Published now!
Black Cross/Red Star The Air War Over the Eastern Front. Vol. 2 - Resurgence.
By Christer Bergström and Andrey Mikhailov
Hard cover, Large size, 232 pages, Glossy paper, 160 photos in Top Quality printing,
including a number of unique color photos,
31 Aircraft Color Profiles (by Claes Sundin, Tom Tullis, and Jim Laurier), Color maps!
Click here for a sample of the Aircraft Color Profiles in Black Cross/Red Star, Vol. 2
The first comments on Vol. 2, from readers:
"A great book. Color maps and profiles are noticeable improvments. I am just waiting for the next volume. My congratulations to Mr Bergstrom and Mikhailov."
"I got this in the mail yesterday, and have to say that it's very nice! This new volume has glossy paper, colour maps, and some excellent colour profiles. I've read through the first few chapters, and it follows the style of the previous volume - very readable, with the focus on both the tactical and individual situations. There are alot of very good photos, and the new paper on which they are printed make for much better image quality. Highly recommended." (http://www.simhq.com/simhq3/sims/boards/bbs/Forum35/HTML/001932.html)
"It is an excellent read. Very engrossing. A fine addition to Volume 1."
I Maps
Full color maps on the Eastern combat zones in 1942.
II Foreword by Major a.D. Hansgeorg Bätcher (KG 27, KG 100, KG 4)
III Foreword by Guards Polkovnik Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Pavlichenko (210 BBAP, 108 GShAP)
III Glossary and Guide to Abbreviations
Part I: The Legacy of Barbarossa
Chapter 1: Two Crippled Armies
From the content: VVS KBF defector Starshiy Leytenant Petr Kulakov in German and Soviet documents, StG 77 Stukas in action over Stalino, and more.
Chapter 2: The Luftwaffe in Early 1942
From the content: The crisis of Germany's war industry in late 1941, and more.
Chapter 3: The VVS in Early 1942
From the content: Il-2 Shturmovik tactics, Soviet fighter pilots' appraisals on Lend Lease fighters, and more.
Chapter 4: The Devices and Methods
From the content: Navigation devices, bombsights, and gunsights on both sides, and more.
Part II: The Soviet Winter Offensive
Chapter 5: Flying Artillery on the Central Combat Zone
From the content: Order of Battle, the impact of Soviet air supremacy on Army Group Center in January 1942, and more.
Chapter 6: Fire Brigade in the Northern Sector
From the content: Order of Battle, the Soviet combat report from the air combat when JG 54 ace Hptm Franz Eckerle was lost, and more.
Chapter 7: Frustration in the South
From the content: Order of Battle, an article in Soviet newspaper Pravda, allegedly written by a well-known JG 52 pilot, and more.
Chapter 8: Winter Battles in the Crimea
From the content: I./KG 100 Wiking He 111s in action against Soviet shipping in the Black Sea, and more.
Part III: Fateful Spring
Chapter 9: The Demyansk and Kholm Airlift Operations
From the content: Order of Battle, "The Russians have grown more aggressive. One has to be damned alert!" (from the diary of Major Hannes Trautloft, JG 54), and more.
Chapter 10: Target: Red Banner Baltic Fleet
From the content: Operations "Eisstoss" and "Götz von Berlichingen" - why the Stuka operations against the Soviet Red Banner Baltic Fleet in April 1942 failed, and more.
Chapter 11: Spring on the Moscow Front
From the content: Shturmoviks against Luftwaffe airdromes, German bomber operations against Soviet rail lines, the death of Lt Hans Strelow (JG 51), and more.
Chapter 12: Lessons Drawn
From the content: The restructuring of the Soviet Air Forces.
Part IV: Decisive Battles in the South
Chapter 13: Ukrainian Spring
From the content: Examples of doubtful loss statistics and victory claims, Italian and Croatian airmen in action, and more.
Chapter 14: Turn of the Tide at the Black Sea
From the content: German torpedo planes versus Soviet Black Sea shipping, senior Soviet naval air force commander killed in a StG 77 Stuka attack, and more.
Part V: The Far North
Chapter 15: Battle for Air Supremacy in the Far North
From the content: Order of Battle, "Rudi" Müller's (JG 5) claims compared to Soviet combat reports, and more.
Part VI: Annihilation
Chapter 16: Carnage at Kerch
From the content: Order of Battle, why Fliegerkorps VIII could wipe out VVS Crimean Front, and more.
Chapter 17: The Battle for Kharkov
From the content: Hermann Graf - twenty victories over Kharkov, HSU Mayor Yuriy Gorbko's death, and more.
Chapter 18: Fire Over Murmansk
From the content: Luftflotte 5 against PQ convoys, Boris Safonov's last fight, and more.
Chapter 19: Leningrad and Lyuban Starve
From the content: JG 54 Grünherz versus license-built C-47s (PS-84), and more.
Chapter 20: The Sevastopolskiy Fighters
From the content: Order of Battle, excerpts from Gordon Gollob's (JG 52) diary, Kapitan Mikhail Avdeyev versus Oblt Anton Hackl, and more.
Part VII: Twice Resurgence
From the content: Conclusions of the air war over the Eastern Front until June 1942, loss statistics of various VVS units, and more.
Appendix I: Luftwaffe Combat Losses on the Eastern Front
Monthly combat losses for each Luftwaffe Geschwader on the Eastern Front.
Appendix II: The Structure of the Luftwaffe
Appendix III: The Structure of the Soviet Air Forces
Appendix IV: Rank Equivalent Table
Appendix V: The Highest Military Awards
Index
Note: Volume 2 of Black Cross/Red Star is published now!
Volume 1 of Black Cross/Red Star was published in August 2000.
To order your copy: Click here
A small-size samples of one of Claes Sundin's profiles in Black Cross/Red Star, Vol. 2.
© Christer Bergström, Andrey Mikhailov 2001
