<P> The Soviets relied heavily on Ilyushin Il - 2 Shturmovik ground assault aircraft--the single most - produced military aircraft design of all time with some 36,183 examples produced, and the Yakovlev Yak - 1 fighter, the beginning of a family of fighters from Alexander S. Yakovlev's design bureau in its many variants during the war years with just over 34,500 Yak - 1, Yak - 3, Yak - 7 and Yak - 9 aircraft produced in total; each of which became the most produced aircraft series of all time in their respective classes, together accounting for about half the strength of the VVS for most of the Great Patriotic War . The Yak - 1 was a modern 1940 design and had more room for development, unlike the relatively mature design of the Messerschmitt Bf 109, itself dating from 1935 . The Yak - 9 brought the VVS to parity with the Luftwaffe, eventually allowing it to gain the upper hand over the Luftwaffe until in 1944, when many Luftwaffe pilots were deliberately avoiding combat . </P> <P> Chief Marshal of Aviation Alexander Novikov led the VVS from 1942 to the end of the war, and was credited with introducing several new innovations and weapons systems . For the last year of the war German military and civilians retreating towards Berlin were hounded by constant strafing and light bombing . In one strategic operation the Yassy - Kishinev Strategic Offensive, the 5th and 17th Air Armies and the Black Sea Fleet Naval Aviation aircraft achieved a 3.3: 1 superiority in aircraft over the Luftflotte 4 and the Royal Romanian Air Force, allowing almost complete freedom from air harassment for the ground troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts . </P> <P> The Luftwaffe operated from bases in Norway against the convoys to the Soviet Union . Long - range reconnaissance aircraft, circling the convoys out of their anti-aircraft artillery range, guided in attack aircraft, submarines, and surface ships . </P> <P> The Anglo - American invasion of Vichy French controlled north - west Africa was under command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower . in November, 1942, at a time when the Luftwaffe was still strong . Air operations were split--one force under US control and the other under British control . One of Eisenhower's corps commanders, General Lloyd Fredendall, used his planes as a "combat air patrol" that circled endlessly over his front lines ready to defend against Luftwaffe attackers . Like most infantrymen, Fredendall assumed that all assets should be used to assist the ground forces . More concerned with defence than attack, Fredendall was soon replaced by George Patton . </P>

Which group had the advantage in terms of air base locations explain why