wehrmacht as it continued its rapid advance into Soviet territory along three corridors."

The Luftwaffe and Barbarossa:
https://weaponsandwarfare.com/a-lesso...

Marc, I have the revised and updated edition and so far, it's been quite an interesting account.

I've just started reading; "Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II" by Von Hardesty. I've had this book sitting waiting to be read since around 2012.

Red Phoenix Rising: The Soviet Air Force in World War II by Von Hardesty

"Bold Venture: The American Bombing of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942–1945" - The final chapter of the book covers the search for the crash site of the B-25 Mitchell; "Bold Venture", and the recovery of the remains of the crew:

https://reddirtresearch.org/the-crash...

https://www.boldventureb25.com./home

"Bold Venture: The American Bombing of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942–1945" - Another account from the air war against Junks along the south China coast:

"Whizzing along just above the surface of the river, one pilot ran his B-25 straight through the rigging of a junk while trying to dodge a second Mitchell making a gun run on the same unlucky vessel. Though the pilot had performed a unique feat of combat flying by dismasting a sailing vessel with an airplane, his crew reported that their B-25 had sustained significant damage to the fuselage."

"Bold Venture: The American Bombing of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942–1945" - The air war against Junks along the south China coast:

"In Hong Kong, the flight crews from the 500th counted an estimated 225 junks, which they chose to attack due to the paucity of larger nautical targets. Capt. Herman F. 'Rex' Reheis and other pilots had been briefed on the rules of engagement, which stipulated that single junks should be considered civilian Chinese fishing boats and left alone. However, junks in groups of two or more as well as motorized small craft of any kind were to be considered military targets, albeit low-priority ones. Reheis and his fellow pilots proceeded to sink ten motorized jinks and damage another eight with five-hundred-pound bombs. At least one bomb punched straight through the sail of one junk before exploding in the water. Collectively the six aircraft from the 500th expended 20,500 rounds of .50-caliber ammunition on the junks, whose crewmen managed to ping one of the B-25s with small-arms fire."

Bold Venture: The American Bombing of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942–1945 by Steven K. Bailey

Another book to keep an eye out for, thanks Mike :)

"Bold Venture: The American Bombing of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942–1945" - The author discussed the introduction of a new airborne radar unit for the Liberator Bomber - the AN/APQ-5 - which made nighttime interception and bombing of naval targets at sea a lot easier:

https://simpleflying.com/how-wwii-usa...

https://www.historynet.com/b-24s-wrig...

James wrote: "Now starting MASTERS AND COMMANDERS: How Four Titans Won the War in the West, 1941 - 1945 by Andrew Roberts.

The four titans in question are FDR, Churchill, Brooke, and Marshall. My knowledge of B..."

I hope you enjoy the book, James. Let us know how it goes!