Combat Aircraft #74 covers the operations of the Luftwaffe's Ju-87 Stuka on the Russian front from the start of Operation Barbossa to the combining of Stukageschwader into Schlachtgeswader in late 1943.

The air war in the Soviet Union was quite different from that of war with the Western Allies. With the Luftwaffe spread out far and wide over the wide expanses of Russia, it was impossible to have total air superiority, so localized control of the air was the standard plan of the day. In situations such as this, the once obsolete Ju-87 was able to make a comeback. Its operations were extremely effective and there simply were not enough of them to meet the huge demand placed upon them by the armies of the Reich.

In this book, author John Weal covers the general operations of the Ju-87 over this huge expanse of territory. The constant moves as the army moves forward, the debacle at Stalingrad and the start of retreats back towards Germany, often requiring aircraft to be left behind, so fast was the Soviet advance. Included in this story are operations of Germany's less than reliable allies, Hungary, Rumania, Croatia, Bulgaria and Slovakia.

The book itself is superbly illustrated with quality period photos, all of them captioned in an informative and interesting way. I have to say that author Weal makes reading these small snippets of information entertaining as well. John Weal is also well known for his art work and he shares it with us in the for of eight pages of color profiles, one of the highlights of all Osprey aviation publications. 

Put all of that together, and you get another superlative book; one that I know will be a fun read and an inspiration to modelers and enthusiasts alike.

August 2008

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