Yury Gilsher

Last updated

Ю. В. Гилшер
Jurij Gilser.jpg
Born(1894-11-27)27 November 1894
Moscow, Russian Empire
Died20 July 1917(1917-07-20) (aged 22)
near Tarnopol, Russian Empire (now Ternopil, Ukraine)
Buried
Buchach, Ukraine
AllegianceRussian Empire
Service/branch Imperial Russian Army
Imperial Russian Air Force
Years of servicec. 1914–1917
Rank Cavalry Second Lieutenant
Unit4th Army Air Detachment
7th Fighter Detachment
Commands held7th Fighter Detachment
Awards Order of St. George
Order of St. Vladimir
Golden Sword for Bravery
Order of St. Anne

Cavalry Second Lieutenant Yury Vladimirovich Gilsher (Russian : Ю́рий Влади́мирович Ги́лшер) (27 November 1894 – 20 July 1917) was a Russian fighter ace of World War I. Initially a cavalryman, but then an airman, Gilsher overcame two serious injuries to become an ace. After suffering a fracture of both bones in his right forearm, he later lost a foot to amputation because of a crash. He returned to duty with a prosthetic foot. Gilsher rose to his unit's command and scored five victories between April and July 1917 before being killed in action on 20 July 1917.

Contents

Early life and cavalry service

Gilsher was born in Moscow, the Russian Empire, on 27 November 1894, to a noble family. [1] He was educated at Moscow's Alexeyevskoye Commercial School. [2]

Bucking the traditions of his social class, he enrolled in university and studied civil engineering instead of joining the military. [1] He graduated in early 1914. [3] however upon the outbreak of war he volunteered for the Imperial Russian Army, [3] He trained as a cavalryman at the Nicholas Cavalry College  [ ru ], [4] in which he enrolled on 13 December 1914. He graduated from the Saint Petersburg school as a Praporshchik on 14 June 1915. [2] His class's equestrian maneuvers had several times been disrupted by overflying aircraft spooking horses and cadets alike. [3]

Aviation career

While he was still in cavalry training, Gilsher applied for a transfer to aviation. On 16 June 1915, he was forwarded to aviation training at the Gatchina Flying School. [2] He graduated on 21 October 1915, [2] and was posted to the 4th Army Air Detachment. Nine days later, he was designated as a military pilot. On 9 November, the new unit moved forward into combat. However, Gilsher's career suffered a setback on 20 November when a propeller fractured both bones in his right forearm while he was starting an aircraft engine. He was removed from the unit and assigned to Moscow's Dux aircraft factory as a quality control inspector until he healed. [2]

After recovery, he underwent advanced flight training on fighters in Odessa during February 1916 and returned to active service on 21 March 1916, posted to the 7th Fighter Aviation Detachment. The unit transferred to combat duty at Tarnopol. On 12 April 1916, Gilsher was promoted to Kornet. [2]

On 10 May 1916, Gilsher and his aerial observer flew a sortie in Sikorsky S-16 serial no. 201. They attacked a German Aviatik B.III and downed it. Upon their return to base, the fighter plane went into a spin at 1,200 meters because the left elevator jammed. Both Gilsher and his observer survived the crash with serious injuries; Gilsher's left foot was amputated. Gilsher was awarded the Order of Saint Vladimir Fourth Class with Swords and Bow for this mission. [2]

Gilsher's flying career seemed ended, but he lobbied vigorously to return to action. On 13 November 1916, the Military Air Fleet Department redesignated him as a military pilot and returned him to duty with his old unit. [2] He was given temporary command of the 7th Fighter Aviation Detachment, as its commander was sent to France to study French air tactics. Gilsher promptly fabricated an improvised pioneering flight simulator out of an old cockpit. After using the simulator for a thorough ground re-familiarization [5] with Nieuport fighters, he taught himself to fly in the vicinity of his airfield, using his artificial foot. On 22 November 1916, he returned to combat, flying both a photographic reconnaissance mission and a fighter sortie. [2] The photographs were an intelligence coup, disclosing several formerly unknown German artillery batteries. [5]

