The Soviet Union began assisting the People's Republic of China in its establishment of a modern air force in 1950, when Soviet Air Force regiments were sent to train local pilots. China's involvement in the Korean War in late October 1950 inevitably drew Soviet pilots into the war. A total of 52 Soviet pilots scored five or more victories in the Korean War. The history of these covert actions has been a long-buried secret and this book will be the first English publication to detail the only instance when the Cold War between Russia and the US became "hot." This book uncovers Soviet combat experiences during the Korean War from detailed unit histories and rare first-hand accounts. With access to extensive Russian archives, the authors offer an enthralling insight into an air war that has been largely covered up and neglected, illustrated with previously unpublished photographs and detailed full-color profiles.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
The decision to send Russian Pilots to Korea:
I enjoy see the gun pictures of the MIG when they are engaging American aircraft. The authors do an execllent job explaining how difficult it was for the Russians to verified the kills. However, there was nothing about in the book about the Russians getting together with the North Korean authorities to strengthen the radar stations and ground observers system, to help verified the air kills easily and quickly for the pilots. The Germans had a such system in World War I and World War II. In addition, the... more info
A comprehensive survey of how the USSR's top planes performed:
Leonid Krylov and Yuriy Tepsurkaev's SOVIET MIG-15 ACES OF THE KOREAN WAR joins others in Osprey's 'Aircraft of the Aces' series, providing a comprehensive survey of how the USSR's top planes performed and made a big difference in Korea, surveying the first generation of jet fighters in Korea. Pilot exploits are covered in black and white and color, here.
And Now You Know the Rest of the Story: Russian MiGs in the Korean War!:
Back in September 2006, when I reviewed Warren Thompson's F-86 SABRE ACES OF THE 4TH FIGHTER WING, I commented that it would be great if Osprey had a "MiG-15 Aces of the Korean War" book in the works. Well, here 'tis...and not only is Leonid Krylov's book interesting but it's sure to be controversial as well. Russia committed many MiG-15 units to the Korean conflict. It's only recently that details of this large-scale but top-secret involvement has been documented. SOVIET MiG-15 ACES OF THE KOREAN WAR... more info
SOVIET MIG-15 ACES OF THE KOREAN WAR:
Well written by Leonid Krylov,this is a rare look through its excellent narration, vintage photography and drawings of the Soviet air crews participation in the Korean War on the side of its allies North Korea and Red China. This historical and very descriptive books reveals the photographs, the Mig-15 jet fighters and some other Russian aircraft, names and rank of the Soviet pilots (some of them dead in dogfights)during this conflict 1950-1953.
I highly recommend this book to all military aviation... more info
