"The Combat History of the 812th Fighter Air Regiment, Volume I, Liberation of the Motherland"
Published in the English language by Terry Higgins, who also did the colour profiles, maps and diagrams, this book tells a captivating story of the 812th Fighter Air Regiment (IAP), a Yak flying unit on its momentous journey through the battlefields of the Great Patriotic War. This is an historic almanac of the 812 IAP from its formation in March 1942, through the battles for Moscow and Stalingrad, the “Meat Grinder” of Kuban, to the actions in South Ukraine and liberation of Crimea. Included in the book are multiple tables of the victories gained by the 812th - as well as the losses incurred. There's even a section in the book devoted to the maintenance workers of the squadron - including the females.

Photographs of the unit’s personnel and equipment accompany the textual information. There are 26 full color profiles, including Yaks 1s, 7s and 9s. There’s also some of the opponents: a Stuka, a couple of Hs-129s, FW-190 and five Bf-109s, including Hartmann’s plane, captured by the 812th. As the unit flew almost exclusively Yaks, they receive the most attention. Profiles are well drawn and detailed, accurately painted, and professionally printed. The last few pages of the book are devoted to detailed 1/48-scale drawings of most Yak variants from Yak-1 to Yak-9T.

from the Authors' Preface:
"The goal of this work is to inform the reader concerning this unusual combat unit and in doing so, by the example of this unit show how at the price of trial and error the training of the regiment’s pilots and ground personnel was conducted, and how methods, tactics, and devices for employing the Yak fighters in aerial combat, patrolling, bomber escort, and attack of ground targets were developed and perfected. The reader will be able to find for himself something new (or not known before) concerning the largest aerial conflict in the skies of the Kuban in 1943, which were later named the “ Kuban Meat Grinder “. And by the example of the regiment’s losses the reader will come to understand why this grandiose air battle had such an unflattering name. In the story of this unit the reader will learn also of the air battles in the skies of southern Ukraine, Crimea, Lithuania, Poland, and Germany."

Kapitan (retired) Aleksandr Ivanovich Ivanov, Pilot, 534th and 812th IAP:
"I would like to say “thank you” to the young generation represented by the authors for not forgetting. They have not forgotten what we “old-timers” did during the war. Reading the manuscript of this book, I once again lived through those events and that difficult time. I want most of all that our descendants will not forget any of this. Then there remains a chance that such a war will never be repeated."

With thanks to Terry Higgins and Aleksandar Šekularac