Captain Vladimir Ivanovich Strzhizhevsky (26 December 1894 – 22 August 1940) was a World War I flying ace.
Incomplete and confusing records credit him with eight confirmed and four unconfirmed aerial victories during his 1916-1917 combat on the Romanian Front.
He attended Petrograd Technical Institute, majoring in electro-mechanical engineering, until volunteering for military service on 14 October 1914.
He would not return to battle until 24 August 1916, when he joined the 9th Aviatsionniy Otryad Istrebitlei (Fighter Aviation Detachment).
[3] When the combined Austro-Hungarian and German forces broke open the Romanian front in early 1917, the 9th Fighter Aviation Detachment moved its base to Săucești.
From this airfield, only 13 kilometers behind their own fighting lines, Strzhizhevsky gained his aerial successes and was awarded the Fourth Class Order of Saint George for his bravery.
[3] His victory tally ended on 18 July 1917, when he was hit in the right leg by two bullets while engaging the enemy and shooting down Augustin Novák.
[2] As the October Revolution threw the Russian war effort into chaos, Strzhizhevsky was co-opted into the Red Air Force as the commander of the First Voronezh Aviation Group.
However, on 4 November 1918, he deserted across the lines to join the White Russian Army; he also served in the Armed Forces of South Russia.