This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(January 2017) |
Radoje Ljutovac(4 September 1887 – 25 November 1968) was aSerbiansoldier from the village ofPoljna,Serbia. Private Radoje Ljutovac fought in theFirst World Warin theSerbian Army,and is officially credited with the first shooting down of amilitary aircraftwithGround-to-Airartilleryfire.[1][2]
Radoje Ljutovac | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 4, 1887 |
| Died | November 25, 1968(aged 81) |
| Nationality | Serbian |
| Known for | First aircraft downing from ground to air fire |
| Awards | Order of Karađorđe Star with Swords |
| Military career | |
| Service | Royal Serbian Army |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Battles / wars |
|
Balkans War
editDuringthe Balkan wars in 1912–1913,as agunner,he contributed to the liberation of Serbia from the Ottoman Empire and the defense of Bulgaria.
First World War
edit
He joined theFirst World Waras a gunner in the Serbian Army and participated in their battles in 1914. During 1915, Serbia was again attacked by theAustro-Hungarianand theGerman Empire.Ljutovac was placed in the battalion artillery regiment "Tanasko Rajic", a special unit at the time, operating the newly formed anti-air battery. His regiment, which was located on a hill nearKragujevacMetin, was tasked to defend the area from enemy aircraft, as buildings such as theMilitary Technical Instituteand other important facilities were present in that area.
Downing of the aircraft
editOn 30 September 1915, before noon, the alarm was sounded and his regiment went into battle stations, three planes approached Kragujevac and dropped their payload of 45 bombs, 16 of which fell on the Military Technical Institute, 9 on the train station, and the rest throughout the town. Serbian soldiers on the ground unsuccessfully tried to down the airplanes with rifle fire and machine gun fire.
On the orders of his commanding officer, Ljutovac was waiting with his cannon and he saw the three Austro-Hungarian aircraft with his binoculars. The cannon was not a dedicated anti-aircraft weapon, but a Turkish field cannon captured in 1912 mounted on an anti-aircraft platform. He took aim and fired a shell. The first plane of the group was hit. The aircraft shuddered and started kicking up smoke, and then it crashed to the ground onPrince PeterStreet, right next to the house ofObren Janković.
After the war, he said this of his experience: "I believed in my hand and artillery experience. The plane appeared in my sights. There’s a happy moment. Now, I need to be calm, steady. A moment later my arm pulls the trigger. Smoke came out of the barrel. The plane immediately staggered with smoke erupting from its hull. Then it headed for the ground."[3]
After congratulating him on the venture, the commander gave him a horse, which he rode into town to find the burning aircraft. Together with the plane were the burned bodies of the enemy pilots. Ljutovac stood at attention and saluted. The pilots of the downed aircraft were CaptainVon Scheffeand his rear/forwardgunnerOton Kris.Ljutovac was then decorated with theOrder of KarađorđeStar with Swords and was promoted to the rank ofcorporal.[4]Later on theSalonika frontLjutovac was promoted to the rank ofsergeant.
In the fall of 1918, he participated in the breakthrough of the Salonika front.[citation needed]
After the war
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After the war and demobilization, Ljutovac opened a store trading mixed goods inTrstenik.Radoje Ljutovac died on 25 November 1968.[5]
References
edit- ^"Prvo obaranje aviona u svetskoj istoriji: Kada je Raka IZ TOPA oborio nemački avion".Blic.rs(in Serbian). 2015-11-26.Retrieved2017-01-09.
- ^Mandeep Singh, "Baptism Under Fire", Vij Books, New Delhi, 2017.[ISBN missing][page needed]
- ^"Kako je oboren prvi ratni avion?".National Geographic Srbija.Retrieved2018-02-20.
- ^"National Geographic - Srbija,Kako je oboren prvi ratni avion?".National Geographic(in Serbian). 2014-10-05.
- ^"Kako je oboren prvi ratni avion?".National Geographic Srbija.Retrieved2018-02-20.