 Bagration
to Berlin
The Final Air Battles in the East 1944-1945
By Christer Bergström
Classic Publications, ©2008
ISBN 978-1-903223-91-8
Hardbound, 144 Pages
Available from Specialty Press
for $52.95
The final volume in the definitive series on air battles on the Eastern
Front, Bagration to Berlin covers the advance of Soviet forces and the
ultimate collapse of the German forces. This was not an easy victory for
the Soviet Union, though, and while the VVS improved their aircraft technology
and pilot skills, the Luftwaffe changed their tactics to provide a powerful
defense. Still, the VVS proved superior over the Luftwaffe in these final
years, and the result was a constant retreat by the Germans towards Berlin.
Operation Bagration makes up the majority of this book, as the author
wanted to provide a thorough analysis of this major event on the Eastern
Front. As one of the few events on the Eastern Front to penetrate through
the veil of Cold War propaganda, the actual events of the destruction
of Heeresgruppe Mitte have never been told in a balanced fashion. This
book aims to change that, providing information from both sides that illustrate
why this battle eliminated any hope of a stalemate from which Germany
might have established a truce. Instead, the Russians rode the wave of
success from Bagration and pushed the Germans out of Eastern Europe back
to Berlin.
Like the other titles in this series, the author draws heavily on archival
information from both sides to provide a balanced analysis that is further
enhanced through extensive photographs and maps. With many advances taking
place across a broad front, the maps are particularly useful in keeping
track of the progression of the battle. The photos, many of which are
new, illustrate the changing technology of both sides.
This is an essential series to anyone interested in the history of the
air war on the Eastern Front. The exhaustive research is well presented,
and the supporting information is outstanding. My thanks to Specialty
Press for the review copy.
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