Jack Kruse
Sisyphus Triumphant Publishing, 2024
Military History Fiction, 300 pp
ISBN-13: 9798330374663
$3.99 ebook
$15.99 print
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About the book
The German attack to pinch off the Kursk Salient begins
with a tremendous artillery assault.
Captain Alexei Demetrovsky’s unit of Lavochkin fighters defends the Soviet
positions as Operation Citadel explodes across the Ukrainian Steppe, while he
is investigated by the Soviet political officer of his squadron for disloyalty
to the party.
On July 4, 1943, the largest tank and aircraft battle in history initiated a
blistering fifteen-day period of intense combat.
My Review
Anyone who loves Russian history in particular, World War II
stories and military history in general, will love this story and it’s
companion, Crucible. The author has done his due diligence in portraying
accurate and sometimes painfully honest detail about life in the trenches and
the sky during this terrifying period of world unrest.
Told through the eyes of the principal players of Russian
pilot Alexy Demetrovsky and German pilot Gerhard Schnell, readers are drawn in
to the dogfights, the plotting, the betrayals, mistrust, and personal dramas of
soldiers each believing their fight is just and right.
You’ll go on patrol, or engage the enemy, be drawn into the
harsh realities of camp life, food, personal traumas of male and female soldiers
on the war front. You’ll be drawn into their angst and regrets, their
determination to survive, and dreams of the future.
This is a gritty challenging read, told with the type of
detail that puts you right into the action, both sides drawing closer to that
fateful battle. Well done.
Crucible
Sisyphus Triumphant Publishing, 2024
Military History Fiction, 354 pp
$15.99 print
$3.99 ebook
ISBN-13: 9798330374830
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
Katrina Safronova, along with a handful of other woman
fighter pilots,
find themselves assigned to a squadron led by a Soviet Air Force commander who
has rejected women pilots before. A veteran pilot, wounded at the battle of
Stalingrad she must again prove her valor against relentless German forces. As
Katrina leads her flight of women pilots on dangerous missions, she’s immersed
in vicious aerial combat where no mercy is ever given. Set during the fall and
winter of 1943 to 1944 above the Southwest Soviet Union, Katrina takes part in
engagements from the Soviet retaking of Kharkov to the battle of the Korsun
Pocket. When her senior officer professes his love for her she believes love
amid combat must end tragically.
My review
Kruse bring to light and life the little-known squadron of
female fighter pilots that were a matter of fact in Soviet World War II – the night
witches.
In the dramatic companion piece and sequel to his blistering
novel, Cauldron, set on the Russian front, Commander Katrina Safronova must
face the toughest battle of them all – believing there is something to live
for, after pledging her soul to save her country.
Both novels begin in the air to show their heroes know their
jobs well. Combat pilots are a special breed of warriors, needing to be on
alert for danger from any quarter, whether enemy or debris, outside, or
aircraft malfunction, or mental state of the pilot and crew. It’s an exhausting
job, and in war with continuous operations, they get little opportunity to
rest. Sleep and provision deprivation, let alone lack of privacy, takes a toll.
Katrina and her fellows arrive on the front after the Battle of Stalingrad,
expecting to be harassed as female pilots. Katrina is surprised instead to meet
Captain Pyotr Gorbumov who is instead respectful of their service and works to
promote their much-needed service to the unit that’s taken heavy losses. As
Pyotr and Katrina work more closely with each other, their mutual respect and
relationship grows.
As with Cauldron, the author’s command of Soviet-era
language and cultural detail is lovingly reproduced, as well as military and
personnel historical records.
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