| Ivan Alexandrovich Orlov | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 January 1895 St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Died | 4 July 1917 |
| Allegiance | Russia |
| Service/branch | Flying service |
| Rank | Podporuchik |
| Unit | Russian: 5th Corps Air Detachment, 1st Army Air Detachment, 7th Fighter Detachment; French Escadrille 3 |
| Awards | Order of St. George, Order of St. Vladimir, Order of Saint Stanilas, Order of St. Anne, Cross of St. George, French Croix de Guerre[1] |
Podporuchik Ivan Alexandrovich Orlov was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.[2]
Orlov built gliders while he was young; he worked his way up to constructing his own monoplane in 1913. He earned his Russian flying license in June 1914, just before the war began. He began the war flying Voisins, but by early 1916 was a fighter pilot stationed with 7th Fighter Detachment.[3] Using a Nieuport 11 as his weapon, he scored his first win on 8 June 1916 when he shot down a Lloyd C.II. He scored twice more, on 25 June and 4 October, before being transferred to Escadrille N3 in France. Despite their being nominally a Nieuport squadron, he used a Spad VII for his only win there, on 24 January 1917. By May, he was back on the Russian Front using a Nieuport 17 for his final victory, on 21 May 1917.[4]
On 4 July 1917, while in a dogfight with four Germans, the lower right wing of his Nieuport came loose. Orlov did not survive the resulting crash.[5]
Nieuport Aces of World War I. Norman Franks. Osprey Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1855329611, 9781855329614.
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