ACES AT KURSK: The Battle for Aerial Supremacy on the Eastern Front, 1943

1-241320

Discusses the intense air battle -- bigger than the Battle of Britain -- at the Battle of Kursk in July 1943. The battle in the south began with a Soviet air strike on German airfields and a fight for control of the air that continued throughout the day across the front. On the first day of the battle, July 5, 1943, the Germans flew at least 2,387 sorties in the south while the two Soviet air armies flew 1,688 sorties. That first day of battle resulted in 19 to 27 German planes and 189 Soviet aircraft shot down. Involved on the German side were the 52nd and 3rd Fighter Wings. The 52nd Fighter Wing was the most accomplished fighter wing in history, and many of its top aces were involved in the combats over the Kursk battlefield. Opposing them were what were to become three of the top five Soviet aces.