Vasili Yanchenko

Kapitan Vasili Ivanovich Yanchenko (1 January 1894 – August 1959) was a World War I flying ace credited with 16 aerial victories. He graduated his secondary education as a mechanical engineer in 1913, with an interest in aviation. He learned to fly shortly after graduation.

As his native Russia became embroiled in World War I, Yanchenko volunteered for military aviation duty on 22 November 1914. After being trained as a pilot the Imperial Russian Air Service way, he was posted to fly reconnaissance in combat on 4 September 1915. Undaunted by an onboard fire on his first combat mission, he continued to fly his missions despite burns.

Reassigned to fighters after additional training, he was sent to a unit commanded by an officer with whom he had a personality clash. His career as a fighter pilot did not take off until his reassignment to the prestigious 7th Fighter Aviation Detachment. He would score 13 aerial victories with the 7th, rise from the enlisted ranks to become an officer, and garner numerous decorations. He would also befriend fellow Russian aces Donat Makijonek, Juri Gilsher, and Ivan Orlov. After they became casualties, he transferred units. He would score three more victories in his new unit as the Russian Revolution sapped the will to fight from the IRAS. As a result, Yanchenko defected to the White Russian forces and fought the Bolsheviks from August 1918 to August 1920.

After the Volunteer Army's defeat, Yanchenko emigrated to the United States to forge a life's work as an engineer.

Biography

Vasili Ivanovich Yanchenko was born 1 January 1894 in the Nikolsk-Ussuriski Region of the Russian Empire. He received his secondary education at the Saratov Technical School; he graduated early in 1913 as a mechanical engineer. He became interested in flying while still at school, and learned to fly soon after graduation.

Vasili Yanchenko (back row, first from left) seen with members of the 12th Corps Detachment, ca. November 1915.

On 19 November 1915, he began advanced training on the Morane-Saulnier H fighter at the Moscow Air School. He graduated on 5 January 1916, and was assigned to the 3rd Korpusnoi Aviatsionniy Otryad (Corps Aviation Detachment) with a rank equivalent to sergeant major. His personality clashed with that of his new commander. As a result, he was demoted back to sergeant on 23 January 1916. By March, he had flown only ten missions. He applied for transfer to the forming 7th Aviatsionniy Otryad Istrebitlei (Fighter Aviation Detachment) in early March, and was posted to them on 7 April. His promotion was reinstated. By the end of May, he had flown almost 40 sorties with his new unit.

Yanchenko was awarded the Order of Saint Vladimir on 3 January 1917, in recognition of an unsuccessful air fight on 2 October 1916. The award came with ten days mandatory leave. A subsequent landing accident in Nieuport 9 s/n 285 destroyed the machine and injured Yanchenko. During his recovery, he became friends with Donat Makijonek; the two of them especially enjoyed discussing aerial warfare and its tactics. After Yanchenko's recovery in late February 1917, the pair began flying together. On 7 March 1917, they teamed up to down an enemy two-seater, attacking it eight times.

On 13 April, Yanchenko would use a Morane-Saulnier H to share a couple of victories with Makijonek and Juri Gilsher. A week later, Yanchenko was brought down by artillery fire inside the Russian lines; his Morane-Saulnier H was ruined, but he suffered only a slight leg wound. Despite this, he went on to fly 84 sorties over the next two months, though with only one victory. He used a Nieuport 17 for that seventh win on 27 June 1917.

By now, Yanchenko's unit, the 7th AOI, was heavily involved in supporting the Brusilov Offensive. On 4 July 1917, his friend and commanding officer Ivan Orlov was killed in action. Yanchenko's other friend, Juri Gilsher, succeeded to the command, only to be killed on 20 July. Yanchenko and Makijonek were with him when he fell in a battle against 16 enemy airplanes. Yanchenko disengaged from the clump of Germans attacking him by faking an out-of-control spin, and landed near the wreckage. He removed Gilsher's body from the smashed plane, and forwarded it to Tarnopol as a last service for his friend. He also wrote Gilsher's father, giving details of the loss.

He transferred to the 32nd Korpusnoi Aviatsionniy Otryad (Corps Aviation Detachment)

List of aerial victories

See also Aerial victory standards of World War I, List of World War I flying aces from the Russian Empire

Confirmed victories are numbered and listed chronologically.

No.Date/timeAircraftFoeResultLocationNotes 1 25 June 1916 Nieuport 11 Aviatik B.I serial number 33.30 Crashed on its side near Russian troops Pidhaitsi Victory shared with Ivan Orlov; aircrew from Austro-Hungarian Fliegerkompanie 27 wounded in action 2 5 October 1916 Nieuport 11 Enemy two-seater Down in smoke and flames Along the Zolota Lypa River Victory shared with Ivan Orlov 3 18 October 1916 @ 1605 hours Nieuport 11 Enemy aircraft Crashlanded near Russian troops Lipitsa 4 7 March 1917 Nieuport 11 s/n N1889 Albatros two-seater West of Lipitsa-Gurna Victory shared with Donat Makijonek 5 13 April 1917 @ 0845 hours Morane-Saulnier Hansa-Brandenburg C.I s/n 67.03 Bohorodchany Victory shared with Makijonek and Juri Gilsher; victim from Austro-Hungarian Fliegerkompanie 7 6 13 April 1917 @ 1525 hours Morane-Saulnier Hansa-Brandenburg C.I s/n 6704 Fell into woods trailing black smoke Posech Victory shared with Makijonek and Gilsher; victim from Austro-Hungarian Fliegerkompanie 7 u/c 25 June 1917 Nieuport 10 s/n N1302 Enemy two-seater Driven down out of control Vicinity of Pidhaitsi 7 27 June 1917 Nieuport 17 Enemy aircraft Shumlany 8 2 July 1917 Nieuport 11 s/n 1889 Hansa-Brandenburg C.I s/n 27.44 Vicinity of Berezhany 9 6 July 1917 Nieuport 11 s/n 1889 Enemy aircraft North of Berezhany Victory shared with Makijonek 10 11 July 1917 Nieuport 11 s/n 1889 Enemy aircraft Berezhany Victory shared with Makijonek 11 18 July 1917 Nieuport 11 s/n 1889 Enemy aircraft Berezhany 12 20 July 1917 @ 2030 hours Nieuport 11 s/n 1889 Enemy two-seater Tarnopol Victory shared with Gilsher 13 5 August 1917 Nieuport 11 Enemy two-seater Crashed Berezhany Victory shared with Makijonek 14 23 September 1917 @ 1120 hours Nieuport 11 Albatros D.III Crashed Husiatyn 15 8 October 1917 Nieuport 21 Aviatik C Crashed Zbrizh area 16 14 October 1917 Nieuport 21 Albatros D.III Crashed; pilot KIA Gorodik Victim from Austro-Hungarian Fliegerkompanie 30

Honors and awards

Order of Saint George Fourth Class Order of Saint Vladimir Fourth Class with Sword and Ribbon: Awarded 3 January 1917 per Order 2028 of the Southwestern Front Armies Order of Saint Anna Fourth Class inscribed "For Bravery": Awarded 8 October 1916 per Order 1273 of the 7th Army Cross of Saint George Fourth Class: Awarded 20 September 1915 Cross of Saint George Third Class: Awarded early November 1915 per 12th Order 477 of the Army Corps Cross of Saint George Second Class number 10528: Awarded 21 July 1916 Cross of Saint George First Class no. 11362: Awarded 21 July 1916 Order of the Star of Romania Romanian Military Medal Second Class Military Pilot: Awarded 10 October 1916 per Order 1328 of the Supreme Chief Commander

Sources of information