Ivanovo was always in the deep rear, therefore, the city was not famous for its combat exploits. However, since 1935 the largest military transport aviation base has been located in Ivanovo, and during the Second World War the famous Normandie-Niemen air squadron was formed in Ivanovo. Today a memorial plate at the entrance to the Museum of Military Transport Aviation reminds of that. It is located on the territory of the Ivanovo-Severny air base, six kilometers far from the city.
Before World War II, an air regiment was formed at the Severny air base on the basis of heavy bombers TB-1 and TB-3, and a school for training of pilot-navigators was opened a little later. In 1942 they started gathering volunteers - French pilots, of which the Normandie-Niemen Squadron was formed. Its pilots carried out more than five thousand operational flights! In 1984 the Museum of Military Transport Aviation was opened in the building of the school of French pilots. In its halls they tell about the history and role of military transport aviation, and at the territory in front of the museum one can see the aircraft that once performed operational flights.