Figure 1.--The destruction of the Soviet Air Force during the opening days of Barbarossa meant that Soviet cities and civilians were exposed to Luftwaffe bombing. Stalin making common cause with Hitler through the NAZI-Soviet Non-Agression Pact unleased the Luftwaffe on Poland and the West. Now with France defeated, the Soviet people were left to face the full force of the NAXZO juggernaught without a continental ally. Here children in Moscow endure a Luftwaffe bombing raid in a hastily dug slit trrnch.

The Luftwaffe scored a major victory in essentially destroying the Red Air Force during the first 2 days of the Operation Barbarossa. This was a enormous accomplishment by the Luftwaffe. It was one of the most important tactical strike of the War. It is what the Luftwaffe had hoped to achieve over Britain. The Soviet Air Force had been the largest in the world. Much of it was destroyed on the ground. The came about because of both surprise, Luftwaffe technical competance, and the superiority of the German aircraft. Given the fact that the Soviets had ample warning of the attack, the Luftwaffe never should have been able to achieve such a success. The reason that they did was due to the fact that Stalin refused to believe the intelligence reports and prepare for the NAZI attack. The Soviet Commander of Russian Aviation, General Rychagov, was shot for "treasonable activity". The result of the Luftwaffe victory was that for most of Barbarossa, the Germans had air superority over the battle field. Thus even lumbering Stuka dive bombers could be freely deployed to support Wehrmacht operations.

Surprise NAZI Attack (June 22, 1941)

The Luftwaffe scored a major victory in essentially destroying the Red Air Force during the first 2 days of the Operation Barbarossa. This was a enormous accomplishment by the Luftwaffe. It was one of the most important tactical strike of the War. It is what the Luftwaffe had hoped to achieve over Britain. The Soviet Air Force had been the largest in the world. Much of it was destroyed on the ground. The Luftwaffe outclassed the VVS in the air. The Luftwaffe shot down 336 Soviet aircraft, losing 59 planes. That outcome was bad enough, but it was on the groynd that the VVS was literally destroyed. The Luftwaffe within hours of launching Barbarossa destroyed about 800 Soviet aircraft by bombing Soviet forward air bases. [Harvey] The RAF had prevented this by both an advanced state of readiness and the Chain Home Radar Network. The Soviets were neithr prepared nor had an adequate warning system in place. Stalin had ordered the deployment of sunstantial Soviet army and air forces close to the border to protect newly acquired territories. This made these forces particularly vulnerable to a surprise Luftwaffe attack. In addition, it meant there was little time to recover. Rapidly advancing Panzers over ran Soviet air bases before the aircraft damaged on the ground could be repaired and returned to service, The Soviet Commander of Russian Aviation, General Rychagov, was shot for "treasonable activity".

The Soviet Air Force

Stalin made a huge committment to military aviation and by the time of the NAZIs came to power had built a huge air force. The Voenno-Vozdushniye Sily (VVS) was the largest and most powerful air force in the world. Only when Hitler seized powe in German (1933) was an air force created which could challenge the Soviet Air Force. Hitler ordered the secret rearamament of Germany, including the construction of an air force, in flagarant violation of the Versailles Treaty. Stalin poured emense resources into his air force. Planes were built in large numbers and incoroprated a ranbge of modern features. The Soviets had both modern figters and bombers. the Polikarpov I-16 fighter was the world's first monoplane fighter with a retractable undercarriage which improved performance. The Tupolev TB-3 bomber appeared in 1930. It was the the world's first long-range monoplane heavy bomber and had four-engines. It was the first such bomber to be put into series production. [Harvey]

Reason

How could the Luftwaffe achieved such a stunning success? Generally the superiority of the German aircraft is credited with the Luftwaffe's success. This certainly was a factor. A substantial part of the VVs air fleet was composed of obselete aircraft. The Soviets tended to add new planes, but maintain their older planes in service. The result was a massive force with large numbers of obsolete craft. Less thgan 25 percent of the VVs fighter force was made up of the newer MiG-3s and LaGG-3s. A substantial part of the force was the increasing outclassed I-16s. There were even substantial numbers of biplanes in service. [Harvey] Even so, the superiority of the Luftwaffe aircrafy does not fully explain the calamedy. Several factors were involved. Some of the most important was incompetent VVS leadership, and surprise as well as superiority of the German aircraft. The surprise attack was an important factor. Given the fact that the Soviets had ample warning of the attack, the Luftwaffe never should have been able to achieve such a stunning success. The reason that they did was due to the fact that Stalin refused to believe the intelligence reports and prepare for the NAZI attack. The VVS Chief of General Staff Jan Alknis was targeted very early and shot. Many around were also purged. The ability of the Luftwaffe to surprise the VVS was not just a cleverly engineered attack. It relected the state of a service seriously depleted by Stalinist purges. Not only had the senior leadership of the VVS been either executed or committed to the Gulag, but large numbers of experienced officers at mid levels had suffered the same fate. One assessment suggests over 40 percent pf VVS aviation officers had served less than 6 months. Even more telling. over 90 percent of VVS formation commanders had been in that position for more than 6 months. [Harvey] The inexperience of the leadership and the fear of commanders to innovate mean that VVS tactical doctrine was out molded and ineffective against well conceived Luftwaffe tactical doctrine which had been tested and honed with campains in Poland (1939), France and Britain (1940), anf the Balkans (1941).

Impact

The result of the Luftwaffe victory was that for most of Barbarossa, the Germans had air superority over the battlefield. Air superority and close battlefield support were key components of Blitzkrieg. Without the virtual total air superority achieved in the first days of Barbarossa, the spectacular advances and encirclments achieved by yhje Panzers would have been much more limited. Thus even lumbering Stuka dive bombers could be freely deployed to support Wehrmacht operations. It also exposed Soviet cities and civilians to Luftwaffe bombardment. During 1941 Soviet cities were virtually unprotected by the VVS. The major Soviet cities were pummelled by the Luftwaffe. What the Luftwaffe was unable to do was to target the war industries moved beyond the Urals. The Luftwaffe was a largely tactical force and did not include a substatial starategic bombing force.

Soviet Aircraft Industry

One has to ask after the resources devoted to the VVS why Soviet aircraft proved so disappointing during Barbarossa. Soviet aircraft designers had made considerable progress and had introduced some innovative aircraft. Later in the War the VVS proved more effective. There were several reasons for inferority of VVS aircraft. Aircraft designers were also sunject to the Stalinist terror. Two of the Soviet Union's most gifted designers, V.M. Petlyakov and A.N. Tupolev, were arrested by the NKVD and not released until 1940-41. One of the weakest aspects of Soviet aviation were the engines. This rflected the weakness of the overall Soviet industrial plant. There are factors that are difficult to assess. We susprect that Stalin's terror inhibited creativity and innovation--key elements in aviation. We also suspect that the free enterprise system so dispariaged by the Soviets were a factor in more technically advanced aircraft being created in Europe and America.

Sources

Harvey, A.D. "The Soviet Air Force versus the Luftwaffe" History Today (January 2002).

Created: 6:00 PM 2/15/2005
Last updated: 4:07 AM 2/24/2005