 |
Jurgis DobkeviciusLithuanian aircraft designer, engineer
Date of Birth: 23.03.1900
|
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Military Career
- Combat Duty
- Advanced Studies
- Awards and Recognition
- Cross of Pogonia, II Degree (1923)
Early Life and Education
Jurgis Dobkevičius was born on March 23, 1900, in St. Petersburg. In 1917, he graduated with honors from the Vyborg Commercial School and enrolled in the Petrograd Polytechnic Institute's shipbuilding faculty. However, he was soon mobilized into the Russian army and sent to Bakinskiy Maritime College for aviation mechanics training.
Military Career
In 1919, Dobkevičius returned to Lithuania with his parents and volunteered for the Lithuanian Army. He enrolled in the Kaunas Military Aviation School on August 7, 1919, and graduated on December 16, 1919, as a Lieutenant of Engineering. He was assigned to the Lithuanian Army's Aviation Division.
Combat Duty
In 1920, Dobkevičius actively participated in combat operations, completing 24 sorties against the Polish forces. He was promoted to Commander of the 1st Air Squadron on September 22, 1920, and to Military Pilot on November 1, 1920. On December 1, 1920, he became the first Lithuanian Air Force pilot to perform a "dead loop" maneuver in a Fokker D.VII.
Advanced Studies
On November 7, 1923, Dobkevičius voluntarily retired from the military and traveled to France to study at the École Supérieure d'Aéronautique in Paris.
Awards and Recognition
Jurgis Dobkevičius received numerous awards for his service, including:
