Air Campaign- Stalingrad Airlift 1942-43 The Luftwaffe's Broken Promise to Sixth Army

The 1942-43 Battle of Stalingrad is widely considered one of the turning points of the Second World War. Unlike the ground battle itself, the Luftwaffe airlift that sought to keep the trapped German Sixth Army alive has gotten rather less attention. Author William Hiestand fills in some of the historical gaps in this new Osprey Air Campaign book. Most of the booklet discusses the operations undertaken, the low serviceability of the German transport aircraft mostly due to the horrid weather conditions, and the poor condition of the Pitomnik airfield inside Stalingrad. The author briefly describes the substantial Luftwaffe involvement in the campaign against the Soviet Union. The effort to sustain the German forces in Stalingrad via an airlift is covered in more detail. The author's analysis demonstrates the airlift was a long shot at best, and why. Well recommended to students of the air war of WW2.