Kazakov, Alexander Alexandrovich

Orthodox. From the nobles. A native of Kherson province, Ukrainian .

He graduated from the Voronezh Cadet Corps (1906) and the Elisavetgrad Cavalry School (1908), was graduated as a cornet in the 12th Lancers of the Belgorod Regiment . In 1911 he was promoted to lieutenant .

Since January 23, 1914 he was sent to the Aviation Department of the Officer Aeronautical School for flight training. From January to November 1914 he studied at the Military Aviation School, which he graduated with the title of “military pilot”.

Since December 1914 - in the army on the fronts of the First World War , junior pilot of the 4th corps aviation detachment. March 18, 1915 in the area of ​​the estate Volya-Shydlovskaya made the second aerial ram after headquarters captain Nesterov , in which he shot down a German Albatros-type apparatus, he himself landed safely. Was granted by St. George's Weapon

For the valiant feat of March 18, 1915, which was expressed in the fact that he took off at his own initiative at the village of Guz on his own device, chased after the German airplane, which was reconnaissance in our rear and dropped bombs at Guzovsky airfield, overtook it near the Volya estate -Shidlovskaya, and although he did not have time to overturn the enemy with a special anchor, he shot him down, with a clear danger to his own life, by hitting his apparatus against the enemy’s upper plane, as a result of which the enemy stopped the reconnaissance and throwing bombs.

- Quote from: Aviators - Knights of the Order of St. George and St. George's Arms of the First World War of 1914-1918

Since August 1915 - Head of the 19th corps aviation detachment, staff captain . He won his first official victory in the ranks of the air group on December 8 (21), 1916 at Lutsk. Alone attacked 2 Austrian airplanes; Russian fighter managed to bring down one of the scouts. Austrian pilot Johan Kolby was killed in the air by two bullets that hit him in the head. Observer - Lieutenant Franz Weigel tried to control the machine on his own and was injured while landing. Cossacks was awarded the Order of St. George 4th degree.

For being in the rank of captain of the captain, on December 8, 1916, having flown out on a Newport plane, such as fighters, he drove 2 Germans in the Gorokhov area to pursue German planes appearing above our location, attacked a third plane in the area of ​​the village of Zaborol, 5 versts west of Lutsk, and killed a pilot with two bullets in the head. The apparatus, somehow controlled by a slightly wounded observer, by the Austrian lieutenant, fell at our location and was captured by our troops .

- Quote from: Aviators - Knights of the Order of St. George and the St. George Arms of the First World War of 1914-1918 / Compiled by Neshkin M. S., Shabanov V. M. - Biographical reference. - M .: ROSSPEN, 2006 .-- S. 140.

Since February 1917 - acting commander of the 1st combat aviation group of the South-Western Front , in March he was approved in this position, and in April he was promoted to registers . This group became the first special fighter formation in Russian aviation. After becoming her commander, Kazakov continued to fly on combat missions, and in June was wounded in the arm with four bullets in an air battle. In September 1917 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel . Since November 1917, he was the acting commander of the 7th Aviation Division, and in December of the same year at a general meeting of soldiers he was elected commander of the 19th corps aviation detachment.

During the three years of the war, Kazakov personally shot down 17 and in group battles another 15 enemy aircraft and was recognized as the most effective Russian fighter pilot during the First World War. Some publications indicate that he shot down 32 aircraft in person, but most likely their authors combine Kazakov’s personal and group victories.

Kazakov did not accept the October Revolution and was removed from command. Nevertheless, in the spring of 1918 he was registered as a military specialist and warned of possible enrollment in the Red Army . Not wanting to serve the Reds, in June 1918 he secretly left for Murmansk . When the formation of the 1st Slavic-British Aviation Squad began in Arkhangelsk in August 1918, Kazakov was appointed its commander. At the same time, he received the rank of lieutenant of the Royal Air Force , and the rest of the Russian pilot officers (initially there were 34 Russian pilots in the detachment, then their number increased) were enlisted in the detachment as ordinary ^[1] .

During the Civil War he fought in the North, together with the troops of the Northern Army and units of the Entente. In January 1919, he was wounded by a bullet in the chest; he was many times distinguished in reconnaissance and bombing sorties. In the spring of 1919, Kazakov was promoted to major of the Royal Air Force and was appointed commander of the Dvina Aviation Division.

On August 1, 1919, Kazakov died in a plane crash, crashing at his airfield. According to the general opinion of eyewitnesses to this accident, Kazakov committed suicide , marred by the evacuation of British troops from Murmansk that began two days earlier. Evidence in favor of this version is also such facts that a few days before Kazakov resigned from the post of commander of the Dvina Aviation Division, and two days before his death - from the offer to evacuate to the UK. Alexander Kazakov was buried in a cemetery near the church (there is an extract from the church book and two photographs of the funeral) in the village of Dvinskaya Bereznik, 250 kilometers south of Arkhangelsk. A gravestone of two crossed propellers was placed on the grave, and the inscription “Pilot Kazakov. He shot down 17 German planes. Peace be upon you, hero of Russia. ” The monument was restored on August 1, 2009.

• Order of St. Stanislav 3rd Art. (VP 08/18/1913)
• Order of St. Anne , 3rd art. (VP 02.04.1915)
• St. George's weapons (VP 28.07.1915)
• Order of St. Anne 4th Art. with the inscription "for courage" (VP 27.01.1916)
• Order of St. Stanislav, 2nd art. with swords (Order for the 5th Army No. 659 of 04/04/1916)
• Order of St. Vladimir 4th art. with swords and bow (Order on the armies of the Northern Front No. 757 of 09/07/1916)
• Order of St. Anne, 2nd art. with swords (PAF 04/21/1917)
• Order of St. George 4th Art. (PAF 07/31/1917)

Foreign:

• Austro-Hungarian Jubilee Cross ( German: Militär-Jubiläumskreuz ) (02.12.1908);
• English Order of Distinguished Service (1918);
• English War Cross (1919);
• English Cross “For Combat Flight Merit” (03/20/1919);
• French Legion of Honor , Knight's Cross;
• French Military Cross 1914-1918 .

• Aviators - Knights of the Order of St. George and St. George's Arms of the period of World War I 1914-1918 / Compiled by Neshkin M. S., Shabanov V. M. - Biographical reference book. - M .: ROSSPEN, 2006 .-- S. 139-141.
• Bondarenko V.V. 100 great feats of Russia. - M. , 2011.
• Bondarenko V.V. Heroes of the First World War. - M. , 2013 .-- (ZhZL).
• Nikolai Georgievich Bodrikhin. The best aces of the 20th century. - popular science publication. - Moscow: Yauza, EKSMO, 2013 .-- 66 - 68 p. - ISBN 978-5-699-65639-4 .

• Biography
• List of victories A. A. Kozakova .
• The track record of A. A. Kozakov .
• Unrivaled. Russian ace of the First World War Colonel Alexander Kazakov
• Kazakov, Alexander Alexandrovich (neopr.) . // Project "Russian Army in the Great War".