About the book: year / The book tells about the glorious combat path of the 16th Air Army during the Great Patriotic War. The pilots of the 16th Air Force crushed the Nazi invaders at Stalingrad and Kursk, in Ukraine and Belarus, in the skies of fraternal Poland, took part in the Berlin operation, always firmly maintaining air superiority. Army aviators flew about 290 thousand combat missions. More than 200 pilots and navigators were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, more than 27 thousand aviators were awarded government awards. The book is written on the basis of archival materials and memories of veterans of the last war. Designed for a wide range of readers.