by Andrew Arthy | May 2, 2020 | Courland, Eastern Front, Fw 190, Il-2 Sturmovik, Jagdgeschwader 54, Luftwaffe, Nahaufklärungsgruppe 5, Publications, Research, Schlachtgeschwader 3, VVS
Today we are happy to share some very exciting news: after eighteen years of research and material-gathering, Andrew started writing the Air War Courland book! It’s been a lengthy process to get to this point, involving a huge amount of research, many trips to...
by Andrew Arthy | Mar 14, 2020 | 1.GBAK, Aces, eArticles, Eastern Front, Frontline, Fw 190, Jagdgeschwader 54, Luftwaffe, Pe-2, Pilots, Research, VVS
There are times in a researcher’s life when the sources match up neatly, and Otto Kittel’s deadly attack on a formation of 97 Pe-2 bombers from the Soviet unit 1. Gvardeyskiy Bombardirovochnyy Aviatsionnyy Korpus (1.GBAK, or 1st Guards...
by Andrew Arthy | Nov 7, 2018 | Aces, Books, Courland, Eastern Front, Frontline, Fw 190, Jagdgeschwader 54, Luftwaffe, Pilots, Publications, Research, Schlachtgeschwader 3, VVS
There was a considerable amount of air activity in the immediate aftermath of the creation of the Courland Pocket in October 1944, but terrible wintry weather set in during early November, almost bringing aerial operations to a complete halt. It was not until the...
by Andrew Arthy | Aug 11, 2018 | Eastern Front, Fw 190, Ju 87, Luftwaffe, Schlachtgeschwader 3, Schlachtgeschwader 4, VVS
Luftflotte 1 was a badly overstretched air force in mid-August 1944, as it tried to assist Heeresgruppe Nord against several Soviet land offensives in Estonia and Latvia. From north to south, Luftflotte 1 supported: Armeeabteilung Narwa, which occupied a line between...
by Andrew Arthy | Oct 19, 2017 | Aces, Bf 109, Courland, Eastern Front, Frontline, Fw 190, Jagdgeschwader 51, Luftwaffe, P-39 Airacobra, Pe-2, Pilots, Publications, Research, VVS
19 September 1944 was another busy day in the Courland air war, and this blog post outlines one of the most significant combats to occur. Soviet units from the 3. Vozdushnaya Armiya (3.VA, or 3rd Air Army) flew 1.404 sorties over the south-eastern corner of Courland...
by Andrew Arthy | Jun 29, 2017 | Books, Courland, Eastern Front, Frontline, Jagdgeschwader 54, Luftwaffe, Publications, Research, VVS
Over the last couple of years a most experienced and respected German aviation historian has been kind enough to contact Air War Publications and share with us a large amount of very valuable material regarding the Luftwaffe evacuation from Courland on 8-9 May 1945....