Ivan Vasilyevich Smirnov
Encyclopedia
Ivan Vasilyevich Smirnov was a famous Russian
aviator
of the 1st Combat Air Group in the Imperial Russian Army
.
. In the outbreak of the World War I
Smirnov enrolled as a volunteer. He was enlisted in the 96th Omsk infantry regiment which fought on Russian Northern Front (World War I)
. Ivan Smirnov was awarded the Cross of St. George
of the 4th degree. He was seriously wounded on December 8, 1914 by a gunmachine fire and was sent to Petrograd (St. Petersburg) where he saw taking off planes. Smirnov decided to enter into Aviation Corps. In the beginning of 1915 he was sent to a pilot school in Petrograd, then in Moscow
. After a year-and-half course Smirnov was ordered to the 19th Corps Air Fighter Detachment whose commander was a distinguished pilot, Alexander Kazakov. His first plane was Nieuport 10
and scored for the first time on December 20, 1916 and was promoted to Praporshchik
. Smirnov got Morane-Saulnier
and hit 5 more planes on it. In March 1917 the 1st Combat Air Group was moved to Galicia where Smirnov scored 6 victories and was awarded the Crosses of St. George (3rd and 2nd degrees). Finally on October 31, 1917 Smirnov got the Order of St. George
(4th degree) for his 7th plane. In November Smirnov took his last two planes as a Russian Imperial pilot. He celebrated over 20 victories during World War I and Smirnov was never hit. On December 14, 1917 he left his unit because of threat of lynching
all officers. He finally managed to reach England, where he was serving as a flight instructor for British officers.
. Smirnov worked for airline companies such as SNETA
in Belgium and KLM in The Netherlands
during the 1920s and 1930s. Ivan Smirnov was soon naturalised as a Dutch citizen.
In 1933 he and his crew went worldfamous when they made their record breaking flight from Amsterdam to Batavia (Jakarta) on Java (Indonesia - formerly the Dutch East Indies) in 4 days each way. The journey took place from 18 December to 22 December and from 26 December to 30 December. In 1934 he and the crew was conferred upon the dignity of Chevalier (Knight) of Honour of Orange Nassau.
Smirnov worked as a pilot for KLM in the Dutch East Indies
. In January 1942 he was mobilized as a captain in the Royal Netherlands Air Force
. On Java he participated in many hazardous flights, and he also flew passengers and materiel
between Java and Australia
. On 3 March 1942, a Douglas DC-3 Dakota, PK-AFV
or Pelikaan, piloted by Smirnov, left Bandung
, Java for Broome, Australia
, with a plane load of evacuees and a box of diamonds worth approximately £
150,000-300,000 (now an approximate A$
20-40 million). (The flight took off three days before the Japanese took the Bandung area.) They were attacked by three Japanese Zeroes
about 80 km north of Broome. Captain Smirnov was wounded several times in his arms and hip. Smirnov managed to put the Dakota into a steep spiral dive with the Zeros in pursuit and made a forced landing on the beach. Four passengers were killed. The box of diamonds went missing after the crash and relatively few were recovered. Three local men were tried, but not convicted, of their theft.
After the crash landing Smirnov now worked as a captain in the US 317th Troop Carrier Group, responsible of flying supplies from Brisbane in Australia to Port Moresby on New Guinea. Late 1943 he arrived in USA and was introduced to the new Douglas DC-4 and the Lockheed Constellation. Autumn 1944 he went back to Europe and flew on the Bristol-Lisbon-Gibraltar line to the end of war.
In 1950 he retired from KLM and moved to Cala d'Or on the Balearic Island of Majorca. He died in 1956 and was buried in Palma de Majorca. Three years later he was re-buried in Heemstede near Amsterdam.
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
of the 1st Combat Air Group in the Imperial Russian Army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
.
Early life and World War I accomplishments
He was born to a peasant family on a tiny village near VladimirVladimir
Vladimir is a city and the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway. Population:...
. In the outbreak of the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Smirnov enrolled as a volunteer. He was enlisted in the 96th Omsk infantry regiment which fought on Russian Northern Front (World War I)
Northern Front
Northern Front may refer to one of the following.* Russian Northern Front , a unit of the Imperial Russian army during the World War I.* Polish Northern Front , a unit of the Polish Army during the Polish-Bolshevik War...
. Ivan Smirnov was awarded the Cross of St. George
Cross of St. George
thumb|Original Cross of St. George.Ist and 2nd class were in gold.The Cross of St. George ', or simply the George's Cross, was, until 1913, officially known as the Sign of Distinction of the Military Order of St. George....
of the 4th degree. He was seriously wounded on December 8, 1914 by a gunmachine fire and was sent to Petrograd (St. Petersburg) where he saw taking off planes. Smirnov decided to enter into Aviation Corps. In the beginning of 1915 he was sent to a pilot school in Petrograd, then in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. After a year-and-half course Smirnov was ordered to the 19th Corps Air Fighter Detachment whose commander was a distinguished pilot, Alexander Kazakov. His first plane was Nieuport 10
Nieuport 10
|-See also:- External links :* *...
and scored for the first time on December 20, 1916 and was promoted to Praporshchik
Praporshchik
Praporshchik is a rank in the Russian military.-Imperial Russia:Praporshchik was originally a name of a junior commissioned officer rank in the military of the Russian Empire equivalent to ensign...
. Smirnov got Morane-Saulnier
Morane-Saulnier
Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier is a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier and the Morane brothers, Leon and Robert...
and hit 5 more planes on it. In March 1917 the 1st Combat Air Group was moved to Galicia where Smirnov scored 6 victories and was awarded the Crosses of St. George (3rd and 2nd degrees). Finally on October 31, 1917 Smirnov got the Order of St. George
Order of St. George
The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George (also known as Order of St. George the Triumphant, Russian: Военный орден Св...
