Few enthusiasts know that much about Soviet military activities during WWII. There is this vague acknowledgement that there were a few very successful pilots, but most consider the standard VVS pilot as being poorly trained and somewhat of an automaton. As with most preconceptions, this isn't how it was. Soviet pilots flew with as much bravery, skill and tenacity as did the pilots of other nations. They had the ability to devise tactics and adapt to changing situations just as much as airmen from Great Britain, Germany or the United States.

They also had a fairly good fighter as the war drew on, in the Yakovlev series. Starting with the Yak-1 of 1941 and continuing to the Yak-9U of the last months of the war, these sturdy and capable aircraft were to be found on all fronts where the Soviets engaged the Luftwaffe. It is also not that well known a statistic that war-time production of Yak fighters reached over 32,000, slightly less than the 33,000 Bf-109s and 36,000 IL-2s, making it one of the most widely built aircraft of all time.

But this book is on men and women who successfully flew the Yak fighter. It starts with a history on the Yak itself and the different variants. Then there are aces whose names are not well known outside Russia such as MD Baranov with 26 victories, or the General, E. Savitskii, who fought even after being forbidden to fly and was the head of one of the elite units of the VVS, the 3rd IAK. The top Yak ace was V.A. Vasil'ovich with 52 personal victories.

George Mellinger does a superb job of relating the interesting and often surprising stories of many of these men and women who flew the Yak. There are stories of intrigue, bravery, political meddling, survival, and, of course, the 'I was there' tales of air to air combat.

This is further enhanced by 40 superb color profiles by Jim Laurier. Just the kind of thing that gets model builders thinking about building something that relates to the book. This is topped off by appendicies that list Yak operators, top scoring aces, and a well done set of drawings of the Yak variants.

Overall, this is another outstanding book from the folks at Osprey. Well written, well researched, and with superb profiles; what more could one ask.

June 2005

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