Major-General G. V. Burman and the Creation and Development of Russia's Air Defense System in World War I

Abstract

As Russia prepares to formally commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I by unveiling a memorial to its ‘heroic dead’ in Moscow next year, this article will examine the role of one of its, until comparatively recently, long-forgotten heroes, who played a significant role in the organization and development of the country's air defense system, Major-General G. V. Burman. Not only will the article throw light on the activities of one of the more significant former Tsarist officers who played an important role in the defense of both the Russian Empire and the young Soviet republic, but the article will also open a new chapter in the analysis of the creation, organization, and role of the air defense system of one of the major combatants during the First World War.