Russian Pilots From The Baltic States

[brewdog]

How many Russian pilots from what was to become Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania went on to serve in the national air forces of those countries after independence? And what happened to them after their countries were "invited" to join the USSR in 1940? I'm sure the Soviets would not have treated them incredibly well, but one would think that some of them would've gotten away, possibly to serve with the Germans and Finns after Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.

[agblume]

Hello Brewdog, I wonder if you have done any research on this subject and what sources you may have examined. There were a number of airmen from the Baltic lands and Finland that served in the Russian Military Air Fleet. The exact number is unknown to me, although I attempt to identify as many of them as possible.

After the Bolshevik Revolution on 28 October 1917 (o.s.) some of these men joined the newly forming Red Air Fleet. There were even two Red air units composed entirely of Latvians. During the years of the Wars of Independence 1918 - 1920 there were more than a few defections from the Red units to the newly formed small air forces in these lands. Others defected from the Reds to the White Russian air units in Estonia and Latvia who were attempting to drive on Petrograd.

I have no idea about the period after 1922 when my research ends. However I do know of at least three of these airmen who were killed during the Stalin purges in the late 1930s and a handful of others who were sent to gulags.

These topics will eventually be addressed on my website www.warchron.com. Please visit the Forum. You may find it of interest. Kind regards, agblume

[jeroen]

hello Brewdog

Thank you for your interesting question, answering it is not that simple as putting it?
To clarify what do you mean by russian pilots? Any pilots from russian etnicity, rusian father, russian mother, both, or russian familyname, pilots who feel more loyal to moskva or their homeland?
Of course most local pilots fighting in 1917/1918 in the baltics were originally from csarist russian state, except the german invaders, or expeditionary british or other europeans, our new young national pilots that were trained by them.
During or after the turmoil of the WW1 pilots had to choose which country to life and serve, but I guess not many served as active pilots until 1940.
In general Soviet Russia in june 1940 invaded those countries and pilots (either local etnical nationals or russian ethnical but local nationals) who did not flee, were either incorporated in the new formed Corps units or grounded, expelled from any army service, our arrested or executed.
If you have any special interest or specific questions on/in these matters do tell me.
To make clear how complex matters can be, Stalins personal pilot had a Estonian/Finnish family name, but would you call him a russian pilot?

best wishes
Jeroen

[jeroen]

Brewdog

To give you some background, what do you think of the career of russian pilot Yakov Ivanovits Alksnis, clearly a latvian etnic Jekabs Alksnis?
He was born in 1897 in Valmiera, Latvia and was send to a military school in Odessa in 1917, returned to latvia in november 1917, but march 1919 went to Russia and joined the Red Army may 1919 and saw action in civil war, he arrived at the military academy in Frunze and became in 1926 deputy commander of the soviet air force VVS RKKA, in 1931 becoming its Chief-in-command, he was arrested and tortured and executed under Stalins purges july29, 1938. Would you call him a russian pilot from a baltic state?

Jeroen

PS By the way, his nephew (nicknamed the Black) Colonel Viktor Alksnis of the soviet air force was active in soviet parlement for ultra national homeland soyuz faction in 1990

[jeroen]

So what about this russian pilot.
His estonian parents (voluntary?) moved from estonia to siberia in 1905 after the revolution of that year, he was born in 1908, to young to see active duty in WW1, but 1928 he graduated as a pilot and became a hero of soviet union for flying Molotov to the UK and USA in 1941,1942 and 1943 in a Pe-8/TB-7 bomber.
After WW2 he returned to Tallinn and died 1996.
Would you call him a russian pilot from baltic state?

[jeroen]

Brewdog

About what happened to baltic pilots, whome the russian soviets did not favour the stories of following persons might share a light upon.
In 1940 the Lithuanian air force had 151 active pilots, only few which had seen military duty during WW1
Most famous is Antanas Gustaitis, born 1898, 1916 he visited school in Marijampol, then Jaroslav, then St petersburg to join army and be trained at artillery school.
1919 he started training at kaunas military flight school, graduating as a pilot, became a constructor of aircraft and in rank of general commander of lithuanian air force.
In 1940 under soviet occupation he was ordered to liquidate the Lithuanian air force and was executed by soviets June 26, 1941.
Capt Leonas Taunys was born 1900, enterred military service 1921, became a military pilot in 1925, became active in (post)war partizan operations against the soviets and was executed October 28, 1946
Capt Bronius Vaivada was also born 1900, went to the kaunas military aviation school, in 1932 studied meterology in Strassbourg France and returned to Lithuania.
He also was active in partizan or resistance movement and shot october 28, 1946.

