Yefim Gordon

My main question with this book is whether it would transcend Gordon's classic "Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War;" that it does safely in terms of information, photos, and new illustrations.

Where this work does fall a little flat for me is in terms of detailing the evolution of Soviet military aviation organization (and mainly the VVS "frontal" and long-range aviation, as opposed to the PVO air defense service) during the war. While Gordon does give you a snapshot of the order show more of battle in 1941, there is not so much of a tabular picture given for 1945. More could have been done to detail the evolution of the force too, though what is given seems quite good.

Also, while I liked the coverage of Soviet naval aviation, when you throw out the statement that aircraft of the Red Fleet sank "three cruisers" and "seven destroyers" from the German navy I'd like to know what you mean by a "cruiser" or a "destroyer;" are we talking armed merchant cruisers and captured Norwegian ships that barely merit the title of torpedo boat? It's cases like this where you wish that this book had a bibliography. It also makes me wonder what other gaffs I've missed. show less

Apart from the increasing need to talk around the foreign policy "choices" of the Putin regime, Gordon and his associates seem to remain reliable commentators on Soviet aviation history. It is fairly well know that the aircraft in question was undercut by inadequate engines and policy turbulence, but Gordon and Komissarov have the background information to give you a "deep dive." It turns out that not only were the chosen power plants unable to generate the performance required, but the show more Soviet industrial complex was unable to deliver the auxiliary components needed to tie the aircraft together. Thus, like its Western counterparts, the M-50 was more suitable for a Gerry Anderson stop-motion animation show than for the operational demands of an actual air arm. In as much as the visual documentation is great, if you've previously been buying Gordon's books there is no reason not to acquire this one. show less

Yefim Gordon and his colleagues basically set the standard for writing modern Russian Aviation history, and this book is a fine example of their work, featuring extensive photos and drawings, and giving the reader a good sense of the politics of the plane's development process. As for the service history of the Tu 22M, as one might expect, that is a mixed bag, seeing as this machine has been a workhorse of Putin's terror campaign against Ukrainian cities; the final accounting is some ways show more away from being written. Gordon does make some veiled references to this reality but, since he is still apparently a resident of Moscow, he is necessarily keeping his opinions to himself. show less

Another worthy book by Mr. Gordon. Detailed, written with a bit of humor and a touch of national pride. This is a excellent purchase for anybody with an interest in Soviet aviation, Soviet manufacturing,or operations. The section on use by the PRC was a great bonus. Combining this volume Wolfs' volume on the B-29 would give a fairly decent library on the basic airframe.