He scored two victories in April 1917, both on the 13th. Then, on 15 May, he engaged an Austro-Hungarian two seater; after its observer fired all his ammunition, including signal flares, he tried to surrender. Gilsher shot him down anyhow. [2]

Gilsher was appointed temporary commander of the 7th Fighter Detachment from time to time. He was being considered for command of the 4th Fighter Detachment when the 7th's commander, Ivan Orlov, was killed in action on 4 July 1917. Gilsher succeeded to command of the 7th. [2] He inherited a unit undermined by political dissension on the home front, and running down from delayed maintenance and short supplies. [6]

His final two victories came in July 1917 – firstly on 17 July near Posuhov. The next day, in a letter, Gilsher lamented the condition of his equipment: "...my old Nieuport is not as reliable as before. My worn out Le Rhone engine is very dangerous and my Lewis gun is breaking all the time." [7]

His final victory was on 20 July 1917 when he and Vasili Yanchenko shared a victory near Tarnopol, in modern-day Ukraine. [2] Gilsher, Vasili Yanchenko, and Donat Makijonek took off in the evening, intent on intercepting seven German intruders. Makijonek was side-tracked into a dogfight, leaving the other two to the interception mission. As the Russian duo met the invaders over Tarnopol, they found themselves trapped by a second formation of eight enemy aircraft squeezing the Russians into a trap. Nevertheless, Gilsher and Yanchenko attacked and brought down one enemy. However, as they lined up for a second assault, enemy fire hit Gilsher's plane. Yanchenko saw the motor drop from Gilsher's Nieuport, followed almost instantaneously by its wings crumpling. [7] Yanchenko managed to elude the foe, to land near the wreckage. He removed Gilsher's body from the wreckage and returned it to Tarnopol. [2]

Yury Gilsher was buried near Buchach, in the Galicia region [2] on 21 July 1917. [7]

Decorations

List of aerial victories

See also Aerial victory standards of World War I, List of World War I flying aces from the Russian Empire

Confirmed victories are numbered and listed chronologically.

No.Date/timeAircraftFoeResultLocationNotes
u/c10 May 1916 Sikorsky S-16 serial no. 201 Aviatik B.III serial no. 33.02Aviatik capturedVicinity of BurkanovVictim from Austro-Hungarian Fliegerkompanie 20; loss verified in Austro-Hungarian records
113 April 1917 Nieuport 21 serial no. N1872 Hansa-Brandenburg C.I Shot down in flamesWest of Maidanska BudaVictory over victim from Austro-Hungarian Fliegerkompanie 7 shared with Makeenok and Yanchenko
213 April 1917Nieuport 21 serial no. N1872Hansa-Brandenburg C.IAustro-Hungarian pilot returned to base with wounded observerVicinity of Posetch, Galicia Victory shared with Yanchenko
315 May 1917Nieuport 21 Albatros C.II serial no. 52.52Destroyed on ground by Russian artillery fireBoushuvVictim from Austro-Hungarian Fliegerkompanie 25
417 July 1917 @ 1100 hours Nieuport 11 serial no. N1679Enemy aircraftDestroyed by artillery fire after crashlandingSouthwest of Posucho
520 July 1917Nieuport 21Enemy aircraftLast seen descending steeply Tarnopol Victory shared with Yanchenko [1] [2]

