Konstantin Vasilyevich Akashev (; 22 October 1888 – 9 April 1931) was a

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revolutionary and aviator who became the first Chief Commander of the

Soviet Air Forces The Soviet Air Forces (, VVS SSSR; literally "Military Air Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"; initialism VVS, sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Sovie ...

Biography

Akashev was a member of an

anarcho-communist Anarchist communism is a far-left political ideology and anarchist school of thought that advocates communism. It calls for the abolition of private real property but retention of personal property and collectively-owned items, goods, and ser ...

group in

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

from a young age. Following his participation in a failed attempt to assassinate Russian Prime Minister

Pyotr Stolypin Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin ( rus, Пётр Аркадьевич Столыпин, p=pʲɵtr ɐrˈkadʲjɪvʲɪtɕ stɐˈlɨpʲɪn; – ) was a Russian statesman who served as the third Prime Minister of Russia, prime minister and the Ministry ...

, Akashev went into exile from Russia in 1908, spending time in Italy and France. He completed training as a pilot at the Caproni School of Aviation, Italy in 1911. He moved to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

where he gained an engineering diploma from the Higher Institute of Aviation and Mechanics in 1914, and attended the Military Aviation School in 1915. Akashev volunteered to serve in the French air forces when the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

broke out, but in 1915 he returned to Russia. He worked in an aircraft factory as his past activities as a revolutionary prevented him being posted to active duty. In 1917, he participated in the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

Petrograd Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

and became Commissar of the All-Russia Collegium for Direction of the Air Forces of the Old Army, when it was founded on December 20, 1917. When the Soviet Air Force was re-organised into the "Main Directorate of the Workers and Peasants Red Air Fleet (Glavvozdukhoflot)" in May–June, 1918 Akashev was retained as Commissar, becoming the military commander in July of that year. He fought at the front during the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

commanding the Air Flotilla of the Eastern Front's 5th Army at

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. During June–December, 1919, Akashev was Chief of Aviation and Aeronautics for the Southern Front. During August–September, 1919, he commanded an air group formed to combat the cavalry of General

Konstantin Mamontov Konstantin Konstantinovich Mamontov (; 16 October 1869 – 14 February 1920) was a Russian military commander and famous general of the Don Cossacks, who fought in the White Army during the Russian Civil War. Biography Mamontov was born in 1869 ...

that was fighting in the Soviet rear areas. He personally flew the

Sikorsky Ilya Muromets The Sikorsky ''Ilya Muromets'' (; versions S-22, S-23, S-24, S-25, S-26 and S-27) was a class of Russian pre-World War I large four-engine commercial airliners and military heavy bombers used during World War I by the Russian Empire. The air ...

, bombing the enemy cavalry. From March, 1920-February, 1921, Akashev again served primarily as the commander of the Soviet air forces. In 1922 Akashev attended the international aviation conferences in

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and

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, and gave expert advice on aviation for the

Genoa Conference The Economic and Financial Conference was a formal conclave of representatives from 34 European countries held in the ancient Palazzo San Giorgio of Genoa, Italy, from 10 April to 19 May 1922. Unlike the previous International Monetary and Econo ...

. Akashev later served in management roles at aviation factories in

Leningrad 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 ...

and

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. He was accused of spying and arrested without grounds on March 3, 1930. He was executed on September 4, 1931. He was rehabilitated in 1956.

References

Akashev, Konstantin Vasilevich
On Air power, accessed 13 June 2010

Biography

References

Further reading