Yevgraph Kruten
Encyclopedia
Podpolkovnik Yevgraph Nikolaevich Kruten was a World War I flying ace
credited with seven aerial victories.
The following year, Kruten's 2nd Air Combat Group re-equipped with Nieuport
s, and a Nieuport 11
was what he used for his victories on 11 and 14 August 1916. He was then switched to the other front, in France, and assigned to French Escadrille 3, which was nominally a Nieuport squadron at the time. However, Kruten flew a Spad VII for his only win with them, in February 1917. He then returned to 2nd Group as its commanding officer. Using a newer Nieuport 17
, he scored on 31 May and 5 and 6 June 1917. On 19 June, while returning from a combat mission, he crashed near his home airfield. He lingered only a short while after the smash.
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
credited with seven aerial victories.
Early life and service
Kruten was born into a family with a military tradition. In 1901, aged 11, he attended the Kiev Military Cadet Corps School. He was forwarded to mounted artillery in 1908. In 1911, he was commissioned. Two years later, he became an aerial observer. Not long after that, he trained as a pilot.Flying service in World War I
At the outbreak of war, Kruten began flying reconnaissance and bombing missions. When he scored his first aerial victory on 6 March 1915, piloting a Voisin over Ravka, he was awarded the Order of Saint Anne Fourth Class.The following year, Kruten's 2nd Air Combat Group re-equipped with Nieuport
Nieuport
Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.-Beginnings:...
s, and a Nieuport 11
Nieuport 11
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Angelucci, Enzio, ed. The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft. New York: The Military Press, 1983. ISBN 0-517-41021-4....
was what he used for his victories on 11 and 14 August 1916. He was then switched to the other front, in France, and assigned to French Escadrille 3, which was nominally a Nieuport squadron at the time. However, Kruten flew a Spad VII for his only win with them, in February 1917. He then returned to 2nd Group as its commanding officer. Using a newer Nieuport 17
Nieuport 17
|-Specifications :-See also:-Bibliography:* Bruce, Jack. "Those Classic Nieuports". Air Enthusiast Quarterly. Number Two, 1976. Bromley, UK:Pilot Press. pp. 137–153....
, he scored on 31 May and 5 and 6 June 1917. On 19 June, while returning from a combat mission, he crashed near his home airfield. He lingered only a short while after the smash.