Suggestions for best Eastern Front starter book?

[Ceowulf]

Hi,

I'm hoping to get a few books to study up on the Eastern Front in anticipation of starting IL2 BoX this winter.  Can anyone recommend to me the best first book to read to "get into" the period?  Or, what's the single best Eastern Front air war book you've read in any genre?  (Or point me to a thread where this was already discussed.  )

 

I love Rise of Flight because the game has had me reading books on the topic for the last few years and I'm hoping IL2 can do the same.  I think it's very cool 1C/777 have put all this work into a lesser known theater (to many of us, anyway) so that we get the chance to learn it.  

 

The trick is going to be playing both games at the same time - ROF is too good to drop - but that's beside the point.

 

Thanks,

Ceowulf<><

 

BTW, for legitimacy, I own BOS and BOM, they just don't show b/c I can't install them yet.

Edited November 28, 2016 by Ceowulf

[unreasonable]

A couple to try that are not too long, expensive or data heavy:

 

German Aces of the Russian Front - John Weal, Osprey.      Chronology, anecdotes, photos, basic OOBs and some skin profiles.

 

Barbarossa and the Retreat from Moscow - Artem Drabkin, English version published by Pen and Sword.     Similar to the above, but from the Soviet side - just for the first period of the war though.

 

After that anything by Bergstromm will get you more detail on a particular period, and look for Prien's LW unit studies or Gordon's "Soviet Airpower in WW2" for much more detail - and higher prices!

Edited November 28, 2016 by unreasonable

[MarcoRossolini]

Not really about the Air War, but Antony Beevor's Stalingrad - though not perfect these days, is great for really getting a feel for the period.

[ST_ami7b5]

 

https://www.amazon.com/Air-Over-Russia-Andrew-Brookes/dp/B008W39LIO

[Mastermariner]

John Ericsson "The road to Stalingrad" and "The road to Berlin" that's all you need

 

Master