Army of the Sky: Russian Military Aviation Before the Great War, 1904-1914

Army of the Sky: Russian Military Aviation Before the Great War, 1904-1914
by Gregory Vitarbo
Peter Lang International Academic Publishers; First printing edition (January 20, 2012)
9.2” x 6.2” Hardcover
Notes, Bibliography, Index
$82.95 Pp.256 ISBN-10: 1433114909
Language: English


The book Army of the Sky is a textual juggernaut; one that brings the reader through a convoluted and relatively unfamiliar period of Russian history – at least here in the West. It is by far the singularly most important English-language work on the origins of Russian military aviation in print. The time frame is centered from the inception in 1904 of what would become the Rossíyskiy imperátorskiy voyénno-vozdúshnyy flot (Imperial Russian Air Service) to the period just prior to World War I (WWI). The book answers many of the questions that have arisen in the West about the genesis of Russian airpower. The book describes with remarkable clarity the key individuals who would help formulate its doctrine as well as its integration into the Russian military.

This book is about the ascendance of the aeronautical community within the Imperial Russia military from its establishment and how this organization would form the nexus of the Imperial Russian Air Service. This Service ultimately was required to fly against the combined forces of Germany, Austro-Hungary and the Ottoman Empires during WWI. Dr. Vitarbo eloquently and systematically puts into context the technological, social, and cultural elements of the period with the appearance of the airplane and the effect it would have on the Russian armed forces.

The airplane’s impact on Russian society was similar to that of the rest of Europe in that it portended the beginning of a new age. Though the various military high commands in general did not at first appreciate or perceive these early machines as a potential assets, they were not reluctant to accede to the recommendations of experimentation. In Russia the integration of airplanes into the military came at a time of great societal unrest. The humiliating defeat in the Russo-Japanese war and the ensuing 1905 revolution would in many ways open the door for new ideas – one of which undoubtedly was military aviation. Some officers viewed it as a possible means to modernize the Imperial Russian officer corps, to bring the country from its anachronistic policies to one that was more in line with the new century.

This work clearly outlines the development of military aviation in Imperial Russia. It describes the machinations within the Russian military leadership concerning the creation of the air service and the nature of the pilot and observer corps. One of the most striking elements covered is the heartfelt attention by the citizenry as their hero pilots died tragically in their efforts “to conquer the sky.” Overall this is a fascinating story – one not previously told – and in this case it takes the reader from the start of Russian military aviation to the eve of the Great War. A brief look at the notes and bibliography confirms that this work has relied on primary and contemporary material. It is also an excellent foundation for a further and a more extensive work on Russian military aviation during the Great War, 1914-1918.

Carl J. Bobrow
Museum Specialist, National Air and Space Museum