Which is more important in a war? The Germans had a great Luftwaffe in WW2, yet they have still failed the war from more causes. The Russians have had an astonishing infantry and a decent Aviation as well.
Its a balance really, having more troops than the other side also helps. The Soviets had a good military, as good or better than anyone else in WWII. The Germans were stretched too thin and on too many fronts. They also had Hitler making a mess of things.
Not wishing to get into 'best' as it is opinion and nothing more. Air power can assist us as infantry as do the supporting arms, artillery, armour etc. Air cannot take or hold ground. Having the 'best' equipment may not be the winner that manpower can be. The Russian army was reasonably well led, Western democracies would never have accepted the death rate of Russian attrition battles - Good generals achieve more by manoeuvre than slaughter - of their own forces. “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”
Probably its just unthinkable that the infantry is battling under the blue sky which certaily unable to provide any coverage! Even in the battle for Seelow heights, one general tried for an air coverage, before sending his men directly to the slaughter zone!
