pavel pestel and many others. the authorities treated the masons with suspicion, since. the activities of the societies were secret. its members had connections abroad. the decree of alexander ii became the first official ban on secret societies. at the beginning of the 20th century , masonic lodges reappeared, were banned during the soviet period, but have been revived in modern russia. it is believed that today they have less than a thousand members. on august 13 , 1940, the battle of britain began. this was the most powerful air battle in ... during world war ii, which lasted almost 4 months, only aviation and air defense forces participated in it. nazi germany tried to gain air supremacy over the south of england in order to then land on the british isles. convoys, naval bases, airfields were bombed, avisavody, railway junctions. most often , the italian aviation also took part in the raids at night. but here is what the german pilot ass adolf galland later recalled. the exceptional advantage of the british. t