Continuing in their series on the air war on the Eastern Front, Classic Books now has the story of both German and Russian air operations during the pivotal battle of Kursk in July 1943. Some readers may notice that this series is now under the mantle of Classic Books instead of Midland, as has been the case with previous editions in this series. Both titles are owned by Ian Allen, so apparently this was done to bolster the Classic Books catalogue.

As you may well expect, this is a diary of the events in the air at the time. The book starts with a background on the various services involved, and events that led up to the Kursk battles. Then we go into a day by day account of events. This part is divided into several sections that cover the various sections of the front so that we can see how the battle progressed. Not only are mission details given, but there is information on base moves, new or different aircraft types that were involved and other interesting snippets of information pertaining to those events. One is left with the impression of how exhausting this campaign was, both in terms of men and equipment. In addition to all the fighting, Kursk saw the introduction of several new equipment types including the Bf-109G-6 and the tank-busting Stuka, while on the ground, the Panther tank made its debut.

This is all accompanied by a superlative selection of photographs and charts. it would have been nice to have some profiles as well, but perhaps there was insufficient space to include them. There are also subsections that include information on specific pilots or events of note; the 'there I was' sort of thing that most of us love to read. This is not a book one rushes through. There is a considerable amount of information presented and the type font is rather small. However, it makes for a cracking good read and especially so as it has information on the lesser known forces involved in the conflict.

I am very much looking forward to other books in this series and I know that once you start reading one, you'll be drawn into it as was I. An excellent read and reference book.

September 2008

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