Up for sale is an authentic, 100% original World War II era photograph featuring a Soviet RKKA (Red Army) Air Force (VVS) pilot or aviation technician. He is wearing a distinctive winter Budenovka hat with its original light blue branch-colored wool star and a metal star badge attached. His collar tabs clearly display the original pre-war VVS aviation insignia consisting of a vertical propeller and horizontal wings.

This image captures a very brief and incredibly rare historical window: it was taken in Latvia after the Soviet forces entered the Baltic states in June 1940, but right before the German Nazi invasion in June 1941. Such photographs are highly sought after by militaria collectors because they were produced by local Latvian photo studios using high-quality European photo paper, which wasn't available in the USSR at the time.

The reverse features the original pre-war Latvian "Fotokartiņa" standard size postcard print with some old album paper and bone glue residues on the edges. Important note for collectors: since this is organic bone glue, you can safely soak the photo in lukewarm water for a few minutes to check or clean the back completely without damaging the silver-gelatin print.

Excellent contrast and sharp facial details. This item comes from a verified, single-source private archive. It will be shipped globally in a heavy-duty rigid cardboard mailer to ensure it arrives in perfect condition