Barbarossa

In June 1941, one of the pivotal and defining moments of World War 2 occurred as the German forces swept eastwards from their lines in Poland and Central Europe, to take on the might of Soviet Russia. Over the next six months, Axis forces travelled ever eastwards, surrounding Leningrad and reaching the very gates of Moscow itself, before the harsh and unremitting Russian winter set in and the battle for life and death in the field became, for both sides, a war of survival against the elements. Although Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of Russia, is widely perceived as a great land offensive, equally important was the aerial supremacy that the Luftwaffe achieved over the front line during the early phases of the campaign. Without the elimination of the threat posed by the Soviet air force, it would have been impossible for the army to have made the rapid advances during the summer and autumn of 1941. This book, written by a recognised authority on the air war over the Eastern Front, provides an informed, balanced and detailed account of the massive aerial campaign fought in the skies over the Soviet Union following the launch of Operation Barbarossa. Drawing on both Russian and German sources, the strength of the author's writing lies in its detail, his ability to tell the story from the viewpoints of both sides and to put events in both their strategic and tactical contexts. There is also much unique eye-witness material and the text will be accompanied by a large number of rare and previously unpublished photographs; biographical studies of the major players in the conflict; data tables; technical assessments and appendices. Compiled by one of the world's leading experts on the air war over the Eastern Front, Barbarossa: The Air Battle is the first in a series of books to cover the major phases of World War 2, in this theatre of operations. It will be required reading for all historians of the Luftwaffe during World War2 and those with a specific interest in the use of air power on the Eastern Front, in particular.