Red Stars 5
Baltic Fleet Air Force in Winter War

By Carl-Fredrik Geust, Samuil Tirkeltaub, Gennadiy Petrov
Apali Oy [Finland]
ISBN 952-5026-31-0
Hardbound, 160 Pages

Reviewed by Vesa Satamo

An excellent book, once again from Mr s Geust and Petrov. Third author, Mr Tirkeltaub is a Russian Winter war veteran. I cannot praise this book enough, but of course, being a Finn, it is somehow understandable. The book itself is written both in Finnish and in English, this gives a new perspective of Winter war also to foreign readers. Although book s timeline is limited to a short period of time, it gives a clear picture of VVS KBF (Baltic Fleet Air Force) acts at the beginning of the WW II. It also outlines many shortcomings inside Soviet Air Forces during this period. The research work done in Soviet archives is widest ever, it was conducted both by Russian and Finnish researchers and a big part of the material is published for the first time. Like I pointed out before, the only shortcoming of this book is, that it is limited mostly to the actions taken by VVS KBF. But this of course, gives us VVS enthusiast s opportunity to wait for another issue of RS. Magnificent work, indeed!

Contains:

• 17 maps and bombing charts

• 42 aerial photographs

• 38 shots of SB

• 17 shots of DB-3

• 10 shots of R-5

• 5 shots of MBR-2

• 17 shots of I-16

• 10 shots of I-15bis

• 5 shots of I-153

• 11 shots of U-2

• 3 shots of PS-84

• 3 shots of DC-3

• 3 shots of MR-6

• 5 shots of Kalinin K-5

• 6 shots of TB-3

• All in all 244 pictures

• 18 colour charts

• 11 tables of losses (individual planes and crews listed), specifications, attacks and dislocations etc.