Minint aviacijos leitenanto Juozo Kumpio žūties 100-metį

LTTai proginis straipsnis garbingos Lietuvos lakūno leitenanto Juozo Kumpio žūties 100-osioms metinėms paminėti ir kartu mokslinė publikacija, kurioje ne tik pristatoma šio karo lakūno biografija, jo asmenybės bruožai, bet ir analizuojama Nepriklausomybės kovų metų lakūnų rengimo sistema, lyginama su Vakarų Europos valstybių rengimo patirtimi. Skaitant Lietuvos kariuomenės oro laivyno dviejų grandžių vykdytos operacijos Varėnoje analizę galima susipažinti su 1920 metų oro laivyno materialinio aprūpinimo, karo lakūnų motyvacijos, rengimo ypatumais ir sukaupta patirtimi dalyvaujant panašiose operacijose. Taip pat trumpai paliečiamas šios istorijos simbolinis ir atminimo kultūros diskursai. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Nepriklausomybės karas, 1918-1920 (Lithuanian War of Independence); 20 amžius; Karo aviacija; Juozas Kumpis; Savanoriai; Lakūnai; Biografijos; 20th century; Military aviation; Volunteers; Pilots; Biographies.

ENOn 12 March 1919, the Military Aviation wing of the armed forces and the Military Aviation School were both established, and combat flights to the Bolshevik and Polish fronts were being carried out. During one of these flights, Lithuanian military aviation lost its first Lithuanian pilot, Flight Lt Juozas Kumpis. Lt Kumpis studied at Šiauliai’s city gymnasium. In her memoirs, Sofija Lukauskaitė Jasaitienė describes Lt Kumpis as communicative and diplomatic, but at the same time a restrained person and an artistic and talented soul. All of these qualities were perfect for learning the profession of a military aviator. On 29 January 1919, Juozas Kumpis was not yet fully eighteen years of age when he started his service as a volunteer in the Hussar Squadron of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. He soon enrolled in the Military Aviation School. Three German instructors were assigned a total of six student pilots each. Juozas Kumpis was one of those to be assigned to the group which was being tutored by Lt-Gen Fritz Schulz. Lt Kumpis was the only one of all six students to have been prepared by this particular German instructor to end up flying on his own. In addition, he had already been entrusted with important positions both on the ground and when flying on missions. On 3 October 1920, the high command of the Lithuanian Armed Forces instructed the Naval Air Force to find the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ armoured train, which went by the name Gediminas, and which had been surrounded by Poles near Varėna. It was to be destroyed by bombing to avoid it falling into the hands of the enemy. Six Lithuanian crews were readied to complete this task, and the planes flew from Kaunas to Varėna. Lt Kumpis and Lt Juozas Pranckevičius flew the plane ‘LVG C VI’. This crew was in the lead aircraft, flying in front of the rest of the formation.Having approached the target, the planes descended and the scout started throwing bombs and grenades, and firing from a machine gun. They flew a couple of loops around the target and planned to continue until they either destroyed their target or ran out of ammunition. There was a division of Polish anti-aircraft machine guns positioned at the station, which opened up on the Lithuanian planes with some intensive fire. During one of the squadrons attacking descents, two bullets hit the pilot in the head and he lost consciousness. The scout stabilised the plane to some extent and was able to make an emergency landing. Both pilots fell into Polish hands, being taken as prisoners of war. On 10 October 1920, after having suffered serious injuries and without ever having regaining consciousness, Lt Juozas Kumpis died at Varėna Hospital. Lithuanian pilots, all of whom were still very young as pioneers of military aviation, were already valued to the same level as their more highly-experienced western colleagues. After all, Lithuanian pilots had been taught by German, British, and Swedish instructors. His death is confirmed by the presence of a German coin which was found on the chest of Lt Juozas Kumpis, since the Poles thought he was a dead German mercenary, and that the Lithuanians themselves had no military pilots. On 15 October Juozas Kumpis was buried in the old cemetery in the city of Šiauliai. The coffin, which was accompanied by a crowd, was transported through the city on an airplane with its wings removed. Instead of a cross, a propeller was placed on the pilot’s grave according to the tradition of military aviators. [From the publication]