A groundbreaking account of the Soviet Air Force in World War II; the original version of this book; Red Phoenix; was hailed by the Washington Post as both "brilliant" and "monumental." That version has now been completely overhauled in the wake of an avalanche of declassified Russian archival sources; combat documents; and statistical information made available in the past three decades. The result; Red Phoenix Rising; is nothing less than definitive. The saga of the Soviet air force; one of the least chronicled aspects of the war; marked a transition from near annihilation in 1941 to the world's largest operational-tactical air force four years later. Von Hardesty and Ilya Grinberg reveal the dynamic changes in tactics and operational art that allowed the VVS to bring about that remarkable transformation. Drawing upon a wider array of primary sources; well beyond the uncritical and ultra-patriotic Soviet memoirs underpinning the original version; this volume corrects; updates; and amplifies its predecessor. In the process; it challenges many "official" accounts and revises misconceptions promoted by scholars who relied heavily on German sources; thus enlarging our understanding of the brutal campaigns fought on the Eastern Front.The authors describe the air campaigns as they unfolded; with full chapters devoted to the monumental victories at Moscow; Stalingrad; and Kursk. By combining the deeply affecting human drama of pilots; relentlessly confronted by lethal threats in the air and on the ground; with a rich technical understanding of complex military machines; they have produced a fast-paced; riveting look at the air war on the Eastern Front as it has never been seen before. They also address dilemmas faced by the Soviet Air Force in the immediate postwar era as it moved to adopt the new technology of long-range bombers; jet propulsion and nuclear arms.Drawing heavily upon individual accounts down to the unit level; Hardesty and Grinberg greatly enhance our understanding of their story's human dimension; while the book's more than 100 photos; many never before seen in the West; vividly portray the high stakes and hardware of this dramatic tale. In sum; this is the definitive one-volume account of a vital but still underserved dimension of the war—surpassing its predecessor so decisively that no fan of that earlier work can afford to miss it.
#658140 in Books University Press of Kansas 2005-05-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.66 x .56 x 5.52l; .53 #File Name: 0700613803180 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Boston Puritan HistoryBy OlgaThis is a well-written history of Puritan America in the 1630s.. Michael Winship did extensive research to find the facts about Anne Hutchinson's civil trial (she was banished from the colony) and her church trial (she was excommunicated from the church). The Puritans left England so they could worship as they chose. However; they would not tolerate any deviation from their beliefs.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Thorough and BalancedBy AvalandThis history is a not-for-the-faint-of-heart reader as it is both wonderfully thorough in its scope but somewhat thick with Puritan theology. However; if one wants a good sense of what was going on generally; and what the powers-that-be were thinking; in the early decades of the 17th century (on both sides of the issues); rewards are great. While I admit had some trouble digesting the details of the theology; I still learned a lot; especially about the context in which this controversy arose ; and got a much more balanced account of Hutchinson's trial and subsequent banishment.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Times of hardship.By John D WilsonThis is a well written book about the very early days of this nation. Anne was well educated for her time; she could not attend school in England where she was born but her brothers could. She was home schooled; her book to read was the Bible which made her well versed in the scriptures. she would not take a back seat to the church leaders at her trial therefore she was considered "as unfit for our society". This is a good book for anyone to read; especially Christians.
