World War I marked the beginning for change in warfare tactics. New types of weaponry and military equipment, such as automobiles, ships, aircraft, automatic weapons and powerful artillery, emerged, and started being used on battlefields.
The postage stamps feature the Fedorov Avtomat, the Grigorovich M-5 flying boat, the Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya dreadnought, the Mgebrov-Isotta-Fraschini armored vehicle.
The Grigorovich M-5 flying boat was developed in 1914 at the Schetinin Factory in St Petersburg and brought wide popularity to its designer Dmitry Grigorovich. It was equipped with three machine guns mounted on a tripod in front of the right crewmember; it also carried several bombs. Since November 1915, some planes were outfitted with code CW radio sets with 40 km communication range and Potte cameras. During World War I, it was in active service in the Black Sea Fleet Aviation based in Batumi.
The first trials of an automatic rifle designed by Vladimir Fedorov were conducted at the rifle shooting range of an Oranienbaum infantry school in 1907. The Fedorov Avtomat was commissioned into the Russian Army in 1916 and used in World War I, the Russian Civil War and in the Winter War. Mass production began at the weapons plant in Kovrov (Degtyarev Plant) after the October Revolution.
Mgebrov-Isotta-Fraschini armored vehicle was developed at the Izhora Plant in 1916 based on a truck design by Isotta Fraschini. It was equipped with two 7.62 mm PM M1910 Maxim machine guns installed separately, which provided all-angle fire. Thanks to sloped armor it boasted increased bulletproof capacity. It was heavily used by both the Imperial Russian Army and the Red Army till 1919.
The Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya (initially Ekaterina II) dreadnought was created in 1911 at the Nikolayev Shipbuilding, Mechanical and Iron Works. She was equipped with 4 х 3 305 mm turrets, twenty 130 mm and five 75 mm guns, as well as four 450 mm torpedo tubes. She was commissioned into the Russian Navy in 1915. She was in active service during World War I. She was renamed Svobodnaya Rossiya after the February Revolution.
Additionally, FSUE PTC “Marka” has manufactured an
illustrated cover with four stamps, a first day cover and first day postmark s with cancellation (Moscow, St. Petersburg) inside.
Design: V. Beltyukov.
Face value: 24 RUB.
Size of stamp: 50×37 mm, size of sheet: 170×180 mm.
Form of issue: sheet with illustrated margins of 11 (3×4) stamps and a coupon.
Circulation: 308,000 stamps (28,000 sheets).
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