Bf 109E/F vs Yak-1/7: Eastern Front 1941-42

Description

Step into the cockpits of the Luftwaffe's Bf 109 and the Red Air Force's Yaks 1-7, two fighters which were involved in some of the largest, fiercest aerial battles in history. The Iconic Messerschmitt fighter and its combat hardened pilots inflicted a fearful beating on the Yaks in the beginning of the war. Some of the highest scoring aces in history benefitted from the Bf 109's technical superiority over the overweight and underpowered Yak 1, racking up incredible successes against their poorly trained and equipped adversaries. And yet, as the Soviets accumulated combat experience, their tactics improved, as did their mounts in the upgraded Yak 1B and gradually, the Red Force eroded the Jagdwaffe's dominance of the skies in the eastern front, though with the 109G they would never lose qualitative superiority. Featuring first-hand accounts from veteran pilots, rare archival photographs and expert analysis, this volume brings to life the vicious dogfights that took place between the Bf 109 and the Yak as they vied for mastery of the frozen skies of the Eastern Front.

Dmitry Khazanov is a widely respected Russian researcher of Soviet aviation in World War 2. He is also the author of more than 20 books and numerous articles about Soviet military aviation during this period, his working appearing in Russia, the UK, Germany, Finland, France and Japan. Aleksander Medved, who is a colonel in the Air Force reserve, is the author of 16 books and many articles detailing Soviet and foreign aircraft in World War 2. Gareth Hector is a digital artist of international standing as well as an aviation history enthusiast. Gareth completed the battlescene artwork and cover artwork. Andrey Yurgenson is one of Russia's premier aviation artists, specialising in drawings and colour illustrations of Soviet aircraft. He has illustrated numerous articles on the history of Russian aviation in Russian and foreign aviation magazines since the early 1990s, working with Avions, Batailles Aeriennes, Klassiker Fluhthart, Le Fana d'Aviation, and Aeroplane. Yurgenson's artwork had also been published in more than 20 books.