Alexander Alexandrovich Kozakov | |
|---|---|
.png) Alexander Kazakov (c. 1917) | |
| Born | 2 January 1889 |
| Died | 1 August 1919(1919-08-01) (aged 30) Vicinity ofBenezniky |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire British Empire |
| Branch | Imperial Russian ArmyImperial Russian Air Force Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1908–1918 (Russia) 1918–1919 (UK) |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel (Russia) Major (UK) |
| Unit | 4th Corps Air Detachment |
| Commands | 19th Corps Fighter Detachment |
| Awards | Order of Saint George Order of Saint Vladimir Order of Saint Stanislas Order of Saint Anne BritishDistinguished Service Order Military Cross Distinguished Flying Cross FrenchLegion d'Honneur andCroix De Guerre |
Alexander Alexandrovich Kazakov (Kozakov,Kosakoff) (Russian:Александр Александрович Казаков) (2 January 1889 – 1 August 1919) (BritishDistinguished Service Order andMilitary Cross and the FrenchLégion d'honneur) was the most successful Russianflying ace and fighter pilot during theFirst World War.
Born to a Russian noble family inKherson Governorate, Kazakov graduated fromYelizavetgradcavalry school in 1908. He did his stint in cavalry,[1] but in 1913 he began formal training as a pilot and graduated at the beginning of World War I fromGatchina military aviation school.[2]
Alexander Kazakov flewMorane-Saulnier,Spad – SА2,Nieuport 11 andNieuport 17 planes and is alleged to have the largest number of victories over enemy aircraft amongImperial Russian Air Force pilots. Unofficially he shot down 32German andAustro-Hungarian planes, although his official tally is only 20 because only planes that crashed in Russian-held territory were counted. Russian military aviation tradition during World War I was different from that of its Western allies and rivals and the individual scores of pilots were considered to be of lesser value compared to their contribution to the overall war effort.
On 31 March 1915 Alexander Kazakov successfully repeated theaerial ramming attack first attempted byPyotr Nesterov, using aMorane-Saulnier G as his piloted projectile. For this bit of daring, he was awarded theOrder of Saint Anne, first in the Fourth Class, then in the Third. He was appointed to command of 19th Corps Fighter Detachment in September 1915. Here he hadNieuport 10s andNieuport 11s to fly.[1] Between 27 June and 21 December 1916, he racked up four more victories to become an ace.[3]
Five months later, Kazakov resumed his winning streak with his sixth victory on 6 May 1917, which was shared withErnst Leman andPavel Argeyev. By 25 May, with his eighth win, he switched to aNieuport 17, which he used henceforth.[3]Between 1915 and 1917 he fought on theRussian front as well as inRomania and participated in theBrusilov Offensive as a commander of 1st Combat Air Group.[citation needed]
In January 1918, in the wake of theBolshevik Revolution, Kazakov resigned his Russian commission.[1]
During theRussian Civil War Kazakov joined the Slavo-British Allied Legion inArkhangelsk and fought against theWorkers' and Peasants' Red Air Fleet.[2]
On 1 August 1918 Kazakov became a major in theRoyal Air Force and was appointed to be commanding officer in charge of an aviation squadron of the Slavo-British Allied Legion made up ofSopwith Camel planes.After the British withdrawal from Russia which left the RussianWhite Army in a desperate situation, Kazakov died in a plane crash during an air show on 1 August 1919 which was performed to boost the morale of the Russian anti-Bolshevik troops. Most witnesses of the incident, including British aceJames Ira Jones, thought Kazakov committed suicide.[1]