The Imperial Russian Air Force: 1898-1917

This unique photographic and textual history into the very earliest days of flight in Russia covers the period from the end of the 19th Century until the fall of Imperial Russia in 1917.

Lavishly illustrated with over 500 evocative and compelling photographs of these pioneers and their first attempts at flight, the book brings together for the first time the renowned documentary collection of the Russian military historian G.E. Petrov.

From these earliest days of flight in balloons and experimental 'heavier than air flying machines', Petrov's collection takes us to the first Russian aviation shows, the activities of the aircraft manufacturers, the establishment of Russia's Naval Aviation, and the part played by the Russian Air Force in World War I including combat operations undertaken by squadrons equipped with the great 'Ilya Muromets' bombers - which taken together, became the foundation for the Soviet Air Force.