Hello over there Cheddar:
I guess you must read again what I posted here: I did NEVER say the late soviet fighters were superior to the Bf109G´s.
)
What I did say was the late soviet fighter models (Yaks and Las) were in equal terms to any other fighter, friend and foe. Very good at some things and not so good at others.
The Bf109G´s, as pure fighters, are not only fine as you say, they made some of the very best flying machines of the war.
My sole intention in this thread was to illustrate the Ivan Kozhedub´s interview posted here, is 100% soaked with the Stalinist soviet propaganda style of depicting the "great patrotic war".
Really, I suggest you read further on the air battles over the Kuban bridgehead throughout 1943. JG/52 was one of the German units involved there.
The Kuban region, is located in the northwestern corner of the Caucasus. After the German defeat in Stalingrad (1942-early 1943) and the retreat from the Caucasus through the Rostov area, the German forces left on purpose an isolated bridgehead in that area.
There, virtually the whole year of 1943 saw raging battles between soviets and Germans. The soviet air force proved totally uncapable of gaining and establishing air superiority over the Luftwaffe. Many selected VVS fighter units were sent there and they failed, losing in the process big numbers of planes and even several of their aces (i.e. Vadim Fadeyev, who got shot down and killed by a Bf109). Yes, the Germans had their losses as well but they kept the upper hand.
The Kuban example was brought up to argue Kozhedub´s view after Kursk, the VVS emerged as a "superior force", equipped with "perfect planes and top quality fighters", making it such an accurate tool of war which would eventually devour the Luftwaffe.
That is totally misleading. The VVS, through out the war, performed in a mediocre manner. The bulk of its pilots were hastily trained.
The hammer delivered by the Luftwaffe in 1941 was so brutally smashing, the VVS never ever really had the time nor the interest in becoming a proffesional branch of the armed forces.
This was explained to me by retired USSAF pilots of WWII: the defeats the Luftwaffe inflicted to the VVS in 1941 was so total and complete in the westermost areas of the Soviet Union, no country´s air force at all, much less that of Soviet Union of the 1940´s, can recover in the fashion it has been depicted.
1942 continued to see an outcome very similar to that of 1941, the Luftwaffe always keeping the upper hand.
Do not get me wrong, the Luftwaffe victories were never easy: but they were total and complete in 1941. There were several superb fighter pilots in the soviet union during WWII, but they happened to be only a minority.
Bravery is not an issue here; all the airmen of the war, of all the combatant nations were brave, and their fears, joys and sacrifices are well to be respected.
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