The author of the book flew 997 confirmed night missions in an open cockpit of a Po-2. Flying at low altitudes, often too low to safely parachute out of a damaged aircraft, the pilots of these machines often flew nighttime low level bombing raids or reconaissance missions.

The book recounts an unprecedented event in military history: the penetration of the enemy's plans through the cracking of the German Enigma machine cipher by the Western Allies of the anti-Hitler coalition. Until recently, the most important aspect of this event remained unclear: was the role played by the codebreakers in achieving victory over Germany during World War II truly so significant?...

Ein altes Telefonbuch ist der Roman einer Stadt. Wer darin blättert, betritt ein dicht bevölkertes Schattenreich: Täter stehen neben Opfern, Feiglinge neben Mutigen, Helden neben Vergessenen. Hartmut Jäckel führt den Leser durch Berlin im Jahre 1941 und erzählt die Geschichten von über 200 Menschen, deren Spuren sich im letzten Amtlichen Fernsprechbuch von Berlin vor Kriegsende fanden. Diese...

The author was a fighter pilot for the Soviet Union during World War II. He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union on two separate occasions (24 May, 1943 and July 1, 1944). He scored 61 confirmed personal victories and 4 additional shared victories in air combat. As such, he is the third highest scoring Soviet pilot in World War II. He began the war in the air over Moldova in 1941.

Vitalii Dostenk professor Voenno-morskoi akademii, kapitan pervogo ranga.

This book is about real men – the pilots and navigators of the famous Po-2 (U-2) ‘crop duster’ aircraft. Operating this plane didn't require exceptional skills or abilities during initial flight training; after all, it wasn't a fighter or a long-range bomber. However, the tasks the crews had to perform demanded immense personal courage and complete dedication. As one veteran recalled: ‘The U-2...

The book is dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Khasan, fought in 1938 between the Red Army and the Japanese Imperial Army. The Russian commander in the battle, Vasilly Blucher was later blamed for the loss and executed.

During the Great Patriotic War, the following joke circulated: Why is the Li-2 so fat, the Il-2 so 'humpbacked', and the Pe-2 so thin? Because the Li-2 was speculating throughout the war, the attack aircraft carried the burden of the war on its shoulders, and the Pe-2, like a prostitute, was thrown into various roles – sometimes as a reconnaissance aircraft, sometimes as a fighter, sometimes as...