The Soviet Air Force

The All-Russia Collegium for Direction of the Air Forces of the Old Army (translation is uncertain) was formed on 20 December 1917. This was a Bolshevik aerial headquarters initially led by Konstantin Akashev. Along with a general postwar military reorganisation, the collegium was reconstituted as the "Workers' and Peasants' Red Air Fleet" ("Glavvozduhflot"), established on 24 May 1918 and given the top-level departmental status of 'Main Directorate'. It became the Directorate of the USSR Air Forces on 28 March 1924, and then the Directorate of the Workers-Peasants Red Army Air Forces on 1 January 1925. On 19 November 1939, VVS(("Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily") - "military-air forces") headquarters was again titled the Main Directorate of the Red Army Air Forces under the WPRA HQ. Gradually its influence on aircraft design became greater.
From its earliest days, the force mimicked ground forces' organization especially in the 1930s, by then being made up of air armies, aviation corps, aviation divisions, and aviation regiments (composed of air squadrons, flights, and fireteams, respectively). After the creation of the Soviet state many efforts were made in order to modernize and expand aircraft production, led by its charismatic and energetic commander, General Yakov Alksnis, an eventual victim of Joseph Stalin's Great Purge. There was also the PVO ('ProtivoVozdushnaya Oborona Strany', (PVO) Strany, translates to 'Anti-Air Defence of the Nation' was the air defence branch of the Soviet Armed Forces and Naval Aviation) that was to be equiped with fighter defences. Domestic aircraft production increased significantly in the early 1930s and towards the end of the decade ,the Soviet Air Force was able to introduce the Polikarpov I-153 and I-16 fighters and Tupolev SB and SB-bis and DB-3 bombers.

1930s Soviet aviation also had a particular impact on the USSR's military failures in the beginning of World War II. By 1938, the Soviet Union had the largest air force in the world, but Soviet aeronautical design was distinctly lagging behind Western technological advances. Instead of focusing on developing tactical aircraft, the Soviets engineers developed heavy bomber planes only good for long distance�in other words, planes that would be used for record-breaking flights like those of Valery Chkalov's 63-hour flight from Moscow, Soviet Union to Vancouver, Washington, United States via the North Pole on an Tupolev ANT-25 plane (June 18�20, 1937), a non-stop distance of 8,811 kilometres (5,475 mi). The Soviet government's focus on showy stunts and phenomenal record-breaking missions drained resources needed for Soviet defense. Also the Soviets were involved in a number of smaller wars prior to the invasion by the Germans. In the Spanish Civil War, Stalin supported the Spanish Republic, supplying men and materiel to help and develop tactics for the next war. One of the first major tests for the VVS in the Spanish Civil War was in which the latest aircraft designs, both Soviet and German, were employed against each other in fierce air-to-air combat. At first, the I-16 proved superior to any Luftwaffe fighters, and managed to achieve local air superiority wherever they were employed. However, the Soviets refused to supply the plane in adequate numbers, and their aerial victories were soon squandered because of their limited use. Also, Stalin was mistrusting his veterans and when they returned they were dismissed, exiled or even executed, thereby losing valuable combat experience that would plague the VVS up to the Nazi invasion. The Soviets fared better in the Nomonhan Incident between Japan and Russia. The I-16's were a match for the Mitsubishi A5M and Nakajima Ki-27 however, the I-153s were outclassed. The tactics used by the Japanese allowed them to take control of the skies. Again, the lessons learnt were ignored. In the Russo-Finnish War, the smaller and poorer equiped Finnish Air Force was more than a match for them. By using aggresive tactics, the Finnish Air Force managed to shoot down 218 Soviet aircraft during the Winter War while losing only 47 to enemy fire. Again, the lessons were ignored.

When the Nazis attacked the Soviet Union in June1941, it quickly became apparent that the Soviet Air Force was not prepared for war. Poor planning and lack of organization left planes sitting on the tarmac at airbases, allowing the Luftwaffe to destroy 4,000 Soviet planes within the first week. The disorganized Soviet defenses and technologically deficient aircraft were no match for the Luftwaffe. Over the next two years, the Soviets used whatever remaining aircraft available such as I-153's, I-16's, MiG-1's,Yak1's and LaGG-3's as well as being supplied with numerous 'Lend-Lease' aircraft from Hurricanes and Spitfires from Great Britain to the P-39 'Airacobras' and P-40 'Warhawks' from America in ever increasing numbers. During the invasion many plants and design bureaus that were evacuated from the west to the east, started producing arms for the front, which made it possible to quickly make up for the former losses. Chief Marshal of Aviation Alexander Novikov led the VVS from 1942 to the end of the war, and was credited with introducing several innovations and weapons systems and in 1943 the strategic superiority of the Russian Air Force became evident. A great number of German warplanes that were shot down during the air battles in the Kuban sector, the North Caucasus, the Kursk Bulge, and the operations on the Dnieper River offered proof of the grown mastership of the Soviet war pilots and war commanders. Eventually, combined with numerous new types such as the La-5, MiG-3, Yak-9, IL-10 and Pe-2's along with more combat experience and the ever dwindling Luftwaffe replacements led to the Soviet Air Force gaining air superiority from around mid 1943 to the end of the war.

After the outbreak of the Korean Conflict, North Korea suffered severe losses at the hands of the USAF. UN aircraft roamed at will destroying supply lines and constantly bombing attacking troops. In October 1950, the Soviet Union had agreed to provide air regiments equipped with high performance MiG-15 fighters, along with the trained crews to fly them to North Korea. Simultaneously, the Kremlin agreed to supply the Chinese and North Koreans with their own MiG-15s, as well as training for their pilots. A MiG-15 of First Lieutenant Semyon Fyodorovich Khominich scored the first jet-vs-jet victory in history when he shot down an F-80C on November 1, 1950. The USSR never acknowledged that its pilots ever flew over Korea during the Cold War. Americans who intercepted radio traffic during combat confirmed hearing Russian-speaking voices, but only the Communist Chinese and North Korean combatants took responsibility for the flying. Most of the first regimental, squadron commanders and pilots in 1951 were World War II combat veterans, and were well prepared and trained. From November 1950 to January 1952, no less than 40 Soviet MiG-15 pilots were credited as aces, with five or more victories.
Cold War to Present
After the war, the Soviet Air Force became the largest Air Force in the world for a while, providing aircraft to its Warsaw Pact countries. It supplied pilots to the Korean Conflict, the Middle East and Vietnam as Advisors. The aircraft industry under the Soviets produced some of the finest aircraft in the world, like the MiG-15, though to the outstanding MiG-21. Further MiGs like the MiG-25 Foxbat and the MiG-29 Fulcrum can challenge the best of what the West have to offer. These aircraft have been sold to countries all over the world. Many MiG-21's are still in use today.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991 the aircraft and personnel of the Soviet VVS were divided among the newly independent states. Russia received the plurality of these forces, approximately 40% of the aircraft and 65% of the manpower, with these forming the basis for the new Russian Air Force.
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