The German invasion of the Soviet Union, Operation Barbarossa, is one of the classic examples of the German 'Lightning War'. The advance was swift, it took the defenders by surprise, and it resulted in huge enemy losses. This was nowhere more true than in the battles in the air, where most of the Soviet air army was caught on the ground in those opening days, resulting in a massive loss of equipment. Not only that, but it allowed the numerically smaller Luftwaffe to maintain air superiority, something important to an advancing army.

Much of this was due to the condition of mistrust within the Soviet leadership, where Stalin's brutal purges had weakened the entire military infrastructure and left those still alive with a fear to do anything without direct orders, causing huge delays. This was even more true in the Soviet air force where unit political officers would harangue the pilots with the need for faith in leadership and the communist way before allowing them to attend briefings before missions.

Author Christor Bergström has provided us with a detailed account of the massive aerial campaign fought in the skies of the Soviet Union in the first months of Operation Barbarossa. The book is divided into eighteen major chapters, starting with the preparations for the attack and ending with a section on the aircraft that participated in Barbarossa. In between are sections on major battles and specific areas of conflict. It basically terminates at the gates of Moscow where the fierce Russian winter halts the German advance and gives the Soviets a chance to provide a counter-attack.

Each chapter has been thoroughly researched using both German and Soviet documents to compare events and provide the most accurate look at this most important period of time. The book it further enhanced with 125 b/w and color photos from the period as well as several very nicely done full page charts. In all, an outstanding look at the air war that ranged from the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea. A book I know you will enjoy and one that I can definitely recommend.

June 2007

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