Air Battle for Moscow 1941–1942

Dmitry Degtev, Dmitry Zubov

• Publisher: Air World
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781526774460
• eBook ISBN: 9781526774491
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

This is the story of the aerial element of the Battle for Moscow between 1941 and 1942, known to the Germans as Operation Typhoon.
In October 1941, Operation Typhoon and the battle for Moscow began. According to Hitler's plan, it was to be the 'last offensive', after which nothing could stop Germany from conquering Britain and the rest of Europe – but first he had to overcome the Soviets and especially their air force. Air Battle for Moscow is the first detailed description of one of the most vital, yet little known, air battles of the Second World War. The battle for Moscow opened with the flights of long-range reconnaissance aircraft, which photographed Moscow and the Kremlin. Then, on 22 July 1941, Operation Clara Zetkin, the Luftwaffe's aerial assault on Moscow, began. But the Luftwaffe was opposed by the 'Stalin's Falcons', the elite 6th Air Defence Corps, which defended the Soviet capital with a determination which saw bitter duels to the death and horrendous casualties on both sides. The book presents new facts about this dramatic battle and describes in detail the actions of the aircrew on both sides. Yet this is not just the story or the air war. The authors also describe the lives of people during the war, of suppressed anti-Soviet opposition in Moscow, and of the bloodthirsty and inhuman actions of the Stalin regime. The book also tells of the fate of German pilots caught in Russian captivity, and the adventures of those who were able to survive and escape from the Russian executioners. Many myths concerning the battle are also challenged, such as the often-stated belief that Moscow's anti-aircraft defenses were the most powerful in the world and that it was the Soviets who were the finest pilots. In this comprehensive account, details of losses, biographical outlines of the key individuals, analyses of the different aircraft and a full chronology of the battle are presented, as well as numerous exclusive photos, documents and drawings. But it is the stories of those who fought in the Battle for Moscow that, undeniably, have the greatest impact. The harrowing tales of death and survival in conditions that are almost beyond description demonstrate just how important this conflict was to both Russia and the Third Reich and, ultimately, to the outcome of the Second World War.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Book Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Chapter 1. Operation ‘Clara Zetkin’: Strategic Operation or Adventurism?
• Chapter 2. ‘The New Attempts of the Fascist Vultures’
• Chapter 3. The Luftwaffe in Operation ‘Typhoon’
• Chapter 4. Air Attack on the ‘Molotov’ Automobile Plant
• Chapter 5. On the Threshold of the Goal
• Chapter 6. ‘Last Offensive’
• Chapter 7. Flying Through the White Haze
• Chapter 8. The Rzhev–Vyazma Line
• Conclusion
• Appendices
• 1. Aircraft in the 6th IAK PVO in June–December 1941by Type
• 2. Losses of Aircraft by I./KG 28 in the Moscow Air Defence Zone, July–December 1941
• 3. Losses of Aircraft by KGr. 100 ‘Wiking’ in the Moscow Air Defence Zone, July–December 1941
• 4. Losses of Aircraft by KG 3 ‘Blitz’ in the Moscow Air Defence Zone, July 1941–January 1942
• 5. Losses of Luftwaffe Long-range Reconnaissance Aircraftin the Moscow Air Defence Zone, July 1941–April 1942
• 6. Ivan Klimov-commander of the 6th IAK PVO
• 7. Portrait of a typical ‘Stalin’s Falcon’. Viktor Talalikhin
• 8. 6th IAK PVO
• 9. Hans Bätcher, the typical bomber pilot
• 10. KGr. 100 ‘Wiking’
• 11. MiG-3
• 12. Wolfram von Richthofen – The Führer’s ‘Nazgûl’
• 13. He 111 H-5
• Sources
• Index