Yury Gilsher

Cavalry Second Lieutenant Yury Vladimirovich Gilsher (27 November 1894 – 20 July 1917) was a Russian fighter ace of World War I. Initially a cavalryman, but then an airman, Gilsher overcame two serious injuries to become an ace. After suffering a fracture of both bones in his right forearm, he later lost a foot to amputation because of a crash. He returned to duty with a prosthetic foot. Gilsher rose to his unit's command and scored five victories between April and July 1917 before being killed in action on 20 July 1917.

Early life and cavalry service Gilsher was born in Moscow, the Russian Empire, on 27 November 1894, to a noble family. He was educated at Moscow's Alexeyevskoye Commercial School.

Bucking the traditions of his social class, he enrolled in university and studied civil engineering instead of joining the military. however upon the outbreak of war he volunteered for the Imperial Russian Army, in which he enrolled on 13 December 1914. He graduated from the Saint Petersburg school as a Praporshchik on 14 June 1915. with Nieuport fighters, he taught himself to fly in the vicinity of his airfield, using his artificial foot. On 22 November 1916, he returned to combat, flying both a photographic reconnaissance mission and a fighter sortie.

His final two victories came in July 1917 – firstly on 17 July near Posuhov. The next day, in a letter, Gilsher lamented the condition of his equipment: "...my old Nieuport is not as reliable as before. My worn out Le Rhone engine is very dangerous and my Lewis gun is breaking all the time."

His final victory was on 20 July 1917 when he and Vasili Yanchenko shared a victory near Tarnopol, in modern-day Ukraine. Gilsher, Vasili Yanchenko, and Donat Makijonek took off in the evening, intent on intercepting seven German intruders. Makijonek was side-tracked into a dogfight, leaving the other two to the interception mission. As the Russian duo met the invaders over Tarnopol, they found themselves trapped by a second formation of eight enemy aircraft squeezing the Russians into a trap. Nevertheless, Gilsher and Yanchenko attacked and brought down one enemy. However, as they lined up for a second assault, enemy fire hit Gilsher's plane. Yanchenko saw the motor drop from Gilsher's Nieuport, followed almost instantaneously by its wings crumpling. Yanchenko managed to elude the foe, to land near the wreckage. He removed Gilsher's body from the wreckage and returned it to Tarnopol.

Yury Gilsher was buried near Buchach, in the Galicia region on 21 July 1917.

Decorations

Order of St. Vladimir, 4th Class with Swords and Bow: ca 10 May 1916 Order of St. George, 4th Class: 28 May 1917 Order of St. Anne, 4th Class: 2 June 1917 Gold Sword for Bravery: 4 December 1917

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 u/c 10 May 1916 Sikorsky S-16 serial no. 201 Aviatik B.III serial no. 33.02 Aviatik captured Vicinity of Burkanov Victim from Austro-Hungarian Fliegerkompanie 20; loss verified in Austro-Hungarian records 1 13 April 1917 Nieuport 21 serial no. N1872 Hansa-Brandenburg C.I Shot down in flames West of Maidanska Buda Victory over victim from Austro-Hungarian Fliegerkompanie 7 shared with Makeenok and Yanchenko 2 13 April 1917 Nieuport 21 serial no. N1872 Hansa-Brandenburg C.I Austro-Hungarian pilot returned to base with wounded observer Vicinity of Posetch, Galicia Victory shared with Yanchenko 3 15 May 1917 Nieuport 21 Albatros C.II serial no. 52.52 Destroyed on ground by Russian artillery fire Boushuv Victim from Austro-Hungarian Fliegerkompanie 25 4 17 July 1917 @ 1100 hours Nieuport 11 serial no. N1679 Enemy aircraft Destroyed by artillery fire after crashlanding Southwest of Posucho 5 20 July 1917 Nieuport 21 Enemy aircraft Last seen descending steeply Tarnopol Victory shared with Yanchenko