Stalin's Falcons: The Aces of the Red Star : A Tribute to the Notable Fighter Pilots of the Soviet Air Forces 1918-1953

Between 1918 and 1953, Soviet fighter pilots were involved in no less than ten separate air wars of intensity and length. The aces of the Soviet forces included Ivan Kozhedub, Grigorii Rechkalov, Alexandr Pokryshkin, Nikolai Gulayev and Nikolai Shutt, each of whom was credited with more than 50 individual successes. The book includes brief biographies of more than 1000 pilots and the regiments in which they served. The Soviet unit structures, decorations and the wartime operations to which they relate are detailed, along with maps and many illustrations of the pilots and their aircraft.