See also

Sources of information

  1. 1 2 3 Franks, Norman (1997). Above the War Fronts: The British Two-seater Bomber Pilot and Observer Aces, the British Two-seater Fighter Observer Aces, and the Belgian, Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Fighter Aces, 1914–1918: Volume 4 of Fighting Airmen of WWI Series: Volume 4 of Air Aces of WWI. Oxford: Grub Street. p. 207. ISBN   978-1-898697-56-5.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Kulikov, Victor (2013). Russian Aces of World War 1: Aircraft of the Aces. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. pp. 70–74. ISBN   978-1780960616.
  3. 1 2 3 Durkota, Allen (1995). The Imperial Russian Air Service: Famous Pilots and Aircraft and World War I. Oxford: Flying Machines Press. p. 49. ISBN   0963711024.
  4. ↑ Franks, Norman (2000). Nieuport Aces of World War 1 . Oxford: Osprey Publishing. pp.  84. ISBN   978-1-85532-961-4.
  5. 1 2 Durkota, Allen (1995). The Imperial Russian Air Service: Famous Pilots and Aircraft and World War I. Oxford: Flying Machines Press. p. 50. ISBN   0963711024.
  6. ↑ Durkota, Allen (1995). The Imperial Russian Air Service: Famous Pilots and Aircraft and World War I. Oxford: Flying Machines Press. p. 52. ISBN   0963711024.
  7. 1 2 3 Durkota, Allen (1995). The Imperial Russian Air Service: Famous Pilots and Aircraft and World War I. Oxford: Flying Machines Press. p. 53. ISBN   0963711024.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial Russian Air Service</span> Military unit

The Imperial Russian Air Service was an air force founded in 1912 for Imperial Russia. The Air Service operated for five years and only saw combat in World War I before being reorganized and renamed in 1917 following the Russian Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nikolay Kokorin</span>

Nikolay Kirillovich Kokorin, was one of the most successful Russian flying aces and fighter pilots during World War I, credited with five aerial victories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pavel Argeyev</span>

Capitaine Pavel Vladimirovich Argeyev, also known as Paul d'Argueev and The Eagle of Crimea, was a Russian-born flying ace of World War I, serving the French Armée de l'Air and Imperial Russian Air Service. Initially a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Russian Army, he transferred to France, where he became an aviator. He received a variety of decorations, both French and Russian, before dying in a flying accident in 1922.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernst Leman</span>

Ensign Ernst Krislanovich Leman (1894–1917) was a Russian World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivan Orlov (aviator)</span>

Podporuchik Ivan Aleksandrovich Orlov was a Russian flying ace during World War I. He was a prewar flier, having built both gliders and an airplane, and having earned pilot's license no. 229 just prior to start of the war. He volunteered his experience and his personal airplane to his country's military service. His experience and his valor made him both a mentor and leader of less experienced pilots, as Orlov rose to command the 7th Aviatsionniy Ostryad Istrebitelei of the Imperial Russian Air Service. After an exchange duty assignment to the Escadrille 3, Aéronautique Militaire, he wrote the first Russian text on aerial combat, Ways to Conduct an Air Combat. He was killed in action after scoring five confirmed aerial victories.

Praporshik Aleksandr Mikhailovich Pishvanov was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. After an unsuccessful fight against the Communist takeover of Russia, he became an American citizen in 1928. His engineering skills were useful to both Sikorsky Aviation and to Seversky Aircraft Corporation from 1926 onwards. In 1942, he helped Walt Disney produce Victory Through Air Power to support the American war effort. Pishvanov's interest in aviation ended only with his death in New York City in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eduard Pulpe</span> Latvian flying ace

Lieutenant Eduard Martynovich Pulpe was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. He was a schoolteacher engaged in post-graduate study in France when World War I broke out. As he already held a civil pilot's license, he volunteered to serve in French military aviation. His 1915 aerial victories were among the first ever recorded. After running his score to four, he managed to return home to Russia in May 1916. He was assigned to the 10th Aviatsionniy Otryad Istrebitlei. After becoming an ace on 1 July 1916, he was killed in action a month later. On 2 August 1916, Eduard Pulpe ultimately lost a nearly hour-long air battle against three enemy aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikhail Safonov (pilot)</span>

