Petlyakov Pe-2 'Peshka' [Hardcover]

Peter C Smith (Author), Peter C. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Series: Crowood Aviation Series | Publication Date: September 2003

The twin-engine Petlyakov Pe-2, or 'Peshka', formed the mainstay of the Soviet dive and light-bomber force in World War Two. Of advanced design, and sleek appearance, the twin-engine Pe-2 was an extremely fast and reliable aircraft. Aviation historian Peter C Smith tells the full story of this remarkable aircraft, and places it in the context of the Russian campaign, the success of which owed much to this reliable and very numerous machine. Using official sources, including the official Pe-2 handbook, and numerous color and black-and-white photographs from private sources, this deeply-researched book will be invaluable for the historian, enthusiast and modeler alike.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Peter C Smith has been an editor of both books and magazines, and currently works as a publications co-ordinator. He has been researching and writing books on aviation and maritime history for more than four decades, and his books have been published all over the world.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: The Crowood Press; First edition (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861265883
• ISBN-13: 978-1861265883
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,820,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Petlyakov 'Peshka', June 19, 2006

By 

Ray Wagner San Diego Aerospace Museum (San Diego) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Petlyakov Pe-2 'Peshka' (Hardcover)

This is the best history of a Russian bomber in English that I have ever read. The engineering, combat experience, and political background of the most important World War II Soviet bomber are described in careful detail. An account of the Pe-2's post-war service in smaller nations illustrates Cold War expansion of Stalinism.

Using many translations of documents and memoirs once buried in secret Soviet archives, the author's large 208-page study has photos, drawings and data on the many variations developed by the engineers. The men and women that flew and built these bombers show the human side of warfare. The detailed account of Petlyakov's tragic and unnecessary death also describes the political persecution that often crippled Soviet aviation.

While the author sees how Stalin's evils caused enormous loss of life, responsibility for that plague must be shared with Hitler and the others that made World War II happen. The chapter on August Storm, when the USSR joined the war against Japan and regained territory lost in 1905 does not explore the complicated balance of American, Russian, and Soviet strategies that delayed Japanese Amy plans to seize eastern Siberia until it was too late to prevent the long-feared American-Russian vice to close in Japan.

Such massive data must contain translation and interpretation errors, but they are hard to detect, and the authords previous books on dive-bombers provide him with insights on aiming and deceleration problems-Ray Wagner San Diego Air and Space Museum