As a followup to my comment I posted a month ago, I've found the best way to win the air war as Soviets against Germany, or Poland against Germany using fighters is simple. Lower plane production in the early years, then rapidly expand production once you get the 1940 models.
As Soviets just as war is declared by Germany, I usually have 25 or 30 mills on planes. Once i go to total mob, I pretty much put all my new mills on planes until 50 or 60 of them and I easily annihilate the entire Axis airforce within a year. Those 1936 fighters are crap, their job is to stall until I can get 1940 fighters, and produce enough numbers that I maintain a positive ratio of my plane losses to theirs.
Worked for me as Poland-Romania against Soviets as well. I intially wasn't going to bother with an airforce in my 1st game, but the 2nd one I did. Used my airforce sparingly in the first year or 2, mostly protecting factories until I finally had enough factories on maxed air attack 1940 fighters and wiped their airforce.
