Uploaded June 2008 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
It looked like a new easy Blitz Krieg. The sovjets - and particularly Stalin - was taken by completely surprise. In the first few hours of war, the russians lost 1600 airplanes - most of them nicely parked side by side in long rows at the airfields.
But little by little luck should run out for the germans.
In an enormous effort the russians moved all aircraft factories to the other side of the Urals where they rebuild them, and then an enormous amount of newly designed highly compettitive fighters began to leave the factories . . . . and although the russians did not have many battle hardened pilots, the quantity won over quality in the end.
Carl Vendler
It looked like a new easy Blitz Krieg. The sovjets - and particularly Stalin - was taken by completely surprise. In the first few hours of war, the russians lost 1600 airplanes - most of them nicely parked side by side in long rows at the airfields.
But little by little luck should run out for the germans.
In an enormous effort the russians moved all aircraft factories to the other side of the Urals where they rebuild them, and then an enormous amount of newly designed highly compettitive fighters began to leave the factories . . . . and although the russians did not have many battle hardened pilots, the quantity won over quality in the end.
Carl Vendler
