Today In History:  01 August  [1919]   --  World War I Russian ace Aleksandr Kazakov (32 kills, but only 20 officially) is killed in the crash of what was probably a Sopwith Camel.

World War I Russian ace Aleksandr Kazakov ( is killed in the crash of what was probably a Sopwith Camel. On 1 August 1918 Kazakov became a major in the RAF and was appointed to be commanding officer in charge of an aviation squadron of the Slavo-British Allied Legion made up of Camels. After the British withdrawal from Russia which left the Russian White Army in a desperate situation, Kazakov died in a plane crash during an air show on this date which was performed to boost the morale of the Russian anti-Bolshevik troops. Most witnesses of the incident thought Kazakov committed suicide.

PHOTO: An original WW1 Sopwith Camel operated b uyThe Vinatge Aviator collection in New Zealand.

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Photo Attribution:  Historical Aviation Film Unit