Revisionist account of the Luftwaffe attack on Belorussia - not
all were lost without a fight. There is an opinion among the general public that
the Soviet Union's entire air force in Belorussia on the first day of the
war was caught on the ground by the Luftwaffe and destroyed on the morning of
22nd June 1941.
However, the example of the 127th Fighter Aviation Regiment proves
that this is far from the case. Aerial combat continued until the evening of
22nd June, by which time the regiment had completely exhausted its
ammunition.
The author has tracked down and established the fate of almost
all thirteen pilots of the regiment who were killed that day, as well as
the German victory claims. In the course of conducting field research for the
book, the author found an engine from one of the downed Soviet aircraft, which
is still lying today on the outskirts of Grodno.
For the first time, with the help of local eyewitnesses to the
events, he was able to trace the fate of Major Wolfgang Schellman, the German
ace and commander of JG 27, and established where his plane fell. He also
learned the fate of the people who took part in capturing him. Also for the
first time in public, the book contains a complete roster of the 127th Fighter
Aviation Regiment's pilots. 'Wings over Grodno' is a fascinating contribution to the
study of the Soviet air force during the early stages of the Great Patriotic
War.
Available late 2012.
