parsifal
Colonel
Tomo for me the Soviets need to include the appointment of Novikov as the head of the Red AirForce. gis reforms turned what was a force being destroyed and largely irrelevant to the battle to a force able to massively influence the outcome of the war on the Eastern Front. The reforms he instituted were truly critical to the survival of the VVS.
"A gifted air force commander and one of the leading men of the Soviet armed forces, Novikov was involved in nearly all exploits of the air force during World War II and was at the forefront of developments in command and control and of air combat techniques. After the war, Novikov was arrested and was forced by NKVD chief Beria into a "confession" which implicated Zhukov in a conspiracy. Novikov was then imprisoned until the death of Stalin in 1953, whereupon he became an avionics teacher and writer until his death in 1976.
During the early setbacks of the Russian army at the hand of the Nazis, Novikov and the Leningrad air forces took part in a number of strikes against the advancing German armies, including the first Soviet air operation of the war, from June 25 – 30, 1941, It is claimed these early operations in front of Leningrad cost the Germans 130 aircraft per month. During this time, Novikov was noted for his skill in command and for his innovation, particularly the then unknown use of radio to coordinate bomber flights. In July 1941, Novikov expanded his command from Leningrad to include air forces of the Northern Front, Northwestern Front and the Baltic Fleet, and as the Germans approached Leningrad, Novikov and his forces flew 16,567 sorties.
Novikov briefly held the position of First Deputy to the Air Force Commander from February until April 11, 1942. He then became Commander of the Red Army Air Force – Deputy to the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR for Aviation, a position from which he began to reorganize the Soviet air force. He worked specifically for the creation of separate divisions and air corps, as well as the improvement of front line coordination with the ground forces. it was Novikov that realized that achievement of full air superiority was not only beyond VVS capability, it was also completely irrelevant on the eastern front because of the vast distances of the front and the thinly held LW lines in that TO . During the siege of Stalingrad, Novikov successfully persuaded Zhukov and Stalin that the air force was not ready for a planned counter-offensive, an argument to which both commanders eventually conceded. After a substantial period of development, Novikov was able to provide Zhukov with an aerial blockade of the German forces at Stalingrad that cost the Germans an entire army, and some would say, the entire war, Over 1200 Axis a/c were destroyed at Stalingrad, but it was just the beginning for Novikov. Later operations over Kuban destroyed another 1,100 planes and the rise of many of the VVS aces in that command.
At Kursk , Novikov introduced new innovations such as shaped charge bombs, night fighters and ground-attack aircraft. The Battle of Konigsberg saw 2,500 combat aircraft under Novikov being made available to the besieging armies, with the Soviet air marshal recommending low level heavy night bombers being used. 514 of these dropped 4,440 tons of bombs on the beleaguered city. For his part in the operation Novikov was made Hero of the Soviet Union, and on June 24, 1944 the United States awarded him a Legion Of Merit. Novikov then transferred to the PTO to fight against Japan, where he was made Hero of the Soviet Union a second time for his work in forming large air armies to bomb Japanese forces in China and Korea"
it was the man, not the machine, that defeated the LW on the Eastern Front
"A gifted air force commander and one of the leading men of the Soviet armed forces, Novikov was involved in nearly all exploits of the air force during World War II and was at the forefront of developments in command and control and of air combat techniques. After the war, Novikov was arrested and was forced by NKVD chief Beria into a "confession" which implicated Zhukov in a conspiracy. Novikov was then imprisoned until the death of Stalin in 1953, whereupon he became an avionics teacher and writer until his death in 1976.
During the early setbacks of the Russian army at the hand of the Nazis, Novikov and the Leningrad air forces took part in a number of strikes against the advancing German armies, including the first Soviet air operation of the war, from June 25 – 30, 1941, It is claimed these early operations in front of Leningrad cost the Germans 130 aircraft per month. During this time, Novikov was noted for his skill in command and for his innovation, particularly the then unknown use of radio to coordinate bomber flights. In July 1941, Novikov expanded his command from Leningrad to include air forces of the Northern Front, Northwestern Front and the Baltic Fleet, and as the Germans approached Leningrad, Novikov and his forces flew 16,567 sorties.
Novikov briefly held the position of First Deputy to the Air Force Commander from February until April 11, 1942. He then became Commander of the Red Army Air Force – Deputy to the People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR for Aviation, a position from which he began to reorganize the Soviet air force. He worked specifically for the creation of separate divisions and air corps, as well as the improvement of front line coordination with the ground forces. it was Novikov that realized that achievement of full air superiority was not only beyond VVS capability, it was also completely irrelevant on the eastern front because of the vast distances of the front and the thinly held LW lines in that TO . During the siege of Stalingrad, Novikov successfully persuaded Zhukov and Stalin that the air force was not ready for a planned counter-offensive, an argument to which both commanders eventually conceded. After a substantial period of development, Novikov was able to provide Zhukov with an aerial blockade of the German forces at Stalingrad that cost the Germans an entire army, and some would say, the entire war, Over 1200 Axis a/c were destroyed at Stalingrad, but it was just the beginning for Novikov. Later operations over Kuban destroyed another 1,100 planes and the rise of many of the VVS aces in that command.
At Kursk , Novikov introduced new innovations such as shaped charge bombs, night fighters and ground-attack aircraft. The Battle of Konigsberg saw 2,500 combat aircraft under Novikov being made available to the besieging armies, with the Soviet air marshal recommending low level heavy night bombers being used. 514 of these dropped 4,440 tons of bombs on the beleaguered city. For his part in the operation Novikov was made Hero of the Soviet Union, and on June 24, 1944 the United States awarded him a Legion Of Merit. Novikov then transferred to the PTO to fight against Japan, where he was made Hero of the Soviet Union a second time for his work in forming large air armies to bomb Japanese forces in China and Korea"
it was the man, not the machine, that defeated the LW on the Eastern Front
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