(4th degree) for his 7th plane. In November Smirnov took his last two planes as a Russian Imperial pilot. He celebrated over 20 victories during World War I and Smirnov was never hit. On December 14, 1917 he left his unit because of threat of lynching
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
all officers. He finally managed to reach England, where he was serving as a flight instructor for British officers.
Postwar Activity
After World War I he served a little in the White Army of general Denikin, Wrangel and Kolchak and after its defeat he went back to the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Smirnov worked for airline companies such as SNETA
SNETA
SNETA is a former Belgian airline which operated from 1919 to 1923 in order to pioneer commercial aviation in Belgium...
in Belgium and KLM in The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
during the 1920s and 1930s. Ivan Smirnov was soon naturalised as a Dutch citizen.
In 1933 he and his crew went worldfamous when they made their record breaking flight from Amsterdam to Batavia (Jakarta) on Java (Indonesia - formerly the Dutch East Indies) in 4 days each way. The journey took place from 18 December to 22 December and from 26 December to 30 December. In 1934 he and the crew was conferred upon the dignity of Chevalier (Knight) of Honour of Orange Nassau.
In the South West Pacific during World War II
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Smirnov worked as a pilot for KLM in the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. In January 1942 he was mobilized as a captain in the Royal Netherlands Air Force
Royal Netherlands Air Force
The Royal Netherlands Air Force , Dutch Koninklijke Luchtmacht , is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Its ancestor, the Luchtvaartafdeling of the Dutch Army was founded on 1 July 1913, with four pilots...
. On Java he participated in many hazardous flights, and he also flew passengers and materiel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
between Java and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. On 3 March 1942, a Douglas DC-3 Dakota, PK-AFV
PK-AFV
On 3 March 1942, PK-AFV a Douglas DC-3 airliner, operated by KNILM was shot down over Australia by Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service fighter aircraft, resulting in the deaths of four passengers and the loss of diamonds worth an estimated A£150,000–300,000...
or Pelikaan, piloted by Smirnov, left Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
, Java for Broome, Australia
Broome, Western Australia
Broome is a pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. The year round population is approximately 14,436, growing to more than 45,000 per month during the tourist season...
, with a plane load of evacuees and a box of diamonds worth approximately £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
150,000-300,000 (now an approximate A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
20-40 million). (The flight took off three days before the Japanese took the Bandung area.) They were attacked by three Japanese Zeroes
A6M Zero
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a long-range fighter aircraft operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was designated as the , and also designated as the Mitsubishi A6M Rei-sen and Mitsubishi Navy 12-shi Carrier Fighter. The A6M was usually referred to by the...
about 80 km north of Broome. Captain Smirnov was wounded several times in his arms and hip. Smirnov managed to put the Dakota into a steep spiral dive with the Zeros in pursuit and made a forced landing on the beach. Four passengers were killed. The box of diamonds went missing after the crash and relatively few were recovered. Three local men were tried, but not convicted, of their theft.
After the crash landing Smirnov now worked as a captain in the US 317th Troop Carrier Group, responsible of flying supplies from Brisbane in Australia to Port Moresby on New Guinea. Late 1943 he arrived in USA and was introduced to the new Douglas DC-4 and the Lockheed Constellation. Autumn 1944 he went back to Europe and flew on the Bristol-Lisbon-Gibraltar line to the end of war.
After the war
Back in The Netherlands Smirnov took up old activities and began to fly on his beloved Java route again. But in 1948 Smirnov got an offer he could not resist. He was asked to pilot a World Tour. The American Atlas Supply Company, a subsidiary of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, was planning a 100-day round-the-world flight on which heads of important American firms would act as their own commercial travellers. The plane in which they flew would be a travelling stockroom, loaded with colour films, scale models, give-away samples and literature in many languages. The Sky Merchant, a Douglas DC4, was to travel a route of 80.000 kilometres, crossing the equator six times, visiting all five continents, twenty-eight countries and forty-five principal cities. Smirnov was delighted.In 1950 he retired from KLM and moved to Cala d'Or on the Balearic Island of Majorca. He died in 1956 and was buried in Palma de Majorca. Three years later he was re-buried in Heemstede near Amsterdam.
Honours and awards
- Cross of St. GeorgeCross of St. Georgethumb|Original Cross of St. George.Ist and 2nd class were in gold.The Cross of St. George ', or simply the George's Cross, was, until 1913, officially known as the Sign of Distinction of the Military Order of St. George....
, 2nd class - Order of St. AnnaOrder of St. AnnaThe Order of St. Anna ) is a Holstein and then Russian Imperial order of chivalry established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp on 14 February 1735, in honour of his wife Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia...
, 4th and 3rd classes - Order of St. GeorgeOrder of St. GeorgeThe Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George The Military Order of the Holy Great-Martyr and the Triumphant George (also known as Order of St. George the Triumphant, Russian: Военный орден Св...
, 4th class - Order of St. Stanislaus, 3rd class with swords
- Gold Sword for BraveryGold Sword for BraveryThe Gold Sword for Bravery was a Russian Empire award for bravery. It was set up with two grades on 27 July 1720 by Peter the Great, reclassified as a public order in 1807 and abolished in 1917. From 1913 to 1917 it was renamed the St George Sword and considered as one of the grades of the Order...
- Order of St. VladimirOrder of St. VladimirThe Cross of Saint Vladimir was an Imperial Russian Order established in 1782 by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus....
, 4th class with swords - Order of the White Eagle (Serbia)
- Croix de GuerreCroix de guerreThe Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
(France) - Knight of the Order of Orange-NassauOrder of Orange-NassauThe Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
(Netherlands)