The authors of the book are well known to Osprey fans – Dmitry Khazanov and Aleksander Medved. First of them wrote 15 books and numerous articles for international publishers. The second is also a retired colonel who also is an aviation historian. The graphic layer is prepared by Andrey Yurgenson, an artist who is recognized for his work with military magazines, but also with Osprey.
The book presents a small piece of Pe-2 bombers history associated with their use in the units of the Russian Army Guards. Books related to aviation on the Eastern Front are still not so popular on the Western European publishing market and hence the this book can be seen as complementary to the knowledge in this area for English-speaking readers.
The book consists of 96 pages, divided into 6 chapters. At the end we can find attachments and index. Traditionally, Osprey gives its readers a lot of color plates which also present us different versions of Pe-2 aircraft.
The first chapter describes in brief the development of the aircraft, and also has information on the reconnaissance versions of the bomber. The remaining chapters describe the use of Pe-2 in Guards formations involved in World War II. In this way we have a condensed knowledge of the above-topic and learn about the commitment made by Pe-2 machines to the air war..
The book is written in a simple language and can be used as a starting point for learning more about Russian bombers and the plane Pe-2.
Osprey decided not to publish any bibliography so we do not know what were the sources for both authors. Considering their experience and documents included in the iconographic layer, it can be assumed that the base is solid. Two shots showing the tactics used on Pe-2 aircraft are from the Russian instructions and look very interesting. The presented photos are of a decent quality.
In conclusion one must say that the book is highly recommended not only to readers interested in this type of aircraft, but also to all willing to get some in formations about Russian Units.
The book was made available for review courtesy of Osprey Publishing.
