Red Phoenix Rising: An Interview With Ilya Grinberg
- Red Phoenix Rising:An Interview With Ilya Grinberg
What were the principal factors that enabled the Soviet Air Force to survive the devastating initial Luftwaffe onslaught; then to gradually reach quantitative, qualitative, and operational parity with the Germans; and eventually to achieve dominance in the air war against Germany?
This is the core question. How the VVS survived is one of the most stunning military reversals in World War II. By June 1941 the VVS had 15,599 combat aircraft. Out of this number, 9,890 aircraft where at the western frontier. Even with the devastating losses in June, the residual number of aircraft still exceeded the number of aircraft deployed by the Luftwaffe (2,764). It took time to move air units from the inner regions of the country, but everything was thrown into the battle, even inferior or obsolescent aircraft. This bought time and it allowed the beleaguered VVS to form new units. And here is a critical point to keep in mind, one that escaped notice at the time: many pilots survived the onslaught of the opening days of Barbarossa.
There are several factors that allowed the VVS to regroup and then fight back, each year with increasing effectiveness. This was a war of total mobilization, [End Page 25] not just for the VVS, but for the entire military and the nation. The Germans were surprised at the Soviets' resiliency and capacity to strike back. The slogan "Everything for the front, everything for victory" animated the war effort on the Soviet side.
If you examine the broader historical context closely, you appreciate the fact that the Soviet capacity to wage war could be traced back to the 1930s. This decade laid the foundation. The massive drive for industrialization established a baseline. There was also skillful management on a large scale in this planned economy. In contrast, Germany was planning a lightning war with the focus on swift victory. In the fall of 1941 Hitler even ordered a reduction in aircraft production!
As bitter lessons were learned in the first year of the war, a wide circle of aviation and military commanders saw clearly certain priorities, for example: the importance of concentrating armed forces in the narrow breakthrough corridors; the critical factor of coordinating aviation with the ground forces; the need to make use of radio, new tactics, better command and control; and so on. Starting from the Battle of Moscow, the elements of centralization were set in place. And this anticipated the creation of the air armies in 1942.
Looking back, it strikes me that the VVS possessed real flexibility and relentless determination in shaping its tactics. This war-induced openness to change became a major factor. The Luftwaffe, I would argue, was a brutal foe, but ironically a good teacher! And there were dramatic advances in technology during the war. The source for these changes came from within the aviation sector and from Lend-Lease aid. The improved performance of the newer type of aircraft allowed Soviet pilots on an ever-increasing scale to enjoy the enhanced capabilities of their new mounts.
The VVS did embrace a whole series of new air tactics. It is easy to talk about vertical maneuver and speed and strict orders, but, I would add, it is impossible to adopt a new approach with outdated prewar I-16 and I-153 types—and they were still widely used in 1942. New tactics wedded to modern aircraft performance set the stage for parity with the Luftwaffe.
For me, the key and enduring factors were command and control, better intelligence, and the widespread mastery of modern communications. These command and control refinements were made even more dramatic with the relentless and impressive numerical superiority of the Soviet Air Force. By 1944, the numerical superiority and rich combat experience of the VVS made it a highly effective fighting machine, the largest tactical-operational air force in the world.
Forging an effective air force requires much more than simply building large numbers of modern airplanes. What were some of the obstacles that the VVS had to overcome to become an effective fighting force...
