Jurgis Dobkevičius (23 March 1900 – 8 June 1926) was a pioneering aviator and aircraft designer in
interwar Lithuania.
Educated in Russia, Dobkevičius joined the
Lithuanian Army
The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Navy, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuan ...
in 1919. During the
Polish–Lithuanian War and the
Żeligowski's Mutiny in July–November 1920, Dobkevičius flew 21 missions. After about 400 flight hours, he retired from active military service in 1923 in order to study at
L'Ecole Superieure d'Aeronautique in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.
Dobkevičius designed, built, and tested three
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
s: sports aircraft
Dobi-I (August 1922), military surveillance aircraft
Dobi-II (October 1923), and fighter
Dobi-III (November 1924). Dobkevičius' designs were noted for their speed and aerodynamics. However, the designs sacrificed pilot's visibility, particularly when looking down to land. This led to several Dobi crashes when landing. Dobkevičius died when Dobi-III crashed during its second test flight in June 1926.
Biography
Early life and education
Dobkevičius was born on 23 March 1900 in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
where his father worked in the administrative offices of the Tsar's palace.
[ During World War I, Jonas Dobkevičius was the director of a French company producing cars and airplanes in Russia. Later, in 1922, he became the Minister of Finance of independent Lithuania.][ Dobkevičius' family hailed from wealthy Lithuanian peasants near Svėdasai][ (their original Lithuanian surname was Daukus).][ His mother was Valentina Teplyakova from Russian nobility near ]Tver
Tver (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is situated at the confluence of the Volga and Tvertsa rivers. Tver is located northwest of Moscow. Population:
The city is ...
.[ As a result, Jurgis Dobkevičius grew up in ]Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...
faith and did not speak Lithuanian until joining the Lithuanian military in 1919.[
Jurgis Dobkevičius completed a commercial school in ]Vyborg
Vyborg (; , ; , ; , ) is a town and the administrative center of Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of Vyborg Bay, northwest of St. Petersburg, east of the Finnish capital H ...
with a gold medal. In 1917, he enrolled at the Petrograd Polytechnic Institute where he studied shipbuilding and aviation.[ His education was interrupted by war and the ]Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
. He was mobilized into the Russian Army and sent to the where he gained first flying experience with seaplane
A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...
s.[
]
Military service
In 1919, Dobkevičius' family returned to Lithuania.[ In August 1919, he voluntarily joined the ]Lithuanian Army
The Lithuanian Armed Forces () are the military of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of the Lithuanian Land Forces, the Lithuanian Navy, the Lithuanian Air Force and the Lithuanian Special Operations Force. In wartime, the Lithuan ...
and attended its newly established military aviation school (see: War School of Kaunas).[ There he trained with Albatros B.II.][ The class of 34 aviators graduated on 16 December 1919.][ Upon graduation, Dobkevičius was promoted to engineer lieutenant.][
During the Polish–Lithuanian War and the Żeligowski's Mutiny in July–November 1920, Dobkevičius flew 21 missions: 16 reconnaissance, three bombing, and two destruction.][ For flying a mission to bomb Polish positions near ]Suwałki
Suwałki (; ; or סוּוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship.
A relatively young ci ...
and Augustów
Augustów is a town in north-eastern Poland. It lies on the Netta River and the Augustów Canal. It is the seat of Augustów County and of Gmina Augustów in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Augustów has an area of , and as of June 2022 it has a popul ...
and returning with six bullet holes in his craft on 3 September, Dobkevičius was recommended for a promotion and was awarded the Order of the Cross of Vytis (1st class).[ He became the commander of the 1st Air Squadron on 22 September 1920.][
In November 1920, Dobkevičius set the first Lithuanian record for altitude at . The next month, when flying a Fokker D.VII, he was the first in Lithuania to perform a loop.][ He was reprimanded for this maneuver and it delayed his recognition as the first official military pilot of Lithuania until February 1921.][ He was severely injured in April 1921 when flying Halberstadt CL.IV and spent a month recuperating in a military hospital.][ He was promoted to senior lieutenant in April 1923 and awarded Order of the Cross of Vytis (2nd class) in July 1923.][ In total, during his military career, Dobkevičius flew about 600 times and 400 hours.][
He retired from active military service in November 1923 in order to study at L'Ecole Superieure d'Aeronautique in ]Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
from which he graduated in July 1925.[
]
Aircraft designer
In 1921, Dobkevičius began designing and building his own aircraft at the Aleksotas Airport.[ He financed this endeavor from his own funds.][ He tested his first design, Dobi-I, in August 1922. It was a single-seat sports ]monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
which reached the maximum speed of . Dobkevičius attempted to fly to Saint Petersburg in Dobi-I but it malfunctioned near Zarasai
Zarasai () is a city in northeastern Lithuania, surrounded by many lakes and rivers: to the southwest of the city is Lake Zarasas, to the northLake Zarasaitis, to the southeastLake Baltas, and the eastLake Griežtas. Lakes Zarasaitis and Griežtas ...
. In December 1925, Dobkevičius hit a hay wagon at the edge of the airfield. Dobi-I was totaled and Dobkevičius broke a leg.[
Dobkevičius built Dobi-II with the government funding at the newly established aviation workshop in Freda. It was a two-seat aircraft meant for military surveillance. Dobkevičius conducted its first test flight on 13 October 1923. It reached the maximum speed of .][
While studying in Paris, Dobkevičius designed Dobi-III, a ]fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domina ...
. It was first tested in November 1924.[ When landing, both wings broke.][ Dobkevičius' designs were noted for their speed and aerodynamics. However, the designs sacrificed pilot's visibility, particularly when looking down to land. This led to several Dobi crashes when landing, including the fatal crash on 8 June 1926.][ When Dobkevičius returned from Paris in 1925, he worked to repair and improve Dobi-III. Before returning to France where he was offered a job at Bréguet Aviation,][ Dobkevičius flew Dobi-III for the second time.][ Due to winds, Dobi-III crashed into oak trees near the Aleksotas Airport killing Dobkevičius.][
He was buried at the Kaunas City Old Cemetery. When this cemetery was demolished and turned into a city park, Dobkevičius' remains were reinterned at the Panemunė Cemetery.][
]
Legacy
Dobkevičius is remembered as a pioneering aviator in Lithuania. A street in Kaunas
Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
was named after him in 1934. This street was renamed by the Soviet authorities in 1946.[ When Lithuania regained independence in 1990, a street in ]Aleksotas
The Aleksotas Eldership () is an eldership in the southern section of the city of Kaunas, Lithuania, bordering the left bank of the Nemunas River. Its population in 2006 was 21,694. The elderate borders Vilijampolė and Centras in the north, ...
was named in his honor and a memorial stone was unveiled at the crash site. In 1993, a secondary school located near the crash site was named after him.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobkevicius, Jurgis
1900 births
1926 deaths
Victims of flight test accidents
Lithuanian aerospace engineers
Lithuanian Army officers
Lithuanian aviators
Lithuanian people of Russian descent
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Lithuania
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1926