Lieutenant Mikhail Ivanovich Safonov was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories. He began his naval service on 20 September 1909, when he entered Saint Peterburg's Imperial Russian Naval Academy. When he applied for aviation training in September 1915, he was a professional sailor with six years naval training and seagoing service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivan Loiko</span>

PolkovnikIvan Alexandrovich Loiko was a World War I flying ace credited with six confirmed aerial victories by the scanty and confusing records still existent. He rose to command a fighter unit, the 9th Fighter Aviation Detachment. After serving his czar faithfully until the October Revolution, in December 1918 Loiko joined the White Russian movement to reinstate his sovereign. When they were defeated by the Bolsheviks, Loiko turned to service in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia's air force in 1921. Two years later, he defected back to Russia in a Yugoslavian Breguet 19. From 1924-1929, Loiko served in the Red Army Air Force. In 1929, he was convicted of espionage on behalf of Romania and sentenced to ten years imprisonment. He served five years on Vaygach Island, and remained there after his release from captivity. He is believed to have committed suicide in April 1936.

MarescialloGuido Nardini (1881-1928) was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.

Tenente Luigi Olivi (1894–1917) was an Italian World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. He won two awards of the Silver Medal for Military Valor and was killed in action.

Sergente Cosimo Rizzotto (1893–1963) was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.

Captain Konstantin Konstantinovich Vakulovsky was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories. A major general's son, he volunteered for aviation duty on 8 August 1914, six days after graduating from university. He taught himself to fly, and became one of Russia's first military pilots on 13 June 1915. After escaping the fall of the Novogeorgievsk Fortress in a hazardous flight, Vakylovsky flew reconnaissance missions, some through heavy ground fire. Given command of the newly formed First Fighter Detachment, he became a flying ace credited with six aerial victories. He died in a flying accident during summer 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yevgraf Kruten</span>

PodpolkovnikYevgraf Nikolaevich Kruten was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories. He began World War I as an aerial observer with three years experience in military aviation. After a year's seasoning, he was recommended for, and graduated from, pilot's training in September 1914. He rose through the ranks, to be appointed as his unit's commander on 6 June 1916. With his victory tally at three, he was forwarded to service with the French Aéronautique Militaire. While learning French aerial tactics, Kruten shot down a German aircraft during February 1917. After his return to Russia in March 1917, he shared his new-found knowledge in a flurry of booklets on military aviation. He commanded his battle group of three detachments, and ran his victory total to seven before dying in a landing accident on 19 June 1917.

Captain Vladimir Ivanovich Strzhizhevsky was a World War I flying ace. He volunteered for military service on 14 October 1914, after graduation from Petrograd Technical Institute. Incomplete and confusing records credit him with eight confirmed and four unconfirmed aerial victories during his 1916-1917 combat on the Romanian Front. His second wound ended his tally of aerial victories. The advent of the October Revolution saw him co-opted into the Red Air Force for the end of the war. On 4 November 1918, he defected to the White Russian Army, and served with them for two years. When they were expelled from Russia, Strzhizhevsky accompanied them. He became a Yugoslav citizen and joined their air force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donat Makijonek</span>

PoruchikDonat Aduiovich Makijonek was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories. He was the only ace of Polish ethnic heritage to fight against the Central Powers. In later life, he would help found Polish military aviation immediately after World War I, and fight in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vasili Yanchenko</span>

KapitanVasili Ivanovich Yanchenko was a World War I flying ace credited with 16 aerial victories. He graduated his secondary education as a mechanical engineer in 1913, with an interest in aviation. He learned to fly shortly after graduation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferruccio Ranza</span>

Brigadier General Ferruccio Ranza began his military career as a World War I flying ace credited with seventeen confirmed victories and eight unconfirmed ones. Postwar, he rose to command of several area commands of the resurgent Italian Air Force. He served through the end of World War II.

PraporshikGrigoriy Suk was a flying ace for the Imperial Russian Air Service during World War I.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.