Soviet Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 15) [Paperback]

Hugh Morgan (Author), John Weal (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Aircraft of the Aces | Publication Date: October 15, 1997

No single volume in English has ever appeared in the West dealing with this intriguing subject area, but now that restrictions have relaxed in the former Soviet Union, records of the deeds of the elite pilots of the various Soviet Air Forces are coming to light. Although initially equipped with very poor aircraft, and robbed of effective leadership thanks as much to Stalin's purges in the late 1930s as to the efforts of the Luftwaffe, Soviet fighter pilots soon turned the tables through the use of both lend-lease aircraft like the Hurricane, Spitfire, P-39 and P-40, and home-grown machines like the MiG-3, LaGG-3/5, Lavochkin La-5/7/9 and the Yak-1/3.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series combines full colour artwork, the best archival contemporary photography, and first hand accounts from aces to bring history's greatest airborne conflicts to life.

About the Author

Hugh Morgan is the Director of an autistic charity based in the Midlands. He has long been fascinated by the aviation world, and has written several very successful titles for Osprey.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (October 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855326329
• ISBN-13: 978-1855326323
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #522,060 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

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb, June 11, 2000

By 

Chapulina R (Tovarischi Imports, USA/RUS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soviet Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 15) (Paperback)

Expect excellence from Osprey's "Aircraft of the ACEs" series. This one, #15, is no exception. A brief history of the V-VS preceeds the chronicle of its record, from battle to battle, during the War. After the massive losses of Barbarossa, the Red air force very gradually, and at great cost, achieved air superiority. The progression of improvements in tactics is covered quite nicely in the text. The book contains many rare action photos from Soviet and German military archive, descriptions of all the fighter aircraft in the Soviet inventory, bios of the ACEs, color plates of uniforms and individual pilots' aircraft, reproductions of propaganda posters, and plenty of lists and stats. In addition is information about the famous "Free French" Normandie Niemen regiment and Polish, Czech, Romanian and Yugoslav divisions; female regiments and women ACEs; "suicide" (taran) rammers; and "legless wonders" -- amputees who returned to the front and flew with artificial limbs. Readers of this book will also appreciate Osprey #6,"Fw 190 ACEs of the Russian Front" and Time-Life's out-of-print (Epic of Flight) "The Soviet Air Force at War".

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compact, Well Laid Out, And Informative, June 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Soviet Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 15) (Paperback)

I was pleasantly surprised as to the information contained in this small, but compact, volume. On the areas that I had expertise in, I found the writers to be highly accurate. At first, I thought that the book would be another one of those flashy paperbacks with no substance or depth. I learned a lot about the Aces, the aircraft, the techniques, and the capabilities of the Soviet Airmen and Airwomen. I will now, (in fact I already have), buy more in this informative series. (I wish that the publisher would come out with a volume on Italian WWII Aces and Spanish Civil War Aces...if they do, I'm buying them)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yet another fine volume in Osprey's growing series!, October 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Soviet Aces of World War 2 (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 15) (Paperback)

Hugh Morgan does a fine job of bringing these heretofore unknown pilots to life, considering the limited research material that he had to work with. What makes this volume interesting to me is that it goes into more detail than other volumes about the different Soviet aircraft which were flown. It's very easy to assume that all they had were MiGs and YaKs! Mr. Morgan clears that issue up very nicely. This book is well worth buying.