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Great Patriotic War
Second Period [19 Nov 1942 - 31 Dec 1943]

During the Great Patriotic War Air Force improved the principles used in hostilities of various sizes, types of aircraft tactics. Success was achieved massaging aviation efforts on the main lines of action of the Army. Keeping the struggle for supremacy in the air depending on the purpose, the amount of attracted forces and means was carried out at strategic, operational and tactical scale air operations and air battles. During the war, the Soviet Air Force was held on 17 aircraft operations in order to defeat (weakening) of aviation groups, the defeat of operating reserves, and disruption of communications, as well as the destruction of important military and industrial centers of the enemy. As a result of the eight air operations on the ground and in the air have been put out of action up to 2,000 combat aircraft of the German aviation.

Air operations often preceded the beginning of large-scale offensive action of the active Army and had a significant impact on their course and outcome. The progress made in implementing them, played an important role in the conquest of the strategic air supremacy. Analysis of combat air operations testified that the effectiveness of their impacts was achieved, as a rule, in cases where a clear and deep questions were studied simultaneously destroying enemy air as on the ground and in the air at the Air Force strict centralization of management groups. By mid-summer of 1943 the Soviet Air Force in most sectors of the Soviet-German front firmly conquered strategic air supremacy.

In the Stalingrad offensive action the scope of action of the Soviet Air Force for the destruction of enemy aircraft directly on the ground widened. The designated turning point at Stalingrad in the struggle for supremacy in the air further developed in Kuban region and ended in the summer of 1943 near Kursk. During the air battles in May – June 1943, the leaders, commanders and staffs at all levels had a good schooling in air units control in a complex environment.

With the conquest of the strategic air superiority air operations to defeat enemy air groups were not conducted. Actions of aviation units and formations have focused mainly on the support and cover for the troops, and the task of retaining air superiority successfully solved by applying individual massive strikes, conduct aerial battles and battles, both in the front-line operations, as well as their own. New content acquired this form of operational use of aviation, as joint actions with the ground forces.

With regard to the offensive, it was called "air offensive". This was an important achievement in the development of Air Force operational art. Air delivery tactics continuously improved under the influence of increasing the combat capabilities of the new aircraft, taking into account the nature of the enemy's actions and acquired by Soviet pilots of combat experience.