A WHITE STAR IN A RED SKY
Historical fiction written by a military historian
A WHITE STAR IN A RED SKY grew out of my interest in the women pilots of WWII, both WAFS and WASPS pilots and the brave young women combat pilots of the Red Air Force. As a military historian, I had read an interesting story of an American GI, Joseph Beyrle who had been captured by the Germans in WWII: He had been beaten and tortured by the SS and had seen fellow prisoners and friends executed. Beyrle held a deep hatred of the Nazis and when he managed to escape a POW camp in Poland in 1945, he headed east, running into a Soviet tank battalion, commanded by a young woman, Alexandra Samusenko. Beyrle managed to convince the Russians to let him join the battalion so he could continue fighting.
The American fought all the way to Berlin where he was badly wounded and sent to a military hospital. Upon hearing about Beryle, Russian Marshal Zhukov visited him in the hospital and awarded him “The Order of the Red Banner” medal.
The story of Joseph Beyrle sparked my imagination and I began working on a scenario in which a young American WAFS pilot, bringing lend-lease P-39s to Alaska for Russian pilots to fly back into battle. Furthermore, could quench her own desire to avenge the death of her younger bother. Who had been executed by the SS.
During World War Two the U.S. had a number of outstanding women pilots that ferried new fighters and bombers to deployment areas but these women never flew in combat. In Russia, during the war, there were many Soviet women pilots that flew in combat for the Red Air Force. We supplied the Russians with aircraft (P-39s and P-40s) in their struggle against the Nazis.
These aircraft were ferried to Alaska for the Russian pilots to collect and fly back into combat. Just suppose one of those outstanding American women pilots meets her Russian counterpart. And just suppose that she flies with her into combat. Just suppose.
By 1942, the United States and Great Britain were supplying thousands of weapons, including tanks and aircraft to the Soviet Union to aid them in their fight against Nazi Germany. One of those weapons was the Bell P-39 Aircobra, a fighter plane, of which 4,800 were supplied to the Russians. In America, women pilots, in order to relieve their male counterparts of duties. Duties that would take them away from the war in the Pacific and Europe, ferried aircraft to staging areas.
One of these areas was Ladd field in Alaska. Where Russian pilots would collect the planes and fly them back to the USSR. Meanwhile in the Soviet Union, three regiments of women pilots were formed to fly in combat against the Germans. Many of these women were outstanding fighter and bomber pilots. This story brings two of these fictional women, Angela Moretti of the United States and Katya Leonova of Russia together in friendship. Moreover, in war that spans 49 years. To when they are finally reunited in May of 1992. After the fall of the USSR.
In conclusion, A WHITE STAR IN A RED SKY is historical fiction that is based entirely on the real history of the Battle of Kusk. In addition, the Airacobra P-39, and the exploits of the Night Witches and Soviet women fighter pilots. Lastly, the book is available on Amazon and other venues in both print and E-format.
