In WWI, most of the aces hailed from Germany, France, the US, or the UK. But there were some from Russia as well. One of them was Grigoriy Suk, who fought in the war while serving in the Imperial Russian Air Service. Born on December 12, 1896, near Moscow, Suk initially wanted to pursue architecture. But as WWI began, his career choice changed from architecture to the military. He joined the Russian cavalry on August 5, 1914. Later, he requested a transfer to the air services, which was accepted, and he was sent to pilot training in July 1915. He was qualified to become a military pilot in January 1916, but as soon as he joined, his father died, and Suk had to take some time off to attend the funeral. In March, he joined the Imperial Russian Air Force’s 26th Corps Aviation Detachment and flew a Voisin airplane. Initially, he was a part of reconnaissance missions.
Ace Journey of Grigoriy Suk
Even while flying a reconnaissance mission, Grigoriy Suk, on June 1, 1916, clashed with a German Albatross aircraft and drove it down from a distance of 50 meters with machine gun fire. It was his first aerial victory, and with this, he was sent to undergo fighter pilot training in Moscow. After graduation, he was assigned to the Kingdom of Romania with the 9th Fighter Aviation Detachment. During September and October 1916, he flew 19 combat missions, beginning with reconnaissance patrols in the Nieuport 10 and later combat missions in the Nieuport 11. Grigoriy Suk was awarded all four classes of the Cross of Saint George in 1916 for his bravery during reconnaissance missions. He received the 4th Class on May 8, 1916, for valuable reconnaissance work and combat with an enemy Albatros aircraft. The 3rd Class was awarded on July 9, 1916, for continuing his reconnaissance despite damage from shrapnel and successfully engaging an enemy plane, forcing it to land. On July 31, 1916, he got the 2nd Class for staying on a critical observation and artillery correction mission under heavy fire, despite problems with his aircraft and an injured observer. This mission led to the destruction of enemy units. Finally, he received the 1st Class, the highest enlisted award, on September 25, 1916, for bold reconnaissance work under intense artillery and enemy aircraft fire, which provided vital information about reinforcements.
The Death
On February 3, 1917, Grigoriy Suk and Vladimir Strzhizhevsky made a combat claim, but it was not confirmed. On February 12, Suk’s Nieuport engine failed during a long reconnaissance flight, and he made an emergency landing at Bakey Airfield, where the plane overturned and sustained damage. Grigoriy Suk was then assigned a Morane-Saulnier I. Flying this plane, Suk scored his second victory on March 26, 1917, followed by a third on April 17, 1917. After a dry spell, Grigoriy Suk claimed his fourth victory in August, flying a Nieuport. In September, he was provided with a Vickers F.B.19, and in this aircraft, he scored a victory on September 4, completing his five victories and officially becoming an ace. He shot down another aircraft on September 12 before switching to a new SPAD VII aircraft. Flying this aircraft, he scored one victory in October, followed by three in November, for a personal score of 10. On November 28, 1917, Grigoriy Suk died in a landing accident after a flight. As he was landing, his plane spun and crashed, and he died on impact. Out of his 10 victories, he destroyed five Two-Seater aircraft, two Hansa-Brandenburg C.I, and one each of Albatros, Oefflag C.II, EA, and Scout aircraft. Three days after his death, he was awarded the Order of Saint George Fourth Class. In the Aces series, Grigoriy Suk stands as a brave ace who, despite his low personal score in comparison to many aces, was perfect in reconnaissance. Read stories about more Aces HERE.
