History knows many examples of heroic deeds of soldiers of the Russian army. Destroying the enemy on a burning plane, throwing himself into an embrasure - all these selfless deeds will forever be firmly entrenched in the memory of the people who defeated Nazism.
However, not all the exploits are remembered by the modern generation. For example, the contribution to the victory of Alexander Alexandrovich Kazakov is forgotten. Courage and devotion to the Motherland, which determined the risky act of this man in the future, distinguish him from other military men. It was he who became the second pilot to make an air ram during the First World War (and the first pilot to survive after him).
Hero biography
He was born at the end of the nineteenth century in the Kherson province, at that time part of the Russian Empire. The boy was brought up in a noble family, honoring the traditionmilitary education. Kazakov studied at the Voronezh Cadet Corps, and after graduating he entered the Elisavetgrad Cavalry School, from which he graduated as a cornet. Then Alexander entered the service of the 12th Belgorod Lancers Regiment, which belonged to the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I. A few years later, for military successes, then officer Kazakov, he was awarded a silver medal issued in honor of the sixtieth anniversary of the reign of Franz Joseph.
Looking ahead, I would like to say that fate played an evil joke with Alexander Alexandrovich Kazakov, bringing him face to face with the army of the same Austrian emperor, who was the honorary chief of the uhlan regiment. It happened during the First World War, in which the pilot fought bravely for the honor of the Motherland.
Imperial Service
During the First World War, Alexander Alexandrovich Kazakov became famous as a great pilot. While serving in the Belgorod regiment, he applied for a transfer to the aviation department - after all, the beginning of the twentieth century was marked by the development of aviation, which turned all ideas about warfare upside down. The request was granted, and already in 1914 Kazakov was transferred to the coveted department. Thus, the young lieutenant became a member of the future Gatchina aviation school. But soon a devastating war awaited the world…
Start of war
On June 28, 1914, the world was shaken by the news that the heir to the Austrian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, had been assassinated in Sarajevo. Assassination of a member of the imperial familybecame a formal pretext for the start of a bloody war that would drag on for 4 years and claim the lives of about 20 million soldiers.
The young pilot Kazakov could rightfully become famous as a hero of the First World War. Several times he carried out successful sorties, attacking the military base of opponents. However, one of the most memorable occasions was a night meeting between Kazakov and a German pilot in January 1915. Obsessed with the desire to teach the enemy a lesson, the pilot of the Russian army immediately went on the attack. From this, the German was horrified and tried to get away from the threat. But Kazakov was adamant in his decision, and therefore followed the enemy right up to the front line. Unfortunately, the German pilot managed to escape. Nevertheless, even then it was clear that Kazakov would stop at nothing in battle.
Feat
It was within the framework of the First World War that Kazakov accomplishes his first feat - he carries out the second night ramming of an enemy air force in history. This happened in March 1915. The first hero to accomplish such a feat was Pyotr Nikolaevich Nesterov.
For his decisiveness, inflexibility and striving for victory, Alexander Alexandrovich Kazakov was awarded one of the highest awards in the Russian Empire - the award St. George's weapon. The feat brought him new stars - already in August, Kazakov will be honored to accept the post of head of the corps aviation detachment.
Further, victories in air battles will follow one after another. Luck favors him becausehe, like no one else, knows how to show his best military qualities not only in a team, but also alone.
The list of Kazakov's regalia won't end on the premium Georgievsky weapons. Another award will be added to his collection - in 1916 he will be awarded the Order of St. George.
Revolution
It was 1917. The second revolutionary wave swept the empire. All of Europe watched the destruction of the once mighty power: first, Russia lost its emperor, then withdrew from the "imperialist" war without waiting for it to end. October has come. The sailors, armed with guns, approached the Winter Palace, a luxurious monument of imperial architecture. The first shot rang out - the empire was dead.
The change of power could not but leave a mark on the lives of the inhabitants of the former empire. And for Alexander Alexandrovich Kazakov, it turned out to be difficult to maintain relations with the new Soviet government. He, contrary to the line of the Bolsheviks, advocated the war "to the bitter end", which earned him the fame of a reactionary, for which he was removed from the post of commander.
The tense political situation affected not only his career, but also the very he alth of Alexander Alexandrovich. In December 1917, the medical commission will send Kazakov to recuperate in Kyiv, after which he himself will move to Petrograd.
You should not, however, assume that Kazakov always perceived the Reds with hostility - on the contrary, he actively tried to get closer to the Soviet government; Kazakov met with Leon Trotsky himself - People's Commissar for Military and Navalaffairs. However, the chaos that took place in Petrograd could not leave Kazakov indifferent: during the Civil War, he would take the side of the Whites. In order not to fight for the Reds, being a reserve officer, he secretly escapes to Murmansk.
Civil War
During the Civil War in Russia, Kazakov took part in operations in the North and rose to the rank of the Royal Air Force of Great Britain. The fact is that in 1918 a Slavic-British aviation detachment was formed in Arkhangelsk, the commander of which was our hero. In 1919, the pilot was seriously wounded, but this did not break his spirit at all. As in the First World War, Kazakov carried out successful sorties and repeatedly inflicted damage on the enemy.
Unfortunately, the path of the legendary pilot was short and limited to several decades. The fate of Kazakov is sad: he died in the thirtieth year of his life. According to one version, he crashed in a plane crash, according to another, the pilot committed suicide, not resigning himself to combat failures. It seems strange that a few days before his death, Kazakov refused a high post and evacuation to the United Kingdom. Such was the consideration of a hero with a brave heart and the ability to stand his ground to the end.
The great ones leave young, because usually they have only one goal in life - to make a breakthrough, to do something that no one has ever done. A short period of 30 years of life was enough for Alexander Kazakov to do something that no one had done before - to survive after a fatalramming an enemy aircraft. Despite the difficult fate, he courageously overcame all the hardships of life and never followed false ideals. His life is an example of an irreconcilable struggle between a cruel world and a pure human soul.
