Number 39 in Osprey's popular 'duel' series is this next one on two major protagonists on the Eastern Front from 1942 until the end of the war. Unlike many of the opponents in this series, these two are actually quite evenly matched in terms of design and in terms of performance.

The La-5 was an attempt by Lavochkin to remedy the poor performance of the Lagg-3, a fighter that was rather decimated by German experten. Attaching a larger and more powerful M-26 two row radial went quite a ways toward improving the speed of the aircraft, even when the rest of the airframe stayed pretty much the same. However, the Soviet aircraft industry suffered from poor quality workmanship and rarely did a service aircraft perform to the standards that were required.

Add to it the equally poor training of the majority of pilots, many of whom were freshly out of flight school, and one can see that the Germans had a field day shooting down La-5s. Of course, as things go in war, Soviet quality control and pilot training improved as did the La-5 and as the German pilots became less experienced, things did turn around. Especially in the last months of the war when Soviet aces were flying the improved La-7.

On the German side, the FW-190A started on the Eastern Front with most of its teething troubles cured. Flown by highly experienced German pilots, they soon made a shambles of the Soviets in the air. This is despite generally being at a numerical disadvantage. It was only in the last year of the war, when most air to air 190 units were pulled back to defend the Reich, leaving ground attack units with the only 190s in theater did the Soviets gain the upper hand. Ground attack FW-190s were flown by ex-Stuka pilots who had little training in air to air combat. However, the FW-190F and G were very fast at low level, making them difficult for the Soviets to catch.

The book's authors follow a tried and true format in this Duel book by first providing the design and development of both aircraft. There is then a section on the technical specifications of each followed by a look at the military in which both were used and how they trained for battle. Next is a look at the situation in which these aircraft were first used, and then a look at some of the more important battles in which these two aircraft were used. Finally, an analysis of how these planes fared; their strengths and weaknesses.

Overall, it makes for a most interesting read and provides a good look at these two important fighters. It is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and I'm sure you will as well. Like all Osprey titles it is one that I can easily recommend to you.

September 2011

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