[jeroen]

He was born in Spraksiai village near Schaulen april31, 1879
He graduated gymnasium 1896 and went to St Peterburg Polytechnical Institute, after the second course to the Wilno military infantry school and then the far east to fight against japanese.
In 1912 he became a pilot with russian aviation, and saw action at the front.
December 11, 1916 became Colonel, commanding 17th AviaKorps, inspecting the Northern front.
he volunteered with Wrangel aviation, became general major and went to Turkey, Jugoslavia, Egypte and returned to Lithuania with brother Colonel Jonas Kraucevicius. sons Boris,Evgeni, Anatoli, and other military Pavlov, Kaputauskas and Senatoriski, volunteered with Lithuanian air force becoming its commander from 1920-1927, his brother started working with AF finance departement.
In 1940 he worked in Ceskoslowakia and was arrested by both germans and soviets on different occations and put in a soviet lager until 1954, returned to kaunas and died 1964.

[jeroen]

Brewdog

About WW1 russian pilots in Latvian service there are certainly some worth mentioning.
Jakubovs Waldemars was born in 1894, he became a pilot in 1916 and died in a soviet prison in 1941.
Ziedonis Landavs born in 1889 escaped when emigrating to Sweden in 1952
Janis Prieditis born in 1897 died by execution march 15, 1941
Arvids Skurbe born 1888 was already punished after civil war by bolshevist and put to work in a slaughterhouse in Moskva, after serving latvian military escaped to germany in 1944 and died in UK in 1972
Janis Lindbergs was born in 1888, was deported to Siberia 1950-1956 and died in a psychiatric hospital in 1966.
For further information I would like to draw your attention to the excellent site of www.latvianaviation.com

best greetings
jeroen

[brewdog]

Originally Posted by jeroen

hello Brewdog

Thank you for your interesting question, answering it is not that simple as putting it?
To clarify what do you mean by russian pilots? Any pilots from russian etnicity, rusian father, russian mother, both, or russian familyname, pilots who feel more loyal to moskva or their homeland?
Of course most local pilots fighting in 1917/1918 in the baltics were originally from csarist russian state, except the german invaders, or expeditionary british or other europeans, our new young national pilots that were trained by them.
During or after the turmoil of the WW1 pilots had to choose which country to life and serve, but I guess not many served as active pilots until 1940.
In general Soviet Russia in june 1940 invaded those countries and pilots (either local etnical nationals or russian ethnical but local nationals) who did not flee, were either incorporated in the new formed Corps units or grounded, expelled from any army service, our arrested or executed.
If you have any special interest or specific questions on/in these matters do tell me.
To make clear how complex matters can be, Stalins personal pilot had a Estonian/Finnish family name, but would you call him a russian pilot?

best wishes
Jeroen

Yeah, I guess I should've clarified that. I meant pilots of the Russian Imperial Air Fleet who were ethnic Balts or who had lived in the Baltic provinces prior to 1914.

[agblume]

Jeroen, Thanks for details of these airmen. All names were familiar to me, but the fates of some were not.

Brewdog, please be aware that the "Imperial" period ended on 15 March 1917 (n.s) when Tsar Nicholas II abdicated. The Military Air Fleet was never known as "Imperial." Perhaps you refer to the Imperial All-Russian Aero Club, which was forced to change its designation on the abdication of the Tsar. All Romanov's were removed from positions of authority, including the commander of the Air Fleet, Grand Duke Aleksandr Mikhailovich.

Airmen of various ethnicities, including Finland, Poland, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania served as Russian subjects in the Military Air Fleet. During the summer of 1917 the Provisional government allowed the transfer of airmen into units, two entirely Polish and one entirely Ukrainian. During the course of the war 1914-1917 there were Siberian, Caucasian and Turkestan aviation units, all of which were composed of airmen from those regions.

Most airmen were Orthodox, some Catholic, some Lutheran. some Muslim, and I have found at least one Jewish pilot. Perhaps there were others.

I hope this puts questions in some broader perspective. Best regards, agblume