In 1941 the advancing German forces had obliterated
the Soviet Air Force. During the first week of fighting the
Luftwaffe had destroyed more than 4000 Soviet aircraft. Huge numbers
of aircraft were destroyed hopelessly on the ground, and those that
took to the sky were often outclassed by superior equipment flown by
more experienced pilots. The decimation of the Soviet Air Force
during the fighting in 1941 was shocking, but even more remarkable
is the story of the comeback of the Soviet Air Force. The Soviets
had been blessed during their history with many excellent aviation
designers and engineers. Zhukovsky, Sikorsky, Tupolev, Polikarpov,
Mikoyan, Lavochkin, and Gurevich to name but a few. The Germans
smashed the pride the nation had in its Air Forces, but the Soviets
fought back. Most of the Soviet fighters at the start of the War
were obsolete Polikarpov I-153s or I-16s. Some Mig 3s were
available, but the Mig 3 was a poor performer at low altitudes, and
was too unstable and too lightly armed to tangle with German
fighters. The Lavotchkin LA-7 and the Yakovlev Yak-3 were two
excellent new fighter designs that gave the Soviets some competitive
edge, and an important ground support aircraft was the Il-2
Sturmovik. It is a miracle that the Soviets were able to produce
these aircraft in large volumes. Production factories had to be
moved east out of the range of German bombers, and the Soviets
imported a large number of foreign made aircraft including the Bell
P-39 Airacobra. In November of 1943 one of the fiercest aerial
combat battles of all time took place. During a battle near the
Kuban River, Russian and German aircraft clashed by the hundreds.
For the first time since the German invasion in 1941, the Red Air
Force prevailed. For the first time the Soviets took the initiative,
sending wave after wave of modern new aircraft into combat against
the Luftwaffe. In the air the Soviets earned their first victory
over the Germans… a sign of things to come. During the Battle of
Kursk in mid-1943, the Luftwaffe amassed nearly 2000 aircraft,
however the Soviets had more than twice that number. This numerical
superiority paid off during the fighting, In Stan Stokes’ painting a
Mig-3 targets a Dornier “Flying Pencil.” More than 3000 Mig-3s were
produced, but the aircraft was effective only in the role of high
altitude interceptor or reconnaissance aircraft. At lower altitudes
it was outclassed. The Do-17 was a prewar design that first entered
service in 1937. The aircraft was enhanced with a 215 and 217
variant. The bomber version had a crew of 4 and was capable of
carrying as much as a 9,000 pound bomb loads. With a maximum speed
of 320-MPH the Flying Pencil could be elusive.
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Collector Sized Lithograph:
$40
16" x 11 1/2"
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Giclee on Canvas:
$445
18'' x 27''
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