Vladimir Kotelnikov

Soviet Military Aviation in Central Asia 1917-41

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

A detailed exploration of the inter-war use of air power in Soviet Central Asia, drawing from Russian-language sources and photographic archives. The utilization of air power by the Communist regime in Russia during the revolutionary period and civil war to control its territories in Central Asia is an intriguing aspect of military history often overlooked in Western narratives. The region, which bordered Iran, Afghanistan, and China, and included the ancient cities of Samarkand and Bukhara, held strategic significance for both the Russian Empire and the subsequent USSR. Attempts to impose Russian or communist ideologies on the indigenous tribal populations clashed with deeply rooted Islamic traditions, leading to resistance movements such as the Basmachi uprising. The Basmachi insurgency, viewed as defenders of traditional tribal values by the local populace, was perceived as mere banditry by the Russian and Soviet authorities. Policing such vast and challenging terrain, where environmental conditions posed significant hazards alongside armed opposition, necessitated innovative approaches. Consequently, the Soviets turned to air power as a means of controlling these remote regions. Despite inventive tactics, the aircraft employed by the Soviets in Central Asia during the inter-war period were often outdated, worn-out, or repurposed from other theaters of operation. This reliance on obsolete or marginal aircraft highlights the resource constraints faced by the Soviet military during this tumultuous period. Soviet Military Aviation in Central Asia: 1917-41 offers a detailed exploration of the inter-war use of air power in Soviet Central Asia, drawing from Russian-language sources and photographic archives. The book provides insights into the challenges faced by the Soviet military in maintaining control over the region, accompanied by rare photographs and unique color artworks depicting the aircraft utilized during this era. Through this lens, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of military strategy and conflict in Central Asia during the early twentieth century.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Helion & Company
• Seitenzahl: 58
• Erscheinungstermin: 30. Mai 2024
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 294mm x 206mm x 4mm
• Gewicht: 227g
• ISBN-13: 9781804516089
• ISBN-10: 1804516082
• Artikelnr.: 70555762

Autorenporträt

Vladimir Kotelnikov was born in Moscow on 9 December 1951. He graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute (University) in 1975 and was engaged in research and development in the area of high-temperature strength. Vladimir defended the academic degree of the Candidate of Science in 1981 and read lectures on aircraft piston engine design at the Moscow Aviation Institute. Since the 1980s Kotelnikov has conducted archive research on the history of Russian aviation of the inter-war and Second World War periods. In addition, he paid specific attention to the history of foreign aircraft testing and operations in Russia. As the result of his work he published several hundred articles and dozens of books in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and the United States, among them Lend-Lease and Soviet Aviation, Americans in Russia, Russian Piston Aero Engines, Early Russian Jet Engines, Air War Over Khalkhin Gol, Le Petlyakov Pe-2 and others. Being an aviation historian, he received a diploma as a professor of the Academy of Aviation and Aeronautics Science and currently acts as a consultant on piston aero engine design to Russian aviation museums as well as to different aircraft restoration groups. From 2003 Vladimir held the post of an editor of the Aviakollektsiya aviation history journal, published in Moscow. He passed away in 2022.