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Kursk: The Air Battle
 
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Kursk: The Air Battle (Hardcover)

by Christer Bergstrom (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
RRP: £27.99
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Total RRP: £83.97
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 176 pages
  • Publisher: Ian Allan; illustrated edition edition (24 Jan 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1903223881
  • ISBN-13: 978-1903223888
  • Product Dimensions: 30.4 x 22.8 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 110,863 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description

Fought in July and August 1943, the Battle of Kursk is widely regarded as the greatest tank battle in the history of warfare. This book examines the massive confrontation which raged in the air over the front as the huge German and Soviet armoured forces clashed on the ground.

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Clear Account of a Surprisingly Neglected Air Battle, 21 Feb 2008
By Howard Mitchell (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is the third volume in a series covering the air war between Germany and the Soviet Union. While the first two books covered the entire theatre following the initial German invasion or the lengthy Stalingrad campaign and its preceding battles, this volume focuses on a battle which lasted less than a month and occupied fewer than 250 kilometres of front line. The German offensive to destroy the Kursk salient in 1943, and the following Soviet offensive to liberate Orel, led to perhaps the largest air battle in history. Both sides committed huge forces on the ground and in the air. Previous accounts have concentrated on the land battle, this is the first I know of to directly address the aerial struggle.

As with the previous volumes the focus is on the operational level but with plenty of tactical anecdotes and personal accounts to add human interest into a battle so vast that otherwise it could otherwise seem an abstract account of the movements of huge fleets of aircraft.

Bergstrom starts with an introductory chapter describing how previous campaigns had led to the Kursk salient being formed, and the German plan to cut off the Soviet forces in it in a pincer movement similar to those they had successfully achieved in earlier years. The next describes the preparations for the battle made by both sides. The Russians were well aware of German plans and strengthened their defences, including those in the air. The abortive German strategic bombing campaign is discussed as well as costly raids on Soviet transport centres, which directly influenced German strategy during the battle for Kursk itself.

The core of the book is eight chapters which describe in detail the air campaign once the German attack was launched. Many previous books have relied too much on either Soviet or German accounts and the great strength of Bergstrom's is the weaving together detailed records from both sides. The simultaneous battles over both the north and south sides of the Kursk salient are described on a day-by-day basis, as are the air battles over the adjacent Orel salient a week later. The Soviet's carefully planned opening moves failed for a variety of reasons and Bergstrom shown how the greater experience and better tactics of German fighter pilots once again led to heavy Russian losses. But here the story changes from previous battles, and within 24 hours the Soviets started to modify both their tactics and operational planning, resulting in much more effective use of their air power. Bergstrom is particularly good at showing how this rapid learning from experience affected the battle.

Some histories of air wars concentrate too much on fighter combat, simply because it is perceived as more glamorous, but Bergstrom gives due weight to the bombers employed by each side and their effect on the ground conflict. The air war on the Eastern front was closely tied to the support of ground forces and Bergstrom links his narrative of the air war to that of the ground combat it was supporting. Kursk also saw the first mass use of specialist ground attack weapons such as the cannon-armed Hs-129 and the Soviet PTAB anti-armour bomb and their use and effectiveness is documented. The losses among the declining number of very experienced German bomber pilots is also emphasised, as is the increased Soviet effectiveness in ground attack.

A final chapter summarises the battle and its outcome, which pulls together the themes running through the book. Bergstrom has researched many original records to discover the losses suffered by each side and these are presented here in (sometimes slightly mangled) tables. His main conclusion is that though Soviet aircraft losses were much heavier than German ones, Kursk marked a Soviet victory, a defining moment when Soviet air power achieved a new level of competence, and when the strategic initiative was irrevocably lost by the Germans.

Completing the volume are a lengthy glossary, detailed orders of battle, a breakdown of losses for the Luftwaffe on 5 July, a bibliography and other appendices which cover the organisation of each airforce and the military awards each side used. Physically the book continues the same high standards of the two previous volumes. Photographs are relevant, clear and well captioned and the sole map in this volume is sufficient as the battle focused on a small area.

In summary this is another excellent book, one which sets a new standard for the coverage of the air battle at Kursk and expertly dispels the confusion that previous accounts have sometimes caused. Recommended reading.
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