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In the light of new archival material the editors take a fresh look
at Russian aviation in the twentieth century. Presenting a
comprehensive view of Russian aviation, from its genesis in the
late czarist period to the present era, the approach is essentially
chronological with a major emphasis on the evolution of military
aviation. The contributions are diverse, with appropriate attention
to civilian and institutional themes.
In the light of new archival material the editors take a fresh look
at Russian aviation in the twentieth century. Presenting a
comprehensive view of Russian aviation, from its genesis in the
late czarist period to the present era, the approach is essentially
chronological with a major emphasis on the evolution of military
aviation. The contributions are diverse, with appropriate attention
to civilian and institutional themes.
Choice Outstanding Academic Title 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.
Edward Steichen (1879-1973) played a key role in the development of
photography in the twentieth century. He is well known for his
varied career as an artist, a celebrated photographer and a museum
curator. However, Steichen is less known for his pivotal role in
shaping America's first experiments in aerial photography as a tool
for intelligence gathering in what may be called his 'lost years'.
In Camera Aloft, Von Hardesty tells how Steichen volunteered in
1917 to serve in the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). He rose
rapidly in the ranks of the Air Service, emerging as Chief of Air
Photography during the dramatic final offensives of the war. His
photo sections were responsible for the rapid processing of aerial
images gained through the daily and hazardous sorties over the
front and in the enemy rear areas. What emerged in the eighteen
months of his active service was a new template for modern aerial
reconnaissance. The aerial camera, as with new weapons such as the
machine gun, the tank and the airplane, profoundly transformed
modern warfare.
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